oof. only five days in and i am already so over this month. today i forsook productivity to instead spend seriously the entire day wrapped up in the world’s most insanely warm fleece blanket, a gift last winter from my mom, and a nice treat for me, as i am not one to turn on the heat if i can help it. i watched a marathon of murder, she wrote, and am about to finish up my evening by watching don’t tell mom the babysitter’s dead. i cooked and ate a huge pot of mujadarra, drank two pots of coffee and started an irish hiking scarf for my nana. this is a really pretty, simple cable scarf pattern. i like it more than some others i’ve seen because it’s pretty but not overwhelming. i’m using valley yarns berkshire in the wine colorway, and i feel like this pattern and yarn work really well together. (also, berkshire is only $4.99 per 140 yard skein, so it’s not only soft and cozy, but so affordable. less money spent on yarn is more money spent on cat treats, so you know felane is a fan.)
and otherwise? i wrote – count it – one sentence of my grad school application essay. but i’ll tell ya right now, it was a darn good sentence. i’ll write a few more of ‘em tomorrow after i go to the gym and consume my weight in caffeine. 2009 has kind of been a real garbagecake of a year. when all my work this month is done, i’m going to draw a picture of a garbagecake to illustrate this for you. if you’ve had a similar year, maybe you ought to draw a garbagecake as well. i’d love to see your interpretations. i keep typing ‘garbagecake’ because my spellcheck is actually acknowledging it as a real word and that’s kind of lifting my spirits. but for now, back to christina applegate and that lovely irish hiking scarf.
first, here’s a picture of some knitting progress to make us feel good. this is mi escuelita, a jaunty little sweater for my jaunty little sister:
okay, so. i officially deem this month “wtf december.” you don’t have to ask me why, because i’m going to tell you right now.
knitting to finish: one sweater (see above), four scarves. maybe a sweater for myself to wear home over christmas so my family doesn’t say that i look like a “ragamuffin” (but they will probably find an opportunity to say this anyway, so that sweater is not really a necessity).
mass market 5 is sunday, december 13. this actually requires no effort beyond my presence. i had enough leftovers from past craft shows that this one needed no prep work really. nice!
grad school applications are due by early/mid-january. this isn’t really all that bad either, i just need to keep on ‘em.
TONS of survey/data entry at work so we can have accurate 2009 statistics for grant purposes.
i guess that really this isn’t any more absurd or crowded than any other month. i just had a tiny panic attack early this morning when a friend of mine made a comment on the internet akin to “only 30 more days of 2009.” i seriously yelled “WHAT” at my computer and started to get really nervous. but as soon as i typed up my little list of things to do in this month, i realized it isn’t even that wild. but i still consider this to be wtf december. i can’t wait to kick back in january and knit seed stitch scarves that require no looking, counting, or thinking and maybe even find time to, dare i say, read books. see ya then.
tomorrow is thanksgiving. how? it feels like it was JUST thanksgiving last year. whatever, i am thankful for and excited about more or less everything. yesterday i spent a pleasant afternoon exploring in boston, and still found a little time to work on this:
which is my contribution to the red scarf project. it’s a palindrome in burgundy malabrigo, which i think makes for a nice unisex scarf. and soft! and squishy! i would be psyched to get this as a gift, and actually a few friends have asked me for one of these, so i think it makes for an okay donation, yes? i think i’m going to make one in gray for the boy i mentor, actually. he will make fun of it, because he makes fun of knitting every time we meet, but i think also he will like it (secretly, of course).
and i have to admit, this scarf also let me move in a new direction with my grandparents’ christmas gifts. i was making falling water for my nana, and henry for my papa. both beautiful scarves, but in my gut i totally knew that they just weren’t quite right. you know what will be just right? CABLES. i am having a love affair with cables. and my grandparents love ireland, and will be psyched on classic aran-inspired knits. also, they live in northwestern pennsylvania. it SNOWS there. who needs lace-weight scarves in lake effect snow? it may seem a little late in the game to just jump ship and start new projects, but i’m not even sweating it.
oh, also, my newest cousin was born last night. jack robert. i knit him this little sweater. i used some acrylic baby yarn i had stashed, so this isn’t the most luxurious baby sweater ever, but also, babies throw up on things. might as well make something machine washable? also also, i have nine cousins now. or ten. that’s a lot of cousins! fortunately, as the oldest grandchild, i never worry about losing my special rank and just becoming one of the masses. also, i don’t see any other grandchildren knitting glorious cabled scarves for nana and papa. what.
happy thanksgiving!
