Pressure

So, what is a girl to do when she starts being bombarded by design ideas, but has no time to knit them?  I've had two come to me in dreams.  I've designed one because I couldn't find a mitten pattern that I liked.  I was inspired by holiday decorations on the way to a friends' place yesterday and I had to sketch my idea as soon as I got there.  One of them I'm really itching to knit but I can't because I got suckered commissioned to knit another sweater for someone else by Christmas.  I know I said I wouldn't take anymore until after the holidays because I have my own family to knit for...but she was a tiny little German Grandma and she needed a wool sweater for her 5-year old grandson in Germany.  I just couldn't tell her know!  So I directed her to the wall of Cascade 220, and told her to pick out a color and buy the yarn.  Now I'm knitting a Knitting Pure & Simple pattern out of 220 Superwash Handpaint in a pretty blue/green colorway.  I'm working on the body now and hopefully I'll get to the sleeves today.  If I can finish in a few days, I'll still have time to knit for my own boys.  And maybe I can start on the really fun holiday project that's floating around in my head.

Oh, and yes...I was in the Sunday Providence Journal.  I got bum-rushed by a reporter and her cameraman who's name sounds like a Hobbit or a Star-Wars character, and next thing I know I'm in the paper.  Good thing I managed a shower that morning and put on some lipstick.

Disaster of Holiday Proportions

Today was full of disasters.  Exhibit A: Alex's chosen outfit.  It just wasn't worth fighting over.  Exhibit B: well...I'm missing a photo here because after getting my squash pie in the oven I realized that I couldn't put the pecan pie in the oven with it because they cook at different temperatures.  That's about the time that Aaron called me and said that his mom was getting dinner on the table and it was time for Alex and I to come on down.  I hadn't even started my mushroom Shepard's pie yet and told Aaron so, at which point he asked me how long it would take to cook it.  That's when I realized that I hadn't had a chance to so much as look at the recipe and when I did...I realized that I was looking at about 1 1/2 - 2 hours worth of cooking time.  For Shepard's Pie!  With no meat in it.  Really.  Thank goodness my MIL and her companion are good cooks and they think of me, because she had a really good lentil soup, and fantastic sides like mashed potatoes made with cauliflower instead of butter, butternut squash with apples, and a stuffing with mushrooms.  On the bright side, the squash pie that I made with coconut cream instead of evaporated milk came out fantastic (just a bit sweet).  Let's hope that the pecan pie with coconut oil instead of butter is equally good.

Exhibit C: again, there is no photo here because after I finished knitting the first of Dante's Christmas socks, I had him try it on only to find that not only did his feet get longer...they got wider too.  His sock was too tight.  I knit an entire sock, and had to rip it out!  That yarn is now in time out and I grabbed a different skein of his choosing to start a new pair that will fit well.  I just don't have this kind of time.  It's the holiday knitting season people!  I still have a pair of fingering weight gloves and two pairs of socks to knit (for large-footed men).  So, back to watching Julie & Julia while I knit yet another sock for The Boy, and lament the status of my poor neglected blog.

Fibonacci Cowl Pattern

Hi Folks!  I know that some of you who frequent the blog and stalk my Ravelry project page are no stranger to this finished object, but I finally decided to go ahead and write up the pattern.  It's now on Ravelry for sale, and I'm including a link on the blog for anyone those without Ravelry accounts who are interested.  This cowl is a one size fits all kind of deal.  My little guy stole mine when he was 3 and wore it all winter.  I finally knit him one of his own, and stole it back.  The pattern is a series of Fibonacci stripes which run opposite of each other.  It can be knit with 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, or any other aran weight yarn with at least 99 yds a ball.  It has a simple rolled edge detail that I though looked really pretty with the stripes, and it folds up small enough to stuff into a medium sized purse if its gets too hot to wear (or a coat pocket).  I wore mine all over Rhinebeck and it worked like a charm (I was there a year ago when it was frigid!)  Feel free to join me in my cowl obsession.  Come on, you know you wanna...

The Boys after Halloween

This week has brought some really cool stuff.  First, after Aaron's insistence I went on netflix to see if we could set up streaming to the Xbox without having to upgrade our membership and found out that we could so now we've spent the last two days watching every instant watch that looks even remotely interesting.  You know, the ones that you want to watch but won't sit at the computer for long enough to do so?  Right now I'm finishing The First Power. 

Today I voted.  I also got to knit with my group for a little bit today.  I really missed those ladies.  First of all, they're just fun.  Second, they're crazy talented.  We have spinners, yarn dyers, yarn reclaimers, designers, and really fantastic knitters.  One of the girls was wearing this really pretty sweater knit from about 3 skeins of Silk Garden sock yarn.  She said she used size 7 needles and it fluffed right out after going in the wash.  It was really plain, and the colors did all the work.  I'm feeling a little bit obsessed and I want one too.  But that's going to have to wait until after I finish this sweater that I'm knitting for a friend, and then the next commissioned sweater after that, and then the Christmas knitting.  Who knows, maybe I'll get my list finished this year :)