I wish some television producer with megabucks would approach me to do a tv show. It could be a new reality show. Just have a cameraman follow me around and film my knitting throughout the day. On the subway, in my office at lunchtime, in the evening watching television. It wouldn’t cost much at all to produce. So they could pay me a huge salary to star in it.

Whaddya think?

Well, actually, the title of my blog entry today does not refer to my desire to be the newest reality television star. Rather, it refers to my new project for commuter knitting: Geane‘s Extreme Hedonism!

Kate was gonna do a knit-along for this project starting September 1 and I said I’d be knitting along. Well, the starting date slipped, so I’m starting it now.

I’m using the yarn Geane used, the Furlana possum/merino blend. Actually, Geane very kindly sent me the yarn, so I really am using the yarn she used! The very same. I started it using a US size 2 (3.0mm) 12″ circular needle according to Geane’s recommendation, but switched to dpns, as I find I can knit faster on them on projects with a small diameter.

Last week I ordered the flax seeds and some herbal teas to mix for the filling. The place I ordered from sent me someone else’s order, so I ended up with two bottles of tincture of echinacea. That will not do — the order is getting sorted out and I should have the proper filling before I finish knitting.

So any other Extreme Knitters out there? Jump on the bandwagon! The pattern is free and this will make a great Christmas gift! That’s what mine is destined to become.

But I may have to make another one for me . . .

Socks?

All this should lead you to ask what the heck happened to the socks I was knitting for my dad. I actually finished them — see?

Knitted in Silja sock yarn, color 329 on size 2.75 mm needles. I liked this yarn very much and will remember it for the future when I want to knit socks in something a little heavier than sock yarn.

Q&A

JoJo asked in my comments yesterday:

I’ve been watching Marina’s progress (as I did for your last few projects), as I am stuck in a knitting slump. Since I’ve been reading, I don’t think there’s been a time when you’ve “slumped”. Do you ever get the doldrums, and put down the needles for an extended period of time, and if so, how do you snap out of it?

I’ve not had a knitting slump in years. I’m pretty sure I’ve always had somethng on the needles and progressing for the past 12 – 15 years. How do I avoid a slump? By only knitting designs that I really, really like. Nothing is worse than slogging through a project that doesn’t send me. So if someone were to ask me to knit a specific design for him/her and I didn’t absolutely love it, I’d say no.

Of course, the people who know me well enough to ask such a thing know better than to ask anyway.

Mouse-a-thon Update

Mousies received from Noriko in Vancouver, WA, Julie in Monrovia, CA, Claire in Pittsburgh, PA, and Karen in Snekkersten, Denmark! Thank you all!

International knitters — remember that you can send empty mice if you can’t find catnip where you live. Email me and I’ll hook you up with one of our volunteer mouse stuffers.

Lucy offered to work on Marina last night.

I said “no thank you” and she took it well. I’ve done the front neck steek and have started the front neck shaping. Marina pix tomorrow, God willing and the crick don’t rise.

One More Thing

Betsy Kleger, if you’re reading this, could you email me? I need to say a very big thank you to you and can’t find your email address!

Tam, of Columbus, IN!

The correct answer was July 11, 2002 and a whole heckuva lot of you got it right. We chose Tam as the winner in a random drawing of all correct answers.

So Tam, the Woolcraft book will be winging its way to you shortly.

Okay you guys. The October contest is going to be really really hard. You just wait and see!

Cute Mousie Photo du Jour

This comes from Ursula in Germany. I think Teddy looks a little nonplussed to be surrounded by all those mousies!

I received mousies from Mari in New York, NY and Cindy in N. Providence, RI. Thank you! Look at the total — we’re over 500!

Friday night was spent in mouse packaging — Ian and Lucy and I got caught up and bagged all the mousies we’ve received so far.

But I did work on Marina, too, over the weekend.

I’m ready to start the front neck shaping, so the body will be done soon.

A big thank you to Veronique in Switzerland who kindly sent me a half a skein of J&S Green Mist that she had left over from her Marina. If you recall, in The Scottish Collection, Green Mist is left off the list of colors needed and all I had was a partial skein left over from Oregon. I was almost out of Green mist, so Veronique’s skein came just at the right time.

A Virtual Baby Shower!

