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December 18, 2007

not too late

This year I'm not doing much for Christmas. My mom and sister are in charge of it all. Because of Frog's backache a couple weekends ago, we didn't even get a tree and now it's so late that we're not going to bother. I'm not making cookies. I haven't ordered cards yet. Note to self: do that yesterday, or at least tonight. I am doing a teeny tiny bit of Christmas knitting though and occasionally have fantasies of making something for everyone. It ain't gonna happen. But yesterday, while Tadpole napped, I managed to knit her one Lise sock. She wanted to put it on as soon as she found it. She did not want to sit still for three seconds though so I could get a decent shot of it.

It was nearly a three hour nap ('tis the season for miracles after all), but I also fought with a shipping company and shopped for shoes online and I still manage to knit all of the way from the top to the toe decreases (we'll ignore that I made them too small for her so they aren't pointing as much as they should and that I messsed up the striping). It made me think that all of my Christmas knitting dreams could come true! Who knows. Maybe I'll cast on for something else tonight at work. Today I opted for napping instead of knitting so maybe I shouldn't be so optimistic.

Tadpole and I made cinnamon ornaments today. A couple have already fallen victim to "walking" which then meant breaking, but oh well. They smell good. The house smells good. It killed about an hour this morning. I wish I had more time to be crafty. I hope Tadpole will be crafty... Time to make dinner.

Posted by kate at 04:11 PM | Comments (14)

December 17, 2007

What I did on my computer's vacation

I finished spinning up the silk I got at Rhinebeck. Silk was a lot easier to spin than I had expected. I just made a big fat mess out of it while plying. It's still a little painful to discuss, so let's just say I should have known better and next time I will be sure to divide my yarn in half and spin it onto 2 bobbins. Or I could have chain plied but I didn't really want that result... though now I wonder if I shouldn't have. Anyhow, the result is fine. Just not my colors so much since my favorite colors in there ended up lost and dominated by the colors I liked less. I'm sure a more experienced or talented spinner could have done better with such a beautiful roving.

I finished knitting a few gifts which I'm not going to show until they've been given.

I went to bed at 8:30 one night which, for anyone who doesn't know me so well, is obscenely early for me.

I received about 10 billion emails. Before the computer breakdown, I had 17 emails flagged for response. I currently have 144 93 (between writing this and posting it, I managed to respond to 51 of them). Gah. I hate email sometimes. And I just rescued a bunch from my spam folder so there are more needing reading and flagging.

I'm having a bad case of project envy right now. Everything I'm working on seems difficult and tiring and boring and like it's going badly. Everyone else's stuff looks good and tempting. I just want new stuff. New ideas. Things that are going well. Things that are simple. Maybe even something knit from someone else's pattern. There's an Imogen kit at the store right now and I'm trying my damnedest not to buy it even though the colors are pretty good and I loved Cheryl's when I saw it. Blah. Back to answering emails.

Posted by kate at 09:38 AM | Comments (14)

December 10, 2007

I can't hear you

My computer is out of service for probably a good week so I won't be checking my emails as often and I might not be able to even answer them if the needed information is stuck in my computer. Anyone who emailed me before Friday afternoon, your email is stuck in my dead coputer. Sorry about this. I'll do my best to answer you as quickly as possible and if you have a question about a pattern, may I suggest you check on ravelry (if you're in there) or just by googling or on knittinghelp.com It's not unlikely that your answer can be found in one of those places. Take care and think good thoughts for my computer.

Posted by kate at 11:23 AM | Comments (4)

December 07, 2007

What do I care... I've got my handspun handknit socks to keep me warm

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Huh? Wha? Is it just me or is anyone else sleeping really badly and therefore constantly exhausted? I'm sitting in the café as I often do on Friday mornings (I LOOOOOOVE MY BABYSITTER) and I'm trying to convince myself to work but having a bit of difficulty. I could knit something for my cousin's soon-to-be-born or I could work on a sweater pattern that I want to get going on again. Instead, I'm imagining going home and going to bed to watch crappy tv. I don't have a tv in my bedroom, so that's not even possible. As long as I'm fantasizing, let's throw in a masseuse and a maid who will have the house sparkling when I am done with my nap. Enough rambling. SOCKS! HANDSPUN, HANDKNIT SOCKS! (Did that get your attention?)

The roving is from Julia and it made the softest, cushiest, loveliest yarn which makes the softest, smooshiest, yummiest socks. I knit them toe up at the same time to use up every last bit of yarn I could. I finished them at the opening of Ariadne (scroll down for a photo of my feet at the opening).

Posted by kate at 09:12 AM | Comments (19)