Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008: In Books

These are the books I read in 2008. I didn't exactly have a goal in mind, but I'm happy that I completed twenty books this year. It's one more than my total from 2007, even if these books were shorter than many that I read last year. Genre-wise, 2008 was a bit of a mixed bag: scientific essays, short stories, grown-up fairy tales, children's lit, true crime, contemporary fiction, modern fantasy, British mystery, late 19th-century American literature, etc.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Don't Get It Twisted

In case any of you were previously under the delusion that yours is the greatest LYS on the planet, I'd like to set the record straight, once and for all. Of course, I haven't actually been to very many yarn shops, and I have seen pictures of some really beautiful shops across the country and around the world, but I can't imagine any better than Twist. They have the friendliest people, the prettiest shop windows, and a really wonderful selection. Plus buttons! Oh, the buttons! If they carried Malabrigo sock yarn and had a Starbucks next door, "Twist Yarn Shop" might just be another name for heaven. Obviously, I'm still in the afterglow of buying woolly stuffs. And pretty excited about my free Twist tote bag.

I got the lime green Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran for a baby-sized Koolhaas and the ice blue Babyboo for my first-ever Otto (the black Babyboo is for the eyes & nose)--both for my cousin Brittany's coming attraction. And this beautiful tweedy brown O-Wool is for my second-ever Otto. The past couple of days I've been thinking about knitting a tweedy antique-y brown bear, and when I saw this O-Wool at Twist, I knew it was exactly what I needed.

And did I mention the buttons? I have no idea what I'll use these for, but buttons are my kryptonite, and these have now been tucked away into my button stash.

Now I'm off to finish my second sock so I can get started on the new projects!!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Interim

Last night (well, around 5 o'clock this morning) I finished the first of my Heath's Socks. I usually have a hard time finding the motivation to knit the second sock, but I love this pattern and yarn, and I can't wait to wear the pair. Plus I've got some baby things to knit, and I'm trying really hard to finish one project before I move onto another one. And Ysolda published her pattern for Poppy, which I downloaded after work last night.

Since my last post, I've been printing & organizing my huge stockpile of knitting pattern PDFs. And enjoying a warm, rather balmy Friday (followed by a tornado watch, a huge thunderstorm, and snow). And watching 7 episodes of Criminal Minds in 24 hours. I also made an impulsive decision which may drastically change my daily habits and routine (for the better). It's been a while since I've had a good shake-up, and this one--if it comes to pass--will make January interesting for the first time in my entire life. Have I ever mentioned that I hate January? Well, winter in general, but December has Christmas and February has Valentine's Day (and a little bit of 'spring preview' weather and fashion). January is just long and cold and bleak. This year I'll deal with it by knitting furiously and sleeping plenty. And maybe, finally, making some friends.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Christmas Sweets

from left to right:
peanut butter blossoms, swirled holiday snowball cookies, fantasy fudge, m&m shortbread, and sugar cookies

Merry Christmas!!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Strawberries!


In about a day and a half, I made 6 pretty little strawberries. Such a quick, easy, sweet little pattern! I used some Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Organic Cotton, which I happened to have in red and green, that I knew I was never actually going to use, and I've still got tons of both colors left over. I'm not sure what to knit next...I'd like to go ahead and knit my stocking, just because I think I'll be really sick of Christmas this time next week, but I've also got a lovely skein of purple Malabrigo sock yarn coming in the mail tomorrow (for knitting Andrea's new pattern!). And then, of course, there are always more foods to knit...

Right now my kitchen is all topsy-turvy with butter, flour, and so much sugar. I don't know what possessed my mother to do it, but she's making fudge and four kinds of cookies in one afternoon!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Let It Snow Stocking (and presents too!)


I finished Flavio's Christmas stocking this afternoon. These stockings are really fast and fun to knit! I've still got one more to make (mine), but I'm going to take a break and knit some little strawberries first.

This morning I went to the post office to pick up my Christmas package from Flavio. I tried to wait until next week to open it, but I'm just so impatient! He always gives me such perfect presents, and this time was no exception. He sent me Italy!

And my favorite: the sweetest little rabbit, made from recycled yarn. I named him Muji, after the store where Flavio got him.

I also got a really lovely pair of pearl earrings from Flavio's mother. I can't wait to wear them, especially since I recently lost one of my little pink pearl earrings.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Pretty Petit Fours


As promised, today I bring you petit fours! This clever little pattern was written by Jennifer, from NuttyIrishmanKnits. Yay for local girls! It's a very quick knit...I made all four of these little cakes yesterday.

I don't have any children yet, but I hope that someday I do, and I love the idea of giving them knitted toys to play with. Especially things I've made myself. Besides being absolutely adorable, I know that these toys haven't been tainted with lead or other harmful substances. I've found some really cute patterns for knitted food on Ravelry, for everything from strawberries to ice cream cones to pizza!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

O Tannenbaum Stocking


Last night I finished a Christmas stocking for my mom. Well, sort of. I still want to make a fabric liner for it and strengthen the hanging loop by sewing a ribbon to it, but I don't have a sewing machine and am not so keen on hand-sewing. I figure after I knit the stockings for myself and Flavio, maybe I can ask my grandmother to sew the linings for all three.

