synestheticknits

crap, i'm behind! the ramones - merry christmas (i don't want to fight tonight). i know everyone knows this one already, but i love it too much. r.i.p. joey. there is altogether too much christmas-related stress going on this year, i tell you.

move over; the hbic is here. Kate Bush - December Will Be Magic Again by newcanadian kate bush - december will be magic again. wacko in the best possible way. as usual.

welcome back. it's been a busy weekend. ben folds - bizarre christmas incident. immature, i suppose. whatever. i like it. so, knitting? this has been a bad year for that. check out the progress on my new years socks . yes, cast on in january of this year. ugh. i don't know, it's like i lost my knit-mojo for the past year. working on that. been plugging away at some smaller projects (smaller than socks? sigh).

first off: this album is a classic. (and available on spotify, woohoo!) new kids on the block - i'll be missing you come christmas. don't hate. this was the go-to cd for my best friend and i to listen to in the car around christmas, even in high school. i have to go with this song in particular today because really, it's kind of odd. i get this mental image of his girlfriend tied up in a big giftwrapped box with airholes punched in it.

rufus wainwright - spotlight on christmas. who better to write an awesome sweet non-cheesy christmas song? sadly, i can't find my copy of this song, which means i'll have to try and rescue it from my barely-functional old laptop someday. thank jesus for youtube.

happy 12/12/12! here is day 6. the eels - everything's going to be cool this christmas. apologies for the presence of the o.c. if you prefer the usual more gloomy e, here is a bonus video.

it has been found! from one of the bestest holiday albums ever (which you should definitely own... ): Get this Ringtone mp3 hawksley workman - learn how to knit. this is not even the best song on this album, but it does involve knitting so this has to be the one today. he has said these are sort of songs from a simpler time.. which is true, isn't it? i can't believe it's been over ten years.

there was another song i wanted to use for today.. i'm having trouble finding it in internet land at the moment, so it'll have to wait. it's a super good one, seriously. jill sobule - merry christmas from the family. i hope this isn't trending too strongly towards the 90s. does no one write good christmas songs anymore, is that it? sigh.

a quick one for today: this song doesn't get as much play as it should, i think. porno for pyros - pete's dad. real-life christmas miracles.

so i used to make christmas mix cds every year. i was prompted to do this blog version of it after dragging them out recently and discovering that 10-year-old CD-Rs do not hold up that well. i guess no-one really burns cds anymore anyway, huh? dar williams - the christians and the pagans. all about the war on christmas. ha.

so at this point in the year i usually have been avoiding 24-hour christmas music radio stations and the like for several weeks. once december hits, however, it becomes more and more difficult to dodge the onslaught. so, this is when i must bring out the good shit to drown out the really horrendous stuff. (few things can make me change the channel quicker that the opening strains of "it's the most wonderful time of the year"..) i present, in absolutely no particular order, my very favorite actually good xmas music. more to follow. fairytale of new york - the pogues and kirsty mccoll. of course. this has always been one of my favorites, but i didn't realize it was considered a sort of classic in the uk until recently. you don't hear it over here quite so much. beautiful, sad, and funny; just like christmas. now, i am off to roast a pumpkin, because that's the kind of thing i do on my day off.

hello peoples. unsurprisingly, i am unprepared for christmas even at this late date. ah well, i thought i would share this little thing that i worked on until the wee hours this morning. first off, supplies... i ordered some tasty wool felt from tadaa studio felt on etsy. such lovely colors: and fast shipping as well, so they get my recommendation! so my best friend had her baby a bit early. their sort of "theme" for her room is pink and brown and cupcakes. soo, i put together a little "baby's first christmas ornament" kind of thing. it is far from perfect and i probably should have done a little practice one first, but it's five days from christmas right now. so, no. (sigh.) i sketched out my cupcake shape on paper, cut it out... and traced it onto the felt. i left a bit around the edges for stitching. in the future, i think it'll be easier to cut out the two shapes (frosting and cake) separately. i did a bit of free hand embroidery and... ...

christmas shopping already.. *sigh* i know better (this year) than to wait until the last minute when ordering online. i would love to get more gifts from etsy people this year! some things i've been thinking about: for my best friend: hammered circle pendant , by bddesigns. so many quotes i could think of to personalize it, hehe.. nutmeg and almond biscotti soap , by savor. i need to show her that there is life beyond bath & body works. this is it. iced pumpkin handmade bar soap , by abreathoffrenchair. and this. she is a fan of pumpkin everything. poo softie , by shelikescute. what can i say. we can be immature. for my sister: dreamy, half-pint zip pouch , by friedokra. i want some of these for myself, sigh... sinful chocolate cake lip balm , by lavemesoapco. nom. a great etsy seller who will be retiring at the end of this year, so we may need to stock up over here. tea and condiment wallet , by flossieblossoms. she is an obsessive tea drinker, so i know she wo...

so, i have failed at nablopomo. (see my sidebar for proof ->) maybe next year i will be better prepared. which is what i always say, i guess.. in fact, i am still making last-minute christmas knitting decisions. i always make something for my boyfriend's little brother, usually a stuffed animal. since he's getting a bit older, i thought maybe this year i would knit a hat. not a warm, practical hat (they live in the desert!) but something fun, like a costume-type thing. boyfriend immediately suggested the chicken viking hat . (and he's not even a knitter!) so there's a possibility.. here are the others i've been considering: - brainmonster . sort of a basic winter-type hat, but boyfriend thinks he'd like it. - ogre my ogre . he likes shrek! - goomba hat . also definitely a super mario fan. - kids pirate hat . i really like this one.. he could even use it on halloween! - shark hat . basically a shark eating someone's head. really cool and ...

if you're into vintage dolls (i am!), you'll dig this. i just found this great etsy shop, heysaylor . they sell greeting cards featuring photography that stars old-school barbie & friends, in vaguely dirty situations. ha! i don't know why this tickles me so much, but it does. hehe. my mom had those same midge and alan dolls, and i used to play with them all the time as a kid. i wonder if they're still up in the attic somewhere... i think this is going to be this year's christmas card for my best friend. when do people start sending out holiday cards, anyway?