24

It was my goal to write one post every day of January. If you avidly follow my blog (which you probably don't), you'll realize that I did not meet this goal. I came sort-of-not-really close though. So I'm going to say it officially this time. I am going to write one post every day of February unless there are extenuating circumstances. There. I said it.

I thought I'd write a quick one this morning to bring the count up from uneven, prime 23 to beautiful 4 time 6 twenty-four. I wasn't going to write a post this morning, because I thought this morning was going to be a mad dash to get everything ready and then go to geometry class, but turns out I still have an hour before I have to leave for geometry.

I have geometry class every Thursday. Most of the time the schedule is pretty straightforward; go to class, come home at 12:15, relax for the rest of the day. But today is special. Today, almost immediately after I get picked up from class I drive off with my family in our big white van. The destination: Houston.

We're driving down to Houston to see my big brother's film, Ain't Them Bodies Saints. It premiered at Sundance the Sunday before last, and my mom and my brothers Ben and Dan got to go up to Utah to see it then. But the rest of us had to wait until it came to Houston.

So now the time has come and I have to cut this short (although it is rather long already) to go and prepare myself a lunch for the car. There's little I hate more than packing lunches.

WIP Wednesday: Waiting for Inspiration

As I said in yesterday's post, my big order from KnitPicks arrived, and one of the wonderful items in the huge box was a pair of US6 nickel-plated needle tips and some 40" cables. It was my first pair of interchangeable needles, and I was eagerly anticipating trying them out. I had a project in mind when I purchased the needles: Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes. I was planning on using the blue fingering weight yarn I spun, written about here. As the first yarn I'd spun that had enough yardage for a big project, I needed the perfect project, and this shawlette fit the bill. 

I cast on last night and have made quite a lot of progress on the stockinette portion. This part is completely mindless, especially with the help of stitch markers, and I got a lot of knitting while watching a movie last night and a Doctor Who today with my sister. 

As I knit, I'm trying to get the shawl to make me think of something from Doctor Who, Merlin, The Hobbit, or some other thing I'm obsessed with, but it really isn't working. This shawl is utterly un-geeky. But I'm sure I'll think of something nerdy to call it when I get to the lace section.  

The yarn is absolutely amazing, if I do say so myself. It's quite uneven in places, but the overall weight is fingering. While it was in the skein and ball I thought it was all blue, but it has clear hints of purple, red, green, and yellow. No matter if the end result is nerdy or not, this shawl is going to be gorgeous.

Cozy

It's been humid and stuffy outside all day. Not really the best January weather. I'd rather there be a blizzard, we have no internet access or heat so everybody has to huddle underneath big heavy wool blankets, and I have a whole bunch of knitting project to work on.

Well, at least it's started raining now, and hailing. The clouds are dark grey and the sun has gone on stealth mode, hiding behind layers of condensed water vapor. And I received a big birthday present in the mail today.

That birthday present consisted of a $50 Knitpicks giftcard and various other amounts of birthday money equal to 75 dollars total, all hidden away in a 19x13x8 cardboard box and disguised as several balls of yarn. Talk about best birthday present ever.

So, I have lots of knitting to do, the sound of the rain pounding on the roof to listen to, and a big sweater to snuggle up in. How very cozy.

Silence are Grey

Chances are, the title of this post seems to you like a grammatical error and a misremembering of a common phrase in movie theaters. But then, with the growing popularity of Doctor Who, maybe the chances aren't so low. Do you understand the title and it's perfectly correct grammar?

That thing in the middle is a Silence. The tall one. I love this picture. Although, most of you probably don't get why. 

It would appear that on this blog, I tend to write mostly about what I've knit on the given day. Sometimes I'll give and update on something nerdy or some novel I'm writing, but most often I write about my knitting. This probably gets tiresome, especially for my non-knitting readers. No matter how impressed you are by my unmatched talent, you must get bored by post after post about knitted hexagons and scarves and cowls and works in progress. Surely you're thinking, how much knitting can one person do? 

