Calorimetry Crazy

I finally found something that I can have fun knitting and then actually wear so I have a giant pile of them at the moment and lots of balls of yarn still destined to become one. I discovered fabulous Tweedle Dee put out by Moda Dea at AC Moore and bought every colorway they make. I also exhausted Elann's supply of multicolored chunky acrylic. Some of these are destined for my head and some for gifts. Maybe. I am always very uneasy about giving my projects away as I become hyper critical the moment the thing has been finished. It is too itchy, the color is wrong, my finishing sucks and so on and so on until I convince myself that the thing is better off behind a dust bunny in the bottom of the closet. I still cringe at some of the truly awful things I have given to undeserving friends and family. I lie in bed at night and imagine sneaking into their houses and taking the hideous hat, scarf, etc. and then setting it on fire. Extreme, I know but you should see some of the ugly crap I have made.

A Little of the White Stuff

For us Marylanders, the pitiful amount of snow that fell yesterday was a big deal. In the past several years, snow has become a very rare occurrence with little or no accumulation. Winter has become a chilly, damp season with mud being its defining feature. Owning a good coat here is a fashion statement more than a necessity. Thanks to an Alberta Clipper that flew past, for a few lovely hours yesterday afternoon, we were treated to a mini snowfall. My immediate reaction was to throw some cookies in the oven and then grab the tinsel tree and the lights and decorate everything in sight. Good thing I didn't give in to the too-early-for-me holiday spirit. This morning it is all gone.

Second Try

I love my new loom! After my first weaving disaster I have managed to crank out two scarves that can actually be worn. I hate the feel of thick, knitted scarves wrapped around my neck so this woven one is warm but light enough to be comfortable. The best part of weaving is that cheap acrylics make the best weaving yarn so in the past week my stash has grown considerably as I have been buying up everything Micheal's and AC Moore has to offer. Giant bags of yarn for under $50! I have enough stuff to make tons of scarves for lots of unsuspecting family members. Lucky for them that the holidays are only a few weeks away or I'd be filling up the gift bags with these things.

Third Try

Here is my third scarf made from some inexpensive Lion Brand Homespun and Red Heart Soft Yarn. It took me less than a week of after-work weaving. It's rather wide and very long so it's a perfect guy scarf. It got out of hand because I still have no idea how to warp the loom to I get the size I want but with scarves I guess it doesn't really matter. The fringe gave me lots of trouble. Since it was clearly a guy scarf- a granddaddy scarf to be exact- frilly, floppy fringe didn't work. I have no idea what to do with all the loose ends yet so I had no choice but to tie them up into stupid looking fringe. I have tied and retied the ends then trimmed them several times and I still hate them. The fact that the two yarns are different made it even more yucky in my opinion. I guess finishing issues will be my holiday homework.

NaKni Oh No!

Being the last day of November it's time to admit that I did not reach my NaKniSweMo goal. I attempted to complete not one but three sweaters in the month of November. Two were officially begun in the first days of the month but I wanted also to complete at least one sleeve on that Palette Cardi that has been hanging around since well, forever. I did manage to make decent progress on everybody but I totally over estimated the time I would have to myself on my 5 day Thanksgiving holiday. Sad to say, but holidays are about obligations not about knitting. Vacation Day 1 was all about cleaning and shopping. Day 2 was for preparing the feast and entertaining. Day 3 was Black Friday shopping- my very first ever. I just had to see what all the fuss was about. I was disappointed, it looked just like any other Saturday at the mall to me. No stampeding crowds anywhere, just lots of dazed looks and empty hands. Day 4 was dedicated to clearing out the stash room and today, a cold and rainy Day 5 has been for paying bills and blogging about how the month went so damn fast. In 3 weeks I will have the winter break to tie up all the loose ends so I'll stop whining and go find a quiet corner to knit in.

Giving Thanks

On this busy Thanksgiving weekend I would like to take the time to say that I am very thankful for being the owner of this room full of yarn and other assorted fiber goodies. I have spent the morning sorting and organizing a situation that could only be described as a stash explosion. I have been buying and then piling up my loot in their delivery boxes until it was no longer possible to get into my little craft room. I am also thankful for Tupperware. Their big plastic bins made it possible to hide all this stuff neatly out of sight. I have a birthday coming up and I don't want to anyone to think that I don't really need that Knit Picks gift certificate I have been hinting about.

No Gobble Here

Our house is a turkey free zone on Thanksgiving. Even if I had not seen the unfortunate Sarah Palin interview this week, there would not have been a bird in my oven. For my family it is all about the chocolate chip cookies, fruitcake and Beaujolais. Add a grilled salmon hot off the outside wood stove, a few randomly chosen green things, the obligatory mashed potatoes and the feast is complete. The fruitcakes are baked early Thanksgiving morning, soaked in brandy and then wrapped carefully to be put away until Christmas. This year I was in too big of a hurry to get them out of the pan before they had time to cool and they broke apart. They won't be very pretty this year but I can confirm that they are tasty because I gobbled up the broken bits for breakfast.