Friday, December 29, 2006

deep breaths

Christmas has come and gone... all of the knitted presents are done, with the exception of my mom's socks, but I perpetually have one on the sticks for her anyway. She doesn't care when she gets them... just that she gets them. The latest incarnation is something I made up: k2 p2 rib for 1 1/2 inches, then k6, p1, k2, p1 for three rounds then it's k6, p1, k2tog, yo, p1 for one round.

It's really turning out quite pretty. I'm using the Lisa Souza Sock! yarn in the Mahogany color. It's perfect for Mom because she has Navy and black and brown and grey pants, so the socks go with anything she wears. (She's not really a loud sock person anyway... that's Miz Izzy's domain.)

Next to be finished in the sock department is a feather and fan pattern sock in my own hand dyed yarn.

Then I'll finish the mate to my Dublin Bay socks in the Plum Essential Tweed from knitpicks

Then I'll start a pair in the Lisa Souza Berry Poppins... pattern as yet undetermined.

That should get me through the next couple months, no? I wish I was a faster knitter... and had less "project ADD" tendencies.

I'm going to try to reduce my sock yarn stash a bit this year... I have enough to knit at least 10 pairs of adult socks and about a half dozen pairs of kid socks, at least. Then there's the sweater queue, and the lace queue. All lovely projects, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach this past year, as regards yarn purchases... hence the yarn diet of 2007. I just hope my yarn purchasing will power is better than my "I'm not going to eat anymore cookies" willpower.

Happy New Year!

Friday, December 22, 2006

Counting down

It's 5:30 in the a.m.

I can't sleep.


I'm having heart palpitations because...

my knitted prezzies aren't done, we've been snowed in so I can't mail out my Secret Pal Present, Christmas is in 3 days and I still have 6 dozen cookies to make and two fancy dresses to sew, and, and, and...

(just breathe)

ok, it's a little better... just going off to charge the ol' ipod and podcast myself into the knitting zone for a while. At least until the baby wakes up...

Thursday, December 14, 2006

half of an f.o.

I checked out the new Knitty a couple days ago... some cute patterns, the twinkletoes pattern in particular. I cast on one two days ago (first time with the provisional cast-on and a short row toe/heel) and finished the first one last night. I knit it as written, except I made a yarn substitution: knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Cranberry. (And one slipper took about 3/4 of the skein... again probably due to the loose gauge of my knitting. )The fit is a bit big with bare feet, but I suppose I had some gauge issues. Ah, well. It is, as they say, close enough for jazz... and I'm a sucker for red shoes, especially quick knit red shoes. I think I'll take the designer's suggestion and find some leather bottoms to put on.

I'll definitely try these again (and post pics of these once I finish the second one), and maybe try a 5 needle. See if that gets me any different results. I know my Mom would love a pair, and probably Miz Izzy, but she doesn't like the "scratchy" of the wool, so I may have to do with cotton or fuzzy acrylic.

In other F.O. news, I finished a thing for my secret pal. I'll post that picture after I mail her Christmas box, which I had better get done sooner rather than later.

In stash enhancement news, I bought some Jagger silk/wool from Sarah's Yarns so I can make the Simple knitted Bodice from Stitch Diva one of these days. It's a beautiful pattern in beautiful yarn from a not-so beautiful yarn company. Hence the yarn sub. FYI, Sarah's Yarns is a great company to order from. Not only did I get my yarn at a great price, but she stuffed the box with color cards from the other yarn lines that she carries. I have to admit that I've never touched cashmere yarn before, but I practically pet the samples she sent until they disintegrated. Again with the funny looks from the Husband, but it's worth it. So totally worth it.

Added to my wish list:
The Kromski Masurka spinning wheel. It's a castle-style wheel and it's gorgeous and it's relatively affordable and if purchased from paradise fibers, you get a $40 fiber credit. That's a lot of roving, no? And with the as-yet unshorn 3 year old Rambrouillet sheep and 2 llamas out at my parent's farm, I'll be totally set for a while. If I could only convince my Husband that the $375 price tag is worth it.

Actually, I made him a deal. If he gets his Shmintendo Wii (or Wee-wee, as I call it in my head), I can have the wheel. The money will be there come the end of the year... work called me in to do inventory, since no one's taken the time to figure out how to do it after I left. And they said that I could name my price. Twenty-five bucks an hour, here I come. I just hope that he makes good on his deal.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

I'll throw my hat in...


for the tackiest Christmas decorations...

There it is, in all of it's PLASTIC glory, complete with creepy vintage Santa.









Doesn't he look like he's had one too many Egg Nogs?

I inherited this great example of kitch (in a bad way) from a dear friend.


Now that I have the pictures up, the candle ring thingie doesn't look half as bad as it does in real life.

Jusht remember kids, *hic* -- Ssshanta'ssh watchin' ya... (wink, wink)