Bah! Humbug!

I have a confession: I am beginning to loathe Christmas. I worked for several years in retail until I had my daughter, and even worked on and off part time after that. I have enough retail holidays under my belt to make anyone hate this season. The only things that keep me from chucking it all are #1: My daughter - she's 14, autistic, loves getting presents and going shopping. #2: I like Christmas decorations, I just really hate seeing them before Hallowe'en! #3: I like making them.

I suppose what I really have issue with are the mad, materialistic crowds of people, the fact that the holiday is encroaching steadily on my favorite holiday (Hallowe'en), and the expense of it all! I can understand that some holiday things need to be available before Thanksgiving; if you're making a Christmas quilt (etc.), you have to have the themed fabric well in advance. But the ceramic villages, the ornaments, and the candy for cripes' sake! does all that need to be out on the sales floor before the jack o'lanterns get moldy? (Here's a hint: NO!!!)

If I could manage to stay in my home until January, I think I'd be the happiest camper in the known universe. Alas, I'll have to go to the grocery store, run various errands, do a little gift shopping, whether I want to or not... I just want to be Howard Hughes (without the crazy fingernails or the tissue boxes on my feet) for a smidge over a month - is that too  much to ask?

UFOs

UFOs... the bane of my existence. UnFinished Objects are all  over the house. They're in boxes in the basement, in pieces all over everywhere, mocking me. How often do I start something, all gung-ho, only to get bored/disgusted/distracted/stuck with a project? Sometimes it's that I just don't know how I want to finish it. Sometimes I know what I want and can't find some elusive something I think I must have. Other times, I run out of time finishing a seasonal thing, and shelve it for next year (theoretically).

A couple days ago, I picked up an oldish crochet project that I keep meaning to finish. And I need to hurry it up if I'll get to use it this season: it's an openwork poncho sort of thing, and if I don't get it in gear, it'll be next year before I can wear it. The front and back pieces are finished, and I've stitched the shoulders together, but I think I need to make the neck hole smaller, since it's pretty ginormous at the moment. Then comes the fun part: adding the fringe. Miles of different textures and fibers, all in rusty autumn shades (another reason I need to get it finished). I hope I can make what I see in my head come to life in the yarn. There's only one way to find out...

Will post a pic when I get it finished, hopefully in a day or so. (Don't hold me to that!)