33 Days Until Christmas!

This will be a post full of holiday ideas.

And, if you've never noticed, there's a widget at the bottom of this page that tells you how many days are left until Christmas, so you can check back here anytime.

First of all, since it's coming up later in the week, Crazy Aunt Purl has put up a post about how she's making stuffing and turkey at her house. These are good, easy and workable recipes, from a no-nonsense knitting writer, so get on over there and check it out if you're someone like me who never knows how long to cook a turkey.

She's doing her turkey in a crock pot, which is something that I've often thought would be a good, foolproof way of doing it but have never tried. Mainly because I don't have a crock pot. But I think I'll get one and do my Christmas dinner that way if I'm home for Christmas. She says the crock pot keeps it from overcooking and guarantees that it'll be nice and juicy! Sounds good!

If you want to do a more traditional roasted turkey, you can find all the instructions here. This seems like the best general outline I could find for times and temperatures for roasting.

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Now I'm switching the topic to Christmas presents, which people are beginning to think of with increasing panic at this time of year.

I came across a great listing of handmade presents for geeks. If you plan to buy something for a geek, you might find some good ideas here.

I was in a Borders store yesterday, and they had e-readers on sale this week. If you know someone who reads, you might want to check it out. I tend to lean toward the CruzReader and the Cruz tablet.

If you actually go to a Borders and look at both of them, you'll see that the Cruz tablet has a much clearer, easier-to-read screen than the CruzReader. The reader is a reader (duh), but the tablet is more like an iPad, more like a computer than just a reader. Both of them are color. There's not that much difference in price, so I tend to think I'd prefer the tablet because it'll be easier on the eyes, and will have a lot more functionality.

If that Cruz tablet sounds like a good deal, check out the Nookcolor. It's also a small tablet computer, that runs on the same system (Android) as the Cruz tablet (and some Android based phones), but it's about $50 cheaper and has a higher resolution screen than the Cruz tablet. Both tablets are smaller than an iPad, but both have or will have similar functionality as the iPad (from what I can tell) with a much smaller price tag.

Both have expandable memory (to 32 gigs) by the use of an SD card for the Cruz and a mini SD card for the Nookcolor. Both of these are also small enough to be almost pocketable, too! I especially like the loop on the Nookcolor so you can put a hand strap on it to help prevent dropping it. From what I understand, most of the apps that are available for my phone (I have a G1 from T-Moble, and I highly recommend T-Mobile as a phone company) will work on the Nookcolor as is or with a program converter. But there will be a whole new app store out for the Nookcolor in January, so it'll be even more computer-like.

I also feel I should mention that there's an app available for my phone that's similar to the one available for iPad that shows the night sky when you hold it up to the sky. I'm guessing it should work for the Nookcolor and Cruz tablet, but I have no proof of this yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

I went into my local Dollar Tree yesterday, too, and they have small lumps of (plastic) coal to put in someone's stocking or give as a present for someone who has been naughty this past year. Two lumps for a dollar.

And speaking of stockings, I will have a series of about 10 hand knit Christmas stockings available for sale in my Etsy or Art Fire stores. More on that in the next few days. They'll all be multicolor red with a white fur yarn "cuff," beading on the leg, white, glittery heels and toes, and knit stars on the hanging loop. I should have a photo or two in the next two or three days, and if you like it and want more than one, let me know so I can reserve them for you.

This now concludes the extended infomercial!

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We're having another new Chuck, The Event, and Hawaii Five-O tonight. It looks like Castle will be off TV for this week and next. The holidays always interfere with regular programming!

Have a fabulous Monday night!

Christmas Presents Gone!

Most of the Christmas presents are finished and gone. Holly came over yesterday, and since she was sending presents to some of the same people, she took those so that she could mail just one BIG box to the recipients. She also took the presents for people she would be seeing real soon. I'm sorry that these didn't get out sooner. Mailing was delayed mostly by weather, snow, sleet, extreme cold, and/or wind, plus a couple of days that I was feeling really bad.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that I've finished all the presents.

I've been going crazy trying to think of a present for Robin. It's really difficult, because Robin has so much money that he can buy whatever he wants, so he has everything he wants, and I'm so short of money that I can barely afford anything. But, after 3 months of looking for the perfect present for him, inspiration finally struck. Actually, two inspirations, one to make, and one to buy. The one to buy has been ordered over the internet, and has been shipped and is on it's way. I bought most of the yarn for the other one yesterday.

