Congratulations, HVAC Man!

He did it! Last Friday at 7:00pm, Anthony graduated from the Greene County Career Center's HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) program. His mom had flown in from Seattle to be there (she surprised him on Thursday!) and my mom and aunt drove down from Northeastern Ohio to surprise him Friday night. It was great to see the culmination of nine months of hard work and see him get his career passport, which details all of his accomplishments, certifications, and successes for prospective employers. Congratulations, baby... I'm SO proud of you!

The two guys on the ends are the instructors, and the guys in the middle are the graduates. There were two other classes that graduated that night, but these were my favorites. It was neat to be back at the GCCC... I used to teach GED classes through there, and I attended meetings and GED graduations at the career center on occasion.

Anthony, his mom, and I went to dinner at Smokey Bones on Thursday night, his mom stayed with me that night, and we met Anthony at Jungle Jim's on Friday morning. After a record four+ hours at Jungle Jim's, we slowly (car trouble!) trekked our way toward the graduation, where we met up with my mom and aunt. After the ceremony, we went to Longhorn for celebratory steak dinners, then all the ladies stayed in a hotel in Fairborn while we let Anthony recover from all the celebrating. Saturday morning, all the women went to sock club at my yarn store, then we picked up Anthony for lunch at the Oasis, and then my mom and aunt took Anthony's mom to the airport to head back to Seattle. It was a really packed weekend, but it was fun, and there was much reason for rejoicing.

As for the knitting, I have four projects I want to finish before the Knitting Olympics: two pairs of socks, the Shedir hat, and Sadie's sweater. The niece and nephew need Valentine's socks, of course, and I must get those other two things off the needles for my own peace of mind.

Speaking of socks, here's Kim at sock club, showing off her newly completed, very first pair of beautiful socks. That's Wendy behind her, working on some leafy socks. Isn't it wonderful how she's happy about socks now? Isn't it wonderful how I still have my eyes? And my eyes don't have little holes in them? And my skin is puncture-free? It is a beautiful thing. Kim started sock pair number two at sock club on Saturday morning. It was indeed a beautiful thing. Now we just have to get Dorothy to that stage, too! For more socks, head on over to Joy's blog. There's another beginner-sock-knitter-extraordinaire!

As for knitting surprises, you may have to wait a while. (You know, because actually finishing a project is a surprise around here. Having time to finish a project could be a surprise, too.) But that's all I can say for now. Keep your pants on, and GO SEAHAWKS!!!

Comment-o-Rama

I'd like to give a shout out to two new knitting Brookes that I know: BeatKnit and Princess. Thanks for saying hey! Seems they found me on the Yarn Harlot's list of olympic athletes. Speaking of, how comes I'm the only one who can't figure out how to put pictures on my sidebar, let alone link those pictures to a website? Can anybody help me out?

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Kimmy doesn't like my dentist joke, so let's see what she thinks of this one:

Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love, and got married. The wedding wasn't that great, but the reception was excellent.

Or this one:

A man took his rottweiler to the vet because he thought the dog had an ear infection. They went into the examining room, and the vet came in and picked up the dog. The vet examined the dog, then told the man, "I'm going to have to put him down." The man cried out, "All because he has an ear infection?" The vet replied, "No, because he's heavy."

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My friend Doubting Joy says this:

Been thinking about your Olympic knitting event. I'll be very impressed to see you work on one project to the exclusion of all others for 16 days straight. You really are crazy to enter this event!!!!

Now, I've been looking at the rules for the Olympic Knitting Events, and nowhere do I see that you have to work on this one project to the exclusion of all others for 16 days straight. I mean, sure, in order to complete that one challenging project, you may have to do that, but it's not technically in the rules. Not that I'm one who must constantly bend, stretch or even break rules (okay, I know my mom will figure out how to post comments for this one), but seriously. A round or two of simple stockinette sock knitting won't possibly set me back that far, will it? Even a skier takes off the skis once in a while. Even an ice skater takes off the tights now and then. Let's not be foolish people. This is meant to be a challenge... NOT an impossibility.

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There've been quite a few surprises going on lately around Chez Drunken Monkey, some of which will be revealed soon. I know a knitting blog ought to have knitting progress pictures, so I'll try to do that soon as well. Thanks for being patient.

