Hold the phone – make that:

*8* pairs of socks (I forgot one sock that I haven’t made the mate to)
4 afghan squares/dishcloths
3 scarves
3 bags
*3* sweaters
1 sweater for my computer
1 shawl
1 set of fingerless gloves

Yes, a photo finish! It’s not even midnight here in Pacific Time, and I have one more FO to show you in 2006! (I don’t know if I started it in 2006, but it’s done this year at least!)

This is my Lucky Number sweater. At some point in the past I was at a Chuck E. Cheese, and was into swatching, and I decided: why not just start something rather than just swatch! The sleeve of this side-to-side sweater was born!

I call it “Lucky Number” because it is in increments of 7 (and the Lene Lovich song of the same name of course). I used to have the pattern written out but my old laptop died and my pattern with it. I do know that the neck has 7 rows of K5 P2 ribbing and the bottom ribbing has 21 rows of K5 P2 ribbing, but that’s about it. Oh well.

So, to end 2006: my Lucky Number sweater, made in 7 skeins of Noro Shinano. Now I’ve got to figure out what to do with my other 3 skeins!

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

I’m very sad as I look through the vast array of what other people have been able to complete this year. I know I’m a slow knitter, exemplified by the 4 days it took to complete my last FO of the year, my Red Scarf Project. It’s made out of 2 skeins of Filatura di Crosa 127 Print and I’ve enjoyed making it.

I’ve been keeping track this year, but it’s still a sorry looking list compared to some of you:

7 1/2 pairs of socks
4 afghan squares/dishcloths
3 scarves
3 bags (Lotorp and French Market Bags and my Spun Gold bag)
2 sweaters (Katrina Rib and A.Lo’s Banana Fish)
1 sweater for my computer
1 shawl
1 set of fingerless gloves

Pitiful, huh? And I’ve felt like I spent the whole year knitting for other people – the knitting for swaps and for my LYS.

My knitting resolutions for next year: finish up my UFOs and work on clearing out my stash. I’ve been really good lately in not buying yarn, and I hope to continue. By next December 31st I’d love to decrease my stash by 1/3 (because I’m a slow knitter and probably couldn’t make it into 1/2) and not buy any yarn that I buy online. I haven’t gone to a LYS in months so I could easily not buy yarn if I didn’t buy any online. We’ll see.

Hope you have a safe and Happy New Year!

Great news! In my vast yarn closet (do you think DL will need his closet anytime before high school? ) I found another ball of the Filatura di Crosa 127 Print I’m using for my red scarf! I know I’m a slow knitter, but I’m just about done with the first one and it’s nowhere near the 60″ the scarf is supposed to be. I was going to try and add in a different color, but hopefully 2 skeins will be okay.

ETA: I don’t know where all this yarn is coming from, but I just found 2 more skeins of not only the same color, but the same lot! It also has the same price tag, so I don’t know if I got it together from someone, or what. I originally thought it was a Secret Pal gift, but I’m thinking not at this point. It’s really gorgeous, soft yarn, though, and I’ll need all 4 since at almost one skein I’ve only got 18″ of scarf.

I also pulled out a couple of sock yarn skeins (we all know I have enough of that as well, and even not in red ) to start my Sockret Pal socks. I have until February I think to make them, but I’d like to get started earlier. So much for the other WIPs I had been actively working on, like my Lucky Number sweater or my red sweater or my legwarmers. Any clue how long size 9 American (I think) feet are? I wear 8s and mine are 10 inches, but I’m not sure how long to make hers.

Finally, I brought out two skeins of red Knit Picks Palette for a perhaps second red scarf. I had wanted to use a thicker yarn for faster knitting, but I also want to use up this yarn. Maybe I’ll double strand it since I have a lot of Palette in red. I have been wearing my socks I made in Palette which I like, but I’m worried about them because they’re not washable so I barely wear them out of bed. What do you do with your hand wash socks?

The Hunt for Red January

I’m finally getting my act together! It’s almost January, time to send your red scarf to the Red Scarf Project, so I figured it was about time to start one! And we all know I have no red yarn, right?

This is double moss stitch using my Red Heart Kids needles I bought for DL and Filatura di Crosa 127 Print. I love how it’s turning out! I hope I have enough yarn, though, since I think I have only one ball of this. It’s 5″ wide and I’ll just keep knitting until I run out of yarn. So far so good.

I did a bit of knitting today at Charlotte’s Web. It was a cute movie, but the kids weren’t so great so I didn’t get much done. I got more done during one of my favorite new shows, My Boys. I can’t believe it’s just started and they’re already showing the Season Finale? (I hope that was “Season Finale” and not “Series Finale”.) I started watching it because of Jim Gaffigan, my favorite comedian, but it is enjoyable. Not the best show ever, but I like it. And it’s been driving me crazy not knowing where I know Jordana Spiro from! A couple of years ago she was in a very favorite show of mine, The Huntress. I am a huge James Remar fan, so I loved that one and really miss it. Anyway, I hope to be done with the scarf soon! Maybe I’ll find the time to make some more! The idea of kids going off to college (or even just “aging out”) from the foster care system makes me really sad. I hope this really helps.

I’m finally getting my act together! It’s almost January, time to send your red scarf to the Red Scarf Project, so I figured it was about time to start one! And we all know I have no red yarn, right?

