Monday, December 31, 2007

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 31

The last end was woven in at 12:30 a.m.:

It's a keeper!

This was not a keeper, however:

I was NOT enjoying the Bavarian Twisted Stitch Socks, so they are history.  The yarn is lovely.  The chart was not.  Knitting should be enjoyable and relaxing, right?  RIGHT?

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 31

Speaking of knitting being enjoyable:

The jury is still out on this project, but at least the front is done.

Actually, the longer I stare at that photo, the better it looks.

Hmmm.

No, I still don't like those white/gray/brown squares.

Hmmm.

It appears to be 2008 now, so my official countdown is history.  I'm left with approximately 18 WIPs to carry over into the new year (down from over 30 at the beginning of the month).  That number will soon increase, as I plan to cast on for something(s) new for myself first thing in the morning.

Happy New Year!

Sarah

Sunday, December 30, 2007

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 30

Another Stitch Challenge square (November = Gables):

Sorry.  I worked on the Shadow Knitting pillow, but didn't like what I did to the edges.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 30:

See?

Too busy already.  Doesn't need a busy border.  So I'll try again tomorrow, or maybe another day.

I also wove about a million ends into the Faith Jacket (I have witnesses).  There are about a million more to go.

I watched Breakast at Tiffanys tonight.  I hadn't seen it for quite a while, and I had forgotten some important bits:

I've always wanted to be Audrey Hepburn.

She's using the pencil hold, which I can't master.  My mother uses it, too. 

Why don't I?  I assume my mother taught me to knit.  Isn't that weird?

Sarah

Saturday, December 29, 2007

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 29

Look!  It's a sweater!

Or is it?

No, it's just a corner of a sweater, and a mutant one at that.  I don't know if you can tell, but that armhole is only about four inches deep, and the sleeve is only ten inches long.  It's the first version of the class project for one of the classes I'll be teaching at Stitches West in February (A Well-Executed Sleeve).  It needs a little tweaking, but I got a lot of the kinks worked out, so I'm pretty happy with it.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 29

Entrelac Pillow #2:

I'm not entirely happy with those stupid gray and white squares, but I'm soldiering on.  I'm eager to get to Entrelac Pillow #3 -- maybe I'll set this one aside and move on to that one for a while.  That would add to the WIP list, though . . .

Speaking of which, I had something on the WIP list twice, so I removed it once, and I listed each thing individually so Nancy can find all the items now.  I also found another project in the closet in the basement (you knew I'd go look, didn't you?), so I added that.  And I found way, WAY more sock yarn than I thought I had, which shouldn't have been a surprise.  I'm very disappointed in myself.  I'll have to put my nose to the grindstone in 2008.

And stop buying yarn.

And knit faster.

And stop eating and sleeping.

Wait -- I think I already tried all those things.  It only worked for a couple of hours, and then I fell off the wagon.  Or my nose fell off the grindstone.  Or the fat lady sang.  Or the cookie crumbled.  Or . . .

I can't think of any more metaphors to misuse.  Any suggestions?

Sarah

Friday, December 28, 2007

I was only able to sleep until 10:20, when the dog woke me up because the female mailman was at the door with a package.  Keiko gets a treat every day from our letter carrier, and that's why our letter carrier gets a treat every Christmas from me.  I handed off her wristers (wrapped) while wearing pjs and bed hair, and holding my robe in my arms.  I hope I didn't scare her.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 28

Not really an FO, but a repair that's been waiting for many, many years.

The patient:

I was too cheap to buy the tie dyed Garcia the Bear Beanie Baby when it came out in 1996, so I knit one instead.  Shortly afterward, some traumatic mishap occurred causing a few strands of yarn to be snagged and broken, and beanie pellets started to escape.

I didn't take a before photo, but here's the scarred hip:

Of course, now that Sons Number One and Two are too old for Beanie Babies, I'll just have to put this away for future generations of small children who may grace this household with their presence (but not for many, many years, I hope).

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:

Blocking!

And more "blocking":

Earlier this year I was thrilled to discover the log cabin baby blanket that Celia made from sock yarn, and decided to start one of my own from my leftovers.  I only had one lonely square completed so far (I'm making more of a "quilty" one), but started another square tonight.  This will be slow going, but fun.  

In honor of the fact that I'm blogging before 1:00 in the morning, I've taken the time to update my "On the Needles" list with everything that really is on the needles.  That I know of.  I have the sneaking suspicion that if I actually go down and look through my yarn closet, I'll find more.  I can't face the possibility of finding another dozen half-finished projects down there, so we'll just pretend that the list is complete.

I don't think I'll have everything finished off by 2008. 

Sarah

Thursday, December 27, 2007

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 27

June's Stitch Challenge:

Yarnover cables.  Reminiscent of wedding rings -- is that why Nancy chose it for June?

Sorry -- is it cheating to keep doing small new projects?  Nothing else was close enough to being finished. 

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 27

I did quite a bit of work on the shadow knitting pillow, though!  See?

I should be able to block these pieces tomorrow, and then I just have to figure out what to do about putting them together.  Probably an i-cord bind off, which is my pillow finishing technique of choice.  It's a little fussy, but when you're done, you're done!

I slept until noon today, and only got up because Husband Number One woke me up to ask me a question.  I wonder how long I would have slept otherwise?

We have another chance to find out . . . I have nothing on the calendar for tomorrow.

Please do not disturb!

Sarah

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 26

I've been collecting the Stitch Challenges offered by Woven Art each month, but hadn't knit any of them up yet. 

Well, guess what?  Here's December's:

Cute little candy canes!  I couldn't resist.  And now that I know how quickly these little squares knit up, I can easily fill up at least eleven more days with Finished Objects.  And at last count I still have nineteen OTHER projects on the needles, including:

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 26

Does it look any different?  It should!  The side seams and sleeve seams have been sewn, I added the crocheted border all the way around, and the sleeves are just the right length, so I don't need to add cuffs.  All that's keeping this WIP from becoming a FO is yet another huge batch of tails to be woven in.  Oh, joy!  I LOVE to weave in tails!!!  Especially a LOT of them!

