The Wayback Machine

Every baby born into the world is a finer one than the last.
-Charles Dickens

This is a meme I saw a while back, and while I'm definitely too late for the associated contest, etc., I thought it was a neat idea.

Last year this time I was not quite so on top of my Christmas list knitting, and I was also making strawberry hats for brand-new triplets.

This year, the triplets are big enough to finally wear them: Yes, I know this is probably the worst photo to ever appear on my blog, but it's actually raining in San Diego. A nice, good, drenching rain with a dark grey sky. I am utterly delighted. Another cause for my delight, I get to curl up with some hot cocoa after work and knit Christmas stockings. Kits available here.

Last Contest of the Month

Self-image sets the boundaries of individual accomplishment.
-Maxwell Maltz

I forgot to upload my photo for today's post this morning, and tonight is my night to work at the homeless shelter clinic, after which I'm usually pretty exhausted. So I made the executive decision to switch my planned posts for today and tomorrow. Pretend that it's actually tomorrow already, the last day of NaBloPoMo, and this will all make so much more sense . . .

First, a few reflections on NaBloPoMo: This has been fun, and way easier than I thought. Part of the easy is definitely that my work schedule this month has been very tolerable. That leads to much knitting. And much knitting means that there is much about which to blog. But part of it, too, is just being back into the swing of things. If you blog everyday, or even frequently, it's that much easier to blog the next day. The more you blog about, the more you have to say.

It's like talking to an old friend. If you haven't talked for a long time,
you stick to the big stuff. The FOs. The, oh, well, "I got married." You never
get around to that crazy dog sweater you saw on the street today. But when you
talk more frequently, you get all the details. On a knitting blog, this strikes
me as a good thing.

I'm not going to keep blogging every day, and I was pretty happy with my every-other-day schedule before, but I am not going to hestitate to post more often if I feel inspired. I have a tendency to let my blog slip out of "real time," to plan posts for too far ahead of when the actual knitting was. This month has helped me stay more current, on my own blog and others' blogs.

And then a follow-up from our last blogiversary contest, I have some unnannouced winners:

• Karen at Musings of a (Mostly) Self-Taught Knitter was the first to comment. And they always seem to get skipped over in contests.
• Liz at Fido Knits just about summed up what we often feel is our favorite project - our next one - Did I mention that I haven't started it yet, even though I am dying to do so? In my imagination, therefore, it is just challenging enough to be fun, but easy enough not to drive me crazy, and never boring.?

And now, to celebrate the end of November, and the beginning of my third year of blogging, another contest. There's no question, no trick, nothing. Just comment and you might get lucky with some yarn. We all like yarn, right?

It Works!

Denim has always been an everyday symbol for style.

-Ritu Kumar

In spite of that little mitten indiscretion yesterday, I have actually been making good progress on the Shaped Denim Aran (last seen here). It's become my go-to project at home. (Having fewer projects helps.)

While I love the product, I have to take care about knitting it when I don't want my hands to look cyanotic. I scared some (medical) friends of mine on Thanksgiving ny doing just that very thing. And since I managed to finish the back, I threw it in the washer and dryer to see if it really is the right size after all.

And guess what? The denim, it shrinks just like it's supposed to.How cool is this? It was so inspiring, I'm about half-way done the left front. After that, another front, two sleeves, a little sewing of a collar. I think I can push this through by the end of the year. Clean Slate for 2008 here we come!

A Future of Fair Isle

And every shepherd tells his tale,
Under the hawthorn in the dale.-John Milton

Thanks for all your wonderful comments on the Ladybug Sweater. I learned a lot knitting it, I adore the final product, and it's been my happiest knit in a while. And my husband even likes it, which is good, considering the (eventual) recipients.

That husband o' mine, being the smart guy that he is, however, realized that if I'm already making sweaters for future hypothetical children, he'd better clamor to get his sweaters now. He figures (probably rightly so) that once any children are more than hypothetical, he'll be totally out of luck. He is, after all, substantially bigger than 24 mos.

Turns out, he's always wanted a Dale of Norway ski sweater. Ironic, given that he's always hot and we live in San Diego, but I've always wanted to knit one. And he does legitimately ski.

There were many contenders, but he chose the Salt Lake City Pattern. A discontinued pattern. After swimming rivers, climbing mountains, and calling all over the world to get this pattern, I've decided. Any Dale pattern I remotely like, I'm just going to buy right away. As soon as I get my hands on the Salt Lake City one, that is. They go out of print so fast, and they're hard to find later.

