Ahhhhhh the smell of wet wool in the morning! ...which you know, is really not my favorite smell. But I have finished ALL of my Christmas knitting! *happy dance* Now I've just got to work on all the various socks I've got on needles that I've promised to various people.
As I was getting dressed this morning I happened to pull these out of the drawer:



















These are my very first pair of socks. They are gone in Opal self-stripping using Ann Norling's pattern #12. When I started these the only things I'd ever knitted were scarves (no pattern, must me playing around with knits and purls) and most of a baby blanket with cables. I'd never worked with double points. I'd never worked in the round. I'd never picked up stitches or done a decrease. But I figured it out and that joy and sense of accomplishment at finishing something that has a real, honest to God purpose, is what keeps me knitting. So yes, these socks are what took from someone who knew how to knit, to a true Knitter. ^_^

Ahhhh winter has come to Dallas (and yes I'm very well aware that its been winter in most of the rest of the country for at least 2-3 months now). And this morning as I'm rushing to my car trying to balance everything, it dawns on me: its really, really stupid that a knitter, who not only knows how to make gloves but has in fact just finished making a pair of a friend, does not have a pair of her own. -_- Owwwwwww my hands hurt!!!!!

I'm so thankful for new anime. Especially stuff with a good dub (bad dubs are unwatchable and its harder to watch something subbed when your constantly having to refer to a chart). My knitting was in danger of stalling out this week. Not so helpful to be all hyped to knit during work hours and then want to fall directly into bed the second I get home. And so K's gloves are now this far along:
This is the second glove so I've just got about half the index finger and the thumb, and then just some ends to weave in and then to give it a bath. I find it very easy to make gloves for K since our fingers are exactly the same length except for the pinky (her's are just slightly longer than mine). Tonight is PJs and Pearls at the yarn shop so I will definitely make some progress so hopefully I can make my goal of finishing these by Friday (my evil friend brought over a new RPG to play and its proving to be as fun as promised, so now there is competition for my attention). Wish me luck!

The knitting gods are testing me, oh yes indeed. Thankfully just on the one project. Not going to discuss it now for fear of smiting. *nod nod*

*head desk, head desk, head desk* Now really dear. Turning this:



















Into this:














And then back into this:



















Does not really help your knitting schedule. Especially since I may have to frog this back again if I can't find beads that match it. *sigh*

Argggggg!!! Stop adding things to your Christmas to-do list! No, no bad Katie! Stop browsing Ravelry. Stop going through your stash. Definitely stop feeling up the yarn at the Shabby Sheep and thinking about who might like it. If architecture school taught you ANYTHING it was that you cannot bend time (and oh Lord were there times when I wished I could). 5 projects, 5 weeks with nothing insane like a sweater is doable. IF you finish what you've currently got on needles, then - and only then - can you add something new. *stern mom look*

Wow. Totally managed to fall off the face of the internet there. Life was kind of soul sucking for a while and I was out of town for a bit to visit family and now I'm hopefully back! I've been knitting lots lately. I finished my very first sweater. And it fits. Me, the person it was intended for ^_^
I used Mirasol's Wach'i which is a cotton yarn. I really liked the way it worked up and its particularly nice for Texas. I have actually worn this out in public a few times which is really good because I was afraid that I wouldn't after it was done. I like the look of sweaters, I just very rarely like me in them. I feel like I look the sausage stuffed in casing. You never fell pretty when that image is running around in your head.

I entered the beaded shawl of doom in the Texas State Fair this year and took home an honorable mention. I normally enter food in the fair and discovered that entering handmade items makes me much more nervous. I have lost so, so much more than I have ever won that I would think I'd get to the point where I'd be all blase about it but apparently not.

I also discovered Ella Rae's Lace Merino this summer which I love so beyond the telling of it. I want it all and I want to roll in it. I have done three projects in it so far and am thinking I might be able to use it in a fourth sometime soon.

Here we have the socks I made for the fair (didn't win) done in Cachoeira with Girl's Night Out:



















This is the scarf I made for T with Playground using the Stained Glass Lace Scarf. Is it surprising that architects are drawn to patterns based on building elements....nope, not at all



















And finally I'm working on these amazingly cool socks for my mom for Christmas. The pattern is Mirror Mirror by Janel Laidman. I never do colorwork. I've got a partially done pair of socks stuck in the bin that I started probably 5 years ago and until this last month that was the extent of the colorwork I'd done. I've now started these and made a Tam using Jared Flood's Beaumont that I gave to Dani. I recognize that its not the technique I have a problem with so much as I tend to think of the patterns as Ski Chalet Chic. These are definitely not that.



















I really need to stop starting new projects until I finish up some of the ones I've got on my needles. At least those that I plan on giving as gifts. I really don't want a repeat of the year I was up till 2 pulling out waste canvas from the cross-stitched sweatshirt I'd made my aunt. Which was then made worse buy having to wrap everything after that. I've never learned the trick of warping time and architecture school would have taught me that if it could be done.