Or I could knit another Stitch Challenge square.  Or a pillow.  Or a sock.  Or a hat.  Or a scarf.  Or some mittens.  Or . . . OR, I could read a book (gasp!).

You know how sometimes the more you look at a word, the more gibberishy it becomes?  That just happened for me with "Or".  It just looks like two random letters now.  Does that mean I no longer have a choice?

Oi.

Sarah

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas! 

I logged on at 8:00 this evening, determined to beg your forgiveness and take the day off from accomplishing anything, but then I stared at my to-do list for a couple of minutes and came up with another quickie project I could start and finish in a couple of hours.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 25

Calorimetry, from www.knitty.com, using KFI Kureoptora "Plus" (from the fairly well-aged section of the stash):

I look lousy in hats of any kind, although not too horrible in headbands, but this is more hat sized than headband sized.

I think I'll try this again with fewer repeats in order to make a narrower band, and I'll put this one away for a gift for next year.

How about that?  This Christmas isn't even over and I've already got a gift ready for the next one!

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 25

Hmmm . . .

I think this needs a sweater!

Off to play . . .

Sarah

Monday, December 24, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 24

Waiting for Santa:

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 24

Stars from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac:

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 24

Keeping the Faith?:

Have a very Merry Christmas, or have a great Tuesday -- whichever you prefer!

Sarah

Sunday, December 23, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 23

Well, I did the grocery shopping today, except for one item which I'll pick up tomorrow.  No photo of paper sacks brimming with groceries -- sorry.  I will show you this, though:

That's Husband Number One's handiwork, done without my knowledge while I was otherwise occupied.  That means I won't be wrapping presents into the wee hours of Christmas morning.  Hooray!! 

And what was I doing, you ask?  Well, due to unforeseen circumstances which prevented me from functioning as a human being until late this afternoon (and thereby missing the Knitting for Others knit-in at Schuler's today, darn it!), I didn't get a single stitch of knitting accomplished until 9:00 this evening, when I cast on for . . .

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 23

. . . a simple garter stitch scarf knit from three balls of King Modigliani (or something like that -- it's 1:41 a.m. and I'm not looking for the label):

This started out as a scarf knit on the bias, which I started while in Florida in January, and which I worked on the morning my father passed away, while I was waiting to go to the airport.  It has been sitting in a bag by my knitting chair ever since, and I haven't wanted to finish it.  I re-knit it as a traditional garter stitch scarf tonight while distracting myself by watching Love Actually yet again, with the added commentary of the director and some of the actors.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 23

When I finished the scarf, I continued on with a little shadow knitting:

And made it to the halfway point. 

I almost let the day pass without a post, but I put forth a valiant effort in the end and came through for you, my loyal readers. 

Interesting factoid:  Since I've started posting every day, my readership has dropped.

Go figure.

Sarah

Saturday, December 22, 2007

This was actually my last "free" day before Christmas, so I didn't expect to get a lot done.  What I wanted to do was to go grocery shopping and take the kids to get their presents for their dad -- but I never left the house.  I did get quite a bit done, though . . .

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 22

I wrapped presents!  I baked cookies!  I discovered that I hadn't gotten anything for two very important people!  I'll be going shopping tomorrow . . .

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 22

In an attempt to avoid the projects I REALLY need to finish, I dug up another forgotten project:

The Garterlac Dishcloth.  I had a bugger of a time getting this one done.  I kept making all kinds of mistakes -- it was pathetic!!  I was finally smarter than the dishcloth, however, and showed it who's boss.  Phew!

WIP WATCH: Countdown to 2008:  Day 22

I got the next two pillow parts started:

Pretty exciting, eh?

I thought so, too.

Incidentally, I just finished watching "Love Actually".  Not technically a Christmas movie, but it's definitely centered around Christmas.  I laughed out loud at least six times (once would be out of the ordinary for me), even though I've seen this movie at least three times.  I cried through part of it, too.  That's not unusual, though.  Hormones, you know.

Um . . . I think that's all.

Sarah

Friday, December 21, 2007

I had the privilege this week of collecting items knitted by members of the Mid-Michigan Knitters Guild for their annual "hat contest" (it's evolved into something else, but that's what we still call it), tallying the "results", and delivering them to their new homes:

I wanted to keep that little green guy.

72 hats.  17 scarves.  3 pairs of mittens. 

My personal favorites:

And:

Over 100 items were delivered to Advent House Ministries, for immediate distribution to Lansing's homeless.  Good work, knitters!!

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 21

I had hoped to wrap presents today but did not, and now the children are home until like, June or something (it will be a long time before I have the house to myself again), so who knows when any wrapping will occur.  So I've got nothing for you, except for Son Number One's white elephant gift from school (modeled by Son Number Two):

In case you can't read the waistband:

Boys.  (be sure to snort through your nose before you say that, for the proper effect)

I'm not really sure how a white elephant gift exchange works, but this one was definitely rigged, because Son Number One's friend (who can be seen in the choir concert photo from two days ago) made public the contents of his contribution to the exchange, and Son Number One pounced on it and wouldn't give it up.  Apparently he's always wanted a giant pair of underpants.

I think that'll be an entire load of laundry all by itself.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 21

Entrelac Pillow #1 is complete:

Kinda purty, ain't it?  I've grown rather fond of it, myself.

This photo makes it look like I did a really good job putting the zipper in:

But it's actually a little ripply.  I should have used a smaller needle for the garter stitch border, to firm up those edges a little more.  Next time!

Entrelac Pillows #2 and #3 are merely a glimmer in their knitter's eye, but once they're brought to life a pattern will be written, and the joy can be shared.

Entrelac for Everybody!!

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 21

Remember this?  From the Guild Retreat last February?

It's in desperate need of blocking, but you can still get the idea of it:

I finally figured out what I'm going to do for the other side (because this is yet another pillow), so knitting should start up again soon.

Thank goodness, because I still don't have anything on the needles that I can just knit away on.

Is that it? 

I think that's it.

Until tomorrow, then.

