Online Christmas shopping

I spent much of Christmas day engaging in online shopping.

First, VDad and I decided we needed to give more to missions. I spent awhile at the awesome UMCOR site. Reasons I like this way of giving to charity: 100 percent of the donation goes exactly where I want it (United Methodist Church pays all overhead); incredibly easy to give (mail a check, drop off check at local United Methodist Church, use credit card online). I chose 2 or 3 projects there.

Then I spent most of the rest of the day reading online reviews of sewing machines. Every time I think I've narrowed it down something new pops up. Sigh. I think I'm just going to go to the Viking dealer and see what they talk me into. I like Viking because it's made in Sweden. I'm having a tough time finding out where exactly the other machines are made.

I did finish the heel of a sock. And I started a shawl. I had ordered some Morehouse Merino yarn last week, and it arrived at my door by Saturday. Wow! So I pulled out my swift (cleverly disguised as the back of a kitchen chair) and my ball winder (a Nostepinne that sometimes poses as a toilet paper tube) and wound that quad-skein. I then cast on the required 200-plus stitches, knit awhile, decided I don't like the cast-on I used (I always stew about which cast-on method to use; I wish I'd never learned more than one) and decided the color (Waterlilies) really looks much better on my monitor than in my hands. So I threw it next to the bed, and decided to concentrate on sewing machines. Yep, from now on I'm all about sewing, not knitting.