Obsessive

My Thanksgiving was lovely, thank you. And yours?

I got to see an aunt and two cousins that I hadn't seen in at least 20 years, and now they are all likely convinced that I can't think of anything better to do than to knit. But, see, that's because I had deadlines.

The Pomatomus socks are finished. If they'd been for me, I would have used the black yarn to finish them up. However, a strategic comment a couple posts back caused me to use the multi-colored yarn, and I'm not disappointed. Hopefully the recipient won't be, either.

In my other deadline project (of which I'm unable to show you the completed project for a few more days yet), the stripey transition won out, and I dare say it turned out better than expected. Here, have a montage.



And then, in a flourish of FO-HO-ish-ness, last night I finished my Foliage hat, which shall be a store sample for the class I'm teaching after the start of the year. It uses way less than one skein of Malabrigo (the Malabrigo I bought in Washington state last year when I bought the yarn for the above socks), and I used US size 8 needles (the pattern calls for 7s), so my hat is a teeny big.

Well, it's a teeny big for the plastic model here, but all of us at knit night last night agreed that it looked best on her, anyway.

So that's what, FOUR finished projects in about a week, and one of them a December project? (Let's not talk about the November socks, or about the other entire turtle that I was supposed to make this month, shall we?) That leaves a commissioned stocking, the endpaper mitts, and a tiny little Christmas gift for Knit Knack* to get me through the end of the year. My eye-searing Monkey socks are getting a little snuggle time lately, as well, as a reward for my good behavior.

*Does anyone else think it a little strange that the only actual Christmas-gift-knitting I'm doing this year is for a knitted turtle??

Thanksgiving Advice

Hi. My name is Knit Knack, and I have some Thanksgiving advice for you.


First, if there's a break in the rain,

you should go outside and play in the leaves.

Don't forget your hat. It's cold out.


Next, if they're looking for a bird to put in the oven, quick!

Go hide in a tree!

Always shake your tailfeathers.


After dinner, make sure you try a little of each kind of pie.

(It's the polite thing to do.)

And most importantly, make sure you tell your friends and family how thankful you are for them! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving. Love you all!

Improvisation

It's official. I've run out of yarn for the Pomatomus socks. However, it turns out that Enabler-Lisa's alter ego is Provider-Lisa (there was another time when she provided a healthy handful of fiberfill to spare me some trouble), and she's given me two good options to finish the toes, since my stash failed to produce something worthy.

Oh, and I have to give a hearty THANKS! to Rebecca in Washington state, who emailed me last week to see if she could stop by Great Yarns in Everett to see if they had anymore of this sock yarn. Even though they ended up not having any more of the solid shades, it was very thoughtful of her to check it out for me. Thanks, Rebecca!

(Edited to add: Thanks to Morgan (my favorite SIL), too, for offering to go look for yarn! Sorry I missed you the first time around, Mo!)

On the left is a multi-colored sock yarn from Jitterbug. It's mostly a weird shade of green, but it has almost exactly the same shade of teal running through it, along with some reds and yellows and other flotsam. On the right is a solid, reliable, steady black Cherry Tree Hill. I do have a leaning, but I haven't decided for sure yet. Which do you prefer?

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What's this I see?

Two sleeves at the same time on a circular needle. Not in the round (my circular isn't long enough for that), but this is the first time I've tried this, and now that I'm well past the garter border, I'm enjoying it. And I'm looking forward to having both sleeves done at the same time!

I've got another improvisation necessity here. I've gotten farther with the dark blue than I thought I would, but it's never going to get me all the way. Once I run out, I want to make the rest of the sleeves orange (don't worry, there's other orange in the sweater), but I want to use some type of transition. Here are the two I've come up with. Which one do you like better?


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Lastly, you must go check out Otto the Turkey, a new creation by Ruth of Ruthless Knitting, without whom our good friend Knit Knack would not exist. Otto's so precious, couldn't you just eat him up? I mean... not that you would...

Quick Update

I don't think I'm going to have enough yarn for my October socks. (This is the yarn I bought in Everett, WA, last Christmas, so I likely can't get more.) In fact, I might have to rip out the toe of the first in order to finish the foot of the second. Nothing in my stash calls to me as a good toe yarn. Ugh.