Sarah

Thursday, December 20, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 20

This is the closest I've gotten to baking Christmas cookies this year:

Son Number Two informed me this morning that he needed cookies for school tomorrow.  Hey -- at least he gave me 24 hours notice!  His cookie of choice involves slicing up a tube of refrigerated cookie dough, cutting each slice into quarters, pressing the quarters into a mini muffin tin, and topping with Hershey kisses.  I used Pillsbury dough this time, which doesn't work as well as Tollhouse, but I didn't find my note to that effect until I was well into the baking cycle.  I made three batches of 24, and quite a few were deemed "ugly" ones, which means that they stay home for us to eat.  350 degrees for 10 minutes, if you're interested.

I've printed off Bezzie's recipe for chocolate covered cherry cookies, and I'll be trying those very soon.  They sound way yummy.  Son Number Two requested banana bread, too, but he didn't give me a deadline for that.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 20

Here's a better picture of the last Sideways Garter Stitch Scarf (it was almost sunny today!):

And here's the last of my "old" FOs, so I'd better get cracking if I'm going to keep up this pace:

This is the last of the trio of Grinchy green pieces -- hat, mitts and scarf.  K1P1 rib in Peace Fleece.  Very nice fabric, especially after a nice bath.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 20

Is it "Take me to your leader", or another reference to underwear shopping?

Neither!  It's the pieces to the first (of three) Entrelac pillow, coming soon to a sofa near you!  A little i-cord and a zipper, and she'll be ready for her debut!  (It's not often that you can tell the gender of a pillow.)

I also put the body of the Faith Jacket together today, but it still just looks like a big pile of garter stitch, so no new photo.  It needs sleeves and a crocheted edging, and about a million ends woven in (as usual), and then it may need cuffs added on to the sleeves if gravity doesn't stretch them out enough.  Or I could shorten my arms, but then all the rest of my sweaters wouldn't fit.  Better to add cuffs if necessary.

May I go to bed now, please?  Thank you!

Sarah

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

I ran away from home today (after making the bed and doing the laundry and dishes, of course). 

I started with some shopping.  Got a few more stocking stuffers crossed off the list, and then went underwear shopping.  It's been a very, very long time since I bought myself any new underwear.  So long, in fact, that I had no idea what size I needed.  Why doesn't underwear come in the same sizes as pants?  Wouldn't that make sense?  The lovely clerk asked whether I liked to wear my clothing form fitting or a little loose.  Loose, I said.  So she recommended a size.  That was easy!  Next I asked the very helpful clerk where I could find the bras that I like (that I bought about five years ago).  She asked me what they looked like.  I described them to her.  She showed me a few, but they weren't at all right.  She asked me some more questions.  I answered them.  She looked at me.  I looked at her.  We glanced around, and I lifted my sweater up so she could see my brassiere.  "They don't make them like that anymore," she said.  "Why, thank you!" I said.  No, that's not really what we said, although they really don't make them like that anymore.  I'll have to get by with my dwindling supply (of bras, silly!) until I can get up the courage to go try on some new ones (I find that it helps if I take off my glasses so I can't see myself in the mirror). 

Next up was lunch with a good friend.  We're in the habit of sharing a veggie feast at Altu's, an Ethiopian restaurant next door to my hairdresser (who's been cutting my hair since 1979 --egad).  Yum!!

I delivered two giant bags of clothing to the St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop (and yet I still don't have enough room in my closet).  Felt like Santa Claus when I unloaded them from my sleigh car.

Then I went to ThreadBear and worked on *** until it was done (it's not time for you to hear that yet -- be patient!), ran over to the Little Red Schoolhouse Yarn Shop to grab another skein of alpaca for the mysterious lace hat/scarf/whatever WIP from yesterday, and then went to dinner with some knitting buddies at Emil's (minestrone soup and spaghetti!).

I zipped back to Haslett just in time for the choir concert at the high school, which brings us to:

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 19

This concert panorama differs from previous concert panoramas in that there are no Peasley children in this picture (and because it's red):

But there are many friends of Peasley children in this picture.  And a guy videotaping the concert down there on the bottom right (ha! -- caught you!).

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 19

*** =

I have to tell you that I'm wearing a very oversized wool sweater underneath my recently completed (after years and years in the making) Fair Isle Cardigan (designed by Meg Swansen), so that explains why I'm looking a little filled out in these pictures (despite the wonderful photography of Kellie).

I don't have an explanation for that scary witchy chin, however.  Dammit.

Anywho, it took me a few hours to weave in all those pesky ends and to sew on all those horny buttons (deer antlers!), but it's DONE, and I love it, and I'll be wearing this puppy tomorrow.  And the next day.  And the day after that.  And the day after THAT.  Yippee!

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 19

Remember this one?

It's the last BIG project that I have a chance of finishing before the new year, and all it needs is to be put together.  I have FAITH that I can get it done soon!

Get it?  FAITH?  It's the Faith Jacket! 

Sometimes I crack myself up.

And sometimes I don't.

Sarah

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 18

Well, if turning into Scrooge counts as being Christmasy, then today was . . . well.  Today just was.  It's not over yet, but I hope to bring it to a close shortly.  Without naming any names, let's just say that a multitude of creatures pissed me off in a multitude of ways today, starting with one of my cats throwing up a giant Hershey bar (complete with foil) all over the carpet.  If the dog hadn't started chasing her in mid urp, there would have been just one big pile of chocolate (and sparkly) goo rather than many little piles connected by glittery trails.  She's fine now, but the carpet may never be the same.

The day just went downhill from there, although there were a few bright spots, including Son Number Two's first ever concert on a real live stage:

Can you see him?  I think he's wearing a blue shirt.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 18

Since there was no knitting whatsoever today, you get another oldie that I don't think has made an appearance yet:

Grinchy green!  How appropriate!

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 18

Before the cat yacked, I was trying to figure this out:

This stitch pattern makes a beautiful scarf (also on the needles), but kind of a so-so hat.  I think if I can figure out how to shape the top while keeping the pattern pleasing to the eye (and if I can go back and correct the major mistake that you can't see in this photo), I'll have another FO soon.  Or not.