Well, quite a lot, as it happens. But let's not go into more knitting details. Aren't I supposed to be avoiding that in this post? 

I guess I can't help it. I guess I'm just such a fiber artist that I can't even try not to write a post about knitting without doing the exact opposite. I'm terribly sorry, all, but you are doomed to reading a mostly-knitting blog. Confound it. 

But don't worry, you poor souls who don't knit. You can still enjoy my wit and writing, can you not? So read on, and don't get discouraged by all the knitting vocabulary that's like an entire different language to you.

Blue Bofurs

This evening I went to see The Hobbit again. This time, I was able to pick up on each of the dwarves' characters since I could focus more on the characters than the plot. So, I suppose Peter Jackson did do a pretty good job developing their characters. Though there are still a few who I couldn't say much about, and some who I could say lots and lots about. Namely Thorin, Balin, Bofur, and Kili.

Watching the movie again inspired me to knit another pair of Bofur's Fingerless Gloves, because the ones I made last month have gotten very fuzzy from lots of use and don't really look like seed stitch any more.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any gray yarn, so I'm having to make do with navy blue. I'm also making a few modifications, namely going up to size 10 needles for a looser fabric and adding a thumb gusset. From watching the movie again I could see that the real deal does actually have a small thumb, so might as well tack it on there. I'm also using Red Heart yarn held double, which is awful and scratchy. But I had to use it sometime, right?

I'm pretty tired (three hours in a movie theater really is quite exhausting) so I think I'll just go to bed, maybe finish a hexipuff first (it'll be the twentieth), and read a bit more of The Hobbit. In the book, I'm right at the place where the movie ends, so I might just have to start the book over to really get the movie fully. I bet that reading it right after seeing it will really help the plot develop in my mind.

(By the way, I'm just kidding about all that. I'm going to finish the next two thirds of the book and probably not read it again for several years. See how tired I am, making random lies? Better go to bed.)

Bunny Yarn

I have an old rabbit pelt I bought several years ago in New Mexico. It's extremely soft and silky, and right now it's posing as my bedside table. I can't have a bedside table because I sleep on the top of a bunk bed, and that table would have to have really long legs. So instead, I put whatever book I'm reading at the edge of the bed near my pillow, put the rabbit fur on top of that, and there I have a nice little place to put my alarm clock. And I can fall asleep with my hand on the luxuriously soft bunny fur.

That paragraph had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of this post.

Today I found a little sample of unspun Angora fiber. There was hardly any, and so I felt it justifiable to just spin it all up into a bulky, soft, fluffy few yards of yarn. It was the most enjoyable thing I'd done all day, and even all week (except for maybe my Tardis Hexiflat). 

It's probably super bulky weight or so, and it's approximately 6 yards in length. Not really enough to do anything with, huh? But I like to just hold the skein, 'cause it's so soft. 

"Chocolate" Orange

Look, I made an pumpkin  orange. And it has a little green bow on it that looks like leaves, which means that it's organic. 

And I haven't gotten to the best part yet... it's stuffed, not with polyfil, but with... 

Chocolate! Isn't that a great idea? It's like giving someone a chocolate orange when you don't have an actual chocolate orange. It's amazing. 

Since it's so amazing and genius, I've decided to do you all the great favor of writing up the pattern for you so you can make an exact replica. 

The orange is crocheted- a craft which I generally detest but I thought it made a nice orange-like texture- and then the bow is a 2-stitch knitted i-cord. If you're scared of i-cord, fear not, I've included a crochet option in the pattern. Click 'Read more' for the pattern. 

Look At All The Tardises

Just look at them. They're so amazing. 3 Type 40 Tardises (or is it Tardisi?), all on different items of craftiness. 

I don't think I ever mentioned the Doctor Who knitting bag I received for my birthday (never did get around to that post, did I?), beautifully made by my wonderful sister-in-law Augustine, and possibly the most amazing present I got. 

Today I made my first decorated hexiflat. Well, maybe not the first; some might count the stripy one and the cabled one as decorated. But this one is special. 

