One-and-thirty

Well - here's to another year under my belt.

It was a quiet birthday weekend - but that's just fine with me.

The weekend began Friday evening with a trip to see Julie the Needle Emporium (just 15 minutes from my work) where I splurged on a few little birthday trifles, including:Two gorgeously soft skeins of Mini Mochi. Mom brought home some a while ago and I've been coveting it ever since. These will be turned into sinfully soft and decadent socks.

Two skeins of Panda Silk also seemed to have followed me home...
I have a terrible soft spot for white, lacy socks. I think these are going to end up as Quill Lace Socks.

I also couldn't resistbecause it will turn into this:
(Picture ganked from Julie)

As you know, Saturday afternoon was spent making a mess at Moms, where she also gave me:stripey socks in our Witch's Britches colourway and:
a much awaited copy of Vampire Knits. Come the new year, my first yarn purchase will be something to make the Lore Cardigan - I just have to decide what colour I want!

Today, Dave's plan was to take me to the fish store to pick out some new aquatic creatures for my aquarium (the population has dwindled to just four sad little fishes) but the weather forecast was dodgy, and Dave's still feeling a little off. So, we elected to snuggle up inside instead. I whipped together a lasagna, and we lazed about all day watching movies.

It also meant near non-stop knitting. I designed and completed cuffs for mittens for Dave's Mom for Christmas. They are blocking now and I expect to finish them one night this week. And. I've got a good head start on one of the remaining monsters.
So, at least two Christmas projects should be completed this week - leaving next weekend, as well at three full days before Christmas, to get the rest together. It's going to be a photo-finish I think!

Making progress

I spent the afternoon dying yarn today (had to build up some stock - Twinkle Cat flew out of the shop!) and this evening was devoted to getting Dave's grandma's scarf off the needles.
It's blocking and I am so pleased with it. One more Christmas present to mark off the list. (I'll try to get the pattern written up and available soon). Now to go cast on some mittens for his Mom!

You know you're a crazy cat lady when...

...you spend Friday night alone watching cat videos on youtube, peeing yourself you're laughing so hard.



Oh well - if you want real knitting content come back tomorrow.

If you want your own knitting content - head over to the shop tomorrow after 11 or so - new yarns will be up, including the new Twinkle Cat!
It's got sparkles, what's not to want?

What more do you want?

Cats and yarn- what more can you ask for?

Someone stole my Christmas spirit

I seemed to have misplaced my Christmas spirit this year. Normally, I start bouncing around the end of November and I don't stop until well after New Year's. But not this year.

Not sure what it is - I'm not all down on Christmas, whining about the commercialism and greed and ruining it for everyone else... I just feel... really... apathetic... about the whole thing. I think I just need a vacation.

I did buy my Christmas cards and will get them off this weekend. I'm also considering setting up my tree - maybe that will help ignite a yule-tide fire under my butt.

Despite my festivity funk, I also finished my Christmas shopping today. I would consider it an accomplishment, but I'm far from ready for the big day. I only had two presents on my list - the rest Im knitting. Still two Nessies left, two scarves, half a pair of socks, and a set of hat and mitts.

I frogged the silk scarf for Dave's grandma. Have no fear - she's still getting a scarf - it's just being revamped. After staring at it for a few hours, I realized the yarn wasn't doing justice to the pattern and the pattern wasn't doing justice to the yarn. I will find something more suitable for that decadent silk - something that truly lets it shine.

In the mean time, a switch to some Wandering Cat Slinky Cat, and a few tweaks to my design... ... and I'm back on track. I'm hoping to get this one finished by the end of the weekend.

One step ahead

As many of you know, Dave and I have been together for eight years. And almost every year, he comes to me a few days before Christmas and says "I don't have a present for my Grandma."

Dave was mostly raised by his Grandma and the two are very close, you'd think he'd put a little more thought into it, but...well, he's a boy.

Now usually, I have enough time to whip up a hat or something last minute and Grandma is the kind of person who does appreciate hand knits, no matter the size, so I don't really mind.

But this year, I'm not waiting for Dave's last minute realization.

In the generous gift of leftovers Monika gave me, there was a pretty little untouched skein of hand dyed silk (235 yards!). It was just begging to be made into something delicate and feminine. So I'm designing his Grandma a lace silk scarf.I apologize that the pattern is so hard to see - combo of bad lighting, no blocking and multi-coloured yarn. I'll get better pics, and probably do another up in a semi-solid Wandering Cat yarn. Shouldn't be too long from now, this little sucker is just flying off the needles. (And is providing a nice break from Monster making)

Recovering

Thanks for all the well wishes - I am slowly getting better and was back to work on Thursday.

Of course, now Dave is sick, so it's been fun, fun, fun here as you can imagine (boy are so whiny).

There has been knitting, but it's unbloggable - if you really want to see it - check out my rav page.

And, since I have nothing else to share - here's Peno being irresistibly cute.