Happy New Year!

So. I think my goal has been met. 32 pairs of clogs saved me. In no particular order, here are the other pairs:
33. Thrummed bunny slippers
34. Hat and scarf for my MIL
35. Mittens for one niece
36. Mittens for the other niece
37. Socks for Mom's on-behalf-of kidney donor
38. Xanadu socks for Mom
39. Vanilla socks for me
40. Green socks for me
41. Weekend shawl and Traveling Woman
42. Blue and green cowls
43. Pair of black cowls
44. Pair of blue sparkly scarves
45. Two cable crush cowls
46. Two crofter's cowls
47. Two felted purses
48. Two fish hats
49. Hat and cowl set
50. Merope and Maia
51. Huxley cowl and Mickey cowl
52. Saroyan and Holden

Random FOs: A garter stitch scarf made with squeaky Big Lots yarn, a white elephant for a gift exchange, a beaded necklace.

Current UFOs: Summer shawl KAL (up to date with the parts that have been released), a Celaeno, Maia mitts, socks for my sister, strawberry mojito socks that just need heels.

There are a few old UFOs that I wanted to finish and did not, because I am lazy.

And now I am exhausted. Will attempt to blog more in 2012. Happy New Year!

Random blatherings and a contest

I procrastinate way too much. Let's not talk about my goals for the year. Let's just say that I got distracted.

Have mostly stopped using facebook, because it annoys me. Thinking of posting "status updates" here instead. So...

Yesterday, my faith in humanity was restored just a little bit. I had to be at the library when it opened, and there was a line to get in.

Then it was shot to hell again when I went to the grocery store without a reusable bag, so I bought a cheap one (and cute, too!), and the checker promptly put it into a plastic bag. ::*headdesk*::

Finally, for reasons that I won't get into here, I bought a unicorn lollipop mold. Someday, in the near future, I will have chocolate unicorn lollipops. Maybe even tonight, as I have more energy than I should. I think that I will have a contest, rules to be determined when I think about it, but comments will be required for entry, so leave a comment if you want a unicorn lollipop. Comments may or may not be judged on entertainment value, so entertain me!

Edit: There will also be a moustache lollipop awarded. So comment away!

Failure, a.k.a. I Love Lists

Well, I didn't manage to finish all of the sweaters in 12 months. I still have four to go, all relatively close to being done. That said, I definitely spent a lot of time knitting in 2010. The list is as follows:

• Eight sweaters, one of which had to be frogged about halfway before it could be finished
  
• Seven blanket squares*, and seamed the blanket - it was much more work than I expected
• Four partial sweaters - all more than halfway done
  
• Two pairs of fingerless mitts and one pair of cabled mittens
• Two and three-quarters baby bibs
  
• Two and a quarter scarves
• One and a half shawls
• One Very Large felted bag
• Half a pair of socks
  

*I think I made additional blanket squares for other blankets, but can't quite remember and didn't keep track. Maybe that was 2009.

Reasons for failure:

• Too many projects. I worked on many not-sweater projects for various reasons, and frequently had more than one sweater in progress at the same time. I know that different situations require different projects, but I feel like I didn't finish enough before starting something new.
• Poor time management. I purchased a smartphone in April, and I think that really affected my knitting. I found (and still find!) myself playing solitaire more frequently than I should. Also, it is very easy to put down my knitting to look at the email message that just arrived. Or to browse Ravelry, just because I can.
  
• Just plain laziness.
  

Things I learned:

• I really like knitting sweaters, preferably seamless ones.
• While I love hand-painted/kettle-dyed yarn, it is a PITA to switch skeins frequently. Will consider yarn selection a bit better.
  
• I can knit A LOT! (Hmmm, maybe I should add a pair of Alots to the list.) When I participated in NaKniSweMo in Nov 2008, it was definitely a challenge, and I found it much easier to knit a sweater in a month now. And back then I spent weekends "working" on call, spending Friday night and all day Saturday sitting in an office knitting.
  
• My knitting has improved in the past few years. My finished pieces, while still not perfect, look a lot better than my NaKniSweMo sweater.
  