This stocking, one of the latest designs from Ysolda Teague, was knit with Manos Del Uruguay (in Jungle) and Berroco Peruvia (in Nougat). I used the tree motif for this stocking, and I'm going to try to find a green/red/ivory paisley print for the fabric lining. There were a couple of techniques in this pattern that were new to me--the figure-eight cast on, Japanese short row heel, and I-cord bind off--but Ysolda writes her patterns so clearly, and tutorials for all of these techniques can be easily found online, and in the end this was a very quick & easy project.

I'm taking a little break before knitting the other two stockings because the large needles (US 10) are very awkward to me, after using tiny dpns for so long. I spent today knitting a pretty little set of petit fours, using Jennifer's great (free!) pattern. But more about those tomorrow...

Friday, December 12, 2008

Marshmallow Mitts

After she fell in love with my Madeline Mitts, I decided to make a pair of Endpaper Mitts for my mom as a last-minute Christmas present. There are a couple of things you should know about me: 1) I'm terrible at knitting with a deadline, and 2) I'm terrible at knitting in pairs. I get distracted, burned out, bored, etc. And yet this is the third project in row that I've knitted a pair of something in a timely manner! I think part of it is that I'm just so happy to not be knitting little stuffed animals, and part of it is that two of those three projects were knitted for the two people I love the most in this world.

The colors of these mitts remind me of marshmallows floating in a steamy mug of hot cocoa, one of my favorite winter treats.

Next up, I'll be knitting Ysolda Teague's Last Minute Stockings, using all of that yummy woolly stuff I bought the other day!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

I'm snowed in! Well, iced in, actually. My car got stuck in the road, so my mom was going to drive me to work in her truck, but the roads were so slick we decided not to attempt it. I could lose my job over this, because we're supposed to have perfect attendance in December, but right now I don't care. All I care about is being safe inside my warm house, drinking cocoa full of marshmallows, and working on my mom's Endpaper Mitts.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Have You Any Wool?

Berroco Peruvia (red, ivory, and blue) and Manos del Uruguay (green), wound into nests.

Last night while watching the first two Harry Potter movies, I wound up these four balls of wool with my nostepinne. Seriously folks, if you buy a lot of yarn in hanks but can't stand knitting from balls that roll around all over the place, consider buying a nostepinne. Personally, I love the handmade ones from Kari Welsh, but she's taking a break from making them right now and only has three left in her shop. Winding with a nostepinne takes longer than using a ballwinder & swift, but they're much cheaper and a heck of a lot easier to store. Plus, it's so tactile to wind yarn by hand...and what knitter doesn't love to touch their yarn?

Anyway, back to the yarn I bought yesterday. The red, ivory, and blue are all Berroco Peruvia, and the green is Manos del Uruguay. These are for Ysolda Teague's Last Minute Stockings. The red is for my stocking and the blue is for Flavio's. I wasn't really planning to knit a stocking for my mom, but I fell in love with that green Manos (one of the few hanks at Twist, which has stopped carrying Manos) and couldn't resist. The ivory is for the contrasting bits on all three stockings. I can't wait to knit these, but as I'm trying to concentrate on one project at a time these days, they'll have to wait until I finish the pair of Endpaper Mitts I'm knitting for my mom.

I've been a busy, busy knitter lately. It's nice to be knitting something other than toys and clothes for babies!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Snugglefeet


I finished Flavio's socks around 6 o'clock this morning. I'm glad, too, because I start my Christmas work schedule today, and knitting is probably going to be kicked to the back burner for a while. (Well, I say this, but I'm getting ready to start another pair of Endpaper Mitts tomorrow and hope to finish them by Christmas.) With Lang Jawoll Superwash sock yarn in black, I cast on 60 sts on size 2 (US) dpns, and worked in 2x2 rib for 8 inches. I held light blue yarn and black reinforcement thread together for the heels and toes. The 2x2 rib continues over the top of the foot. Very simple socks, but I hope they keep his feet cozy all winter long.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Things I Do While I Knit

my new sock blockers from The Loopy Ewe

Today I got a set of sock blockers that I ordered from The Loopy Ewe. Yay!! Now I can block Flavio's socks (well, when I finish them). I love knitting things for him. I'm always thinking about him, of course, but even moreso when I'm knitting for him. I think about these socks keeping his feet warm while he's walking to the metro in the rain. I think about our future life together, knitting blankets for our home and toys for our babies. Yesterday I bought some Christmas-y fabrics to line the stockings I'm going to knit for our first Christmas together (next year).

Last night I watched a really wonderful movie while I was knitting: Ballet Shoes, based on the Noel Streatfeild novel of the same name. It's about three orphans growing up as sisters in the 1930s, each aspiring to do something great. It was a really lovely movie, and now I want to read the book. I've been really into children's literature lately...yesterday I bought The Tale of Despereaux, which I'm very excited to read after I finish Little Women. I think the movie looks so cute!

I've been on a real knitting kick lately. I'm sure it's the cold weather. Nothing warms me more than curling up in my big red chair with a little knitting project in my hands and a sweet little movie on the tube. Got any movie recommendations? Right now, I'm especially interested in film adaptations of children's literature and period dramas set in the late 18th- to early 20th-century (American or British).