I've got to get some easy knitting going, though.  I had nothing to help me through the rough patches today.  Zip.  Nada.  All of my current WIPs (all nine billionty three of them) require brain cells that are not currently in residence in my head. 

I need a vacation.

Another disadvantage to blogging every day, in addition to the camera batteries dying (dieing?) much more frequently, is . . . oh geez, I forgot what I was going to say.

Talk amongst yourselves for a moment . . .

. . . disadvantage to blogging every day . . .

. . . dum de dum de dum de dum . . .

. . .

Oh!  I remember.  

Another disadvantage to blogging every day is that I can't keep up with the comments y'all are leaving for me.  Not that I ever kept up with them before, but I had been trying lately.  Anyway, thank you to Kellie, and Kelli, and Kathy, and other Kathy, and uberimma, and Laura, and other Laura, and Bezzie, and Nancy, and Lynnie, and Pat, and Karen, and Laurie, and Chris, and Jean, and Kristi . . .  Keep 'em coming!  I feel like I have my own personal cheering section! 

Say goodnight, Gracie.

Goodnight, Gracie!

Sarah

Monday, December 17, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 17

I did a bunch more Christmas shopping today, and hid everything in plain sight, as usual (they'll never find 'em!).  I also coerced the children into hanging the ornaments on the tree, although I'll have to finish up tomorrow, since there are still a few bare spots:

One of my lovely children (I've already forgotten which one it was, and this was just an hour ago) complained about the number of gold colored ornaments we own (well, they usually complain about the TOTAL number of ornaments we own, but tonight the issue was with the gold ones).  I explained that back in the good 'ol days, before we had any children, Husband Number One and I had a lovely tree with white twinkly lights and perfectly matched sets of peach and gold colored ornaments. 

Then we had kids, and it was all downhill after that.  Baby's First Christmas, stuffed Santas, soccer balls, paper snowflakes, giant reindeer heads . . .

There are a few surviving peach colored ornaments, but not many.  Lots of gold ones, though.  They must be hardier, since they've survived all of the tree toppling that's gone on over the years (not this year though, knock on wood!).

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 17

Mail chick's mitts are done!

I'm hoping a good soaking will even out the stitches a bit, but I think these turned out rather well.  They work great -- I'm wearing them as I type this entry, since our house hits sub arctic temperatures after the children go to bed.  What?  I shouldn't be wearing them since they're intended for someone else?  Oh, all right then.  I'll take them off.  Happy now?

(ha!  I'm still wearing them, but you can't see me!)

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 17

Um . . .

I'll just re-use this photo from yesterday, since I didn't touch this sweater today, and my camera battery died while I was taking pictures of the tree (a hazard of blogging every day -- uses more juice!).

I believe I'm officially done with all of my planned Christmas deadlines, and it's 11:50 p.m. on Monday, which means I've got a whole week to do whatever the heck I want, knitting-wise.  Woo hoo!

Hmm . . . I'll bet I can whip up a hat or two for last minute stocking stuffers . . .

Sarah

Sunday, December 16, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 16

This is what it looked like outside our house this morning:

And this is what it looked like on the way to Christmas Number Two (of Three):

Road?  What road?  I don't see no stinking road!

This photo was taken at about noon.  The color is accurate. 

We only saw two cars and one house in the ditch.  Yes, a house.  This wasn't a good day for moving a house, apparently.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 16

The mittens are done, and not only did I remember to make a left one and a right one, but I also made the cables twist in opposite directions:

I'm not sure I'm a big fan of knitting mittens flat and then sewing them up, but it wasn't really difficult -- just kind of bulky in the seam department.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 16

Remember this?

I just have a few (bazillion) ends to weave in, and then eleventy quadrillion buttons to sew on, and it's done!  Will it be done TOMORROW?  I'm not making any promises.  SOMETHING will be, though, because I have to have an FO to FLASH, right?

How long can I keep this up?  I still have quite a few WIPs to work my way through.  How many?  Let me go count . . .

Are you kidding me?  I still have at least thirty that are on the needles, and about a dozen more that are pending in one way or another.  And that's just what's sitting around my knitting chair.

I think I need an intervention:

Sarah

Saturday, December 15, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 15

The lights are on the tree:

But that's about it.  I was supposed to wrap some presents tonight (Christmas with the in-laws tomorrow, weather permitting), but I'll do it tomorrow morning instead.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 15

I finished it!

Kind of cute, eh?

I wonder how long those pom poms are going to last?

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 15

In the bottom of the bag with the choo choo train sweater there was something else:

I'll have to study the almost-completed mitten on the right so I can finish the not-quite-halfway-done one on the left to match.  Shouldn't be too tough for my little pea brain to handle, as long as I remember to make a right-handed mitten and not a second left-handed mitten.

I took the yarn for the mail chick's mitts to Son Number Two's basketball game today so I could get it wound up:

The lighting in the gym is horrendous.  This is America's Alpaca Hand Paints in pretty peachy tones, rescued from the sale bin at the Little Red Schoolhouse Yarn Shop this week (hurry -- there were a few more left, and a couple of blue ones, too).  VERY soft and squooshy.  It will be a pleasure to knit with, especially after all that Red Heart.

We're supposed to get a bunch of snow tonight, but since when do the weathermen get anything right?  I'm still waiting for that ice storm that never materialized.  We ARE supposed to be having Christmas Number Two tomorrow, so I hope the roads will be clear . . . but I've got food in the fridge and knitting in the basket(s), so I could handle being snowed in if I had to (what a hardship that would be!). 

Sarah

Friday, December 14, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 14

I went Christmas shopping today:

I really, really like going Christmas shopping at World Market, except for the part where I want everything I see, and wish I was shopping for ME instead of for everybody else.  Fortunately, Santa knows about World Market, and I usually find a few things from there in my stocking.  Yay Santa!

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 14

Lindsay is my photographer of choice these days because she doesn't try to pose me.  She just starts clicking away:

Look!  I cut most of my ponytail off!  I'm not sure I'm too happy about that . . .

