it’s never too early for holiday fun

our monday afternoon class started having christmas parties during our third year together—by that time, we had grown to be such a close group that it seemed like a good idea to celebrate our friendship in style at least once each year.

and now it’s a tradition that we really look forward to—even the pets enjoy it (chloe wants to know where her present are!). our party was scheduled on the early side this year at susie’s house and monday night we all gathered for the festivities and lots of knitting.

i forgot to bring my good camera, so i had to make do with the iPhone camera—sorry; it was all much MUCH prettier than it looks in these photos.

we knitted and gossiped for a few hours while nibbling on snacks, then sat down for scrumptious potluck dinner—everyone is such a good cook and brought something delicious. debby topped that off with her yummy eggnog pie.

unfortunately, maureen was sick and couldn’t make it, but we sent her a box full of goodies from all of us and hopefully, it helped ease her disappointment

it was the best party yet—every gift was beautiful, too. anne gave each of us an amaryllis bulb in a pot to sprout; i can’t wait to start it. i always meant to get one of those and then never got around to it. this is perfect for the classroom table; we can watch it grow as the weather changes during the spring.

i’m not sure i’m conveying well enough what a special evening it turned out to be; i’m so glad to have these friends and to celebrate with them now. very year we become a little closer; it’s wonderful.

i got there early and stayed late; it was so warm and comfortable i forgot where i was, heh. i thought i’d work on my scarf all night but i started working on my henley sleeve when i got there and it was still quiet, and then never put it down.

even though i made a mistake reading the pattern and had to rip back a bit, i managed to get all the way to the end of the sleeve cap—i just have to do those final few rows of bindoff. next i can start a new front (wish me luck, i’ll need it). i’m always glad to have the sleeves done—i like to feel that it’s ready to be seamed up when the body parts are finished.

i never touched the scarf til late that evening at home, in front of the TV and over the last couple of nights i’ve added some more inches

however, i need to buckle down and finish it in the next two days if it’s going out in the mail on friday.

if you are knitting a scarf (red or otherwise) for the red scarf drive along with me this month, don’t forget to post a picture of yours in our red scarf KAL on ravelry—everyone who shows a finished scarf in this thread will be eligible for a spot in the drawing of awesome prizes on monday.

so i should have worked more on that, but i had to get another idea out of my head; several people have emailed to ask if i will write up a pattern for the second red scarf i knit, using the stitch motif from the jackie and whitfield jackets

and then i got a picture in my head of a cute hat and mitt to go with it. when i got home from the party the other night, i sat down and cast on for the hat right away. i got through the brim before bed, enough to know if i liked the way it was working out (the brim has to be knit inside-out so the right side will show when it’s folded back).

and finished it up early last evening. i love it! and it fits! on the first try!
it fits perfectly, in fact; i can’t get over it. it’s the easiest hat i ever made (and it fits).

so yesterday i wrote up a pattern. by last night, i was so excited, i cast on a mitt to celebrate (and to check numbers, of course)

these are as quick and fun to knit as the hot waffles mitts, i swear—a real last-minute lifesaver sort of pattern when you need a gift knit. i think i have just enough yarn to squeeze out a pair (i sure hope so).

and i just love the hat, did i mention that it fits?
we’ll take some nice pictures between now and friday so you can see all the pieces together.

and now, i must go off and write another pattern; the neckwarmer is throwing a fit that it wasn’t first. i’ll be back . . .