Happy New Year!

This is my old, old pal "Bear Bear," named as such before I developed any significant verbal prowess. I made this sweater for him about 10 years ago on New Year's Eve, and it's still quite fashionable if I don't say so myself. (Admittedly, he doesn't get out much and isn't very hard on clothes...)

Knitting Is Dangerous

I impaled myself today with a #5 aluminum double pointed needle. The stupid thing slipped out of the last stitch and fell on the floor, while at the very same moment I moved my leg and hand to try and catch it. I guess that's what I was trying to do. Said needle balanced itself pointy ends normal to the floor, aided by the nap of a really quite lovely area rug. The backside of my ankle/leg area came right down on the seemingly blunt point which left a suspiciously considerable gouge in my flesh.

I'm still plugging along on the socks though, you have to work through the pain. I would at this time like to point out that I never drew blood with a crochet hook. I'll have to do more hooking.

Camera Bag

This is a knock off of Crowe's camera bag, and an odd one at that. I made the ball band dishcloth with Lily Sugar and Cream cotton, then doubled it up for extra padding so the pattern is continued on the inside of the bag. It was totally unnecessary in hindsight, but I was working with a vision.

(Some information that could have been more useful to set up context for the post: Santa brought me a new camera for Christmas. I really like it and am excited to work out some new methods. First I need to figure out the lighting.)

Temptations

I finally got my Lorna's Laces OSU colorway yarn! I've been waiting a very long time because they only sell it at Temptations In Dublin, OH. My brother went with me today and we found lots of good stuff in addition to the 2 skeins I had on hold. Plus, get this! All Lorna's Laces was 40% off!!! Whoopee!

Cables!

I present to you my first hand-knitted cable! I have always loved them, and got quite good at making them with the Bond knitting machine (what seems like a lifetime ago), but never learned how to do it by hand. Victory is sweet.

Alas, sour must combine with sweet for us to truly appreciate the irony of the universe. I had my most disappointing yarn experience to date. This headband is made with Debbie Mumm Traditions yarn from Joann fabrics. I saw it in the store and fell in love. I dropped the 3 skeins of Patons SWS I've been wanting for-ev-er and picked up this stuff because it was so beautiful and even softer than I could imagine. It was a wool acrylic blend, and I didn't think much about how the yarn was constructed still awe-struck by the pretty, shiny colors.
It looks just like any of the wonderful wool singles I have worked with in the past (Rio de la Plata, Malabrigo, Noro, etc). I eagerly photographed and added the beauties to my Ravelry stash. It was then that I saw the comments, most along the lines of, "I will never use this yarn again", "this yarn is awful", "I would rather stick my tongue to a freezing helicopter rotor than work with this shite" and so on. I was a little sad, but thought surely they must be mistaken. How could this beautiful stuff be so offensive?

Ugh. I'll take the helicopter, because this was an absolute nightmare to work with. The colored acrylic strands are loosely wound about a black or white core. All the time you work, the outer layer of acrylic "fibre" is slipping and sliding, twisting and turning, and basically being an ass. It's a lot like working with Lion Brand Homespun if it wasn't plied for coherence. Gag. I am going to try and return the 2 skeins pictured above and get the SWS.

Quant-ify

My knitting curiosity is still pretty high, and I wanted to try something fancy looking. I had to take a stab at the Quant headband pattern from the latest issue of knitty. It reminded me of this really nice knitted entrelac throw they have displayed at the Swift Stitch. It's gorgeous, and made out of Noro Kureyon, so I grabbed a skein of that and set knitting. (Note: when I say "grabbed" I mean selected and purchased. I am not a fibre filcher.) After one try and a lot of cursing, frogging, starting something else with the yarn, frogging again, transporting said yarn to Ohio, and a nice internet tutorial on entrelac from KnittyOtter... I did it! I may make another someday, using a yarn with shorter color changes and slightly smaller gauge.

Calorimetry 4

I just finished this one and decided to take an action shot since some people were confused as to the purpose of the headband laid out flat. I sucked in my cheeks to look like a supermodel, needs work.

Merry Freaking Christmas from the Cat

Calorimetry

Another x-mas present in the bag. I know all you expert knitters are probably thinking, "ugh, another Calorimetry?" OK, maybe not, the people I roll with are much nicer than that. I tried the entrelac "Quant" from the latest Knitty, but it kicked my ass, so Calorimetry it is. Check out the limestone button... I love those!

Sausage Arm

My Mom thinks one of her arms has a greater circumference than the other. I think it's the left one. She calls it her sausage arm. I do not support this theory, but that doesn't stop me from wishing my cousin's new baby girl had one.

Check out my latest failed experiment in yarn.
Shucks.

Eddie Carfagna

His name is Eddie.
He likes spaghetti.
He eats it whenever he can.

My parents' cat was originally feral before they let him inside the house. His remarkable taste for spaghetti, salami, and pepperoni have led us to suspect he may have originally resided down the street by Carfagna's. Just a theory.

I lied.

This is the last knitting project, a teeny tiny Santa hat for the family cat. (pattern courtesy of the latest cast-off.)