O hai

Welcome to the North Pole!


And this is not a deer. Notice the big butt in the background?


Elk are huge, and they love lettuce (well, most of them anyway; there was one picky eater who wouldn't nibble on the stuff):


Featured knits above: norwegian gloves, lace cashmere scarf, random earflap hat from some handspun mohair from Lesotho (yarn bought on ebay, of course).

In less happy news, I forgot the above cashmere scarf in the sleeve of the coat as I laundered the coat. It's not felted, but it certainly is different. This is why I don't do laundry...

In the frozen North..

It's cold here, on the "frozen tundra", but pretty. The heavy snow and "balmy" temperatures bring a new appreciation for woolen handknits. With all the holiday traveling, I quickly finished a pair of Merino Lace Socks:



The yarn, Shibui Sock, is lovely and shiny and springy and it positively glows. It's like knitting with butter, and the colors look gorgeous on the skein. It also pooled in stripes / spirals, which I guess some people might like. I'm not one of those people, though. A bit of a disappointment, really. The pattern is fabulous, though, so I'll make these again some day in a more reliable yarn.

Secret Santa gift exchange

This is my first year with a real job, and our school is doing a "secret Santa" gift exchange for faculty. I signed up as well - then a few days later cast on for a little stranded "something". Perhaps take the pattern from the Norwegian mittens, since it features the 8-pointed star, make a little bag or coffee mug cozy, and add a note explaining the signification of the 8-pointed star...

I came to my senses quickly. I don't knit gifts, certainly not as planned gifts. I might gift stuff once it's done, and I might occasionally make something for my husband (although his Norwegian sweater is languishing, and I'm out of the required black yarn), but I most certainly do not make gifts. Too complicated, too personal.

I bought a set of charity notecards instead. My "secret Santa" partner will get cute cards, and a student group will have some extra money for their service trip to Nicaragua this summer.

I am camera-less for a while; hope to remedy this soon, but I'm almost too lazy to buy batteries. This has been the year when I am embracing my inner slob.

Holiday tradition

I like the idea of hiking on a holiday, and here we are - Wissahickon Park, a patch of wilderness in the middle of Philadelphia:



It has a river, to keep the pup happy, and many trails, to keep the humans happy:



I tried to be all artsy and take colorful pictures, but the truth is the palette is rather limited, and Knitting Iris I am not.






As for the knitting, I am becoming quite obsessed with the Rowan book. Bought for inspiration earlier this Fall, when I was in such a knitting funk, it has certainly served its purpose. I've even been flirting with the idea of using the precious Artfibers Sylph for a Garbo camisole:


Unfortunately, while the fabric is beautiful, the gauge is way off...

Well, hello

Two weeks ago I fell in love with Brueghel. The yarn store closest to me (which will probably turn out to be my new LYS, as it's very inspiring) had the sample, and wouldn't you know... the sample fit me perfectly. Out went my yarn diet and my common sense and my credit card. Two weeks later, I finished the final embroidery touches. Yay for fast projects!



One problem with knitting traditional items or "legacy items" as the stuff I've been getting into is that they take forever and ever. A cardigan on size 8 needles was a much-needed change.



In a characteristically creative move, I chose the exact same shade as the cardigan in the magazine (Rowan No. 44):

Off to conquer the world

Knitting? Check. Textbooks? Check. Make-up? Check. Dog? Check. Bike? Check.

I'm off to New Haven. Blog will continue, naturally, if a little photo-poor for the next few weeks.

Organization? What organization?

I went a little crazy after finishing the huge shawl. I felt so free... free to cast on for lots of things. For the past week I've been a little obsessed with these:



Terri Shea's Norwegian Stockings from Piecework Jan/Febr '08. Free pattern. Go check it out. I was a bit skeptical at the beginning about the peasant heel and lack of gusset, but it looks like the sock will fit perfectly. Who'd have thought...