I love finals week....

... and I always have. I realize this makes me seem crazy (crazier) to some people, but here's the thing. No rehearsals, no concerts, no lessons, possibly just a jury on the first day of finals (which I didn't have to do this year) and a couple of exams. Which I have lots of time to study for, thanks to the aforementioned no rehearsals, concerts, or lessons. Of course, I could also use that time to bake lots of cookies, read some frivolous literature, watch Christmassy movies (The Holiday and Love Actually, anyone?), and become addicted to this:

I swear, I could knit about forty pairs of these things and not get bored. Stranded knitting is the most addictive kind of knitting I know. It's immediate gradification (you can see the pattern developing right under your nose!) and it has the quality of making you want to knit just one more row to see how the pattern is coming out, then just one more row after that, and, oh, another couldn't hurt, could it? These are a pair of selbuvotter for my mom. It's a good thing that a) they don't fit me or they might end up in my pockets and not under the tree and b) I bought yarn to make myself a pair too.

I am reblocking my NaKniSweMo sweater tonight. I had to redo the neckline and armholes as they were not going to be big enough for my dad. Full update on that soon!

Also, in the top picture is:
- A cup of chai (one teabag, 3/4 water, 1/4 milk, two teaspoons of vanilla sugar, extra hot)
- A Swedish Almond Cardamom Star and two Espresso Crinkles from the most recent Cooking Light
- Winter Songs a various artists CD including Ingrid Michaelson and KT Tunstall, two of my favorites. Seasonal but not overtly Christmassy.
- Unravel Me by Christie Ridgway. Generally love her, plus there's mention of a knitting store in the blurb on the back.

Treat yourself today. You deserve it.