It's Brenda's Birthday!!!

In honor of Brenda's birthday, I've written her this poem.

Ahem.

Ode to Brenda

I can tell the world your age
When you are turning only thirty
At least I think I can, if not,
Too bad, I can't edit this entry.

Dear Brenda, you are my closest friend
But not in proximity.
For you live outside of Memphis,
And me outside of Cincinnati.

Dear friend, you taught me to knit and purl.
Without you there’d be no Drunken Monkey.
The world would be a sad and lonely place,
So gracias, danke, thankee most kindly.

There are so many wonderful memories
That we've had, you-n-me,
If I sat and wrote them all,
I'd be typing till you're ninety!

Yay! Happy Birthday Brenda!!

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In knitting news, I recently found out that my niece's feet are slightly larger than my own, so it should be easy to size socks for her. This is good to know.

In other knitting news, I went to teach the second half of my sock class last night, and my sole student (get it? *SOLE* student? heh...) came in with her friend, and... she had already turned the heel! And she had done an amazing job, and I was suitably impressed, and she didn't even want to threaten me with the little pointy sticks anymore! I was really glad she got past the frustrated beginning sock knitter part and is enjoying the little needles now. She even bought more sock yarn and is going to join sock club with her friend. Yay!

In other knitting news, knitting is fun. You should try it. Four out of five dentists recommend you not use worsted weight yarn for floss. Speaking of dentists...

A man walked into a dentist's office and said, "Can you help me? I think I'm a moth."

The dentist said, "You don't need a dentist. You need a psychiatrist."

"Yes, I know," the man said.

The dentist asked, "So then why did you come in here?"

The man replied, "The light was on.”

Works-In-Progress Mega-Update Extravaganza

My first contest inspired me to take a look at all of my current works-in-progress (WIPs). Did it inspire me to work on any of them? Sort of. It mostly inspired me to want to catalog them, because clearly, cataloging them is much more productive than actually working on them, no? So today we have the list of WIPs that are current as of 2005. We won't talk about any of the projects that might not have been touched since 2004 or earlier, okay?

Shedir, from Knitty
Rowan Calmer: Peacock, #3, 16” Addi Turbo Circular
Beginning of fourth repeat of main cable pattern.
Two balls of Coffee Bean wait in the wings to possibly become the same hat.
This hat hasn’t been the quickest knit, but it did speed up when I stopped using a cable needle to do the cables. This is probably the project I've been working on the most diligently lately. I think I'm looking forward to the decreasing cable rounds. Who am I kidding? I always look forward to the decrease rounds.

Easy Children’s Lightweight Sock, Lorna’s Laces, Lucky Stripe, #1 dpns
This is the pattern I’m teaching in my current sock class. I bought this yarn last Thursday night so I’d have something from the store to work with during the class. I started out using #2s, but I’m pretty sure that will make these socks too big. I’d like to send them to Maggie for Valentine’s Day, but Morgan hasn’t sent me her foot measurements yet. I’m still on the first sock. I should have it to the heel by Thursday so I can show my participant how the heel is turned.

Anthony’s Sweater
Echo Lake Cardigan from Interweave Knits Summer 2003 Issue
Bernat DenimStyle Black/White, #8 24” Crystal Palace Circulars
I'm currently working on the right front of the cardigan. I have the front left and one sleeve completed. I have half of the other sleeve completed. I need to finish that half sleeve, finish this right front piece, and start and finish the back. I started this sweater last January, put it down for a long time, and have just recently picked it up again.

Hooray For Me Gloves
Trekking dk multi, #2 dpns
First glove, full fingers, rather than half. Sure, when I started these gloves I was all about knitting them until they were done. But once I put them down I've been hard pressed to pick them up again. It's probably because this 50 degree winter is just so darn uninspiring for knitting gloves. It might as well be summer.

Sock It To Me Toe Up Chevron Pattern Socks from Elann
Lorna’s Laces Liberty, #1 dpns
Second sock, above heel. I think the problem with these socks is that I need to rip out a few rows on the second sock and redo it to avoid the holes around the heel. I'm not inspired to rip those few rows back, even though I'm on the second sock. The second sock, people! What is wrong with me?

