Merry (late) Christmas & Happy (early!) New Year!

First of all, please forgive the picture heavy post and all my bragging. I'm going on another "yarn diet" in 2009 for sure! Yessiree.
(I probably won't have a choice, things will be tighter this next year for sure!)

I hope everybody had a very peaceful holiday. We were together on Christmas day and then went to my in-laws for the weekend. I almost didn't end up going, I've been having a MAJOR pain flare-up that just won't let up. I've been trying to get past it, but it's been a bad couple of weeks. Therefore, I haven't been able to knit much - but that's okay, Santa suprised me with one of these:



It's a pretty Pearly Pink Nintendo DS, and I didn't even know I wanted one until I had this baby in my hands. Everyone else in the house has had one for ages, but I never really got into it. I do have the "Brain Age" games but they never kept my attention for long (okay! I'm OLD, I don't need a game to remind me).

I've barely been able to put this down, the Crosswords game I got is just too addictive, and of course, it's PINK! It just tickles me to no end. I do feel a bit like I left my knitting in the dust to play with my new toy. Fickle Fickle Knitter, I know. Then I got to this "textile" wordsearch puzzle that had "kniting" and "knitted" etc. in it! Too funny! My Knitting will never go away.

Santa also brought me this:


I finally got a scale for my yarn (that's Dream in Color Smooshy in Gothic Rose - see how generous they are with their yardage?). I've been wanting one for a long, long time. I got Franklin's book (which the girls have taken and I've yet to enjoy). (What I didn't get a picture of was the cool Magnet Chart Keeper and Harmony DPN's in size 7 that I got also). This was from The Big Guy & The Girls.

He also got me some Black Bunny Fibers Superwash Sock Yarn (oh well, it says "approximately 4 oz" so they're covered - it's a LOT less dense than the DIC as the scale shows). It's a very pretty colorway though, it's called "Chocolate Covered Cherries". I may have to use that for my Mom, she just loves those candies! (this scale is so much fun, I can't stop weighing stuff!)

With the Christmas money from my Mom & In-Laws, I stopped by The Yarn Patch in Crossville and picked up some more sock yarn and a few other goodies.

I always seem to go for sock yarns for my Mom so there are two yarns to use for her next year. I got Berroco Comfort Sock in color 1813, and a new one I've never tried before "Pagewood Farms Yukon" handdyed sock yarn in "Bird of Paradise" colorway, and some black Universal wool to attempt to make my nephew (who is now serving in Afghanistan) a Helmet Liner. I couldn't pass up the tiny 4" size 5 DPN's, and I also got some DPN tubes and a pair of Bryspun size 4 straights. I don't knit with straights too often anymore, but I like the Bryspun because they're light.

My Darling Husband also took time off of work to take me across town to get this:

When I get in the mood for PINK, there's no help for me. I had seen this Blue Ridge Kaleidoscope Superwash Merino Sock yarn in Mossy Hollow before at my LYS and I couldn't get it out of my mind, it practically threw itself at me and begged me to take it home. The Noro Silk Garden (#205) was just for pure fun.

That's about it for now. The projects that I have lined up aren't even using these yarns so I hope my pain issues resolve soon so I can get busy. I'm halfway done with the first bed sock for my Mom, I promised my cousin some black fingerless mitts, and I have that helmet liner in my "mind's queue" too. THEN I'll play with my other yarns. And. Stop. Buying. More.

This year was rough, next year may hold even more challenges, but I'm grateful for all my friends and family and all I've been blessed with. I won't make any resolutions this year, my main issues will be family, better health, and to remember to be thankful no matter what.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year Everybody!