How to Make Your Christmas Season More Stressful

That's right.  If there's ever been an authority on creating more stress for yourself, I'd like to throw my hat in the ring for the title.  There's a big part of me that thrives on deadlines and coming in right at the buzzer.  At the end of a 5k or 10k race, I enjoy digging deep and finding my last bit of energy to finish in a mad sprint.  It seems I have adapted this same tactic when I approach my knitting, especially when knitting before Christmas!

So, on the 18th of December, I decided that Sam needed a new sweater vest for the holiday season. Things started great.  I cast in the morning and sat knitting among the kids while they played.  As Clara napped in the afternoon, I enjoyed some hardcore knitting while Sam enjoyed a show... or two.  Before heading out to the bus stop in the afternoon, I was just about ready to start armhole decreases and add in steek stitches. 

But then the Christmas season hit.  I wasn't worried about the project and kept putting it off to do silly things like wrap presents, send out Christmas cards,  and hit the grocery store way too often.

The project was small which made it quite convenient for throwing in my Field Bag  and bringing it along while waiting for tables and other holiday season excursions.

Then I realized I had to pause and actually take some time to figure out what I was doing.  When I originally cast on, I took some measurements, did a gauge swatch and started knitting.  When it came to the top of the vest, I took a garment out of Sam's closet and measured, planned, and fumbled my way through to the end.

And two days before Christmas, I had something that looked like this:

Now, here's the tricky part.  I always think that this means I'm almost done.  It doesn't. 2x2 ribbing in fingering weight yarn isn't the quickest of knitting ventures.  Especially when you're in a Christmas fog and don't cast on enough neck stitches.  That's right- a sweater of any sort will NOT fit over a giant toddler noggin if the neck hole is not large enough (lesson learned).  So after ripping back and re-knitting I was left with just the ends to weave in on Christmas morning.

Or so I thought.  Enter younger toddler sister.  Who, despite being incapable of living an hour a day off my hip while I prepare dinner, ends up being totally capable of  operating a pair of small scissors.  Thank you, fine motor skills.

By no means was the sweater destroyed, but it was enough to put last-minute-knitting-mom into a tizzy as I frantically tied whatever ends I could and reinforced cut stitches.  Lovely, no?!

But, by the time we were ready to head out to relatives, a sweater vest was complete... along with all that other stuff people make you do for Christmas!

And as the rest of the day was such a blur, the finished sweater vest did not get much time in front of the camera.

More soon...