Christmas - Phase 5 - It's About Time

Here is a scary thought. There are 105 days till Christmas, or exactly 15 weeks.

Everyone should have sorted out the Chistmas knitting and have an idea of what they are up against.

Next you need to take your list and make a guess of how long it will take you to make it and it's difficulty rating. I use this scale for difficulty:

0 - Plain Sock Level - I can walk, talk, and knit at the same time. Does not take any looking at.

1 - Simple Shawlette Level - I can talk and knit at the same and only takes looking at on occasion.
2 - Mitten Level - Has parts that need dedication to, but there are parts that rank a 0.

3 - Simple Blanket - The hardest part is the dedication
4 - Patterned Shawlette - The lace pattern can be memorized, but you still have to check the directions on occasion.

5 - Simple Sweater - Will take dedication and lots of pattern reading, but still parts I can read a book at.
6 - Patterned Scarf - A scarf with chart that needs looking at for the first 5 repeats. The other 20 repeats are made up of dedication
7 - Cowl - Repeats that stack and are worked in the round.

8 - Sweater with Pattern - It might be form fitting, or have a pattern worked in.
9 - Lace - There are some repeats, but every row needs reading

10 - Fair Isle - There are no repeats. Tension is a bitch. My chart is my constant companion

Rating your projects is a good way to tell how long it will take to knit and what you can and cannot do while knitting it.

Who	Pattern	Rating	Hours	Can Do While Kit
Dad	Basic Socks	0	12	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
Grandma P	Basic Socks	0	12	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
Jim	Basic Boot Socks	0	6	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
Jim	Basic Boot Socks	0	6	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
Aunt Lynn	Lazy Daisy Shawlette	1	10	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
4 Beanies		1	16	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
Mom	Linen Scarf	1	10	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
Mom	Basic Four Needle Mittens	2.5	12	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
JM	Basic Four Needle Mittens	2.5	12	Walk, Ride Stationary Bike, Read
Grandma Jane	Dropped Stitch Scarf	3	10	Watch Movies, Ride Stationary Bike, Girl Time
Aunt Bobby	Wound Up Cowl	3	4	Watch Movies, Ride Stationary Bike, Girl Time
12 Washcloths		3	12	Watch Movies, Ride Stationary Bike, Girl Time
Court	Botanical Cowl	3	10	Watch Movies, Ride Stationary Bike, Girl Time
Aunt Lee	Grandma's Checker Lace	6	10	Watch Movies, Ride Stationary Bike, Girl Time
Stina	Hydrangea Neckwarmer	7	10	Watch Movies, Ride Stationary Bike, Girl Time
Grandma Jane	Leaves of Grass	9	40	Grave Shift, Rewatch Movies, Books on Tape
Aunt Lee	Girasole	9	40	Grave Shift, Rewatch Movies, Books on Tape
Anna	Love at the Opera	9	20	Grave Shift, Rewatch Movies, Books on Tape

If my estimates are correct I have 252 hours of knitting. That averages to about 2.5 hours of knitting a day between now and Christmas.

I know I might not be able to do 2.5 hours of dedicated Christmas knitting between now and the big day, I do have my own sweater and my Dad's to finish right now, but if I plan things right I can chisel a few hours here and there without realizing it.

My trick is to always have a project ready for each activity I can do while knitting. I have a plain sock in a carrying bag that lives in my purse, a sweater in a box for grave shift, the washcloth yarn with pattern all in another carrying bag in the car for social visits, scarf next to my recumbent bike, and back up projects ready in a basket in my room. Every time I leave the house I take stock of what projects I have on me and if I can knit them during my day.

If I'm really smart then I can avoid the Christmas weight gain and spend most of my time at home on my bike since as of this weekend there will be no more running for a bit.

Christmas - Phase 4 - Organizing and Buying

If your like me then the stash is right now in shambles, but that's okay!

For this next step you will need the following:

1 gallon baggies
Any and every project bag you own, if you don't have any celebrate starting Christmas early by getting one in the shop
Printer
Copier
Permanent marker
Pens
Highlighter

What you are going to do now is print your list, print all the patterns, and pair yarn, pattern, needles and bags off. I know it might be tempting to start casting things on right now, but don't. You'll get side tracked and forget what you are doing.

Now take your list and start checking off what projects are all ready to go and put those in the project bags. For the rest of your list highlight what yarns, needles and books you might need. Now is also the time to budget how much you can spend on each remaining project.

Here are my before and after shots of sorting the projects:

Core Stash

A few unfinish projects and the Christmas yarn

If you don't have enough project bags for the gifts that are all ready to be started then put them into the gallon size baggies or some boxes and mark what they are. Don't put names just in case you have someone, children or husbands, that might snoop through the yarn. I know your thinking they never would do that, but there will come a time they need scissors, tape, or string and as soon as they see their name they will have it open and no Christmas surprise!

Also, the great thing about tossing the stash is that you might find yarn that you bought for someone already. Like I was planning on knitting Aunt Bobby a shawlette, but I found the handspun for a cowl that I'd put aside for her in January. You might also find a small ball of something and realize that it might be a perfect small gift for someone. Just be careful not to add too many projects to your list!

Now you need a notations pouch. Gather the following:

Stitch markers
Mini pen
Mini highlighter
Cable needle
Small stitch holder
Mini scissors
Measuring tape

If you don't have it all then make sure to write it on the list of people that has the highlights. This will be your OSK - oh shit kit. I call it OSK because whenever I seem to need any of these things you'll usually hear me say "oh shit, where is..." You'll also need a nice pouch that will fit all this. I highly suggest one with enough room for all this stuff, is made of a closely woven fabric (no worsted weight knitted pouches, sorry), and has a zipper top. Baggies will not do. You want it to be nice, easy to spot and not have holes in it that things can slip out of. Try FiberFaire to fill this need.

