AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Notre Dame just got trounced by Ohio State for their 8th consecutive bowl game loss...not a record we're pleased with in this house. But maybe next year will bring more joy, and since we should be able to see all the home games, I really really hope that it will be the year ND finally shakes down the thunder. Not like tonight. But, let's talk about all the good things that happened in the last 10 days...

Christmas was a time for a lot of family fun. We spent a few days in CT with my family, including Sam (seen here being proudly displayed by my mom) and my grandparents. My parents both liked the alpaca scarves I knit for them from the yarn they picked out at Southwind Farms, but I forgot to take a pic of them modeling their gifts (Mom, can you send one?).

After Christmas we headed to MI for the rest of the week. I found out my mother-in-law is a big fan of untangling yarn, so I let her handle all of the knitpicks Sierra that I was working with, since I couldn't figure out how to wind it without creating a mess...thanks Mom L! I made her a little knitting kit, so we'll see how far she progresses before I see her next. Here's a pic of the scarf I am working on with this yarn (it's an Irish Hiking Scarf from Hello Yarn) -- it's a Christmas present, a little late but oh well. We hung out with our adorable nephew Alek & niece Annika -- here's a pic of Alek wearing a Chinese hat that Dave bought in Hong Kong.

I had some great wool that I bought from the Craftacular and I made the Coronet cable-trimmed hat from knitty as a present for my friend Bevo. This was a particularly rewarding project for me, because it forced me to do a few new things, including a provisional cast-on (thanks knittinghelp.com) and the kitchener stitch (not so hard as I thought -- it didn't come out perfect but that's because I was grafting together the cabled band and I'm not that advanced -- I decided that if i had to wait for perfection I'd never get anything done at this stage). I also had to undo and re-do the hat when it was initially too small for its recipient. I really like how it turned out.
Anyway, I'll end here, and I wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope 2006 lives up to everyone's hopes and that your resolutions/promises/life changes/happiness are all met.