I've Been Busy

Thanks to my CSM, I haven't had to make any decisions about Christmas presents. Everyone gets socks. Period. Except for my daughter in El Salvador who sent me a list of First World items she wanted....stuff like a portable dvd player and face wash and chocolates and gifts for her friends in the small town she is staying. My older daughter left on the 20th to spend 11 days with her sister. The other person I am buying a non-sock present for is my sister-in-law, who pays a lot of money for a certain kind of alkaline water because she says it's healthier, so I told her I'd get her a small account at the local water store. Oh, and for my older daughter, the one who went to visit El Salvador....she (gasp!) didn't want socks; she wanted her car windows tinted, so I said okay.

Anyway, here's a photo of what I've been up to these last few days:



I bought soooo much yarn... it makes this the most expensive recent Christmas season! Since I bought my sock machine, I think I've spent about $700 in yarn. That's it. No More. I have a huge stash now and more on the way from Sarah's Yarns.

AFter I give the socks I made to my relatives and my co-workers, I am going to focus on using my other knitting machines. I want to make some sweaters and skirts to wear to work. Also, I will try to knit 2 pairs of socks a week. I am pretty good at it now....it only takes me an hour and a half to 2 hours to make a pair of adult socks. Sooooo, on Thursday and/or Sunday nights, while I am watching my TV programs, I can make 2 pairs of socks. EASY!

While I was knitting yesterday and today, I was listening to the television news and felt sad that we still have young soldiers in Iraq. Many of them are my son's age (23) or younger and I can imagine how sad they are to be so far away from their families at this time of year. And earlier this week, I watched a program that said that so many of our young soldiers are coming home with drug addictions. Some are physically maimed, some are psychologically maimed. This war has spared no one. Anyway, I think I will start knitting some socks or beanies to send to those young men. I also have a huge stash, and it is cold now (though, admittedly, not anywhere near as cold as other parts of our country! For Angelenos, cold is relative....today was about 65 degrees--yup that's cold for us--and tonight will probably be 35 degrees), so I think I might make some caps for kids in the the homeless shelters. Also, I might practice making mittens.

I had my face lasered on Friday and the top layer of skin looks all discolored, so I have to skip out on a family Christmas party tonight. :( Hopefully, the skin will peel off by tomorrow morning so I can go to the family brunch.

I miss my kids.....this is my first Christmas in almost 26 years without at least 1 of my kids in town......I'd better stop writing....I'm beginning to feel a bit melancholy......