The other person who hasn't got a Christmas present yet is Everett. I've been trying to find yarn to make his present, but haven't had any luck so far. We looked at Michaels, and AC Moore yesterday, and neither had what I needed. Well, actually, Michaels had three of the six balls I needed in the color I wanted, but in different dye lots. So, I'm still looking.

While out, Holly and I stopped a Borders. I finally got a calender for the new year, plus the Septimus Heap book that is the fourth in the series (Queste), and out in paperback at last. I have the fifth book (Syren) ordered at the library, but it will be a while before I get it. Holly had a 33% off coupon for me, and I used it to buy The Sorceress of Karres! Now I have lots of great stuff to read!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Holly gave me a gift certificate to Knit Picks for Christmas! Now I'm mulling over what to buy.

Knit Picks has piqued my imagination with their new designers program. I have got to make some designs for them and for myself! I'm considering making a hat for my first project.

While we were out, we stopped at the WalMart that's at the Manassas Mall, and were amazed! This WalMart is so big and has lots of stuff that the others don't have! Having all that stuff available would seem to be an advantage, but it is so big that I got tired of walking before I got everything.

We topped everything off with a trip to Ruby Tuesday and a lot of catching up and fun.

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There are lots of programs on TV tonight with new episodes! They include: Chuck, Heroes, Castle (this is the episode with Alyssa Milano), Fringe (on a different night), and The Big Bang Theory! Unfortunately, Heroes, Fringe and The Big Bang Theory are all on at the same time, thus exceeding my DVR's capacity to record two shows at once.

I promised John that I would finish the work he wanted me to do on the Steve Canyon poster today, and it's not done yet, so I have to go.

There will probably not be a post tomorrow due to my last dental appointment! There will be drilling and a dubious filling will be replaced, and I will get my final caps, and I'll be done. I don't feel that I can really say that I'll be happy to go, but I'll be happy to get it finished!

Have a great evening and a wonderful week!

Hi! Sorry to ignore you for the last two days, but I've been busy trying to finish up the Christmas presents.

Yes, I know how late it all is, but they're not done yet. Once I finish them all, I plan to start knitting for next Christmas almost right away.

Anyway, I have to get back to finishing them and, more important, packing stuff up to go to the Post Office.

I apologize to almost everyone. I've been trying to get to the post office for two weeks, now, and there's been either bad (snow, sleet, ice) weather, or intense cold accompanied by gale force winds! Since going to the post office involves waiting for a bus (and it seems that when I come home, they always have a bus out of service and I have to wait for at least an hour and a half) and a lot of walking. Please note that when I'm leaving, there are places to sit and places to get out of the wind and cold, but on the way back, it's out in the open with no place to sit, so that's where the bus doesn't come.

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I hope you all got to see the Chuck Marathon last night!

Here's a list of SF stuff that will be either premiering or coming back to TV all new in thee next few months. Enjoy!

There will be a new Ghost Whisperer, Medium, Sanctuary and, best of all, Dollhouse tonight! Only two more Dollhouses to go after tonight!

Have a great evening, and a wonderful weekend!

Happy Second Day of Christmas

According to people in Medieval Europe, today is the second day of Christmas. You were supposed to give a small present on the firs day, and a bigger present on each succeeding day of Christmas until, on the twelfth night, you gave the biggest present.

I spent yesterday watching mostly Christmas schlock on TV and knitting Christmas presents.

I had a great dinner and lots of phone calls from friends, but I didn't go out or have any visitors or get a chance to get or give presents due to rain! Lots of rain!

Yes, presents are not done.

I still have several people to finish presents for, but I did put the finishing touches on a few presents that I finished knitting last night:

I put a hole in this to stick the other end of the scarf through so that it stays in place better. The knitting on this was done before I went to sleep last night, and I added the trim around the edges today.

Here are the mitts that go with it. They can be worn on either hand, so I always knit three of them so that when you lose one of them, you still have a pair. Unless I'm knitting them for Malaia, that is. I've decided to knit four of them for her ever since she managed to lose two of them at once. Anyway, here they are:

And since they don't look too good unless they're modeled, I put one on and held it in front of the Christmas tree for a photo:

And I know that I showed you this photo the other day, but here's the hat that goes with it:

This set is for the daughter, Jan, of my friend, Jeff. I hope she likes it!

