Yes, that’s me… the one hibernating in her house to avoid all the holiday cheer.  It’s not that I hate Christmas, it’s just… ugh, stress.  I only have one rehearsal remaining with my choir before Christmas, and I really am worried.  I won’t go into the details, I will just say that it’s really hard being the replacement for a particularly beloved director.  How to strike a balance between tradition and new things?  How, in fact, to change anything without seeming like I’m being mean about everything that happened before I got the job?

I keep telling myself “You can’t please everyone.”  Which is true.  And also totally not helpful, because I want to please everyone.  And I am worried I may be getting sick, which just  cannot happen right now.  I need my voice.

See, there I go… grinchy grinch grinch.  I want to be more cheerful, but I just don’t think I can for another 11 days… so please try to understand if I’m a little behind in my replies etc… all will return to normal in January! Even my knitting has been stressing me out lately, resulting in me starting and immediately abandoning at least 5 projects.

Fortunately, I finally seem to have found two projects that are sticking.  Firstly, I have finally found a project for my Disco Lights!

This is the Swing Scarf from Exquisite Little Knits.  I have seen this project on Ravelry, and had mentally filed away the pattern.  Yesterday I went to the library, where I found a copy of the book (and realized I had ignored it on previous trips because it has some sort of furry green capelet on the cover.)  I got out my size 8 needles and cast on… what a wonderful pattern to show off the sequins!  I love the soothing garter stitch, and the pointy ends are nice.  The pattern calls for adding tassels, but I am on the fence about those… we will see when I get done.  I’m aiming to wear this for New Years, a goal which should be easy since there are only 19 stitches per row.  I hope you don’t mind some more photos… I just adore the way this yarn is knitting up, and the silk is so wonderful to knit with.

 

I have also cast on and then ripped several patterns with my Figgy Pudding yarn.  I was all set to make the Leyburn socks, but I have learned to fear patterns that say “stitch pattern is not stretchy” and then call for less stitches than I usually use for a sock.  I didn’t feel like adjusting the numbers, so I will work that pattern at a time when my brain is more available.

I want to make toe up socks, so I got out Sensational knitted socks and used the Easy Toe.

Well, that’s not true… first I tried the short row toe 3 times, hated the way it looked all three times, swore off toe up socks forever, and then discovered the joy of this toe.  These are currently set to be the Firestarter socks, but that could change if the pattern is too hard for my brain right now.  I need to brush up on my “Cabling without a needle” skills.  I learned how once, but I get all confused about which direction to go.

The gathered pullover still looks like a giant tube of stockinette, but I am now to the cables.  My stress related knitting ADD has left it sitting lonely for a bit, but I may pull it out tonight and work on it.  We are going to Cincinnati tonight to help Marc’s parents decorate for Christmas, and that means knitting time, both in the car and on my own after they go to bed.  I got my pianist to cover the Saturday mass this weekend, in the hopes that this little break will re energize me for the push to the holiday!