Fafner Dragon Pillow
Viking Patterns for Knitting
Old School 100% wool, #6 straights
Border of pillow complete, cable pattern on inside driving me crazy. I've started and restarted and restarted the cable pattern for the dragon a million times. Each time I think I've got it, and each time the dragon fights back. The cable chart in this book is wrong. Dead wrong. I can't find a fix for it on the internet, but I think I have an idea how to get it right. But as my grandfather would say, don't hold your hand over your butt.

Shadow Turtle Wall Hanging
Lamb’s Pride Brown Sheep purple and random cream colored wool, #6 straights
My mom loved Anthony's shadow alien scarf so much that she wanted something done in shadow knitting. She requested a turtle in purple and white. Do you see the turtle? No? Me neither. I may need to start this one over again.

Manos del Uruguay Scarf
Manos, #10 straights
My So Called Scarf pattern
This one was started a while back, and I'm still not sure if I'm going to finish it or not. I'm not much of a scarf knitter (alien scarves excepted) and I think this yarn has so much more potential. Eh, we'll wait and see. No big hurry.

"Excuse me? There's a towel on the table and no one told me about it. And a photo shoot? Why didn't you call me? I'm going to need you to take my picture please. And no, I'm not going to pose for you. You're just going to have to take a million shots and choose the best one. But seriously. How could you put a towel on the table and not tell me? This is my favorite!"

Uh, pardon the interruption, please. Moving on...

Mini Gansey from Knitted Ganseys
Lamb’s Pride Brown Sheep Crimson, #7 dpns
I know, Joy, I know. It's not even like I have that much more to do on the sucker. Shoulders and sleeves, shoulders and sleeves. Good thing I'm not making an adult-sized one, isn't it?

Greek Mittens from Folk Mittens
Wool from Brenda, #0 dpns
One mitten done sans thumb. My only excuse is, those needles are really stinking small. Oh, and the other excuse is, those needles are really stinking small. And again with the 50 degree winter. Seriously. What's up with that?

Wendy’s Easy Toe up Socks
Trekking, #00 dpns
One sock done except for cast off, other sock at toe. Okay, seriously. When did I ever think it was okay to knit with these needles? I like ones and twos and threes. But zeros? Double zeros? Am I insane? Don't answer that. I do like this pattern though. It's super easy to understand and it's a great introduction to toe-up socks.

Sadie’s Lacy Sweater
Size and numbers from Lydia's Lace Sweater in Kids, Kids, Kids
Lace pattern from Marie Louise's Lace Sweater in Knitter’s Stash
Berroco Linet, #6 straights and circulars
This sweater is for the granddaughter of a couple of the nicest people in the world. They live up the street from my parents and are probably the biggest help in the world. They've done so much for my mom and dad in the last few years it's truly amazing. I know a sweater for their granddaughter is a tiny tiny way to say thanks, but at least it's something. I need to finish this by the end of January. Any suggestions on the sleeves? They're kind of making me a little batty.

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Lastly, here are two projects that I'll be casting on soon.

First, Raindrop Lace Socks from Fiber Trends
Lorna’s Laces Seaside, #2 dpns
This yarn and sock pattern are the things I got on Saturday at the yarn store when I worked. I'm going to use them for my sock club that starts on Saturday, January 28. I figure I need to use both pattern and yarn from the store for these kinds of things, and by then I ought to be tired of the aforementioned Easy Sock pattern.

And lastly, I'm joining the Knitting Olympics, sponsored by the Yarn Harlot. The basic idea is that you have to cast on after the torch is lit, and cast off before the torch is out at the end of the Olympics. The project you choose has to be a challenge for you. So, since I've never finished a lace shawl (you may recall the frogged attempt a couple of weeks ago), I've chosen the Diamond Fantasy Shawl as my Olympic challenge this year. It will actually be somewhere between the scarf and the shawl, as the scarf calls for 350 yards and the shawl calls for 750 yards and I have 440 yards of yarn. I'm gonna go till I run out.... sort of. And I read today that the thing has to be blocked by the time the torch goes out, too, so that adds pressure. But I'm excited! I like a good challenge. And I really want a gold medal button for my blog.

Who else is up for the challenge?

p.b. This is my 50th post. Yay me!

