What I did on my Christmas vacation

I always have such amazing plans for the vacation time that I take off around Christmas. Unfortunately, I spend the first 2 days frantically cooking, cleaning, and wrapping for Christmas. And then there's the whole turkey issue and my gag reflex. And then I have to take down the tree and clean all over again to get back to normal. And I have to shop a little, you know, just to get all the excellent deals.

This year, I added to that buying and using a ladder to reattach loose siding. Which apparently made me angry enough (I hate ladders, heights, and do-it-yourself repairs. A lot.) to snap because I also did some digging up of ugly bushes in the front of my house. And my brother brought over the power washer that I've been asking to borrow since October on Christmas so I power washed my house. I...power...washed...my...house. And parts of me, the ones required to crank the thing, will probably never be the same (and no, I didn't do it alone and that's a very good thing because that power washer would have sailed over the fence at one point and my house would still be a nice shade of mold green in some places). And I went to get my license renewed where I was forced to guess on my weight. Out loud. In front of people. Thank God I did that before I stepped on a scale to see how much I actually do weigh.

So all that to say...I left large swaths of cross stitch undone. Many projects with beautiful fabrics remain in stacks on the cutting table. That book I was going to write over Christmas break (sure)...unwritten, although I do have new inspiration now.

I knitted. This is all I have to show for my time off. Just the second, unfinished sock too. I had already finished one sock. But at least it looks like I'll have a pair. Someday.

How many days is it until Christmas? Maybe I'll do better in 2009.

Sock, the first of the cable pair

Complete. And it fits perfectly. I find it hard to believe as well. I've determined that I don't really like cables. Sure, they're impressive. At least, to me, but maybe you don't need them on your socks. Still, I have one. One that fits perfectly. I'll have to make the other, right? And now that I've actually made socks with cables, I'll never have to do that again.

I've determined over the past weekend spent cleaning that I need to ban buying more craft-related items until I actually finish some things. The fabric and yarn piles are getting a little out of hand. We'll see how that goes!

Second socks

So I finished the hat and decided that it was the perfect time to try my hand at another pair of socks. This pattern comes from Interweave Knits and it has...get this...cables! I know, now that I've started, I'm really wondering what I was thinking. Trying cables on the second pair of socks is almost as crazy as...making up my own pattern by using bits and pieces of different patterns to make the first pair. Not that I would ever do that. But I know someone who is/did/is doing so. Still, I can do cables. I can do socks. I ought to be able to do socks with cables. Right?
Pattern: Cable Rib Socks from Interweave Knits
Yarn: Berroco Comfort Socks