Happy New Year!
It's time to take down the Christmas tree, pack away the old year, and prepare for 2006. This past year has been, umm, challenging, to say the least. There have been some extreme changes for me, career-wise, and not necessarily all good changes, but I have a job, a home, a wonderful husband, a great family, and good health. We've had some great times along with some tough ones. Our refrigerator, while less than eight years old, is showing signs of going to that big freon depository in the sky, and the fan in the computor has been making ugly sounds. It will be interesting to see what the new year brings. All in all, we're very lucky, and have many blessings for which to be thankful.
I am especially thankful for yarn! Our lovely and talented mail carrier delivered two new skeins of beautiful Opal yarn this week. I know, I know, I already have a 'little' Opal (scroll down to see the full extent of my addiction and read my Opal poem), but there was a sale...it was half-price...it's preeeetttttyyyy!

Merry Christmas!

Here's a little poem I wrote many years ago. Hope you enjoy it!

In the stillness after Christmas, in the silence of the snow,
with the singing of the carols and the candles all aglow—
when the gifts have all been opened and the ribbons stored away,
you can feel the joyous tidings of a baby born one day.
In the crush of Christmas shopping, in the dash from store to store,
it becomes so very easy to forget what it’s all for!
But in the stillness after Christmas, when the rushing is all done,
you can take the time to ponder on a special tiny son.
And the miracle of Christmas is remembering that he lay
in an ordinary manger in a stable, far away.
In the stillness after Christmas, you can take the time to know
of the shepherds in a meadow who first saw a new star grow.
And our hearts will still remind us of that baby’s holy glow
in the stillness after Christmas, in the silence of the snow.

Becky Yoder 11-18-1977

In the light of the day of the celebration of the greatest gift ever given, we wish you a blessed Christmas and a peaceful New Year

Brainteasers Galore
How much trivia is stored in your brain? Go here: MSN Encarta quiz page to find out. There are quizes for everyone. So far I've done the Famous First Lines, How Bookish Are You? and Harry Potter quizzes. Cheap fun for a cold, cold night.
I cast on a new pair of socks yesterday. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Socknitter's Fall Sunset on two size 0 circs. You can see the yarn here. It's the two balls in the lower right corner of the picture. I'm using the Jaywalker pattern. I've finished the top ribbing and the first row of the pattern.
Did I mention it's COLD here?
And now some comment feedback.
Laura asked: do you own that snow blower thingie??
Why yes, yes we do. Rich bought the tractor and mower deck cheap, cheap, cheap last summer as a fixer-upper, then just got the snow thrower last week. The thrower cost more than the tractor! It's the first time we've ever had anything like that, and it sure is nice. It doesn't look like we have much snow in the pictures, but you can't see the knee-deep drifts that covered our driveway. It's so flat and open around us that the snow just blows on through everywhere except where we have to drive and walk. By the way, a PT Cruiser is crap in the snow. Just sayin'.
Marguerite said: Spring is just around the corner??? Tell me more. I'd love to believe that instead of thinking there are about three more months of this stuff to endure.
Well, yes, it is just around the corner...it's only that the corner is a long, long way off...but just think: we're closer to this spring than we are to last spring! OK, we do what we must here in Michigan to make it through the winter, even if it means complete and utter self-deception.
I did mention that it's cold outside?

Welcome to the Winter Wonderland!
...but Spring is just around the corner!
Merry Christmas to all!

Something Fishy...
My little fishies are done. They measure about 6" long and 4" across. You can find the pattern here: Fish Afghan . Several of us are knitting them, and they'll be sewn together to make a gift for a special someone. I can hardly wait to see the finished blanket!
Now I get to knit something for me. What shall it be? Some of my ever-expanding Opal stash? The yummy alpaca I bought at the alpaca shop? Decisions...decisions... oh, yeah, I still need to knit some little red sweaters for the art installation (see my crappy self-designed button at right).

South Park Me!
This is fun...I found it at Rose-Kim Knits
I'm not a big South Park fan, but I do like the picture. You can make your own South Park character HERE . I may have to change the picture in my profile.

I'm knitting some little fishies from Red Heart Fiesta for a baby blanket -- very cute. Will post a pic when they're done. Only a few more rows to finish them up.

Hi, Kate!
Just checking the comments and found this one from 'Kate'.
Kate F. said...
Just found your blog! I laughed so hard my kids thought I was crying! Those were some funny sites...I especially liked the ebay add --- someone needs to hire that guy! Any chance you'd explain how you did the rolled cuff on your socks? They are beautiful! I want some too! Kate/Massachusetts
Thanks for the kind words, Kate. I'm glad you stopped by. A rolled cuff is easy: you just knit every stitch for as many rounds as you like. The top will automatically roll. Check out the link in the December 1 post to the Sockie and Bob pattern I used as the inspiration for my socks. There are lots of nice patterns there, and Sockie and Bob is very well written, with several variations to choose from.

