Wednesday, December 29, 2004

one last purchase...


I'm starting my yarn diet in a couple of days...Yup, I made up my mind and I'm sticking to it. As with any diet, I needed one last hurrah. So, since my Clapotis-envy doesn't seem to be settling itself I bought myself one last addition to my stash. I'm certain this number will help calm my nerves until April. Most importantly, I will be able to make my very own Clapotis without putting a huge dent in my wallet!

Well, I'm going to be heading out into the woods for a quiet new year's eve celebration. I'm still trying to decide whether to bring any knitting projects with me. I don't want anyone to think that I'm anti-social...At the same time, I need to bring some kind of entertainment since there will be no electronic entertainment to be had.

See you in the new year!

Monday, December 27, 2004


I hope everyone had a happy holiday! Now that Christmas is over, I have a picture of my dad wearing Kirk...



I was really glad to see that it fit him. I thought the sweater might have been a bit snug, but the ribbing has a lot of give. I sleeves look good in the picture, but my dad said that he might want them a little longer. He said he'll wear it a couple of times to see how much the entire sweater stretches. He absolutely loved it! I was so happy.

Unfortunately, my mom's tree skirt didn't turn out as well. Once I seamed the six pieces together, the darn thing wouldn't lay flat! The tips kept rolling up. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to wash it again to see if I could reblock the entire thing. I was very disappointed, and was forced to go shopping last Thursday night for a "replacement" gift.

The ornaments turned out beautifully...My mom actually had to ask if I made them. She thought that I had bought them! My parents have a neighbor who crochets. She has croheted snowflakes that make a yearly appearance on the Christmas tree. Well, mom says that she's going to have to invite the neighbor over to see my ornaments to make her jealous...how's that for Christmas spirit?

Monday, December 20, 2004

so true...


My friend Maya had a link to a lovely quiz on her blog this weekend...And, I just couldn't help but take it.





You Are a Christmas Sweater!



Over the top, colorful, and totally flashy.
You're not afraid to be a little tacky.




I'm not sure what all of the other results are, but this seems so fitting for me this year. I'm looking forward to seeing my dad try on the sweater that I made him! And, BF seems to not be embarrassed by the fact that he's getting a handknit sweater. He even decided to tell a bunch of people at a holiday party we went to on Saturday. Of course it's hard to talk about an object of clothing that I just started on Thursday and haven't even fully thought out. Basically, it's going to be a zip-front cardigan with saddle shoulders. Oh, and it's black. Other than that, I'm just as curious as everyone else.

I'm also knitting like a fiend trying to finish my mom's tree skirt. I went to AC Moore over the weekend looking to pick up 2 more skeins of Glitterspun...Well, they were either out of it or they've stopped carrying it. Argh. So, I got 2 skeins of Patons Brilliant instead, and I'm determined to make this project work...by Saturday.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

deck them halls and trim that tree...


Done and done...Last night we put the rest of the decorations on the tree. It looks much better, but I can't help but want more ornaments for the tree. Most of the bulbs that we bought last year were pretty plain. It was the first tree of my own, and I didn't splurge on anything fancy. I was just happy to have a fresh tree in my livingroom. So, there's an assortment of silver and red balls, some bells, and some angels.

But, there is one new addition worth mentioning. I started working on the second portion of my mom's present -- a set of crocheted ornaments. I like them so much I that I had to keep one for myself...



I'm actually going to be giving my mom and my aunt each a set of four. So far, I've finished the four for my mom. They are made with a size 6 steele hook and take no time at all to make. The hardest parts to crochet are the last two rows, the ones that pull the work tight to the ornament. Perhaps I'll make a whole set for myself.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

getting in the holiday spirit...


I'm really starting to get excited for this holiday. Sunday afternoon my BF and went and got out Christmas tree. Last year, we got one from IKEA and it was great. This year when I called out local store they informed me that they would not be carrying trees this year...Of course, I was bummed. This year, I settled for a balsam fir from Home Depot.

Last night we put the tree up in the front window...(I hate to say, I'm a little less that impressed with my purchase)...The balsam fir is a fairly open tree so the three sets of lights that I had from last year seemed meager at best. I actually struggled with the lights for 45 minutes before deciding that the lights were "good enough." I might drop by CVS on the way home and get one more set so I can put lights on the back of the tree. Tonight, we'll put up the ornaments. I know that once they are up, it will look nice.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

wish i had something interesting to say...


The fact of the matter is that I don't have much to talk about. I've been slogging along on my mom's tree skirt. It's a really simple stockinette project...straight-forward and boring. I have managed to squeeze out 5 out of the 6 sections, and hope to have the last one done this weekend. Once I start sewing on the snowflake pattern, I'll try to put up some pix.

I have put off starting my boyfriends sweater. There's no way that it would be done in time for the 25th. That may seem a little cold since it's going to be his x-mas gift. But, we don't exchange gifts until after the new year anyway. I just want to get my mom's gift out of the way first, then plow through that project. I know I'll be able to have it done in time for Festivus (that's x-mas, annivesary, and Valentine's all wrapped into one).

Contemplating one more yarn purchase before I start my yarn diet. I've been bidding on some nice handpainted yarns on ebay but keep loosing. I would like to find a nice colorway to make Clapotis. I have a true envy of all the knitbloggers who have made this wrap. The pattern seems to turn out beautifully not matter what colors you use. Hopefully, I can find something in the next couple of weeks.

Friday, December 03, 2004

giving young knitters a bad name...


Yesterday's Wash Post Express featured a small column that was meant to publicize an area visit by Debbie Stoller. But, somehow they got it all wrong. The horrible title, The Price of Fabric Envy, is just the tip of the iceberg! (Warning: this may take a while to load! The pdf is the entire issue, the article is on pg25).

I'm not exactly sure what crackhead wrote this article but it just doesn't seem to make any sense. The scenario laid out in the blurb feels fictitious, with the use of several stereotypes about new knitters, "hipsters", and women in general. Thankfully, I'm already familiar with Stoller's work because to the outside observer this piece would make the event seem elitist and uninviting.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Two words...


Yarn Diet...The yarns I ordered for Christmas gifts has taken over the living room. I have tried putting some of it out of sights, temporarily living with the rest of my stash in the front hallway closet. Well, it seems that I have overgrown that area as well. This closest is a jumbles mess of coats and yarn, with a few odds and ends crammed in the corners.

I don't have the largest stash I've ever seen, but space is a premium for me right now. I have yarn for about 5 projects that will be started once the Christmas knitting is complete. I also have scraps leftover from finished projects. Then there's the unmentionables, mainly leftover from crochet afghans and such. I probably have enough of the yucky stuff to eke out small throw.

Since most of the complaints that I have around the apartment revolve around organization and space, I am announcing that one of my resolutions for 2005 will be to go on a yarn diet until my birthday. I wish I could say that a basic reorganization of the closet would solve my problem, but I think the situation needs more help. So, from January 1st through April 8th, I will stay away from buying new yarns. There is only two exceptions: 1) My BF's sister is getting married in May and I might knit them a gift; 2) If I actually complete all projects that I bought yarn for in 2004.

Of course before I start this diet, I might have to go on a binge!