excellent!

I already sleep with myself, so this is a guilty pleasure that hubby can't get mad at...

Beyond that, I'm kind of dry at the moment - I really have got nothing. My son turns 8 next week, so I am in the midst of planning his party this Saturday - 16 kids at the local bowling alley - as well as the actual day next Tuesday - it's basketball practice night, so orange frosted cupcakes have to be made (orange circles with black lines = basketballs). I'm nothing if not creative! (Wait until you see the bowling party cake...
Work, if possible, is getting worse. Not on a personal level, but the Powers that Be are making decisions which severly affect how I can get my job done. I am responsible for ordering the product which we sell - I have to analyze the usage, and ensure that the flow of goods into our warehouse meets the flow out to customers. Also, new porducts have to be ordered in time to meet promised delivery dates (usually for advertised product) with customers. (I know, absolutely fascinating stuff...) When the owners of the company decide to cancel purchase orders, and tell me a week later - surprisingly enough, I get pissed. 3 months from now, when we are out of stock and getting fined by our customers, fingers will be pointed at me. Or not, if I'm not here in 3 months...
It's just really, really frustrating...

I hated to do it, but...

Remember this? This was taken a few weeks ago...

Here's where we stand now:

There were a few things wrong. First and foremost, the gaping ERROR I made in the lace pattern. LuckyCanuck and Elizabeth both looked at it and gave me the "W-e-e-e-l-l-l-l, it's not REALLY noticeable..." speech, which of course means it's INCREDIBLY noticeable, and they were just trying to be nice. Once I admitted it was pretty blatant, they both agreed far too quickly for me to believe they ever thought it was minor! But ladies, thanks for trying to spare my feelings!
This yarn (Handmaiden Sea Silk) is way to special to do a half assed job. Whatever I make will end up as an heirloom, and one I plan on keeping for myself, so I want it to be right. I may still make the Melon Scarf - I do love the pattern, but I will add a few repeats for width - I want more of a stole rather than a scarf, and the Sea Silk won't block out as much as a wool will. So for now, it's rewound and waiting for inspiration...

where to start...

Where do I begin? Let's see...
Saturday morning I met up with Lucky for our yarn crawl/cast-on class. We met at 10:30am - plenty of time for our 3pm class, wouldn't you say? Hmmmm... time to kill. Well, Romni Wool is close by, let's just browse around there for a bit...
A hundred odd dollars later, but armed with the most delicious alpacas, wools and some needles (because I always need more of thise...) we headed off for a quick lunch at a cool little Tibetan restaurant. Yum! Wandered over to Metro Hall for our class, and found that there were only 4 of us. Not great for the DKC, but it worked for us. Elizabeth, the instructor was able to go into way more depth about each cast on, as well as where it is best used, and how it looks with different applications (stockinette, garter, hems, ribs etc.) She was also able to take us through some cast offs as well. I hate to be selfish, but if there had been any more people in the class, we would not have got through half as much, and I certainly would not have retained as much as I did. My favourite part? We started with the e-wrap cast on. I was ready to blow this one off - who uses it? It's too loose, it has no body... What? You can use it in place of a provisional? It really looks THAT great on a hemmed edge? Tell me again why I have been ignoring this deceptively simple, incredibly useful little gem?? I pretty much slapped the forehead a la Homer Simpson at this point. And we still had most of the class to go. It just kept getting better. The multi colour long tail cast on? LOVE IT! And so on, and so on...
Headed home after class - took the subway out to the 'burbs where I had left my car, and finished Hubby's Cape Cod socks on the way home. I also got to watch the mating dance of the horny herd of teenage girls. This group of little hotties zeroed in on a group of guys - way too funny. I had to keep checking my knitting, I was sure I was going to drop a stitch while trying not to laugh out loud. Geez, I hope I wasn't like that...
A nice segue into this picture -

The finished Cape Cod socks for Hubby. KnitPicks Sock Memories in Cape Cod colourway. 2.25mm bamboo dpns, short row heel and toe. (the last provisionally cast on with a crochet chain toe I plan on every doing - e-wrap from now on, baby!). I finish with a 2x2 rib with Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn cast off - nice and stretchy, and meets with hubby's approval.