I'd Like To Introduce...

I wasn't looking for a new cat. My mom sent me an email expressing her disbelief that I hadn't told her about the new cat, and that she was surprised I had waited so long to get a new cat. But I was happy with Carrot and Krusty. I miss Zorro (and Sam, and Shadow, and Drezzi, and Figaro...), but not so much that I needed another cat to fill some sort of void. In fact, to be totally honest, I was doing just fine with two cats. Less feeding, less litter boxing, less things knocked over during the course of a day, etc.

When my mom was looking for the dog they have now, she said over and over again that she didn't want to bring home a dog until she found one that needed her just as much as she needed the dog. When she found Midgie, it was obvious that the wait had totally been worth it. Midget is the perfect dog for my parents.

But I wasn't looking for a new cat. Amandamonkey said it best when she said that this gray ball of sweet love found me. I loved the suggestion of the name Boomerang (even though that name didn't ultimately win), since she just keeps coming back. I haven't let her out for a while, since now I feel like I have a lot more invested in her. I'm not as concerned about the coming back as I am about the crazy drivers, inconsiderate kids, and other animals in the neighborhood.

All that to say this: I love Newcat. I love that she wants to be here, I love how sweet and ornery she is, and I love that she needs me. Sometimes. She is a cat, after all. It's only been two weeks, but I can't imagine not having her anymore.

On to the contest. Thank you everyone for the fantastic suggestions! I have to admit that it was really hard to come up with my favorite name. I finally came up with my top three, and as promised, here they are.

#3. Nickel, submitted by my good buddy Kate. I just thought that it was a good reference to her color and it sounded fun and cool and sweet. Thanks, Kate!

#2. This was a tough one, and it was a long hard battle to the finish, so this number 2 is almost more like a 1.5. I had to actually break up a suggestion given by my friend Joy for this one. The name? Bandit. Joy suggested 'Smokey the Bandit' which I thought was cute, but Smokey is too common of a gray cat name for me. But Bandit was clever, since I don't know where she's been or what her life on the run has been like before she came to me. There's a good possibility that '... the Bandit' will be added onto her new name quite often. It still fits her personality. Thanks, Joy!

*drum roll please*

#1. The funny thing about my favorite name is that it wasn't actually and truly a suggestion. It was an inspiration for a suggestion. The suggestion was for the name 'Khan', given by Brenda! But honestly, I didn't like the name Khan. One of the inspirations for it, though, was 'Chaka', and that's the name I've chosen for my new cat. So I'd like to give you...

Chaka!












Chaka is one of my favorite occasionally-recurring characters on Stargate SG-1. He's an alien who becomes friends with Daniel Jackson and helps SG-1 in various ways. I've always really liked the episodes that have him in it, and while pondering all these name suggestions, I realized that Chaka (on Stargate) and Chaka (on the floor, currently) have some things in common. The one thing I'll mention (so you don't think I'm a complete geek) is that little fuzzy Chaka has this weird way of smacking her lips every now and then which kind of reminds me of the way Chaka says his name. Okay, it's a stretch, but it works for me, and I think it's funny.

Anyway, this is Chaka the alien. And all of this means that Brenda is the winner! Brenda, look for an extra surprise in your birthday packages that hopefully will be coming soon. Congratulations!

And thanks to everyone who submitted names for the contest. It was really fun to see what everyone came up with. Lots of knitting updates for you tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Post-In-A-Jiffy

Don't forget, today's the last day to offer name suggestions for the contest. Newcat needs a Newname! I have a lot more to say about it, but I don't have time today. I'll talk about it Monday when I announce the winner! I know you're on pins and noodles.

I started some new socks last night during my sock class (shut up! I had to for work!) and I really like them. I'm using Lorna's Laces again in the Lucky Stripe colorway, which involves red and orange stripes. Really pretty. I'll show you pictures on Monday.

The hat progresses well, if slowly. Sadie's sweater will hopefully be finished this weekend, and I'm taking my gloves and socks and hat to the store on Saturday since I told them I could work this weekend.

So! Knitting store on Saturday, knitting party at Leslie's on Sunday, and day off on Monday. Yee haw! Happy knitting, and have a great long weekend if you get one.