Filed under: gift knitting
it’s not totally done, but seriously, i am psyched to be so close:
i still need to weave in ends and block this. i got really discouraged on my last sleeve. can you see the imperfection? i realized halfway through the sleeve that even though i’d been very careful about buying the same colors and dye lots, my last ball of noro was suspciously lacking in turquoise. there’s just a join where the turquoise is supposed to be. i got really bummed, considered frogging the sleeve and buying more noro, considered frogging the whole body and putting the non-turquoise noro in the center so at least the flaw would be symmetrical, and briefly considered just canceling christmas, but gary told me not to sweat it, and i decided that might be the smartest path. so, thinking positively: “imperfections” can really be what separate a hand-crafted item from something mass produced. also, my brother is pretty laid back, he probably won’t care about this at all. if i had made this sweater for myself, i wouldn’t care, but because it’s a gift, i really wanted it to be perfect. i don’t know. at least other than that little flaw, i really think the sweater is overall pretty decent.
also, the name of this hoodie (hacky sack hoodie) makes me think nonstop about this:
and now i need to enjoy my second pot of coffee and get ready to go knit red scarves with meg, who just got back from months and months in ireland!
just a quick break from my furious knitting to help spread the word about the red scarf project. this is a scarf drive that benefits college students who have aged out of the foster care system. obviously this is very near and dear to my heart because i a) love knitting and b) work for a mentoring program that serves teenagers who are about to age out of the foster care system without permanent and positive adult supports. the description of the red scarf project explains that “these brave young people are going it on their own and trying to improve their lives and the community by attending college,” which may not sound like a great feat to those who have had adults who are invested in their lives, but my job has really opened my eyes to just what a huge that is for those who have not. and while a handknit scarf may not sound like the answer to all of the problems these kids face, i have also learned that it is a really big deal to receive anything for the holidays, never mind something handmade and personal.
the deadline for this project is december 15, so you still have plenty of time to come up with something special. read the link i included at the start of this entry for more details, as well as a nice list of appropriate unisex scarf patterns. even in the throes of our pre-scheduled holiday knitting, i think this is a really important and worthwhile project. you can also check out the red scarf project ravelry group for more ideas and inspiration.
this project is done through the orphan foundation of america, and you should really check out their website for some more information. it was one i referenced a lot when i first began my job and was just getting a grasp of the realities of the foster care system. i personally also recommend using foster club to learn more. their state-by-state foster care pages are really helpful, and may also lead you to other ways to get involved (like AHEM, being a mentor).
i seriously can’t believe how time is flying by. november, already? agh! i have been very very busy lately, assembling and packaging zine orders, working (because i know i never mention it, but i actually have a job, where i spend many hours during the week), and of course, knitting. for halloween, i was a squid. i knit my costume:
i will try to make better pictures happen soon. in the meantime, ravelry details are here. i have also been working on a number of other projects simultaneously. so far the only one with progress really worth showing is my brother’s christmas sweater. i feel okay posting this here because a) i don’t believe my brother reads this, or any blogs at all actually, and b) he picked this sweater and the colors out himself, so the only surprise will be whether this actually fits him. that said:
a very blurry photo, and also this morning i ended up knitting pretty much down to where the bottom of the pocket connects, which is awesome because it means the end of the body is near. i don’t mind some stockinette, especially in the round, but a men’s size xl sweater is a LOT of stockinette. i’m using the yarns suggested in the pattern, brown sheep lamb’s pride worsted and noro kureyon, so at least the yarn is a delightful treat after the pound of acrylic i used in my squid suit.
