How cool is this?

Yes, I know, the photo is horrible because I can never photograph red properly, but look how it zig-zag stripes!

I dyed this yarn myself (chocolate cherry) for the Red Scarf Project, and right now I feel like so smart - too bad that I have no idea how I did it and I will never to be able to duplicate it.

The elves?

Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving I was in bed, sick, sleeping. Or at least I thought so. My family says that I was in bed knitting. Well, I can believe that, probably I was knitting in rare moments of lucidity.
So, Sunday morning I was all better, and this was besides my bed.
See? They said, you were knitting all the time.
A top down baby sweater in the round while sleeping? I can believe that.
An hat? Ok.
Toe-up basic socks? Possible.
Weaving in all ends? No way.

The elves?

Check, check, panic

Square for Comforting Jenn - check

Mittens for Mittens for Children - check

X-mas presents - panic?

Twist

You know how the pattern in the round always say, "Be careful not to twist the stitches"? Well, twisting them is actually way more difficult than it seems, it took me four takes, I swear those little suckers were re-aligning themselves while I was not watching. Maybe it was because it was early in the morning, and I do not function before 11, or because takes 1-3 were with dpn's. It seems it is easier to screw up with circulars.

In the non-twisting kind, the hats I made with the handspun Michelle sent me are done. It was especially fun, I get a special kick of knitting I dyed myself just for fun, no noted, no idea how it is going to look. I have no idea what to do with them either, so I'll probably donate them.

Comforting Jenn

Cathy at Tightly Wound ~ Loosely Knit is asking for help for a blanket for her friend Jenn - hop over there, read, and then get the needles .....

An alpaca package

I have no words to describe the amazing package I received today.



Those pretty packages, and the even prettier handmade flower



are just the beginning of the story. My wonderful SP9 sent me organic soap, happiness tea and the most amazing alpaca from Artesano - go there and read, hand made fair trade products from Bolivia.



The alpaca is so yummy, and the colors are so me, but the best is yet to come - yes, better than yarn. As instructed in her email, I opened the card last:



It brought tears, good ones!, to my eyes - it's a Oxfam Unwrapped card - she bought an alpaca package in my name! It is one of the best gift I have ever received, and the magnet has a place of honor on my refrigerator now.

Dear SP9, thank you so much, you made me very very happy!

Is it Tuesday, right?

Last week a friend from the place I was working at emailed me to ask how is "not working". I meant to reply "busy", but I haven't had the time yet. He is a smart guy, he must have figured out that the answer is "busy" by now. That never happened to me before, not answering emails for a week. When I was working, all emails, personal and work related, got answered in 5 minutes.
Last week was half-days week, then the four days weekend, I thought I was on my way to recover when bang! Field trip.

Field trip means that Paperino has a different schedule, he told me in the car while driving to swimming. He needs to get on the early bus and he will get off school with the early birds.

Side bar, kids at Paperino's school are slotted in "early birds" and "late birds". I heard that some of the parents do not like their kids to be called "late birds" because it has a negative connotation. Note to myself: avoid those people, must be belong to the group who live chained to their watches (and that's the topic of another post.)

I am ok with putting him on the early bus, but I am not sure about him getting off school early as well. I ask Principessa, who has such a knowledge of school procedures that she could run it, and she confirms it. I should believe her, but while they are swimming I call the teacher at school. Of course Principessa was right.

Ok, I feel stupid. Then I open Paperino's backpack and I feel like an idiot - there, the note from the teacher saying that he need to be at school by 9 am and will get off school early. Great, now she thinks I can't read.

That yarn? Hipknits Merino Sockyarn, showed up in my mail with no return address and no card. I am completely puzzled, but very happy.

I can't read but I get yarn.

A pair of mittens by Dec 10th?

Piece of cake .....

It's hats now

Remember when I started three scarves because I need to make one? Same story with hats now. A friend of mine who moved to Chicago is visiting this week, and we are going to have lunch on her birthday. Chicago = cold, I am told, so I made her a scarf when she left. It's time for a hat then.



The only completed hat was made with the handspun Michelle sent me and hand dyed by yours truly. Love the hat, but it is too small, I think. And I have enough for another hat, so I am thinking twin hats (even if I do not know any twins ......)

The hat on the right is a cabled hat in Inspirations Yarn Regular - not too sure about the colors for my friend.

The one on top is the winner, I think. Leftover stripes hat, i.e irregular stripes because it a leftovers hat.

ETA: I knew I was forgetting one:

Only 15?

Right now I have only 15 projects on the needles, something is wrong with, maybe I need to cast two or four.

I finished this quick hat from One Skein, with just one ball of Alchemy Reservoir in Breath Of Fire, an impulse buy (do I need to say it? Sale), and I even more impulsive knit considering that I do not wear hat. Not that it is my size. I loved the yarn, by the way, but I'll donate the hat.

Slide your mouse over to see pre-felting shot.

And I completed and felted this knitting basket - I was going to call it "knitting bag" but I think it looks more like a basket, right? Pattern available here.

I am unique

HowManyOfMe.com

There is: 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

International Scarf Exchange 3

Today I received my ISE 3 scarf:



Yep, a shawl, and she sent me chocolate and yarn too!



Thank you so much, Mia, you could not have chosen a better project and colors for me. and given my current obsession, I am going to make matching fingerless mitts with the yarn you sent me.

My obsession

Socks are nice, but, seriously, who ever see them? Besides other knitters, who looks at your feet before even saying "Hi". I have decided that my obsession will be mittens, gloves, and those sort of things. Things that cannot be missed, and that are not hidden in my shoes. They are portable, and come in all shapes and form. And even Principessa wants them.
So after having knit several pairs of fingerless mittens from Last Minute Knitted Gift (love them very much), I am branching out to new patterns. Principessa chose ArtYarn Supermerino 8 for hers, pattern by the very talented Wendy, I changed nothing but using needles US #6, and voila', Principessa size fingerless mitts.
Next? I have been itching to make these since I saw them on Knitty Gritty, and look what's on November MagKnits!