On a related note, there are places that sell this in kits - but they're all kitting them with Falk, the superwash version of Heilo. Ugh. Other than Dale Baby Ull, I am not overly fond of superwash. And for a big steeked sweater, I definitely want the real stuff.

And for our second topic of the day, I had a little yarn indiscretion last night. Instead of clearing the slate for the big Dale sweater coming my way (Denim Aran, anyone?), I had a mitten accident. Leftovers (lots!) of Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair. Striped mittens to match this hat. Less garish in real life, really adorable. Oops.

The Best Baby Sweater Ever

Hurt no living thing:
Ladybug, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing.
-Christina Rossetti

The Ladybug Sweater is finished: And I think this definitely counts for NaKniSweMo, as well as the UFO Resurrection. There are easily more than 50,000 stitches in a 24 month size knit in fingering weight wool on US2s. Plus, there's my first steek, three-color stranding in a single row, and all sorts of other fun.

Marihone/The Ladybug Sweater
Pattern: from an out-of-print Dale Baby Knits book, also available in a pattern leaflet
Yarn: Dale Baby Ull in various colors
Needles: US 0 for the hems, US 2 for the rest
Notes: No major changes to the pattern, although I did leave the neck stitches live for picking up the neckband.
Best Thing About This Project: When I started this sweater a year ago, I had a vague notion that I might have friends having babies. When I really got going knitting it, however, it became clear to me. I love this sweater far too much to give it away, so I'll be keeping it tucked away for my hypothetical future children. I don't think that's particularly strange, although this is a 24 month size . . . Wool keeps, right?

Log Cabin-ing

There is hardly a pioneer's hut which does not contain a few odd volumes of Shakespeare. I remember reading the feudal drama of Henry V for the first time in a log cabin.
-Alexis de Tocqueville

I've got not one but two pairs of finished Log Cabin socks for the Christmas basket. Log Cabin Socks
Pattern: from Handknit Holidays
Yarn: Tahki Dakota for the grey, and worsted weight wool from McAusland's Woolen Mill on PEI for the green/blue pair
Needles: US6 dpns for the grey, US5 for the green/blue
Notes: Great, easy pattern. Makes thick slipper socks, nothing that would fit in shoes.
Best Thing About This Project: And that about concludes my Christmas knitting.

Any updates from the peanut gallery?

Happy Decorating!

The perfect Christmas tree?
All Christmas trees are perfect.
-Charles Dickens

I love the day after Thanksgiving. Even though I had to work yesterday, there was still enough time to kick off the holiday decorating season!Happy Decorating!

Another Hat for the Christmas Basket

And to tell the truth I don't want to let go of the wrists of idleness,
I don't want to sell my life for money,
I don't even want to come in out of the rain.
-Mary Oliver

If you're lucky enough to get invited to a friend's house for Thanksgiving, you can actually make good progress on some knitting. If you happen to be having a really good time and stay out late-ish, well, you might not have photos. So while I'm off to work today, let me distract you with yet another check mark on my Christmas list.

Simple Cabled Hat Pattern: mine. Cast on 80 sts, rib/cable, try on as you go, and decrease in pattern when done.
Yarn: a random tweed from the stash
Needles: US 8 bamboo circular
Notes: Gosh, I'm beginning to feel virtuous using so much old stash :)
Best Thing About This Project: Check another box off my list.

One of the best things about giving handknitted gifts is getting to avoid the Black Friday shopping mania. Good luck to those of you brave enough to attempt it!

The Other First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.
-W.J. Cameron

Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln,
October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the everwatchful providence of almighty God. . . .

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the most high God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people.

Seriously?

The good stars met in your horoscop,
Made you of spirit and fire and dew.
-Browning

After a couple continuous days of finished Christmas knits, let's review, and include some other options.

I love this. I really do. But how many of these could you really make in time for the holidays?

So since it's almost Thanksgiving and I almost get to decorate for Christmas, let's reassess our Christmas knitting progress.

