Osborn Fiber Studio

I can’t wait for Thanksgiving. Mostly because I can’t wait for it to be the official US-brand Christmas season.

I am a good Anglican. I love Advent. You know this about me. But I have to confess. I am kinda a sucker for the December Season. I’ve gotten jaded by it like anyone else (working at a mall in high school will do that to you), but I got over it once I was no longer forcibly exposed to more “Santa Baby” than anyone should ever have to endure. I haven’t gotten much of a chance to indulge during the last few years, mostly because of the significant overlap with “grad school workaholic season,” which ends on December 23rd. We haven’t even put up our 3-foot fake tree from Aldi in three years.

But not this year. I started compulsively singing Naomi Christmas carols last month. My December schoolwork load is looking pretty light, and the gleam is in my eye… Christmas baking, Sinatra on Pandora, my home-made egg nog…. It’s happening.

In the knitting department, however, I’m feeling less enthusiastic.

Let me explain.

I am at the halfway point of knitting through Nancy Bush’s Knitting on the Road – 17 pairs of socks, 17 months (give or take). For the last 8 pairs, I have been dutifully random in selecting the month’s adventures.

Except for one pair.

Three times, one pair has been randomly selected. Once when I had my husband randomly pick a number between one and thirteen; once when I made my little sister close her eyes, spin in a circle, and pick the first bag she touched; and once when I made Seretha pick the bag she thought was most “interesting.” The same bag kept getting picked. But I took the yarn out, looked it over, and said “nah.”

With a picture like this, you can probably guess why. I was not in the mood for fair isle.

Christmas in Tallinn is actually a pattern for a Christmas stocking. But we don’t need a Christmas stocking. Jared and I have two handmade Christmas stockings each, and Naomi already has one. (No, she doesn’t ruddy well need another.) So I decided to adapt the pattern into, well, more socks! Easy enough. Except since I am shrinking the gauge to match, it means double the work.

Considering I was in the middle of an enormous fair isle sweater, and then an enormous mosaic-knit bag, I think I was justified in saying “maybe next month.”

Well, I can’t say “maybe next month” forever. And my colorwork knitting has hit a lull, so I’d better get through these while I have the willpower.

Yes, I know this is my hobby… and I should do things I like. But I made a goal, dangit, and I’m not going to let one pattern I don’t fEeEel like knitting stop me! Because I am that sort of headstrong person. Who can overcome laziness to accomplish pointless, arbitrary goals. Yes, I do state it that way on my resume.

No screwing around with this pattern. Quite literally in the first row, all three colors were already in play. Sheesh.

But the upside of fair isle?

Got one repeat done during a class session. At least fair isle is fast.