Don'tcha Hate It?

Don't you hate it when you're knitting along, and all of a sudden you realize you've been doing the wrong thing for the entire row, and you're going to have to rip it out and redo it, but instead of ripping it out, you stop where you are and throw the project back in the bag, so disgusted with yourself for getting it wrong that you determine you're not good enough to be allowed to continue working on that project... only to wake up in the morning and realize that you had actually been doing that row correctly, and you didn't mess up nearly as badly as you had assumed, if at all, and you should really take the opportunity to pick up the project again, and reassure yourself that it's not so bad, but you don't have time because you have to go to work, so you shove the project in your work bag and hope you'll have time to get to it some time between working at the office and going to your evening meeting, because you know you're going to get home late... again... and not have much time to work on the project when you get home, even though you really want to because it's a new yarn and a new project and those are your very favorite things in the whole entire world?

(The best part about that sentence is that there are at least two English teachers who read this blog, and I can just see their heads spinning! Muhahahahahahahahahaha!!!)

Anyway, don't you? I'm working on Shedir from Knitty's special edition, with some Rowan Calmer in Peacock. It's a gift. I'm not saying for whom. I'm just into the cable chart, and I think everything will be okay. I love this yarn. Soft and stretchy. It's 75% cotton and 25% acrylic (and it's actually the type of yarn recommended for the pattern! Gasp!). I think the hat is beautiful. I have some more of the same yarn (in Coffee Bean) on its way to make a second one if I end up loving the pattern. Pictures forthcoming when the hat looks picture-worthy.

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The contest is still on! Comment early and comment often! I've gotten a ton of good name ideas already. I thought it was going to be easy when only Joy had commented. I had the name picked out of all of her suggestions, but then Kimmy posted, and Kate, and Brenda... and I have at least one favorite from each. All of them can continue to suggest names if they think of more, and I'm hoping I'll get even more ideas through Friday. Remember, the winning name will be announced on Monday!

(I think I convinced Anthony not to suggest the entire list of popular cat names from babynames.com's pet index. Sheesh.)

Newcat Needs Your Help

Once upon a Thursday before New Years, I was walking Brenda out after a lovely evening of Indian food and knitting, and we came across a little gray kitty outside my apartment building. Brenda hopped in her inlaws' car and sped off, and I stayed outside (in the cold, misty rain) and scritched the kitty. I don't always get too excited to pet outdoor cats, since you just never know where they've been. But this kitty was super sweet, and super friendly, and seemed used to human contact. I fed said kitty (it was ravenous), then fed it some more. Then said goodnight. Being the curious sort (me, not the kitty), I poked my head out the door once or twice more before actually going to bed. Kitty was still there, meowing at the door to my apartment building. I pondered bringing her in, but I just didn't.

Friday night around 11:30pm, there was a knock at my door. Unexpected knocks on my door do not always bring good news, so I was leery to open it at such a late hour. When I did open the door, however, there were two teenage girls in the hall with the previously mentioned little gray kitty. They said, "Is this cat yours?" I said, "No." They said, "Oh, okay." I said, "Was it meowing at my door?" They said, "Yes." I said, "Oh, okay." I waited a while after closing the door to be sure they were gone, then poked my head out the door. I looked outside the front door to the building, no kitty. I looked up the stairs under the green bench and... there was the kitty! I said softly, "Hi, kitty!" and it ran down the stairs and put its paws up on my door. So... I let it in. It ran all over the house, jumping up on things that the other kids aren't allowed to jump up on, knocking over things that the other kids aren't allowed to knock over, and basically acting like it had been there forever. I decided to let it spend the night. And it did, with me, in my bed. Sweet kitty.

Saturday I planned to flea bomb my apartment in hopes of giving the kids some relief. There was no way Krusty and Carrot were going to tolerate sitting in the car with the new cat for two hours (even though they had tolerated the new cat fairly well the night before), and I figured since it had been outside before, it could go out again while the bombs did their thing. I put Carrot and Krusty in the car, then let the new cat out the bedroom window. (Why? I don't know. It seemed right.) The bombs did their thing, we all went back inside, Carrot got a flea bath, Krusty got flea medicine, and the new cat was nowhere to be seen.

