Today, I'm mourning a Christmas present that could have been. I wasn't going to knit anything for my sister this year. Well, I was going to try the ear muff thingies from Knitty, but made the mistake of showing my mom the pattern first and letting her convince me they were dumb and then I just went out and bought a decorative thing and promised myself I'd have time to do something really good next year. Last year, I made her a Booga Bag, which she liked.

So I went over to Mom's yesterday, and she had the scarf I knitted last year lying on the counter. Stacey saw her wearing it when they went out the day before and asked if I'd knitted it. She's apparently expecting a knitted present -- and excited about it. ACK! How many days do I have left?!

I cast on a scarf for her this morning, using the same pattern I used for Mom's, but if I would've known even a couple of days sooner, I could've done something better -- like an Irish Hiking Scarf with matching wrist warmers. I'm actually fighting the urge to go buy some yarn and try to pull it off in the 2 1/2 days I've got left.

THIS is what happens when you pay attention to stupid posts from people who say giving knitted gifts is selfish. And ask other family members if they think a particular project is a good idea. I'm really glad Stace wants something knitted. I'm going to do the best I can with the yarn I've got and the little time I have left and, next year, I won't let other people convince me not to follow my instincts.

Michelle