More Snow, Less Knitting

We've had more snow since Thursday. Nothing major, just enough to keep the tops of the piles on the sidewalks a little prettier until it all turns into black sludge. Except for tomorrow, it's supposed to snow all week. Of course, that's what the Weather Channel says. I watch it faithfully every day, and it's almost always wrong. So why do I keep watching? I have no idea--force of habit, I suppose.

It's hard to believe Christmas is less than two weeks away. It's going to be a very low-key one in my family. I didn't knit anything for anyone, although I do have a request from my 4-1/2 year old niece for a "rainbow hat with pink hearts." I've already got the yarn picked out. I'll be able to work something up by Christmas. I'm thinking I'll felt up some pink wool and cut hearts out of it, then sew them on.

I haven't been doing too much knitting. I'm trying to finish projects rather than starting anything new. The way I'm fixing the sleeve on the baby sweater is that I'm re-knitting it. It didn't fit into the armhole, but its mate did. Looking closely at it, I was able to determine that I had knit it on the smaller size needles I had in the bag (why, I don't know). I could have re-blocked it and stretched it out, but it's a gift and that didn't seem right to me. So I pulled it out and I'm about halfway done with it. After it's done, though, I only have to sew it in, then sew the side seams and it's done and I can send it and get it off my plate.

I probably won't be knitting a lot until I leave for Austin for the holidays. I do, however, plan to do some baking. I've been invited to a cookie exchange party. I'm kind of excited about that--I've never been to one and I've always wanted to see how it works.

I haven't really had the time to bake for Christmas since I moved to Chicago. I used to do it every year. I'm really looking forward to it. I know one of the things I'm making. It's an old recipe my dad found that we decided to make when I was in high school in Dallas--Mexican Wine Cookies. They failed miserably in the cookie press the recipe called for. They were way too hard to push out. I thought my Dad was going to have a heart attack as I watched him struggle with it. It's one of my happier memories of him--we couldn't keep from laughing as he struggled with the press, wondering what the hell was wrong with the recipe. But they were delicious, and they work really well when I roll them into balls and press them with a cookie mold. They're made with sherry and have a subtle, buttery taste.

And then there's the graham cracker brownie recipe I got from my friend Gina when I was in sixth grade. They're easy to make. But they look disgusting while you're mixing them up. They taste really good. I'll probably make those as well.

And then I want to make one more thing. I think I'm going to try to find something new.