I had it all planned out. I found just the right yarn at TKGA–she wanted dead white, but how often do you find that in a natural animal fiber? And then I found close enough to it in the Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk yarn, with the radiance of the silk increasing the perception of whiteness. Perfect. I knitted it up, and now it just needs a good blocking.

I’m from a family of six kids, and we long ago decided that sanity mandated that we only give to one family amongst the siblings each year at Christmas on a rotating basis. I was giving to Anne this year, and I was fairly proud of myself for getting that knitting task out of the way all in good time. She would love it. I couldn’t wait.

Talking to my brother on the phone last night, he mentioned whom he was giving to, and I did a doubletake. Wait, that means… He counted on his fingers out loud: “Yeah, that means you’re giving to Marian.”

I *what*?

The sister who’s allergic to all animal fibers? The one whom none of my stash would match? The one whom I have not yet knitted anything for because there was no particular reason I should for the moment and oh my now what do I oh goodness.

“Who’d you give to last year?” he asked me.

Like I ever remember? But wait, I last made Marian that afghan that… Um, yeah, it has been awhile…

And thus begins the insanity you knew was coming. My husband helpfully said I should put Anne’s shawl away for next year. Dude, I pointed out, Anne comes after Marian, Carolyn, and Morgan–I am not putting it away that long! I made this for her, she’s getting it and that’s that!

(The copy of the book is my author’s proofs pages, which I had spiral-bound at a copy shop for $1.13. The picture is lopsided because, well, I am.)

Note that I am hiding the picture at the bottom of this post. You think she’ll miss it down here? You think she’ll obediently close the screen and go, oh, right, better not look at that?

Right. Have you met my little sister?