I like to just stand back and admire its nerdiness. On Ravelry, there are lots and lots (and lots and lots) of charts for the hexipuffs, and an entire category entitled "All Of Time And Space". And might I add that it has even more charts that "The Hogwarts Express" category. 

Speaking of hexis, I might as well give and update. I've finished fifteen, five above this month's quota. And it's only the 24th. 

There are only 14 pictured here; I knit another while I was waiting for the computer to be free. 

Okay. I'm done rambling about little hexagons now, by force rather than choice because I have to go do the dishes. In the words of my friend (and The Doctor), Toodle pip! 

WIP Wednesday: Finished Object

Today I have a project that was a Work in Progress this morning, but now it's finished. I decided that this still qualifies, mainly for the reason that I was too lazy to take pictures of a cowl I'm working on.

It's a sort of bunny/donkey/moose/deer/anteater/unicorn. He was meant to be a bunny, but the legs are too long and the ears too short, and the other things are what other people thought he was. 

I can't remember the name of the pattern I used, and I can't find it because my internet won't load the page, but I'll try and find it later. I used US7 needles and Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Sport, and then I felted him. Then I blow dried him so he would dry faster, but sadly it still took about 24 hours (not 24 hours of blow drying; I let him air-dry the rest of the way when I got bored blow drying) for him to dry all the way. 

I'm linking with Tami's Amis today. Hopefully I'll have yet another FO by Friday! (And hopefully I'll get a post in between. Sorry for the hiatus.)

Dolls

I was never one for baby dolls. Sure, they were fun for playing 'house' every once in a while, but really they were quite boring. But lately I've had a fascination for those antique-ish looking dolls that are either knit or made completely of wood or ceramic, and that have a variety of old-looking dresses and rather expressionless faces. 

This doll I knit today was inspired by two blogs I follow, Ginx Craft  and Dot Pebbles. The latter of the two is chock full of ideas for dolls, but the former has an exact post that inspired my doll (link). 

I made the pattern up, but took precise notes so that I can write the pattern. I also was considering felting her because I used sport weight wool and needles three or four sizes larger than suggested, but I decided against it for no particular reason.

She also doesn't have a name (yet). When it comes to naming things I generally fail miserably, which is why most of the things I knit that deserve names (i.e. bunnies, owls, hamsters, dolls) never get them.

The dress I didn't make pattern notes for, unfortunately, so I might have to make another one before I publish the pattern. But it's quite simple; essentially just a tube of knitting that's a little wider at the bottom, has some ribbing at the top, and has two i-cord straps that cross in the back. I'm thinking of making her another outfit with a ruffly, colorful skirt and a beige top.

Also, the dress looked a little drab when it was just plain grey so I crocheted a red edging on the hem and thought, well that compliments the blue bows in her hair quite nicely. (The hair, by the way, is some combed top roving that I stitched to her head and plaited, tying it off with a little of the leftover yarn from my Entrelac Cowl.)

Goodnight (or very early good morning, rather). I really have to stop staying up so late, or I'll get jet lag when school starts and I have to get up early every morning. 

And, of course, I'm linking with Tami's Amis for FO Friday. 

Happiness Uncheerful

I follow quite a few blogs, and most of them I like. I follow most blogs I come across, because I know it's nice to have followers. Or occasionally it's because I actually love the blog. Sometimes it's both, for those excellent blogs that don't have the popularity they deserve. However, there are a few blogs that are not at all enjoyable to read (no names of course- this is just my opinion and I would hate for a lovely blogger to get a bad name just because of me). These blogs generally have very few photographs and are unnaturally cheerful.

While Hobbes' suggestion is certainly true, excessively positive people can be annoying as well. Most of the time, when I read one of these such blogs, I start to feel very annoyed at the writer, probably because they're happier than me and I don't like that. Human nature at its best, eh?

So in order for you to make your blog the very best possible, I'd like to offer a few additional things that I hate about certain blogs. If you don't do any of these things, chances are I'll follow your blog if I catch sight of it. 

