That's Brisk, Baby

Yippee!!! It has actually been a little chilly here the past couple of mornings! The weather has been about the same for a long time, so it is nice for a change. (Low 40s at night, mid 50s during the day. Boring.)

STILL working on those Monkey socks, completely gave up on the TP scarf, and I've cast on a FT Felted Clog. Praise God we are still allowed to knit on airplanes. And woe be it to the person who misbehaves and has this right taken away from the rest of us. I will personally hunt you down, and prove that it is not the knitting needles themselves to fear, but the person wielding them. I think my travel time on Tuesday is nearly eight hours, but snow is predicted for my destination, so I'm prepared to face delays. I should knit those clogs, but I will cast on my hot pink Baudelaires for January Sockdown. I really need to get those done before the end of January because I plan to do Bayerische for February. Ninety-eight stitches per sock. Whoa yeah. I am anxiously awaiting my KnitPicks order so I can catch up on at least one of the lace shawl KALs I joined. Also awaiting some Wollmeise. (drool...)

For the 101 update, I have completed #54, #74 (Blue Harvest -- rather amusing), and made some surprising progress on #60 -- not surprising as in a great quantity, more unexpected and exciting. (Nope. Still not sharing what it is.) So, 97 items left.

Tried to upload a picture, but our connection isn't cooperating today. Will try to get some New England shots in this week!

Third Time's a Charm?

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Please Pardon My Dust...

...while I redecorate to serve you better.

Here's proof that I finished Back to Basics:I don't have the proper sized sock blockers, so they look a little funny in the photo. In person they are yummy.

And the second addition to my "Cookie Jar" in progress:
That's all for tonight. Trying to crank out a few more rows on a French Market Bag before going back to the Monkeys.

First FO of 2008!

Yes! The Back to Basics socks are done. (Doin' the happy dance, oh yeah, oh yeah, it's your birthday, it's your birthday!) Ahem. Anyway, they are done, pictures to follow tomorrow. I've also begun to fiddle with a collar-style scarf, so I guess I have my first COO (cast-on object) of 2008 today as well. Placed my Knit Picks order so I can get back on track for the Spring Shawl and be ready for the SOTSii. I had to laugh at myself (often do) because when I left the doctor today and went over for blood work I was actually a little disappointed that I didn't have to wait. I was looking forward to knitting! I've done a rep on the Monkeys today and it is REALLY difficult to work with Jeannie after working with Acero. The Jeannie almost has an acrylic feel to it. I don't know how much this has to do with the dying process, if anything. It seems to be knitting up well, so we'll see. Okay, okay, pictures of that tomorrow as well! :o)

Sunset

A photograph just does NOT do this justice. At first the clouds were dusted with a light purpley-pink (Elf says purpley, so can I). Then it was more of a hot pink. Then RED. Against a sky in the most gorgeous shade of blue. (I think even Angeluna would have liked THIS blue.) This is overlooking downtown El Paso, over the Rio Grande, and into Mexico. The Franklin Mountains are just off to the right of the picture. Now I need to figure out how to pop the screen back into my window...

Just went over to Wollmeise's blog and saw her new yarn colors. Emil is this sunset! What do you think?
{Yawn.} Time for bed.

101 in 1001

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While Shepherds Wash Their Socks by Night

He, he, he. Couldn't resist.

I also cannot resist this little number, in spite of my ever growing queue (scroll down to Dec 27 on the Berroco blog):It isn't in Ravelry yet. And I know I'm goofy, but I love the beet, too. (Keep scrolling down in the blog, you'll see it.) I noticed they said Comfort will be out in a DK weight. I need to take the scraps from my baby cape and make a swatch to wash and see how it wears. I loved knitting with it.

Since it will most likely be taken down Monday, here's our tree, with close ups of Jake, and the new Santa we received this year from Keith and June.

SOTSii

As I calm down from the swatch panic of Spring Shawl Surprise (which is open to new members until this coming Monday), I look forward to Secret of the Stole II. I will order needles tomorrow to make sure I'm ready for whatever size I need to get the gauge I like... for the yarn I do not yet have. I keep hearing about Jaggerspun, so I may actually try to use the Super Lamb 2/24 that Nautical Knitter calls for in this pattern.

Now, I have yet to master the "add a button" feature to the blog, so for now I will put the links here. Nautical Knitter's Website is here, and the SOTSii KAL is here. Guinevere and the Civil War Shawl both look pretty good to me, but I really need to get some other knitting done!

...and on the Third Day...

...we knit. And clean. Won't that be exciting? (Well, part of it will be, anyway.)

I just realized that I have ten UFOs. Ten. How DOES this happen? One is ABF (all but felted). One is the mouse that is naked (no gauge given for clothes, knit a cute skirt too small, haven't gone back to it). One was started to make the Sockdown deadline. One technically isn't started, just swatched. One was started as travel knitting. One keeps changing recipients, therefore changing priority.

Oh. So THAT'S how that happens.


We had swatch panic last night. I delayed on swatching for the Spring Shawl Surprise until yesterday and wasn't thrilled with the look of my first swatch. My yarn is much lighter than what is called for. My concern was that it would look flimsy if there were larger stretches of stockinette. The PROBLEM is that I don't have smaller needles suitable for lace knitting. So I did the second swatch, which has larger patches of garter stitch. I think I can live with the result. Dear Husband did say to just order the other needles and start when they come in. He's so sweet. Of course in the back of my mind I'm having a true woman's rant of he just doesn't realize that the needles won't be here for at least a week and next Tuesday I'll have 50 more rows to do and there are drawings I must complete each section on time in order to be entered.... Panic aside, I think I'll be okay with my current needles. And I have to keep in mind that I'm dying the finished product. I'm sure it will look MUCH better when it isn't stark white.

2008 Underway

Making progress on the 101 in 1001 list. Currently trying to finish the Back to Basics socks and complete the Monkeys that I started for the December Sockdown. I started them, then read that I was supposed to post a picture, not just reply to the list that I had started them. If it becomes an issue, I guess I can track down the pictures taken at the New Year's Eve party where I sat by the fish tank knitting the evening away. (Yes, I very much wanted to be in swimming with the fish. Diving again is definitely on my 101 list.) Will start and have pictures of Thelonious well in advance of the January deadline.

Finally counted the stash. Over 200 skeins, balls, and hanks, oh my! I didn't count the Sugar & Peaches 'n Cream, nor could I count what is in VA (which is mainly my dishcloth cotton stash). This does include some partially and half used skeins. So, just knit a ball a day to get though it, right? Ah, if only it worked that way. Oh, and if it takes two skeins to make a pair of socks, I just counted that as one. So yes, that means technically there is MORE...

Blogs are more fun with pictures, so here is Floyd from Busch Gardens Tampa:

Of course he can't be outdone by the two lorikeets that took a nap on my head:

Happy New Year!

The craziness of 2007 has passed, and here we sit (together, can you believe it?). I may begin the new year with a new blog, considering a spell check split my name in a place I never intended it to be split. Eclectic + chick = Eclectichick. Not Eclectic -hick. No. Definitely not. And I lurk and envy the layouts of other blogs, so it may be time to make a clean break and start anew. I also have found that my original need for blogging has been filled by Ravelry, and in a better format. (Just fill in the blanks.) And how cool is it to see that someone from Israel or Finland has half-a-dozen projects in common with me? I do find that the blog is not completely obsolete, hence the need to seek another outlet, or just a different name (which will be thoroughly put through the ringer prior to starting the new blog). Content will probably not change much although, as many in cyberspace are doing today, I intend to post more frequently.