Thanks.

A full week off with the kiddos and everyone is still accounted for. 
True, by Wednesday I was hunting down ingredients for my Bailey's recipe, which turned out fantastic by the way, but I digress. 
We've made it to Saturday. 
Accomplishments thus far... 2 hats I love and will have a hard time parting with. 
1 amazing turkey dinner, brining and smoking is definitely the way to go. 
Which lead to...Smoked turkey enchilada's with a chipotle cream sauce last night, enough said there.
Avoided the crowds on Black Friday.   Opting instead to purchase from my lovely computer and have it hand delivered to my door for free, all while receiving those 'doorbuster' prices that the masses were trampling each other for. 
Happy mom, soon to be even happier kids, bliss!!! 
Today, another Christmas project will hit the needles. 
A dinner not containing turkey will hit the table. 
Children will more than likely hit each other. 
And I will continue to give thanks for the privilege of being part of it all.

Coincidence?

Christmas knitting all consuming my brain, I retreated to my haven.  Footsteps on stairs followed by uncontrollable sobbing soon planted in my lap.

Elijah what happened?

muh, muh, my foooooot...

Arms encircle, tears ebb, tale of wrestling gone awry unfolds.

Wih,wih... will you make me some socks?

Um, sure baby I can do that.

Can you make them green and orange and blue???

Ummmm....hmmmmm...actually? 

Getting up I walk to 'the stash', rummaging until I find it.  The yarn.  The yarn I bought 3 years ago on a trip to Portland.  The yarn I spent way too much on, only to look at it upon my return and wonder what in the world would possess me to buy this yarn?  This green and orange and blue sock yarn??  3 years it sat and now tears have brought it forth.  Call it what you will.  I know this, this is True Christmas knitting.

Breathe.

It actually became humorous after a while.  Had a recipient in mind.  Picked the project, simply yet elegant.   Picked the yarn, yummy merino and cashmere.  Cast on 125 tiny stitches on 2's.  Knit 6 rows in pattern, that would be 750 stitches, only to discover a hole.  Hmmmm?   Rip it out start over.  125 tiny stitches, w/a 17 stitch lace pattern repeat.  Or was that 18?  Crap.  Whole pattern off.  Rip it out start over.  Cast on 125 tiny stitches, count them again to make sure....Can't get past 38, kids yelling, dog barking, 57, 58, 62, 71???   Arrrrg...put down till next day.   Cast on 125 tiny stitches using stitch markers every 10 so I wouldn't lose my place or my mind.  Cruising right along, brim complete!!! Hmmmm?  I have 5 button holes the picture has 3.  Sigh.  Reread pattern, read all project notes from others, still have 5, everyone else has 3, I'm a dork who apparently can't read, found my error.  Determined to sew the extra's shut I forge on.  Joining round!   Simple cross of one side to the other so button band will lay nicely on top of buttons, I've done this on pullovers, no biggie!!! Hmmmmm???   4 rows up, I realize my button holes are on the bottom and unless I think she'll enjoy buttoning it inside out something drastic needs to occur.  Drop all 6 crossed stitches back down 4 rows, recross and weave back up.  Honestly.  Time to decrease and be done with this demon hat.  "End of row 15 you'll have 84 stitches".   Um no.  More like 126, why yes I did read it wrong AGAIN and completely missed decreasing 42 stitches.   Quickly, throw extra 42 stitches in the final decrease mix so hat is not 3 feet long, bind off, throw on floor, stomp up and down, pick up, beat mercilessly on coffee table.  Breathe.  Place gently in bowl of warm soapy water, pat water out on towel, lay to shape, off to find buttons.

Grace.

One big gust and I'm suddenly blown right into Thanksgiving.  Best of intentions at updating the blog aside, life continues on at a pedal to the metal pace.  Project after project rolls off needles.  October birthed "Diamonds for Mom" an early birthday present.  Opting out of the zipper it called for, simple closure at the top of just her choosing.

"Football Hoodie" completed just before hunting season began.  A woolen behemoth to wrap around my love while he was stalking the big one.

Knee-highs for the girl rounded out football and soccer season.  Mindlessly knitting while little legs ran.

A quest for the perfect fall hat resulted in a cabled and brimmed chapeau, not sold on the brim a bit too Sherlock Holmes.  May rework this one in the days to come.

Successfully added 2 inches to a sweater I made last year and regreted binding off too early, now it's perfect!  Frogged and rewound another sweater I did last year and was forever irritated by.  Some mistakes are known only by me and some are blaringly obvious. 

Finally, Grace.  A cabled beauty I've been pining for since publication last year.  In keeping with my theme, I screwed it up.  Not once, but twice.  I know right where they are.  I know where it all went awry.  I also know where I recognized it, where I stopped what I was doing and where I moved forward, correctly.  No need to go back and try to fix it, wouldn't have mattered to anyone but me.  I know they're there.  Nobody else does and I kind of like it that way.