Anyway, I still have hopes of finishing the mostly-done sweaters in January. But first, I think I need to test knit a shawl, because I have a serious case of startitis and all this finishing makes me want to start something new. Unfortunately, the yarn I had planned to use is a bit short on yardage, so I need to spend some time in the stash room figuring out what else to use. Will need to finish Spoke first, because the needle for the shawl is holding Spoke stitches ready for the edging. (And why, oh *why* did I work on Lia's sleeves yesterday when chances were good I could have finished Spoke?)

So. Goals for 2011. I want to focus on pairs, and attempt a sort of 52-pair plunge. That said, I do not want to be nearly as strict as the Official 52-pair plunge people, who insist that all pairs should be socks. Plus, I want to operate on a calendar year rather than the arbitrary year that they use, so this is a self-challenge rather than a group KAL.

Guidelines and Goals:

1. While I want to complete a pair each week, I am not limiting pairs to socks. Mitts, slippers, gloves, shawls, hats, and even bags can count as pairs. As long as there are two items, it's a pair. Items do not necessarily need to be identical, but do need to be similar to each other to count. A beanie and a balaclava cannot count as a pair, but two shawls of similar yardage and same weight of yarn will count. (I was tempted to try to knit 12 shawls in 2011, but that will wait for 2012. Along with the Autumn Rose pullover.)
   
2. WIPs will count. This is not cheating, this is encouragement to finish some of the things that have been languishing in my WIPs pile for far too long. Like socks! And the slippers that have been sitting around for two three EEP!!! four years waiting to have the cuffs sewn on.
   
3. In 2010, I discovered that I really like knitting sweaters. It was very tempting to extend my sweater-a-month challenge through June, especially since I didn't quite finish. I'd like to knit at least two sweaters, preferably four, in 2011, and those may or may not count towards the pair goal; I haven't decided yet. See Rule #1, similar weight/yardage sweaters can count, if I decide to count them.
   
4. Stash knit down! While Christmas 2011 will be another year of slipper gifts, and I will need to order yarn for those, I'd like to knit as much as possible from stash.
5. I'd also like to get back to cross stitch, at least a little. Ever since I learned to knit, my cross stitch projects have languished, and I'd like to finish at least two small cross stitch projects in 2011. I don't think these will count towards the pairs, but it's another personal goal.
6. Another personal goal is to read at least 100 books in 2011. If 2010 was any indication, I can still read a decent bit while knitting a lot.
   

Anyway, time to go dig around in the stash to see if I can find yarn for the test knit. Then finish Spoke to reclaim the needle. And if I can knit two shawls, that's a pair!

Perhaps I won't get to finish Spoke today after all. It has been claimed. That's what I get for leaving it on the floor.


Also, I might as well include the 2010 book list here, since there are so many lists already. In 2010,

• I fell a little bit in love with Rob Sheffield,
• read some charming but incredibly poorly-edited books about what might happen when Buffy the Vampire Slayer turns into a soccer mom,
  
• was amazed by how Jill Ciment can create such amazing characters in such small books;
  
• and laughed at several rewritings of classic novels.
  

I read some excellent books, and some trash, too. Fun stuff! Here is the list:

