Knitting Tips For New Year's Eve And Beyond

Friends don't let friends knit drunk.

Never cast on a new project after 1 a.m.

Never mix lace knitting and alcohol consumption.

If you have to frog any project made with mohair, place your project in the freezer for a few days. If you live in the northern climes, simply leave in your car overnight.

If, while driving, you are stopped by the police it's always a good idea to put your knitting down and back in your knitting bag before the officer approaches your car.

New Year's Eve is a great time to frog those projects that have been marinating unfinished in your stash for the past year(s) - especially as the ingestion of alcohol by the knitter makes the process more tolerable.

Swear by the Magic Loop or two circular needles methods? Those forgotten DPNs can be used as skewers for your New Year's Eve hors d'oeuvres.

And for those who checked out the new wine bar at a local yarn store/coffee shop tonight - never go yarn shopping on an empty stomach and have the glass(es) of wine after completing your purchases.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Warm Ewe Up Question #1

The women in my family have always been interested in crafts. My grandmother knitted, crocheted, made Christmas ornaments, did counted cross stitch. My mom sews (used to do it professionally), used to embroider, do macrame, knit, and now she makes beaded ornaments and also quilts. She pieces by machine but the rest by hand - her quilt tops have 200,000+ hand stitches in them.

My mom tried to teach me to sew - I think I was about 12. My failure to learn was due, I think, to a teen-itis (how she tolerated all that eye rolling and drama, I don't know) combined with my typical lack of patience. I always wanted to do well and right away. When I started piano lessons at age 6, I was extremely disappointed to find out I would not play as well as my older sister (who had probably 8 years of lessons by that time) after my first lesson.

The craft/hobby store was one of my favorite stops as a kid - trying my hand at painting, macrame, weaving (remember the potholder loom?), etc. I stuck the longest with counted cross stitch - started when I was about 10 and still do projects (but not nearly as much since learning to knit).

I learned to knit in 2002 in order to meet people after moving to a new city to be with DH. Who could imagine where knitting would lead me? I now have friends not just locally but around the world - all of whom I met because of knitting. This blog was started because of knitting. I've been able to share the wealth in swaps. I've been privileged to enable beginners.

And to think this all started with one little knitting class.

A Few Thoughts On Christmas

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more." Theodor Seuss Geisel, "The Grinch"

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Charles Dickens

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:8-14

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

'Til ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Peace and Joy to you all.

Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exists, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy." (Francis Pharcellus Church, responding to a letter to the New York Sun in 1897 from 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon asking, "is there a Santa Claus")

Santa Claus came a bit early here, thanks to my Secret Pal!



I've been wanting this book for awhile. Thanks Secret Pal!!

The magic didn't end there. I also received a prize package from SP13.

Here's a picture of what came in the package.



Wait, let's try that again.



Oh, for pete's sake.



Sigh. Santa's little helper.



Ok, fourth time's a charm.

It is not often that anyone at the Haus channels Martha Stewart. Coordinating wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, etc., are not my thing. I admire those who enjoy wrapping, making the outside as appealing as what's inside. Me? I usually can't be bothered. OK, the real story is that I can't wrap gifts. I do an OK job - but nothing spectacular. The biggest mistake a former employer (department store) made was putting me in "gift wrap" to fill in for another employee. I can't even put together a decent gift bag - how the heck does one artfully arrange tissue paper? The tissue paper in mine always look like the cats have fought in the bag.

Look closely, dear readers, for this is as magazine-cover-perfect as it's gets in the Haus. Late last night while wrapping gifts, in a desperate search for labels, I made my own, using the pattern from a cat cookie cutter. Not bad for an 11th hour save.



However you celebrate or observe this season, my wishes for you are: good weather; good times among good people; good food; and the making of good memories

And some good fiber (and I don't mean dietary!).

