Loose Ends

It was -24C/-11F last night when I came home from the movies (I saw The Hobbit if you were wondering. Great show.) Today it has 'warmed up', if you can call it that, to -14C/7F. The water lines to the two sinks and toilet in my downstairs bath are frozen because the pipes are on the exterior wall. I'm not sure what Einstein thought that was a good idea when the bathroom was being built and truthfully I didn't make the connection when we were looking at the house, but now that Chuck isn't working, it's going to change.

In the meantime, the pellet stove is blazing away, and the dogs have lost all interest in going outside.

And I want a new sweater and am increasing interested in some fingerless mitts. Thing is, I have way too many projects on the go as it is. Granted, except for one, they're all small but don't think I can justify starting a sweater until I've finished a few of the current works in progress.  So, in no particular order, there is:

a. A pair of mittens.  These were started in the summer with the intention of being a gift.  Without going into too much detail, the intended recipient is no longer around so I stopped work on them.  But they're still great mittens made of Alpaca.  They fit me.  And it's -14 outside.  I should really finish them.

b. Socks.  I started these just for something to do with my hands one night in early December and someone commented on them.  I thought I might give them as a gift to the commenter, but I ended up with something far better for that person.  And truthfully, I really liked the yarn so wasn't keen on giving it away (Tardis/Indigodragonfly).  In the end, I've decided to keep them.

c. Socks.  While the socks in point b were being knit, I realized that I didn't know how big the potential recipients feet were so I stopped after I knit the first sock and didn't graft the toe.  I was considering wrapping just one and having her try it on to see if they fit.  As mentioned, I decided to keep them but while waiting for Christmas, I started another pair for me.  I have the first one completed.  These are 20,000 Lawyers Under the Sea by Indigodragonfly.

d. Stole.  This was going well  until sometime in October, or possibly early November, when my lovely dog expressed his approval of the yarn by 'playing' with it.  The ball exploded everywhere and I've only just recently re-wound it.  It's ready to be worked on again.  At the rate I'm going, this will be ready in the spring which honestly is about the time I'd like to have it.  The pattern is Autumn Arbor Stole by Anne Hanson knit in Amethyst Marrakesh by HandMaiden

e. Shawl.  I demonstrated an inability to count to four consistently so the first half of this is longer than the second half.  No big deal, except I don't have enough yarn for the second half.  I really like the pattern and yarn combination so I'll do it again.  But I'll be a little more conscientious about counting to four.  This is also 20,000 Lawyers Under the Sea by Indigodragonfly in a Merino Silk blend.  Before anyone asks, it's different enough from the sock yarn that I can't make up the difference using that.

Knitting Update

It's been a while since I've posted anything related to knitting so without further ado, here's what's going on.

This is called Semele (you can find it on Ravelry here) and is knit in Indigodragonfly's Merino Silk 4-ply Sock yarn.  This is lovely stuff to work with, very soft and the finished product has a wonderful sheen. In the right light, it will be almost iridescent   The colour is called 20,000 Lawyers Under the Sea.  Kudos to Kim for endless creativity and a spot of humour in naming her yarn.  I'm undecided who is going to get this when it's done.  It might end up under the tree for Christmas.  Then again, I do like it so I might keep it.  

This one is definitely going to be under the tree.  Since I don't know if the individual in question reads this I'm going to be very vague about the recipient.

This is knit in a lovely baby llama from Illimani.  According to their website, once llama has been "dehaired"  (i.e. the coarse outer hair has been removed) the resulting fleece is as soft as cashmere,  while being warmer, lighter and stronger than wool.  I believe it.  This is a fairly thick scarf but still has a lovely drape to it.  Having worked with cashmere, I agree this is as soft and now that it's long enough to pool in my lap as I work, I can tell it will be very warm.  I hope the recipient likes it.  Apologies for the dog hair in the photo - some things you just can't get away from around here.  Dog hair is one of them.

A last minute "gotcha", is my brother announced that he's moving in with his girlfriend.  She's a lovely girl and I'm very happy that she'll be part of our family, but dammit, now that she's part of the family I have to figure her into the family knitting.  I mentioned much earlier - last March I think, that all the women were getting scarfs for Christmas.  I found out her favourite colour is pink so here we go - one more scarf to be done before Christmas in what is becoming my go-to scarf yarn CashSilk Lace by sweetgeorgia yarns.  I figure since the rest of my shopping will be done online, I can spend the time I'd normally spend plowing through herds in a mall sitting at home and knitting.  

Oh, and a pair of socks too!  Recipient to be announced.

I can do this....I think.