It's Beginning . . .

Lots of mysterious knitting going on around here.

I was going to teach a class in fairisle technique at my LYS this Saturday, but no one signed up.  We were going to make Xmas balls.  I had a few examples in the shop and everyone loved them.  But no one wanted to take the class.

::Phew::

Meanwhile I'm gift knitting, as I am sure you are.  And test knitting for a friend.  And trying to knock out a stocking for the Mister since the dog ate his last year.  Serves him right for leaving his chocolate orange in the toe.

The dog is fine, thanks for asking.

But I have pledged to keep it as streamlined and easy going as possible this year.  No cookies yet, but there's plenty of time.  I'm sending cards, giving the older kids certificates to their favorite store rather than guessing, and maybe we'll get the tree this weekend only because the Boy is apoplectic with worry that I might forget.   I should be so lucky.  I might hang a wreath.  I might not.  My neighbors are getting positively grotesque with the greenery and the tasteful Williamsburg fruit plaques.  It's like someone let off a Martha bomb in my town. I might have to get me a blow-up snowglobe Rudolf if I see one more pomegranate.

Comments

[Jen da Purse Ho]

this christmas ball is awesome!!! :)

[Juno]

Please get a giant inflatable anything. Pretty please?

[carrie]

That is a beautiful ornament you made! I definitely would have taken your class. Me loves classes. Perhaps a giant wreath placed strategically over the window facing the neighbors? That might help...

[Julie]

Love the ornament. That would be nice to try. Gift knitting is all I'm doing - mostly fingerless gloves in all sorts of different yarns and patterns. Took out my cards, address book, stamps, cool pens. Addressed 3 envelopes and decided I've had it with cards. No tree, either. Maybe next year.

[Teresa C]

NO! NOT THE BLOWUP RUDOLPH!!!

[Cassie]

Snicker. No Martha bombs here in Brooklyn, but my neighbors have added a second blow up Grinch to their porch this year. Which oddly enough amuses me every single day.

[Bonney]

I would have definitely taken the class to make ornaments! I think the one pictured is fantastic!

[Mary Beth]

Yup. Love the ornament! It's a tasteful contest around here too...lots of little white lights, nothing ever blinking...until you get down North Street to the house with 10 INFLATABLES!

[The Purloined Letter]

I can never decide if I am relieved to only have to put on the menorah or kind of sad that we don't get to do that huge display! (You just can't pull off the Irony Christmas Decorating if you are Jewish!)

[Kellee]

If you're lookin', there's about 14 EXTRA blow up Rudolphs (not to mention Frosties, Santas, Wise Men, Elves, and the ever-popular glowing baby Jesus) in the yard a few doors down from me. You want I should lift one for you? I'll trade it for a class in fairisle Christmas balls.

[Amy]

How about one of those inflatable snow globes? I'm a bit relieved, I live in a town that looks like it was decorated by drunken wal-mart employees, but my street is the picture of tasteful. I wonder if this correlates to the fact I live on the only street that had signs for the republicans last fall?

[Kat]

Giant inflatable thingy, or maybe the candy cane fence complete with red lights? I love Christmas displays.

[Laura]

Love the ornament!

[maryse]

ooh i think you need to get a giant inflatable snow globe. tasteful christmas decorations are lovely but sometimes you just have to express your inner cheese ball and christmas time is thee perfect time for that.

[mom]

You put chocolate oranges in your stockings? Awwwww, a real Christmas tradition passed on to the third generation! I taught you well, love. Ornament is DE vine!

[Teresa]

Just want to add my exclamation as to how cute that ornament is!

CUTE!

Re: Neighbors and decorating for Christmas...
You might enjoy Mo Rocca's commentary on Christmas:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/03/sunday/main2223618.shtml

[Beth S.]

Come to my town if you want to see some old-school decorating. My next-door neighbors' lights can probably be seen from space!

I like you even more now that I know you appreciate chocolate oranges. I swear you and I must be the only ones. Nobody else I know can stand them!

[Cheryl]

Wow, I love that new photo you've got up there as a header. Look great!

[Lucia]

And here I was wondering what I might possibly still have time to make...

[Martha]

One of our friends called last night to say she was going to take her daughter and her daughter's friends on a tour of the town's Christmas lights, and I said (after I hung up), what's the point? There's nothing fun to look at. Any chance you can get Santa and the reindeer up on your roof? Imagine how much the Boy would love that!

My mom always put chocolate oranges in the toe of our stockings, too.

[Melanie]

We always got tangerines in the toes of our stockings. I like the idea of chocolate oranges, though--especially the *dark* chocolate oranges (the mint ones kick ass as well).

[Brynne]

Martha is conspicuously absent from Texas, believe it or not. We live in an area full of eight-foot-tall nylon snowmen and Santas inflated by air pumps and four-foot-tall penguin-filled snow globes with blowers for their polystyrene blizzards. The classy folks stick to life size lighted reindeer. Chasing lights abound. As you can imagine, this is paradise for a two year old every time we go out for a walk.

[Laurie]

Blowup doll Santa on the roof. Please.

[Charity]

A blow-up Rudolph! You make me laugh! :0)

[Theresa]

I, for one, love the blow-up snowglobes. Very very classy.