The OSK and your list now go into your purse where it will live till all projects are finished. Don't put the OSK in a project bag where it might be forgotten. It is as important as your wallet and keys. I can't stress it enough.

Your next task is to go shopping! Go get all the highlighted things on that list till you have everything you need!

If you're like me and can't just go out and spend a couple hundred dollars on yarn right now and need to spread the spending out then every time you go into a yarn store pull out the list! If you just have an itch to buy yarn then make sure it is something on the list. Great sale? Bring the list! Coupon for the hobby store with crappy yarn? Grab the list and get needles!

Also, now is the time to start casting on all the things! Go ahead! We'll talk about how to get through the projects next time!

Christmas - Phase 3 - The Projects

This is the phase that is the hardest. I usually get a wicked bout of startitis when in this phase, but we all have to hold off until we have finalized the list.

First you should have a list of people that are knit worthy, and what you would like to make them.

Now go onto Ravelry and start sorting through the patterns to find something that is just right for each person on your list. It sounds so simple right? Wrong.

Ravelry makes all of us want to cast on every single thing on the site! I usually start with my queue to see if I have already picked out something for someone, then my favourites, and if there is nothing in either I dive into the patterns library and look through hundreds of patterns till I find something just right!

Next list what size to make, needle size, type of yarn and colors you need for each project. Your list should look something like this:

Who	Item	Pattern	Yarn needed	Needle Size	Size	Color
Mom	Silk Mittens	Basic Four Needle Mittens	4 oz Silk Hankies	check gauge, need 8st per 1"	Get	Purple
JM	Silk Mittens	Basic Four Needle Mittens	4 oz Silk Hankies	check gauge, need 8st per 1"	Get	Green
Dad	Gryffindor Socks	Basic Socks	4 oz Dyed Self Striping	check gauge, need 8st per 1"	Get	Red and Gold
Grandma P	Giant's Socks	Basic Socks	4 oz Dyed Self Striping	check gauge, need 8st per 1"	Get	Orange and Black
Grandma Jane	Blanket	Leaves of Grass	4 skeins Fingerling Cream	4US DPN 6US circ	N/A	Natural
Aunt Lee	Blanket	Girasole	3 skeins Fisherman's Wool	10US circs – 2 sets	N/A	Natural
Aunt Bobby	Shawlette	Lazy Daisy Shawlette	300 yds DK	7US circ	N/A	Lt Blue
Aunt Lynn	Shawlette	Lazy Daisy Shawlette	300 yds DK	7US circ	N/A	Sea colors
Stina	Cowl	Hydrangea Neckwarmer	150 yds Sport	3US circ	N/A	Green
Court	Cowl	Botanical Cowl	300 yds Sport	6US circ	N/A	Dark Blue
Jim	Boot Socks	Basic Socks	400 yrds Worsted	check gauge, need 4st per 1"	Men's 8	Black
Jim	Boot Socks	Basic Socks	400 yrds Worsted	check gauge, need 4st per 1"	Men's 8	Black
Anna	Fingerless Mitten	Love at the Opera	900 yds Fingerling	check gauge, need 9st per 1"	Get	Red

Notice I have left the socks with "check gauge, need 8st per 1" " instead of listing a needle size? This is because for any fitted item gauge is important, but because I own so many DPNs I'm not going to do the next step for them.

Now comes the fun messy part!

Your homework tonight after you've made this list is to toss the stash and see what you have the can take care of something on the list!

Go through the stash and needles and put them in a big pile! Sunday I'll show you what to do with the pile!

As Summer Wanes Knitters Rise

These last days of summer are the jewels of the season.

As I sit here looking at the grapevines beginning to change their leaves from green to red I savor the last bit of heat. The end of summer is when we get all the best parts of the season. The heat, the colors, the food, and the friends.

Since moving back to San Mateo I've been able to make it back to the weekly gathering of my friends. What started out as a girls night a few years ago has expanded to include boyfriends, siblings, neighbours and band members. It is not the type of party you would expect to start the week off with.

Anna will usually try a new dish, or splurge on some treat. Courtney will rush to us after work. Stina will learn how to cook something new. Paul will come late and usually arrive with dessert. Nivek might have a ban member in tow and then go back into the house to practice. Sometimes Teresa will drop by with a friend and boyfriend with something from a bakery.

We're all from San Mateo, but our interests vary so much you will never know where the conversation will go. Actually other then my knitting or spinning I don't think you can really expect anything. One of these nights has turned into a late night trip to a casino 3 hours away.

What I can say is that we're a close knit bunch and on these nights I always remind Anna and Stina that they should grab their knitting, because as much as we don't want to admit it, these days are numbered. Soon the leaves will drop off our apple tree, the basil and squashes will die, the swing will be wet with rain, and we'll move inside to stay warm.

I'm lucky because my studio has a great view of the backyard with all the glories of the garden, and on Tuesday nights I'm content to help the girls out with whatever craft they bring and sit in my big chair and just look outside. This is the time to knit I remind myself. This is the time to savor the summer and prepare for the winter. I am a Stark at heart and I think that all knitters really are, because we are all thinking about how winter is coming.

and balancing a teacup on my knee

Right now I'm knitting Nutkin socks, preparing Christmas lists and warm clothes while enjoying the heat with thoughts of how I'll be indoors in the upcoming months.

In the winter we have to remember that Stephanie Pearl-McPhee would say winter is the "glory days of knitters"...

But sometimes you might find us bundled up in our knits enjoying tea on the back deck while it is pouring rain.