This was a much nicer surprise today–a gift from my KR Secret Pal. That’s a notebook/journal (kind of blending in with the table, but trust me, it’s there), note cards, stickers, a magnet, sticky-pads, and a very pretty pen. Thank you, pal!

Things have been calmer around our house today–although my Mom did make Dad check the basement this morning before she gave him his breakfast. Oh, and my secret pal got a kick out of Mom asking if we should call the police, but I didn’t give Dad’s response: “What are they going to do, arrest it?” A snake in handcuffs, this I’ve got to see.

I got some spinning done last night, for the first time in a week. I really want to get these burgandy singles done by the weekend when I’m expecting some beautiful merino/silk roving to “magically” appear. I also started the first sleeve of my Union Square Market Pullover–I did some calculations this morning to figure out how many stitches I’d need to cast on, but I didn’t get past the hem of the sleeve tonight. Picking up the edge stitches inside such a (relatively) small tube to knit together with the “active” stitches on the needle . . . argh! It took me almost an hour just to knit the 9 rows of the cuff and then knit together the hem, and after that, I just wasn’t up to figuring out the short-rows for the bell sleeve. Not that I expect them to be hard, just . . . again, thinking, rather than being able to simply follow the pattern.

I really hope my gauge for my next sweater comes close to the one in the pattern. It’s not that I so much mind doing the math. I did pretty well in math at school and there’s a certain amount of satisfaction to successfully-crunched numbers, but . . . after a full day’s work, my brain just doesn’t want to work that hard. Sitting and knitting a pattern, or reading a book–someone else has done all the hard work for me. But having to revamp all the numbers and instructions of a pattern because I’m getting 75% of the stitch gauge and 63% of the row gauge, so that even the smallest pattern size won’t “fit”? That much analytical thinking requires a certain amount of concentration–certainly easier on the weekend when there’s theoretically time and relaxation abounding so that a small amount of mental effort is easily squeezed in. In other words, I’ve been lazy and have been procrastinating throughout the knitting of this entire sweater. It’s not its fault at all, nor even the yarn, since I should absolutely be able to get gauge with this yarn. Nope. It’s all me, and while things are coming along, it’s a lot slower of a process than I would wish!

Still . . . I’ve been “designing” sweaters. The Perfect Sweater that is. Or at least, so Kay and Ann are willing to share the credit for, all because I’ve been voting and commenting in their “Future Search” perfect sweater quest. I’m not actually helping with any of the knitting (though I’d better stock up on Cascade 220 to be ready), and really, they are the ones doing the vast majority of the work, but I did volunteer to bake the cake for the wrap-up party. Isn’t it nice of them to share the credit like that? And while we’re on the subject–go check out their upcoming book. It’s due out in March, and I know I have my copy pre-ordered.

Now, as we approach winter, check out this page that highlights the snowmen of Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes). That kid sure had a creative hand with the snowmen. No wonder it’s one of my favorite strips, ever. (And, some people have done their own tributes, too.)

Speaking of snow, let me give a pitch for the cool gift I got for my snow-loving nephew last winter: an Eskimold. A “kit” for building your very own igloo. How cool is that? I don’t think he actually had enough snow for a whole igloo last year (despite the massive amounts of snow), but he did have fun with it. I know I was excited about it. My nephew loves shovelling snow so much, he not only clears the driveway, but shovels paths around the house, through the yard, and even the street in front of the house. It’s a darn shame he doesn’t live closer to, say, us–there are lots of people in my neighborhood who would love to pay him to do their driveways and walks, but there aren’t any neighbors close enough to his house for him to make a profit. Really a shame, I’ve got to say!

And, lastly, for knitters with way too much time on their hands… a knitted digestive system. Just what every girl needs!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning // 1 Comment »