The Great Scarf Marathon

I have been knitting the same scarf for 4 weeks. Well, not really, but that's what it feels like. I've actually knit 4 scarves, in the same pattern, in 4 different colors. But it really feels like one great big scarf after a while. Miles and miles of wool and alpaca, yo's, k2tog's; I'm on mile 18 and fading fast. 2 more to go, max, and I'm pretty much done with holiday knitting. To clear my head a little, I went back to my Knitwhits Flore Hat I'm making for my new niece. Should have that one finished by the weekend.

Right now I'm consumed with Thanksgiving prep. So many things left to do! What would Martha say if she could see my ghetto seating and tarnished silver? I don't really care; I just want everything to be edible and no firetrucks involved. Wish me luck!

What I really want to do is knit this sweater from Zephyr pictured above (Rusted Root). I've got the yarn just languishing in the guest room. But I guess the fam would be just a little upset if there was no turkey and trimmings to eat tomorrow. I might be upset too, but I'd be upset in a really groovy sweater, and that would make me not really that upset at all.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I Am a TestLab Loser

Yes, I admit it. I am a TestLab loser. It's not fun to admit, but it's true. Ever since I signed up to be a TestLab volunteer for Glampyre Knits I have been anxiously awaiting the chance to help out on a new pattern. I joined the notify list and was a bit nervous when I found out there were 1000 other people on the list. But I figured it was worth a try. A bit of time passed and then- yay! excitement!- I got notice there were two new sweater patterns she needed volunteers to help with. I e-mailed right away; I checked my e-mail like a crazy person; I barely dared to hope. And yes, I got the e-mail. The e-mail that confirmed I am a TestLab loser. I also got the e-mail that said 600 other people responded too. It's weird how you get to feeling you're the only one who's discovered certain things on the internet, only to find plenty of others were there first. She only needed 24 people out of those 600 so I couldn't have hoped to "win" a chance anyway. But you know, next time I'll still give it a try. I'll still get excited and I'll still send that e-mail. Because isn't it almost as nice to think you actually have a shot?

This picture doesn't have much to do with the TestLab, but it goes with the season and is a picture of one of my last completed craft projects. I made it just in time for Halloween and it was amazingly simple and turned out just as nice as the picture in the book I found it in. It would have been a bit prettier if the pumpkins hadn't been just a little bit mangy looking and if I hadn't been too cheap to go buy some black ribbon for the big finish bow that it was supposed to have. But festive just the same.

What was I thinking?

I don't know what I was thinking. Well, I kind of know what I was thinking. I was thinking I could go all Martha Stewart and knit everyone's Christmas gifts this year. Not only would I be bestowing a heartfelt and handmade item upon all my giftees, but I would be saving money and getting to knit - all at the same time! But now I've got that sort of sick feeling in my stomach that you get when you realize you may have bit off more than you can chew. You know, like when you are sitting in the sushi joint staring at your california roll and wondering how you're going to eat it. It's sort of too big for one mouthful, but there is no possible way to cut it in half without flinging half of it behind you or across the table somehow, possibly injuring some other sushi patrons or temporarily blinding your sushi buddy. So you think it might just be easier to pop the whole thing in your mouth at once, which you do, and then you wonder how you'll manage to actually eat that whole mouthful, and if you're really enjoying it at all if all you're really doing is trying to finish it without choking. Am I really going to enjoy knitting 7 of the exact same scarves? And am I really going to finish them all before Christmas? I'm already imagining myself knitting feverishly into the night - just one more row, just one more.... Mom doesn't really need a scarf, she's got that fleece I got her a couple years ago to keep her warm....

New Knitty Things

I am so excited about all the new knitty stuff I've got going on lately! I bought this new book over the weekend and can't wait to knit so many (so many) of the projects in it. My husband, who wouldn't really be caught dead wearing knitwear, was looking over my shoulder the other night at the pictures and he said he really liked the cotton scarf they show in the book that is double-sided with sort of a tweed-y look to it. So I told him I'd knit the scarf for him like it was no big deal, while inside I was doing cartwheels over getting to start a new project and buy lots of yarn! Oh how I love to buy new yarn ~sigh. I bought the yarn yesterday at Yarnmarket and got confirmation this morning that it's on its way! Yay! I've also got yarn on the way from WEBS for some Christmas gifts I hope to start as soon as it gets here. The mailman (or possibly UPS guy) will definitely be my second favorite person in the next couple weeks. No one could possibly take the place of my sweet husband on the list of favorite people. He gets the top spot every time! But the guy who brings me yarn - well, he definitely makes it up to second.

I also got a nice note in the mail today from the people at Warm Woolies saying they got the items I sent. I'm just a little worried that they thanked me for the "3 hats and 1 vest" when in fact I sent 4 hats and 3 vests! Hopefully they got the other ones I sent. It would be awful to have them lost somewhere in the mail blackhole, instead of keeping a nice little Russian boy or girl warm this winter.

Well, it's off to feed my hungry hubby and try to squeeze in a little knitting time later on. Knit on everyone!

Meet Mr. Bear

This is my first bear for the Mother Bear Project. What do you think? The whole time I was knitting him I kept thinking he was going to turn out really ugly, but once I snugged down his little ears and tied on his scarf, I fell in love. His closed eyes give him a peaceful kind of look and I hope that some little child in Africa will love the stuffing out of him. His first portrait came out a little blurry but I don't think he minds that he looks fuzzy. He tells me that he can't wait to have his red heart sewn on and meet his new best friend in Africa. I hope he gets there safely.




Mr. Bear and I take a quick coffee break before he goes back to thinking about his new home and I go back to cleaning mine. I expect to make him a buddy to keep him company on his travels very soon.

Knitting for Peace

I got this book last weekend and have read it almost straight through, though at times it made me cry. Maybe it was just hormonal, but the thought of troops with cold feet and no one waiting for them at home, lonely puppies and kittens asleep on cold cement waiting for a warm home, babies with AIDS and no one to hold, and preemies without a stitch of clothing, made me just want to cry. But this book is inspiring too. People beginning with an idea to help someone else and that idea snowballing to pick up people from across our country and across our world, is simply amazing.

For a few months now I've been kniting for a charity called Warm Woolies (see sidebar also) which collects knitted vests, hats and other knitted children's clothing to send to an orphanage in Russia and also here at home to the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian reservations. But as soon as I started reading this book I knew I had to contribute to some others as well. Warm Woolies only accepts items knit with wool yarn, so I've stocked up on wool yarn lately. But I have a stash of acrylic yarn that I've got left over from previous attempts to learn to knit and from some baby afghans that I've crocheted for friends. So once I read about the Mother Bear Project I sat right down and started knitting my first bear. He's pretty cute and I finished 3/4 of him in just a few hours, but I'm a little short on what to do for his face so I've put him down for a few days while I think about it. I'll post a photo when I finish him which should be pretty soon. Anyway, if you get a chance to pick this book up, give it a try. Just make sure you've got the tissues nearby!