I am impressed with the KnitPicks Sock Memories Yarn - nice and cushy, great depth of colour, and nice to knit. A tad (small tad, but still, a tad) splitty, but nothing that couldn't be fixed or even avoided if I bothered to look at what I was doing once in a while!

Also, the finished ruffly scarf.

I never did find the second ball - I will now, since I don't need it. The scarf isn't quite as deep as I would like it, but here's how much yarn was left over:

This is slated for a charity auction price. My buddy Sue (she of the golf socks Christmas gift), belongs to a club, and they are having a charity auction next month. She is also the recipient of the hot pink Kid Silk ruffled scarf, and the ladies where she curls and golfs go ape over it every time she wears it. So she asked if I could make one for her auction. She's the best friend I could have, does a ton of nice things for me, hubby and son, so of course I said yes. I also have some red Ovation and probably enough time to make another one for the auction. Deadlines are good - they help keep me focused.
Tomorrow - the Handmaiden Sea Silk Melon scarf progress...

I actually finished something!

Maybe I'm not a lost cause after all - I actually finished something I started.

The moebuis is complete.
Specs:
Moebuis neck cowl - my own design, using Cat Bordhi's moebuis cast on technique. I cast on about 120 stitches, and did seed stich for about 7 inches in width, finishing with an attached 4 stitch I-cord.

I love the I-cord bind off - it's a nice finish to this piece. For the next one, I will cast on fewer stitches - this one is a little large, and doesn't snug up against the neck, but the folded part sits nicely at the nape of the neck. I think worn under a jacket, and sort of scrunched around the neck, this will be very nice. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it for myself - I might, but I enjoed this process, and I have some delicious forest green alpaca that I may do in a muted lace pattern next...
I used not quite two balls of the Mille Colori by Lang - I don't have the ball band here, but I beleive the yardage is around 90 metres, so we're talking less than 200 metres on a 5.5mm needles. I can only make these in yarns that work with 5.5mm or 2.75mm needles, as they are the only ones I have that are at least 100cm long.
This picture, while similar to the first, shows where the whole thing starts - yes, that is the cast on tail, right there in the middle. You really have to see this technique to get your head around it.

Now, my next problem is the totally unorganized, MESS that is my stash! Why oh why do I do something as stupid as this: Buy two balls of Kertzer Ovation to make a ruffly scarf that I promised for a charity auction prize. Cast on right away (then ignored it for weeks, but that's a whole other problem...) and put one ball and WIP in a ziploc bag. AND PUT THE OTHER BALL WHO KNOWS WHERE?? What the hell was I thinking? I know this scarf will use both balls, and the ziploc is plenty large enough to hold both. Guess what I'm doing tonight - yup, diving into the mess. I hope to make it out by tomorrow - I've left instructions with husband to get me out in time to meet Lucky on Saturday for our cast on class/yarn crawl...

knitter's meet up

Before anyone starts making plans, the meet up is really just LuckyCanuck and I. We're meeting in downtown Toronto on Saturday, as we are taking a class together through the Downtown Knit Collective. It's all about different cast ons and matching the cast on to the type of project, so it should be interesting and incredibly useful. It's also being taught by a member of my Guild, Elizabeth Fallone, so that should be fun! Lucky and I try to meet up a few times a year for things like this - we also add in lunch and a yarn crawl to make a day of it. I subway into the city, since this suburban girl hates driving and parking in Toronto, Lucky meets me, and off we go. Romni, lunch, knitting and a class. Yup - a good day all around.
We'll meet and head to Romni, then luch at a place that doesn't mind us sitting around knitting. We'll trade yarn, check out patterns and generally have a fibre filled day. I'm lookin' forward to it!

One thing though - Lucky, if you're reading this - less walking, more riding will be our theme. I broke my toe last night playing basketball. Yeah, I know, what an idiot. But at least I don't knit with my feet...

