So virtuous.

It’s quite nice to be able to feel good about oneself.  Especially during the cold and grey month of January.  This month has been particularly hard – trade shows and yarn crawls and 6-day work weeks tend to wear one down so quickly.  But I have survived and even have some progress to show, in spite of it.

Now, admittedly, my first pat-myself-on-the-back item isn’t exactly finished.

Or, well, even started, to be honest.  I have swatched, however, and claim some form or another of achievement for that.  Behold, soon-to-be Socks for Tika:

I wanted to go with machine washable and purple and snuggly, so Cascade 220 Superwash on US 4’s seems perfect.

Getting a gauge of 6.5 sts per inch.  Not bad, right?  I was thinking of whipping up a quick, no fuss, chemo/ hospital sock pattern.  D’you think anyone would be interested?  Maybe with child, young adult, woman s/m, woman l/ man s, man m/l sizes.  Sound good?  It’d be good practise for me…

Of course, my next item of business is the Pinurple Penelope, a handknit monster for Tika:

See the link above for more information, all readily available in my ravelry journal.  Gawd, I love ravelry.  It’s just magic :)

Next, on my list of accomplishments is the Socks for Shibui, which I can’t show you, sorry. But, rest assured, they are awesome.  Or so my peeps tell me, so hopefully they’re not lying to spare my feelings…

Instead, I offer this humble stand-in in their place:

Lattice Sock (sorry, my creativity does not extend to colorful or clever names).  Being knit with Casbah (yum) in the delicious color “Fleur”.

And, finally, my last accomplishment is a myriad assembly of numbers, numbers, and more numbers. One, I am very close to closing in on a final P & L for the Web business.  Yes, it is excruciatingly boring, but I did agree to take it on when I became the head of Web.  In fact, “excruciating” doesn’t even come close to describing the mind-numbing, eye-bleeding cacophony of stupor that is working out a P & L.

For those of you so very lucky to not know what a P & L is, it stands for Profit and Loss and is the entire budget for my part of the business for the next year.  Down to the gnat’s eyebrow.  Everything from payroll to insurance to utilities to rent to various and sundry others as well as cost of goods sold and marketing.  Just… shudder.  But I am so very, very, tantalizingly close to being DONE.

Also, in the realm of numbers, and this is a real achievement – I just discovered today that over FIVE THOUSAND knitters have downloaded my Offset Wraplan pattern (seriously!) on ravelry, and over 400 knitters have made/ are making it.  Wow.  Those are some serious numbers, especially for a free pattern that I have never made any attempt to promote!

Quite cheering, really.  And one last number?  3.

Yes, 3.  The number of sts that should be knit at the end of rnd 4 of the collar.  I discovered this tonight as I answered a knitter’s enquiry.  So, beware that the pattern has been edited (if you are one of the many knitters who has downloaded, but not knit, the Offset Wraplan).  To get a new revised copy of the pattern:

download now

In unrelated, but Good, news: bright Pheobus has returned to Portland for a short visit.  In Oregon, it is quite rare to see the sky in winter.  Seriously, we can go weeks without sunlight (it’s absolutely and utterly depressing and no surprise, honestly, that Oregonians are at the highest risk of Vitamin D deficiency).  So, you can imagine my complete shock over the fact that we’ve had TWO sunny days in the space of a single week…

I took a photo to prove it.  I figured no one (outside of Portland) would believe it.  Especially not Eugenians (they know better!).  Maybe it’s some sort of cruel and bitter cosmic joke that has yet to be revealed; but, for now, I shall be happy.

As I hope are you.

And, really, that’s all I feel up to sharing tonight.  So much has been happening, but I just don’t have the energy (or time – I need to go to bed soon!) to blog further.  It seems that the Nemo Mitt pattern is almost ready for posting, but that will have to wait until the next update.  Hopefully I’ll have more interesting news then.  But don’t get your hopes up!

Gah.

