Halfway Down the Stairs

What? Oh, yea...Hello.

Yes, I am knitting here. I've got 1/2 of two separate pair finished. I knit a hat too, but I forgot to take a picture of it. I donated it already. It was a Hurricane Hat. Bye Hurricane Hat! Keep somebody very warm!

I am finishing up sweater #11 from NaKniSweMoDo from last year. I came really close. I am still buying buttons for one sweater. I keep bringing them home and deciding they are not the right button. Sigh.

I finished five hats for the Puck This Hat Trick KAL. I have one more to knit, but I am not going to finish it in January so it won't count. But there is pretty yarn for it. Quincy in Mmmmmalabrigo!

Yes, I am heartbroken about the Vikings, but I'm a Minnesotan, what do I expect? No, I do NOT blame Brett Favre at all. He got his butt kicked and just kept coming back and giving those knuckleheads another chance. Toughest SOB I have ever seen take a beating, that man.

I am enjoying the Wild right now and if they get even close to a playoff berth, I will consider that a victory. I would really enjoy it if they beat the Avalanche on the road tonight.

Hat Trick #3
(+ Gratuitous Cute Puppy Pictures)


Pattern: Knotty but Nice by Natalie Larson from Knitty Yarn:
Note: This is a lovely Silk/Merino blend yarn (the kind that catches on dry, icky hands). The hat knit up a tad small so I will donate this somewhere. Ozzie is not so sure about keeping it for him, but he was a Good Boy! So, this finishes my Hat Trick, but I went on a pattern binge this weekend (you know those Ravelry people are donating portions to Haiti - what a better time to buy?) On top of that, I have stash to burn so I'm going to cast on for a double Hat Trick.

Wow, I made it through a hockey tournament (3 games), a lacrosse game, and the Vikings game this weekend. I feel a little wrung out this morning. It didn't help my mental status that I had to shuttle forgotten items to the high school already this morning. Sheesh. How I will make it through the Vikes/NO game, I have no clue.

I Am Not Worthy.

My friend Megan (who is living a Mission right now) linked my blog today, just to show off my pretty socks. Please, if you stop by, just give me a wave and go on over to see Fricknits. She has a wonderful post about her visit to Haiti.

I don't think I know a person who is not giving in some way, but Fricknits gives Haiti a face I had not seen before.

Go. Read.

Try not to have some reaction, I dare you.

Sock Project the Second:



Since it's just not a post without a picture, I took a quick snap of this SIP (that is Sock In Progress). This little baby is a speedster and will most likely be finished before Sock Project the First. We had a hockey tournament this weekend so I have been to three hockey games and one lacrosse game since Friday evening. Imagine how exhausted Puck is tonight. They won two hockey games and one lacrosse game so it's a satisfied exhaustion. Now if the Wild would just pick up their end of the deal...

Warm-ups

First Sock Project of the Year!


I'm just showing off my new camera now. It does lovely close-ups, no? The yarn may be a little dark in this photo, but look at how clearly you can see the pattern (what I was actually focusing on).

I've gotten about90% through the top of the leg of this sock and wow is it gorgeous. My cuticles are still a mess and this does me no favors, but the sock is going to be a hit. I have a second pair on the needles that are much more mindless and have become the hockey knitting for the week.

The trees are covered with frost this morning and it's lovely outside my window. I'm just glad I don't actually have to out into the weather. Until I have to go to Puck's Geography Bee this afternoon.

Hat Trick Goal #2:

So Puck agreed to let me put this hat on his noggin as long as I didn't disturb his breakfast or make him look at the camera. Nice, huh? Good thing he doesn't know this pattern is called Hermione Hearts Ron, or he might have thrown it at me.

Pattern: Hermione Hearts Ron by Christy Aylesworth Yarn: Blackberry Hills Custom 100% Llama Color: Blue! Needles: Knitpick DPN's US 5 Started: January 1, 2010 Completed: January 4, 2010.

Note: This is some handspun Llama that I picked up at a knitting retreat I attended in Wisconsin in Fall of 2009. Nice and soft, a little hairy, but makes a very warm hat. My gauge was off and I could have done with one less repeat of the pattern to get the "beanie" look. Regardless, this hat will go to Afghans for Afghans and I am sure someone will be happy to have it, warm as it is.

In the meantime, I am watching the Ravens v. Patriots game and I can't believe this game. I'm going to miss the 3:30 game today because we have to run out for one of Puck's hockey games. Just as well, I'm not sure I can watch the Packers today.

Medicine for What Ails Me:


Remember I was talking about the sore hands and torn-up cuticles? My new medicine is standing behind my third hat trick hat here. Bath & Body Works to the rescue again.



This is Madtosh yarn - wool/silk blend. Smoooooth. I highly recommend it.

Football today and I am knittin' socks! I don't even know who I'm cheering for today, I'm mostly just curious to see who comes out of today's games, looks like we will be playing Dallas next week though.