Here's mine:

Trekking socks - done
a baby sweater - done
Merino Lace socks - done
2 pairs of Log Cabin Socks - 1 pair done, 1 pair 50% done
one cabled hat - done
one scarf - cancelled
one Shedir - done
Regia socks - 25% done

And since that was all going well, I'm contemplating adding on another baby sweater and another pair of socks. . . . or I could work on my poor neglected Denim Aran. I feel weird knitting for me over Christmas, though. Will ponder . . .

How's yours?

Today's the Day

When you fall into a river, you're no longer a fisherman;
you're a swimmer.
-Gene Hill

We've been talking about it all month, dancing around it, having contests, giving out yarn, and joining in the general fun of November NaBloPoMo and NaSweKniMo. Today is the day we've been awaiting. My blogiversary.

It's actually my second blogiversary. Last year I think I was on call in the CCU, or something, because it totally slipped my mind. This year I've embraced it. There are a couple of reasons for this. Mostly, I have a pretty good schedule this month, and my husband is away. (That explains, by the way, the knitting productivity several of you have noticed.) I've been focusing on several fun knits, amazed, again, at how fast a project can go with some dedicated attention. And I've been blogging every day, reminding me all over again about how much I enjoy blogging. This is fun. You guys are fun. Inspiring. And it makes me a much better, much more engaged knitter. Thank you.

To celebrate, let's have another contest. I'm in the groove with my Ladybug Sweater, thrilled with my first steek. What's your favorite project at the moment, and why? Comments will close on Friday November 23rd at midnight PST.

Eek! Steek!

You have to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.

-Abraham Lincoln

I took full advantage of a Sunday off yesterday to get some stuff done. I made the cranberry sauce and pie crusts for Thanksgiving, a big pot of chicken stock, and - most importantly as far as this blog is concerned - my first steek.

The parts I was most scared of turned out to be the smallest piece of the whole process. I wanted a sewn steek with my superwash fingering weight wool (Dale Baby Ull), so I used this Knitty tutorial as a guideline. As you may recall, I'm still a little frightened of my sewing machine, and I was nervous about that aspect. Turns out, it was pretty easy. These may not be the straightest lines in the world, but they were close enough.What I hadn't realized was how much work it would be to then sew the sleeve in - twice. Time one went fine. Fingering weight, careful, but what I'm used to. Time two was sewing down the facing (and then fully realizing what happens in a steek - ingenious!). I also learned an important truth: Whipstich is awesome. And as the day turned into night, and I had to start using my flash, I had a gorgeous sewn-in sleeve for my steek. Now I only have to finish that second sleeve up there and cut the other steek. (I've sewn it already - I wanted to use good daytime light on a weekend day.)

. . . And I need to hold myself back from buying oodles and oodles of Dale yarns and patterns. This is fun. And easy. And did I mention fun? Tell me - is it still fun if you make it in a man's size instead of a toddler's?

Yarn Emergency

To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act
is getter than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.
-Mahatma Gandhi

This is not a test. I repeat, this is not a test. This is not an accident. This is an actual Yarn Emergency.

On your right is a mostly-finished EZ February Sweater. Do you see the remaining ball of yarn? It isn't going to be enough. And it's my only skein.

Anyone have any leftovers of Cotton-Ease (old put-up) Sugarplum? Dye lot is completely immaterial. About 1/3 of a skein should do. And I'll make it worth your while.

A Hat for the Christmas Basket

If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform a million realities.
-Maya Angelou

Slowly but steadily I've been making progress on those two mutually-related goals: The Christmas Basket and Clean Slate by 2008. Here's another WIP turned into an FO.
Shedir
Pattern: Shedir from Knitty
Yarn: KnitPicks Ambrosia, leftover from Rowena
Needles: US 5 dpns
Notes: Not too hard or fiddly to make, but ever the more annoying because I didn't have a 16" circular needle in this size. How is it that I don't have every needle?
Best Thing About This Project: Stash gone, needles freed. It's a win-win.

Great New Blogs

Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?
-James Thurber

One of the great things about having contests is that it tends to pull the delurkers out of the woodwork. Or you get a mention on the WiKnit blog and folks stop by to say hi. However they arrive, I find I've been discovering a whole bunch of new blogs lately (not to mention the destashing . . .).

First, the contest winners of the Christmas post:

My favorite: Amy - because she has STR Grinchy socks for her on the list.

And the Random Number Generator: Elaine

Email me your mailing addresses!