If you stopped by my blog yesterday afternoon, you saw that some of us were attending a virtual baby shower for Jillian who is the proud new mama of the beautiful Henry. Our shower hostess Deb really puts on a great party! Jillian, we wish you and your family every happiness.

Reader Questions

Yesterday Jo asked about substituting Peer Gynt yarn for Heilo. I think it would work — do a gauge swatch first, of course. I’ve subbed Brown Sheep Naturespun sportweight for Heilo, and the Brown Sheep is finer I think. But it worked out just fine.

And Jo, there is a Peer Gynt sweater on my site. But just one. You can see it here. I do have another Peer Gynt pattern book — the one with the anniversary sweater in it. The one with an elf riding a reindeer on the front (or something like that). I think it’s a very cute sweater — just haven’t gotten around to knitting it yet.

There was a question in the comments the other day about what would constitute a good first color project. Another answer (in addition to the suggestions I had in the comments) is the Knitting Beyond the Hebrides BearlyKnits Fair Isle sweater. Check it out here! This would be a perfect project on which to practice your fair isle skills.

Lucy wishes you all a Happy Monday!

Welcome to the totally cool virtual baby shower for our friend Jillian!

Our lovely hostess is none other than the amazing Deb, who keeps us all so entertained with her blog, Yentala.

Jillian, we wish we were there to open the prezzies with you!

So . . . wherever you are, pull up a chair, help yourself to some cake (you deserve it!) and a lovely beverage, and congratulate Jillian on the birth of Henry, her adorable new addition to her family.

That’s me.

I feel like the Queen of the Meeses with all my little subjects bowing to my every whim.

Perhaps the aroma of catnip has gotten to me . . . I seen to be babbling. Of course, some of you might say “How can we tell the difference?”

Ha ha.

I printed out a whole lotta mouse labels and took them to work yesterday along with mouse bags. I stuck labels on during my lunchbreak, so we’re getting caught up a bit on the mouse packaging.

And here, for your viewing pleasure, a photo of Mrs. C’s handsome Maxwell, showing incredible restraint as he poses with some Mouse-a-thon mice.

I think Lucy is quite taken with his beautiful eyes.

Jamieson’s Shetland Knitting Book 3

I got my copy in the mail on Wednesday (The Day of 146 Mice). I was a wee bit disappointed that there weren’t more fair isles — only two. There’s a fair isle cardi that I don’t really care for, but the pullover, Mossbank, is quite lovely. I may have to make that.

The rest of the designs made me go “eh” because they were too simple for my taste. Except for one short pullover that looked intriguing — a combination of cables and lace.

But I think the book was worth getting for me because of the Mossbank fair isle. There were some fun felted bags in it as well, that at some point in my lifetime I might need to make.

Saving the Best Til Last . . . Marina!

Getting close to the point where I’ll start the front neck shaping.

Don’t forget! Contest winner will be picked at random from all the correct responses as 5pm EST today. Winner will be announced in Monday’s blog>

What can I say about this that hasn’t been said before? Nothing, really.

There are going to be a couple of commemorative ceremonies at work today, but I don’t plan to attend them. I remember vividly the events of two years ago and just I’m not up for the emotional drain of attending ceremonies. Having the memory of September 11, 2001 and the almost constant reminders of the changes those events have made in my everyday life are bad enough.

Rather, I will probably do what I did last year — go to the National Law Enforcement Memorial and put a rose on the 911 Memorial there.

But . . .

This seems like an appropriate time for me to stop and say thank you.

This is what was in yesterday’s mail:

That would be 146 mice. And tidbits for Lucy, and wonderful notes that you enclosed with your mice.

I appreciate so much the time and talent and money you generous people are expending on behalf of my charity project. Most of you have never met me in “real life” and live far away from me, yet you have embraced this project as your own.

To those of you who have already sent mice, and to those of you who will be sending mice, a heartfelt thank you from Lucy and me.

For the record, the mice I received yesterday are from Pamela in Wakefield, RI, Donna in Arnold MD, Roi in Prescott, AZ, Melanie in Delta, BC, Canada, Rebecca in Andover, MA, Linda in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Mrs. C. in Clarence, NY, and Wanda in Bangor ME. Thank you!

To close on this sad anniversary, a picture of innocence and joy: Lucy frolicking in the homegrown catnip that Mrs. C. sent for her.