There has been knitting, but not a lot. I just have a few more rows to finish thesock-of-the-month pattern I've been working on, and it's turning out very well! I need to knit several fish for a baby blanket this week, and want to knit some tiny red sweaters for the art installation (click on the 'red sweaters' button at right to learn more). Then I think I'll knit for me me ME!
Cheers!

...and an Angel of the Lord came unto her...
Oh, I forgot to tell about this! Rich's Christmas office party was Wednesday evening. His boss took all the office staff and their spouses/SOs to the Blue Gate Restaurant (voted the third-best restroom in the U.S., I've been told. I find that oddly amusing. I mean, I used them, they're nice enough, but...???) in Shipshewana, Indiana, the town where I work. We had a family-style dinner and then saw a play called "Dove Tale," by Ted and Lee, a contemporary re-telling of the Christmas story. It's very cleverly written, with only three actors, a handful of props, and inventive set and costume changes throughout.
The guy who played Joseph and Zechariah and a shepherd who spoke, rather disconcertingly, with an odd Irish accent, reminded me of Jerry, a good friend of ours who moved to Texas last year, although Jerry doesn't have the accent. The actor who played the archangel Gabriel is very tall and wore the most wonderful bright-yellow canvas high-topped tennis shoes.
So Thursday afternoon I was at work in the shop, and I looked up and there stood Gabriel...well, there stood the guy who portrays Gabriel...and I thought, "Crap! I hope he's not here to tell me I'm pregnant!" (He wasn't, in case you're wondering. He was just looking around.)
There was knitting in the play...well, the "shepherds" brandished knitting needles and yarn and pretended to knit.

A Dollar for Christmas (and Tripping Down Memory Lane with Ghosts of Christmases Past)
I get a weekly newsletter called "NeatNew and exLibris," written by Marylaine Block. I think I've mentioned it here before. Today's issue had a link to this essay: The Present Value of One. Ms. Block has written about the many and varied things we can still buy for kids with one lowly dollar bill. It's worth a read.
Now, I can remember a time when my mom would drive me to the grocery store, hand me a dollar, and send me in for three pounds of hamburger. AND I got change back. I don't know what the minimum wage was forty-odd years ago, but I know those dollars came as a result of many hours of hard work on our farm.
On one memorable occasion, probably in the early-to-mid-1960s, Mom spent, like, $45.00 on groceries. As I recall, the cash register tape was about three or four feet long. Bear in mind that we raised our own beef, had our own dairy herd for milk, and canned or froze a lot of our vegetables and fruits, so this was probably for other stuff, like cleaning supplies and sugar and flour and other staples. Dad hit the roof.
"How did you manage to spend that much money on groceries?" A, umm, "discussion" ensued. I seem to recall that the receipt ended up being taped to the wall beside Dad's chair at the kitchen table, and Mom checked off the items as she used them, until Dad got the message and threw it away.

As a child, one of my favorite Christmas songs was this one, from an album (yes a VINYL ALBUM, jeeze I'm old!) called Christmas is for Children.

I've Got Eighteen Cents
I've got eighteen cents to spend for Christmas:
Don't know what to do.
Must buy gifts for Mom and Dad
And Sister and Teacher and Rover, too.

I'll get Daddy two big books of matches
For when he wants to smoke
Mommy'll get a new ashtray
Just like the one I kinda broke!

A penny for the matches, a nickel for the tray
That leaves twelve whole cents!
And Rover gets a soupbone the butcher gives away
And Teacher gets a ruler to take measurements.

That will leave ten cents to spend for Christmas
Sis gets a candy bar.
Then I'll still have five cents left
To buy our tree a silver star

Sorry, I don't know the artist or composer, and am writing the words from memory. Call me and I'll sing a few bars for you. I guess it's not so PC these days to talk about buying smoking-related gifts for one's parents, but you must know that in those days, even hospitals and bank lobbies had ashtrays. Indoors.
The album also had "The Little Christmas Stocking with the Hole in the Toe" and a song about a place called, I think, "Tinkertown" where the "folks are no different from us, but their voices they can't control. When Tinkertown folks all start to sing, it sounds like they're standing in a hole." Of course a Christmas carol fixed that little problem and there was a happy ending.
That record and Fred Waring (of blender fame) and the Pennsylvanians' Twas the Night Before Christmas ("Rudolph, you crazy, mixed-up reindeer!") were the soundtrack of many childhood Christmases. I know you remember, Cherryl!
So here I sit beside a Christmas tree with lights and a few ornaments on it. Guess I should get away from this keyboard and add a few baubles and bangles. Happy childhood memories, and, 'God bless us, every one.'

