Sheep Shots

There's a movement afoot to empty needles (all of them) before the end of the year. Uh huh. Like that's gonna happen here!

I will confess that I have this superstition (minor) about casting on something brand new at the stroke of midnight (after I kiss the Other Half, of course). For the past several years, I have started something while the crowds in Times Square shout their new years greetings to the world.

But as I thought about it, there's a certain liberation in setting free yarn and needles that have been trapped in an unhealthy relationship, and so, I give you:


The sock yarn baby sweater.

I give up!

Whether this yarn will become socks after all or not, remains to be seen. One thing is certain. It will not be a baby sweater. At least not that side to side one! Maybe top down? Maybe combined with something else. Maybe in the spring.

What was I thinking?

Back in your baggie, you otherworldly stuff! And take those size 1 straights with you!


(Though I think I may wash the yarn before I store it --just to get the kinks out.)


Next up, the experimental Aran beanie.

It's got me stumped for the moment. See how I've traveled those ribs over to a point? I want to "braid" them into an interesting cable.

I had a cable bookmarked in a real magazine or book (can't remember which) with an honest-to-FSM sticky-note bookmark. Now I can't find it!

I'll dig through some stitch dictionaries and find what I want. This will definitely be finished before the end of the year!

It's slated to be mailed to the Ship Project during January mailing!


The cozy baby blanket adapted from a pattern in Knitter's #45 (the Nordic to Aran issue with the great red, black and white ski sweaters on the cover. Whatever went so wrong with Knitter's? They used to be so. . .but I digress.)

I took the pattern meant for Woolease (2 strands), narrowed it by one pattern repeat, started it with ABM Fluffy (wool/ack with a fuzzy hand) in gawd-awful yellow (see picture of FSU scarf-in-progress, now finished) toned down with white so it's almost soft yellow.

Size 11's and double strands are making it go very fast now that I'm actually working on it again. If I could just find my big, fat, sturdy cable needle that went missing somewhere between the sofa in the basement last night and my comfy computer chair this morning, I could keep working on it now.



Not yet cast on, PSU scarf in the correct (navy) blue and (pure) white.

Of course, I had this stuff stashed. It had just fallen to the bottom of the heap.

Will it be finished before the end of the year? Yes, yes it will!



And so, she looks around. Four? Only four ? WTF's up with that? Must cast on! Must start 2 more beanies, three more scarves, four baby sweaters.

Or wait! Is it possible that the needles might actually be naked on December 31? Could this be a new tradition? Will the knitter stop knitting? The blogger stop blogging? I don't think so. Stay tuned.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas 7 (I think-- definitely "stole," it's the "7" that has me guessing):

Check out the fun here (rated G: safe for kids, grown ups, Aunt Sadie, Uncle Mort): build your own . Just drag and drop.
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