Christmas Knitting

I started out with big ambitious plans to make felted slippers for my family and all of my inlaws. I ended up making only three pairs, which I gave to my parents and my brother.

Check out before:

Note that cat is shown for scale purposes only.

She wanted to model, really!

I have very docile cats. Do not try this at home

And after:


It's like shrinky dinks for grown-ups! I admit I had my doubts that they would actually shrink to the correct size, especially since I only have access to a front-loading washer. They are still a tad baggy in the toes-- the red ones are a bit reminiscent of Ronald McDonald. This may be because my family members all wear half sizes. Had I perhaps made the instep 1/2" shorter, they'd probably fit perfectly. For a first felting project, I'm pretty stoked with how they turned out-- and my parents and brother were appropriately baffled when they opened the ginormous socks.

As it turns out, I was unable to resist putting my newly-acquired Continental knitting skills to the test in a little display of newlywed cuteness:

And since we are equal in all things:

Isn't it adorable when stockings cuddle?

WTF

No way

Confession

I bought the boots. Eric gave me permission. They are el-fabuloso. Penance: no "gifts" for myself until January. Or maybe never. We'll see.

Black Friday

I divided my time on Turkey Day between earning 7.5 hours of time and 1/2 at work (with very little visible effort) and hanging with the Candelores. I did some secretive and profitable snooping in their bedrooms and now know all of their shoe sizes. I'm such a clever girl.

Today they're taking me to lunch and possibly the movies (Coco Before Chanel) if the Old Port shops do not beckon too fiercely. I am truly thankful to live so close to my family, even when they mercilessly gang up on me in Settlers of Catan. I still won, by the way.

In Knitting News (Knews?), I am making felting swatches for the infamous slipper death march I'm about to start. I also discovered Brioche Stitch-- well, I didn't discover it so much as try it, and it is fantastic. I find it so fascinating and European. A Brioche stitch shawl in a light-as-air silk/mohair blend would be divine.

Post-vacation hangover

If I may quote that fount of wisdom and one-liners, Hedwig Schmidt, "Travel exhausts me." We left Vieques yesterday at noon and didn't arrive home until around 9PM. I think it may have erased much of the benefit of a week spent sitting on various idyllic deserted beaches-- I know, white people problems, right? It was my first time on a tropical island, and I feel somewhat conflicted about the whole experience. Maybe I'm just not cut out for the laid-back island lifestyle. And there is certainly little use for warm woolen hand-knits in the Caribbean.

I was quite successful in my knitting mission and am now fairly proficient at Continental knitting. The real test will be two-color stranding with yarn in EACH hand. Alas, I shall have to postpone such feats of skill for another time, for the holidays are upon us, I'm feeling poor, and there are presents to be made. I have decided on felted slippers for my family and in-laws... holy shit, I have in-laws.

Every holiday season, the same thing occurs. I fall in love with an expensive coat or pair of boots at the same time I have to buy presents for everyone. I remain coat- and boot-less. This year is even more pathetic given the money shelled out for wedding and honeymoon. There is no WAY I am getting these (for example):


Yes, they are perfect, yes they are on sale, but no, I have to buy a bunch of presents for other people, most of which are unneeded and unwanted, in exchange for things I neither want nor need. Bah humbug.

At least Patons yarn is both $4.99 a skein AND perfect for felting. I have eight pairs to make, so I'd better get cracking.

Tropical Wool

I'm heading to Vieques, PR on Sunday, with brief stopover in Cambridge to visit the lovely Miss Emily and celebrate her birthday. My project for the week (other than reapplying SPF 70 q2h) will be teaching myself to knit with the yarn held in my left hand. I have two skeins of Patons Classic Wool (which will eventually become felted slippers) and lots of laid-back beach time to practice.

Capital Improvements

I'm making some major additions to my knitting toolbox, courtesy of ebay. My favorite knitting needles on earth, the Addi Turbos, are quite expensive (up to $20/set at my local yarn store) and my collection has been growing very slowly. This is partly because I'm saving up for a set of Addi Click interchangeable circulars and I don't want to duplicate sizes, and partly because I have only recently realized the absolute necessity of having many different sizes available. The Addi Click set does not include 16" cables, so I decided to go hog wild and buy all the 16" sizes I was lacking-- for less than 50% retail! I try to support my LYS as much as possible, but $20 for a single cable needle is too much-- the shop lady even apologized to me last time I came to visit.

I'm in the planning phase of another major improvement to my knitting infrastructure-- a dedicated knitting corner in my bedroom. This will ideally include a dresser to hold my yarn stash and needles, a nice comfy chair and a good lamp-- hopefully the craigslist furniture section will come through for me. Eric is tired of finding my works-in-progress all over the apartment.