Last Yarn Along of the Year

It seems we've been on break for a long time, and yet, it seems I've not had a spare minute to relax. Oh, yeah, I'm the mom.

We hosted for Christmas Eve, with 19 for dinner -- the youngest being Faith. I just can't get used to these little kids all being adults now. They take up a lot of space and they eat a ton! All of my own kids came at varying times during the day on Christmas day, and Christmas dinner was at Doug's brother's house, but of course there was cooking all day long. There's no holiday for cooking and washing dishes.

So, after cleaning and then cooking for Christmas Eve, there was clean-up from Christmas, and getting the laundry back on track -- never ending. During laundry time, I have started singing the song "It was the Song that Never Ends" -- do you remember that from Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop? That's the laundry song now, because "it just goes on and on, my friend."

This week we were planning and cleaning for our annual New Year's Eve party -- really just family (and girlfriends/boyfriends). Faith came down with a stomach virus on Monday -- she was sick all night long, but it stopped in the morning and then she slept all day. She was fine yesterday, but 7 am today, Noah fell. He never gets sick so it's a real bug (Faith gets sick so often I never know if it's a virus or something she ate). Now I have to warn everyone and see what happens. We have an awful lot of fireworks if we're not having a party.

Anyway, I started this post as a Yarn Along, although I haven't read anything in weeks. I am listening to a book -- Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, but it's not very relaxing, as you can imagine. In fact, I think I've told Faith several times this week that she should never, ever get in a car with anyone, no matter what they say. She has no idea why I'm saying it, but hopefully she'll always remember it. Not that she's in the same circumstances as these girls. She'll never be walking from school or work, but then, you never know what situations teenagers can get into. Sadly, one of the girls was just 14, and Faith will be 14 in February. That thought terrifies me -- not that she's turning 14, but that this madman could have done what he did to a 14 year old. Well, that he could have done what he did to anyone is terrifying.

Mostly I've been watching Christmas movies and knitting. I started with this cute little beret for my cousin's little girl. The pattern and notes are on Ravelry. I learned a new trick knitting it -- cabling without cable needles. Yay for me!

Then I quick cast on a hat for my niece's boyfriend for Christmas -- and tucked in a Panera gift card to go with. Pattern and yarn notes here. That's Ginny's beautiful yarn there in the red (pokeberry). I had hoped to save it for something special, but Knitpick's shipping really let me down and the yarn didn't arrive until Tuesday before Christmas. The hat was almost knit by then.

My last project was a preemie hat and bootie set. I had wanted to try my hand at adapting my bootie pattern for a preemie and I think it worked, except I don't have a preemie to try them on! They are pretty tiny even though you can't tell in the photo. I think they are 2.5" long. The hat's a preemie size too. Hat pattern and yarn notes here and notes for revised bootie pattern here. 

Now I'm waiting for more yarn to arrive to start this Daisy Chain shawl. I need a big project just now.

Check out Ginny's post for more ideas -- and a book suggestion if you need one.