1. The Stupidest Angel, Christopher Moore
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
3. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
4. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible!, Jonathan Goldstein
5. The River King, Alice Hoffman
6. Venus Envy, Rita Mae Brown
7. Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson
8. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her, Melanie Rehak
9. Uncle John's Unsinkable Bathroom Reader, the Bathroom Readers' Institute (90% read in 2009)
10. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
11. Tailchaser's Song, Tad Williams
12. Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher
13. Kit's Law, Donna Morrissey
14. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
15. Latitudes of Melt, Joan Clark
16. An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography, Paul Rusesabagina with Tom Zoellner
17. Soulless, Gail Carriger
18. I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust funders, Pornographers, Faux Sensitive Hipsters, Felons, and Other Guys I've Dated, Julie Klausner
19. The Rapture, Liz Jensen
20. Sand in My Bra and other Misadventures, Jennifer L. Leo, ed.
21. Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle, Daniel L. Everett
22. Einstein's Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe, Evalyn Gates
23. The Tattoo Artist, Jill Ciment
24. The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back, Charles Pellegrino
25. Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story, Leonie Swann
26. The Glass Room, Simon Mawer
27. Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom, Julie Kenner
28. California Demon, Julie Kenner
29. Demons Are Forever, Julie Kenner
30. Deja Demon, Julie Kenner
31. The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World, Shelley Emling
32. The Law of Falling Bodies, Jill Ciment
33. Half a Life, Jill Ciment
34. Heroic Measures, Jill Ciment
35. Demon Ex Machina, Julie Kenner
36. Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier
37. The Wood Wife, Terri Windling
38. Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels, Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan
39. The Island, Victoria Hislop
40. Changes, Jim Butcher
41. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Seth Grahame-Smith
42. The Help, Kathryn Stockett
43. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Helen Simonson
44. Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey
45. The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova
46. Bite Me: A Love Story, Christopher Moore
47. Just Kids, Patti Smith
48. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
49. Stones from the River, Ursula Hegi
50. To Love and to Cherish, Patricia Gaffney
51. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
52. Ahab's Wife, or, The Star-Gazer, Sena Jeter Naslund
53. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
54. The Charlotte Gilman Perkins Reader, ed. Ann J. Lane
55. i know i am, but what are you?, Samantha Bee
56. The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid
57. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, Daniel Okrent
58. In the Forest of Forgetting, Theodora Goss
59. The Water-Method Man, John Irving
60. Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter, A.E. Moorat
61. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, Beth Hoffman
62. Windflower, Nick Bantock
63. Bullet Points, Mark Watson
64. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
65. The Girl who Played with Fire, Stieg Larsson
66. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, Stieg Larsson
67. Bitten, Kelley Armstrong
68. Little Bee, Chris Cleaves
69. Foreign Correspondence, Geraldine Brooks
70. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
71. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Cory Doctorow
72. Little Vampire Women, Louisa May Alcott and Lynn Messina
73. The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
74. McKay's Bees, Thomas McMahon
75. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, Steve Hockensmith
76. Talking to Girls About Duran Duran, Rob Sheffield
77. Changeless, Gail Carriger
78. Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
79. The Sheriff of Yrnameer, Michael Rubens
80. Jane Slayre, Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin
81. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Suskind
82. The Believers, Zoe Heller
83. Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill
84. Vampire Vow, Michael Schiefelbein
85. Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time, Rob Sheffield
86. The Darkest Night, Gena Schowalter
87. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
88. Little Women and Werewolves, Porter Grand
89. The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time, Jeff Deck and Benjamin D
90. Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman and John Schiffman
91. Only Revolutions, Mark Danielewski
92. Mansfield Park and Mummies, Jane Austen and Vera Nazarian
93. Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose, Lee Alan Dugatkin
94. I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett
95. Two Truths and a Lie, Katrina Kittle
96. The Passage, Justin Cronin
97. John Dies at the End, David Wong
98. Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, Richard Wrangham
99. If I Stay, Gayle Forman
100. Half Broke Horses, Jeannette Walls
101. The Blessings of the Animals, Katrina Kittle
102. Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach
103. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
104. And the Heart Says Whatever, Emily Gould
105. Poplollies and Bellibones: A Celebration of Lost Words, Susan Kelz Sperling
106. God's Dog: A Celebration of the North American Coyote, Hope Ryden
107. Palimpsest, Catherynne M. Valente
108. The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science, Douglas Starr
109. Kraken, China Miéville
110. The Kindness of Strangers, Katrina Kittle
111. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicholson, Louise Rennison
112. Fallen, Lauren Kate
113. Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot: The Autobiography of a Dangerous Man, John Callahan
114. Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change, Elizabeth Kolbert
115. Side Jobs, Jim Butcher
116. Blameless, Gail Carriger
117. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession, Allison Hoover Bartlett
118. Greywalker, Kat Richardson
119. Rest You Merry, Charlotte MacLeod
120. Bright of the Sky, Kay Kenyon

Sweater quest update and agenda

Figured I should post an update on the sweater quest, because there are only a few days left. I have high hopes that I can finish at least two, possibly five sweaters this week, perhaps even more if I stop sleeping. Although knitting while sleep-deprived does not necessarily equal good results.

