A rationale for not posting, and the year-end summary

I was very good about posting regularly, and then I fell off the wagon. To my credit, it wasn't by choice. I caught the flu. Not a stomach bug, but the full-on flu- the aches, the pains, the fever, the inability to get out of bed for days on end, never leaving the two rooms at the back of the house (bedroom and bathroom) for nie on a week. It was horrid, and yes, I will get the flu shot next year and never tempt fate again.

The flu was actually worse than just the sickness itself, however, because I was unable to drink coffee so I went into caffeine withdrawal concurrent with feeling terrible already... and I actually was so sick that I couldn't knit, which meant I was subject to almost a full week without knitting. That may be the longest I have gone without knitting since I picked up the needles senior year of college. Any virus that can force me to forego caffeine and knitting is truly evil.

On the plus side, I'm quite recovered now. The only lingering effect is that I slept for so many days, I now have pretty remarkable insomnia. I was up until 5am on a work night last week, and look to be that bad tonight as well. I suppose it's an opportunity to post something, being completely unable to sleep and still a bit too tired to knit.

I created another little collage of my work from the second half of 2007. I am not as pleased with this one- lately, I haven't been taking as many photographs as normal, and I don't always have pictures of the finished objects with ends woven in. Either way, it appears I completed 9 projects (and was so very, very close on a bunch more... but they didn't make the cut):


Top row:
Manly Socks (a gift for my dad, for Chanuka)
Snowflake Socks (a gift for my roommate, for Christmas)... technically 3 ends have still not been woven in, and I have to do that before we exchange New Year's gifts. The flu definitely got in the way of completing these!
Endpaper Mitts (knit for me! I haven't worn them, however, as I tend to wear long-sleeved shirts. I think they will be perfect in the spring.)
Fetching Mitts (by request for Sharyn, my favorite vegan to knit for and of course my best friend)
Bottom row:
Snowflake washcloth (part of Sharyn's Christmas gift)
Seraphim shawl (for me!)
Brian's Cheesy Puff sweater (knit by request for a coworker... the sleeves are a bit long for him, but he says it is definitely warm for his house in Pennsylvania)
Victory V Baby Blanket (for a coworker's beautiful new son)

Not pictured: my nifty green socks, that somehow have been worn a multitude of times and yet never photographed. So that's 9 projects total!

I'll take it. So close I could taste it?
- A chullo hat, knitted, that just needs to have braid ties added to the top and to the earflaps
- Hanami stole, fairly far from completion, but I would have finished the Basketweave section if I hadn't had the flu!
- Wisp, lacking only 3 lace repeats of 16 total. I very well may finish this before the end of the year, since I have a lot of airport and plane time coming up and it's fun and mindless knitting. This one also would have been finished over Christmas, had I not caught the flu of doom.
- Men's fingerless mitts, one mitt was knit in an evening but no ends woven in, and the second mitt hasn't been made yet
- Sand baby jacket, only needs to be sewn together (still)
- Mystery Stole 3, still stuck on the very last chart before I graft the two sides together... this may be on the needles forever


17 finished objects in a year isn't shabby, though it's nothing compared to some of my favorite knit bloggers! In February 2007 I wrote: I have a few knitting goals for 2007. They're pretty simple, actually. I want to knit myself two sweaters, and at least one pair of socks. Actually, I'd love to knit myself three sweaters and enough socks that I don't need to wear store-bought ones, but I'm sticking to realistic here. In this aim, I have the yarn and patterns for THREE sweaters already... and have cast on for one. Ooh la la. I also have a nearly finished pair of socks which has been languishing for a year or so.

How did I do? Well, I made myself one sweater (and one for a coworker), and finished socks for my mom, sister, father, and roommate... as well as one pair for me. Those were the nearly finished ones, though- I still have another pair of socks on the needles that have been languishing for months.

For next year, I would like my goals to be a bit more aggressive. I want to complete 3 sweaters in 2008 (I have enough started that it shouldn't be that difficult to complete the goal). I want to knit myself another two pairs of socks. And I want the holiday season of 2008 to be a completely handmade holiday... though by no means does everything have to be knitted. In fact, I fully intend to do some more sewing as well. My sewing goals are more specific: I want to sew a vest for Jamie for his steampunk suit (hopefully both the prototype and a final version). I want to sew myself a skirt. And I want to sew myself at least one bag.

