Day after big surprise snowstorm. A good day to not have to go out into the world and I didn't. Did some work via email, mostly spent time in my sewing/knitting/needlepoint/office etc room sorting fabric, of which I have almost as much as yarn. Now I have the various collections of stuff I love, bought with specific projects or dreams in mind or just because I loved it and -- separately -- the stuff I don't love but can cut up to make 'comfort quilts' for charity. Felt great to do the sorting and to re-visit what-all I have. Next step is the yarn -- though that's in much better shape, organized by (a) projects under way; (b) intended projects; (c) enough yarn to make something, but I don't know what; (d) sock and shawl yarn; (e) baskets and baskets of scrap yarn pretty much sorted by color. Just need to visit it all again.

December 4

Sunday afternoon, snow on the ground for the first time, nice music, dog sleeping peacefully, husband playing a gig. Began a quick lacy scarf/shawl (2 balls worth so it's pretty big) with white and gold Gossamer. Did a black and silver one several years ago and had bought the yarn for a white one as well. At the time I didn't love the black and silver one, so I let it go, but I pulled it out yesterday to wear to a black and silver occasion and it was wonderful, so I'm having a go with the white one. I bought lovely wooden size 17's for the other one and managed to find them again. They are beautiful and a pleasure to handle, but certainly heavier and less sort of compliant than what I'm used to (bamboo and Denise). Anyway, I am finding I have to go very slowly, but it still comes up very fast and it's like growing a cloud -- appropriate just before Christmas.

I did a fair amount of research (in my books and on line) to come up with a decent way to do the short rows on the ruffle for the pink coat. Finally hit on http://nonaknits.typepad.com/nonaknits/2005/04/japanese_short_.html, a site with a great description of a really neat way to do short rows with a pin instead of wraps, looks and feels much much better than wraps. Makes me very happy.

Had a great time on Friday night sitting in front of the computer knitting and listening to knitcast podcasts and visiting the sites of folks she interviews. It's so amazing to be able to do this!

My next challenge will be to put a picture or two up. My daughter and I bought a card reader, so I should be able to do it, but it feels like a major leap in techno-knowledge.

Back to real life, and the beginning of the liturgical year. Great vacation at home with daughter home from college. She desired, began and finished her felted earflap hat and wore it back to college. Looks great, but a little itchy for her, we'll have to try to do a lining over Christmas. I've almost finished the Hanne Falkenberg kimono jacket. As she says, the yarn does soften up really nicely when washed and blocked. I just have to sew down the pocket flaps and neckband. It'll be great to actually wear it.... Hopefully, a really useful garment.

Too much stash!!! I went looking for white mohair with gold thread through it that I bought on the Vineyard a couple of years ago to make a shawl for a civil union celebration I'm attending this weekend. I and couldn't find it, but boy I found a lot of other stuff I'd forgotten about. Another day's work. Today I have to do stuff for my quilt guild, we have a board meeting tonight.

On the knitting front, working on the ruffle for the ruffled jacket I hate everything I know about short rows. Looked in all my books and then on the net and found "Japanese" short rows, using a pin instead of a wrap. I'll have to try it, because these ruffles are yards of short rows and I do mean yards. I had hoped this sweater would be in the dark knitting, but no more.

Day after Thanksgiving

Scored in the stores today -- Local needlepoint store had not only the black thread I knew they had but also the gold which I thought I'd have to go into town for. So I finished, yes finished, the Chinese take out purse, next week I'll take it into town to get put together. Daughter finished felted hat, looks great. Also scored by finding a card reader that reads all of our digital camera cards -- we seem to have one of each in the family. And daughter promised to show me how to get pictures on the net, so I can put up pictures of purse and hat. What a day.

Thanksgiving

Great day, much to be thankful for, starting with good friends ("family") who made dinner -- my job was appetizers, let's hear it for Costco. Daughters home from college, and other family members, a great meal and a GKO (good knitting opportunity) since hostess knits and no one in this crowd notices anymore. Got the ruffled coat to the point where I need to go back to the store and beg them to let me copy the part of the instructions I spilled coffee on and now cannot read. Almost finished the Chinese takeout purse needlepoint, at 10 pm I ran out of black thread and and 11 I ran out of gold cord, so it's off to the needlepoint store tomorrow morning. Together this means a great day tomorrow, sleep in, daughter home, needlepoint store, knitting store. As my friend Pam says, wheeewho!

November 23, 2005

Well, I've been meaning to try this for a while and here goes. With what seems like a million projects, mostly knitting but also needlepoint, quilting, cross stitch, etc., I hope this will help me keep track, keep on track and let my friends track what I'm doing. Right now I'm working on the first scarf from Lavish Lace, I've been lace-impaired for as long as I been knitting (a pretty long time, but I was only 7 when I learned) and it's actually working! Very exciting and I'm realizing that lace requires a different approach to knitting. I knit like I type, fast and not always accurate, but hey I can make corrections. So I knit and correct at the movies, in the car, etc. Figured out you can't do that with lace. Got to watch the hands and what you're doing. Hmmm. Also finishing a Hanne Falkenburg kimono I started 6 or 7 years ago, a ruffled coat from Elite's new book that is using up a batch of Inca I've had for even longer, a philosopher's wool fair isle for my daughter -- it's ready to cut the steeks, but I'm not, but she's home from college so it's a good time to do it, I guess. Also a Chinese red wild stuff cardigan that was a birthday present and I'd really like to get done for Christmas. that's the major knitting in process, not to mention the UFO's. Just finished my first venture into felting -- great great great fun. Can't wait to do more. Also, the above-mentioned daughter is finally coming to her senses and getting more serious about knittting (so great about college kids....all her friends knitjust like we did!) so she's working on a soon-to-be-felted hat with earflaps from the Interweave hat book. Ok, that's the knitting in the house.

Also, there's sewing and quilting and applique. And needlepoint, I'm trying to finish a Chinese take out purse also in time for Christmas, though I'm sure they can't put it together that fast. And I'm on my way to Hooks and Needles, a cross stitch store in Walpole MA, to see if I can figure out a cross stitch piece to celebrate the civil union of two good friends in CT next month, with mermaids, which they collect.