Goodbye, 2006

Where to start? 2006 was a hard year for me in many ways, so I’m not entirely sad to see it go. Inspired by Wendy’s post, I decided to look back at how many projects I’ve completed and it is only two! (Socks for my mom and for my Sockapalooza pal.) I’m pretty surprised by that, considering that for most of the year I had no job and no full time academic obligations. On the other hand, I have lots of projects I started and never finished: the cable eight top (in LA, waiting to be sewn up), the viennese shrug (also sitting in a knitting back in LA), and Lucky, my Olympic knitting project (that, at least, I’ve started working on again in MI). Those are the just the ones I can tell from my site; perhaps there are other unfinished projects I’ve forgetting. Perhaps my resolution for 2007 should be to finish what I’ve started!

(Forgive me for the blurry picture of our Christmas tree above, but I find it to be much prettier in the pictures I took at night.) Of course, I’ve realized I’ve already forgotten something…the baby kimono for my niece. I did manage to finish that one in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, I only have a picture of it unblocked and missing it’s ties, but you get the idea. Maybe I should also resolve to knit more baby items next year…quick to complete and therefore very satisfying!

I did not attempt to make a sweater for my nephew this Christmas, as I threatened before. Instead, I ordered yarn for the Short Row Rib Scarf from Magknits. The yarn is a nice deep blue merino from handpaintedyarn.com, shown on the left below. To the right you can see yarn and beads for Jae’s Bernadette, which I am itching to start. And finally, my favorite presents this year: a ball winder and swift! (Yeah, my family thinks I’m a bit crazy for getting excited about that.) I can’t wait until I have more yarn to wind up. I only hope that everything makes it back to LA in good shape…

I am currently knitting the short row ribbed scarf in addition to Lucky. It is coming along pretty well, except for whenever I discover an extra stitch at the end of a section. This has happened twice so far and each time I’ve been forced to rip back and re-knit the section. I have a feeling this scarf is going to progress veeerrrryyy sloooowwwlyyy…

Now that I’ve gotten you all up to date, I wish all the knitters out there a Happy New Year, with an abundance of yarn and finished objects, and as few froggings as possible! See you next year!

Happy Holidays!

I’m just dropping by to wish those who celebrate Christmas a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! There is lots to talk about (I’ve been doing plenty of knitting), but of course I’ve been busy enjoying my time with my husband and family since I’ve been back. (And the kitties too, of course!) I’ll post a picture-filled update soon…

A is for arrrggghhh

I’m giving the crochet a try on cable 8, but I’m having trouble with it continually puckering despite trying to be as loose as possible. I thought at first that it was because the only crochet hook I had was a size smaller than the pattern specified, but today I bought a larger hook and the problem does not seem to be any better. I could just buy an even *larger* hook (I’d be up to a J or K), but I am starting to learn towards mattress stitching the pieces together as suggested. I could still try the crochet edging around the neck and arms to make it look more polished. At least I’m getting better and faster with the crochet with all the practice I’m getting…

Yay for google!

Well, google I did and I found a cable eight KAL at Poor Miss Finch’s. That led me to Drew’s finished cable eight, which looks great. You can even see the sides in his picture, which look pretty good. I guess I should give the crochet a shot after all… I just hope the cap sleeves don’t make my upper arms look too fat!

There’s been a flurry of online yarn buying today…so look for a flurry of Christmas knitting here soon…

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt

Finished paper? Check. Successful Thanksgiving and spousal visit? Check. Finished front and back of cable eight? Check. Things are moving along, finally. I now only have to assemble cable eight, but don’t look for that to be finished soon. The instructions say to crochet the pieces together, which I’m not too good at. I considered some other methods, but I’m thinking of trying the crochet first. I ought to google the pattern to see if anyone used a different finishing method.

Today I went to Michael’s to see if I could find yarn for some baby Christmas gifts, but didn’t find what I needed. I may just wait until I’m back in Detroit, where I know the yarn stores better. I did learn something, however. Avoid the area around the mall here on Saturdays close to Christmas at all costs! I’m relieved to have made it back in one piece.

To make up for the lack of bloggage lately, here’s another silly little quiz, as seen at Steph’s (I swear I wasn’t going for the same result; maybe it’s an academic thing):

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.