i’ve also made a good chunk of progress on my mom’s woodland shawl. originally i was trying to do that most quickly because i’m using my size 6 circular for it, and that’s also the needle i need for my sister’s sweater. my thought was that i could be thrifty and not buy another needle in the same size. i could just work one project, then the next. BUT. the size 6 i already own is a bamboo needle, which i’m not totally crazy about. it’s old and the points are getting dull. so if i bought myself a nice addi turbo circular, i would really be making more of a long-term investment than an impatient impulse purchase. am i right?
it feels like i have accomplished a good deal over the last few days. however, i am not singularly responsible for my progress. i owe a lot to netflix for making all of murder, she wrote available to watch instantly, to so delicious’s awesome coconut milk coffee creamer, and to new harvest roaster’s mild coffee that makes it easier for me to stay caffeinated all day without making my stomach feel like it’s on fire. i am so excited about the gifts i’m giving this year. also so excited about endless murder, she wrote marathoning. i leave you with this:
happy november!
granted, my main priority right now is holiday knitting. but it doesn’t mean that i’m not still peripherally aware of the massive destash that i promise will happen…after christmas. still, for the moment, it may be helpful to some of us to learn from the wisdom and experience of others. so:
from twist collective: ask the problem ladies: jostled by stash. no “stash only” yarn diets – i love this advice!
and a few projects that actually really make me want to dig deep into my suitcase of yarn:
this knit banana. of course. also, this womb.
as discussed at a knitting night a few weeks ago, this hot water bottle cozy is kind of amazing. i do not actually own a hot water bottle, but this pattern makes me want to. a hot water bottle and knit cozy would also make a really nice winter holiday present, just sayin’.
i am also considering making some of these little hearts to attach to my christmas present wrapping. (um if i haven’t mentioned that i LOVE christmas, consider yourself warned. i love it so much. it’s my favorite time of year. i will talk about it nonstop until january first.) you might suggest to me that these are more appropriate for valentine’s day, but i say nonsense. or, i say that i will use them for both.
french press cozy. i have a french press. so why not?
and these are called bunny nuggets. i think the word ‘nuggets’ is a little sick, and that alone makes me weirdly want to knit these. also, they are cute.
you might be noticing that these are all sort of ‘novelty knits.’ here is my logic: when i think about things that i am going to wear, even one-skein projects like a hat or cowl, this is when i get excited about buying new and exciting yarn. it is not a time when i get psyched about the idea of using a leftover half skein of wool-ease. a french press cozy and a banana are knits that i don’t really want to invest money in, and therefore make a lot more sense for stashbusting.
enjoy your monday! be good!
sunday was rainy and gross from start to finish. so basically, it was perfect for digging into my christmas knitting without feeling guilty for not being outside enjoying awesome fall weather. this year i am being perhaps overly ambitious in my gift-giving. so overly ambitious that i cannot even reveal my full list to you at this point, because i am afraid of feeling ashamed if i can’t do it. so you will learn about my christmas projects only when i have substantial progress or finished objects to share.
and since it’s going to be more than a little while before i have actual finished objects to share, for now i will just revel in something i finished last march.
colder weather means that i finally get to wear this sweater again. and i realized that i’d never shared pictures of it after sewing the eyes on, and i really think the beads made it look a lot more finished. everything about this sweater makes me happy. i love the yarn (cascade ecological wool), the fit is pretty much perfect, and it’s covered in little owls. remembering that i knit this in a mere four days also serves as good gift knitting inspiration.
goodbye for now! my yarn is purchased, my netflix queue is ready, my apartment is well-stocked with coffee and soy milk. if you need me, come and see me. this will be occupying most of my evenings and weekends from this point on. maybe i’m acting like i don’t love the stress of this kind of challenge. that’s a lot of crap. i kind of thrive on this kind of pressure. i kind of love this in a sick, sick way.