I've actually finished a lot of presents (there's a large box full of them, and that's not all), but I haven't been showing them to you because the people they're for read my blog. You'll get to see photos of them after they've been given.

Now on to finish some more presents.

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BBC in America is having another big Doctor Who day, starting at 6:30 here. They'll be showing Planet of the Dead, Waters of Mars, the premier of The End of Time Part 1, Doctor Who Inside Look, and a Graham Norton Doctor Who Special, in that order. Big day for the Doctor! Check your schedules!

Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!

Douglas Adams commented on the ability of the human race to constantly state and restate the very obvious. I'm without a doubt a case in point.

Tomorrow is, indeed, Christmas Eve.

I've also turned into an awful drudge, knitting like a crazy person, trying to get everything done by Christmas. I haven't gotten addresses for my two granddaughters, so even though their presents are done, they're not sent, so they're obviously not going to get them for Christmas.

I did finish the hat for Jeff's daughter, Jan, and I've progressed to the mitts and scarf to match it. Here's what the hat looks like.

If there's interest, either here on on Ravelry, I'll write this up as a pattern and make it available. If you'd like to make the set, leave a comment.

This is the plainer, easier version of the hat I made for someone else this Christmas, but I think it's very pretty.

The beginning of the scarf looks like this:

I originally thought that the yarn was too heavy for mitts, and wanted to find matching yarn in a lighter weight, but the only stuff I could find was $7 per ball, and I'd need two of them. So, I tried a mitt with the yarn from the hat and scarf, and it turned out better than I expected.

Here's a photo of the first mitt, not finished. I still have to darn in the ends and add the trim at the cuff.

This is from my Long, Short, and Easy Mitts pattern. When this one seemed to be going well, I decided to knit two more of them, and then knit the scarf until I ran out of yarn, however long that turned out to be. So, the next projects in order are: two more mitts and then knit the scarf. After that, I'll crochet the edge trim on the scarf and then the mitt cuffs.

I think this is going to be a fabulous present.

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I ran across an interesting discussion on Ravelry about outrageous signs that people had seen. Here are a few I liked:

These people have everything you need for a shotgun wedding:

And this one wasn't on the Ravelry discussion, but I thought it fit the season:

You may not hear from me until after the weekend, so let me wish you a Merry Christmas now. Or a happy anything-you're-celebrating right now.

Christmas Is One Week from Today!

There's only one week until Christmas!

I can't believe that time has snuck by and that there's only one week until Christmas!

I'm not even anywhere near done with making Christmas presents!

So, I'm going back to making presents, and you won't be hearing much from me until after Christmas, when I will still be making Christmas presents!

Don't forget that the newest Doctor Who episode (for us here in the USA) will be on tomorrow on BBC in America! They'll be showing The Next Doctor, Planet of the Dead, and The Waters of Mars, along with two "making of" programs and a Graham Norton Doctor Who Special. Check your local listings.

And tonight, there will be two brand-new Dollhouse episodes! Oh, and also a new Sanctuary.

I'll try to get photos of the stuff I'm knitting for presents up on the internet soon after Christmas.

Have fun until I get back on the internet!

Christmas Is Coming! Christmas Is Coming!

Christmas is coming in only 49 days!

Is there someone on your Christmas gift list that leaves you completely at a loss for what to get for them? Is there someone you want to get something really special?

Well, I need money, and because of that, I'm willing to spend some time and effort making presents for others. I can make something completely designed specifically for that special person. This will be something you won't see elsewhere.

Is your intended recipient a science fiction fan? The most memorable SF knit of all time is probably Doctor Who's scarf, but there were plenty of knits in Twilight, and I've knit dozens of Harry Potter scarves and hats. But it doesn't have to be limited to that. From the new Doctor Who, Rose wore a lot of knits. Her Boomtown scarf was beautiful. In Doomsday, she wore a gorgeous pair of mitts, and there was a photo of her in a gorgeous knitted slouch hat with a brim. It doesn't end there. Almost any SF movie has knits in it.

