Hi there SSK folks! I'm in the Christmas knitting abyss here and, like Cheryl, have been making this one item OVER AND OVER AND OVER again and I'm about to scream! I've done 5 and have one more to go! I thought I might make one for my Mom and best friend BUT...I'm sick unto death of them and that may not happen this year (particularly since I'm stressing over the other FOUR projects I have to have done by Christmas and they aren't fast, easy earflap hats!) My nemisis this year is earflap hats! Ugh! I love them, and it started out with me making that cute little cabled earflap hat I posted about out of my handspun from Vogue Knitting and that was lovely. So I decided to make a store sample too...which was meant to fit a child but it's too big but no big deal since it wasn't meant for anyone in particular

It's very cute and is knit on straight needles (which isn't my preferred method) and I ran out of yarn for the ties but hey...that's OK too :) I can't find the free pattern in a search right now so will get the URL from the copy I have at the shop and post it. It was OK to do straight...kind of a fun change.

My favorite so far is the Vogue Knitting pattern BUT I've made two of these and like them very much KNITSCENE EARFLAP HATS IN THREE SIZES ~ I sell this mag in the shop and it's really cool...kind of pushes the knitting envelope a bit and has some fun, funky stuff in there. It's an Interweave Special Publication so only comes out a couple times a year. Love it! The website always has nifty free patterns

This pattern starts at the top on DP and I didn't find it easy to do the "lift the bar" type increase so I just did the knit in the front/back increase and it looks fine. I have one more of these to do (this is part of my debt to my hair lady for her three boys) I have to wash them so will post a pic of one of them when I get to the shop today and take a picture.

I also made one out of orange wool for a hunting hat for my BIL which is a kind of disaster but he says he likes it...ha! I used this pattern and am not sure I like it yet: Ski Hat with Earflaps . I had to felt it a bit cuz it was huge, then I didn't want it to be too short so had to stop the felting and it's STILL too big so I'm going to try to tighten up the back but I dunno. Maybe there will be a man in the shop with a giant head who wants it. Which means I need to find more blaze orange wool and try again but probably can't get it done before Christmas unless someone wants to send me a skein of blaze orange wool or wool blend because they feel really bad for me...*shameless begging alert* and yes, this is about the right color ;>

I feel safe enough posting this here since my sister probably doesn't read my blogs...one of the Regia Cotton sox I'm making for her... I'm about half done with the cuff for the second sock. They're a bit snug on me but they should be fine on her and she saw one and pronounced it "cute" so I feel good about it. If they don't fit, I'll give them to someone else and make her another pair. I *don't* like knitting with this stuff though. Everyone raves about it but I don't like it! It's pretty though and not at all scratchy for her tender feet so onward through the hated yarn! It's the basic sock pattern from Folk Socks and I'm not diggin the toe shaping either.

I have other top secret knitting projects in the works so that will have to wait for show and tell :) And I have two more custom orders to do...a beret, scarf, mitt set which I've not even started and I have to finish a handspun scarf for The Pickiest Customer in the Entire Universe. Sigh....but...these get done at WORK and don't cut into my precious home knitting time. A gal's gotta draw the line SOMEwhere....of course, this means that some things are left undone at the shop but oh well...I'm only a human bean dammit! I'm NOT A MACHINE!!!! *sniff...sob...*

Take a breather everyone and post something so we know you're alive and not buried under a huge pile of GUILT....aaaaaaahahahahaha...........

BTW...IF ANYONE HERE POSTS A *%$^!@# CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN METER OR EVEN BREATHES A WORD ABOUT HOW MANY #$%^*&! DAYS ARE LEFT TILL CHRISTMAS, I'LL WHIP YOU WITH A DIRTY FLEECE! IGNORANCE IS BLISS MY FRIENDS...