Finishing Elves

This is what I've learned. As soon as you have the slightest urge to do finishing work, stop all your housework projects and DO IT! That's apparently the only way to get the finishing elves to come and live at your house.


... says the woman who stopped in the middle of doing dishes AND laundry to clean out a sink, weave in ends, and block a vest. Combination of handspun Gulf Coast Native/Mohair and Briggs&Little Canadian Blaze Orange for my dad. He works at a hunting property as a wildlife biologist.

More WIPs

Hmmm. I've got a lot of works in progress, apparently.



First up is the Braids and Leaves Sweater from Knitpicks that I got the pattern for last year. I'm knitting it with Bouton D'Or Merinosoie that Mary, Mary got for me from the Anny Blatt factory outlet in France last summer. (Yay Mary!!!!) I'm really loving this pattern.




Next is James' replacement sweater for the kitchen-cotton Starmore aran sweater that I knit him 5 years ago when we were both uber-poor. This one is my own design(leaning heavily on Elsebeth Lavold's Vikingmonster and EZ's Knitting Around)in Paton's Classic Merino. I am in serious love with Balene Circulars for needle-free cabling. See the cute husband initials in the waistband? Thanks to Beth Brown-Reinsel's Knitting Ganseys for that.




Finally, the restarted version of Mom's Mediterranean Lace Shawl in Zephyr. This is how I learned to WASH the coned zephyr before casting on.

More Knitting

Ooooooh. Sock knitting. It's Pomatomus #1 out of Wildfoote Brown Sugar. I lurve the Pomatomus.

Look! It's a logo for my handspun! I retouched photo of my tattoo. How sad is that.

And Mrs. Beetons!!! Made of cashmere and Jo Sharp Infusion for my dear aunt.

Who are YOU looking at?

Time Warp

These are FOs from the great bloglapse of 2006. Otherwise known as "when James lost the digital camera after returning from Brazil."

This is what happens when a baby finishes dinner and finishes his day at the same time.
















See the sweater I'm wearing? Knitpicks Fairfax Fibonacci Stripes. I finished it sometime around June or July. We're getting ready to go to our birthday dinner.




















This is my mom's tank top made Colinette Giotto in Marble. The pattern is a muddle of several different tank patterns.












See the close-up of Giotto in Indian Cross Stitch... otherwise known as pain-in-the-ass stitch.
















And last, but certainly not least, Adamas Shawl in Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud Iris. This was for my sister-in-law's mother for Christmas. Let's just say I love my brother. I had to rip out and redo the bind-off 4 times to get it to scallop like that. I ran out of Alpaca Cloud by the last time and the bind off row is done in Jo Sharp Infusion, but it looks really cool.

Cardinals

We're looking out the window to the deck this rainy morning and there's a pair of cardinals eating birdseed out of the "birdy highchair." That's "birdfeeder" to me and you.

All of a sudden, Toddlerette says, "Cardinals are sweet and juicy and yummy. Cardinals are red." Allllllllllrighty then. I have NO idea where she got that first sentence. Not from me.

Good vs Evil

Milk, that is.

You see, the mantra of our lives right now is Toddlerette saying, "I really want some milk."

When she's in a good mood, well-rested, etc, it's so precious.... "I really, really want some milk, please Mommy," in an Orphan Annie/Oliver Twist voice.

But when she's in a bad mood, I'm just glad we've made a point not to curse in front of her. She gets this Samuel L Jackson voice going.... "I REALLY want some [f***ing] milk, [m*****f*****]!"

She doesn't actually say the words in brackets, but she probably would if she knew them. The kiddo has too much attitude for her own size.

Snowy Freakishness

This is not normal for central Texas.

Just so weird.

Yarny Goodness

So what have I been doing this New Year?

Washing, picking, carding, and spinning half of a natural-colored Shetland fleece (from Shetland, mind you!).


I got it at Yarn Circle in Murphy, NC, while on Christmas vacation.