Christmas Knitting is Over! (mostly)

Finally, I am caught up on all the blogs I read, emails I needed to send, major processes I needed to begin, and I can post the FOs that have happened over break.

Actually, there are only two, a few less than was ideal. I was also quite late on both of them and haven't presented either one to its intended recipient, but these are paltry details.

First, Katie's Fetching, an exact repeat of Robin's. I had hoped to have these finished in time to give them to Katie in Hong Kong during my brief layover there, but I still had two rows to go on the last thumb, as well as weaving in ends. Bummer.

Name: Christmas Fetching #3, for Katie here in Yats.Pattern: Fetching, by Cheryl Niamath
Yarn: Diakeito Dia Tasmanian Merino Lame in #604, lavender-pink
Needles: Bamboo size 5 DPNs.
Finished Measurements: Just over 5 1/2" long and almost 2 1/2" wide lying flat. Thumb is about 3/4" long.
Pattern Mods: Same extra cable repeat at the top as usual, and I no longer how remember how many rows I did for the thumb but it was at least six or so.
Knitting in Public/Movies Watched While Knitting: Heh. Quite a list this time. I cast on the first one on the train from Yats to Fukuoka to get the plane to Saigon. But then I didn't touch them until we'd gone to the nice hotel in Qui Nhon, where it was rainy and we spent two days in the hotel eating room service and watching movies. So I finished the first one and did a big chunk of the second while watching Batman Returns, Hot Fuzz, True Lies, and some special on Saturday Night Live commercials. The best one? This one, new to me and completely hysterical - because it's your problem, not theirs. Then I did almost all the rest of the second glove on the plane from Saigon to Hong Kong, in business class, mind you. The flight attendant, in between delivering me glasses of complimentary champagne, was very interested in what I was doing. FYI, I am not so shcmancy as to be able to afford business class - it was a very happy, lucky, free break. Then I finished the second glove at the start of the Action Movie Marathon at my house last weekend, so I guess that would be Next, that Nicolas Cage clunker.
Number of Times Frogged: None, bless it!
Things I Would Change Next Time: Not get too comfortable with the pattern and forget to count rows.

Then the second FO:
Name: Christmas Fetching #4 (and final), for Aashima here in Yats.Pattern: Fetching, by Cheryl Niamath
Yarn: Motohiro Imperial Junmou Aibito, in color #20 dark blue.
Needles: Bamboo size 6 DPNs.
Finished Measurements: Just over 6 1/2" long and 2 3/4" wide lying flat. Thumb is just under one inch long.
Pattern Mods: Same as above - extra cable repeat and longer thumb.
Knitting in Public/Movies Watched While Knitting: I'm sure there were some movies during the first glove, finished before winter break, but I can't recall what. The second one was during the Action Movie Marathon here at my apartment last weekend, so that would be Next (horrible - good story ruined by atrocious dialogue and direction and completely wrong casting choices), Terminator 3 (better than I thought), and Shoot 'Em Up (ridiculous but entertaining).
Number of Times Frogged: None.
Things I Would Change Next Time: Not gonna lie, sick of this pattern. Don't like afterthought thumbs and want to try a gusset thumb.

Also, Emily said she liked her headband but I think she wasn't very sure at first. She seemed to warm up to it, though, and I think the pictures of her wearing it outside my apartment are too cute. She probably won't get much wear out of it on a sub-tropical Japanese island, come to think, but maybe when she goes back to England one day. Also, she decided she really wanted a pair of the Fetching, once she saw Aashima's. Sigh.

Yar. I think when I'm done here I will go give these to Katie and Aashima (the blessings of living in Foreigner Heights). Now I'm trying to work on Chussie's Basketweave, but it's going slowly. But I'm all caught up on my blogs and hearing about everyone's vacations, so maybe I can get more done. It really needs to get done this month, I think, to get tucked into the package for Chussie's birthday. Alas, her birthday is the 19th. I really want to work on something for myself, though, dangit! Next in my queue is the stockinette sphere, which looks so cool, and I would LOVE to have the Prepster before winter is over. But then Sheila's due in April and I want to do a blanket and booties...

Well, there just isn't enough time, is there? There certainly isn't enough money for yarn. More important than knitting this month, unfortunately, are the financial aid appications. Oh, finances are depressing. But tonight, I have a James Bond movie, Licence to Kill, to distract me! Never seen this one, and I'll probably be thinking of Sissy Skinner the whole time, but hey, here's hoping it rocks my world.

Oh, and a HUGE thanks to Jo at Celtic Memory Yarns for being my first commenter! I love her blog and read it religiously. I wanted to go to Ireland (the motherland of my mother's side of the family, don't you know. Fagans and Haggertys all over the place) before I started reading her, but now I really want to go. So thank you very much for the lovely comment!