Happy New Year to all!

A little Meme

Knitting blog, shmitting blog. Time for a cruise through the iPod- after all, it's on a lot of the time I'm knitting!
If your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?

Here’s how it works:
1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every section, type the song that’s playing
5. next section — press the next button
6. don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

I'm not very cool, but let's see what pops up.

Opening Credits: Cake, "Frank Sinatra" (good opening riffs, so that's cool)

Waking Up: Final Fantasy soundtrack, "Flight to the Wasteland" (hmm... not bad)

First Day at School: Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, "Summertime" (somehow seems not as a propos)

Falling in Love: Escaflowne Movie soundtrack, "Sora" (I'll take it- I really like that song and it's very passionate)

Breaking Up: Slayers Try, "Slayers Try Theme" (apparently my iPod is on an anime kick?)

Prom: Pale Saints, "A Thousand Stars Burst Open" (not very dance-able- but I suppose it could be a slow-dance?)

Life's Okay: Tori Amos, "Happy Phantom" (And if you died today, I'd be a happy phantom... and run naked through the street... I would wake up in strawberry fields every day... interesting.)

Mental Breakdown: Raymond Wong, Shaolin Soccer soundtrack, "Opening Theme" (a pretty appropriate choice, techno makes mental breakdowns)

Driving: Regina Spektor, "Somedays" (lyrical singable- perfect for my driving moods)

Flashback: Peter Frampton, "Lines on my Face"

Getting Back Together: Steel Pier soundtrack, "The Shag" (too funny- though the song isn't quite as "get it on" as it sounds)

Wedding: Everclear, "Normal Like You" (definitely not a fit!)

Birth of Child: Tori Amos, "Spring Haze" (don't know on this one- seems a bit quiet for the birth, but maybe for the aftermath?)

Final Battle: Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack, "They Say the Meek Shall Inherit" (great!)

Death Scene: Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within soundtrack, "The Eighth Spirit" (ethereal instrumental with nice booming moments and a bit eerie-sounding- pretty good fit)

End Credits: Placido Domingo, "Aquellos ojos verdes" (suitable I suppose, I'm surprised there wasn't more operatic music earlier in the set)

No super surprises here, though it's mostly movie and musical soundtracks- whereas here is my "25 most played list" for perspective!
The Apples in Stereo, Energy
Jonathan Coulton, Ikea
Amy Winehouse, Rehab
These United States, The Business
The Hussy's, Napoleon Dynamite
The Pipettes, Your Kisses are Wasted on Me
Beirut, Postcards from Italy
Chloe Day, Man in my Bedroom Corner
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Thou Shalt Always Kill
David & the Citizens, Graycoated Morning
Barenaked Ladies, Lovers in a Dangerous Time
The Dandy Warhols, Bohemian Like You
Fools & Horses, Frera
Fools & Horses, The Reprise
Tegan & Sara, Where Does the Good Go
The Cure, Love Song
Fools & Horses, Spinning Me Around
Guster, Jesus on the Radio
Inara George, Fools in Love
Rilo Kiley, Portions for Foxes
The Beatles, Getting Better
Dave Matthews, Say Goodbye (actually, it's an a capella group version, but it's been mislabeled)
Rilo Kiley, I Never
Rilo Kiley, Accidntel Death
Rilo Kiley, A Man/ Me/Then Jim

When faced with two options, take both?

Here's an interesting one. I purchased Elann's Silken Kydd a few days ago, for my holiday party stole. And then I couldn't bear to wait for it to arrive, so I bought the Kidsilk Haze as well. I'm a good ways into the Kidsilk stole... and then I read this interesting blog post from Sable Stasher. It really does sound like both yarns are identical. Hmmm. Two balls of Kidsilk Haze, care of my LYS, cost 30 bucks. Two balls of Silken Kydd cost me 13 dollars, including shipping.

I do love supporting my local yarn shops, and I'm supposed to be destashing anyways- but I have to say it's getting harder for me to justify paying more than twice the price simply to buy local. Maybe once I'm out of credit card debt, I'll be more willing? In the meantime I'm a failed budgeter, having bought essentially the same thing twice. BUT! This means I can make *two* stoles- and the next one will be of a completely different pattern. I wear black shawl things or sweaters just about all the time, so it will hardly go to waste.

