Merry Christmas!

I hope you are all spending it the same way I am. That is, at home in your pajama bottoms with nothing compelling you to go outside. Other celebratory details optional.

It's been quite the year for me on many fronts, but it's been eventful in terms of knitting, too. I was inspired to pick up the needles again about year and a half ago by the guy I was dating at the time. (I told him if he picked out the yarn I'd knit him a pair of socks.) What had been a pleasant hobby in college quickly grew into a consuming passion--especially when I got onto Ravelry.

Now, I'm living in a new place, pursuing a different career, dating a different fellow, and have actually published knitting patterns that people want to knit. Seems kind of crazy, but there you have it.

I have lots of thoughts on how knitting builds community and can make life more fulfilling and blah blah blah, but you know what? In lieu of a boring meta-post, I'm going to go knit.

Merry Christmas.

This Married to the Sea cartoon is for Jane. She knows why.

*squee*

So a few months back I designed a scarf for my brother's birthday. I wrote up the pattern all pretty-like, and today I put it up on Ravelry. Since I put a lot of effort into it, I decided to offer it for sale rather than for free.

And people have actually BOUGHT IT. Thrilling! I may never realize this whole yarn store/designing for a living thing, but this is one tiny step closer.

In case you're interested, the pattern is up on Rav as The Manly Scarf.

(Oh, just so you know--the pictures are of my long-suffering friend R3. He's a good egg.)

Awesome hat

I designed and knit this hat over the Thanksgiving holiday. It's based on one sold at Old Navy; I reverse-engineered that hat, but didn't have quite enough yarn to make an identical version. I improvised, and I think it worked out very well.

The yarn was a gift from Superquail when she was living in China; it's 100% acryllic in a super-bulky-weight. Beyond that, I know nothing. I ran short on that, so I rummaged in the stash and came up with leftovers from a hat I made for Aspen a long time ago. I remember that it was 100% wool (very similar to Lambs Pride in the way it knits up) and handpainted, but I got nothing else. I finished the top of the hat in that and then Swiss-embroidered it over all the knit stitches in one row to make it look like I'd done it all on purpose. Here's a shot of the hat in use:


I'm quite pleased with myself. Now to decide whether I want to give it away or wear it myself . . .

Bad blogger, no cookie

I've been terribly busy lately, and in consequence I've neglected not only this blog but the knitting blogosphere in general. With the holidays coming up, however, I should have more time to blog. And I've been knitting! Lots of things! Really I have!

Actually, I've been knitting a lot but I haven't felt that I've gotten much done, which is such a frustrating feeling. So a good part of my holiday relaxing is going to be devoted to finishing up various WIPs and planning knitting to come. Meanwhile, I give you this picture of a kitty:


He loves yarn too!