happy new year!

Yay! The sweater is blocking! The sweater is blocking! Judging from the very rainy and foggy January 1 we are experiencing, it's going to be a few days (at least) before it's dry enough to start sewing together. The pieces bathed in some of the "celebration" Soak, and turned the water a very bright red. I'll aim to have it in wearable condition by next Sunday, because sadly, I have to return to work tomorrow. I love the woman of leisure thing. But: Hubby and I are going on a weekend jaunt to San Francisco at the end of next week, so I'll have short weeks at the office to ease into the new year. What shall I bring to knit on the trip? Hm... With the new version of Blogger, I put together a knitting queue, in hopes of keeping fun projects in the front of my mind.

In other news, today we learned that some dear friends are moving to northern California. Sigh. However, we are also expecting (hoping) for a significant change ourselves over 2007, which means that I'm jumping on the

bandwagon. Here are my rules:

1. Vacation purchases don't count (it's a souvenir).
2. No buying sale yarn (I don't knit it any faster).
3. The project term shall extend from January 1 until July 31 (guilt-free buying before my birthday, and hopefully we'll be moved by then).
4. If a specific gift is required and I really don't have the yarn in stash, I can buy what I need (but need to keep in mind that I've got almost two boxes of baby-type yarn already).

My resolve is already being tested. This morning I got an email from a sort-of local yarn shop that is closing, and of course, having a large sale. Gah! Rule #2! Must resist! But seriously, I have way too much yarn, and moving it would be no fun at all. We need to purge, and this is a good way to start.

the sweater grows

I'm pleased as punch with my sweater. The fronts are done, and I finally get to start the sleeves... where the stitch dropping starts. Woo hoo! Hubby is home for the weekend, so I probably won't get quite as much done as I did on Thursday and Friday, but I hope to be blocking by January 1!

The origami tree at the MNH is really wonderful. There was a table with volunteers from the Origami Society of the USA (or something like that), who were demonstrating how to make simple animals. I could have filled up the camera's memory with photos of these guys.

i lurve it already

I started my Drop-Stitch Sweater yesterday, and I'm loving it! I'm also loving just sitting around and knitting... which could get really habit-forming. The arm decreases are done, and the back should be finished this evening. I had to stop and take a picture before all natural light disappeared. It's lovely to still have light at 4:30pm!

I've upgraded to the new Blogger, and it seems that my picture is fairly cropped, among other issues. I have a lot to learn about this new version! Oh, and if you were considering going to the Museum of Natural History this week: DON'T! It's a crazy madhouse. But the origami animal tree was really cool, and I'll share pictures of that treat soon.

(ETA: Ah well, the picture thing seems to have resolved itself. Thanks Blogger!)

quick update

So, happy holiday of your choice. We ran out of here last week and I didn't get a chance to display the picture of the Lincoln Center Christmas tree. Maybe next year... This has to be quick because I'm leaving to go to the Museum of Natural History shortly... with the nephews. Hope I have the energy!

I finished a pair of socks! These are from the Regia Bamboo purchased during our August trip to Germany. Grafting is getting much, much easier. However, the next pair of socks I cast on are going to be toe-up. I just have to figure out how.

I finished (a while ago) a little hat out of leftover bits of Polar! This might go in the Dulaan bin, or to the next baby that pops out. We'll have to see which comes first.

Speaking of babies, I took advantage of the Webs sale on Louise Harding Kimono Angora. The baby gifts are in such high demand that I thought a little stash plugging is in order.

Finally, my last yarn purchase of 2006: Brown Sheep Wildfoote sock yarn from upstate. There was one amazing yarn store Mom knew of, and I'm lucky that this was it for the purchasing.

wednesday ramblings

I'm very sad that I missed the opportunity to eat here. I was enthralled by Calvin Trillin's profile of the place from 2002, and walked by it a number of times over the summer (I had a class nearby). Of course, I'm willing to follow Calvin Trillin just about anywhere, and eat just about anything he recommends. He has a new book out, which I'm almost sure to pick up before the end of the year.

