Xmas Recap

I ended up with only 4 extra people staying at the house for the holiday weekend instead of the 7 I was expecting. Ian's Dad, Stepmom, and Sister got stuck in St. Louis due to the Stepmom being sick and the Dad throwing his back out lifting heavy things at the book store he manages. The Grandparents took their gifts and will drop them off soon so I won't know how she likes the multidirectional scarf till later I suppose. The Aunt seemed to like her scarf, and she also liked the Batman alarm clock that Ian picked out to go with it. lol
One of my best gifts was a Gnomad gnome from Husband Boy. I named him Angus McYarn and he wants to travel around meeting other knit bloggers, visiting LYS's and in the summer he's going to Colorado with me. I will update his page with some pics as soon as I take him anywhere interesting. I also got lots of goodies from Candy and some nice cash plus a steak dinner from the pseudo-in-laws.
There was enough sitting around talking time over the weekend that I was able to knit an entire beanie hat save for sewing up the back seam. The hat is for a guy I work with who constantly comments on the black roll-brim Lamb's Pride Bulky hat I wear. He's always going on about how nice it is so I figured he could have his own but with a ribbed band so it looks more manly. I also started back to work on Klaralund and managed another two inches of sleeve before a weird stitch forced me to rip back three rows and I said to hell with it.
Yesterday after everyone left Husband Boy and I went to see The Aviator. The movie is about three hours long, but totally doesn't feel like it...fast paced and entertaining enough that you don't even notice the time. I really liked it even though I'm not a big fan of any of the main actors. I brought the smooshy Rowan Polar scarf to work on just in case the movie sucked, but never even took it out of the bag.
The plan now is to work on Klaralund and a super secret pink Cashmerino project all this week and then switch over to working nearly full time on the cheap-fab throw after the 1st so that it will be ready to gift by the 25th. Wish me luck on that. haha.
Oh, I also got 12 skeins (48oz at 800 yards per pound = 2400 yards) of worsted weight hemp & merino wool almost black yarn I'd bought off of ebay in the mail on Friday. The color is "licorice" and it's just ever so slightly mottled. I loooove it, but it doesn't photograph well. I'll try again tonight so you can see it.

No More Scarf Hell!

The scarves are finished. yay! Scarf #1 is a Multidirectional Scarf done in Silk Garden #211. Scarf #2 is a Drop Stitch Scarf done in black Trendsetter Segue. They will soon be living with my son's Stepmom and Aunt.
The Irish Hiking Scarf and the Seed Stitch Keuryon scarf are now going to be birthday scarves so they no longer need to be done by tomorrow. They are both also near completion, but oh well. Next year the xmas knitting starts in July...I swear.

Holy Crap! It's Almost X-Mas!

Scarf Hell continues, but you may get a photo-update tonight when I get home from SNB. The end is in sight for the drop stitch ribbon scarf and the multidirectional scarf! I'm starting to feel doubtfull that I'll get the others finished in time. Fortunately those people have birthdays in Feb. and March, so they can just get birthday scarves instead of xmas scarves if it comes right down to the wire and I'm still not done with them.
I have 7 extra people spending the night at my house xmas eve so along with all the scarf knitting I have to fit in house cleaning and stock up on food etc. These people are my Son's family. (his Dad, Stepmom, little Sister, Grandparents, Uncle, and pregnant Aunt who's vegan and also allergic to wheat & peanuts) We love them to bits, but I get a min-stress meltdown in the week or so leading up to their annual xmas visit. I like them to think my house is always clean and always smells this good...the cat box is always scooped daily, and of course the boy always keeps his clothes hung neatly in the closet. To maintain this illusion I have to start cleaning a week ahead of time and yell at everyone daily to make sure they don't mess it up again before the visit starts. Of course once they're gone we can relax and throw our clothes in a pile on the floor, forget to scoop the cat box till it gets stinky, and have dirty dishes in the sink again...shhh!

In other news, I signed up for the
Mariah-Along over at Eklectika! which doesn't start till Feb. so I figure that gives me plenty of time to finish Klaralund. I've already ordered my Paton's Classic Merino in black and I'm on the lookout for a double direction zipper...you know, the kind with two pulls that you can unzip from the top and bottom and have it still closed in the middle...those suckers are hard to find in anything but super long lengths around here. The pattern calls for an 18in zipper, but I plan on making my Mariah a bit longer so I'm looking for a 20 or 22in. zipper. Any help in this quest is appreciated.

