My Alpaca Talisman

Misti Alpaca is going to save me from Christmas.

My husband and I live in Southern California.  This is partially due to the fact that we work in an industry that is largely concentrated in that area, but also partially due to my unending hatred of cold weather.  It's ok: cold weather hates me back, so no one's sitting at home on January evenings weeping over our continued lack of affection for each other.  I insist on thermostats set at at least 70 degrees to force the moderate SoCal chill out; the merest breath of properly cold weather or even just a quite chilly kitchen floor causes the capillaries in my hands and feet to shut down and threaten frostbite if not immediately treated to a warm bath.  This is a war kept at bay only by my continued residence in a moderate climate and my husband's tolerance of a gas bill that's a wee-ish bit higher than it would be for someone not engaged in an icy standoff.

Unfortunately for my maladapted extremeties, our families live primarily on the east coast.  My dad is in southern Pennsylvania, which is cold but not Arctic.  My husband's family, however, lives in the icy mountains of Vermont.  Oh yeah.  That's a respectable cold.  Every year we try different combinations of socks, boots, sweaters and mittens to keep me warm, and every year I freeze anyway.

Not this year.

This year I cast on Aidez with Misti Alpaca Chunky.  This year I will be traveling into enemy territory armed with a soft and inviting Panzer of coziness. 

The challenge, of course, is that in my infinite wisdom, I didn't actually so much as start the ribbing until Thanksgiving Day.  Oh, there were reasons for that: I had a scarf to knit for my dad, and a delicious double-side lace shawl to knit for my husband's aunt, and any number of other gift knits to finish.  Then I had to wait for the swatches to dry to confirm gauge, which meant casting on a project to do in the meantime.  And all that boils down to me knitting furiously and glaring at the cats and my sainted husband whenever I'm forced to pause in my frantic pursuit of cardigan.  8 days in I have finished the back and the left front piece, and am about 6 inches into the right front.  I will not go into the holiday season unarmed.  I will not brave the battlefield of below freezing temperature without reinforcements.  I will leave no alpaca behind!

Do you think I'll have time for mittens, too?