For your procrastination pleasure this holiday season . . . some new blogs:

• reluctantMANGO knits
• evergreenknits
• The Write to Knit -- check out this hilarious post here
• Ren Knits
• Traveling Knitter -- from my husband's home state!
• bySarah - love the profile pic of the pedicure
• Kangaeru
• Bark n Knit

Go enjoy some holiday procrastination inspiration!

A Yarn Accident

George Washington had a vision for this country.
Was it three days of uninterrupted shopping?
-Jeff Melvoin, Northern Exposure

So I, uh, had a little yarn accident. There I was after work, innocently going to the post office to mail the prizes for last week's contest; there I was, getting rid of yarn from the house. And I happened to see on someone's blog that Michael's was having a sale on Paton's Classic Merino. And since I have a list of hats and mittens to knit (Hat's On and Folk Mittens) a mile long, I thought I'd go get some colors.
Oops. Turns out all the yarn was on sale. (My husband isn't reading this, is he?) I picked up some Soy Wool Stripes, since so many people have seemed to enjoy that so much, and a couple of balls of Sugar and Cream cotton. You can never have too much dishcloth cotton lying around. And good basic yarns rarely go on sale. So tell me this - you would have done the same thing, right?

Bug Progress

God in His wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why.
-Ogden Nash

My major knitting recently, other than some more hats for the Christmas basket (coming soon!), has involved this Ladybug Sweater. The body is finished, and the sleeves are on the right, past the tricky parts.

It's my November UFO, fits in perfectly with my recent obsession with stranded knitting, and is actually coming along surprisingly fast. The ladybug stripes are slow, but the rest are actually plain stripes or easy check patterns.

Eeek - the steek is coming soon!

More Mini Socks

Asteroids are the leftovers of rocky planets like Earth.

-Charles Beichman

I gave you the recipe here. These are super-fun.

Mini Socks
Pattern: mine-ish
Yarn: leftover Regia Cotton Surf in Natural and stripes
Needles: US1 dpns
Notes: How is it that I knit and knit and knit and still have so much yarn?
Best Thing About This Project: Making life better, one long call night at a time.

Observed

This nation will remain the land of the free
only so long as it is the home of the brave.
-Elmer Davis

People - even other people in the military - often ask me why I joined the Navy. (For those of you joining in late, I'm a Navy doctor in San Diego.) In honor of Veterans' Day today, I thought I'd tell you.

I don't always seem like the obvious person to join up. I can't hit a target with a handgun, much less a rifle. (One of these days I'll learn . . .) I struggle to do my push-ups in the semi-annual Physical Readiness Test. (Getting much better, thanks to the Navy.) I knit. (People scratch their heads.) I have an Ivy League education. (Somehow this one really seems to get people.)

So why did I raise up my right hand and swear to support and defend? Quite simply, because I didn't have to. I was born free and American, not by any particular merit or virtue of mine, or even my parents (although I think them particularly virtuous and meritorious). I just got lucky. A good family, a good education, and the perspective that - in another time and another place - I wouldn't have had the choice to serve or not to serve. It's an all-volunteer force and I volunteered. Somebody has to. Why should I assume that doesn't mean me?

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.
On this Veterans' Day, pause for a minute and think about all those folks who served and who are serving now. It's not political. It's definitely not conservative. (I went to Brown, remember? And the United States Constitution remains a rather radical document, even 230 years later.) And it's really not about sales at the mall. It's a personal stand for public service. Because I believe 1787 was a really good year.

Not Christmas Knitting

There's nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.
-Buckminster Fuller

This is not Christmas knitting . . .
but isn't it cute?

The Christmas List (A Contest)

Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents.
-Jo March, in Louisa Alcott's Little Women

There's a crazy blogger out there trying to knit 60 Christmas gifts. That makes my list more do-able (right?), and inspires me to catalog it.

• Trekking socks - done
• a baby sweater - done
• Merino Lace socks - done
• (so far so good, eh?)
• 2 pairs of Log Cabin Socks - 75% done pair 1, 0% done pair 2
• one cabled hat - done
• one scarf - 0% done
• one Shedir - 50% done
• Regia socks - 0% done
• (gosh, maybe I need to cast on for some more presents . . .)

So, what does your Christmas list look like? Psst . . . it's a contest. Comment here with your list, or post to your blog and link to the list. Entries will be accepted until 15 November 2007. Midnight PST.

Contest(s) Winner(s)

To win you've got to stay in the game.

