What's going on at my house....

I always find the insanity of the Christmas season a little bit overwhelming. I have 22 patients that I am responsible for planning Christmas for, making November and December the busiest months at work, I have a whole lot of friends to catch up with, and I never have any idea what to get my parents for Christmas...... All of this combined turns me into a bit of a bah humbug.
Hence, not much posting lately.
I don't want to complain about having so many friends, or being able to spend time with my family, or having a job where I can bring a bit of joy to people....... but there just isn't enough time in a day!

Anyway- I finished all the skull hats, and they were a big hit! At first mom thought they were all for the baby as she got bigger, but caught on by the end of the day. We're getting together today, so hopefully I can get a picture of them on the intended wearers.




We also had a bit of a swatch-a-pa-looza here. I wanted to start on the blissful jacket. I tried 3 different sizes of needles. I got the stitch gauge pretty close, but my rows are way off. How can I get my stitches right, but have really short rows?

The pink is the yarn I bought to make the Donna sweater, but I don't think the wool is soft enough for me to wear snug to my skin. So I am envisioning a fitted vest with a cable down the front and a hood....... perhaps my first design?

So I did start the back of the Blissful jacket. I guess I'll just keep measuring as I go along and add length if I need it. I keep forgetting that it's in reverse stocking stitch, so I had taken a bunch of shots of the inside of it before I finally got it right. Not very exciting to look at yet!



I also bought a copy of Jess Hutchison's Book of knitted toys. They are totally different than most toys you see. My brother saw the robots on line and sent a link to me, so I'm sure he'll get one in his stocking this year..... Hopefully I can knit some up quick for all the little ones I hang around with. I can't believe it's only 5 weeks until Christmas!