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Last Thursday we had a big storm here with record-breaking winds which shook the windows and frightened us with bending trees. It also knocked out power for most of the surrounding area, but fortunately for us I had already cooked dinner before it went out and the boys were already in bed. Nothing like a quiet evening in to get some knitting done. :)

We turned on our gas fireplace and lit some candles which made beautiful shadows bounce off the alcoves.

I finished Evelyn's stocking only to find that I had one ball of the red left over. How did this happen?

My first thought was, "Ugh - If only there was a way I could just add more to the top of the stocking without ripping it all the way back..." Then I realized, of course I could do this. Isn't that what provisional cast-ons are for? To add more to the beginning of something? It was a bit fiddly to unravel because this wasn't a provisional cast-on, but I managed to rip out the cuff, get the stitches back onto the double-pointed needles and keep on knitting with the red until I ran out. This looks much better, don't you think?Now all I need to do is add a cord for hanging and I'm going to try needle-felting a snowflake motif with some of the leftover white roving. It should be ready for Christmas - Yay!

And speaking of Christmas, I feel I need to mention a holiday fundraiser that the Yarn Harlot is promoting on her site. She is challenging the knitters of the world to add another person to their gift list and donate the amount they would spend on this person to Doctors without Borders. If you would like to participate (and you don't have to be a knitter to do this,) just go to the site to donate and then email Stephanie to let her know how much was given. She's keeping a running total on her site, and knowing her... I'm sure she'll have some kind of drawing for those who do this. I wish you all a joyful season, and I hope you're in a giving mood!

Oh and I almost forgot, The Hunger Site is doing $1 shipping today on all U.S. orders. So if you haven't yet finished your gift shopping, I happen to know that these guys have some nice things that in my experience ship fast. If I don't get a chance to blog before the weekend, have a very Merry Christmas!