Christmas time is here ....

Well, not really, but I figured if I wanted to make xmas cards this year I better get a move on. So after pulling a bunch of stuff (and I have quite a bit of stuff) up from the basement to look through. I made a mess out of my craft room, but came up with this:



Photo is horrible, but its not easy to take a photo of paper and my scanner is not hooked up right now. I only have one more blue card so I'll have to go get more of those, but I think I can get away with not having to purchase any other supplies to make several of these. I typically only send hand made cards to those I know will appreciate them, everyone else gets a store bought one.

I got my last shipment from the Socks that Rock 2009 club :o( I'm not sad with what I've got, I'm sad its the last one. However, I have yet to knit any from this year. So if I cannot afford to sign up for next year I have 6 skeins waiting anyway, LOL!

I also have 4 from the Lord of the Rings sock club that I didn't knit yet. So plenty to work on in 2010.

I recently finished Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. I listened to the audio version. I downloaded the next in the series because the first was very enjoyable. I think before that one I am going to listen to Neil Gaiman's Stardust. I really enjoyed Neverwhere and loved the movie Coraline and listened to Coraline after seeing the movie. I also like that he narrates his own work and has a wonderful speaking voice.

I finished the heel on my second Leyburn sock, in yarn that I dyed myself. Hope to finish that one up this week and have a pair! I also cast on self striping yarn in Toe up Socks with a Difference and have one sock almost completed.

Here are the two beasties being cute ... they are brother and sister actually from different litters (I got them from a woman I work with and their mom has since been spayed, yay!).

Fresh Air

Its about 60 out today, warm for November in New England. I have the window open in my freshly cleaned craft room to let in some fresh air.

I spent the morning cleaning up this room ... crafts, boxes and all kinds of stuff all over the place from the last week. I also spent some time winding mangled skeins into cakes from the little devil that runs about the house with any yarn she can find and tries to destroy it.

I finished up the socks for a co-worker last night. Am glad to have that off my to do list. He wanted some winter socks, so I used worsted weight yarn and made up the pattern myself. I wanted something with ribbing so they would fit well.



Now I have Diane's gloves to finish up for Christmas and Derek's scarf. I would also like to finish up a pair of socks for me and cast on some plain vanilla in a self striping yarn to replace the ones the little one tore a hole in recently. There's a great pattern on Knit Picks for a lump of coal ... I am going to make one for the little beasty since she is so naughty!

FO: Art's Socks

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool
Needles: Addi Size 5 40"
Made up the pattern myself.

Cast on May 2009
Cast off 11/20/09

Stop the Insanity

I just came across some yarn I remember purchasing ... but can't remember what for. A lady I work with and I often go in together on Knit Picks orders to get free shipping - why I don't know we often each spend the $50 required for free shipping anyway, but no matter, its fun to do together. So I found three skeins of purple sock yarn for what?!?!

I almost purchased some yarn on my wish list at The Loopey Ewe the other day - "before its sold out" - then realized I had already purchased it a few months ago and its in the closet. Crazy!!

Here are some photos of the little sock and yarn stealer, she's on the right ...



Clearly she can do whatever she wants in this house no matter who is concerned ...

Lessons Learned ...

Don't continue to leave knit socks out in the laundry basket when a kitten keeps stealing them and running around the house, eventually she'll get over rambunctious and chew a hole through the heel!!

She's also capable of taking an entire skein of yarn apart under the bed ...

She's lucky she's so sweet and cute ...

Don't leave cardboard or wood needles in the basement on the floor for a year without moving anything around ... wood will grow mildew ... bye bye needles. These were ones I never really used anyway and less expensive brands - obviously I put my favs upstairs in my craft room when we moved here. I consider those to be more important than major appliances, LOL!

If you do a little bit of cleaning every day you can have people over whenever without fearing they think you a messy packrat ... I've always known this, just didn't start practicing it until recently.

The Knit is Up 2009

Can you believe its already mid-November?? I've got some things that have been hanging around as WIPs for quite some time now and I am determined to get them finished by the end of the year ... or at least the end of Winter, that'll give me a few more months.

1. Gloves for Diane - these were supposed to be a Christmas present oh last year. I just found a post on my previous blog that I finished the first one 11/11/08. I found another post from August 08 where it was half done. Still not sure when I actually originally cast on.

2. Scarf for Derek - this was another one that was supposed to be a Christmas present, I hope last year and no the year before, LOL!

3. Christmas stocking ... would be nice to have it for some Christmas this decade!

That's all I am gonna hold myself to at this point. I have so many thing half done, but I've made lists before and think they are too big, so I never complete them.

I found a post from January 09 that included this:

Things I learned in 2008
Fair Isle
2 socks at the same time
Continental Knitting (this could have been ’07)
Seaming and Finishing

Techniques I want to learn in 2009
Slip Stitch
Knitting with Beads
Lace Shawl

Projects to Finish
Hooded Scarf
Faux Dr. Who Scarf
Afghan
Tank Top
Mitered Mittens
Christmas Stocking

Well ... the only thing I finishsed this year was the tank top. I guess I can move the techniques to 2010, LOL!! Never did do any of those.