I have a great deal of ambivalence about this pricing thing. I will spend a significant amount of money on certain things, due to their quality and workmanship, or because they fit perfectly (always a challenge on my frame), or because it's unique and I know I'll never have the opportunity again. I also will spend extra on things that really do seem to be better off for me and the world at large- I aim to buy local, I try to support independent artisans and especially local ones (or ones from New England, for sentimental reasons). But when faced with identical alternatives, how do you scoff at the option that saves money? Rowan hardly needs my help- and both yarns are imported from Italy. Supporting a LYS is wonderful, but so is supporting one's pocketbook.

What a quandary. I really want to knit with both, to determine how "essentially similar" they are to the hand as well as to the mind. After all, the Kidsilk Haze is a dream to work with- I hope the Silken Kydd is just as soft and delicious.

A day of knitting adventures, and a bit more family fun

Today was an overall great knitting sort of day. I didn't knit on the metro, since it was standing room only, but I did get to read more Anne of Windy Poplars for the Anne-a-long. I emailed the local lunch knitters at l'Enfant Plaza, only to hear they were going on a field trip to a local yarn shop and a craft store by Eastern Market instead of knitting in their office. I can make up an hour of time at work, I thought to myself, and I joined them! We checked out Ipso Crafto first, which has the makings of a really cute craft shop. I loved their little fabric selection (at prices half of what I'm used to seeing at G Street... and tons of PINKS). I also checked out a cross stitch book which may get me back into that craft, and may have to go back for it, since I can't locate it online. We then went to Stitch DC- a location I haven't been to, yet. And I've been having this hankering for black kidsilk haze, to knit a shawl for my holiday party. As surely I've said before. Let's ignore the fact that I just bought something for this purpose yesterday- it might not be as nice as the Rowan! And anyways, 4 balls of black laceyweight mohair is surely better than two. I can make two of them! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This evening I went to SSK after work, which is a pleasant metro ride up to Silver Spring. After my usual cabernet burger (delish) but no wine, which is less usual, I hunkered down for some serious chatting and knitting. I worked on Hanami and definitely got caught up on local knitting gossip. I also met a girl who I had already corresponded with on Ravelry, so that was overall delightful.

I got home after eleven, which is a bit absurd, and decided to finally just choose a shawl to wear to this party. I selected Wisp, in the end. It just looked so simple, so fast- and I really want to knit River, as well, but maybe I'll make that with the other two skeins of black mohair... AFTER the holiday party. This is one beautiful version of River, for reference.

Having finally selected a pattern, days after starting to think about it, I figured I'd cast on. And then I thought it would be silly to stop without knitting the garter ridges. And then the first lace row. And then the first five rows of the pattern, just to get to the eyelet row. And boy oh boy am I hooked. 40 minutes of knitting or so, and I have over two solid inches of knitting. This is what I'm talking about! I should have this finished in no time, and be able to get right back to Hanami and all my other pretties.

I think this has definitely been my year of lace. Although there were bobbles and cables, too, they have been supplanted in the apple of my eye by yarn overs. What can I say, I like a bit of variety in my obsessive knitting.

I do more than just knit. Want to see one of my biiiiirdies?


This was not a simple project. I do not think I'd recommend it for a beginning sewer, due to the relative difficulty of the curved seams and getting the bits to fit well. Mom's experience making bears, and her bear stuffing tools, cannot be underestimated! Mom and I sewed quite a bit while I was in Raleigh, though I freely admit I spent a good bit of time hunkered over Hanami. Especially after midnight, with the gentle accompaniment of a podcast and the otherwise still and quiet house. I love visiting my parents, in large part because my mom is a night owl most of the time, but I can usually sneak a few hours of solitude into every day. And that's the best kind of vacation- the kind that allows lots of fun and family and a bit of reflection.

I also really want to take photos of the tablecloth and napkins I made, but they are not yet trimmed and edged and therefore are far from done. I also need to get cracking on a waistcoat for the boy. And yet, somehow, all I see in my immediate future is Kidsilk Haze, in the Wicked colorway, which just makes it all the more delicious. Switching from metal needles to my Denise needles made all the difference, by the way- it's so easy to see the black fuzzy yarn on gray needles!

