You may have heard about our little ice storm this week. We had a bit of snow, which was pretty, but it was hard and dry and there was lots of ice all around. The kids got two hour delays a couple days, and Rich got phone calls to go deal with gates, runways, etc. at 3:00 a.m. Here he is heading back out into the fray on Tuesday morning. This was at about 8:00 a.m. after being out since 3:45 and returning home to shower.



Notice our open dishwasher in load mode behind him and the messy counters.

Being cold and not wanting to do much outside, I have been knitting quite diligently. So, what do you think we have here?



Why, it's Amira's Keepsake Baby Stocking, from Interweave Press' Christmas Stockings book.



All is knit, all ends woven in, but I will be making twisted cord tonight for the loop.

Since the feast of Saint Nicholas is rapidly approaching, I need to get the embroidery done on Elijah's stocking as well. Initials, down the front, with french knot and running stitch snowflakes.

I cast on for Amira's Toddle, which will not have an accompanying hat. It turns out that she has about five winter hats in various colors and materials. And though she would like me to knit her a hat, I think the scarf will make her quite happy. Especially now that she has discovered that she has handknit mittens as well (which were made for Dominic about four years ago, and have been worn each winter by him, then Elijah and now Amira).

Since I have decided to count that first attempt at a felted fish slipper as a stocking for Jerome (it even has his present in it already, St. Nicholas was running early), and with the removal of the hat obligation, when I finish the two stockings (tonight?), I will have 10 out of 16 gifts finished. I am trying to resist the urge to add more knit gifts to make. Especially since one of the people for whom I am itching to knit needs it done early enough for me to mail across the country. Considering that two of those 16 gifts may either turn into Epiphany gifts or be crossed off the list to be resurrected as birthday presents, I don't need to add any more. I do however, need to get cooking. There are the initial cookies to bake for St. Nicholas, breads and candy to make for Christmas gifts, cocoa jars to put together, and cookies to make for the family.

I am not making cookies for other people this year. There have been too many years in which I had to tell the kids that they couldn't have the cookies because those were going to be mailed or those were for so and so, and so they had to wait and get the stale ones. Any cookies we bake this year are going to my children first.