Anyway, here's the list, color-coded and everything:

1. Scoop Pullover: Completed, and in Tulsa, where it will get worn.
   
2. Sonnet: To be blocked, seamed, and have buttons added today. I hope.
3. Max: Completely done, and making people smile.
4. Einstein: Completely done, and getting compliments, especially on the buttons.
5. Vine Yoke: Still needs a sleeve and a front. On the agenda for Thursday.
6. Shalom: Worn yesterday to knitting. I must have monkey arms or a very short row gauge, as the designer mentioned that the sleeves would be very long, and they are 3/4 length on me.
7. Wrenna: Wore to the office holiday party. Definitely a gorgeous pattern and a quick knit, and I would consider making another.
8. Issara: Needs closures; hope to add those today.
9. Spoke: Finally finished the second front, and started the sleeves. Modified the sleeves because I was sick of 1x1 and to remove the giant bells. Giant, I say! Just need to finish the second sleeve, sew the shoulders, and do the edging. On the agenda for today between #2 and #8, and tomorrow.
10. Lia: Needs sleeves and yoke. Hopefully tomorrow, assuming Zuzu will allow it, as she doesn't seem to appreciate this sweater except as a blanket.
11. Gathered Pullover: Just needs sleeve caps knitted and sleeves sewn in. Went a bit overboard on the sleeve tubes (unless I really do have monkey arms), but it's time to start the increases.
12. Owls: Needs sleeves and yoke. Planning on spending Friday on that.
    

So. We'll see how far I get. Which means I should really stop typing and pick up the needles. Wish me luck!

The Smart Little Chickadee

Short post here, because I don't have too much to say. Still plugging away on my sweaters, which are still mostly as described although I have been working on Spoke again, and my Owls is about ready for the sleeves.

Anyway, I know I've shared stories from the birdfeeder before, and this is another. When we got dumped on with snow (so much that they sent a backhoe to do the plowing - see below), we did not shovel the deck, so instead of refilling the feeder that hangs at the edge, I just stuck a feeder on the ground, right outside of the door.


Our snowplow for Dec 13-14

Well, it took a bit of time for the birds to find it, but they did, and were thrilled to have more sunflower seeds to eat. (And suet, as I hung the suet cage from the handle of the sliding glass door.) Obviously, the feeder gets emptied every few days.

This morning I noticed that the feeder was empty, so I opened the door to refill it. There was a chickadee watching from the beam of the deck roof. I refilled the feeder, stepped back inside, and that little chickadee was at the feeder before I had closed the door.

But not for long! Here comes Zuzu, curious as to why the door had been open without her knowledge. Off flies little chickadee! Apparently little chickadee knows that humans aren't generally dangerous, but cats frequently are. Hence the title of this post.

What else? I am very entertained with this. Potty humor for paleontologists! Or just silly stuff for kids and kids-at-heart.

In other slightly science-y news, I stayed up to watch the start of the lunar eclipse. In part because I was playing with chocolate, so I could share candies with my coworkers. I still have several things to make, but thankfully there are a few days until Christmas so I can delay just a bit. Haven't started with the dark chocolate yet, and I don't think my family will mind that I won't share many dark chocolate treats with my coworkers, as there will be more for them.


Crappy cell phone picture of the start of the lunar eclipse because I need to find my camera cable to download the better pics

Well, I should probably stop typing and start being productive. I have a lot to do before Christmas, and lots of knitting to be done before the end of the month!

GAH! How did it get to be December?!?!?!?!

Yes, I procrastinate. Not one of my better qualities, but hey, I usually work well under a deadline (as long as no one is staring over my shoulder), so whatever. But EEK! Really? I am not ready for December! Would much prefer it to be oh, maybe September? Anyway, the sweater quest continues, with a few interruptions here and there.

Made Eugenia's mitts for the lovely AutumnBreeze as part of a swap. I hope she likes them! I'm not sure if she's unwrapped that far yet. (Pattern is Rav link.)



A friend's daughter is going through a bit of a rough time as a new big sister, so I made some fingerless mitts for her.



