And Thus Another Christmas is Conquered!

The presents are delivered.  Everyone loved them! I'm pretty excited that this Christmas went so well, especially since I made more hand-knit items then ever before this year - five!

Even the slippers, which I was really nervous about, were well received.

As for me, I made out like a bandit.  I got a new sewing machine, some rocking boots, and books, to name a few of my favorite gifts.  I'm already planning to quilt a bit, having little experience in quilting but a lot of experience reading about quiliting... so here's hoping.

Also in the realm of my life... my Dad's  computer got hit by a pretty nasty virus, and I'm having some very bad family problems.  I don't like keeping secrets, but the women of my family gathered around a table today and made the decision not to tell certain people in the family things "so that they can enjoy the holidays."  I'm happy I got to sit with my family and give my input, but I don't believe in keeping secrets.  I'm pretty bummed out about it - can't post here, of course, it wouldn't be a secret - but if  you could spare a prayer or a kind thought, I would appreciate it :)

Christmas Presents of the Non-Knitting Variety

Each year, my college friends do a secret santa - freshman and sophomore year, it was run through our floor, but this year, we did it ourselves.  I got a cool kid that likes war-like things, and pokemon.  So I went and made him this:

What is this?  It's a snowglobe! I made it with hot glue and army men :) It only cost about 7 dollars, too!

I wrote "Merry Christmas" in German (I don't speak German, but I looked it up) on the bottom.

I hear tell he had a total unwrap attack when he opened it! My roommate said she would film it, but she hasn't posted it up yet and it's been a few days, so I don't know if she ever will.

I Don't Know If I Should be Proud of Myself or Ashamed!

Yes, it's almost ten days until Christmas.

No, I still haven't started the last pair of slippers!

Instead, I've started this pair of socks.  Why? Well, because I just couldn't take it.  I see W in his socks almost every day, and now my mother has socks, and my brother... why shouldn't I have a pair? So, I'm making some toe up Jaywalker socks, and gosh darnit, I'm going to enjoy them!

The yarn? Opal Prisma which I bought at Rhinebeck.  I wish I had bought more, because it's such an amazing yarn and it's been discontinued! I guess I'll have to spend my Christmas money on some on ebay.

Tonight, though, I get my needles back from Ash and start on those slippers! Viva la Christmas!

Christmas is Almost Here - and the Knitting is Almost Done!

Yes, that's right - I finished my brother's slipper socks. 

I cast off for the second sock, wove in all the ends, and knitted up the heels while at Ash's house for an awesome slumber party :)  We ate delicious beef stew, hot cocoa, and raspberry peppermint jello with whipped cream! Oh, and of course, did girly stuff like read magazines, laugh at reality TV, and hang out with the best bunny on the planet:

(Okay, I didn't have my camera with me last night, so this is a picture of Sammy from last week, when I picked him up from the vet.)

I also got some work done on the sample for my January pattern - and cast on for a new knit toy! It's about time I started working again to bring my designs to life.

I've also started saving loose ends for the Totally Useless Stitch Along from It's Daffycat! I thought about waiting until the new year, but while digging through my bag today I found these yarn bits, and I figured that I might as well - I have a bit of a disadvantage to cross-stitchers, since I don't have as many ends (but, they are bigger... hmm.)

Anyway, if you're interested in joining, you should check it out here! It'll be a lot of fun, and there will be PRIZES! There are already 75 bloggers participating, which is exciting.

Exciting News and Ideas!

Several good things are happening to me lately!

1.  It seems that I WON'T kill myself this Christmas with handmade gifts.  Assuming that I can finish the final pair of slippers before Thursday of next week... this might all work out!

2.  I want to start a pattern collection.  Lately I've been thinking of nothing but knit pencil cases for some creepy, strange reason... so, I'm going to challenge myself next year! Put out a pattern every month!  January will be the slouchy hat that I'm currently having test knit, but after that it will be pencil cases :) A set of 11 pencil cases for your knitting pleasure.

3.  And I'm making English muffins from scratch today, that can't go wrong.

How To: Make a Cut Paper Garland

This whole week I've kind of been obsessing about paper.  Paper snowflakes, paper garlands around my apartment... so, I thought I'd do a tutorial.

This post will show you how to make a dancing hedgehog garland using two sheets of paper, scissors, and tape! You can also do whatever design you'd like, but if you want to make my dancing hedgehogs, I've included the template here. 

Na(Fail At)NoWriMo

So, erm, yes.  Maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't, but I have not succeeded in writing a novel.

For a number of excuses reasons, that I will elaborate on here:

1. Finals.  Oh, yeah, those two middle weeks in November? Dear Alyssa, you forgot that those were finals week.  So you didn't sleep.  Bah.
2. No support system.  Yeah, I guess this should be minor, but from the beginning I was hearing from W how people were asking why I was "writing so much." And by writing so much, I guess they meant writing 2,000 words each day? Anyway, people started making comments like "Well, I'd write that much, but I have SCHOOLWORK." As if they were so much busier than me.  
   
   In the end, I felt BAD about writing. Different.  Socially shameful.  I wasn't skipping schoolwork or shirking obligations, but I just felt alienated by these people.  I don't know why I let them hurt my feelings, but it did and that was probably the major reason I stopped writing. 
3. I just got lazy.

In the end, though, I learned some important lessons.

1. The people that W gossips about suck. Not all of them, but the ones that are hurtful. Yeah, they're losers and I need to not care about them.
2. Finals are hard when you're taking 20 credit hours :(
3. Everyone has a novel inside of them, and mine is NOT about a pediatric nurse falling in love and knitting.  Mine is much more exciting.

My plans for next year? Eh, probably NaKniSweMo :P