New technique for a new year

I want to try a few new techniques this year, not just knitting ones (which of course there are a few), but tricks to keep my life happier and absolve some of my guilt at letting things go too long this past year.  If you are curious as to what all of these are I listed them in the sidebar off to the left under Goals 2011, feel free to laugh and learn along with me this year!

I am already in progress on conquering one of my resolutions, learning to knit two at a time on circular needles (abbreviated as TAAT cause I really don't want to have to type all of that over and over).  I am currently knitting a Mi Escuelita cardigan for Lil' Miss, for which the yarn, Ella Rae Amity in aquamarine, was ordered last fall (yes, it's been sitting in my stash for a few months now, holiday knitting kind of got in the way!).  It is actually a really quick knit and I must say I am very pleased with it so far.  I have already finished the lower body of the sweater and decided to do the sleeves TAAT.  It was a total bitch to get started but now that I am a few inches in I 'get' why people like this way of knitting.  I am no longer obsessively counting rows and worried if my gauge changes from one sleeve to the other, and if they will look the same, etc.  It may go a bit slower but they'll be done at the same time, and I need to finish both sleeves up to the armpit to join them to the body and continue work on the top portion of the sweater.

Maybe I'll give TAAT a try when I finally decide to face the music and restart my Carolina socks languishing in my knitting bag.  They really are too tight and need to be redone, but I just don't have the heart to do it yet!

Sock Resolution

I'll admit it, I am addicted....to knitting socks that is!  I already have completed one pair, the ever popular Monkey socks by Cookie A., and am currently working on my second pair, Carolina by Monkey Toes.  Wearing handknit socks just makes me feel so decadent!  Probably the same feeling some women get from wearing fancy underwear.  I will admit, I felt a pang of jealousy at the last image in this post on Mooncalf's blog, oh to have a sock drawer like that!  So that's my goal, well at least one of them, to knit a sock every month (I know my limits and my level of laziness so a pair each month might be asking too much) so at the end of the year I'll have an additional 6 pairs tucked in my drawer to keep my toes nice and toasty.

My dear MIL got me off to a good start with my Christmas gift of knitting books, one of which was Sock Innovations by Cookie A.  Squee of excitement from me when I opened that little bit of joy!  Then later on Grumpy and Chatty-Cathy gifted me with some sock blockers and a skein of Imagination sock yarn, double squee!  I think they must have known about the goal fermenting at the back of my mind even then.

I am going to be joining in the toe-up sock KAL planned for February in the KnitPicks Lovers group on Ravelry also, which will be my second knit-a-long ever.  I just am a bit concerned about that style of socks fitting my freakishly high instep, remember my bitching when knitting my Monkey socks?  Anyway, while perusing the forums on Ravelry when girding my loins to start those socks I found a number of knitters cursed afflicted born with high insteps who reported that the heel style of toe-up socks didn't work for them.  However I have voiced this concern and am eagerly awaiting feedback from my fellow knitters as to how this obstacle shall be overcome.

Check out the nifty eye of partridge heel!

That said, I think a bit of cheating rule-bending may be in order, meaning the pair I have started and am working on will count as the first of my socks!  Since I haven't even finished the first sock that shouldn't be too much of a cheat, although they are on hold at the moment as my gauge has changed.  I may need to start them over anyway on larger needles.  So, do you have any resolutions for the new year?

Merry Christmas!

If only I had an army of elves to help me!

I know not to start a letter with an apology, but still, I am sorry to have neglected you all but I have been unbelievably busy getting everything done for Christmas.  From last minute gifts, finishing up those that were already started and of course the "oh, crap!" when I realized that I forgot to make something for a special someone the crafting side has been pretty busy.  Then of course there is the baking...   the still to be made homemade rolls and pound cake for Christmas Day, the cheesecake for Christmas Eve, it never seems to end this time of year.  I had trouble paring down my list of cookies and this year made a whopping ten different varieties.  Mister Vonkysmeed thinks that something is seriously wrong with me, I think he may be right! 

I promise to come back with a recap of my holiday crafting and of course more observations on the stunts of my two little ankle biters in the New Year.  Until then Merry Christmas, belated Happy Chanukah, Joyful Kwanzaa, Jolly Yule, and a very Happy New Year!

Prepping for xmas

It is my belief that it is never too early to start knitting or Christmas, particularly when you are a relatively slow knitter as I am.  I actually started working on my holiday knitting back in June with the Haruni shawl for Chatty-Cathy and am making fairly good progress on the rest of the projects as you can see from my finished project basket.  I have 19 projects completed, 2 in progress, and a few more to go most of which are sewn rather than knit.  You know, it feels so much better to write it down and realize I don't have that much left to do, especially considering that the projects aren't that big (I don't do sweaters for xmas, too much fear of it not fitting!).

So this would be the reason I haven't been really good at updating things here right now, I've been busy knitting/crocheting/sewing and haven't felt the time was available to type.  Then of course I haven't really been able to give a breakdown of what I did and am working on as many of the recipients actually check in here from time to time.  Thus the messy basket shot of the finished items all jumbled together, so good luck trying to discern your gift in that mess peekers, bwah-ha-ha!

Maybe I'll try to get started a little sooner next year so I still don't have this overwhelming anxious feeling that I must knit faster hanging over me as I have the past month.  Perhaps doing something for me, than a gift, than something for me and so on will help spread it out a bit better.  But, you know what they say about the best laid plans!

Cow fetish

Not that kind of fetish, what kind of sick people are you?!  I was talking about this kind of fetish:

fet-ish  noun
an object (as a small stone carving of an animal) believed to have magical powers to protect or aid its owner; broadly:  a material object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or reverence

After an angiogram last month discovered a torn arterial valve, Pops-in-law had a wee bit of open heart surgery this week to have it replaced.  He is doing amazingly well and is being sent home from the hospital after only 4 days.  In case you were not aware (and I was not until this request came my way) that when a valve is replaced they can be harvested from either pigs or cows and as you probably already guessed, Pops-in-law got some beef.  So Mister Vonkysmeed suggested that I could just "whip out" a little cow toy for him to put a smile on his face.  I suspect the humor will be most enjoyed by my Mister, but whatever it takes to help everyone get through this stressful event.

Now on to the crafty bit... I used a free pattern, Fabio Frog, from Lion Brand for the head, body and arms and for the snout ears and horns I used Chibi Cow by Marika Allely.  Why did I not just use the cow pattern you ask?  Well, I was lazy and wanted to make as few pieces as possible and this seemed the easiest way to go for me (the cow pattern has the head and body crocheted separately and had more rows to do-yes, I am that lazy).  They were both very easy to follow and the cow was done in a day.  I added on my own tail, just poked some yarn around a few crochet stitches, then braided it and ended with a nice knot.  Last of all I found some pretty checked ribbon recycled from an old floral decoration to tie around Bessie's neck, now if only I had a bell...

I did suggest embroidering stitches along the cow's chest, but Mister Vonkysmeed thought that might be a step too far for his conservative father.  All right, but if the Mister ever needs something like this, it is getting surgery stitches!