It's Christmas Eve Eve!

As my (second) favorite New Yorker likes to say: It's Christmas Eve Eve! So here's a little Yuletide cheer from me to you. Hope your holidays are merry and bright!

(Christmas) tree hugger

Last week, just after Thanksgiving, I was having a crisis of sorts. I'm not going home to my parent's house for Christmas until late on Christmas Eve. So unless I have my own Christmas tree, there's going to be very little time for Christmas cheer in my life this year. But getting my own Christmas tree presents a dilemma in and of itself. Growing up, we always had fresh trees -- fresh as in we went out to the woods on our land and tromped around until we found the perfect tree, chopped it down and trudged back home, tree in tow. Obviously it would be a smidge difficult for me to find some landowner in the District who wouldn't mind my trespassing on his property looking for the perfect cedar tree –- much less my procuring the saw to sever said tree. And I'm just not mentally prepared to pay for a tree that someone else got to go tromp about in the woods to chop down (OK, I realize the trees at your average tree stand are probably not natural growths that some hunter stumbled upon during his walk through the wilderness, but instead products of massive tree-farming operations –- just another reason not to buy a fresh tree). But I'm also really not into fake trees. Ugh. Plastic. Consumerism. Ugly. A dilemma, you see.

So after much debating and consultation with friends and family, I decided to divert from the mainstream and go with a potted Christmas tree. This way, even though I'd have to buy it, I could keep it afterward –- or plant it in a certain West Virginian's new backyard. So I tromped the two blocks to the hardware store, carefully scrutinized the three potential potted Christmas trees and settled on a lovely, slightly wonky Norfolk pine. Even my arms were spared their typical Christmas scarring (have you ever tried to carry a cedar tree while trudging through the woods?) because my special neighborly friend, Daniel, carried it all the way back for me.


My sparse collection of ornaments (that I used to hang on kitchen cabinet knobs) covered the tree perfectly. Add a few lights, and voila! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Word on the street is that even a certain Long Island mom/secret hippie is a fan of my socially responsible decor.

Resolutions

In 2008, I resolve to post new blog entries at least twice a week.

OK, now it's in writing, and you've read it, so you can help me stick to it!

And now, for Subtropical Paradise's inaugural 2008 posting, I give you more Christmas crafts! Drumroll please...

I made a small lap quilt for each of my parents. The pattern is slightly modified from Amy Karol's "Easy Lap Quilt." The first photo is of my dad's quilt with my sister modeling. And the second photo is my mom's.



I mentioned in an earlier post that I had decided to make a bulky beret for myself over Christmas break. I had grand plans of being responsible and doing all my freelance work before my vacation, but two days before I was scheduled to leave, I needed a break from working and instead knitted while watching a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. I popped out this easy knit in just a couple hours and got to enjoy using it over Christmas. Unfortunately, now I have piles of work and three rapidly approaching deadlines. Oh well, c'est la vie.

I used Rowan Big Wool in a two-tone chocolate brown and a size 13 circular needle. I didn't want to buy size 13 double points for the few stitches in the center. So I improvised by using two sets of skinnier needles together at the same time (5s and 7s, I think).

And lastly, but certainly not least. I've been plugging away at my Little Gems Mitts. The colorwork has taken a little longer than expected, but I've finished the first one and love it! I have about a million ends to weave in, blocking, and of course the notorious second mitt to do, but then they'll be finished. I wish they were already done, however. It's bizarrely cold in New Orleans today. And one of my Fetchings has mysteriously disappeared.

The Bangles Greatest Hits

Christmas is over. The tree is down. Presents are all unwrapped. So before the excitement of New Year's Eve sets in, I thought I'd go through a rundown of all the Christmas crafts I couldn't blog about earlier for obvious reasons.

First up are the bangles. I made two each for my sister and two friends. I got the idea from Mimsie's Ravelry page and blog. And I had previously made two for myself.

Sippi's bangles are made out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK (light) and Aran (dark)—her favorite color is periwinkle. The lighter one is a bobble stitch from Vogue Knitting, and the darker one is a lace hearts stitch from VK:

Richele also has a lace heart stitch bangle. Her's is made from Paton's Classic Wool Merino. The blue bangle is a thatched cable stitch from—you guessed it—Vogue Knitting. The yarn is Lion Brand Wool-Ease:

Kate's bangles are also from Vogue Knitting stitch patterns. The purple is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK and a double seed stitch. The tan is a lace pattern and Lion Brand Wool-Ease:

Mmmm, don't they look tasty!

I'll blog more on the rest of the crafty Christmas presents later.

Off to the races

• Christmas crafts finished...........check
• Christmas shopping finished.......check
• presents wrapped....................check

Now, I'm just one Christmas party (at the horse races), a few hours of work, one evening of packing and laundry, and one six-hour drive away from vacation!

No peeking!

'Jingle bells, electric lights'

Things are winding down finally. I've been listening to my favorite "Christmas" song, "Christmas Katie," on repeat—I like the name! It's been cooler than 80 degrees in New Orleans this week. So it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!


I'm 99% done with my Christmas crafts, shopping, and wrapping. And I'm 85% done with my deadline work that needs to be done before this weekend. After that, it's ten glorious days of watching "Lost" DVDs, playing with new Christmas toys, eating yummy things, and knitting! I can't wait. And I'm planning ahead.

I chopped nine inches of hair off earlier this month, which means getting used to short hair again and contemplating all the fun things I can do with it. Like wearing hats. I have a large head, so I always think hats look wonky on me. But I may be able to pull one off with my spunky new coif. I'm leaning towards a beret because I'm going to Paris this spring, and "when in Rome..."

I've been trolling Ravelry. I briefly considered Grumperina's Art Deco Beret from Knitscene, but I don't think I'm ready to commit to sparkly beads all over my head just yet. So I moved on to Wendy Bernard's Last-Minute Purled Beret and Le Slouch. But neither really jumped out and grabbed me. I was just about ready to give up and focus on finishing WIPs during my vacation. Until this morning. When by complete accident, I rediscovered this gem:


And all at once, it all came back. I remembered how much I loved this pattern when I first saw it last year (Vogue Knitting Holiday 2006). I imagined myself sitting in a lovely little Parisian sidewalk cafe, sipping café au lait and eating a crêpe—or maybe a baguette, no let's stick with the crêpe. I saw my sassy new haircut peeking out from under the hat. And I was sold. I went to the yarn store during my lunch break. Now I'm $40 poorer (size 13 circular needles don't come cheap), optimistic, and not destined to focus on boring, old WIPs over break! J'adore le chapeau!


Photos: apta.com, Vogue Knitting, and Rowan