I'm always picking dog or cat hair off of my clothing:

Oh, that ol' thing?  That's Celtic Dreams, designed by Beth Brown-Reinsel, knit with wool from Blackwater Abbey in the most amazing shade of purple ever.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 14

I made it through the body of the choo choo sweater with the red yarn I already had, but there wasn't enough to do the bands, too.

Jo-Ann Fabrics in Charlotte (Michigan) is closing and has put everything on sale, although I'm sure they'll offer better discounts as time goes on (they're due to close in late January).  I went in armed with a list of things I needed, and I'm proud to say I didn't deviate from my list:

Next to the dye lot on the label for the original red Red Heart yarn are the numbers "12" and "88", which I assume mean that the yarn is from December of 1988.  Suffice it to say (what the hell does THAT mean?) that I was unable to match the color to their current "no dye lot" red.  I had the brilliant idea of using black for the bands instead (I was way ahead of you, Jean!) so I purchased a skein of black, along with the buttons and pom pom "smoke" called for in the pattern.

The 1967 pattern asked me to make my own pom poms.  I'm guessing you couldn't buy them ready made in those days.  I was six and wasn't in the market for pom poms, so I can't remember. 

The pattern also wants me to knit black covers for the larger buttons, which will serve as wheels for the train.  I think I'll pass on the covers and let the wheel buttons be naked.

This sweater is chug chug chugging along!

I have one more class to teach tomorrow (Saturday) morning and then I'm done for the YEAR.  Yippee!

Sarah

Thursday, December 13, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 13

Ah, yes.  Another family favorite:

A Johnny Bravo Christmas!

Actually, tonight was the first I'd ever heard of A Johnny Bravo Christmas.  I miss Johnny Bravo (from when the kids were younger), but I didn't really need the special guest appearance of a cartoon version of Donny Osmond.  It wasn't as bad as David Hasselhof in the Spongebob Squarepants Movie, but it was unnecessary, nonetheless.

Our tree is up:

VERY up.  It's quite tall, and smells quite good.  We'll let it settle in overnight and then Husband Number One and the kids will go at it tomorrow night with lights and ornaments (I happily ceded control of the Christmas decorating a few years ago).

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 13

Ribbed Hat in Peace Fleece:

This has actually been done for quite a while, but I never posted a photo of it.  Stay tuned for the matching scarf and mitts (gimme a break -- I'm trying to fill up a whole month here!)!

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 13

I have a little problem:

See that empty yarn label?  See that little bit of yarn?  Hmmm.

I still have a bit of yarn that I tore back before re-starting the yoke where the sleeves join the body (the decreases weren't working out due to an error in the pattern, which is from an old Workbasket magazine from 1967).  It's quite kinky (the yarn, silly!), but maybe I can get to the top of the yoke with it and then buy a new ball for the neckband and button/buttonhole bands. 

Wish me luck.

Sarah

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

It's late (12:44 a.m.) and I'm tired (I've been up late blogging for 12 days in a row!), so I'm going to keep this short and sweet:

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 12

Miracle on 34th Street (the original black and white version, thank you very much) is the best Christmas movie EVER.  In my opinion.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 12

The Sideways Garter Stitch Scarf is finished.  I've got enough yarn left over to make at least one more of these, so I'll probably cast another one on when I need something simple on the needles.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 12

I figured out which pillow form the current Entrelac piece is going to cover, came up with a plan for exactly how big to make it, and then knit happily away while watching the movie.  It's good to have a plan.

My plan right now is to shut my eyes and catch some ZZZzzzzzs.

G'night!

Sarah

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 11

There was a concert tonight at the high school.  All four of us went, although only three of us sat in the audience, enjoying this view:

Oh, look!  I didn't notice that the background lighting changed colors -- cool!

Son Number One is on stage there somewhere.  Can you see him?

How about now?  (Hint:  He's NOT the one in the middle.)

Weirdos.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 11

Well, it certainly didn't take me quite as long to bind off a million and a half stitches as I thought it would.  It did take a very long time, however.  I took lots of breaks to do other things, like to drive Son Number Two to school when he missed the bus in the morning, and to drive Son Number Two back to school when he forgot his homework at the end of the day.  Sigh.

Look!  Pretty!

I think this will be a Christmas present for my mom.  Don't tell her!

The following picture is more accurate, colorwise:

And this one kind of shows the sparkle:

I'm doing the best I can, what with taking all of my pictures late at night.  Daytime pictures wouldn't really look any different, though, since it's been so gray lately.  Our nasty weather never materialized, although schools south of us were canceled in anticipation of the ice.  It stayed just warm enough here to make everything slushy and sloppy.  It will probably freeze up tonight.  The kids are hoping for an "ice" day tomorrow.  I'm thinking (hoping) they'll be going to school. 

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 11

Speaking of weird late-night photography:

I had to tone this one down quite a bit in Photoshop so it wouldn't blind you.  If you squinch your eyes it's not quite so bright.

This is the last of my Christmas knitting deadlines for other people.  A friend's mother, an avid knitter, passed away before she could finish knitting this little sweater for her great grandchild.  Of course I said "Yes!" when I was asked to complete it.  I hope someone will be there to finish up my WIPs when it's my turn to go to the great yarn room in the sky.

I wasn't planning on doing any Christmas knitting of my own, but that Corkscrew Scarf kind of just happened, and I just remembered that I've been knitting gifts for my female mailman (say that ten times fast!) each year, so I'd better figure something out for her.  She's gotten a scarf and a hat so far -- I think this year she'll get wrist warmers! 

Does that mean I get to buy more yarn?

Sarah

Monday, December 10, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 10

I fiddled around with my car's radio today until I found a station that is playing Christmas music nonstop:

The reception is quite clear, regardless of the blurry view.  During my limited listening time today it was a little heavy on boy bands, but it was most definitely all Christmas music, all the time, which is a good thing because I'm getting a little tired of my Christmas CDs.  I used to buy one new CD a year, but that's been going on for many, many years and they don't fit into my little Christmas CD box anymore.  And I'm tired of most of them.  So change is good.  As long as it doesn't involved too many boy bands.

