I don't like Christmas. (whoa, think i heard a pin drop!) Yes, I'm one of *those*... I cringe at Christmas music, avoid decorations and wrapping paper like the plague, am an absolute cynic regarding anything red and green. Like others who share this reticence about the holiday season, I have my own gamut of reasons why... vague ones like memories of mom weeping into her non-martinellis drink over every holiday dinner, explicit ones like my dad's girlfriend flaunting a wedding ring when they came to pick my sister and me up for our annual Time Spent During the Holidays with his side of the family (of course not telling us he remarried beforehand, or was engaged). Of course there's the kicker, returning on Christmas day from a trip to visit my grandparents to find our house half-emptied (and Christmas presents half-stolen) by my mom's third husband... spending the night at the local, empty-halled Holiday Inn because mom was afraid to stay in our home. So I never really faulted myself that I didn't like Christmas, that I didn't really care to celebrate it once I moved away and into my own life (for college, so just shy of 10 years).
Yes, this means that I didn't really do anything for the holiday for my son's first two Christmases. Of course he had presents, I made too much food for too few people... but no decorations, no celebration. That said, I bought my first tree this year, and I know I did the right thing when a friend came to visit and my son immediately dragged her to the tree and pointed, "look at the tree!" I even decorated it with a few ornaments I'd saved from when I moved my mom from her home...
mom told me my grandma crocheted these (there are several).
my grandma started my family's Annalee doll craze... I grinned seeing this one, the only one I'd saved for myself years before I'd learned how to knit (she's holding a yarn butterfly). My aunt has so many Annalees... lets just say, she has more of the dolls by weight and width than I have sock yarn. Easily, and maybe by twice. Really.
Ashamed to admit, but my son doesn't have his own stocking this year, so he's "borrowing" mine that my grandma made me in 1991 :) Next year, I'll knit him a Christmas in Tallinn stocking from Knitting on the Road (check out Erica's here!)
So why am I bringing yall down on the solstice and too-near Christmas? I just feel this huge weight that I didn't know was sitting on my heart evaporate, the one that worries too much about corrupting my son with my eccentricities. No need for him to see me weep over dinner, but no need for me to withhold special times like these just so I can avoid long-buried memories.
Knitting, holiday-wise? Finished the base of the Noni bag...
(uh, mistake? yeah, oh well.)
half of my gift design (pics when I can!) and my mom's third pair of One Skein Cashcotton footies (that I left in the room little man is napping in, no pics!) :) Also have been cr*cheting...
Rasta crochet cap, in handspun Brown Sheep roving
Something requested that has me a little enamored of crochet at the moment. It goes so fast! I have an 8 oz skein of Interlacements Toasty Toes that was withering in the stash and now I'm thinking a crocheted, circular blanket for mini me... I know, I know-- pinwheel instead! But crochet just feels so fast! :)
I finally sucked it up and frogged/restarted the wonky Interlacements Tiny Toes sock, too...
It should be illegal, the pleasure I get using my ball winder to frog. Or at least an indicator of how fast I need February to rear its head into my timeframe. Restarted on US 0's, working well so far... same gauge as first sock (mainly) but feels tougher. Oh well.
Aside from a way simple single stranded mitten for the babe (started when he hugged me and made me yelp with icicle fingers!)...
Koigu leftovers, corrugated ribbing and simple "stripe" in stranded knitting (*k1 in MC, k1 in CC*)... I was surprised to see the effects of yarn dominance when carrying CC under MC, knitting with 2 colors in my right hand. It almost looks ribbed, as much as CC stands out.
...that's it! :) Have a great holiday all!
ps... btw, if you're looking to blow that holiday wad, yarn4socks.com is having a 20-40% off sale their entire store starting 12/24. Also, buy.com is participating in the $10 off $30 and $20 off $50 google checkout promotion, a quick and dirty way to get knitting books already cheaper than amazon even cheaper to you. (Or anything else, I already bought a new cf card for the camera...)
Yes, this means that I didn't really do anything for the holiday for my son's first two Christmases. Of course he had presents, I made too much food for too few people... but no decorations, no celebration. That said, I bought my first tree this year, and I know I did the right thing when a friend came to visit and my son immediately dragged her to the tree and pointed, "look at the tree!" I even decorated it with a few ornaments I'd saved from when I moved my mom from her home...
mom told me my grandma crocheted these (there are several).
my grandma started my family's Annalee doll craze... I grinned seeing this one, the only one I'd saved for myself years before I'd learned how to knit (she's holding a yarn butterfly). My aunt has so many Annalees... lets just say, she has more of the dolls by weight and width than I have sock yarn. Easily, and maybe by twice. Really.
Ashamed to admit, but my son doesn't have his own stocking this year, so he's "borrowing" mine that my grandma made me in 1991 :) Next year, I'll knit him a Christmas in Tallinn stocking from Knitting on the Road (check out Erica's here!)
So why am I bringing yall down on the solstice and too-near Christmas? I just feel this huge weight that I didn't know was sitting on my heart evaporate, the one that worries too much about corrupting my son with my eccentricities. No need for him to see me weep over dinner, but no need for me to withhold special times like these just so I can avoid long-buried memories.
Knitting, holiday-wise? Finished the base of the Noni bag...
(uh, mistake? yeah, oh well.)
half of my gift design (pics when I can!) and my mom's third pair of One Skein Cashcotton footies (that I left in the room little man is napping in, no pics!) :) Also have been cr*cheting...