I did get the Meobuis finished except for the weaving of ends. I did an applied I-cord edging all round, which I love, but since I really just guessed with this whole thing, it's probably a little bigger than it should be, but I still love it. I'll take pics tomorrow.

Just for CatBookMom...

Yesterday, CatBookMom left me a comment, saying how difficult I was making it for her to keep knitting only from stash. Well, I'm not knitting from stash only, and I never said I was going to make it easy for those that are (insert evil grin here...)
She and I have very similar tastes, as we both very much like the colouration of the Mille Colori that I'm using on my Moebuis cowl. The various browns and greys are really one of my favourite combinations. I've used them before here, on a chenille scarf for a SIL

I've even got a WIP using them - it's a ruffly scarf like this pink one, only in the brown/grey colours, using Kertzer Ovation (a silk/mohair blend, idientical to Kid Silk Haze, at half the price)

So, CBM, just for you...
here's the colours of the Patons SWS I picked up...

and a close up of the one that CBM may swoon over - it's got the bronzy browns and pewter greys, and shots of a lavender-y blue! That's right - her favourite colour!
Am I mean or what? It's probably a good thing that CBM is a continent and 1 country away - who knows what she'd do to me...

The Moebuis cowl is almost done - I think I'll do an attached I-cord border to finish it off. Then, probably start another one, maybe using a lacy pattern this time. Due to the nature of the construction of htese, the pattern has to be completely reversible, as both sides are seen.
And for those keeping track - two more people have quit where I work, and I wouldn't be surprised if one of them brings a discrimination lawsuit against the company. She has every right, just from what I have witnessed, let alone the stuff I haven't been privy to. Can you tell how much fun it is to come in every morning? The reason I haven't left yet is the old "the devil you know vs. the devil you don't" adage. I have a great boss (although his boss is brutal), it's an acceptable distance to drive, I have some seniority, and the money is good. If I'm going to leave, it's going to be for a place closer to home, and similar (not necessarily equal) money. Less responsibility might be nice, too. I hate bringing baggage home at night. Right now, I can afford to be picky, and wait for a great opportunity. Of course, tomorrow something may happen and that may change, and I'll take whatever's out there!

I wonder if my husband is worried...

So what did I do this weekend? Did I finish a sock (both are sooooo close...) Nope. DId I knit the angel skirt (the only oiece left...) Nope. Did I dig into the stash for a WIP (There's one or two (or three, or four...) to choose from... Nope. Did I go to the yarn store and not only buy new yarn, but new needles? And then buy more new yarn when I was out later on? Ummm, well, yeah. That's kinda what I did. WHo am I kidding. That's exactly what I did. I stopped by the LYS on Saturday and bought ridiculously long needles (100cm and 120cm long circs.) And some Lang Mille Colori. Then Sunday, I was at Michaels since Son's birthday is coming up and I needed some loot bags and stuff. Had to check out the yarns. Yes, they are still the place to go for baby acrylics in every pastel shade known to man, as well as the largest surviving herd of every type of fun fur type yarn. But they have Patons Classic Wool, Lion Brand Felting Wool and some other stuff. They also have Patons SWS - which I believe stands for Soy Wool Stripes or Striping Wool Soy. Either way, it's a soy-wool blend in lovely shades.
Once home, I fought with the ridiculously long needles, and started the Moebuis cast on. Hubby watched and just shook his head. You know what? It's not that tough. In fact, it's very cool. And the Mille Colori in seed stitch is turning out pretty nice. I may have hit on next year's Christmas gifts. Assuming I'll stick with it long enough to finish it.


I guess if I have to be fickle and flightly, my knitting is a better place for it than my marriage...

come out, come out, wherever you are...