This is double moss stitch using my Red Heart Kids needles I bought for DL and Filatura di Crosa 127 Print. I love how it’s turning out! I hope I have enough yarn, though, since I think I have only one ball of this. It’s 5″ wide and I’ll just keep knitting until I run out of yarn. So far so good.

I did a bit of knitting today at Charlotte’s Web. It was a cute movie, but the kids weren’t so great so I didn’t get much done. I got more done during one of my favorite new shows, My Boys. I can’t believe it’s just started and they’re already showing the Season Finale? (I hope that was “Season Finale” and not “Series Finale”.) I started watching it because of Jim Gaffigan, my favorite comedian, but it is enjoyable. Not the best show ever, but I like it. And it’s been driving me crazy not knowing where I know Jordana Spiro from! A couple of years ago she was in a very favorite show of mine, The Huntress. I am a huge James Remar fan, so I loved that one and really miss it. Anyway, I hope to be done with the scarf soon! Maybe I’ll find the time to make some more! The idea of kids going off to college (or even just “aging out”) from the foster care system makes me really sad. I hope this really helps.

Merry Christmas!!!

We had a nice day, with a brunch at my MIL’s house for our family, she and her husband and my parents. We’ve never had Christmas together in the 12 years I’ve known BR!

The kids went a little crazy, getting up at 4:30 a.m. and then being cranky all day, but Santa was good to them — BR’s work “fairy” allowed us to purchase a Wii so DL was trying it out all day.

I had my own Santa — you have got to see what Jen made for me:

Isn’t it gorgeous?! It is so soft and in just my colors! Thank you so much Jen!

Now, back to my favorite new Christmas tradition – a James Spader film fest (White Palace; Sex, Lies and Videotape; and Pretty in Pink) and this:

Happy Holidays!!!

BR’s family celebrates on Christmas Eve, so we had our celebration (most of it) tonight. BR made a delicious Mediterranean themed meal and the kids went on a present opening frenzy!

We spent the day looking for a larger, better fake tree, and I didn’t find one I liked. Then we looked for more Christmas ornaments, but I didn’t find any I liked, so I had the kids make some! They had a great time and the tree looks great!

Then since we had time before dinner, we made some Christmas cookies for Santa too!

I got some great gifts too, Fluevog sandals (they don’t fit – don’t ask) and “The Office” Season Two DVD from my parents! BR also bought me some delicious Bissingers chocolate, but for more info you’re going to have to check out my candy blog …

My parents are visiting from Maryland and we’re doing our first all-grandparent holiday tomorrow, which should be interesting. When my kids were born I decided we would have Christmas at our house so my MIL always comes here, but now my parents are here too so it is kind of strange. Today I got a haircut (why do hairdressers always do the wrong thing? I find them to be much too hesitant in some ways and overzealous in others.) where I went in wanting to have long hair with layers, and I came out with short hair with one or two layer-y things in the front. If I could ever figure out my Mac camera I could take a self portrait. But another thing I discovered while sitting in front of a mirror for an hour is that 1) I’m fat and 2) I have more wrinkles than my mom so I’m not that excited about taking pictures right now.Except pictures of inanimate objects. If Norovember did nothing, it at least convinced me to bring my Lucky Number sweater out of hiding. So far I’ve stitched up the sides and knit the neckline. Yesterday I picked up 98 stitches for the bottom ribbing so I’ll see how it goes. I hope it fits, since I was maybe 10 lbs. lighter when I created this pattern. Damn chocolate.

Last week when I was in my beading frenzy I found a working watch face, and made a watch. Then I wore it to my MIL’s house and it broke. Well, yesterday I restrung one side, but I’m too worried about wearing it and having it break again. I may try it tomorrow since I’ll be home in case it breaks. I do like it, though, and it took me about 4 iterations to get it the right length.

Have a happy and safe holiday!

So, you might know that I signed up for the Punk Rock Gift Exchange and received two gorgeous and decadent packages. Well, at some point (I’m not even sure if it’s over or not, frankly), we were supposed to confide to our pals who we were. My lovely pal was the newly married Col but I was saying to my friend Shannon that I had never heard who my pal was.

I’m sure you can guess who it was — it was Shannon of course! Well, it was a small exchange, but I even told her about it, and to have her be my pal was such a surprise!

Well, you’re never going to guess what Shannon sent me this time! No, it’s not black Manos, that was a few months ago. No, it’s not two of my dream yarns, that was last month. She actually bought me a swift! Can you believe it?

Of course I had to try it out with the Crystal Palace Breeze I bought from Little Knits – it’s so fun! I may never have tangled yarn again! Thank you so much Shannon!!!

P.S. Now both of my pals have had some major life changes during this exchange – Col got married, and Shannon is buying her first house! Congratulations Shannon!

We’re still busy! The kids and I whipped up some Christmas cookies yesterday:

And I have been doing some knitting, in between spring (winter) cleaning and beading:

I haven’t done much with my red sweater, but maybe I’ll get it done before spring; I have been carrying my legwarmers around with me, and have gone through one skein. I’m planning on using 4 skeins of Elann’s Connemara for both, so I’m 1/4 of the way done.; and I’ve actually sewn up the sides and picked up stitches for the neckline of my Lucky Number sweater. I think I’m on row 3 and I want to do 7 for the neck, then pick up stitches for the bottom ribbing, then I’m done! Of course then there is the question of the too long and narrow sleeves …