WIP Wednesday: Spinning

I meant to blog yesterday, really I did, but unfortunately I was too busy both knitting with the yarn I got for my birthday and reading a book that was actually intended for readers a few years younger than me, but that I enjoyed anyway (not that it was particularly good, mind). 

So I'm back today, with rather un-birthday related news to share. Actually, it's not really news. It's more like a few pictures with some information included describing the pictures.

Last Friday, I dyed some more wool roving. It worked a lot better than last time, and thankfully I know why. Last time, I didn't set the dye enough, meaning I didn't put it in the microwave for a long enough amount of time, so loads of dye didn't stick to the wool. With this roving, I put it in the microwave for about 5 minutes, at 1 minute increments. I turned it around every time I checked it as well, so that the dye could get to all the roving. There were still some white parts, but that gives the yarn some more variegation which I'm glad of. Also, this time I used Koolaid instead of Easter egg dyes. 

I think I used 6 packets of Koolaid in a bunch of colors like cherry, strawberry, black cherry, grape, etc.  I had hoped for a few more violet hues, but ah well, one can't have everything, and at least the whole thing isn't pastel pink.

And on top of all that, I have 4oz instead of 2 3/4oz, so I'll get a good bit more yardage. So far I've spun about a third of it, and got 130 yards out of that. I'll ply it double and get about 200 yards, I think, so it'll probably be worsted/heavy worsted weight. 

I also have some knitting works in progress, more than I had last week, but the combination of me being too lazy and it being cold outside is keeping me from going back out and taking pictures. And of course, I'll be linking with Tami's Amis and Other Creations. 

birthday bouquet

My 14th birthday isn't actually until the 17th, but today was more convenient for the celebration. And so, for all intents and purposes, I am now 14 years old. Fourteen. Quite a number. As my mom said, part of the 14-15-16 range. And as I said in reply, I'm getting old.

Call me strange, but I really don't like big parties, especially when I'm the center of attention. The biggest birthday party I ever had was my Doctor Who themed one when I turned 12, and I invited two whole friends. Shocking, eh?

(My second biggest birthday was my 9th I think, when I had a Lord of the Rings themed party. My sisters put Lord of the Rings action figures all over the place, and made a cake in the shape of the ring and actually put the elvish-y writing on it. Wow, that was way back before I started getting confused between Denethor and Theoden and started calling Faramir, who was once my favorite character next to Smeagol, Feomer all the time.)

Most of the birthdays in my family are spent with a special supper, cake and ice cream, presents, and, in mine and Mary Margaret's case, Rose and Joan over from next door. The hight of excitement.

This year will be equally simple. We're having enchiladas for dinner and cheesecake (so my gluten-free sister can eat it) for dessert. Another tradition is that we always get coffeecake for breakfast, so that's what greeted me when (or about half an hour after) I got up this morning. And my sister Becca surprised me with some beautiful flowers, that I photographed the heck out of already. I love taking pictures of flowers; they're the only pictures that every seem to come out right.

They're so pretty and sweet. I could photograph them all day long. 

I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures and celebratory news, but for now, I've got some knitting to do. Happy Birthday, Anya! 

(why thank you. so kind of you to remember.) 

FO Friday: Ocean in the Sky

As promised, my second finished object of the week. 

This was first hat design, and I'm quite proud of it. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to make another one before I write the pattern out, because I failed to take notes while decreasing and I'm not sure how it all fits together. 

The hat was inspired neither by the ocean or the sky, so why the name, you may wonder? When I first showed it to my older sister Rebecca, she exclaimed, "I love it! It's an ocean in the sky!" At first I mocked her, telling her that there weren't any oceans in the sky, but later on, the name wriggled its way into my heart and now it's stuck forever. 

I used the Berroco Quasar I received for Christmas, and combined it with a stitch pattern from my new stitch book, so in years to come, this hat will remind me of Christmas 2012, unless I'm so old I can't remember a thing about it. 