-Claude M. Bristol

The great thing about having multiple contests is having multiple contest winners. And still being on track with NaBloPoMo. We're almost 1/3 there!

From my 1st contest - "What is November for?"

Winner by Random Number Generator is Beth from Kangaeru.
She - correctly - told us that
November is for autumn leaves, squash and sweet potatoes, apples and mulled cider. And nightfall coming really, really early.
Sounds like all the things I miss about New England. Go congratulate her, and add her to your bloglines.

Winner by Whimsy is Nikki who blogs at Trans-Canada Tea Party.
I love this one -
November is for digging out the handknits to keep you warm against the coming winter.
I just keep telling myself that at least I don't have to shovel snow off my car . . .

And my 2nd contest - "Where were we?"

The first one to correctly identify both photos was my sister-in-law (Hey Suzanne - why don't you start a knitting blog?), but she had the inside scoop. Not sure if that's quite fair . . .

Winner by Correctly Identifying the Photos - Since most of you copied Suzanne (at least you admitted it!), I think we'll give the most credit to Emily. She gets bonus points for guessing that we were either on the USS Drum or the USS Alabama (it was the Alabama), which are next to each other in the same park. (That's Mobile in the background, by the way.)

Winner by Random Number Generator - Hannah. What a cool blog. Go check it out!

And because my blogiversary month is so fun, there will be more contests. Stay tuned!

WIP Roundup

Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or nation.
-Oscar Wilde

In the midst of the hats, the ladybug sweater, my complete ignorance of my lace projects and my Denim Aran, in the midst of all that, there are a few projects that haven't quite seen the light of day. The stash has been rather inspiring lately. Most of these are small, but together they make a relatively full Christmas basket . . .

Simple Cabled Hat. Just what it sounds like.Shedir. Everyone else has.The Baltic Mittens. My husband has already claimed these via video chat. Think I'll ever get him to move somewhere cold?Log Cabin Socks. There just may be a second pair of these in the works. At least the first pair is going speedily.EZ February Sweater. Not for Christmas, but babies never do understand holidays. That's the round-up. Think I can get a Clean Slate by 2008?

Fake But Fun

Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
-Henry David Thoreau

This hat is the second most fun project I've knit in a while (see Sunday for the most fun one).

Fake Isle Hat
Pattern: from Magknits - go knit this pattern!
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden in a random single skein and an oddball of a worsted weight brown yarn, the identity of which is lost to the vagaries of time
Needles: US 7 Addi turbos
Notes: I knit the small size as written and had plenty of leftovers of both the whole skin of silk garden and the partial skein of that random brown yarn. For my next one - and there will be a next one - the knitting needs fewer stitches, smaller needles, or both. Otherwise, it's perfect.
Best Thing About This Project: I finished listening to HP7 while knitting it. I knew Snape wasn't evil!

Reciprocity, And Another Clue

Life cannot exist in society except by reciprocal concessions.
-Samuel Johnson

Remember that photo of my husband that I posted the other day? Well, he has a reciprocal shot and insisted that it appear on the blog. Maybe this view will help any of you struggling with your contest entries . . .

I've done some knitting. The ladybug sweater is seeing some progress, as are the Log Cabin socks, and some more little socks.

But that's about all the blogging you'll get here today. I'm getting a bonus visit from my husband this weekend (and the weekend happens to be starting tonight!).

The Rose Window

You are responsible forever for what you have tamed.
You are responsible for your rose.
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I love Rose Windows. They appear in wonderful places, like the the missions of San Antonio and San Diego. Even in the church where I was baptized, and where my husband and I are getting married again this April. So imagine my delight when inspiration struck and I was able to finally knit the Stained Glass Hat.

Back in another world, another time, pre-blog (imagine!) I planned to make my mom a sweater for Christmas. I was still living in a wonderful place where there were nice day trips to take to scenic places that weren't completely destroyed by wildfires. But I digress. I took a trip to the Green Mountain Spinnery to buy the yarn for the sweater. And in the process discovered their remnants bin. And the pattern for this hat. And so I picked up all the bright colors and have been waiting for more than two years to make this hat. Well, the right time comes around eventually. And I'm sure glad it did. Because I love Rose Windows.