One other vacation photo for the road. This shows certain things, such as my Air Force nurse sister looks nothing like me (we are opposites in every way). Also that I may need to invest in larger sweater sizes if I don't get down to business with some exercise soon. Thank goodness I don't knit sweaters quite this unflattering- and now I know not to wear it for family photos again!


I look more like my grandmother every day- though I hope I'm not yet desirous of a girdle. She lived a long and happy life, and was a force to be reckoned with. She also was a completely obsessed knitter, who could polish off a baby sweater between naps on the couch and Hershey Kisses in a day or two. I will always regret not taking up my needles before her death- but I hope she somehow knows that I finally shaped up and took up a useful craft. I came to it a bit late- but I'm making up for lost time!

Vaca

Does not mean cow in my household. It means "vacation" and "joy" and "not work"- all wonderful things, of course.

On this vaca I have been pretty productive. Mom and I made little bird ornaments from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts- and they are fiddly but adorable. It took us 3 or 4 hours to make three birds, but it was definitely entertaining.

I also finished two more repeats of the basketweave section of Hanami- only four more to go!

I gave my father the Manly socks, which he appreciated, and hopefully he'll find a use for them in his new home here in Raleigh. It's a bit toasty here compared to DC, but everyone can use a pair of wool socks sometime. I hope.

I still have a bit of work to do for our corporate office- hopefully only an hour or two, while my mother and sister are off seeing a movie, and then I can get back to Hanami.

In the meantime, have you seen the new Knitty? It's lovely! And most lovely of all is Jeanie. It's like Clapotis, all growed up. I do not mean that it is derivative- in fact, it's wholly unique. But I loved Clapotis. I still wear my hot pink Clapotis just about every day, from September to April. But I've been thinking it is time for a change- a new look. And possibly something a bit warmer than my cotton and silk blend. And here comes Jeanie- pretty and lovely and drop stitch-y and perfect for wearing with my new much more mature black wool coat. So of course I chose bright red- it's a step away from pink at least- and the yarn is already ordered.

I also need to work up a quick something to go with an outfit for my work holiday party. The outfit is slightly more casual than my usual choice for a fancy-shmancy holiday party. The top is a strapless raspberry silk, over pants that look vaguely tuxedo-like. They're shiny enough to be formal, but admittedly... pants. They are perfect for me and my recent foot problems, though, since I can wear flats I already own and be just fine. In order to pull the outfit together, however, I really need something over the top.

It could be Wisp, a little lacy buttoned capelet.
Or maybe Shimmer, a lace-backed shrug,
Or Jellyfish, another shrug in Kidsilk Haze perhaps.
Oooor... I could just get some fuzzy black yarn and knit a very open shawl with huge needles. What do you think?

And two manly socks

Sometimes my FOs really just nag at me. They drive me crazy. They haunt me. The manly socks certainly fit this description. I started them in May, hoping to finish them quickly since they are mainly plain old stockinette. And now it's December, but they are complete! Right in time, since they are part of a holiday-time gift. Want to see?



And just to reiterate, because the stripes match EXACTLY on both socks:


Fantastic. I love them. This makes an awful lot of Finished Objects lately- which is good. I was hoping to complete six items in the last six months of the year, and this brings me close to the mark.

I will be finishing up the Super Secret Holiday gift on vacation, and realized that I have another project that has been languishing. Instead of casting on for a new shawl, I found Hanami and decided to work on her again. I made it 25 rows into the first chart before giving it up, I think in part because the lace pattern wasn't obvious to me. Now that I have significantly more experience with lace, I'm finding the chart to be exceedingly simple! It should be a quick and fun knit- this is convenient, because nothing could give me greater pleasure than wearing it to my work holiday party at the beginning of January. It's a perfect excuse to buy a new little black dress- I have one from when I was 14 (it still fits, though I have no idea how or why), and one from college. It is definitely time to find a new one. I guess that's a good idea for shopping in Raleigh?

This is about what she looks like, since I'm sure you've forgotten as much as I had:


I'm away on vacation again Tuesday through Saturday, which feels blissful since I just got back from Thanksgiving. I will visit my sister for New Year's, and then I don't get a vacation again until March. I am going to live up this week in anticipation. I'm bringing the Super Secret Holiday Gift, Hanami, a sweater I need to start (blah stockinette), and some little projects. For variety, I am also packing up some very exciting sewing projects. I have the fabric and the trim, so hopefully they'll be a breeze to assemble in my Mom's fantastic sewing lair. I will remember to take pictures this time, I hope. It should be fun!

