post gifting scorecard

Two just completed, slightly damp hats in the sun as we load the car to drive to DC for festivities. Amazingly, did not drive away and forget them there.  2 points for us!

The brown is knit from Victory Ranch alpaca, I made up the pattern. Bro-in-law happy, I failed to get a photo of him wearing it. Deduct a point. Ok.... two. I'm a professional.

Drove directly to Xmas eve party in full swing, this year made it early enough that the buffet was still hot.  Points back! And to hear the nephew and his old teacher get out the keyboard and improvise.

Lots of point. Too many to keep track of. Rest of evening, scorecard free. Mom happy with her new set of crochet hooks with bamboo handles. Once again, failure to get a nice shot of them out of packaging,   they are good looking.  Way to go, Susie Bates.

Sister Marla got the black hat, here immediately after unwrapping and recognizing its Amelia Earhart potentiality.

She'd asked for a "black helmet-like earflap hat" that would be warm and good looking but wouldn't clash with all her multicolored handknit scarves.We added ties with tassles from recycled sari silk, it  needed that somethin' somethin'.

pattern: Snowboarders Hat That Rocks

yarn: Berroco Cuzco,  1 skein of black , exactly  down to the last inch

notes: First time I have ever knit with true pure dark black. Last time I ever knit with pure dark black. Double never if there are cables involved. Could. Not. See. A. Freakin'. Thing.

confession: I wouldn't mind having one just like it for myself. Maybe...dark gray.

It works.

Final bonus round, the birthday gift knit entirely in the car ride  down, next post. 

best laid plans and all that jazz

Brooklyn on Sunday morning, via iPhone  cam. Have  I mentioned how much I love mobile Photoshop? 

On Saturday, massive snowstorm approaching & hysterical forecasts increasing, I figured my photo shoot in Brooklyn the next morning would be postponed. So I kinda relaxed a little. I mean, here I'd have an Extra Day to catch up on work, sit by the fireplace and finish the holiday gift knitting, maybe make some cards, do a new year's e-postcard to my clients, answer email, wrap some gifts, do some cookie baking blah, blah bah. I had a Plan B.

By 6:30 am Sunday, Plan B was rolled back to Plan A. The shoot was on, snow and all. There I was trudging with my equipment on the MetroNorth, then to the subway then through the streets, trying to refigure how it'd all work out. And being kind of grouchy about it. Resenting having to shlep my big case through the snowbanks the plows had created at the curbs....when I looked up and realized how really, truly great it all was. The snow was white, fluffy and undirtied, the city was quiet, the skies were brightening, the holiday decorations were popping against the brownstones. I've never seen Brooklyn like that. It was magical and anyone out on the street just then , the handful of us, knew it.

So, where does that leave me? It's past midnight, and as I blog this I'm baking cut-out cookies, swilling a glass of red wine, finishing up knitting two hats, and adding items to tomorrow's list, all at the same time. Tomorrow I'll try getting other stuff left from the weekend done, and I'll knit the last gift on the car ride to DC on Thursday. Fingers crossed. Anyone who freelances knows the best way to get new work to come in is to plan a few days away. This year having been so epically, monumentally sucky business-wise, I figuredI could plan on getting away quietly. Nope! The very last week of the year and new work- good projects- are appearing , all needing immediate attention.

I don't care. Plans, like rules, are made to be...improved upon. Maybe that's the theme for 2010.

Or, maybe that's the red wine. (Salut!)

holiday reality check (hot off the press)

Non-traditional 5x5" press-printed holiday notecards, blank on the inside. They come with envelopes. In sets or as singles. Over at my etsy shop.

Red and green nature, if you prefer a more subtle holiday approach . Blank on the inside, makes a nice set of fine art notecards. Mix & match with any of the sheepiers/apaca-ier images.

5x7", press-printed fine art photo cards, w/envelopes. SheShootsSheepShots on etsy.

There's no denying it, the season is NOW. In the spirit of last minute shoppers everywhere, I just made these new cards. Whenever you order, I will send them out immediately. I happen to live next door to the post office, no kidding. Can you say con-veeen-yent? If you order them as sets of 5 cards, they go out Priority Mail.

And you can mix and match the combinations. Or just go with yarn. I won't judge.

All blank on the inside, you can choose your own message or give them as gift sets.
www.SheShootsSheepShots.etsy.com