Warm Ewe Up Winter Yarn Swap Questionnaire

Do you knit or crochet, or both? How long have you been at the craft?
I’ve been knitting since 2003.
Do you spin?
I do not want to be dragged into that fiber black hole. I also don’t think my spouse would understand having a stash of yarn and a stash of fleece.
What yarns/fibers are your favorites?
As the blog title says, I’ve never met a yarn I didn’t like. I love unique hand-dyed yarns. When I travel, I like to find yarn produced in the region or country I am visiting. I really like Malabrigo, especially for scarves. I like most natural fibers.
What yarns/fibers do you not like?
I don’t particularly like acrylic yarn, but with 13 nieces and nephews, I do use acrylics, for knits for kids when it needs to be nearly indestructible. I realized that cotton tends to make my hands sore, so I tend to stay away from 100% cotton for larger projects.
What yarns/fibers would you like to try but haven’t?
Malabrigo sock yarn. Kidsilk Haze.
What are your favorite colors? Colors that you don’t like?
I love fall colors and jewel tones – brilliant, deep blues, reds, greens, golds, rich tans and browns. I don’t care for neon bright colors or pastels for myself, but use them for kids’ items.
What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?
All kinds. Scarves are an old standby for traveling/visiting knitting as it’s easily portable and the patterns usually don’t need much concentration so I can knit while talking – amazing how difficult it can be to do those two thing at the same time. I love lace knitting. I have many projects in my queues (the one in my head and the one on Ravelry). . Sweaters are great fun – especially for kids as I can finish them quickly. Sweaters for myself take forever.
What are you currently working on?
To avoid a really long answer, I’ll refer you to my projects list on Ravelry – that lists most of them.
What is your favorite FO? (Please post a picture if you have one.)
See the picture of the baby surprise jacket on my blog.
Are there any techniques that you want to learn?
Intarsia. I’ve done 2 color knitting before but would like to try a fair isle item. I’m determined to learn to knit socks -both cuff down and toe up - in 2009.
Do you have a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes to both.
How do you store your needles/hooks?
I used a fishing tackle case.



Do you collect anything?
Let’s see. Yarn. And Yarn. And also some Yarn.
Do you like sweets?
I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t. What a deprived life. Love any milk chocolate. Don’t care for dark or white chocolate as much. Cinnamon Altoids are a staple I carry in my purse. I like citrus flavored hard candy or gummy candy.
What are your favorite scents?
I like cinnamon, vanilla, citrus scents, cedarwood, frankincense, pine (woodsy scents).
Are you having a birthday during this swap?
No, I’m not.
Do you have any online wish lists? (Amazon, Loopy Ewe, etc.) Please include a link for your pal.
No, sorry.
What is your living situation (Are you married? Do you have kids, pets, or both?)
I’m married, no kids, just 2 cats who are spoiled rotten.
Are you allergic to anything?
No, just don’t care for the smell of cigarette/cigar smoke.
Is there anything else that you would like your pal to know?
I can't think of anything else.

A Winter Stew

Secret Pal 13 Question

Holiday knitting? Nope, not here. I don't like doing things on a deadline. I've got enough deadlines in my line of work, I don't need them in my outside-of-work life. Also, when I'm knitting under pressure, my gauge changes or I'm trying to knit faster than usual so my hands start aching. I am slowly knitting items for different family members and friends. Once I finish enough items so that each person in the family/couple will have an item, I'll gift them at that point.

'Tis the season.
Our new little town has a holiday parade. Even though the temperature was in the teens, I dragged DH to it DH and I went. The most interesting float was the cow snowman.



A highlight of the evening was the lighting of the floating trees on the river. When I first heard talk of floating trees, I was hoping it was some type of warming, alcoholic beverage.



The highlight for the local children after the parade is the opportunity to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus to tell them what they want for Christmas.



We finally have our tree up. To give you an idea of how high our ceilings are - the tree is a 9 foot balsam. And there is a good foot between the top of the tree and the ceiling.



I like it best when the room is dark and the lights are on and reflected in the surrounding windows.



Oops, I did it again.
Last evening I stopped at a favorite shop on my way home for late night knitting. Yesterday was a "snow day" for all the local schools because we had 12+ inches of snow fall overnight, but since government never shuts down, I still had to dig my way out and commute in to work. At least the roads were nowhere near as bad in the evening as they were in the morning. Attendance at late night knitting was, predictably, a bit sparse, but then it's usually so crowded that seating is at a premium. While there, I realized I had enough loyalty points on my card to get a $25 gift certificate. I used it to buy more Noro Silk Garden for another Noro striped scarf. I know, I know. But I love the finished project so much that I think I'll be able to tolerate another 1x1 rib project after I work on other items for awhile. I'm giving Noro another chance to prove that they could not be so tacky as to have knotted ends in their skeins and still charge what they do per skein. We'll see if they live up to my expectations.

Reunited...And It Feels So Good!

Only sheer desperation and overwhelming relief could lead me to quote Peaches and Herb.