I sent Husband Number One and Son Number Two out in search of a Christmas tree this afternoon.  The weathermen are predicting some nasty weather in the very near future (although they're wrong more often than not, so I don't know why I even listen anymore), and I wanted to have the tree HERE rather than THERE (wherever "there" was) before the ice and snow comes.

Mission accomplished:

Our Christmas trees have typically been 8-10 feet tall (we have a vaulted ceiling in the front of the house).  I haven't measured this one yet, but it's a tall one!  It's hanging out in the garage for a day or so, until we're ready for the next step.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 10

Lookie here:

I decided to see how far I could get on the hood with the yarn I had left, and apparently I could get pretty darned far -- like all the way done!  I had just a couple of yards left over.  I used Ravelry to look up modifications people had made to their Wallabys (there's a Wallaby knit-along group, and that referenced some other Internet sites with good information).  I decreased in the center of the last few knit rows of the hood to eliminate the point, because I remembered not liking that point on previous Wallabys that I've made.  I also read about using seed stitch instead of garter stitch for the placket/hood and pocket borders, and about starting the body ribbing with the larger number of stitches so it doesn't pull in as much.  I think I'll try those two modifications the next time I make a Wallaby.

This one's done, though, and it's pretty darned cute!

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 10

I did indeed cast on for a new scarf last night, with yarn from the stash (the fuzzy sparkly stuff is S. Charles Ritratto, and the smooth variegated purple is mystery wool):

I'm making a Corkscrew Scarf, because I thought it would be a good idea.  I also thought it would be a good idea to cast on 100 stitches instead of the 80 my pattern calls for.  Since there are four increase rows, and each of those increase rows doubles the number of stitches, that means that at the end of the scarf there are 1600 stitches to bind off.  I'm on that bind off row now.  It's going to take a while to get through it.  I'm hoping to have it done before my kids graduate from high school, but we'll see . . .

In the mean time, I've got some other WIPs to whip into shape.  Stay tuned . . .

Sarah

Sunday, December 9, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 9

I wish I'd gone to the handbell concert this evening, but I did not.  I chose instead to stay home and watch a Christmas movie.  Easier said than done, since almost all of my Christmas movies are in VHS format, and the only VCR in the house is not currently hooked up to a television.  I'm sure I own a few Christmas movies on DVD, but the only one I could find tonight was A Charlie Brown Christmas (Bonus Feature Included!  It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown):

I remember every bit of the original from my childhood, but I don't think I'd seen the second one before.  I already can't remember what that one was about, even though I just finished watching it.

Notice the "Merry Christmas" decoration squeezed onto a little bit of open shelf in front of some cookbooks.  The final "S" is taped to the vertical post over there on the right.  Scotch tape figured prominently into a lot of the decorating this year.  My knitted Christmas light garlands are taped onto the front door and the windows.  They fall off every day or so, and more tape is added.  When he's older, perhaps Son Number Two will graduate to duct tape.  It will hold a little better, and comes in holiday colors.

What would your brothers spell with the letters in "CHRISTMAS", Chris?

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 9:

Merry:

Christmas:

Santa!

I think I'll take a little trip to the post office tomorrow.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 9

It looks like a sweater!

I don't think I have enough of the variegated yarn for the hood.  I'll talk to Fran tomorrow to see if she wants me to just make a collar that folds over, or if I can make the hood pink.  I'm voting for pink, although a collar will be quicker to knit.  I didn't think I liked the sleeves with their wider stripes, but it looks kind of cute all put together.

I added another row or two to the Entrelac pillow while watching Charlie Brown:

I'm not fond of the buildup of gray and brown on the top left, but it looks better to me in the photo than in real life, which means that it's probably fine.  I'll finish this piece and get the back on the needles -- that will be plain brown garter stitch, and should go quickly (famous last words!).

I'm itching to cast on for something new.  I'm sure I'll break down and start something soon.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I already pulled out some yarn for a scarf tonight.  I'll be casting on as soon as I post this entry!  "Willpower" is NOT my middle name! 

Sarah

Saturday, December 8, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 8

I did a smidgeon of Christmas shopping today.  A couple of little presents for others, and a couple of little presents for me. 

Since I haven't got any photos for you of the gifts, I took some (bad) nighttime flash photos of an interesting phenomenon here at the Peasley household.  Son Number Two did all of our holiday decorating last week.  I'm very intrigued by the fact that he chose to place all of the Santas in front of trees with their backs turned toward us, the viewers.  I figured he was just too lazy to decorate "correctly", and I turned them around to face "front", but he turned them back toward the trees, very intentionally.

Does this mean that when we decorate the tree our intended audience is the Big Man himself?

Perhaps he snuck out one Christmas Eve and caught Santa admiring our Christmas tree?

Beats me.  That's just what I would love to recapture for myself, though . . . the wonder and awe of the season, as seen through the eyes of a child.

I'm not there yet.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 8

Ho:

Ho:

Ho:

. . . and one more to go!

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 8

In my list of events scheduled for today (second Habu lecture, class in DeWitt, lunch with friends) I forgot to add Son Number Two's first basketball game of the season, which called for some mindless knitting.  The only truly mindless knitting I had on the needles were some stitches cast on for yet another sideways garter stitch scarf, so I grabbed the bag of odd balls from my stash and settled in for an hour of cheering and dribbling and whistle blowing.  By the end I had about a third of the scarf done:

I probably have enough yarn for two more of these, so stay tuned for more of the same.

Sarah

Friday, December 7, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 7

Another busy day.  I taught two classes, ran errands, attended a lecture (Takako from Habu) and went out to a late dinner with friends.  I was on my way home at 11:30 p.m. and realized that I had yet again neglected to do something Christmasy, unless you count belting Christmas carols at the top of my lungs on the way back to Lansing from Charlotte because I kept dozing off at the wheel.  So I went home by way of the amazingly over the top Christmas light display at the corner of Okemos and Lake Lansing Roads and managed a drive-by photo shoot.  Here's a minute fraction of the extravaganza:

I didn't want to stick around too long because I was afraid I'd get sucked into one of the inflatable snow globes, never to be seen or heard from again . . .

