2008 Finishes

Knitted Projects:
Argosy Baby Blanket
Embossed Leaves Socks
21 Hats for Alex
Ankle Socks for Mom
Ribbon Lace Scarf
Briar Rose Charity Afghan – 4 squares
Mr. Greenjeans
3 Everlasting Bagstopper
Baby’s First Tattoo
Mobius Wrap
Basic Ribbed Socks
Noro Striped Scarf


CrochetProjects:
Shawl out of Kiparoo Farm Sagamore yarn
Pineapple Scarf – Crochet
Chrysanthemum Tea Shawl
Peppermint Wrapper Baby Blanket

I'll update you on my WIPs which are completely embarrassing, but they need to be completed at some point. Urge me on will ya?

A Christmas of Firsts

Christmas was wonderful. I got to do several things that I'd never done before, which all revolve around my SIL's brother and SIL (who I'll call George & Jane). They live in CA and so we only see them a couple times a year.

I got to pet zebra skin. George & Jane went to Africa and they brought back some really cool gifts for the nephews. They got small hand crafted drums, made of zebra skin. Very cool.

I got to participate in the lighting of the menorah last night. Jane is Jewish, so we celebrated both holidays yesterday. It's funny, but growing up in a town that was mostly Jewish, I don't ever remember participating in that celebration with any of my friends.

Coolest of all... I got to see the personal video Christmas card of a very famous rock star. George and Jane, as I mentioned, live in CA. They live outside LA, and in a pretty upscale neighborhood. Nancy O'Dell (from Inside Hollywood or Entertainment Tonight, I'm not sure which) used to be right next door till she moved a few months ago. Anyway, this particular rock star and his family live 3 doors down. So yesterday when George opened his e-mail there was this Christmas greeting from their neighbors. It was so sweet. It was nice to see the private side of someone who's in the spotlight.

So that was my Christmas. How was yours?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

from

My personal solution to the economic crisis

My dad keeps asking me if I have any money in savings for a rainy day. I do, but not as much as I should. So I decided that I needed to find some places where I can cut back and save. Here is my plan for the New Year…

Knit from my stash. I have plenty of yarn. More than I can use up in a year. I have at least 4 sweaters worth of yarn, an embarrassing amount of sock yarn, and enough for 2 afghans. It’s all beautiful stuff and there is no reason for me not to use it. So I will not be buying any yarn this year.

There are two exceptions to this; MD Sheep & Wool and Rhinebeck. I will be saving some cash toward those two events out of each paycheck, and part of my tax refund.

Get rid of my P.O. Box. It’s up at the end of the year and I really don’t want to pay for it. I have an unreliable postal carrier which is why I rented the P.O. Box in the first place. It’s been 3 years now and I think it’s time to stop paying for what everyone else gets for free and hope the postal carrier has become more reliable (or there is a new person on the route).

Cancel my account with Audible. I love the service, but there is a perfectly wonderful library in town with a vast selection of audio books that can easily be ripped to my IPod.

Stop buying books (with the exception of Knitting Books and they have to be really special). There is a perfectly wonderful library yadda, yadda, yadda. Not to mention the stacks of unread books I have at home.

Cancel all the pay stations I have on my TV. Sure, I watch movies on the major pay channels, but I have a feeling that if I joined Netflix it would be a heck of a lot less than what I’m paying for all the channels I’m not watching. So my subscription is going to change with the cable company.

I’m going to try and use up everything I have in my house too. I have so many soaps and body washes and lotions and stuff that I had to try. I’m not the only one with this problem am I?

Then there are the impulse purchases. No more. What I think I’m going to do is carry a small notebook with me and write down the item and the cost and then see how much I would have spent that didn’t need to be spent. I’m sure it will be eye opening.

I’m planning on a new expenditure though. The cost will be more than covered by all the money I’m “freeing up” this coming year. I am joining the YMCA so I can swim 3 times a week. They have a special in January where they waive the “new joiner’s fee”. The monthly cost gives me access to 3 area Ys, classes, fitness equipment and 3 pools. I think it’s not such a bad deal, especially since I want to swim. I need to get into better shape than I am and swimming will be the easiest on my joints.

So, when you add it all up I’ll be saving a nice chunk of change.

So Thrilled!

Look here!

I suppose now you know who's the lucky December baby I knit the blanket for...

Noro Ho (ro)

Lately all I want to do it knit things with Noro. I picked the sock I started up so I could finish it and I got all enthralled with the colors. Then I was shopping with Jen at one of our LYSs because our birthdays are a week apart so we go there and spend our birthday 20% together. Before I went I was looking through books and the internet (and Ravelry) trying to see what I'd like to knit.

I decided I wanted to knit 2 things... One was a simple lace weight stockinette scarf, like Amy Singer is making.

Now it’s not like I don’t have any laceweight yarn at home. I have plenty (like the camel and silk blend I got at Rhinebeck in 2007 or the 100% silk Tess I got at MD S&W). But this 100% alpaca just did me in. I had to have it. HAD TO. The yardage is fabulous and the cost (less the 20%) was right so it just jumped into my hands and I had to buy it. I haven’t started it yet because I can’t put my hands on my US 1 circular needles. I guess I need to do a little cleaning up of the yarn and WIPs this weekend.

So back to the Noro.

The other was an Eye of Partridge shawl (Original here and one in progress here).

Originally I wanted to make the shawl out of Silk Garden, which I thought would be fantastic with the color runs. But they didn’t have such a great selection. The colors they had in stock didn’t captivate me at all.

So I wandered around, looking at all my other options and found the sock yarn. They had a ton of the Kureyon Sock in some really fun colors so I ended up with this. How beautiful is this yarn? I love doing the shawl because it’s fairly mindless but has beautiful results.

I have 2 skeins which I hope will make the shawl long enough so it won’t point at my butt when it’s finally done.

I also finally had an opportunity to peruse some of the knit blogs I’ve not been able to read for a while. I got to the Yarn Harlot’s blog and saw what she’d been obsessed with and clicked on links and went to Ravelry and DAMN IT! I had to knit one! HAD TO!

I resisted. I really did. But I found myself pulling into one of my LYSs and purchasing two skeins of two different colorways. I started and kept going and going till I had to make myself stop and finish the Peppermint Baby Blanket:

Then I went back to the Noro and finished the scarf.

I’ve been working on the sock at lunch.


It’s almost all Noro all the time at my place. I’m addicted. Crap!

Out of the mouths of 10 year olds...

It was cold here on Thanksgiving, so I wore some of my knitwear, specifically my steeked vest. My nephew #1 and I were cuddling on the couch Thanksgiving afternoon and watchin Journey to the Center of the Earth. He picked his head up from my shoulder and asked:

"Aunt Chrissy? Did you make this?" (scroll down)

"Yes I did"

"WOW!"

It's nice to know my nephews are being raised with a healthy respect for hand made things.