seven

Photography can be tricky.

I finished a pair of Fingerless Mitts recently. However, the only picture I've been able to take is of the gloves on the table. I haven't quite figured out how to photograph gloves while wearing them, so this photo will have to do for now.

This is the second pair of mitts I've made from this pattern, and they worked up quite quickly. I think the total knitting time was somewhere around 5 hours. The pattern is in the book Knits Men Want by Bruce Weinstein. It's a great book, with patterns written for multiple sizes and gauges. This pattern calls for a diagonal purled pattern, but I just knit the hand in stockinette, for a simpler look. Also, this was my first time using Knit Picks Swish Worsted and it was a pleasure to knit with. It's not my favorite superwash merino, but you can't beat it for the price and array of colors.

I'm still currently working on the Sockhead Hat, but that's not really a surprise. Knitting 144 stitches per round on a US 3 needle in stockinette for 9 inches will take some time... and wine. This hasn't stopped me from casting on another project, though. I was a monogamous knitter for a few months, and I did enjoy the simplicity of it. However, I've been feeling creatively frisky lately, so working more than one project at a time has somewhat satiated my thirst for excitement. Wild, I know.

In other news, my yarn stash is down to 44 and I haven't purchased a skein since November 10th! Personally, I think I deserve a small reward. Yarn? No. Chocolate? Indubitably.

six

Christmas movies are the best.

I really love the holidays. I mean, I really love the holidays. Also, I have been known to enjoy a movie or two or ten. You are now probably making the connection that this post will be about holiday movies. When you combine my love for the holidays with my love of movies, well, things get a little crazy. And sparkly. And warm, cheerful, and egg noggy. I decided to compile a list (a la David Letterman) of my top ten favorite holiday movies. Now, I do reserve the right to adjust the ranking at any time, depending on my mood, the weather, or my knitting projects at hand. I mean, who can knit colorwork during a comedy?

So here's my list... With my two cents, naturally


10. Elf (2003)
Will Ferrell may not be one of my favorite actors, but Zooey Deschanel's singing really makes up for it here!

9. Radio City Christmas Spectacular (2007)
In 2007, they finally put this amazing show on DVD, which I bought promptly. The Radio City Rockettes doing the March of the Wooden Soldiers is one of my favorite memories of Christmas when I was younger. Oh yeah... BEST. KICKLINE. EVER.

8. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Another classic! Oh, Charlie.

7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Growing up, I identified with Herbie the outcast elf more than I'd care to mention...

6. Home Alone (1990)
Culkin perfection. Also, I could listed to Catherine O'Hara scream any day. She's marvelous.

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Boris Karloff's spooky voice makes this my choice for best narration ever!

4. Christmas Vacation (1986)
Okay, I really feel the need outline the entire movie here. Seriously, folks. It never stops. From Snots to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the lights to the turkey, the grandparents to the mailman. I love it all.

3. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
3 words... Horses. Horses. Horses.

2. The Family Stone (2005)
The only thing wrong with Diane Keaton is nothing.

1. Love, Actually (2003)
Oh yes, this is THE one. Laughter, tears, laughter through tears. All in London. At Christmas. It's perfect.


I really should mention, though, that there are some CLASSIC Christmas movies that I've never seen...

Miracle on 34th Street
It's a Wonderful Life
The Polar Express
White Christmas

I know, I know. I really should have seen these, but I just haven't. It should also be said that the first time I watched A Christmas Story I was 29, and I didn't love it. At least not as much as everyone said I should. So that's that.

five

It might be just me.

I'm not sure what it is, but it always takes me about 15 minutes to put a pair of socks on. Seems absurd, right? Read on. It gets better. And I'm not talking fancy socks with tassels and fringe, or even hand-knit (he gushes) socks. I'm talking about plain old crew socks; the kind you get at Target in a six-pack for $10. I'm not a perfectionist, not really. It's not even that fact that I grew up in a climate where I only wore socks two or three times a year. Sure, sometimes I put a sock on and then I immediately have to take it right back off because there's some sort of fuzz ball in it that feels nearly as large as a fleck of dust does when it settles under your contact lens. The sock must then be turned inside-out, combed with one's fingers, re-prepped and applied once more. I'll admit, I'm probably making this process more complicated than it needs to be. We all have our strengths...

The answer is simple... Procrastination. I know that it's easy to procrastinate, we've all done it, but is there anyone out there that can make me sound sane by comparison? Here's hoping.

In fact, even as I type this entry, I have a sock on my left foot and it's mate strewn casually across my right thigh... just waiting to go to work.

I will put one sock on, and then a variety of things will happen. A text message. An email. A knitting pattern that I need to look up immediately. Online shopping. A show that I can't stop watching for even a second to confirm my right foot's exact location. There are things that just. can't. wait.

In other news, here's something that might be more interesting... Knitting! I'm excited already. Well, speaking of procrastination... I still have three hanks of worsted-weight Shepherd's Wool (pictured above) from Stonehedge Fiber Mill that I got in February at the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival. I made a pact with myself (so if I don't make it, I won't really be that mad at me... I hope) to knit with all the yarn I purchased before the next PGH K&C. Well, I've already used the four hanks of Noro Silk Garden for a scarf (shown below) and I'm planning to make two fair isle hats with the aforementioned yarn. Since the 2013 festival isn't until March, that gives me a good three and a half months to make it happen. I think I can do it.

As soon as I finish putting my other sock on...

Oh yeah...  Speaking of socks... Here's the progress on my sockhead hat. I knew that this was going to take a while, but I don't mind at all. It's perfect TV knitting!