I often struggle with what to put on the blog. I’ve been knitting up a storm lately, but I know too many knitting posts would bore a lot of you. Besides, I don’t have the kind of progress to show that many of the knitbloggers do – I’m just not that fast yet. And showing that I now have 7″ of my sister-in-law’s Christmas scarf done is probably only exciting for me. Unless I mention that it’s entrelac and this might be my new favorite knitting technique…would that “do it” for anyone out there? It looks really kickass in a variegated yarn, because the shading really adds another dimension to the basketweave pattern. Yeah, see, this is where I should have a picture to show you, but alas, I do not. I don’t even have a picture to show you of the last entrelac scarf I made, because I haven’t uploaded them to Flickr yet. This is another reason I wouldn’t cut it as a knitblogger.
But, I have figured out what I’m knitting for everyone on my Christmas list this year:
Sis-in-law gets a variation on this scarf.
Big brother gets this scarf in a lovely heathered blue. Because he’s red-green colorblind and can actually see blue.
Mom gets something sheep related as well as the Faroese Fuhgeddaboudit. I am being secretive about the sheep project as she reads this blog, and why ruin the surprise? I would also like to add that the reason why the damned shawl has taken this long is that there are freakin’ errors in the pattern, and I am finding them and fixing them as I go. And I have never been speedy with the math. I am, however, getting better at figuring out what kind of increase/decrease should go well. Maybe that’s what they meant when they said this pattern was “perfect for beginners”: perfect for beginners who want a crash course in lace construction.
Three people on my list (the Oldest, the Youngest, and one other person who reads this blog) get these. Because they’re supposed to be mad fast to knit up, and hey! One skein!
The Youngest will get either this hat or this hat, I haven’t figured out which I like better yet. Maybe I’ll make one for her and the other for the Oldest.
Rick will be getting something knitted as well, and while I know what it is I’m not saying here, because yep, he reads this blog. However it has been approved by Jordana and he should like it.
And then there are the two very simple scarves I have to make for my landlady and her mother, since last year they gave me a cashmere hoodie for Christmas as well as a $50 Barnes & Noble giftcard for my birthday, and they have stepped up to give the Piss Crusader shots on a number of occasions. I’m thinking stockinette stitch with a moss stitch border to prevent rolling, maybe out of some nice alpaca/silk mix. We’re headed up to Woodstock this weekend and I hope to find the yarn there.
I’ve also got to make stitch markers for a number of friends and earrings for several others, but I’ve now got this down to a science and can probably take care of all of these in one evening. I hope.
So far? I’ve got 7″ of the sister-in-law’s scarf done. It’s going to be a wild and busy two months.
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I’m sticking to small projects this year. armwarmers. pantas. maybe some clog slippers.
I am so damn poor right now, thank GOD for knitpicks and cheap yarn!
ESC~Totally. Because when you think “Oh, I’ll knit something, knitting is cheap,” you forget how damned expensive nice yarn is. All of my projects are small…but I would like to know why, when I hate scarves, do I end up making tons of them every year? They get boring after a while.
I’m on a scarf strike. No scarves this year.
don’t you mean “wild and woolly” two months?:D
This is a very knitblogger post, so you’re already ‘cutting it’. And what does it mean to ‘cut it as a knitblogger’ anyway? Because I’m not ‘cutting it’. Strength in ‘not-cutting-it’ numbers? cut cut
Lefty~Cut cut to you, too.
I meant not cutting it when compared to January One or the Yarn Harlot, who are obviously at the very productive end of the knitblogging spectrum.
Rick~And there goes your knitted Christmas present, mister.
ESC~That’s very smart. I’ll adopt that attitude as well. Next year. My brother and sister-in-law raved so over their scarves last year that I feel compelled to do it again this year. But this is the end. I swear it.
Well get knitting woman! That shit don’t knit itself!
I’m not sure what this sudden fascination with sheep is, but I’m getting a little worried.
I’ve picked out the goodies for a couple of the presents I’m knitting part of. I found a neat pattern for slippers for my brother’s girlfriend, my mom’s getting a scarf I’d originally plotted for myself and I’ll make a similar one for one brother and maybe slippers for the other.
To those I’ll add some gift sets of Japanese incense (LOVE that shit and I can’t duplicate the delicate scents) and, oh, well, maybe perhaps if they’re good they’ll get soap.
Oh, who am I kidding? I’d be lynched if I didn’t send soap.
1. I’m doing a scarf now, but it’s for me. No Christmas knitting this year. We’ll do a Christmas move instead.
2. I hope you’re noting the errors and making corrections on your pattern as I have yet to begin this shawl and would love to benefit from your experience.
3. I hope I’m the “one other person who reads this blog”…I hope, I hope, I hope!
4. I schnorted when I read that your landlady “stepped up” to help with the cat. Hee hee. I got a visual of your LOOOOOOONG steeeeeeeeep stairway. Stepped up indeed. Hee hee!
5. I am tired and I missed you all day and I can’t wait to see you guys in ONE MORE WEEEEEK!!!
LOL @ Rick!
So when are you going to have time to teach me?
Those look like stunning projects! I’ve started on my beading course. It’s interesting since I’m not at all crafty/arty.
YOu shouldn’t worry too much about what you post, even to us non-knitters it’s always interesting to hear where you’re at – and guilts the rest of us into doing some advancement on our christmas lists as well. You’ve got some really great things here, and your relatives must find themselves so fortunate to receive beautiful, hand-made gifts.
Jay~If I were buying Christmas gifts, I wouldn’t start for another month, believe me. But the knitting, it sucks up a lot of time. And I think most of the people I give handmade objects to like them. At least I hope they do!
Esther~I beaded a little yesterday – you have to show us what you’re working on!
Lisa~We’ll have another brunch day before the end of November, I promise. I’ll teach you then.
Aimee~I get to see you in FIVE DAYS! Woohoo! (And no, I have not kept my pattern changes. Which is bad of me, but dude, I am never knitting this fucker again.
Serra~I’ve got almost all the yarn I need for the projects, now it’s just about the casting on. And knitting. Ohh, the knitting.
Vince~I am fascinated with sheep only to the point that they can supply me with wool. I like creatures that are cute and do something for me while they’re being cute.