Have been fighting a losing battle against a migraine since Friday afternoon.  Finally getting auras tonight.  Was going to update the blog (so much to blog about!), but can’t bear the thought of looking at a computer screen for an hour or more.  I’ll try tomorrow night.  Keep your fingers crossed that my doc called in my refill so I can say goodbye to this migraine!

Until laters, check out the earless, legless and armless monster:

Who actually now has ears and legs (albeit not attached).

For this little girl. I know thebon has already knit something for her (awesome Oregonians unite!); but, if you have time (and needles and yarn – preferably purple or pink), could you maybe consider knitting her something? Just a thought. Pardon the attempt at guiltness.

I promise that there will be cool postiness in the future.  Gawd, can you totally tell I have a horrendous headache that is impairing my vocabulary functions?

(…Did that even make sense??)

P.S.  If you have sent me a message recently and I still have not answered it, I am not ignoring you.  Honest.  You should see the backlog I am attempting to overcome.  Please be patient with me!

Proving that I am mad.

Okay, maybe not completely mad. But setting myself up for a little craziness? Without a doubt. I went to Uwajimaya with Opus and her Mum on Saturday (we had a girls day out, ’twas awesome) and hit the little Kinokuniya within. After a little dedicated browsing, I found two gems, Fair Isle Knitting and 100 Aran Patterns.

The 100 Aran Patterns is an amazing stitch dictionary and I didn’t think to take any shots of the unusual cables within (sorry!). But the ISBN # is 9784529022934 if you want to track down your own copy to drool over. If you enjoy cables, this book is for you.

Now, if you enjoy colorwork, or even just looking at colorwork, Fair Isle Knitting (ISBN # 9784529046763) is complete knitting pr0n. Seriously. The patterns are exquisite and the photography is worthy of Rowan magazine or Alice Starmore.

I took some crappy detail shots with my cheap digicam (sorry, didn’t feel like pulling out the big camera) to highlight my favorites:

Kristin and I decided today that this sweater simply MUST be made with Rowan Felted Tweed. It simply calls for it. We cannot refuse it’s siren song much longer.

And then there’s this shawl…

I’m a little scared at how much I want to make it. That says something about my inner level of masochism, doesn’t it?

Anyway, if you’d like some more detail shots, check out my flickr photostream. I think I may have to cast on of these beauties (I have so much fingering yarn that it’s kind of frightening). There are also some just lovely mitten, glove, and hat patterns that I might try out to start with.

And, in the world of lace, I’ve decided to at least try knitting it the traditional way (no mocking) and cast on for a stole (this is a test, remember) using size 2 (2.75mm) 9″ straight needles using the Twig #2 pattern from The Haapsalu Shawl:

That way, if it bombs, I won’t want to hunt down the “master” who gave said advice in the book and do something unmentionable with the straight needles.  It’s also a 12 row repeat, unlike my favorite (and magnificent )40+ row Quatrefoil with Stones pattern.  We’ll see how this goes.

And, finally, I am (un)officially signed up to do a sock booklet for ShibuiKnits, due to be released in June 2010.  At this point, we’re talking 7 – 10 patterns for children, women and men using at least 3 to 4 different yarns.  It’s going to be awesome.  (This has actually been in the works for months, but we’re only just now nailing everything down)

But now I must go, as my chariot awaits.  Tootle-loo!

How shweet it is.

Not to brag, but…

IT’S MIIINE!!!!

What shall I knit first?

How about this?

Cables and lace. How can it go wrong?

(don’t answer that)

Where did December go?

I agree with Opus, we need to just write 2009 off and get started with 2010 early.  What a strange year this has been.  Freak snow storms, summer temps above 109F!, and THREE fiber festivals in town (it only sounds fun if you don’t have to work them all).  Not to mention the H1N1 (thank you again, Kristin for sharing that gem) and what I’m now calling MV2.

The ‘mystery virus’ that has had me down for the count for the past two weeks.  I’ve been fighting it off for longer than that (a month, maybe?), but my body finally surrendered utterly and completely on the 12th.  I remember the date exactly because I lost my voice for three days and had to have my Dad call work to tell them I was all but dead.  Fun, huh?

