Happy New Year, All! So far mine is off to a slow but not unpleasant start. Have been playing with the spinning wheel I got for Christmas and for the most part it is going well. I have discovered the joy of underspinning a fine weight which came close to making me scream when it just seemed to come apart on me. But so far I have been mostly doing ok and been able to remind my self that I was frustrated as hell learning the drop spindle and none of my first yarns on that turned out nearly as nice as what I'm getting on the wheel. I think I'm going to go get more roving today :)

The wheel in question is an Ashford Traveler which I have named Frigg. Apparently I have a thing for Norse goddesses. Weirdly enough the cats seem to have no interest at all in her. Sniffed at a bit but that is all. But really, except for cable needles, the cats have little interest in the knitting except that it interferes with petting time. Though Freya (I mentioned the Norse goddess thing, right?) has recently discovered that she is most comfortable draped across my forearms while I knit. This allows her easy access for nipping if it has been to long since I've done any petting and for the most part doesn't prevent me from working on my projects...except cables.

I'll make a post of the Christmas knitting once I get the photos back from my brother but so that this post has at least something visual in it:


















Frigg!!!!!!

Drive-By Post

Spinning Wheel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I always knew it would happen someday. For the first time, a Christmas present will not arrive in time for the big day. Well I feel I should clarify that it will arrive in Dallas....right about the time I'm leaving for Des Moines -_-. Ah well, at least the person it is intended for is of an age to understand the post office not delivering things on time.

As for my Christmas knitting, it is going....mostly ok. I got all of the knitting destined for people not in Des Moines finished and mailed Monday/Tuesday. I was feeling really good at that point. All I needed to do was finish a pair of simple color work socks. I have finally gotten to start on the second sock but only after having to rip back the cuff on the first one for being too tight, and then the toe for being too short, and then the heel for being too short thus being too tight. But I still have airport time and all day tomorrow to finish so unless I run out of yarn (which is actually a possibility) I should have something to give my Aunt.

I feel like maybe I should go and pick up that "Crazy Cat Lady" action figure too.....

Christmas Knitting

I'm starting to think that knitters are touched in the head. Why do we do this to ourselves? And why do we enjoy it? Nobody in my family NEEDS knitted things and yet here I am working to cram more projects in before the deadline. So here is the "hard" list:

Cat Socks: Not yet cast on. Will be done with some of my leftover sock yarn

Scarf for Grandma: Finished!!!!!! Done in Magnolia

Socks for Casey: About 2/3 done with the first sock




















Hat for Grandma: Going to alter cable pattern to match scarf. Not yet on needles.

Gloves for Kristen: Past the bobbles on the second glove!!! This is some of the yarn I dyed in my yarn dying class. Base is White Bear Silk/Wool sock yarn.




















At this moment in time I am on schedule! Of course now what I really want to do is spin -_-

Finished my very first pair of knee high socks this week. The yarn is gorgeous and a joy to work with, the finished pattern is absolutely lovey, but by God was I glad to finally finish them :). Knit night on Thursday was spent doing the I-cord and wishing that it it would just magically go from 2" to the final 21". It isn't like I-cord takes particularly long, I've done it before! Thankfully the second sock did not give me nearly as much trouble as the first....which I frogged the toe, part of the foot, gusset, 6" of cuff, and the top multiple times. -_- And most of these problems were my own fault. So mew. Of course all of this means I'm praying to the knitting gods that they fit. My friend has MUCH thinner legs than I do so I've had to do my fitting on a large plastic cup I own. If they fit, I will hopefully be able to post some cuter pictures but here are the ones I took today before mailing them off.

Pattern Zum Dirndl by Yarnissima

I have recently made the truly awesome discovery that I can, in fact, read and knit at the same time. And when I say read, I am not talking about following along with the subtitles on an anime or foreign film. I'm talking about opening up a blog, or article, or bit of fic and READING! Now when I run out of things I want to watch on television, or more likely when I'm between Netfilx deliveries, I have more options than finding something not horrible on cable ^_^. I am very limited to just knitting of course, nothing I have to look at to do, but still.

Now if only I could figure out how to knit and work out at the same time. :)

Doing the Lace thing

Well crud muffins! I was doing so well and now I get to have the pleasure of ripping back 2 rows. Which really wouldn't be so bad except for the little thing where there are 560 stitches to each row -_- I just really felt like there should be yarn overs in the pattern right there. *le sigh*
This is the pattern currently punishing me for paying more attention to Due South than it, Evenstar by Susan Pandorf in some lovely lace Madelinetosh Lepidoptr:



















I may possible be crazy but I am trying to get it along with a pair of socks and a scarf done by the 22nd of July. I am really hoping I can manage to get down to New Orleans one more time before I move and these are all gifts for people who live there. I think it is theoretically possible....maybe...