Who knew? Actually, I did - I've delurked myself on a few blogs, so if you're out there and reading, drop me a comment if you can. Just a simple Hi, how are ya? would do. Let me know what you like or idslike, or would like to see more of...

no pictures

No pictures because, really, there's nothing to see. I've got the sleeves of the angel done, and just need to do the skirt, then it's putting it all together and starching the you-know-what out of it. The Cape Cod sock is at the heel now, thanks to son's basketball practice last night. The Socks that Rock Metamorphic is pretty much there as well, so it's a matter of a couple of short row heels then the home stretch for both. I'm actually thinking of trying a new short row technique on the next pair - Wendy has a very well written, well laid out comprehensive tutorial on her toe up short row socks that uses a wrap and turn technique, rather than the yarn over technique that I presently use. I may try that and see how it works out.
Speaking of son's basketball practice - we're in the second session now, and there was a little switching around of teams as some new players came in and some previous ones dropped out. Son is 7-almost-8 and plays in the 7-10 year old section, so he's always been the youngest on the team, but this time around, there is at least one other 7 year old, so son is happy. We also have a new coach, Coach Ron, who seemed a little fazed about me knitting. The other parents are used to it (we have two new parents that stay to watch, but three returning fathers keep track of what I'm working on). It's funny - there is a lot of interest in the Hubby socks! But Coach Ron kept looking over. During a water break, while Son was gulping down the water, Coach Ron came over and asked what I was making. I told him a sock. Then Son pipes up - "My Mom ALWAYS knits. You get used to it after a while". Out of the mouths of babes, I guess. After that, there didin't seem to be any interest, until one of the fathers picked up the completed sock of the pair. (Yes, he asked first). He was shocked at how nice it felt. I guess he was expecting that icky acrylic feel or something. After that, the sock was fondled a bit by everyone, and one mother scooched closer to me to watch. It seemed she was a knitter years ago. I may have relit the flame. We'll see, as the basketball season progresses.
Tonight is swimming lessons. Wonder if I'll convert anyone there?

call me fickle...

So, not only did I ignore the Melon scarf, I barely touched the two socks. (Other than some doctor's office waiting room sock knitting - more on that later). So what did I do? I cast on a new project of course! I'm such a fickle knitter. It's not like there's a need for this item. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do with it. Probably give it to my Mom.


I've had this book for a while, and I've knit one of the smaller angels, but for some reason, I decided to knit one of the larger ones, using some of the hemp yarn I got from Elann a while back. It's a pale, pale pink, and my Mom is all about the pink, so she'll love this. The pattern calls for crochet cotton, but this hemp should work fine, especially once it's starched. I've also got the hemp in gold, so MIL will probably get one of these as well. They are supposed to be a Christmas tree topper - we'll see what they do with them...

Here's the book - there are 12 smaller angels, two large ones, and some bells. I don't know what caught my eye about this - I'm not really an angel fan, but both Mom and MIL are, so I was probably thinking "gifts" when I bought it. It's pretty fiddly - each piece is knit separate, so there are lots of ends. So, stay tuned...
About the doctor - Hubby made me go back to the doctor - I have not been able to shake this dry cough - sometimes I get on a coughing jag that ends up making me want to heave. (I hate to throw up, so I never do). Anyways, suffice it say, I'm now on antibiotics (doc thinks it have become bacterial), and puffers. I hate these things, but they do seem to help. We'll see.
To anyone else is the Greater Toronto Area - well. we wished for snow, and we finally got some. However, I asked for SNOW - you know, the white fluffy stuff. Mother Nature can take back the freezing rain and ice pellets that made my drive to work so bloody enjoyable this morning. Oh, and to the driver of the blue Yukon this morning? Yes, you are bigger than me. But passing me (and three others) on the shoulder only proves that you're an idiot. Nothing more. Hope you screwed your undercarriage, or ended up in the ditch, or your wife runs off with the plumber. Jerk.

two toes

The second pair of socks is well on their way - both toes have been started, and I'm heading to the heel turn on both of them, so I'm hoping to finish them up shortly and leave socks behind for a bit. Who am I kidding? I will probably cast on another pair right after. I have too much sock yarn to have unused sock needles hanging around! Actually, if I search around through the ziplocs of WIPs, I'll probably find a sock or two...