I’m getting better now (no fussing!), mostly due to some fun hardcore drugs that took two doctors appointments and a chest x-ray to match up.  Apparently the prescription cough syrup and inhaler weren’t the right meds for the job.  Go figure.  But I can breathe again (woot!) and am actually (mostly) functioning again.  I even folded laundry today (for someone who could barely go up the stairs for a week, that’s huge).

Which is why I’m trying to catch up a month’s worth of stuff in one post.  Well, all one can do is try, right?

First!  I have a new pattern for all y’all that I’ve been wanted to share for some time now.  Presenting… the Sqooshy Scarf (free pattern!):

Download now on ravelry.

And, yes, Opus and I just might have been imbibing alcohol when we came up with that lame name.  We know.  But it is sqooshy, so the name stuck.  I love it, it’s warm (really, really warm), was very quick to knit and super -soft because of the yarn I used – Fleece Artist’s Slubby Blue, one skein in “Morgana” and one in “Forest Fairie”. (Please note: I am not linking to Knit Purl in some cheazy attempt at merchandising, I simply can’t find a decent photo of this awesome yarn on Fleece Artist’s website, alas.  Check it out, they only have one little thumbnail… sad).

Anyway.  That photo (and others) were taken at the McMenamin’s Hotel Oregon, in McMinnville, after Opus and I had hit Woodland Woolworks in a mad attempt to find blocking wires for her Grandmother’s Hemlock Ring Blanket (Christmas gift).  While there… well, I fell off the bandwagon.  They had four balls of Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran (a yarn we don’t carry, incidentally, so it’s not, like… infidelity) in the most lovely color, “Claret”:

Which, um, didn’t photograph too well.  Yes, it was probably user error.  I’m currently working on a Fence vest that is more than half done.  This thing is addicting.  The yarn is evil.  I started on Tuesday and already have the back finished and the front cast on.

As we were thumbing through their lace pattern binders (at WW), Opus spotted something interesting that (strangely) made her more excited than me.  We had to take a photo:

If you look, closely, you can see my Architect’s Sock pattern hanging out there with patterns by Beth Brown-Reinsel and The Heirloom Knitter.  It was kind of funny and a little weird.

Next, as we were relaxing at McMenamin’s (our quest fulfilled), I snapped a shot of the scarf Opus was making for her coworker:

I promised her I’d post it, so she’d have it for her ravelry journal.  And, look, all these weeks later, I remembered!  That’s a minor miracle, honestly.

Second, on the list of things to report – the Finished List.  Having spent two weeks in bed (or on the couch), with only yarn to prevent suicide attempts (seriously, I was ready to try anything to stop the coughing).  Recently finished:

1. Sabine
2. Malabrigo Vest
3. Another pair of Nemo Mitts
4. An awesome sock/ stocking for ShibuiKnits that I can’t show you yet.  Oh, cruel Fate!

Still ongoing:

• Seed Rib Winterset
• Fence vest
• Handknits For Hard Knock Kids hat&mitten sets – four of them.  I’m mostly done with the first set, but have been avoiding this group of WIPs because I don’t want to be responsible for sending half of the children in the Oregon Foster Care system to the hospital with MV2.  Just imagine the headlines.  Oy.
• My What’sIt (don’t ask)
• And a whole bunch of socks.

Patterns in progress: oh, a lot.  I have so many it’s getting hard to keep track any more.  I’m going to need a spreadsheet.

Am I making any sense?  I’m still on the hard drugs for another two days (keep your fingers crossed that this’ll be the end of MV2) and have been a little looped lately.  Oh, well.  Only two days to go!  And, with it being 11pm, I think I’d better take my nasty cough syrup and fall into bed.

I hope everyone had a happy holiday and will enjoy their weekends!  I plan on staying inside, where it’s warm, and knitting my fingers off.  I have tons of stuff to finish for work and ShibuiKnits.  Until next time, stay toasty!