Umm, no. Not as in a large gift item type holiday knitting. I’m not setting myself up for that. I’m talking about the ornaments I usually make. I’m considering miniature fringed scarves this year, and then itty bitty sweaters for next year. Thoughts?

As for gifts, I probably should have invested in the gold market sometime around the first of the year, because Lo! Behold! It’s 55 days til Christmas, I have 8 children and I haven’t done much shopping at all. I’m going to need a mint of my own between now and December 25th. If I had invested a little earlier, then I might have money to shop now, ya think?

I guess I need to put Christmas high on my list of things to think about once I get back from Vegas. I’ve posted a lot of gift ideas on this blog over the course of the year, and while there isn’t enough gold in Fort Knox to buy them all, I can get a real good start by doing a search for “Christmas” or “gift” right here on Cass Knits.

Sigh. It’s been real ya’ll. And it’s been busy ya’ll. And I have had Clara Parkes new book on my desk for way too long without telling you about it. I am knitting scum, and I should have my KIP card revoked, and I. Am. Heartily. Sorry.

Clara introduced her book to me with a little game, and it was a bunch of fun. Every week for four weeks I got a package, and in each package was 2 mini-skeins of yarn. My job was to try to guess what the fibers were based on clues she sent along with the yarn. Frankly ya’ll, I suck at the game. BUT! If I were to play again, I would be so much better because of The Knitter’s Book of Yarn!

The first part of the book is all about different fibers and yarns — where they come from, what their properties are, how they are used. There is a wealth of information here, so much that if that’s all there was, the book would be worth it. But there is way more. There are over 40 patterns in this book. Patterns like these:
That moebius is mine, people, and in fact, it may end up being my Vegas Knitting, if I have suitable yarn.

In the meantime, I’ve cast on for a little something. What’s a girl gonna do with 8 mini-skeins of luxurious yarn? Make a throw pillow of course! That way, I can enjoy all the textures and colors. You’ll note that I am doing it the old fashioned way, too. This project just begged for two sticks, ykwim?

As you know, unless you have been living under a rock, or not reading my blog, which, really, is practically the same thing, I. am going. to Las Vegas. Got that? In 11 days, I am getting on a plane and going to Vegas! Woohoo! Vegas. Me. Me in Vegas. I can hardly believe it, and I am so super excited to be meeting up with some awesome online friends, and squeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! Vegas, ya’ll!

So, umm, knitting. For my trip to Vegas. I am debating shawl or socks. I don’t want anything I will have to concentrate on, so it’s got to be simple. I don’t want a huge suitcase, either, so it needs to be something small. And I really should not buy yarn, though I really, really want to, especially after seeing this sweater. It’s not that particular sweater that so intrigues me, but rather the idea behind it. I am pretty sure I could get a cardigan for myself out of 3 large balls of sock yarn, but…. I love all those different colored stripes.

Ok, the possibilities are endless. Well, endless if I already have the yarn. Here is the stash–what would you take to Vegas if you were me?

I know, I know, not even Halloween. But if you have stepped inside a store lately, you know the Christmas stuff is out, and if you have kids, you know that as soon as they get up on November 1st, they are gonna have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. And ya’ll, I don’t quite know how to say this, because it’s actually pretty shocking to me, but that’s just SIX DAYS AWAY, What the heck?? It seems impossible, I know. But I promise, my calendar indicates that this is the End of October. WOW.

So! I’m asking what you think of the new LED Christmas lights. Are they worth hunting down? Are you planning to replace your lights? The energy savings is certainly enticing. I don’t burn our tree lights nearly as much as I would like to because of the energy cost, but these new LED ones only use 10 percent of the energy that the mini-lights I have use. And since they are so much cooler, I wouldn’t have to worry about the little ones singeing their fingers (or the house burning down for that matter). And no glass, either!

So tell me. Have you switched? Are you gonna switch?

Here it is, nearly 300 bricks bigger than the last time you saw it! And, yep, we’ll go one more week. Hopefully, I’ll have a bit more free time in this next week, but if I don’t I’ll just live with it. If it were cold, I might try to hurry, but people– it’s still 80 degrees here!

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I hope you enjoyed my [tag]show and tell[/tag]. I’d love it if you play along with me. Here’s what you do:

Take a picture of your current project, whatever that happens to be. Or maybe one you recently finished. Or the materials for the one you are about to start. Let’s say materials for a project in whatever state it happens to be in at the time you snap it. On Friday, post the picture and tell us about your project. What you did, or what you are going to do. How much you are enjoying it, or hating it. You know–show and tell.

Just copy & paste the code below the graphic and get crafty with me!

<a href="http://www.cassknits.com/category/online-craft-club/"><img src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff136/cassknits/online-craft-club-sidebar-sized.jpg" alt="" /></a>

Be sure to come back and leave a comment so we know where to find you!
[tags]Online Craft Club[/tags]

Let’s talk about c cubed. I took it with me to a meeting Tuesday night, but no stitching was done, because, unlike most meetings, this one was productive. Then that night we began the 36 hour festival of pukiness, and so not much was done on the blanket. And tonight, I have a meeting and not much will be done on the blanket.

Or will it be? I’ve put almost a full ball of yarn into the thing, plus some scraps balls of leftovers. I’ve done more than 17 rows of 158 stitches. If I were a mason, working on Arizona luxury real estate and I laid well over 2,686 bricks in my spare time would I think it wasn’t enough, and be ashamed because I didn’t get the whole house built? No. I’d be saying, no, SHOUTING–hey ya’ll looka here! I made this in my free time. I’d be so proud of that partial wall. I’d expect you all to clap and stuff!

So, tomorrow, it’s time for the Online Craft Club again (you didn’t forget craft club, did you?), and I am going to show that blanket again. And I am going to be loud and proud that between working, and cleaning and parenting and going to meetings, I laid close to 3,000 bricks this week.

I just posted a nifty idea for seashore picture frames over on Native North Carolinian. I don’t like to cross post, so I am just going to send you over there for it, ok? It’s worth the click, I promise.

And, no, we did not die, but a couple of us thought that might be the better idea. We’ve had the pukes, but we are on the mend. Sorry I haven’t posted in a couple of days, I was kinda busy laying on the couch moaning and considering the afterlife.