Christmas Knitting is (mostly) Done!

Its true! I've just got one bit of a sweater to finish and I'm not seeing that person until New Year's so it will be okay if I finish that on my travels. I'll have lots of knitting time between now and then. Everything else is done and wrapped and ready to go into the car later tonight.

Pattern: Mug Coozies, Interweave Knits Holiday '07
Yarn: Peaches 'n' Cream cotton
This green one is for my dad. I also made a red one for my grandpa.

Munkus was very helpful when I was trying to work on my BSJ last night. He's rather opinionated about my traveling.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! I'll be MIA for a few weeks as I travel around to my friends and family. See you in 2008!

Kitty Wonton

Pattern: Feline Dim Sum: Wonton (knitty.com)
Yarn: Sugar & Cream cotton

Munkus was only too happy to model this bit of holiday knitting. Its stuffed with polyfil and catnip. I had to sneak it away from him so that he wouldn't tear it up too bad before I give it to its intended owner! I'm going to have to make him one as a treat for behaving himself at the vet today.

In other news, I'm planning a big trip to visit family and friends over the holidays. I'll be on the road for about 3 weeks and I've got to figure out what knitting to bring! If you have any suggestions, let me know! Once I finish the gift sweaters, I'll need some entertaining knitting. Got any favorite patterns?

Tis the Season... I think...

Today it is 80 degrees outside. What a strange state South Carolina is! I miss cold weather and snow, though I am thankful that I don't have to drive in that mess.

Finals are over and knitting time has come back with a vengeance! I've been working on some little projects for friends and for people with whom I am staying on my travels over Christmas break. I mapped the trip this morning and I'll be driving around 1,880 miles (round trip) over a period of about three weeks. I'm very excited to see so many friends and family!

First up, I'm making some washcloths to pair with nice soaps as gifts:



Then there's the beginning of a kitty wonton for a friend who will really appreciate it given that she had a cat that used to take real wontons right from the soup if she wasn't careful!All of the above are made with Sugar & Cream cotton in various colors.

And lastly, my very first BSJ!

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket, by Elizabeth Zimmerman
"The Opinionated Knitter"
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino

I hope you can enjoy the lovely South Carolina sun in the pictures as much as Munkus and I have been enjoying it today!

Almost there!

I started a BSJ to keep me sane during finals, but I haven't taken pictures of it yet. I've spent about 15 hrs longer than I wanted to on this paper for my Paul in the Lectionary class so any free time I hoped to have is very much gone. Luckily the first part of it is done and I just have to write the last bit and my final for Worship and I'll be done.

In gratitude for your patience, here is the sweater I finished last summer! Because sometimes in the midst of finals you just need to see something that is complete!

Pattern: Nantucket Jacket
Interweave Knits Fall '06
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino

See you when the dust settles!

Finals Time

It is amazing the amount of work professors throw at you at the end of a semester. I wonder if they forget that we're taking more than one class at a time. Or maybe they just like to burden themselves with a huge stack of 10 page papers just before Christmas so they can get out of hanging up the outside lights.

In any case, knitting progress has been crawling recently. I did finish off the last round of a crocheted granny square lap blanket this evening after chapel. Its very bright and cheerful (think safety neon orange and bright yellow)! I've also started a simple scarf for charity that I can work on while I'm reading theology. Our professor is writing the manuscript for our textbook and has been working on it for the past 13 years or so. This means that we get it in a huge notebook and it lays open very nicely so I can read and knit at the same time! I need more books like that.

In lieu of actually knitting, I've been feeding my yarn habit by plotting my knitting for Christmas break and J-term. In December I need to finish the two sweater projects I've got, then I don't have to take any J-term classes so I've got most of January open! I've settled on the Fir Cone Square Shawl from Folk Shawls as my major project. I just need to get needles for that. Its my first major lace project and I'm very excited about it! If anyone has any suggestions for books on tape that would go well with lace knitting, please let me know!

Yarn Shenanagins

This is what happens when craft stores have sales:

Yarnbee Mosaic Twist
Colorway: Fruity

Bernat Haven
Colourways: Cream and Peach

And this is what happens when a bunch of seminarians swap yarn:

Bernat Baby yarn in a couple of colors and some Yarnbee Highland Thistle in Shetland (not pictured).





Good thing I also acquired a new bin for the stash!


I'd say the yarn swap was quite a success! Good times, fun yarn, and pumpkin pie was had by all! We're all gearing up for Christmas break (aka: uninterrupted knitting time). I've been making plans with Rosemary for our after Christmas crafting plans. We both have plans to work on large square shawls in January and we both have some sewing and scrapbooking projects to finish. I think we'll be able to keep each other motivated!

Survival of the food coma

What a week! My family has been here celebrating Thanksgiving and its been crazy. I had never cooked for 11 before. Now I have! It was a lot of fun, even though very little knitting got done. I did finish off the last few rows of the sherbet scarf and it went to the charity knitting box. I worked on Bristow a few times, but realized tonight that I had done a cable on the wrong row and had to rip back several inches.

This just goes to show that food comas and knitting do not mix!

My mom brought me Folk Shawls and then bought me some yarn from Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart that was on clearance. I forget what kinds they were at the moment, but I'll get pictures and details up at some point. Cross my heart!

For now, just enjoy a picture of St. Francis enjoying the weather from this week.