It's funny - at our Guild meeting earlier this month we were getting an update on the UFO challenge - in September, we list our UFO's and when we plan on completing them - there is a prize at the end, so there is incentive to finish. I listed my One Mitt Wonder mitts, with the hopes of getting these done.

No chance. I have no interest in them at the moment, so they will probably languish in a basket somewhere. Elizabeth was sitting next to me and jolingly asked why I had no problem with second socks, but these mitts were killing me. I had no answer to that. I had even thought about starting some fingerless gloves, but realized that I would have a tough time getting past the first one. Maybe I need to concentrate on this. The Guild prize is always nice, so there in impetus to get going on these...

Two random notes:

I got an email from my SIL the Icarus recipient profusely and beautifully thanking me for the shawl. It was a lovely note. However, she mentioned that she had sent a thank you card but "Canada Post seems to have failed again". I have never said that I didn't receive a note - I'm not in the habit of acknowledging thank you notes - it sets of a never-ending cycle. Why would she assume it hadn't arrived? Maybe because she didn't send it? I think my MIL has something to do with this, but I'm remaining silent on the whole thing. I know she loves it, and and I know she will cherish it, and that's enough for me.

Second, this is my 100th post! Woo and Hoo! I started this blog for no apparent reason - it seemed like fun, and it was a way of documenting my knitting progress and growth. Over the past 100 posts, I've made some friends, and discovered that a few people (Not just Lucky!) actually make a point of reading on a regular basis. Thank you to all those that comment, or just read and come back each day. You make it all worthwhile.

a "pair" of socks

Wow. This post was all written yesterday and ready to go with the exception of the pictures. Then Blogger started acting funny, so I did something I almost never do. I copied this post and dropped it into Word. Yes, I actually backed something up. Right before Blogger went offline! That is so unlike me. I’m the one usually running around pulling my hair out right after a power surge or outage, screaming about losing my 4,000 line, eleventy million formula-ed spreadsheet. (And, yes, I use eleventy million formulae in some of my spreadsheets – I’m a sales analyst after all). But I backed this up – how cool is that? I don’t have to rewrite or reload the pictures!
Work update – two senior people quit yesterday – the chief idiot is out of town for two weeks. Hmmm, wonder about that timing. Unfortunately, I was not one of the two, but there is a small glimmer – one of them may be helping me out of here. One quit directly because of the chief idiot, the other has family issues, but is also not enamoured of the chief idiot.

Well, I have finished a pair of socks - now I need to make another pair exactly the same!


The top sock is for Hubby - KnitPicks Sock Memories, Cape Cod Colourway. My standard toe up, short row toe and heel, stockinette sock. I use a new (to me) bind off - EZ's stretchy sewn bind off - and it is stretchy!

It has met with the approval of Hubby, who after all, is the guy wearing them!
THe STR for me - well, what can I say? I love this yarn. Ive made a pair before for Hubby, and they are his favourite hand knits. Now I know why - this stuff, well, it rocks! (D'uh!) If you get the opportunity to get some, do it. It's a bit dear here in Canada, and not easy to get one's hands on - looks like online shopping...
I use the same toe up, short row toe and heel pattern, but I put a hemmed picot edge on my socks, rather than ribbing.

I leave the stitches live and sew them directly to the inside of the sock – this creates a nice smooth join. And yes, they do stay up.

Off the make another pair – both have been cast on – the Cape Cod sits near my chair in the kitchen/family room and the STR is my travel sock – it comes to work with me, and is in my car for traffic jams, etc. I alternate working on these, and should have the second “pair” done soon…
The melon scarf (anyone got a better name for this, yet?) is on hold while I finish the socks. This virus had knocked anything but stockinette out of me.

Bang on!

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

This is how I actually drink my coffee, unless it's a latte or cappuccino which by their very nature already have milk, but I still don't put sugar in it. I have 2 cups in the morning at home before I leave, and drink coffee most of the day. I will even drink coffee at night with no apparent sleep issues. (So far. knock wood and all that crap that this can continue). Here's the odd part - I'm not a fan of coffee ice cream or anything coffee flavoured, other than coffee.