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 7

I asked Lindsay at The Yarn Garden in Charlotte (Michigan) to take a photo of me in my Indigo Ripples skirt (and, incidentally, my Entrelac jacket).  I don't like posing for pictures, but Sharon stood off to the side and distracted me while Lindsay clicked away.  Unfortunately, while the photos turned out very well, you can't really see the skirt:

I wore it all day long, and when I took it off and looked at the back, I could see the outline of my posterior, but I was able to shake it right out (of the skirt, silly).  I always wear something long on top to cover my "pudge" (as the kids have taken to calling my midsection), so I think I'm safe continuing to wear this skirt in public.

When I stood up after this photo, my skirt had frozen to the seat.  Fun!

There are definitely more knitted skirts in my future, especially now that I found some tall boots that I can zip over my giant calves!  The secret:  I gave up on leather and went with a stretchy manmade something or other.  Non-leather = cheaper, too, so yay! 

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 7

I really need to finish up those Christmas stockings, but that would require being home for more than fifteen minutes at a time.  Tomorrow, maybe.  After the second Habu lecture, the class in DeWitt, and lunch with friends.  And maybe a handbell concert. 

I did get the second sleeve of the Wallaby done today, and attached to the body:

Killer rabbit!

Sarah

Thursday, December 6, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 6

I had a full schedule today, and when I got to the end of the day I realized that I hadn't done anything Christmasy yet.  What to do?  I got my knitting, lit the fire (love that gas log!) and settled in to watch last week's and this week's episodes of ER (both recorded via Comcast DVR, which is a wondrous thing).  I'm not much of a television watcher.  The only shows I watch with any regularity are ER and 24, but neither one has been very good in recent memory (in my opinion, which my Uncle Ralph taught me to add so I don't get into trouble).  Mostly I hide in my knitting chair in the back of the house, as far away from the t.v. as I can get, but it's a small house and the television seems to be on an awful lot, and I hear things.  So I'm up on the shows that boys like to watch, which seem to be shows like Mythbusters and Japanese game shows and PTO and anything on the Food Network.

What does this have to do with Christmas?  Well, tonight's episode of ER was this year's "holiday" episode, although the holiday part seemed to be background to the storyline(s).  This was the 300th episode of ER, which I find hard to believe because I'm pretty sure I've seen all of them, and I hate to think I've wasted that much of my life on a television show.

Anyway.  While I was watching, I caught a glimpse of something through the front windows (which take up the whole front wall of the house).  At first I thought it was a dog with really long legs, but it wasn't on a leash.  Then I realized that it was a deer.  And then another deer.  And then another one.  We think there were five deer total, although we only ever saw three at one time.  They hung out in the front yard for quite a while, circled the house once (or else that was ANOTHER gang/bunch/flock of deer) and then wandered across the street to the neighbor's yard.  I took a photo as one was walking across the street:

It didn't work very well without the flash, although you can see the street lamp.  I tried again with the flash:

Not much better, and now you can see how dirty the window is.  What if I hold the camera right up against the window?

Eewww!  Now you can see the camera, and my hand, and the streetlight, but still no deer.  Oh well.  Trust me -- they were there, and they were beautiful.

So that's as Christmasy as I could get tonight.  A double shot of ER and some invisible deer.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 6

Here's the second (actually the fourth) military scarf I alluded to yesterday:

And in case you think I took two different pictures of the same scarf:

See?  Two scarves.  Pretty exciting, eh?

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 6

The Stockings That Shall Not Be Named didn't make it out of my knitting bag today (see:  "full schedule today", mentioned above).  I did, however, make it up to one armpit on the Wonderful Wallaby (from Cottage Creations):

The Cottage Creation patterns seem to be sold in every yarn shop I've ever been in, and I'm always surprised to find people who have never heard of them (hi Karen!).

I made some headway on my second attempt with this Diaketo yarn:

I was originally trying to make an Entrelac vest along with my Entrelac Design class, but I wasn't going to have enough yarn (no matter how fast I knit).  Now I'm making pillow covers in various sizes and various Entrelac combinations.  Stay tuned for another exciting episode of:  As the Entrelac Turns.

And now, a word from our sponsor:

CHOCOLATE!

Sarah

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 5

I went to the post office this evening.  Not the Haslett post office, which is two miles from my house.  Not the Okemos post office, which is four miles from my house.  Not the East Lansing post office, which is six miles from my house.  No, I drove ten miles over to the Lansing post office.  Why?  For the knit-in!  For the what??  For the knit-in!  The Lansing post office hosted a knit-in this evening in their lobby, to kick off the holiday shipping season.  I couldn't stay long, because Son Number Two was with me and he was feeling a little under the weather today.  We stayed long enough to drink some punch and eat some Christmas cookies, and to chat with Leanne and her fellow crafters, and then we made a small purchase and hit the road.  What did we buy?

Duh!  Maybe I'll actually send Christmas cards out this year! 

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 5

I'm going to flash three FOs today:

I could cheat and flash one a day for three days, but I'm saving that tactic for my other military scarf (shh!).  These are tiny (approximately 3 inches wide) face cloths for a friend's almost-three-year-old daughter's school.  Our Guild took these on as a quickie service project.  I used two different patterns -- the one I've used for years and years, and a slightly different one I found on the Internet.  Can you tell which one is different?

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 5

I removed these (sixty of them!):

from these:

and then blocked the crap out of them with a steam iron and a pressing cloth.  This is the part where I start to like the stockings a little bit.  I still have to sew up those back seams and add the borders and hanging loops at the top, but I'm SO close to the finish line!  I could have taken them to the post office tonight if I hadn't stopped to work on this:

I experienced some nasty "rowing out" on the pocket, which is worked back and forth (as opposed to the body, which is worked in the round).  I don't think I had ever had that problem before, but fortunately for everyone concerned (which would be me, Fran, and Fran's granddaughter) I was using my handy dandy* interchangeable Harmony needles and could switch one side to a larger needle size to correct the problem.  Of course it took me two tries (out of two possible combinations) to switch the correct side to the correct size, but it really did the trick.  Apparently I purl tighter than I knit (isn't it usually the other way around?), so I made the "purl" needle a size larger. 

