Dreamflower Daydream KnitAlong

I know, I know. It's the beginning of the year and there are, like, a million knit-alongs starting soon, most of which have a nice head-start, preparation, and organization. Well, nuts to that! Since life must go on, so must the wedding planning. In preparation for the horror that will soon commence, I propose (hee-hee, very pun-ny) another knit-along!

look, my first button!

I have decided that I would really rather not go this alone, so anyone who'd like to join me as I somehow turn this shawl into a chuppah is more than welcome to take the ride with me. Here are my "rules":

1. I'll be knitting Eugen Beugler's Dayflower Daydream Shawl out of The Best of Knitter's Shawls and Scarves, also available in Knitter's Review #50 (I think). I picked this pattern because it reminded me of the aforementioned challah. I don't expect anyone to match my scale, but this looks like an awesome shawl in normal size.
2. I will not knit a stitch on this project until after the first of the year, and I need to finish it up before April 22nd, when I'm supposed to be married under it. Pretty serious deadline, no?
3. Anyone who joins the KAL will be in the running for a nifty prize (more than one, depending on how many folks join and my budget), and anyone who finishes by the deadline will be in a separate drawing for an even niftier prize. My prize? Having folks to shame me into finishing on time.
4. Email me at lastinsite at verizon dot net and let me know that you're joining me and I'll put your name in the sidebar (the blog is going through some conversion pains at the moment, but it should be better soon).

Let me know if you have any questions... Let the lace marathon begin!

Mitzvah

For anyone who does not know, a mitzvah is, essentially, a good deed. It is also one of those Hebrew words I love to say, along with challah.



I knit this scarf all day on Thursday while watching Boy's father sleep. Specs: Two skeins Caron Simply Soft red & tweed + a little bit of leftover Caron Simply Soft in Black. Knitted on size 15 needles, simple 1x1 ribbing pattern. This scarf is destined for the Red Scarf Project in his memory.



I knitted incessantly during the waiting, the arrangements, and all the travelling (I did put the needles away during the service, in case anyone was wondering exactly how crass I am in real life). Say hello to the Fantasia socks, in memory of the ice cream you can't get at Disneyland anymore. I was hoping these would be for me, but Boy's aunt latched onto them and I can't. deny. her.

And in happier news:

I finished the first feather and fan socks, and gave them to my boss in one of the niftiest gift boxes ever:

I looked at this pattern at Knitty and said "honestly,who would make a coffee sling?" Well, apparently me. My immediate boss was impressed, but this package was for the big boss, and I haven't seen her yet to get her reaction. I think it was a pretty nifty way to use some of my leftover Trekking (I still wish I kept the socks though...).

I also used this holiday to announce to Boy that, since he had the good sense to propose, the knitting embargo is now over. This ball of Mountain Colors Bearfoot (Juniper colorway) will become gigantic socks for his gigantic feet sometime in the near future. He could not be more pleased.

Hope your holiday was happy, with love from the Kitty in the Box!

Boy's father passed away near midnight Friday morning. He will be greatly missed.

Thank you to everyone who supported us throughout his illness. Please give all your loved ones a big hug for us this holiday.

D. O. N. E.

Or, at least darn near...

Tree is up, complete with Jack Skellington topper

(light-up star from Wallymart + opposable Jack = Awesome)

Stinker has been given one of her gifts early.

Donations have been sent to Heifer International and Doctors Without Borders.

Yarn has been purchased for the Red Scarf project, and the scarf itself is next in queue.

And, the final gift socks are done!

These are the Feather and Fan socks from Socks Socks Socks, made out of Trekking XXL gifted to me from my SP8 secret pal Jen. They fit me like a glove, so I am quite unhappy to give them up, but I know they'll be apprecitated where they're going. I am not quite done with this gift; there's one more piece that goes with it that I'm still stitching away on. I'll take a picture before I give it away, but when the lady from my LYS heard what I was making, she said: "Aww crap, I didn't think anyone would actually make that." It'll be cute as part of the packaging, you'll see.

My first holiday without hitting a mall, yes, it is possible.

If I don't make it back before the holidays, cheers!