I am usually pretty low maintenance - Hubby likes that, it makes things so much easier - I don't expect or want big celebrations or anything.

The cheap and angsty part I'm not sure about - cheap maybe - I always like a bargain, but I wouldn't describe myself as angsty - I pretty much roll with the punches.

I've got a "pair" of socks done - one of the Cape Cod socks for Hubby and one of the STR Metamorphics for me. I've started the next Metamorphic for lunch time knitting (I can squeeze about 5-10 minutes of knitting in, depending on what I am eating for lunch...) And the Melon scarf (gotta find a new name for that...) will look pretty much the same for a while yet. That's the problem with lace shawls / stoles - until you start adding the edging, they really don't look like much.

Speaking of lace shawls, I still haven't heard squat from my SIL who got the Icarus shawl for Christmas. Should I be pissed? (To be honest, I am, sort of).

Twelfth Night and random thoughts

Today is Twelfth Night. Not that we do much about it chez curlerchik. In fact, we pretty much ignore it. But, I'm on the road to recovery as is my Son, so we may have a wee celebration tonight consisting of... dinner. Yup, I've not been eating much lately, nor has Son, but he has recovered faster than I, so is starting to pack away the food again as only a 7-almost-8 year old can. If he eats this much now, I dread the teenage years. And to make matters worse, he's built along the lines of Hubby - they both pack away the chow, yet stay slim. Well OK, Hubby isn't as svelte as he once was, but still! I'd be a triple-wide if I ate what they do! Not fair!

Here's the random parts...
To the doofus that left a spam comment yesterday that I deleted immediately? I've said it before, and I'll say it again - STOP IT! Don't make me put comment verification on - it's annoying to me. Plus, why anyone reading a knitting blog thinks I need to buy GUNS and AMMUNITION is beyond me. I'm Canadian, people! We don't really like guns! Geez...

So how cool is this? I have a contest. People enter. They win. I send out prizes. (Is it strange to anyone else that it cost double to send a package from Ontario to BC as it does to send it from Ontario to ANYWHERE in the USA? Just asking.) People get the prizes. All's as it should be at this point. Then Marlyce does something phenonenal. She send s a donation to Doctors without Borders as a way of thanking me for sending her the yarn. Marlyce, there is no better way to thank me! I've mentioned before that I send my charity to specific organizations, most of which have touched my life personally in some way. MSF is a global orgaization that just does such great work, it's a pleasure to help them. Of course, one of these days, it would be cool that their services were not needed, but I doubt we'll see that in my lifetime. Thanks again, Marlyce! You really made my day!

I'm still knitting away on the Sea Silk Stole, and doing a little stash diving to see what catches my attention. Although, rather than casting on something new, maybe I should go at:
the Sea Silk
the Socks that Rock Metamorphic socks for me
the Fish Hat for Son
the Cape Cod socks for Hubby
the Whisper Scarf in cream Zephyr
any of the other multitudes of WIPs hanging around...