Today I'm linking with Tami's Amis and Other Creations FO Friday

Entrelac Cowl

I actually finished my Entrelac Cowl on the 3rd of January, so this post is long overdue. But it's here now, so let's forget all that, eh?

Out of all the things I knit, the cowls and fingerless gloves I've made get the most use. This may well be that cowls and fingerless gloves are almost all that I have knit. This cowl, knit with Knitpicks Biggo in the color way Calypso Heather, has already gotten a lot of wear, and it's still looking fabulous. I got the yarn for free when Knitpicks did that thing where if you spend five bucks you get a free skein of Biggo. Best five dollars I've ever spent. 

I'll post the pattern in a few days, when I get my head around my notes. I also need help picking a name for the pattern. Entrelac Cowl sounds a bit boring, doesn't it? 

Were I to make it again, I would do a provisional cast on or something and graft the ends together, as my seam is anything but invisible. I don't know how that would work since you don't really bind off when working entrelac, but I'm sure there's a way around that. 

See you tomorrow for FO Friday; yes, I have even more up my sleeve. I was finishing things left and right last week.

Almost Wednesday

It was WIP Wednesday... but now, considering it's 1:00 in the morning on Thursday, it's technically not. And I don't really have any WIP's to talk about either, because I am proud to say that the only two projects I have on the needles right now are my Thor Scarf and Beekeeper's Quilt. Since August, I've had at least three projects going at a time.

I so far have 7 hexiflats done out of my goal for 10 in January. I found out that I'm using size 2 needles instead of size 4 (my 2 and 4 needles look very similar), so my hexis are smaller than most people's, I think, but I don't think I'll go up to size 4 because I rather like them being small. 

I love these colors. I think they're a bit brighter really, but I had to take this picture at night so the colors aren't entirely accurate. My favorite is the blue and white stripy one. 

I spent a great deal of the day writing a short story, which will be published here in a few weeks, once it's all done. It's the first short story I've written that I actually love, and I'm quite excited about finishing it. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of January, but I want to make it absolutely perfect before I put it up for public eyes to see. This was the first time in several weeks that I've been able to write several paragraphs without checking my email or something, which was good. I actually had to start writing my novel by hand a couple weeks ago because I was spending ten minutes procrastinating for every ten (or less) words I wrote. With any luck, that spell of distraction has passed and I can resume work to my novel. As soon as my short story is done, of course. 

Yesterday

I would have blogged about yesterday's events last night, but I was either too tired or too distracted by watching The Hobbit production blogs. (Most likely the latter.)  So all I did was write about knitting hexagons, and put this off 'til today.

About two hours of my day were spent at the new science museum in Dallas. I'm actually not entirely sure it's new, but it was in construction about a year and a half ago so I guess it's pretty new. I initially didn't want to go, because of my hate of both museums and science. But alas, my mom forced it upon me because I have next to no science education and I had to attend the outing.

The museum was pretty fun for the first hour, mostly just looking at all the dinosaur bones and the gems. This museum is in current possession of the 3rd largest piece of gold in the world. It was found in March 2010 in Australia I believe, and weighs 51.3 pounds. There's one thing I learned, against my will of course.

When we left at around 4:30, half an hour before the museum closed, we decided to go out for coffee since we were already downtown anyway. We parked by a parking meter, put in enough quarters to last us four hours, and caught sight of a trolley offering free rides. Goodbye cafe-that's-right-around-the-corner, hello old fashioned trolley car.

The thing was still decorated for Christmas, with garlands entwined with colored Christmas lights hanging from the windows on the outside. The seats were made of wood, and the floors were as well. It made quite a racket, hurtling along the tracks. Rebecca misread the map and estimated that the ride would last about an hour when we were contemplating getting out and walking back to the cafe; thankfully, we chose to ride the whole way. Turned out the ride was about twenty minutes.

Unfortunately, that was long enough for our chosen coffee shop to close down for the night, and so we sought out hot drinks and refuge from the cold at The Crooked Tree, another coffee shop. The four girls (me, mom, Mary Margaret, and Becca) sat at the cozy cafe with out ceramic mugs of vanilla chai while Ben and Dan checked out a nearby bar.

