Knittyness

Christmas and Yule approach and we are travelling home for a visit before the holiday. This year the family gathering is earlier than usual so I have slightly less time for gift shopping for my grandnieces. This dawned on me with a startling suddenness yesterday and I decided I would knit a little hat for each girl (4 grandnieces and friend's daughter makes 5). Well, the hats have become neckwarmers on the advice of Teri and I have one done already. Its so plushy!!! I paired a boa type yarn with Bernat Satin. I figured wool might itch and I had the Bernat here from hat making. I just hope the boa doesn's shed and go wonky the first time its laundered or something because that would suck.
I signed on online with MontrealKnits, a stitch and bitch group in Montreal. There is a gathering on Sunday and it will be my first. I'm nervous but also hopeful that this will provide me twith someone that can show me how to crochet the edges of the ear flap toque I made for Ben. YES the toque is knit! Now its just finishing touches!! Then I want Cameron's done before his birthday (Dec. 15th) and he has requested that I line his with polar fleece for extra coziness. It means increasing the number of stitches for that hat and figuring out how to make and install a lining. Woo hoo new project.
My mom had bought yet MORE yarn to try the toque in the Canadian Living December issue. What you must know about Mom is that she has a HUGE stash of yarn already. Leftover balls, scraps, and yarns for projects that never happened used. Also projects that were never completed and could be unravelled for their yarns. And yet she buys more yarn. It boggles the mind. Boggles I tell ya.
I chatted with her about this. Mom and Dad are seniors and had serious financial set backs in 2006 in the form on a new furnace and lawyer fees. Their income is government pension so they are not living high on the hog by any stretch. And she buys more yarn. sigh. So I am hoping that I have encouraged her to NOT buy more yarn and if at all possible knit with her stash for gift giving at Christmas. Knit anything Mom..slippers, mittens, hats, anything small simple and quick, wash it to get the storagey smell out and then gift it! Use the stash and save your money for paying your bills. I think the idea "may" have taken. Hard to tell though. It is late in the season for her to knit gifts but maybe, just maybe I have given her an idea for the coming year. I hope so.
My stash is much much smaller than Mom's and I will need to buy a couple of skeins to pair with the girly boa I am making the neck warmers out off. Two of the skeins went with the Ivory colored yarn I had and one might go with the green I have but the other two skeins are shades of dark pinks and magentas , and violets and purples.
After these its Cammie's hat (I can't wait!!) and then one for Daddy..YES my husband actually wants me to knit him an earflap toque!! I feel like a REAL knitter now. No more just knitting scarves!! I can make hats, slippers, and scarves now. Its a heady feeling lemme tell ya. I may get crazy and try a mitten again, just to see if this time I can do it.
Little does Husband know that I had planned on knitting him an earflap toque as a surprise for Christmas...but the yarn I bought is not in the colors he requested. Dang.
And thus a small stash is enlarged............
uh-oh