Runnin' Low

Looking in my bags right now, I am shocked to find that I have only one active project on the needles. I'm not sure why this terrifies me, but it does. terrify. me. What happens when this is done? Am I actually going to start crocheting that afghan?

While that would probably be the best idea, I'm not gonna. I figure that I'm reaching the knitted gift threshold, so I should probably start on something fun for myself before starting the chuppa (which honestly, I'm reconsidering. The insanity of it all is becoming clearer and clearer all the time), and Jolie has been awful patient...

I am considering Wendy's Knit From Your Stash 2007! except that I'm honestly not sure I have enough yarn to get me through the year. It's one thing if you're allowed to spin up some more in truly desperate times, but what if the spinning bug just left you a little fuzzy? Does it negate the benefits of the "from the stash" knitting if I stock up before New Years?

I'm going to whip out this last sock, watch Bob Barker, then go to work. I love working afternoons!

Inventory

I'm super-depressed today, so I thought I'd make it worse by doing an inventory of the knitting I have gotten done for the holiday. Here's my original list, completed items bolded:

Boy's Family:
Socks for one grandmother, two aunts, one stepmother, and one monkey-baby.
Knit cupcakes for monkey baby from One Skein to help furnish her rather large play kitchen.
One Swell for teenage cousin.
Sumthin' for Boy (he occasionally reads the blog, so it's gonna be a surprise).
Sumthin' with pigs for Jewish comedian cousin & his wife.
If time/yarn allows, more socks/toys for extended family.

My family:
Socks for one grandmother, two aunts, one dad's gf, and one teenage cousin.
Scarves for aunt and cousin out of the Big Wool Tuft I picked up.
Shawl for grandmother.
Swells for brother and other teenage cousin.
Sumthin' for grandfather, dad, older cousin, and aunt's husband, time/yarn permitting.

Myself:
Scarf/sock set (I'm thinking feather & fan maybe)
Angora Knitted Bodice
Pomatomas Socks using the aloe yarn Jen sent me
Jolie, my love
Swell for me
and, finish my afghan (it's crochet, but I think it counts).

Hmm, that's not a whole lot of bold. I did finish my dad's gf's birthday present:

These are the arm-warmie-thingies from anticraft.com. She liked my Japanese-patterned ones, so I figured I'd make her a pair with little Laugh-In flowers on the hands.

I'm going to drink some tea and consider my next project; I figure I only have time for one move before I run out of pre-holiday fun.

Call to the Coffee Shop

Coffee Shop: Hello, _________ Coffee.
Me: Hi, I was just there a while ago. Did I leave my knitting needle there?
CS: I'm sorry, you're what?
Me: Knitting needle.
CS: Let me check...
Me: Thank you. (I hum while I'm on hold).
CS: I found a stick. Could that be it?
Me: Is it a pointy bamboo stick?
CS: I don't think so, but it has a patina...
Me: That's probably it, I'll be down to pick it up in a few minutes. Thank you!

Oh What A Night

What a night not to bring my camera! Last night we went to Boy's company Christmas party and had a lovely time. We first went over to one of his co-worker's house and helped his family decorate while waiting for the party to start. We all got along splendidly, especially in light of the fact that they spoke very little English and we spoke even less Spanish. The knitting needles came in quite handy when it came time to stringing the more stubborn ornaments.

Then we went to the official company party at Cha Cha Cha in Silverlake. The food and service was excellent; the only thing that would make me hesitant to recommend it to out-of-towners would be the neighborhood around it, same deal with the original Tommy's. Great food, wonderful tradition, but have a local go with you after dark. I met all of the folks in Boy's stories, ate some faboo mago chicken, and had a great time passing around the sock and telling people the reason we didn't have kids was because Boy's head was too big (hey, they asked).

My new fancy-schmancy KIP bag performed splendidly (Designer Issac Mizrahi, $15.00, though you'll pay less on target.com).


When the party broke up (okay, the restaurant threw us out, they only reserved the tables for a few hours), a bunch of folks were heading over to a club and invited us along.

