Notice I say “December Knitting” not “Christmas Knitting.”  This is one of those rare years when I take a break from Christmas gift knitting.  I confess to having mixed emotions about it, but, overall, it feels like a good decision.  The major refurbishing we have done on our house this year has taken months of creative energy — and then there was the big push to get my knitting projects done for Vogue Knitting Live this fall.  And tho there have been a few moments of madness (“knitted leg-warmers for EVERYONE!”), they have passed quickly and I have not been seduced by any of the “quick gift knits” either.

No one in the family batted an eye when I announced that I was Not Knitting For Christmas this year (tho I said that, of course, if someone REQUESTED a hand-knit item, I would certainly consider it…so far, no one has…).  Frankly — tho they do not say so — they would all probably rather have practical gift cards and my not-so-sleep-deprived participation in family holiday activities than knitted hats anyway.  Which is okay because I am also looking forward to a more relaxed December 🙂

I even played Christmas carols on the piano yesterday — something I always think I will do and then find I cannot put down my knitting needles down long enough to bust out even one verse of “O Holy Night”!

So what AM I knitting this December?  Well, there is still one more baby sweater to go before the end of the year.  And Sarah and I are super enthused about Brioche knitting — we are both working on Andrea Mowry’s hat ”“Vintage Prim”

And I am SO close to finishing my sparkly shawl “Gossamer Shawlette”

In fact, I have finished the body of the shawl and have started the lace edging.  In fact, I have calculated that if I work one 14-row of the pattern repeat (basically, one point of the lace) each day, I should have all 22 points done and be able to block the shawl so I can wear it to church on Christmas Eve! (Tho there is a slight possibility that it is 44 points not 22 — in which case I am, um, So Out of Luck — but I really think it is 22 points…)

And speaking of Christmas Count-Down Knitting:

Oh, what is THIS?!  Jimmy Beans Wool’s Craftvent 2017 MKAL!  I have never done a Mystery Knit-A-Long before (this one is a shawl and I got to choose the color way — which was, I think, called Cozy Fire).  I am SO EXCITED!  I love Advent calendars — and when I found out about this one, I ordered it immediately.  I figured that since I was Not Knitting For Christmas this was the perfect year for it 🙂

So, plenty of lovely December knitting in store for me — and projects I can actually write about since they are not gifts for anyone who might be reading the blog!  But first we need a little atmosphere — so time to break into the decoration boxes and also to begin dropping not-so-subtle hints to George about getting the baking started!