Christmas is exhausting!

Well, I guess it's not necessarily Christmas that's exhausting, it's the cookie baking.  I don't know why making 4 different batches of cookies took so long, but it sure did.  Now my kitchen is trashed and I don't feel like cleaning it up - hell, I haven't even taken my apron off  (but that's 'cause I kinda like it!)  Not that I'm complaining!  There's not much better than spending a saturday baking cookies, listening to your Willie Nelson and Family double album, and not worrying about the fact that you haven't gotten anything else done!  

We put the tree up a couple weekends ago,

 and I forgot to post pictures of the little tree topper the fella and I made together!  Since we got this snazzy red tree, we've never really had a topper for it so he said he could probably make something cool out of felt and he asked me what I wanted and I said a bird.  He cut out all the pieces and I figured some Elmer's glue would hold it together just fine, but it didn't.  He got frustrated and gave up because all the pieces kept falling apart, so I sewed it together with some space dyed embroidery floss and it turned out just great. 

Unfortunately the picture did not turn out so great - it's hard to take pictures when every day is cloudy!  Oh, and speaking of handmade decorations - I've been taking my good old natured time finished my felted ornaments, but I do have one finished, I think.  This is the one that everyone made fun of as I was crocheting it.  It really was pretty bad.   After felting it was still pretty weird, and oddly phalic, but I think with some tough shaping and stitching, and the all-important addition of sequins, it turned out pretty well!  

it's hardly even recognizable - I had to push the long pokey end in, and turn it upside down, to mitigate the penis-y look of it.  My to-do list for this evening does include working on the others, but I also want to warp my loom to start working on a couple placemats for my mama!  

Ooh, in other knitting news - I need to decide what to cast on for next!  I did start on my Selbu Modern, but I need something less chart-y for knit nights - I have other hats I want to do (Fresco Herringbone,  Bobbled Tam, Side Slip Cloche, and Sideways Grande Cloche, to name a few) but I'm also pretty excited about Amelia - the cardigan from the new Knitty!  At first I didn't care for it - but I think that was because I didn't like the way the model was wearing her hat.  I get caught up on stupid stuff, what can I say?  And I didn't like the stuff about a "peplum" in the description.  Then I looked at it and realized that it has lots of the same elements of my favorite store bought cardigan - the shaping gives you curves even if you're wearing something loose-y under it, and even though it's knit in worsted weight, it doesn't look as bulky as I'd expect.  I think I pretty much love it now!  I have some red wool that I think just might be perfect!  I really wasn't planning to cast on for another sweater, but it is sweater weather, so why not?  I don't know - I'll sleep on it and figure something out before knit night tomorrow!