Rasta crochet cap, in handspun Brown Sheep roving
Something requested that has me a little enamored of crochet at the moment. It goes so fast! I have an 8 oz skein of Interlacements Toasty Toes that was withering in the stash and now I'm thinking a crocheted, circular blanket for mini me... I know, I know-- pinwheel instead! But crochet just feels so fast! :)
I finally sucked it up and frogged/restarted the wonky Interlacements Tiny Toes sock, too...
It should be illegal, the pleasure I get using my ball winder to frog. Or at least an indicator of how fast I need February to rear its head into my timeframe. Restarted on US 0's, working well so far... same gauge as first sock (mainly) but feels tougher. Oh well.
Aside from a way simple single stranded mitten for the babe (started when he hugged me and made me yelp with icicle fingers!)...
Koigu leftovers, corrugated ribbing and simple "stripe" in stranded knitting (*k1 in MC, k1 in CC*)... I was surprised to see the effects of yarn dominance when carrying CC under MC, knitting with 2 colors in my right hand. It almost looks ribbed, as much as CC stands out.
...that's it! :) Have a great holiday all!
ps... btw, if you're looking to blow that holiday wad, yarn4socks.com is having a 20-40% off sale their entire store starting 12/24. Also, buy.com is participating in the $10 off $30 and $20 off $50 google checkout promotion, a quick and dirty way to get knitting books already cheaper than amazon even cheaper to you. (Or anything else, I already bought a new cf card for the camera...)
19 comments:
Your projects are all looking wonderful! I see no mistake on the Noni bag. I'm not as into Christmas as I used to be. I used to love it; I'm not sure what changed. I hope you and yours make good Christmas memories this year.
I don't see your mistake, either, in the Noni bag.
I hope you have a nice holiday. I thought I'd be more into Christmas with small kids than what I am. We made a trip to the next town today for the last few things we needed. (They have Wal-Mart and Zellers.) I hate shopping now. Used to love it, not any more. I ordered a lot of my stuff on-line. Too many people, and all I did was end up with a headache. (I like yarn store shopping -- I can deal with that!)
dude, I'm so with you. I didn't put up any decorations and really the holidays are just an annoyance in my calendar (wow I sound like a grinch)
be strong....only a few more days : )
your bag is looking great, as well as the socks!
thanks for the heads up on buy.com
First, thanks for your kind words and thoughts. Second, I'm happy for my kids at xmas, but personally it's a really difficult time. Happy January 2nd!
I'm really liking the Noni Bag. I got the pattern from my LYS yesterday, and I need to make the charts larger too.
Thanks for the heads up on the errata.
My grandma made us the same angel and star crocheted ornaments - they are really pretty. :)
I hope your Christmas is nice this year.
Holidays are so loaded with expectation and memories, and it can be so hard. I didn't realised how pissed my daughter was last year that I wasn't into Christmas. I was sick at the time and didn't know it. I just didn't have the energy. She understands it intellectually now, but it will still stick in her mind as a miserable Christmas and I feel badly about it. I'm happy, though, that her memories are about the tree and traditions like that, not about the gifts.
I hope you can create some good Christmas memories to replace the bad ones.
I see having kids as a way to make the holidays how I wish or dreamed they could be, however eccentric that may be ;)
Happy holidays!
Have a great time enjoying your son enjoying the holidays. Make all new memories.Traditions are really important to kids. Find something really cool to do, but remember you'll have to do it forever. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast or a visit to a new special place.
What beautiful knitting! That's very brave of you to try to give your son different holiday memories despite its associations for you.
(Thanks, by the way, for your kind comment about my red herring socks!)
All of your knitting (and crocheting!) is looking great. I feel the same way about Christmas, and people, for the most part, just don't understand. I hope you enjoy celebrating Christmas with your son :)
You are far from alone in your dread and avoidance of Christmas. Even people who are really into it, often suffer in silence when the reality falls far short of expectation.
I do think doing things for your child will bring a certain holiday pleasure than might overshadow some of the bad memories of Christmas past.
The one thing I don't miss since I am housebound, is seeing the malls and merchants bringing out the Christmas glitz earlier each year. People are worn out by the sounds and sight of Christmas long before December arrives.
At the very least, may your Christmas be filled with some knitterly joy.
Thanks for the good wishes on the house hunt. You don't know how much I appreciate it.
I also understand your ambivalence about Christmas (too many divorce-related, religious arguments in my background to count), but I'm going your route: let's make good memories for our kiddos.
Even better than a merry Christmas is a happy, healthy, Knitty Knew Year. I hope you have one!
Annalee dolls - I lived not too far from the place they make (made?) them - they are hilarious.....
The bag is coming along - good thing felting erases all mistakes! :) Isn't yarn dominance the coolest thing - I would never thing it would make that much of a difference which you hold on top...
Hope you had a wonderful holiday, and a great new year to come!!!!!
Thanks for the lead on the sock yarn sale. But now I'm totally broke!
Hope you had a great holiday!
I believe the best way to get over not so good memories is to create new ones. You can make Christmas whatever you want, and through the eyes of your son, it will be wonderful. :-)
I have the same ambivalence about the holidays. I thought that it would get better as I got older, but the same strange family dynamics persist. I hope you and your son had a lovely holiday making traditions all your own.
I hope you had a good Christmas. I swear watching my son get so excited over the tree, presents, and decorations makes me like Christmas more and more.
I love the Noni bag and don't see any mistakes.
Happy New Year, Aija!
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