I do not know about you all but I am really looking forward to Christmas Day this year -- not because of presents, we are doing that tomorrow this year because Dear Wife and I have to work Monday and that means our trip home will be this weekend, but because it will be the first opportunity to stop and take a deep breath in a long while.
We have been busy here in Memphis for a long time. In my last post I mentioned that we were about to take a Knit-cation that my DW arranged to coincide with my birthday -- and it was the greatest time. Highlights? We got a free B-day sports car upgrade, thank you Hertz and we spent our time on a yarn crawl -- Imagiknit, A Verb for Keeping Warm, Nine Rubies, and a few others. We even got to spend some time with some good friends who live in the area -- going to dinner and walking in the redwoods north of the city. I think this was the first vacation I have been on that actually felt like a vacation...
But as with all good things, it ended and we came back to work. The next couple of months were a big blur of work and knitting. DW had the presence of mind to see a need for a Knit-night group in our neighborhood and so we successfully kicked off a regular Tuesday group that meets each week. It has been a big hit and we are very proud of it. We are the Knit S.P.O.T.S. (Society for the Preservation of Old Timey Skills) and we are on Ravelry here. I finally wrapped up and delivered a large custom order for a customer and then got started on the Christmas knitting.
In November I attended the second annual South East Men's Knitting Retreat (SEMKR) and it was just as much fun as the first one was last year. In fact, I found it more enjoyable because I already knew most of the guys. My thanks to Rusty ( aka SmallTownKnitGuy ) for working so hard to make sure it was all it could be!
There was a LOT of S.W.A.G. :
Right after that was a lot of Knitting and Working (the order of priority for those two changed daily and on a whim...) and then Thanksgiving. Now, we still have Doodles and Taz the foster dogs. Doodles went through a rough round of heartworm treatment but I am happy to say she is once again healthy and happy. Unfortunately for us, we have had them long enough to become attached. I held out successfully until they decided this was their home and we were their people and they started to love us. This is what I love about schnauzers -- they express everything in their eyes and you can literally see it. However, we need to place them so we can give more schnauzers a second chance. The hunt is on for new owners and you can see them on the Schnauzer Love Rescue (SLR) site here. If you are in the market for a pair of the sweetest and most loving dogs on the planet, please consider Doodles and Taz.
Anyway, we took them with us home for Thanksgiving and they were a big hit. We ate a lot. They ate a lot. There might have been a couple of schnauzer naps -- but I am not admitting to anything.
More knitting, a lot of holiday candy making, and a big increase in the amount of work at my new job brings us to the present. I am happy to report that the Christmas knitting is completed -- ALL OF IT -- and early to boot! I think we got the push we needed to see it all through from the Christmas candy sugar high we have been on since Thanksgiving! Since they are gifts, pictures will be forthcoming after they are delivered.
It has been a crazy busy fall. There has been a lot of knitting, loving, laughing, and working in 2012 and I apologize that the blog has suffered as a result. My New Year's resolution this year will be to find a way to make my blogging coexist peacefully with all that is going on around me!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Remember to light a candle New Year's Eve to bring light into your life for the new year and kiss somebody at midnight!
Happy Knitting Everyone!
