Saturday, December 20, 2008

A Knitter's Christmas Eve Poem

Goodmorning Internet!
It's the last weekend before Christmas. Thankfully, we only have about 4 presents to hunt down and 2 of them are gift cards so that will be quick! Jeremiah is sleeping in and when he awakes he and Tony will go off and do manly things, like buy me some presents. Jeremiah has been stressing about the fact that I don't have any presents under the tree yet. He had me write him a list the other day and said he was going to get me "everystuffs" on it and wrap it up when I went to bed. Bear in mind my son is 3 and cannot read and also goes to bed before I do, LOL! Still it is very cute and all spoken with a very southern accent. I keep having this little southern babies who come from the womb saying things like "my-say-elf" instead of "myself" and wanting to mainline SWEET tea and biscuits and gravy. *smiles* Isn't it great?

I got 1 shirt for my Dad all done except sewing buttons on it! We decided instead of giving him 2 shirts like I'd planned, we will give him one now with something else and give him the other that I cut out for Father's Day in June. I'll make it soon though before I forget and have to have Mom walk me through all the sewing in babysteps. I am a trial, I'm sure. : ) But Mom makes such wonderful clothes! She's won ribbons in fairs for suits she's made my Dad and she made my wedding dress (3 times, actually)! I started to sew a seam on the shirt and she was like, no first do this, this and this. I said, "This is seamstress crap huh?" And she told me that was the difference between a shirt that looked handmade and one that looked like it came from a store. Whatever you say, Yoda. Thankfully the buttons and 3 more handprints on Granny's quilt are all the handmade things I have to finish up for Christmas. I actually got everything done!!

This was on a knitters list I'm on today and I thought I'd share.
A Knitter's Christmas Eve
A poem written by Nancy Massaroni.

`Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
`Cause the heels and toes had not a stitch there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.
The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both Dad and the boys.

And though I was tired, my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
But what I heard then left me perplex-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I expected,
"Move, Ashford! Move, Lopi! Move, Addi and Clover!
Move, Reynolds! Move Starmore!
Move Froelich –move overPaton, don't circle 'round; stand in the line.
Come now, you sheep will work out just fine!
I know this is hard; it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."

I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing.
And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned 'round St Nick I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe,
And his clothes were hand knit from above to below.
A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf 'round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I espied a small label,
"S.C." was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
And I asked, "Hey, Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"

He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair,
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my needles and yarn for a cap.
He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two,
For the first time I thought I might really get through.

He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks.
While I sat back drinking scotch on the rocks.
So quickly like magic his needles they flew
That he was all finished by quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me,
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year start your knitting sometime around June!"

I am starting my knitting earlier this year. My sister Diantha's birthday is in March and I have something knitty in mind so I've already got the yarn ready to go! See me, I'm thinking ahead. Way to go me! LoL!

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for your sweet comment on the picnic quilt and bag, sorry I couldn't reply privately, but you have your email set at no reply.

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  2. too cute of a poem. So true in some ways. I never did get our stockings done. Oh well, maybe next year. Didn't get Zekaryah's scarf done either. Just too many paid orders. Have two already waiting to start on....
    I think it is awesome that you are making your dad a shirt! Anyway, have a lovely Christmas! Can't wait to see you make some of the blocks from the calendar!!!!

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