December Whirlwind

I think I may have, for the first time, done it.  By "it" I mean that I have gotten the Christmas cards out in time to arrive BEFORE Christmas--that almost never happens.  I have put together (it took about 4 months of canning) our first Cedar Hill Farm Company gift baskets and they are shipping out today to family and friends on literally every border of the U.S.  My Christmas shopping is DONE--two weeks earlier this year than last--and all but the few presents still to arrive (I think Bass Pro and Justice may be the SLOWEST shippers of goods in the history of the world!!!!) are wrapped, shipped, or under the tree.  The tree was up by the 5th of December this year instead of the 21st of December like last year. The lights were up by the 15th, and we even have a new mantel on which to hang out stockings.  I feel like I've won the lottery, though I didn't actually and I'm a little miffed about it right now, and this year is a definite testament to the power of "The LIST".

But for as impressive as all of the above is, the Christmas knitting spreadsheet is coming up a bit short and I am a bit stressed (ok, SUPER stressed!) about the knitting left to be finished up.  It's been coming together so much more slowly than what I had scheduled that I had to take some time to make myself a few gifts for new inspiration.  Of course, I also made about 16 new ones for my Etsy shop, too, so go check those out if you also feel the need to give yourself an inspirational knitting gift.

This was where I was yesterday:

Three pair of socks (four if you count the completely invisible one that I knit for Honey and then had to tear out completely and start over with 7 days in which to knit a pair of man socks) are finished.  Two are on their way to someone else's Christmas tree, and I wasn't bright enough to photograph them before I wrapped them.  One pair, Honey's socks, are pictured (and wouldn't you know that he wants me to tear them down to the heel to make the foot "just a little more snug"). The partially knit pair and another I've yet to cast on are for the boys, and Lady Luck is on my side because they are A) going to be gone all weekend and I can knit on them in secret on the front porch swing (going to be in the 70s?! this weekend) and B) they are going to be gone until after Christmas--that shared custody thing REALLY sucks at the holidays--so that gives me an extra week of frantic knitting.  But since I am done with all of the other prep-for-Christmas duties, all I have to do around her is clean, bake, take care of animals, and knit anyway.

A last-minute request for a wool beanie in hand-painted cadet blue and dove grey from one of the boys is pictured with the ribbing done (plus 5 inches of invisible knitting because the pattern was a little small for his big head and I've had to re-group).

One pair of Urbanista Gloves in hand-painted BFL for my mother-in-law, finished.

One 54-inch mobius cowl cast on and begun for the step-daughter (I'm loosely following a pattern but does that little circle of red really look like it's going to be 54 inches?!). The thing about mobius knitting is that you never really know what it's going to look like until you cast off.  I will be knitting nervously all the way.

One ruffle scarf begun in black/silver for Rocket (raise your hand if you HATE fake knitting with SASHAY as much as I do!), one already finished (pictured), and one bulky Tunisian crochet scarf in pink heathered with turquoise and purple finished.  This last ruffle Whew!

And I should be knitting instead of blogging, so see ya! May your hands be swift and your last-minute Christmas knitting be done before Christmas!