Which then sat in my house forever and ever before I finally got to the PO to ship them. Hopefully they'll still fit!

*Finally* finished seaming Mom's sweater, and she likes it. Yay! One completely-finished sweater!



Tangent: we went to the Rally to Restore Sanity at the end of October, and had a lovely time. Wish we had more time to spend wandering various Smithsonian buildings, but we saw the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, which is what I wanted to see, so I was content. Will have to go back another time.



Back to the sweater quest... Sweater #2 is still waiting to be blocked, seamed, and buttoned. Sweater #3 and #4 are completely done. Yay!! Sweater #5 has had some progress made, and just needs the second sleeve and front. Sweaters #6-8 were mentioned previously, and about in the same shape. Issara needs closures, and then she's done.


Sweater #3


Sweater #4


Sweater #5

Sweater #9 is still trudging along. I would not have started if I had read the pattern the whole way through before starting. LOTS of 1x1 ribbing, which does not work well with the yarn I am using, as I like to do my ribbing using the Portuguese technique, and Freedom Spirit is too delicate for all that tension. Currently the sweater is in my car (well, the piece-in-progress), where it gets dragged out occasionally.



Sweater #10 is still waiting to be fixed, but I just need to figure out the start of round stitch and it will be good to go. May try to do the sleeves this weekend and then finish the top.



Sweater #11 turns out not to be a test knit, as I could not get gauge for the design. Turned to an older pattern that I've wanted to do for years, since I first saw it showing up on "real people" on Ravelry. Not that it's an ugly design on its own, but it really shines when worn by people with curves rather than stick-thin models. Anyway, it is still breaking my habit of green sweaters. Which isn't actually *too* bad, as I will end the year with at most six green sweaters to wear. Green sweater #1 ended up in Oklahoma with 'lista, and even though Sweater #5 is notoriously short so I added a few stitches to compensate, I wonder if it will be a belly sweater. Which means that it may need to find a new home, too.



Sweater #12 is another older design that I've wanted to do for a while. In fact, I started the project in 2008, but it got sent to time out when I realized that my gauge was much too small and I didn't care for how the yarn was pooling. Anyway, I am modifying the design significantly, to match my gauge and size, and skipping the waist shaping as my waist has disappeared lately. The yarn is still pooling, but rather than having large blotches of the yellow-green it is spiraling around the sweater. Which I can deal with. Should probably be alternating rows with another skein, since it's hand-dyed stuff (I love Briar Rose!) but am not. We'll see how it turns out.



I need to come up with a good strategy to get things finished on time. And here I am typing rather than knitting... Am currently considering adding a week to my schedule for every pair of things I made in 2010, since I am intending on devoting 2011 to pairs. Socks, gloves, slippers, mitts: pairs. That would give me an extra month, just about, because I made two pairs of fingerless mitts, one pair of mittens, and a pair of baby bibs. Longer if I count the pairs of squares I knit... But I am going to try to get things done this month. It is theoretically possible, at least as of the 4th. We shall see what happens. I don't know when I will fit in the Christmas candy/cookie-making, but perhaps I will go a few days without sleep. Or take a few extra vacation days. If all goes well, I won't go to work between Christmas and New Year's, but I am not counting on that.

Well. What else? As it's not a post without a Zuzu picture, here is my longcat:



Her front paws were near my ankles, and her back paws were by my hip. For a small cat she is definitely stretchy!

Back to knitting I go! Cross your fingers that I can finish something this weekend!

Muzzles for people and a sweater quest update

Yes, I am fat. No, I'm not really happy about that, but the planet really likes me, so I deal. I've never been slender, although I have been fit. Sadly, to keep most of the fat away, I need to exercise about eight hours a day. I am not independently wealthy, nor a celebrity of any kind, and I like sleep, so I just don't have the time required for that. So sue me. Or better yet, give me a few million dollars so I don't have to work and can spend eight hours exercising every day.