Saturday night Brenda came over again to celebrate the New Year, and we'd been sitting there a while, watching MacGyver, and I'd poked my head out the door a time or two to see if the new cat had come back, to no avail, when Brenda stuck her head out the door and said, "Guess who's here!" I said, "Let it in!" And she did. Newcat came in and scarfed down some food and settled on Brenda's lap while we knitted. Newcat likes to play with yarn.



Newcat has been here ever since. I think I let her out one other time, and she came back, so I figure she likes it with us. She has a little attitude and likes to get her way, so she fits right in with Carrot and Krusty and myself. She likes to keep me from getting work done, whether I'm on the computer or trying to knit.

I call this one, "Waiting For Something?"

And this one's just darn cute, no? So all of that to say this: Newcat needs your help. Though "Newcat" is convenient for now, it's sort of an offensive name. The other kids are not happy that it infers that they are "oldcats". We've had minor tiffs about this, and we all agree that Newcat needs a Newname. Therefore, Drunken Monkey Knits is proud to present...

*drum roll*

Contest Numero Two!
subtitled: Newcat Needs a Newname

Here's a list of names that have come out of various mouths at various times. All of these are good options, but not great options.

Smacky

Spanky

Sheba

Doormat

Knitty

Monkey

Beeber

Miami Sweet Love

Barbie McMuffin Pants

Sweeter

The terms of contest two are as such: Give me your ideas for a new name for Newcat, and whichever name I like best will be her new name. Whoever comes up with the name I like best will win a prize. (Notice to all of you non-knitters who read this blog, and I know you're out there: Prizes are awarded based on who wins the prize. If you aren't a knitter and have no yarn appreciation [shame on you!], you will not receive a yarn-related prize. I think I know my readers fairly well, and will award prizes based on who you are, not who I am. So feel free to join in the fun!)

I agree wholeheartedly that Contest Two is very subjective, but keep in mind you will be affecting every day of my life for the rest of the life of Newcat and beyond. I'll take name ideas through Friday, January 13, 2006, and will announce the winner next Monday. Ready? Set? NAME MY CAT!!!

A Frog, a Blog, and a Dog

Well, there's not much knitting news to report. I haven't touched the gloves, I worked briefly on Sadie's sleeves, and the lace shawl I started is now a pile of laceweight yarn, since I couldn't even go a whole repeat (54 rows) without messing up, and since I don't have the pattern down enough to tink back and fix things, I just ripped the whole thing out. It's the Diamond Fantasy Shawl, and I'm using the KnitPicks Shadow in Sunset. I'm still going to make it, I just need to start over and get going on it. Was there something else I was working on?

Surprisingly, comeback project #2 seems to be Anthony's sweater, which I have yet to mention on the blog. January must be the month for it, since this is about the time of year when I started the thing last year. Over the weekend I started the right front side (it's a ribbed cardigan), then had to rip it out, then started it again, and I have about four inches finished. I have the left side and one and a half sleeves finished. I need to finish that sleeve, finish the right front, and make the back. I wonder how far I'll get on it this time.

In more exciting news, there's a new blog to promote! My sister-in-law has started a blog to show off photos and tell stories about my beautiful niece and baby nephew. If you want to check it out, you can find it here. I've also put a link to it in my sidebar.

Also, Brenda got a dog! Her name is Sally, and she's adorable. Go check her out!

This probably won't be a big knitting week, since I have to work Tuesday and Wednesday nights for my real job, and I have a sock class Thursday night. That doesn't leave much time for getting anything accomplished. I'll try to start contest #2 tomorrow. See you then.

Cracking the WIP

The good thing about only having a few blog readers is that your prize winners are usually easily accessible. Here's Kimmy with her prizes in tow:
The prize for winning the contest included two balls of Rowan Wool Cotton in a deep pink shade, and the magazine Knit Simple, which apparently is Vogue Knitting's new attempt at knitcoolness. The prize for answering the contest in the form of a haiku is the skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky in black. Doesn't she look so happy? Yay Kimmy! There will likely be another contest here at Chez Drunken Monkey next week, so stay tuned.