And then we were on our way home, after a long adventure ending in frozen pizza and plum pudding for dessert.

Keeper of the Bees

I have at last been lured into the knitting trap of the Beekeeper's Quilt, by Tiny Owl Knits. Thousands of knitters have already made their own big fluffy blankets, and I've had by eye on the pattern for a long time. While the official pattern says to stuff the little 'hexipuffs', as they're called,with cotton batting, many people are leaving them unstuffed and calling them 'hexiflats.' The idea of a blanket composed of little balls of fluff sounds very uncomfortable and hot to me, especially in Texas, so my hexis will remain unstuffed. I also don't know if I'll have the patience to make an entire blanket, and I'm not sure if I'd want an entire quilt, so I'm going for a little lap throw or some such thing.

These are the two I made today, just using leftover scrap yarns I had on hand. I'm going to try not to buy any yarn specifically for this project, but maybe it will inspire me to make a pair of socks, so I can use the leftover yarn for hexis. 

There are monthly hexipuff knit-a-longs in the Tiny Owl Knits ravelry group, and lots of other places to seek inspiration to continue when the allure of knitting hexagon after hexagon fades, and with luck I'll have a little blanket in a year or two (depending on how many sock yarn projects I make in between hexis, that is). 

Coraline

This book review is long overdue. I listened to Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, in October, and have been meaning to review it since.

Overall, I enjoyed listening to the book. Usually, when books are read by the author as this one was the result is poor, but Neil Gaiman exceeded expectations. The manner in which he read was extremely inexpressive so even in near death situations the speed of the reading was the same as one would expect when a character were taking a pleasant walk through a meadow. Because of this, the horror story was actually quite calming.

The book begins with Coraline and her parents moving to a new flat. It's quite exciting for a while, with all of the new places to explore and the neighbors to meet and have tea with. But, of course, that English weather has to go and ruin it all by raining. For the first rainy day in the new flat, Coraline has nothing to do but bother her parents while they try and work and look in all the nooks and crannies of her flat. She wishes for a more exciting life with more exciting parents who don't cook 'recipes.' And that night, she gets a lot more than she bargained for.

Late at night, she sneaks through a little door she finds in the wall and finds herself in a world parallel to her own. In this Other World, she has an Other Mother and an Other Father who love her and are quite interesting, toys that are much more entertaining than the variety back home, and the accompaniment of a talking black cat who warns her against running into the open arms of her Other Parents.

For the Other World is not as glorious as it seems. Locked away behind mirrors are other children the Other Mother has taken from the real world and hidden away in her own fantasy land. As Coraline learns the evilness of the seemingly wonderful place she has discovered, she- with the help of the nameless black cat- battles the Other Mother to set the other children free. But it will not be easy in any event. ★★★★☆

Simple and to the Point

You've notice by now, unless you're reading this in an email update, that I've redesigned my blog for the second time this week.

The houndstooth check was too busy. The colors were too dark. It didn't look right. I got two complaints. So I took everything away (again) and put very little back. Some of my favorite blogs have this template; the plain white with a fancy header. I'll grant you, my header isn't too fancy, but it is unique; that's my own messy scrawl up there. Who'd have thought that the brilliant writer behind this blog could have such unpromising penmanship? 

Hope you like the new look!  

slippers

I've spent today and yesterday afternoon knitting this pair of slippers. I do have a pair of slippers, but they aren't the sort you can cuddle up next to the fire in, and these are. The pattern I used is Amy March's Slippers by Tiny Owl Knits. Since these are knit toe-up and have a turned heel, don't they technically count as my first pair of toe-up socks? 

I had a bit of trouble following the instructions for the heel, but it turned out okay in the end. I was going to tie the bow with lace as the pattern suggests but decided I prefer the little pink bows. I also used the cast on she puts in the pattern. 

I used Red Heart Super Savers held double throughout. 