Early New Year Stuff

I've been thinking about new years resolution stuff already. I do this every year. Some years I get more done than others. In 2004 one of the things I wanted to do was to finally learn to knit. (I also wanted to plant a garden, but poor soil and squirrels conspired against me so I had to put that one off.) So here is a list of things (some knitting related, some not) that I want to accomplish in 2005:
* Learn to spin really good, even yarn
* Dye my own roving and yarn
* Plant that garden and defend it from the squirrels
* Complete at least one big lace knitting project
* Complete at least three sweaters
* Learn to sew somthing other than pillows and curtains
* Visit Colorado and climb a mountain (an easy one..I'm not insane)
* Get back in shape (probably a good idea to do before I try to climb a mountain)
* Get really good at knitting cables
* Knit some socks
* Clean up the giant pile of stuff in my room and don't let it get scary again
* Make some improvments to my yard
* Fix up and rent out my extra house (this one is really badly in need of doing)

Ok, that's all I can think of right now.
Scarf hell continues, but most of them are now at least 50% completed. YAY! The end is in sight.

I'm Still In Scarf Hell

Sorry there were no progress pics. Not much progress to report. I did a few rows on the drop stitch ribbon scarf, a couple of repeats of the cables on the Irish Hiking Scarf, and maybe an inch or two each on the other two. I did start and get about a foot and a half done on a Multidirectional Scarf in Silk Garden 211 though. I'm thinking its for my Son's Stepmom, but it might be for his Grandma. We just have to wait and see which one it looks more like when it's finished. One will get this and one will get the smooshy Rowan Polar scarf.
I have to miss my weekly Stitch N Bitch today because I'll be knitting my way through a PTA meeting and Ian's 7th grade beginning band Xmas concert. Ian plays Trombone. We're video taping it because his other Parents and Grandparents etc. couldn't come...they'll have to watch it when they show up X-mas Eve. Husband Boy is running the video camera.
I know Scarf Hell is really super boring to read about, but just hang in there. I hope to be finished really soon, and then we have finishing up Klaralund, the rest of Cheap-Fab, Secret Pals 4 starting in January, Another wack at the Koigu Gypsy Shawl, the Koigu Keepsake Shawl, more time to practice spinning, and goodness knows what else to look forward to.

Husband Boy (HB) has a really annoying habit of still calling the house we live in, (which we picked out together last year at this time and which is in my name alone for tax reasons) "your house" and "your place". Nevermind that his laundry is done there, he eats 75% of his meals there, and a good lot of his weird camping stuff is cluttering up my yarn stash/spinning & sewing room. Nevermind we've been married for going on 5 months. He knows this irks me, and yet he continues to do it.
Witness this email exchange:

HB - I am getting ready to walk out the door now...should be at your place around 6....
Me - geeee thanks. ok.
HB - What is the geeee thanks for?????
Me - Its for the "your place". pthhhh!
HB - Oh... I will be at the yarn store around 6.... hehehe
Me - Ohh haha you're so funny...like I'd sell any of that yarn. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Meanwhile Ian is the bestest Son ever! He had an assignment from school last night to make this weird totem pole thingie out of a paper towel tube showing activities he does with his family. He included knitting, "Because you knit things and I wear them so that counts as a family activity." Awwwww...I just hope his teacher will buy that and not ask him to demonstrate his nonexistant knitting skills.

I'm still working on the scarves of doom. They still aren't finished. I'll work on them tomorrow and then post progress pics on Sunday. I have this nice idea that I'm going to get to practice spinning this weekend too, but there are lots of chores to be done and shopping for Ian a nice outfit for his xmas band concert on Tuesday to do. Plus I have those damn scarves hanging over my head so it may be wishfull thinking. We'll see.

Holiday Junk
Isn't this a cute gift idea? I found it while doing online xmas shopping for other things. I wonder what the yarn is like. If I can find one of these locally so that I can check out the book this just might be what a couple of kids I know are getting for xmas.
Speaking of xmas, I'm still knitting away on the scarves that won't end. I'm kind of sick of scarves at this point, but they are all at least 1/4 done or better after a weekish of work and I've got three more weeks to go so I figure if I mostly knit on at least one weekend I should be ok right? sure!

Your Advice Please...
I have decided that in 2005 I am going to go to at least one knitting/spinning retreat or big market thing or festival of some sort. I just can't figure out which one. I'd love to go to Rhinebeck, but that's out of the question since I have reservations that weekend to stay somewhere which had to be made a year in advance (no kidding!) so I can't cancel that. I don't get vacation days till after June 24th so that also makes things a little tough since I can't go to anything that happens before that date. (The Estes Park Wool Market is the weekend BEFORE that grrrr.)
So, what can I go to that happens after June 24th, is in the continental US, can be counted on to be worth my while, etc.? I'm interested in classes on things like dying, fiber prep, knitting math, felting, lace knitting, and stuff that will help improve my as yet not so hot spinning skills. Any ideas?