My Day Off Was A Bust...but there was laughter!
Not much that I had planned got done today, but I did have a couple of incidents of uncontrollable giggling that I, being the generous chickie that I am, will share with you here.

Check out this wonderful Ebay ad: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8335653541 Don't forget to read the Q & A that follows.

The Yarn Harlot had a bad (but funny) day: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/ If you're reading this on a day that is NOT December 6th (or Sunday, read my previous post if you don't already know what that's about), be sure to look for the December 6th post re: goat hair.

And then there's this: http://www.banterist.com/archivefiles/000300.html which I found through the Ebay ad.

For your own (and your computer's) safety, do not drink while reading these sites. It is my purpose in life to amuse you...sometimes I even do it intentionally!

Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Anyone who knows me well knows that I cannot be trusted with a calendar (or with any sort of hand tool, if you plan on ever finding it again). Yes, Sunday fell on December 4th, not the 6th. I will defend my decision to go ahead with the drawing Monday morning by saying Sunday is Sunday, and since the word 'Sunday' in this case preceeded the phrase 'December 6th,' I stuck with Sunday. I apologize for any confusion or disappointment I caused. :D

That said, Pat's bag is in the mail and on its way to her. Hope you like it, Pat, and thanks again for visiting Sunnybook's Yarns!

This is my day off. I had big plans for it. sigh.

...and we have a winner!
I had four people comment on the blog; two at the site, and two via email. Since I didn't specify that the comments had to be left in the comments spot, and this is an autocracy and not a democracy, I'm not disqualifying any of you. You all have a really, really good chance to win, though!
Soooo, Cherryl, and Fran, and Kathy , and Pat (the librarian in me made me line you up in alphabetical order by first name. sigh), I'm putting names on little slips of paper, folding them neatly...and tossing them into the air.

************************
The one that landed on my lap was Pat Collins from just outside Toledo, Ohio.
Congrats, Pat! As for the rest of you, I'm sorry I couldn't afford to send you all one. Keep checking back. I'll have another drawing one day, and the next time it just might be you!
Pat, email me with your address and I'll mail out your bag tomorrow on my day off work.

Liz and Frankie, finished at last!
I finished these Sunday. They're my adaptation of "Liz and Frankie" in the Sockie and Bob and a Few of Their Friends pattern. It's available from Sunshine Knit Designs and I'd been coveting it, but I got my copy as a gift in my last Bottle Swap -- Thanks again, Tina!. There are several designs in the pattern. This one has a pretty, simple three-stitch twist down the leg.
I made a few changes: 2x2 rib after rolled edge, lengthened leg, skipped some color changes, and Eye of Partridge stitch for the heel flap.
I used Opal Uni-Solid for the cuff and toe, and Cervinia Calzetteria for the leg. The blue is slightly heavier than the Opal and not quite as soft, but very pretty, heathery yarn, and it worked nicely with Opal.
Both socks were knit at one time on 2 size 0 circs, using both ends of the balls of yarn, and I had just a few inches of the blue left over when the socks were finished.

I bought several of these little bags in various fabrics at the shop next to mine this week. They're the perfect sock-knitting project size, have two main compartments big enough for yarn and work-in-progress, plus a place to hold a water bottle, a little pocket on the front for scissors, stitch markers, tape measure, etc., and a small zippered pocket on the back, too. They have a carrying handle on the top and a detachable shoulder strap -- I've detached mine, and now I can't find it, LOL! Very cute bags, and they'll make great gifties. There will be one in my December Bottle Swap package. Would you like one? Leave a comment on my blog between now and, oh, let's say Sunday, December 6th. I'll hold a drawing and someone will get a nifty little bag, my choice of fabric!
Yes, those are Kermit the Frog's toes just visible at the top of the pictures. He lives on my DVD/VHS shelf during the year, but has a place of honor on every Christmas tree. I was a huge fan of the amazingly talented and imaginative Jim Henson. You know, everyone has their impossible fantasy jobs that they know they'll never get, but dream about anyhow? Well, my three fantasy jobs were these: singing backup for James Taylor, going up in the Space Shuttle, and working for Jim Henson. Henson died far too young and I think maybe I'm too old and fat now for NASA, and so I guess that just leaves the singing gig...James? are you out there? I'm willing to travel...
Time to go back to bed and get a few more hours of sleep before I have to get up and go to work. I'm hopeful that I won't have to unload and unbox another truckfull of furniture today...yesterday was enough for this old, fat lady!