Completion

As I think I said a couple of posts ago, I finished my Saroyan at last (well, at last isn't really correct as I've been working on it for about half a month and have been taking lots of breaks). I pinned it out to block the night before last and let it dry until this morning. It's not the softest; the wool is a bit scratchy. But it's definitely very warm. 

Yesterday evening I felt like I was coming down with a cold and I was exhausted, so I went to bed at eight- probably the earliest time I've gone to bed in years. While I did fall asleep, I was awake from 11pm to 3:30am and got a bunch of knitting done on my Thor Scarf, and it's starting to look like the beginnings of a scarf. I didn't get up this morning until 10 and spent a very relaxing day knitting, mostly by Entrelac Cowl, which is now finished (pictures to follow tomorrow). I also started a hat, which is going swimmingly (I really hate that adverb). It'll probably be done in a few days and then I'll have to write up a pattern for that... so plenty to keep me busy. 

My vacation has come to an end, as my family just returned from Palo Duro Canyon. I still have about two weeks before school starts again, but those two weeks will be filled with noise and I won't have as much time to knit. It's been very relaxing and quiet with only four people in the house, but I suppose it would have gotten lonely after a while. So, I suppose I'm glad to have them all back home. (just kidding, I'm happier than that for their return.)

WIP Wednesday

Last night, I stayed up long and late finishing Saroyan. It's blocking now; I'll get pictures up after it's dry. But unfortunately, I have a few other things to finish before I can start something new...

This is my Entrelac Cowl, which is being made out of Knitpicks Biggo in the color way Calypso Heather. I'm about two thirds of the way done, judging by how much yarn I have left. I started this a few days before Christmas, but it didn't get a whole lot of attention because I was also working on Saroyan and a few other things. It's going very quickly as I'm using size 15 needles, and the entrelac is very relaxing and easy but also interesting. 

Another WIP is my Thor scarf, which is coming along nicely. I worked on it a lot last night while watching Holiday Affair, and I'm on the third color already. 

It's not really far enough along to see the stitch pattern, but the colors are definitely starting to remind me of the god of thunder.

Another thing to share is my first sock. I made it in one day using worsted weight yarn and size 7 needles. It's way too big, and I wouldn't waste my time making another one, but it's shown me how easy socks are. 

It's quite uncomfortable to walk in, but had I used a tighter gauge I'm sure it would have made quite a nice slipper sock. I already have plans for a pair of slipper socks. I don't think I'll follow a pattern; I prefer to follow a recipe and add some fancy stitches.

Superstitious Nonsense

2012 was an excellent number, but 2013 doesn't have the same ring to it. I feel a bit bad for 13, always looked upon as unlucky. What did it ever do? Though I must admit, the number does have a rather ominous sound to it.

Last night, instead of going to a party or drinking champagne, I was on the computer, chatting through Gmail with my friend Rose, who also had nobody to celebrate the New Year with. We stayed up till midnight (and a little later), wasting time and laughing. 

The reason I had nobody to celebrate with is that nearly my entire family took off yesterday morning to Palo Duro Canyon, located in the Panhandle of Texas, for a four or five day camping trip. I'm very happy about this, because it means that there are only four people in a house that usually is home to seven or eight (and in the last couple of weeks, 10 or 11). I'm taking advantage of the emptiness and quiet for some relaxing knitting, writing, and reading. My mom and I both hate camping of any sort, as we learned last year when we were dragged to Big Bend for a week the day after Christmas. Sure, mountains and cacti are pretty, but not worth the freezing, windy nights and the threat of being eaten by javelinas. 

Today I'm going to be working on my Saroyan. I'm almost done with the straight part, and then onto the decreases, which are always nice because the rows start to take less and less time to do. I've been knitting a lot of other things lately, which is why I haven't finished Saroyan yet, but now I've picked it up again and it's going well. 

I think the best thing about starting a new year is the archives on a blog, particularly one that's >1 year old, like mine. It goes from one year to two, and it looks much more professional and grown up.

Again, Happy New Year, everyone, and many more to come!