Mrs. Beaumont's Class (with some knitting thrown in)

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Christmas vacation went fast again as usual. I can't say that this was the greatest vacation, either. The holiday and gifts were good, but my husband's grandfather passed away on Christmas Day. It was very unexpected and we had just visited him on Christmas Eve. We were shocked to say the least. We still took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge last week, which was fun. We stayed two nights. We drove up to Marblehead but found everything closed for the winter. We did get out to look at the Lighthouse and to take a walk around the shore. It was a little windy, but otherwise the weather wasn't too bad. The kids and I wanted to take Bob to see Mystery Hill, but it was closed, too. We went last summer and I don't care if it is a hoax. I felt motion sick and got a headache from being in the house there. Supposedly, it's a spot where there's no gravity or something. There are several places like it in the U.S. Water seems to run uphill and balls go uphill. I don't know what it is, but it's freaky. There's a similar place in California called The Mystery Spot, for which Wikipedia explains the "absence of gravity."

We drove past A Yarn Shop, which I had seen over the summer when we were here. It was closed the first time we passed it. Luckily, the second time the owner was putting the open sign out. Hooray! We stopped and I bought a book, Not Just More Socks, five balls of Crystal Palace Taos in Two Gray Hills, and one skein of Schaefer Anne in a pinky, purply, fuschia colorway. I can't find a name for it. It was a big splurge at $24 for a skein. It feels very soft. I can't wait to knit with it.

On Friday we went to Grandad's funeral. It was a nice service.

Since then, we've been recovering from all the activities. And I've been working on grading papers. I think I'm just about caught up. Hope so. We go back to school tomorrow. How time flies... See you all in the morning.

I've been working on different projects for a while and finally have some of it done! First is Gavin's Buckeyes scarf. I don't know what kind of yarn it is. It is acrylic--easy care for a kid.

Next are my roll-brim hat (no pattern) and mittens. I haven't knit mittens in a year and last time I didn't do so well with the thumbs. These turned out much better. I used the basic mitten pattern from Family Circle Easy Knitting Fall 2005 issue. The yarn is Plymouth Galway Marl 600, which is navy blue, green, and pink, even though in the picture it looks purply.

And finally, I've started the Lacy Mock Cable Socks in Brown Sheep Wildfoote SY-800 Sonatina. I really like this pattern so far. It's easy to memorize. And as long as I have a stitch marker at the beginning of each pattern repeat, I don't even have to regularly count stitches. I tend to lose track of what I've done if I don't count. That makes the knitting go so much more slowly.

This week's extra credit question is ...

Someone has graciously offered to make you and your entire family a Christmas quilt. It will be made up of many quilt squares, each one representing a different family member. What specific design or image would you want on your square?

Answers to this question need to be posted by Friday, December 22.

Eric P. insists that I share something about myself, so here goes. My first meme...A holiday meme...

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped, of course.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored lights all the way. White is too boring.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No
5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the first weekend in December.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love green bean casserole.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Getting Monopoly when I was in 4th grade and learning to play it with my dad.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, but we used to when we were kids.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Each family member picks out a new ornament each year. Usually one that has a personal meaning. My kids pick out ornaments like Scooby-Doo and The Grinch. I picked an Eiffel Tower ornament one year.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love snow when it first falls and is pure and white. (Snow days aren't bad, either!!)
12. Can you ice skate? Tried it once in college. Didn't like it.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? It would have to be a tie between the photo collage and poem my sister wrote and framed for me or the quilt my grandma (who passed away last year) made for me.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Gingerbread with a dollop of Cool Whip. Also made by my grandma--just for me.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Writing letters to Santa with my kids and then reading what he writes back.
17. What tops your tree? A red and gold star
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I love giving presents. Usually I'm too excited to wait for Christmas and end up giving them early.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Wow, that's tough. I love O Holy Night and Greensleeves, but Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack is excellent, too.
20. Candy Canes? No, thanks. I'll stick with chocolate.

I will tag Eric now. What are your answers to these questions?

Why don't you bloggers who are listed in my sidebar add to your blogs. I check them out periodically but don't see anything new. What's up??