Do you know someone who's family tree is from Scandinavia or Ireland? Or somebody who just likes Celtic knots or beautiful things? I have done some really amazing things with Celtic knots in garments, and I can do it for you, too.

Here's a photo of the top of the hood from one sweater I'm working on.

And here's a Saint John's cross from the back of the sweater. A Saint John's cross is a Viking symbol of happiness, so the sweater is a symbol of good wishes.

Here's the version from the sleeve. Please notice that the cables at the bottom of the cross come right off the surface of the sleeve and become a tie to make the cuff ruffled (which will make it warmer), although it can be worn with it loose to be a romantic medieval sleeve and be a little cooler.

The bottom of the sweater is wider to make it fit better and be more flattering, and the extra width was achieved using a gusset, so I used the opportunity to add another variation of a Saint Johns cross.

Variations of these motifs would look great on a hat. I can also do knitted Viking Runes. Other cables or special knots can be created for almost any kind of garment, but for a Christmas present, I'd suggest something that doesn't require a lot of fitting, like a hat, scarf, mitts, wimple or shawl. I plan to make a bag for my runes with four runes on the bag: Fehu for wealth and prosperity, Algiz for protection, Wunjo for joy or happiness, and Sowelo for success. These runes would also work for other things, too.

And then, there are always things like a Santa hat. And, if you knit, the Santa hat directions are still available through this website.

And I could make a stocking for you or for you to give. Here's a sample of one I made for myself with my spinning wheel in the background and some Christmas lights. Everything on the stocking sparkles, and the star beads are glow-in-the-dark.

Other color schemes are available, too.

Anyway, let your imagination go crazy and let me know what you want.

There's lots of good stuff on TV, so have a great evening and a wonderful weekend!

Halloween for Knitters

Deadly Knitshade has been having Halloween fun over at the London Stitch 'N Bitch! She wrote a great article for them about how to deal with zombies if you happen to be a knitter. I'm severely tempted to put a photo from the post in here to whet your appetite.

Oh, alright, I'll do it.

Please go and read the article! It's great! And there's a lot more in it than just the photo! And if you're on Twitter, you can follow her at deadlyknitshade.

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In more Halloween fun, I went to the grocery store yesterday, but also took a walk to see if I could get a photo of that wading bird that shows up only if I don't have a camera with me.

I actually managed to walk onto the bridge before I noticed that there were some teenage girls dressed as Zombies, complete with make up taking pictures of each other on the bridge. They were using fake blood that they'd bought. I remarked on the fact that they'd bought it and told them how to make fake blood. Making movie blood is something I learned from Tim Davis while we were working on New Genesis. We had a fun chat, and I told them to look up Tim on Facebook because he's been looking for zombies for the movie he's doing.

The wading bird, needless to say, didn't show up. Considering the crowd on the bridge, I didn't really expect it.

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In knitting news, the body of the sweater is done. I even picked up and knitted the pocket linings I've picked up stitches around the neckline and am currently doing a 2x2 rib. I'd rather do some garter stitch, but since the whole bodice of the sweater is in rib, I think that the stretchier rib is the way to go. Once I finish the neckline, there's only the sleeves to knit, darn in ends, sew down the pocket linings and block it! Most of it is done!

I feel guilty knitting something for myself so close to Christmas, though. I want to make some things to sell on Etsy, and make some more Christmas presents. If you scroll to the bottom of this page, you'll find the widget that tells you how many days there are until Christmas. Today, there are exactly 60. That feels like such a long time and such a short time all at once. Only 60 days left to get ready! If you're making presents, get busy!

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Tonight, we have a brand new episode of Heroes, The Big Bang Theory, and Castle.

Castle, in particular, is not-to-be-missed! There will be a dead vampire, references to the Buffy storyline that Nathan Fillion was in, plus, he'll be wearing his Captain Tightpants outfit as a Halloween costume! And, if they're smart, there will be even more in the episode.

Find out more about tonight's Castle episode, as well as Heroes, and highlights of the rest of the week here.

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Well, that was exciting. And now, for something completely different, we have something that I hope is funny.

Have a great evening!

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Addition:

For some additional humor, check this out!

Happy Columbus Day!

Happy Columbus Day, particularly to those of you who have a day off work!