The Trekking sock surgery went well; undoing the graft was easier than expected. I knit through the attached yarn last night and was going to proceed in attaching the skein again, but thought that I needed to be more alert to check the length. Tonight, hopefully.

On a side note, I just called to order a plant for my grandmother, who's moved out of her house and into an adult-care facility in the same small town. I placed the order, and told the florist my grandmother's name. The florist said, "And she's at East Road now, right?" and by golly, she is. Hopefully my good granddaughter deed will spread through the town as quickly as the move did. Cities have the same small town deal, just condensed and less personal. The coffee cart guy and Starbucks folks knows my order before I arrive at the register, but they certainly don't know my name. The same, but different.

finished socks!

My nasal issues are staging a comeback, so this might be even more disjointed than usual.

I wanted to use up every last bit of time off from the office, and since we are closing for the year on Thursday, I had to get moving and take my 3/4 of a personal day today. I chose to spend my personal time grafting up some socks. I really dislike grafting, but will admit that it's getting easier. Below are my two success stories; koigu and regia.



I started out the afternoon by finishing the toe to my second Trekking Jaywalker. Yay! Only 14 stitches to graft for these!


And they look pretty good here, huh? Except...


I seem to have stopped about two inches short on the foot for the second sock. Tonight's mission is to pick apart the grafting, and frog back to the pattern. It could be worse, of course.

Hubby just handed me a glass of wine. I can't smell a thing, but know that it's red.

10 days?

Wow, I didn't realize that I hadn't posted in so long. Sorry, readers! I was seriously distracted with finishing up the semester (only one more to go!) and working lots and lots, as it is the busiest season of the year at work. The combo always leads to very little holiday spirit on my part.

But, I have been knitting and gifting. This little hat was gifted to my little September baby friend. Mom, baby and I had lunch recently, and I was concerned about the heftiness of his current hat. This is made from the all-naturally dyed Jamie Harmon merino/angora yarn (purchased from Rhinebeck 2006). The little guy was not impressed with the mittens, but they were just too cute to not make. He seemed fine with the hat!

In other news, I was jolted awake yesterday by a migraine (after feeling crappy the previous two days). It took a while for me to realize what it was, because it had been so long since I'd had the pleasure. Since I was asleep, I didn't catch the aura warning signs and was thus really confused for a while. I figured out what it was after I started thinking that lopping off my head would be preferable to the pain. Happily, my migraines are usually only a couple of hours long, so I did make it to the two previously scheduled Sunday parties... ;)

finished object friday

In time for the coldest day, I finished my hat! It's a Rhinebeck 2006 purchase: Briar Rose Fibers Collette, 85% wool & 15% mohair, 190 yards. And it was only $15! There's enough left over for a little pair of mitten, too. I saw a hat with a big braid in the Briar Rose booth, and went searching for the pattern. Not finding anything, I branched out and didn't follow a pattern to the letter. The bottom is the Loose Five Rib Braid with Abby added border from Barbara G. Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and I just picked up about 70 stitches and started knitting the top part. It worked out really well, and will be even better when the wind isn't blowing at 30 mph.

serenity now!

dulaan finale (for now)

It's the first really cold week we've had in New York this season, so I think it's time to unveil my collection of Dulaan items. Four hats, one scarf, and one neckwarmer. This is the ultimate good-for-the-soul knitting. I loved holding the thick wool and stitching up warmth destined for chilly Mongolians. Most items are kid-sized, but the red hat is pretty large. I have a very significant circumference, and it fits me just fine.

Everything was knit in either Lamb's Pride Bulky, or Valley Yarns' Berkshire. I had all of this in my stash from a year or so ago, when I thought that felting was my new knitting technique. It finally hit me that I didn't want felted bags, and so the yarn has been hanging out in the stash. I'm very happy that it was repurposed for such a good cause!

All of the hats have double-thickness at the base to protect foreheads and ears. I used Ann Budd's basic hat pattern for the technique (one purl row to encourage the first two inches to fold up). I'm going to do a couple more items before the end of the year, including some mittens with more Lamb's Pride Bulky that is a dark gray-blue - perfect for hand coverings, because a little grubbiness won't show!

Thank you, Ryan, for coordinating this project.