The thrills of December

For me it is a holiday season- I'm not Christian so this isn't the "Christmas season" and anyways, I think holiday festivities start with Thanksgiving and finish with New Year's Day. Despite the annual debates at work (Merry Christmas? Happy Holidays? Merry Xmas? Happy Chrismahanukwanzaakah?), I feel like my own personal festivities are well on their way. Thanksgiving was obviously wonderful and productive. And Chanuka starts this coming week! What insanity! I finished all my holiday shopping quite some time ago, and of course there were a few homemade gifts. Not nearly as many as last year. I did a lot of shopping with other crafters, however. I'm working on gifts for two friends, that I aim to finish and send out for Christmas. We don't normally exchange gifts, but these items just seemed so quick and perfect for the intended recipients that I thought it might be fun to send them a bit of handmade warmth. Part of the boy's gift came from a crafter on Etsy. I shipped a box off yesterday containing my handmade knitting as well as locally crafted items for my dearest friend from grad school. Mom's getting another local artisan find from the Sugarloaf craft fair- and although it's technically not a holiday gift, my father will be receiving half-handmade and half store-bought for his birthday gift this year (though of course he doesn't know it yet). Assuming I finish the thing- but I'm quite close now, so I'm not too worried. Even if I am driving down to my parents' home on Tuesday morning. And then technically I haven't finished a gift for the roommate, though I have a bit of time before that needs to be wrapped up and under the tree. Maybe I should get back to my knitting, nonetheless?

The purpose of this post was to signal something larger than just my own holiday gifting. I regret that I am not more charity-minded in general. I donate a small amount to my alma mater, since I am forever in debt to UMBC for a solid undergraduate education and being part of a special scholarship group. I join in a few crafting for charity efforts, and hope to do more of that in the coming year. I will also be participating in larger volunteering efforts over the next few months. That all still combines to a pretty pitiable showing, though. One opportunity has presented itself in the form of my Crafts Cluster, through GesherCity. Some members (with or without prodding) have agreed that we should make donating our crafts a priority, and we have already held a few "openly charity-minded" events with more to follow. One is tomorrow, in fact. We hope to make afghan squares and hats, scarves for Food and Friends' scarf drive, and little beaded animals as comfort for kids. The Celtic Knot up in Ellicott City also is instrumental in helping SOS with hand-knitted pink scarves. There are plenty of opportunities; it's just a matter of making them a priority.

I have also volunteered to knit for those in need in a slightly different manner. When I was a kid, I remember very vividly going to the local living history museums- places where the past was vibrantly alive (and reenacted). In Massachusetts I visited Old Sturbridge Village and Plimouth Plantation, and of course Canterbury Shaker Village in my home state of New Hampshire. I loved it- in fact, for years I assumed I would take my love of acting and history and become a reenactor at one of those sites or possibly at Williamsburg. Alas, I moved on to dreaming of becoming an English professor, and then falling into my current world of technical writing and software development business analysis... a bit of a jump from the 1620s environment I'd dreamed of as an ideal workplace. Being deathly allergic to horses probably wouldn't have helped. Frankly, I had rather forgotten my childhood career goal until recently, when I found the historical knitting groups on Ravelry. I already had a significant interest in historical knitting myself. Victorian lace has an obvious appeal for a former Victorianist, and the idea of knitting myself vintage stockings and vintage sweaters from original patterns is very enticing. My very first sweater was from a vintage-inspired pattern. To find a group of similarly history-entranced knittings on Rav was one thing, but then a woman posted about her job at Plimouth Plantation, which included needing to knit period stockings for every single reenactor in the encampment.

Hello, fortuitous aligning of the stars and heavens! I immediately requested a volunteer kit, and will be knitting some plain stockings as soon as I complete my last holiday knitting projects. I chose to do the basic pattern to start with, but they need a great deal of volunteer help, so I'd imagine I'll contribute more than just the one pair. My historic pattern and pretty wool have already arrived!


It may not be charity in the traditional sense, but I am so happy I can help. If you are interested in joining the effort, more information is available on their blog. They need stockings and gloves for lots of arms and legs, so I'm sure any knitter who can help would be welcome!