Yes, the sock went clubbing:

sock seen here with my water bra :)

I had two drinks the whole night (mostly ice), dragged Boy onto the dance floor quite a few times, and had a fantastic time. (some guy did ask me if I wanted a drink, but the sock was in its bag at the time, so I'm not counting that). Went outside, took my shoes off, and stood in the pouring rain eating a hot dog with grilled onions from a cart outside, fantastic time. Took one of Boy's other coworkers home and watched him do a Towlie impression trying to get in the door of his building.

Take me down, to funky town. Fantastic.

110 Pins

Take one shawl:
Add water:


Add 110 pins:

Turn on the heater and the ceiling fan and hope for the best. Think my grandma will like it? Think my counting the pins will make it more likely that I will actually get get all the pins out of my bed and avoid stabbing myself in the tookus? Only time will tell.

I wanna Cookie

Go to the new winter Knitty. Right now...

Back? Okay, now you know why I want to be Cookie when I grow up!

Stash to the Rescue!

In case you couldn't tell from the insane ranting in the last post, I ran out of yarn on the shawl... again. On row 94 out of 98. Did I mention again?

So after having a conniption fit and complaining that I was making a point of not buying any more yarn and minimum orders and how the designer of this pattern LIED TO ME about how much yarn I would have to buy, I asked Boy if putting a black border around this purple shawl would be too "goth". He said no, so I whipped out that last ball of Rowan dk Soft and, tonight, the Jellyfish has been knit!


You can't really see the black border in this picture, though you can see that it has been a while since I vacuumed. Trust me, it looks nifty, and I will vacuum before 2007. In the meantime, I will be blocking and (hopefully) tasting cakes this weekend.

In a rather horrifying turn of events, I am finding myself turning from the laid-back "you plan it and I'll show up" kind of bride into the "what do you mean you don' t want to go dress shopping this weekend" kind of woman you avoid around the office. I blame the to-do lists on the wedding websites I constantly hit at work. How did I end up with 174 things to do this month?

No No No!

No no no no no no no no no!

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

Aw, well, crap...

Can You Feel It?

I am nearing the end of the Jellyfish shawl, I can feel it!

Funny, row 89 feels a lot like someone licking my eyeball... This had better been spac-freaking-tacular once it's blocked.

In other news, I am sad to report that the fiber ninjas have failed and I have decided not to add spinning to my everyday insanity. Anyone want to trade?

I have here a very nice drop spindle and 1/2 pound plus 2 oz ball of "ultra fine Ashland Bay Trading Co. English longwool in 'Blue' a clear, vibrant and true cobalt blue, a very pretty and extremely soft wool top."

My lack of enchantment with spinning is in no way a product of this wool or spindle. The truth is that I am just too unbelievably lazy to bother with making my own crappy yarn when there are all sorts of places that will spin, ply, dye, wind, and mail the yarn straight to my house.

Do I feel good knowing that I can spin? You bet your sweet bippy. Would I do it every day? No siree bob. If someone wants just the wool I'll prolly hold onto the spindle to see if I catch the bug again...

Top 5

In lieu of an actual post, here are top five reasons the knitter in me is glad I'll soon be permanently off the market:


1. No having to explain the stash to a new beau:

This isn't even all of it, this is what I took out of my yarn bin when I sorted it out. It's even harder to explain as a new boxes of wool are delivered.

2. I've never heard of any guy sending a drink to the girl at the bar knitting the sock.

3. Imagine hunting out prospective husbands by foot size.... Boy is the last size 13 I'll be knitting for.

4. I'm with someone who understands, nay, anticipates yarn detours when we're out and about.

This is my souvenier yarn from Temecula. Quickie Yarn Shop Review: I only ran in for a few minutes to grab some needles I forgot to bring with me and some "postcard" skeins, but the Temecula Valley Yarn Company is well-stocked, small-dog friendly, with some of the most thoughtful and friendly staff I've run into. Highly recommended.

5. I get to knit my own chuppa

Wanna do it too? I'm thinking of starting a KAL for the Dayflower Daydream Shawl in Shawls and Scarves: The Best of Knitter's Magazine. I'll get something up and running as soon as I can figure out how to do it; no reason I should spend four months driving myself bonkers alone...