I am in fun fur heck

OK, it is January 15 (Happy Birthday, Dr. King!), and I am already having trouble sticking to my 2007 knitting resolutions. Haven't caved yet, but....... I am in fun fur heck (the Movie Maven does not like bad words, so I refrain for her sake). I have a lovely new project on the needles, which is a gift and therefore I cannot post photographic progress. That it is a gift also means that I cannot work on it when the future recipient is around (which he or she happens to be a lot on a holiday weekend), which means that, according to the 2007 KR's, I have to work on a UFO whenever I am not working on the fun new secret project. And the UFO I've opted (god knows why) to tackle is the fuzzy pillow for the Movie Maven.

OMG. Endless stockinette fun fur. I perish.

But I am determined to get it Off My List, so I persevere, which is particularly difficult since this arrived:

Isn't it luscious? Laceweight merino in gently heathered greens. Oh, I love it. It's going to be the Paws to Remember scarf, my very first lace project. Giving in to my occasional tendency to be a gearhead, I ordered a set of lace blocking wires with the yarn.

However... even though I had the yarn and the blocking wires in hand, the pattern for the paws scarf was still en route to my home, and rather than plunge myself back into fun fur heck I cast on some Noro silk garden from my stash:



[It is ENTIRELY possible that there's a poodle in that picture.] Anyway, it's a fishtail lace pattern that I found on the web, very easy to memorize and fun. I did find, though, something that it's impossible to learn looking at pictures on other peoples' blogs: I can't put Noro next to my skin. itchy scratchy ootchy. I can knit with it, but my neck rebels against its scritchy charms. So I think maybe this scarf will go to the school silent auction. What shall I suggest it's worth (without the poodle)?

On a c o m p l e t e l y different subject, my chorus has begun rehearsing for our March concert, one old piece and one new. The new piece, an Amy Beach work with which I'm completely unfamiliar, was fun to read through, kind of like starting a new project when you're not familiar with the mode--like, casting on for your first lace. Exciting, intriguing, but you really don't know how much you're ultimately going to like it. But ah, the Poulenc "Stabat Mater"--THAT'S like digging out your most luscious stashed koigu and casting on for a pair of perfectly perfect socks. You KNOW you love it. You've walked this road before. It's all gravy. Any more metaphors you'd like me to toss in? If you're still not sure what I mean, go put on your favorite pair of handknit socks and find yourself a recording of the "Stabat Mater." And enjoy.

well, now I know

You Are An INFJ

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity. Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is. You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience. You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

What's Your Personality Type?

I would make a crappy alternative medicine guru, but otherwise this feels pretty comfy.

the multitasking post

UF'ed business

I decided that while I was listing UFO's, I might as well list this one, although it is clearly not knitted:

I began this baby quilt when I was pregnant with the movie maven, which is to say that I haven't touched it since October 9, 1993. I do intend to finish it someday; all that's left is about 2/3 of the quilting and the binding. I don't, however, plan to make it part of my knitting resolution rules, which are below.

knitting resolutions 2007

1. I must finish one UFO before casting on a new one. Ie, I'm nearly done with Murphy's pair of socks; when they're done, I can cast on something new. When it's done, I have to go back and finish another UFO from yesterday's list. And so on.

2. There will be no new sock yarn purchases in 2007.

3. There will be no new dishcloth cotton purchases in 2007.

4. I must cast on projects first for which I already own a pattern and/or yarn. I will make exceptions for gifts if I really can't find a suitable gift project in my stash.

That's it! Those are my resolutions. They seem pretty manageable...

2007 planned projects in no particular order

1. fetching (hey, EVERYBODY'S doing it)

2. pawprint scarf. This will be my first lace project! I already have the yarn, but I forget what it is and you're just going to have to wait to find out because I'm not going to unstash the stash again just to look at the ballband.

3. hair scrunchies for the movie maven

4. top secret birthday gifts for both penguin boy and my sweetie (March birthdays--better get going on those)

5. jaywalkers. FOR ME. Made with one of the luscious self-striping things I bought at the Winterfeldplatz market in Berlin last summer

6. felted slippers (we call them Hausschuhe) for someone in the family. We all wear them (storebought!), and I have to tackle felting sooner or later

And I've got a couple of skeins of Noro that really should be a scarf or a hat or something... plus about 8 billion more balls of sock yarn...

just because they love me

Here's what I got from my fambly for Christmas!

From penguin boy

Hm... maybe he's spent some time waiting for me in bookstores while I've obsessively pawed through the knitting books...

From the movie maven

We've already watched all fifteen delicious episodes. If you didn't watch it on PBS, some stations (including ours) are airing it on Masterpiece Theater again beginning this Sunday (Jan. 7).

There's that poodle sneaking into the pics again.

And look what my sweetie got me!
That's right: the full set of Knitpicks options needles. Ah, now there's a man who loves his knitter.

lastly, belated showing of holiday knits

These did all appear on the Who Wouldn't Love A Handknitted Gift blog, but for those of you who weren't there, here were the final few:


diamond lace bookmark for my sweetie

I made it out of the yarn for Murphy's Pair of Socks, just so he'd have something under the tree knit by me

I ended up making more of these to give to my parents, a perfect gift for readers who are about to downsize their home (especially from a knitter who has about 75 acres of sock yarn)

fuzzy scarf for the movie maven

I abandoned several projects for her before landing on this one with only a few days to go until Christmas. Hence the now-begun fuzzy pillow pictured in yesterday's UFO list.

Poodle was a good model for this one.

My Personal Favorite: Penguin Boy's Penguin

Lastly, Cara over at January One (where I've long been a stalker) tagged me (at my own request) with the 10-things challenge, letter W. I need to give it some thought, but it'll be here in the next few days. I hope. I do have to factor in the zillion hours I'll be singing at the Kennedy Center this weekend, my chorus's moving and rousing annual Choral Tribute to MLK. Maybe I can rustle up a few good W ideas from my wild and wooly (ahem!) chorus buds.

Ignominious UFO List

Happy New Year! In the spirit of resolution, I've resolved (ahem) to post a photo-documented list of my ignominious hoard of UFO's. This will be the first step of my 2007 Knitting Resolution: I will finish one UFO before taking on each new project, that is, no casting on without first finishing one lovely, lying-around-for-god-knows-how-long thing. Here they are, my UFO's, in no particular order:

linen table runner
As you can see, this is a VERY unfinished object.

yet another fuzzy pillow
for the movie maven

twin rib sock in Lisa Souza handdyed,
colorway "wild things"

plus poodle

brightly colored warshrags,
only two waffly rows from done

peagreen cashmere funnelneck sweater,
front only so far

I really like this sweater and mean to wear it!

OK, how did that dog get into all these pictures?

This is Murphy's pair of socks, nearly done, for my sweetie for Christmas. In January. These socks have been through many trials, but they look like excellent socks in the end.

Lisa Souza, colorway "petroglyph"
some funky rib pattern that I might have made up

And finally, my afghan! It's been so long since I got this out that I had forgotten how much I loved it. Patons merino, my own simple seed-and-stockinette pattern. Two and a half panels (roughly) to go.

Tomorrow, a list of planned new projects, plus belated pics of Christmas FO's.

Lastly..... Happy opening day to the 110th Congress of the United States, DEMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED!!! May our representatives show the courage of their convictions. Remember our deteriorating environment, our vanishing civil liberties, our poverty-stricken and our homeless citizens, our dismal reputation in the world, the devastated people of Iraq and our soldiers and civil servants there. Peace and justice are not impossible goals.

And won't it be lovely not to have any flag-burning or marriage-saving amendments proposed?