Stained Glass Hat
Pattern: The Stained Glass Hat from Green Mountain Spinnery
Yarn: Mountain Mohair - my new favorite yarn
Needles: US7 dpns
Notes: I changed the colors from their 3 selected colorways and ended up using only 5 colors instead of 6.
Best Thing About This Project: The Christmas basket is staying empty here. These are all mine. And so will the matching mittens be.

Welcome to the Navy, Sir or Ma'am

Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.
-Confucius

I'm the maid, er matron, of honor in a wedding this afternoon, which is full of all sorts of fun. Thanks to the lovely gals in my knitting group, I came up with a top ten list for my toast, and I think it's pretty good.

It's a military wedding, friends of ours who are also a dual military couple, and there are plenty of men in uniform, plenty of women who chose pretty dresses instead of their uniforms, and that highlight of all military weddings - the sword arch. Don't tell the groom, but he's getting a patt on the behind and a "Welcome to the Navy, sir" just along with the bride. All's fair in love and war.

Although I don't often blog about it, this wedding has me reflecting a bit on military life. My husband is grounded in Pensacola and unable to come out for the wedding. And I understand - we did sign up for this - but I don't like it. (That's why there's a gratuitous photo of him on the right - cute, isn't it?) And as bad as I think that is, the happy couple of the day are facing over a year apart between his training on the East Coast and her ship's deployment to and undisclosed location in the Middle East. Every couple at the rehearsal dinner last night had a story that was essentially the same. It's the downside to the sword arch.

So, let's cheer up with another contest. I'm in the mood to give away some more yarn. So tell me this - where are either one (or both for bonus points) of the photos in this post taken? I'll give you a hint - both are within an hour of Pensacola, FL and both are military/tourist sites. There'll be prizes for getting it right, and prizes for just guessing anyway. Let's give the deadline as the November 8th, midnight PST.

Saturday Sky

When you realize how perfect everything is
you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.
-Gautama Siddharta

It's a wedding weekend here in San Diego. And - as per usual - the sky is cooperating.

Raveling

Reverie is when ideas float in our mind without
reflection or regard of the understanding.
-John Locke

It's Day 2 of November and I'm already seriously questioning the whole
NaBloPoMo. At any rate, I have been planning this post for a while, so perhaps it is a good motivation.

Thoughts on Ravelry:

I love Ravelry. I do. I got all sorts of great tips yesterday for my new February Sweater (one of 370+ posted). Yarns. Needles. Modifications. Things to watch out for. It was fabulous. Until I realized that I myself was not really interested in posting my own project.

Am I just a leech? I use the queue feature, the extensive research functions available, and I did once post some of my stash. But I'm just not inspired to put up all my own projects, even my own stash, or any of that useful stuff. Why not?

For one, I don't usually use Flickr, so that creates an extra step. And then there's that I'm blogging. And if I blog something, I'm not inspired to upload it onto another site. And then there's that I already have a good way of managing my stash (a spreadsheet - we'll discuss how the stash has grown at another time . . .), and my WIPs (a legal pad. Sometimes low-tech is good.).

So is it wrong to get so much out of Ravelry without contributing much of my own? How do you use Ravelry? Any other thoughts?

November Is For . . .

Thirty days hath November . . .

-Proverbial

Rebecca tells me that November is for sweaters. And I think she's a smart woman. And even if I'm in no mood to start a new sweater, my Denim Aran is crying out pitifully for attention. And I like that sweater. It's full of fun cabley goodness. And I really want to wear it.

But it's the little projects that are captivating me now. Can you really stand yet another fair isle (or, more accurately, stranded colorwork) in-progress photos? Because they'll be coming . . . all month long . . .

I think my compromise to this whole problem is to knit a multi-colored sweater in November. The Ladybug Sweater (visible progress demonstrated here) is a baby sweater, true (well, I'm making the 24 mo size, so not SO baby). But it's stranded in fingering weight yarn on US2s. I'm pretty sure there are at least 50,000 stitches in this, at 219 stitches per row. If I can do this NaKniSweMo and the UFO Resurrection at the same time, well, I'll be golden.

On top of which I am seriously thinking of NaBloPoMo. Today is day 1, after all.


And A Contest

In other exciting news, November is my blogiversary month. I did absolutely nothing last year to mark the occasion, so this year I'm determined to have a good time. Starting today. Tell me what November is for, and you could win some sock yarn. Contest ends Sunday November 4th at midnight Pacific Standard Time (although, if you get confused by the time change, I'll probably be lenient . . .)