Summer is over....christmas is on my mind....

Usually, I don't like to contemplate christmas until a week or two before it arrives. I just find it overwhelming. So much to do, so many things to think about and prepare for, such a lot of money that doesn't exist but must be found to cover the cost of all of the above. It's true, my inner grinch/scrooge often gets the better of me at christmas time. It's not that I don't enjoy sharing, I do. It's not that I begrudge the cost as such. Generosity is a wonderful and glorious thing. But the whole business of christmas does fill me with a powerful urge to hibernate until it's all over, round about the end of February would be just right. So, instead of trying to pretend it isn't coming I'm going to take a longer run at this time, in the hope that spreading the management of all the demands and expectations will ease the process, and enable me to fulfil my own desire to make lots of lovely things to give away. I have one gift on the needles, about half done. It's a start, but I know it just isn't going to cut the mustard. I've found a gorgeous pattern for knitted baubles by Alex Lawson which I just love and which will help me to use up a lot of stash and bring a smile or two to the faces of the lucky recipients.

With the spirit of giving in mind, I've been trying to develop a pattern to publish here for free. I've been trying to design a beret constructed with short rows. I pretty much finished the first trial piece, only to decide I hated it....the wool is chunky and I'd made a couple of design features that made it look a bit like one of those comedy scottish tam-o-shanters, so I ripped it out. I then discovered that Isolda Teague had already done one using the very same trick, you can find the pattern Urchin for free on Knitty. It's a good trick, as it gives a good beret shape without having to block it, and so I will continue refining my idea. Let's hope I manage to finish it before December!