The back and half of the front of Calvin's sweater are finished. I'm going to run out of the color I need for the sleeves. (There isn't any more at the store. I even rearranged those baskets and came up empty handed.) I'm going to have to improvise.

On the other hand, in the I-have-more-than-plenty-enough-yarn-to-complete-this-project category, Knit Knack will be decked out in his Thanksgiving finest next week. I'd show you the part I have done, but it is SUPER TOP SECRET!!! If I showed you, I'd have to kill you. And it would be such a nightmare tracking you all down. So stay tuned.

I'm offically abandoning the very idea of November socks. Not going to happen.

The eye-searing monkey socks are no further along than the last time you saw them. I've never been more proud of myself for not working on a particular project. I've been super-diligent about working on the October socks, Calvin's sweater, and Knit Knack's SUPER TOP SECRET Thanksgiving outfit. Three-project monogamy (is it really monogamy?) is pretty good for me.

Sorry I've been lax about commenting on everyone's blogs... Internet time is scarce. I'm hoping to get caught up soon; if not this weekend, then perhaps next.

Steal-linking*

Stripy sweater + happy baby = good blog.

Click the picture to go to Joy's post.

*Steal-linking (not like spelunking at all) is where you steal a picture from someone else's blog, but link back to them in hopes they'll forgive you.

Drunkey Monkey

"Smashed Monkey" is a constant source of laughter, but if you want to add me as a friend on Ravelry, I've signed up as

drunkeymonkey

It rhymes, see? And also makes me giggle a little.

I've browsed a little, but I'm still cynical. I'll give you my review and synopsis once I've had the chance to play a little more.

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The new sock yarn is Cherry Tree Hill in the "Quick, My Eyes Are Burning" colorway. (Yep, it really is that bright.) Do you see how far I haven't gotten? That, my friends, is restraint. This sock-in-progress and its companion ball of yarn sits on my little TV tray in front of my chair, taunting me as I work on projects I'm supposed to be working on. I've only done the ribbing and two pattern repeats. It calls to me. You know, like the cursed Aztech gold calls to the pirates. Yeah. Like that.

Sigh.


In other news, look! Stockinette! Stockinette with a Purpose! A profound purpose! A purposeful purpose! (Someone stop me, please?) I'm almost finished with the first piece (the back) of Sir Calvin's birthday sweater. I'm being diligent.

And the second October sock has a finished cuff. (The sun has succeeded in completely washing out the deep shade of teal in this yarn.) Actually, since this picture was taken, the second October sock now has a few rows of a heel flap, as well. (Let's not discuss deadlines, okay?)

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Lastly, and possibly most importantly, tomorrow I start my first full time (ie: 40 hours a week) job in almost 17 months. It's through the temp agency, but from what I've heard, this is a company that usually keeps its temps long term. I don't have much else to say about it just yet, but I wanted to thank all of you for your support over the past year and a half through comments and emails and friendship. I'm hoping that life beyond the knitblog starts to turn around here real soon.

Thanks again.

Good News, Bad News

Good News: I dropped off Luke's stripy sweater last Saturday.

Bad News: I don't have a picture of him in it yet.

Good News: While I was there, Joy gave me a birthday present. Sock yarn!!!

Bad News: I already cast on with it. I couldn't help it.

Good News: The new sock yarn makes a very pretty (monkey!) sock.

Bad News: If I knit on the new sock, I'm not knitting on the things I'm supposed to be knitting on.

More Bad News: My October socks are still not finished.

Good News: I started Calvin's birthday sweater.

Bad News: His birthday is soon. VERY SOON!!!

Good News: I have almost one and a half November socks done.

Bad News: They are so boring to knit! Where's my new sock?

Good News: I got my invitation to Ravelry.

Bad News: Someone already has the name DrunkenMonkey! What do I do???

Good News: I voted today.

Bad News: I don't have any pictures of anything I'm working on.

Good News: I successfully avoided a powerful enabler who came into the store on Sunday. (Lisa is very persuasive!)

Bad News: That postpones my starting the Brea Bag anytime soon.

Good News: January and project-freedom is coming!

Bad News: Only two pairs of socks, one turtle, two turtle outfits, one birthday sweater, two store samples, and a stocking to get finished before then.