You know how it goes. You’re bored with everything.

I was three-quarters done with the first sleeve of the Big Kureyon pullover (the body’s complete) when I was overcome by ennui. Bleah.

The sweater’s way cute, but I needed a small gauge fix and fast!

So I wound some of my Jamieson’s into balls.

And cast on for Abalone.

Aaaaah!

I have no self-restraint.

But I feel much better now. I spent last night in a tequila fog, knitting the bottom band in two-color garter stitch. By the way, a lot of tequila makes two-color garter stitch a lot less painful.

Does Lucy Really Like Her Kitty Beds?

You bet your sweet bippy she does. I don’t have to entice her to get into one of her new beds — she’s quite happy snuggling up for a nap herself. She still sleeps in my lap while I’m knitting, but now she divides her time between lap and kitty beds.

Hat Blocker

In answer to a question in my blog, I bought the 4 quart Rubbermaid container at Linens ‘n Things.

Another Comment Question

Have you ever suffered through times when you’ve been physically unable to knit/craft, and, if so, how have you kept yourself sane during that period!?

No . . . not really. In 1994 I was in an accident that crushed my right leg and for a couple of weeks I didn’t knit. But I didn’t do anything else, either — I was on serious pain meds and copuldn’t even focus enough to watch television. I spent my days staring out the window.

But as soon as the pain diminished, I was knitting. Fortunately, I’ve never had an injury that left me physically unable to knit.

Long may that continue!

Most of you guessed correctly.

Yes, the box o’ Jamiesons will be knitted into Alice Starmore’s Abalone (from Pacific Coast Highway). My mom purchased the yarn from Moondance Wools on my recommendation. I think she and Margie are now old friends. 🙂

Feather and Fan Scarf

When I wasn’t working on felted kitty beds and felted bucket hats this past week, I got a bit done on my scarf:

The Latest Bucket Hat

Another one from Colinette Skye yarn, this on in colorway “Primavera.” Before felting:

After felting:

And as I mentioned yesterday, I found the perfect hat blocker for my head on Sunday afternoon.

This is a Rubbermaid 4 quart container. Turned upsidedown it’s the perfect size and shape. Ahhhhhh!

Bulky Pullover

Just for grins, I started a pullover knitted from Big Kureyon (color number 7) on size 11 US needles.

I’m knitting the body in the round up to the armholes, then I’ll do the front and back separately. I thought about just knitting a tube and stitching and cutting open steeks, but I decided I wanted the change in the stripe size that I’ll get by changing from “in the round” to back and forth. This will have dropped shoulders and I’ll pick up stitches around the armholes and knit the sleeves down.

So . . . can anyone guess what my Christmas yarn is destined to become?

That’s a big box o’ Jamiesons shetland jumperweight, if you need a hint!

A Good Holiday Was Had By All

Lucy got a catnip “Boogie Mat.”

Ian got Maximilian. You can see how thrilled he is with it!

No, he’s just making faces — he really does like it. Here’s another photo.

Ian and I discovered that we got each other an identical present:

Not exactly the Gift of the Magi, but we thought it was pretty funny!

And There Was Knitting!

I finished the kitty bed knitted from the Cherry Tree Hill yarn on Christmas Day.

Felted it that night, and it was ready for Lucy on Boxing Day.

Judging from the look in her face, I bet Lucy is thinking, “How many of these stupid beds is Mommy going to make me that I’m going to have to pretend that I like?”

Well, maybe not.

The Cherry Tree Hill bed is now in the living room and the Kureyon bed is in the bedroom.

Also on Boxing Day, Ian and I went to the Auto Show, where Ian met a celebrity!

A lot more knitting went on, but I’ll save that for tomorrow’s blog. I made another bucket hat on Saturday and I found The Perfect Bucket Hat Blocker. I also started a fun bulky knit pullover that I’m making up as I go along.

So come back tomorrow and read all about it!

Have a great Monday everyone! I’m off work for the whole week, so I am likely to have a better Monday than usual.

If you are in Northern Virginia and happen to see a strange woman in the grocery store measuring the circumference of all large cylindrical objects with a tape measure, please stop and say hello to me.

What am I up to? Why, I am in search of the perfect blocking aid for bucket hats, of course.

The Skye Bucket was blocked on a china cachepot I have, but was just a tad too big. So I rewashed it and felted it over a bowl that was a tad too small with a towel taped around it to make it big enough.

So on Saturday I brought my tape measure to the grocery store and measured everything in the store that looked like it might work.

I quickly came to the conclusion that Bonne Marie has a dainty little head if she can use a 2-lb coffee can to block her hats.

Did you know that people look at you funny when you measure stuff in the grocery store?

I ended up buying a tin of Danish Butter Cookies (you know — the small blue tin) in the Rite-Aid (on sale for $1.99) because I thought it was perfection. But guess what? It’s just an ootch too big.

After watching all this, Ian thoughtfully did an online search for hat forms for me, but I didn’t see anything that was exactly right.

So I was back at the grocery store with my tape measure last night. Nothing new since Saturday, but hope springs eternal.

New Scarf

Oooooh! Yummy, yummy!

This is handpainted cashmere knitted in a simple feather and fan stitch. Cashmere purchased from an ebay seller — link to her store in the sidebar.

I’m just winging the pattern. Want it? You know you do.

Simple Feather and Fan Lace Scarf

Cast on 58 stitches.

Rows 1, 2, & 4: Knit.
Row 3: Knit 2, (knit 2 tog) 3 times, *(yo, k1) 6 times, (knit 2 tog) 6 times — repeat from * to last 8 stitchs, (knit 2 tog) 3 times, knit 2.

Repeat these four rows until the scarf is as long as you want, or until you run outta yarn.

Couldn’t be simpler, right?

Confession is Good for the Soul

This came in the mail yesterday:

As did this:

The first pile o’ yarn is to make another kitty bed for Miss Lucy. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill-Potluck Bulky-blues greens and Trendsetter Shadow in shade 1003. And I started the bed, on size 15 needles with the yarn held double:

The second pile of yarn is “Forest Handpainted Cloud 9 Wool Yarn” purchased on eBay from Over the Rainbow Yarns and all I can say is Wow! Wowie wow wow wow! No concrete plans for this wool . . . yet.

Alrighty kids . . .

This is probably my last post for the week. Happy Holidays to all!

The next time someone asks me that, I’m going to reply:

“Sure am! I’ve got my shotgun loaded and ready.”

Ho ho ho.

No, I’m really not that big a Scrooge, I just hate trite queries like that when asked by total strangers who don’t give a dead rat’s ass whether or not I am ready for Santa. Or who even know if I’m Christian, Jewish, or Druid.

Fa la la la la.

But as it happens, why yes, I am ready for Santa. I’ve wrapped all my gifts. Okay, actually I’ve slopped them into gift bags and jammed some tissue paper in on top of them. Lucy helped with the tissue paper, so recipients of my gifts will get tissue paper with tooth marks and kitty drool on it.

Lucy’s Long-Lost Brother?

Who is this handsome boy?

This is Shaku, who lives with Blythe in Iowa City. Blythe’s husband, J T Adams, drew the following Christmas card featuring Shaku modelling a knit hat and scarf because of Blythe’s knitting.

Isn’t that a beautiful portrait? Thanks to Blythe for sharing!

Lucy is quite worn out with the excitement of seeing what could be her long-lost brother!

Mobius cowl

The cowl, she is finished.

Bucket hat

The hat, she is blocked.