Finally, the long-awaited call came yesterday from the Crapple Store - my laptop was in and ready to be picked up. My own little Christmas miracle. You see, I was really worried as I'd called on Thursday, was put through to their help line, and the poor lady on the other end had "nothing in our notes" as to what repair was being done and when it would be sent out and that it had, in fact, been received by them on Tuesday! I had visions of being without it another week.

It was hard to be irate and let them know I was displeased with how long it took the store to ship out my laptop. When I went to pick it up last night, the Crapple person helping me at the store - he was a younger Hugh Jackman wearing funky glasses, with a British, rather than Australian, accent. What is it with accents (with the exception of southern US) that they make one even more attractive and exotic?

So today is being spent alternately working on a client file, cleaning (as the in-laws are coming for brunch tomorrow), and putting the lights and decorations on the tree we bought yesterday. Maybe Christmas decoration photos will be up here soon.

Next year I think I'm going to invest in some type of garland for our stairs, which are very grand, indeed, especially compared to the old Haus. I hate fake greenery, but at least I would be assured of having it year after year. I also want to get some type of lights for our grand porch. We're the slackers of the neighborhood - everybody has some type of outdoor holiday lights.

On the knitting front, I've finished the Noro Scarf, including weaving in the ends. And let me tell you, there were a shocking amount of ends. Am I the only one who is a bit disillusioned with Noro? As a modern-day scrooge would exclaim, "WTF?" At that price, there should not be a single knot in that ball.




But the scarf is fantastic - I love how it turned out. I think there will be more of these cast on at some point. I'm going to try it will other yarn - maybe a solid, like black, charcoal, or dark gray, and some variegated colors.

Thank Goodness...I've Read At Least Six

Since I still have no laptop and no photos, here's a meme borrowed from Liz over at Knitting On The Green.

This meme is originally from the Big Read. Apparently they reckon most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. Just like knitting - so many books/projects, so little time!

Instructions: (I changed these a bit from the original meme so that I could type the list into blogger)

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicise those you intend to read.
3) Place ** after the books you LOVE.
4) Post your list so we can try and track down these people who’ve only read 6 and force books upon them.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen**
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (What? It wasn't enough that I sat through these films in the theater with DH and THEN the extended DVDs with family? Gah!)
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee**
6. The Bible (Difficult to avoid when one's sent to religious schools. Amazing they let us read a book with all that begat-ing in it.)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott**
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (Again, I sat through the movies...)
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (A high school read - had no patience for it - ended up reading the CliffNotes.)
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (Attempted in high school)
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen**
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen**
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen**
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (I tried to read it, really I did. See CliffNote reference above.)
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold**
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding**
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens**
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White**
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

There are some of my favorites that don't appear - such as The Awakening by Kate Chopin. What are your favorite books?

Pull Out The Fainting Couch

What do you do for laptop withdrawal?

My poor laptop - from the company named after a fruit - you know, rhymes with "crapple" - had a slight malfunction. As in, something in it's hardware decided to celebrate New Year's Eve early. From the looks of what showed up on the screen, it was in NO condition to drive.

At the Crapple Store, the kid who was at least 1/2 my age sales associate said (as best as I can tell it as I'm completely useless at understanding any technologically related material) my laptop had to be admitted.

So I am without my constant sidekick until at least Thursday. Then I get to go pay its medical bills.

This has resulted in a computer war in the Haus this weekend as I have to battle DH for any computer time - or use it after he's gone to bed. Which explains why I'm writing this post at 1:30 in the morning.

This also means no pictures posted here for the next week - as they're all on my laptop.

Oh, the fun never stops 'round here.

Winter Is Here

This was the view from our stairway landing...



and from our back porch with the outside light highlighting Jack Frost's artwork.



Right now, all is beautiful and white; its merely an inconvenience to scrap snow off the car; and traveling is not too treacherous. The romance of winter!

It will wear off soon enough - the seasonal equivalent of being the only sober person in the bar at 2 a.m. Blech. The white will become grey, dirty, salt-filled slush; digging the car out of snow and ice - well, a quote from A Christmas Story describes it best - "In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan;" and there is the gut-wrenching, white-knuckled, 30 miles an hour, 68 mile commute over snow and ice, as the car slides around in the grooves of snow, while some idiot is passing everyone (in the unplowed lane, of course) at 60+ mph, to come.

But until then, I'm still giddily enjoying the beginnings of winter.

And for those interested in knitting content, the Noro scarf is slowly progressing to the end - the color changes making the interminable 1x1 rib pattern still tolerable. Pics of a finished scarf soon, I hope.