As for last night's Wild hockey game; we were getting ready to pack up and leave after the 2nd period. We had decided we would go if the Hawks scored one more goal. Then Koivu scored. Wow, that felt a little better. Then a few minutes later, Johnsson scored. Wow, that was exciting, it actually felt like a game. THEN, Zidlicky scored - holy moly it was one point apart! Our scrappy little team doesn't stop if they see hope on the horizon. Suddenly, a minute and a half left (or so) in the game and my new favorite French-Canadian, Guillaume Latendresse, TIES the game! We were falling off of our seats and high fiving everyone in our row. Well, except for the Hawks fan sitting next to me who reeked of cigarette smoke and had been foul-mouthedly cheering his team through the first two periods. That Hawks fan got really quiet. We sat through a sudden-death OT where Josh Harding earned his keep and went 8 rounds in a shoot-out! Cowboy Nolan pulls it out for the Wild and Harding sealed the deal. Whoo.

I am drinking hot tea today to sooth my vocal cords and knitting very intricate socks while I watch the other two football games - I need a rest!

Hat Trick Goal #1!


Pattern: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson Yarn: Rio De La Plata Yarns Merino Santa Maria Color: Pink Lemonade Needles: Knitpick DPN's US 8 Started: January 1, 2010 Completed: January 1, 2010.

Note: Yarn pulled out of my stash that is soft as it can be. I will be keeping this one - I love the color with my dark hair color. Puck tried on one of my hats this morning for a photo, but I couldn't get him to put this one on. Huh.

(I've actually finished all three of my Hat Trick hats, but I'm going to use them for blog fodder. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone!) I've got two new pairs of socks on the needles, so that's hockey knitting for the weekend. DH has offered to take me to the Wild/Blackhawk game tonight so I will not be knitting Saturday night! I am at the X in my new Clutterbuck jersey!

The OTHER Extreme Binge.

Sweet Georgia has long been one of my favorite indie yarn dyers. Look here. I think that may be my first ever purchase of Sweet Georgia yarn. Her yarn was hard to find, it flew off the shelves as soon as it was put up for sale. Then she decided to take a year off and I was out of luck!

Eventually, she opened up a new store and a new online store, but I never managed to make any purchases. Well, I decided one of my Christmas gifts this year was going to be some of her sock yarn. It's like a vivid rainbow in my sock yarn stash.

First there is China Doll, and it's a little deeper red than this, but this photo is not far off.

Then I bought Tourmaline and this is gorgeously deep.

Finally, Mist. Which definitely needs a more feminine sock pattern, don't you think?

Our year has been off to a rocketing start with one emergency trip to the vet and several urgent calls to the nurse's line. I managed to get the tree taken down despite all the running around so I am ready to face the year. The final year of Hockey is rocking along and Winter Lacrosse camps and seasons have started this week. We are waiting to hear back from Teen's college applications, when do those start coming, anyway?

Stay warm, people. It is COLD out there.

Dilemma. Dilemma. Dilemma.
...as my mother often says...

Should I show you my new yarn, my finished hats, or the socks I finished just before Christmas?

Hmmm..

OK. Socks.



Pattern: Zante by Lorraine Umbers (Oh, Rani! This is another FREE Ravelry download!) Yarn: The Unique Sheep Green Sheep Fingering Color: Spruce Needles: Knitpick DPN's US 1 1/2 or 2.5 mm Started: December 13, 2009 Completed: December 25, 2009.

Note: This yarn has been marinating in my stash for a very, long time. I don't know why I waited so long to use it. It was a little rough to hand, but softened up very nicely after a little Soak. I have the store down as Woolgirl, but I am not at all sure about that purchase location. (This photo is old camera, really quickly before I had to put the socks into the basket! My Bella Mittens were the new camera. I'm real happy with the colors so far.) Also - definitely check out Lorraine's pattern shop on Ravelry - she's got quite a few cute sock patterns. (Third Dog was also from her shop.)

I started the Knotty but Nice hat from the Winter Knitty, and I can tell this one is going to fly along just as quickly as the first two. My knit production is certainly providing me with plenty of blog fodder for the new year!

Finally, Woooo Hoooo USA! Those Junior Hockey players have earned the GOLD vs. Canada! What a game!!!

Sparkly Vampires Be Damned!

I like these mittens anyway! The yarn wasn't chunky enough so they knit up too small for me. Some young girl at one of the local charities should like these, no? In the meantime, I have enough yarn, I'm going to double it up and knit myself a pair. That is, after I finish my Hat Trick. Two down, one to go. I need to rest up my fingers though. The yarn + dry weather have made my cuticles torn and sore.

Oh, Hey!

I forgot to show off my sock yarn stash enhancement!

I finally broke down and ordered some Sundara Yarn.


I'm on her mailing list and she takes a monthly pre-order with three colors to choose from. You can also select the yarn weight. I decided sock weight made the most sense for me.

(Also - she has some overstock listed for sale right now in some pretty nummy colors.)


This one is Ember over Flame and is a bit darker than it photographed here (these were my old camera - still hoping the new camera will give me better results).

This one is Autumn Rose - there is a very faint pink and green undertone to this golden yarn. I am looking forward to the pair of socks that this one will make.

I've been working away on the Puck This Hat Trick KAL. I'll have some hat FO's to show you along with another pair of socks and some mittens! My blog is going to have to start keeping up with the production.

In the meantime, Go Vikes!