Next!

These turned out well, but I'm glad to be done with them. They had the audacity to be a bit too tight on J's feet. They fit C wonderfully and J had the grace to not seem too disappointed. So, there you have it. I'm trying not to be bitter. (you know, since it's all my own fault anyway) Weird, though, since he tried them on as I went and they seemed OK. Oh, well. I'll be trying again for my patient darling after a few pairs of mittens are done. CIC has a deadline of Jan 6 and I really want to contribute. I have one pair of socks ready and these partial mittens.

New additions

We had a very merry Christmas here at our house. My dh goes all out at Christmastime, but is always careful to keep our attention on the true reason for all the celebration-our Savior's birth!

I found TWO spindles under the tree. The birdseye maple/walnut Kundert and the tulipwood/cherry Bossie. I put some Romney on the Kundert and have only spun up the rest of the glittery rose wool that came on the Bossie. I'll be checking through the stash for just the right fiber for that one.
The socks are still in progress, and will probably not be complete until sometime tomorrow. The dress did get finished, though.

Happy New Year!

Down the backstretch

Well, the heels are done for J's socks. I'm probably halfway to the toe. I should have no problem getting them done if not for this.




I'm afraid that two days isn't really enough time for me to sew a dress. What with all the family obligations and all. That verse in Proverbs 31 about the lamp that doesn't go out at night is echoing through my mind right about now. Since the dress is slated for a Sunday am appearance, the socks just went down a notch on the list of Order Of Importance.

When, oh when, will I learn to stop procrastinating?

revised list

My two year old has informed me that mittens are not needed or desired, so I'm knitting some socks for J. They look pretty good-patterning yarns have not lost their appeal. I've done no spinning and only two rounds on the aran sleeve. I did get some of those sale priced wine tubes(at AC Moore) for storing my roving. Love those! My nostepinne and wrap gauge fit neatly as well. These will be great for transporting a spindle and roving for vacation.
I took the dc to a friends' this AM and finished up my Christmas shopping. I'm completely pooped. One of my stops was the bookstore to find a certain book for my nephew-I also leafed through the current SpinOff and a couple of knitting mags. While I found Knitter's tempting for the first time in ages, a few of the designs in IK went on my To Knit list. But for now-I must remain focused on these socks-I intend to get them past the heel section before nightfall.

Down the slippery slope

OK, I guess I will do some Christmas knitting after all. See, what just a little cheating will do?!? Poor FLAK. Abandoned again. Well, not really-I'm still knitting on it-just not as much. Gotta get some stocking stuffers done! I figure three pairs of mittens and maybe some socks are all I have time(or inclination)for.

C has been talking about a Christmas dress. She found some fabric in the storage closet. A white cotton print with tiny reindeer and evergreen trees. I have the hardest time putting down the knitting/spinning to sew! I'm instituting a Work Night in hopes that will help me to begin. Well, see how it goes. The Work Night may turn into a Knitting Session to find the answer to today's burning question-Will I have enough yarn to finish these pink mitts?

And some knitting

Nope, haven't finished that last bit of spinning yet. Big surprise, eh? I did pick up the FLAK again, though, so I hardly even feel remorse over the Targhee. I knit several inches on that first sleeve and have started putting a safety pin in at the beginning of my day's work to chart the progress. Little things like that have helped me keep my motivation in the past, and with the way I've repeatedly abandoned this lovely sweater...well, I need to start employing everything I can think of. Repeating "NO Holly, do NOT cast on for a basic top down raglan" over and over isn't going to work much longer.
I did cheat just a little. I pulled out some leftover sock yarn and knit another garter stitch square. I have one in Knitpick's Tap Dancing and now one in Sockotta. These are the beginning of two Log Cabin blankets. Yes, I finally got my turn with the library copy of Mason Dixon Knitting. I'm a little late to the party, but-better late than never, I guess. I have no yarn at present to continue on either of these items, so that's why I'm maintaining that it's just a little cheat. Plus, it's great for car knitting! I finished the first sock-yep, the one in the photo-and I didn't want to do a figure eight cast on in the van while trying to puzzle out the map and settle squabbles between the younger two. So, it's log cabin in the car and for Sunday afternoon knitting by the fire.

Some spinning

has been going on here at my place-see?

Left to right that's (spindled)Romney, Finn, Finn/Colonial, Colonial, and Romeldale/Cotswold. I'm back at the Targhee blend for the next Faroe shawl. That is all that I am currently spinning. (!) I do have about five and a half yards of Merino/Silk on one bobbin but other than that-the bobbins were cleared in this Plying Extravaganza. They looked so lonely. I found myself thinking about which fibers I could comb up next. I had to have a talk with myself about finishing up this last bobbin of Targhee before starting anything else. It's just one bobbin, right? Shouldn't take too long. I'm shooting for the end of the week.