Onward to the armpits!

Sarah

*Does anyone besides me miss Steve from Blue's Clues?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

So I guess I accidentally used CUT and paste last night instead of COPY and paste like I thought I had used.  Just because I was too lazy to retype the headings from the previous post.  As a result, I seem to have deleted my entire post from December 2.  I've put a new one back, but I'm sure it's not as fabulous as the original.  Poo.

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 4

Tuesday is the night of the weekly knit-in I've been attending for over a dozen years.  It used to always be at my house on the first Tuesday of the month, but I got burned out and gave it up a year or so ago.  I was a substitute host tonight, though, and the knitters came in droves:

This also marked the very rare occasion of having my mother and all three of her daughters in the same room. 

I forgot to take a "Before" photo, but here are some "After" ones:

I had a bit of a problem with the bread machine:

It was like a swarm of locusts came through the kitchen and left behind crumbs and dirty dishes.  I just about died when I walked in and saw the sink:

Come on now -- were you guys raised in a barn?  Who in their right mind would shove dishes into a sink in such a manner?  I was flabbergasted!  No, really!  Flabbergasted!  I told them they should be ashamed of themselves, and that their dirty dishes were going on the blog.  Shame on you!  You know who you are!  (And hey -- thanks for coming!)

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 4

I finished another seed stitch military scarf in the same yarn (Araucania Nature Wool Chunky) in a darker green:

I think it's really pretty cool how the variegation lined up like tiger stripes (green tiger stripes, but whatever).  I went back and looked at the lighter green ones I made earlier, and those had striped, too.  Weird! 

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 4

I didn't even touch the Stockings From Hell today (bad knitter!) because I was cooking and cleaning all day.  While the knitters were here I started my next Christmas deadline, which is a Wonderful Wallaby in a nice small size 6:

Why yes, those ARE my new Harmony interchangeable needles from KnitPicks.  Thank you for noticing!

I was sort of hoping to use my new needles on something a little more luxurious for their first time, but all of my other needles were busy with other projects (and I have a LOT of other needles, which means I have a LOT of other projects ON the needles), so the Encore won out.

We're talking a LOT of projects on the needles.  At last count, it was over 30.  Hence the WIP WATCH and FO parade.  I can't finish out 2007 with that many projects going.  I may need an intervention.

Sarah

Monday, December 3, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 3

On my list of things-to-do today was Christmas decorating.  I'm hosting the weekly knit-in tomorrow (Tuesday) night (you're all invited!) and thought it would be nice to have the house looking festive.  There were quite a few things on my list of things-to-do today, however, and I never actually got around to the Christmas decorating.  Son Number Two stepped up to the task just before bedtime (he learned his avoidance techniques from his mother) and placed Santas and snowmen and reindeer and candles and garland and trees everywhere he could reach.  I had to rescue a few items from precarious perches, but he did a great job and I was thrilled to be able to cross that off my list.  He also washed all of my Christmas dishes.  While singing Christmas carols.  I'm thinking of hiring him out next year to help pay for Christmas.

So now the house is ready and it's only December 3rd.  It feels weird, but good.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 3

I took a deep breath and ripped and re-knit:

and now both socks are pretty much the same size.  And no pooling!

They're very comfortable -- and I don't know why those heels look so loose, because they fit perfectly in real life.  Mica approves.  Details are here.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 3

I wove in everything except the red yarn today.  Wouldn't want to actually FINISH the damned things, would I?

The carnage:

Hmmm . . . sort of reminds me of something . . .

Mwah!!!

Sarah

Sunday, December 2, 2007

I apparently deleted this post a day after I had written it -- unintentionally -- so I'll try to recreate it.

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 2

I went to book club at Woven Art, where the annual tradition is to read children's books (holiday or otherwise) aloud while munching on milk and cookies (or whatever).  We had chocolate, pumpkin pie (with whipped cream), cookies and eggnog.  We read old books and new books, and I believe I sang some Cat-mas carols.  Horses decked out in jingle bells pulled carriages along the street in front of the shop every half hour or so (ching ching ching!), which added to the festive mood.

I also pulled my Christmas cd collection out of the basement and put it in my car.  I listened to the one with Nat, Dean and Bing singing traditional Christmas carols.  I have a wide range of holiday music, from Mitch Miller to collections of current pop artists and lots of piano pieces, including a cd from Son Number Two's piano teacher.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 2

I found a skein of miscellaneous wool in my stash that asked to become a hat.  I used a top down pattern that Nancy McRay of Woven Art gave me last week.  It worked great, although I seem to be making all of my hats a little too large lately.  Knitting a hat top down isn't any more difficult than knitting a hat from the bottom up -- you just do it backwards!  It was nice to have a pattern, though, so I didn't have to think too much.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 2

I wove in all of the tails for the feet, the words, and the white pointy things:

All that remains is the tails for the motifs and then I need to block the crap out of the stockings, sew up the seams along the leg and add the top border and loop.

Hmm.  I can't remember the witty thingy I said at the end of this post originally, so I'll just end it here.

Sarah

Saturday, December 1, 2007

TAKING BACK CHRISTMAS:  Day 1

Son Number One and I went to the "Home for the Holidays" concert at the Wharton Center this evening.  The winter storm held off just long enough so that the roads were only a little slippery for the drive home (although the snow was turning to freezing rain as we pulled into our neighborhood, so I think it's gonna get pretty messy overnight).  The concert was lovely, and Son Number One was a willing and interested (and interesting) companion.  He's turning out well, although there's still some work to be done.

FLASH YOUR FO:  Day 1

Shedir is done:

It's a fussy pattern, but absolutely worth the trouble.  I used Rowan Calmer in a lovely violet color.  I'll try to get a better picture in natural light (if we ever see the sun again), but I do need to get this and the Lace-Edged Women's Hat in the mail to my cousin, who started chemo last week.

WIP WATCH:  Countdown to 2008:  Day 1

I've just completed the knitting portion of the Stockings From Hell:

Has anyone seen my darning needle?  I think it's time to start weaving in some ends.

Sarah

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