For this blog, it's going to be a Miscellaneous Monday. And to kick off this insanity, here's a great photo with a great story to go with it:

Although, I must say that the photo sort of says it all!

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For those of you who were worried, I found an article that proves that the 21st of December in 2012 will not be the end of the world. According to the article, the people on the History Channel have just misinterpreted some things.

Well, I'm certainly relieved!

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Now we have several different items about knitting.

If you're a knitter and also into fashion, you're in luck this year. Knits are big in both senses of the word in fashion at the moment! Read more about it here!

Knitstorming hits the news in this article.

Has your stash reached SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy) proportions? Read about yet another scheme to hide your addiction here.

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I'm busy! Sorry! Otherwise I would be blogging more.

This past week, I had a lot going on that I couldn't control, including: having my kitchen completely redone (they ripped things out to the point where only the walls were left--I'm still moving stuff back into it), a dental appointment, and a doctor's appointment. That's on top of the normal stuff.

I'm currently working on the outside cover for Volume 3 of the Steve Canyon DVDs.

I'm not only knitting, but also designing Christmas presents. I'd love to discuss it more here, but can't for obvious reasons. I have just a bit of the toe to do to finish Holly's birthday present socks. The Christmas present socks are done and were delivered on Saturday. She knew all about them and even picked the colors for them, so I saw no reason why she shouldn't be enjoying them right now. On the subject of socks, that leaves only Malaia's socks to do.

But I'm trying to focus on Christmas stockings for all those that I haven't made them for. Which means that you can forget about it, Malaia. I already gave you and John yours.

But that leaves me trying to figure out how to make a festive Christmas stocking in Robin's favorite color, which is black! I am piecing together a concept for that little by little. Actually, I had a concept a while ago. I just have to find the yarn and stuff to put it into practice. Last year, I gave him a black Santa hat.

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There's a new Heroes on tonight! As well as a new Big Bang Theory.

Dead Like Me: Life After Death will be on the SyFy Channel at 5 (locally) in case you missed it the first time it was on, and will be followed by four episodes of Ghost Whisperer.

Have a great evening!

The Christmas Blog War

Saying that I'd gotten the yarn to make a Christmas present for one of my granddaughters has sparked a flurry of text messages and phone calls and discussions about it.

Holly reminded me in the comments that Malaia reads my blog, although not all the time, so if the present is for her and I don't want to tell her what her Christmas present will be, I shouldn't write about it on the blog.

Malaia saw that in the comments and let Holly know immediately that she shouldn't have told me that, and that she wanted to see her Christmas present as it developed. Always supposing, that is that I was talking about her.

Holly and I had a big discussion about all of this yesterday when I saw her. We also discussed Christmas presents. I said I was going to make socks for Kyle for Christmas, and she asked me what color. I said green because that's Kyle's favorite color. Holly said that she didn't think it was anymore.

At this point, I feel I should mention that I can discuss this on my blog because I've changed my mind about what I'm going to make for who, so all of the foregoing, and some of what is coming up is totally wrong, and completely changed.

To continue... Holly sent a text message to Kyle saying "What's your favorite color?" The answer was "Purple, why do you want to know?" After a few more text messages, Kyle now also knows that I'm making Christmas presents and that some will be for her.

Christmas is difficult in this age of instant communication!

And, as if that weren't enough, Holly reminded me that Kyle's birthday is later this week. I knew that, but, as usual, was lost in time.

I can know things, but not connect them to the timeline. Sometimes it's as simple as "Oh, is it Wednesday already?" syndrome, where I know that something happens on Wednesday, but am completely oblivious to the fact that it is Wednesday.

I don't know where I went wrong in this case, but I did want to make or get something for her.

So, I've completely revised everything. I'll be making some socks for Kyle for her birthday, and they'll be late, but at least she'll get them. And here is the photo of some of the yarn I'll be using to make them.

That's the Knit Picks sock yarn which was called Essential, but is now called Stroll, in the new color, Sprinkle Heather.

As you can see, I haven't even started, and, in fact, currently have a sock for me on the needles. But I'll be getting started on them real soon now, and I'm guessing she should get them around my birthday.

I'll also get the sock pattern up real soon now, too.

I have so many things to do that I don't have much time to blog. Add to that the mouse problems I'm currently having, and I just can't do it right now.

Have a great evening!