Started!

Thursday night I was sitting watching TV, knitting happily along on Clapotis.  I’m on the last repeat before the decrease section – and I was pretty excited about that.  Until I had a thought.  I started thinking about my Christmas list – and wondering how I’d get it all done and what the hell was wrong with me anyway for starting a Christmas knitting list at the end of November.  I hate deadline knitting and have sworn off it in the past.  I’ve ordered the yarn for my list, but it hasn’t come which is cutting into the days….how was I going to get it done?  Then the thought of my Mom popped into my head.  What was I going to do for her Christmas gift?  She’s a knitter and taught me how to knit – so I like to give her handknits.  Hmmm…

How about a Montego Bay scarf made from Handmaiden Sea Silk?  Perfect! 

I love love love this yarn.  It is amazing – the pictures really don’t do it justice – its actually darker and doesn’t have the pinkish tint it has in these pictures.  It has a beautiful sheen, and the colors are gorgeous.  And it is so soft..and silky (70% silk, 30% sea cell).  Montego Bay is an easy pattern and I’m clipping along (the pattern calls for 80″, but my mother is short, so I think that I’ll make it a little shorter).    I did make a mistake on the pattern pretty early on – knit the wrong row – so the lines are shifted – but I don’t think its obvious and I don’t want to rip it back….I think its going to be at least 60″ long, so hopefully it just disappear in all the silky goodness!

The yarn is somewhat slippery, so I started it using straights  – they were US 8 and what seemed to be 2 feet long.  The needles were so long that I kept on hitting the wall of the train yesterday.  So at lunch I walked over to Seaport Yarn to buy some shorter needles.  Wanda had suggested that maybe it was an off day the first time I went there and how she really liked the store.  So I tried again.  And they didn’t have any US 8 straights.  Hundreds of needles.  Just none in my size.  I ended up buying Addi’s 24″ circulars, and they are working really well – so maybe it was for the best.  And this time I wasn’t harrassed about the marketing firm, and the person that helped me was really nice.  So Wanda was right and I shouldn’t make snap judgements (although honestly – no 8’s?  And the whole cash only thing really is a drag!)

As far as my Christmas knitting – I’ve decided that what I get done I get done.  And if I don’t – well, I can just give everyone their gift after Christmas.  I’m not going to stress about it.  But I’m pretty happy that I finally started…

And as soon as I’m off my yarn diet, I’m going to buy more of the Seasilk for the Tuscany shawl from No Sheep for You.

I’m happy it is the weekend – we have no plans other than shopping for Thanksgiving (gotta start the turkey thaw!).  It is cold here, so it is the perfect time to stay in, light a fire, make a cup of tea and get my Christmas knitting well on its way.  Have a great weekend!