plans for 07

While I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions, I am a list maker. I keep myself somewhat organized by making multitudes of "to-do" lists. When life is as full as mine is, lists are the only way to keep it going. And I add to that by includng Hubby and Son, as neither of them would ever be anywhere even remotely on time without me. Not bragging, just stating fact. And if you knew either of them, they would wholeheartedly agree. I'm even talking about getting up and off to work/school in the morning. If not for me yanking them out of bed, they'd still be there. Hubby can have an alarm going off 3 inches from his face, and I have to reach over his snoring bod to turn it off. Seriously. I have no idea what he does when I'm not around.
Anyhoo, lists. While I haven't officially organized my "what I want to knit in 07" list, I can start off with a few things. First off, I want to knit less for other people. Not that I don't love my family and friends, I do. I just think that 2-3 knitted gifts per person in some cases may be a little more than necessary. Of course, I say this every year, and end up adding to the pile. Oh well. Another thing is only knitting for those that really love it and appreciate it. My golfing buddy Sue? She got three pairs of cotton golf socks this year. And she will get even more throughout the year - she loved them that much. This is a girl that went out and bought golf shirts to match the socks! I love her. She gets lots of knitting. My two SILs that got chenille scarves and slippers? Still near the top of the list. The slippers went on and stayed on through Christmas, and the scarves were immediately tucked around jackets to be worn home. Love that. The SIL who got the Icarus shawl? Well, she didn't join the family for Christmas (too tired/too sick, but really, she just hates the crowd aspect. Suck it up girl - it's your FAMILY, and we're only talking about 4 hours.) Still haven't heard directly from her about the shawl. I gather she likes it - she called her mom and told her it was beautiful, and asked if she had seen it. MIL (bless her) said quite pointedly that NO ONE had seen it, since SIL didn't bother to join us for Christmas. I still haven't heard from her. To be honest, I'm a little surprised. This SIL is all about appreciating the hand knits, so I'm not sure what's going on. Mom, MIL and FIL will continue to get socks and stuff - they really appreciate them and look after them, so they stay near the top of the list. There will be other people added to the list and some removed as the years grows, I'm sure.
I'm going to try to knit more for me, Hubby and Son. What is it they say about the shoemaker's children going barefoot? (And just who are "they" anyways?) Other than some socks through the year, not enough of my handknits stay within the walls of our house. I hope to change that. Son could use some socks, and maybe a new neckwarmer or hat. Hubby too. And then there's me. I really don't keep alot of stuff. Hopefully I can change that. I kept the Harlot scarf and certainly plan on keeping the Sea Silk Stole, but we'll see what else remains with us.
I want to continue knitting lace - it gives me great pleasure to see the fabric build upon itself.
I'm taking a course this month on different cast ons - I would like to expand the technical knowledge I have so I really am using the right cast on / cast off for a project instead of my usual cable cast on all the time.

And you?

back from the dead (sort of...)

I seem to have returned to the world of the living, although I'm not sure I have both feet firmly planted. I did go to my Guild meeting last night, and I am back at work today, so I guess I have recovered, but Man! I still feel like crap. I can't seem to shake this cough, and the lethargy is bad. It's an effort to just walk around. But I am, and that's what matters. There doesn't seem to be much fall out around the office as yet, but the chief idiot isn't here yet, so we'll see. My immediate boss (the best guy in the world to work for, by the way) has been running interference for me and has taken alot of the stress off me. I would work for this guy any time, any where, any job. He's that good.

Ok, knitting blog, right? I have been knitting! Even after the huge rush for Christmas, I never lost the urge to pick up the needles, so that's always a good thing. The even better thing? It's mostly about ME! Yup. I'm knitting things that I'm going to keep. Like the Harlot scarf i made out of Noro Silk Garden:

I love this scarf. Steph made hers out of handspun, but as I've said before, I don't spin, so I used the next best thing - Noro - colour #247. The pattern is brilliant - just one row to memorize, so great for sick knitting.
I've also started a new shawl/stole - I've had 800m of this Handmaiden Sea Silk for a while, waiting for the right project, and I think I've found it - the Melon Scarf from Victorian Lace today.

While this pattern looks complicated, it is sooooo easy! I'm not quite 1/3 of the way through the repeats for the centre panel, then there is the attached borner to add. The Sea Silk will not block out quite as much as the Kid Silk Haze originally used, but is should drape quite nicely. Plus, this brown, black, grey colourway will fit into my wardrobe quite nicely. I'm looking forward to this FO!
And because Hubby is wonderful and looked after me while I was sick (he made dinners, and even did dishes!), I'm working away on his Cape Cod socks. He's very pleased with this colourway - it's so him. Blue, gray, beige, a touch of very dark green - perfect for his wardrobe. My only concern is that this KnitPicks yarn is not superwash - Will have to keep the eagle eye out on laundry day...


Next - a recap of 2006? Probably not. I've only been blogging for a few months, so there's not a lot to recap. New Year's Resolutions? Nope. Never make them. I figure if something needs doing or improving there's no time like the present, so why wait for a specific day? Knitting plans for the new year? Maybe...