And the proof of the pudding? Here's Leslie to model the completed earflap hat:
She looks just like Vanna, no? I think the hat turned out pretty nice, and I'm pleased as punch that it's finished. I don't have reason to go to the yarn store until a week from today, but I'm tempted to take it up early just to show them that it's actually completed. Go me!

This whole contest, though, made me think. I apparently have quite a few Works In Progress waiting to be picked up again. This blog has only been in existence for a little over three months, and you all had plenty of options for the comeback project. I'm not in a hurry to finish the gansey, since I'm not making that for any reason other than to make it. The Cherry Tree Hill socks would be fun, but since they've been completely frogged and re-wound, I'm not feeling any pressure there, either. No one even mentioned the Lorna's Laces Liberty socks, which I should really get busy on, since I only have half a sock to go. The Greek mittens? They're beautiful, but I don't have a recipient in mind, and I can still feel all the tiny little holes I poked in my fingers by using those tiny little needles.

And... I'm not even going to mention all the unfinished projects that haven't even made it onto the blog. (Like the felted piano cozy. Oh wait, that DID make it onto the blog. I mean, for as much as it's unfinished. And by unfinished, I mean unstarted. And by unstarted, I mean Brenda is crazy.)

So I suppose I'm just going to have to live with the pain of the WIPs. It's not like I'm going to make some silly resolution that I have to finish all the projects that have been started before I can start something new. Did I mention I've started a lace shawl?

We Have a Winner!!!

It's been a busy week here at the Drunken Monkey, what with the start of a new year, and our very first contest, and all of the excitement that brings. Despite what looks like a comment spammer *coughjoycough*, though, I want to assure you that it's just a crazed fan looking for some attention.

Ah, but yes, we do have a winner of the blog's premeire contest. We here at Drunken Monkey were pleased and amused by the guesses made yesterday. Y'all are willing to go the extra mile for the prize, and your efforts did not go unnoticed by our staff members.

Brenda, how many times do I have to tell you? If you want a felted piano cozy, you're going to have to knit it yourself.

Kate, the greek mittens! What a great guess! But unfortunately it's incorrect. I'm still stuck with the first mitten, and it still doesn't have a thumb. How sad.

Joy, I had such plans for that mini gansey. The day I took the class, I came home and was on fire!!! But it got stuck at the top... I have yet to finish off the shoulders, and I haven't even started thinking about the sleeves. I'm a total slacker. New yarns and new projects come along and I just toss the old ones to the side. For shame.

So who, then, could the winner be???

KIMMY!!!!!

*insert bells and whistles and random fanfare here*

That's right. Our very own Kimmy has guessed correctly. The comeback project is the green fairisle earflap hat!!! You can see pictures of it in progress here, here, and here. And because I'm a slacker, I don't have any pictures of it completed!!! I promise to take some and show them tomorrow. I totally finished the hat on Monday night, and I'm so excited. We abandoned the class back in October because the hat just seemed too tedious and complex to make a successful class, but the store has a ton of the pattern kits, so the owners still wanted a sample in the store to hopefully sell the kits. I took the almost-completed hat in last Thursday and Lori was really impressed. She told me she figured I had abandoned the project long ago. But no! It's done! And again, I promise I'll show pictures tomorrow to prove it.

Here's Kimmy's winning haiku:

Green Fair Isle Hat

So troublesome at one time

Now complete delight

And she's absolutely right. Congratulations, Kimmy! We'll have to discuss your prize(s!) through the cube one of these days.

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We now return once again to our regularly scheduled programming. You may now tell me how much you love all the other projects I showed you yesterday, and fawn over the adorable three-month-old daughter of my friend Jen in her Coke sweater.

Happy Haik-new Year

the comeback project
is not socks, Cherry Tree Hill
or otherwise, but...

the comeback project
IS off the needles, hurrah!
the contest? still on.

(Brenda, the felted
piano cozy is not
a viable guess.)

contest guesses in
haiku, if correct, will earn
you an extra prize.

the contest will run
until someone gets it right
or until friday.

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the gloves of my dreams
now on the tiny needles
soon will warm my hands

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Bubby from Knitty
completed on New Year's Eve
went home with Brenda

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small hanging sweater
needs only a pair of sleeves
then Sadie gets it

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Happy New Year, all.
back to normal tomorrow.
don't miss the contest!