Remind me ...

Next year, remind me not to knit things as Christmas gifts. There is no way I'm getting all of this done.



I planned four knitted gifts and I think I'm going to finish two. The third is very close to done and can be given unfinished with a promise to finish it soon. The fourth I began from raw fleece and angora fur and so it's an accomplishment that I got the yarn done. I'll give the yarn and a pattern and promise.



Yipes! This makes knitting not fun. The whole point of knitting is that it's supposed to be a relaxing leisure activity. Not so much when you have a deadline ...



On the lighter side: If you want to see unbearable cuteness, check out Annette's blog. Her new satin babies are adorable ... and full of Christmas spirit!

Christmas at Shakertown

As always, the Friendship Spinner's Christmas retreat at Shakertown was full of laughs, good food, good fiber and friendship. It was a cold weekend with our first real snowfall, but we were all snug in the meeting room with our wheels whirring. Our numbers were down by -- I would guess -- a third, due to the bad weather and other commitments. The missing members were sorely missed -- especially some of the Crones and the Indiana contingent!

I didn't take as many pictures as I probably should have, but I did get this one of the scarf exchange. I didn't participate in this year's exchange, but the scarves were lovely (left to right, Tori, Carol, Martha, Lorain, Nancy, Donna, and Ken).

I enjoyed visiting with Eric and Maureen on Friday night. Although Eric doesn't spin, he makes these fascinating Japanese ornaments called temari. We never tired of teasing Eric about his "balls." We asked to see Eric's balls, we wanted to touch Eric's balls, we even asked to photograph Eric's balls. Yes, we never grew out of high school humor.

Here are some decent pictures of Eric's balls. Aren't they amazing? He makes them with perl cotton thread and it must take ages to do them.

I think the red one is perfect for Christmas -- it looks like a poinsettia.

For the gift exchange, I put into the pot a "Spin Your Own Socks" kit from Susan's Spinning Bunny. It was yummy merino/tencel in shades of brown, along with some size 2 double points and a sock pattern. What I received, though, was even better: a handmade gift. Carol made a felted knitting bag. Isn't it gorgeous? And the colors are perfect for me. I love it!

I finally got my amigurumi done! Crocheting is NOT my forte, but with some help from my friends, it finally got done. This is "The Doubtful Guest" from Edward Gorey's Amphigorey. I know the perfect home for this little guy.