Anyway, today I was showing someone my sweater in progress, and was told, "I don't mean to be rude, but shouldn't you be knitting a bigger size?" Ouch. That hurts. Really. You may not intend to be rude, but yes, actually, you are. Especially since my sweater piece is:
crackers) the back, which doesn't have extra bits to stretch around
argyle) not blocked
plastic cutlery) ribbed, which means especially stretchy

I am also knitting the largest size the pattern offers, and on a needle size that is larger than the pattern suggests. So yeah, your comment stung. My self-esteem is low enough, and really didn't need that hit.

Anyway, I now have a retort to use the next time someone says something like that. (And there will be a next time. There always is.) "Sounds like you need a larger muzzle."

* * * * * * *

So today sucked, although it was saved somewhat by a skein of a cashmere silk blend that was on sale, but the colors are not my colors so the yarn will probably end up in a swap or something. Or maybe it will make a gift. My mom would look good in those colors. Oh well. Yarn is good. Cashmere-silk yarn that is discounted 40% is even better.

And speaking of yarn, this past weekend was Rhinebeck! It was wonderful to see several of the friends who live in my computer, although many people were missed. I had a decent haul, including a skein of angora-wool "sock yarn" that I really don't think will become socks. Snagged some Bugga (thanks to Cyd and Golriz for standing in line!) and some STR, too.


Someday I may take real pictures, but meh, whatever. Cell phone pics work for this, right?

In knitting news, I finished my Issara in the hotel lobby on Friday night, and wore it Saturday with stitch holders keeping it closed. It's a bit more snug than I'd like for a coat, but it is wool so it should grow. (And yes, my gauge was a bit small, but I had already gone up a needle size and didn't want to make a coat with a loose fabric. Maybe this will convince someone that I need money so I can stop working and lose weight...)



My May post included all of the sweaters up to that point. Sweater #2 is still in the same place (needs blocked, seamed and buttons), Sweater #3 is done aside from buttons and ear stuffing, and now has pins marking where the buttons should go, so that won't take much longer, Sweater #4 has one of the seams done and just needs the second seam, the collar and buttons, and Sweater #5 is still hanging out, stalled because of spit splicing. I still have hope for the year, though.

Sweater #6, Shalom, Y'all, is completely done, including buttons! I have been wearing it, but don't have a picture with buttons.



Sweater #7, Wrenna, is also done, and I am wearing it right now. Sewed on the second clasp and learned that I need to pull up the sweater sleeves and pull down my shirt sleeves at Rhinebeck. Bought the yarn in Minneapolis. I love Mountain Colors!



Sweater #8 is the above-mentioned Issara, and I love it. May need to knit another one eventually.

Sweater #9 is the supposedly too-small one. Spoke. I did not read the pattern before I started, and the sweater is taking forever. If I had read the pattern I would have found something else to cast on, as k1p1 is boring as all get out and takes forever. The yarn is lovely, but is too delicate for pin-tensioned knitting, so my ribbing goes very slowly as my technique is terrible. Oh well. Eventually.

Sweater #10 is Lia, and would have been done by now if I had paid more attention to the sizing and not looked at the wrong numbers when I split for the arms. Need to rip back, but that shouldn't take too long. Bulky yarn and big needles FTW! My picture doesn't look like much other than a kitty bed, as Zuzu decided that it was time for me to stop knitting. If I hadn't screwed up I may have had another sweater to wear at Rhinebeck. Oh well. Next year.



Sweater #11 will be a test knit for someone (in blue, not green!), and i am not sure what sweater #12 will be yet. Probably something in bulky yarn, as I'll need something quick so I can finish everything else...

Also seamed a blanket for Mary somewhere in there, and knit a few squares for it, too.



Realized I never shared a picture of Gretchen's bag, so here it is, pre-felting:



Also knit two and a half baby bibs. Need to finish the third so I can get my needles back so I can make fingerless gloves for a friend's kid who needs some yarny love. She's a new big sister, and needs some attention of her own.



Even if I fail at my sweater quest, I have used an awful lot of yarn this year. And what else is Christmas break for but knitting? Kinda looking forward to starting the 52-pair-plunge, but am tempted to make another sweater or six.

Anyway, Mike is home now, so I ought to go upstairs to sleep. Tomorrow will be a better day. I hope.

P.S. I forgot the gratuitous Zuzu picture. Here you go!