I’ve started teasing my romney locks in preparation for carding, and it is taking an extremely long time. I need to fluff this…

into this.

I’ve spent the past couple of evenings working on it, and have only done 4 1/2 ounces. There has to be a better way. I want to get to carding and spinning it.

On the socks, I’ve finished turning both heels and am ready to pick up and knit the gussets.

Now I’m off to return a dress and hopefully make it to playgroup before helping out in Veronica’s class at school just after lunch. My stomach is acting up, it’s cold and gray outside, and I just want to stay home.

I finally finished my handspun cable scarf that causes me endless guilt because my brother wants it, and I don’t want to give it to him.

It is gorgeous and wonderful. I’ve been so happy with this roving and the resulting yarn, I’ve decided that when I see The Pines at fiber festivals, or when I go back to get more fleece, I’m going to buy any of their wool/mohair blend rovings in colors that I like. It’s cheap, (like, a dollar an ounce for dyed, blended roving if I’m remembering right, and if not, then it’s close), and it truly made the most squishy, delightful yarn.

I’ve made good progress on the socks.

I’m about 9 rounds away from starting the heel flaps. I think I’m going to try to plow through all of my sock yarn and make loads of socks. I’ve worn through most of my supply of store bought socks and I’d love an excuse to buy more yarn. We went to the Fluevog store to check out their sale, and I bought two pair of everyday shoes that will work well with handknit socks. (And Hayden will be very happy to see that they’re not sandals!)

That last pair remind me of ballet slippers and I’m tempted to get them in the black/brown and tan colors also, but that would be excessive.

And aside from socks and ipod carrying necklaces, I’ve found yet another useful thing to do with koigu. I’m going to knit a new band for Liv’s watch which was almost tossed in the garbage yesterday while I was cleaning up, but I had the idea just in time. She’s very excited and has picked her color.

It’s fun being resourceful.

Not exactly silence as Clark is still here, but today is the first day in several weeks that the girls are in school and I don’t have to go anywhere!

The house is mine.

My time is mine.

I’m finally going to be able to take Christmas down. It’s been driving me crazy.

I haven’t started yet.

The last dream I had this morning before waking up was full of unforgivable curses, various characters from the Harry Potter books, and ended with me fighting Voldemort. I don’t have the slightest clue as to what brought it on, but I can still feel Voldemort’s spit hitting my face. It was remarkably vivid.

So I’ve spent the morning reading the last bit of book 7, twice, to put it out of my head and move on. Which I am now able to do.

Moving on…

On Saturday evening, I made Abby a skirt for church.

It’s a two layer skirt, with a sheer fabric on top and a red liner, though it looks solid, and it should be entirely long enough for her to not grow out of immediately, unlike the three or four skirts we’ve bought her this year. Yesterday, she wore it with the cardigan I knit for her, (tho’ not in the photo) and every time I looked at her, I felt immense satisfaction and pleasure.

I made the whole entire thing with my serger. I LOVE my serger. It so totally rocks. I have one more skirt to make for her, which is a groovy plaid flannel with a liner. I think I’m going to try putting a zipper in it instead of straight elastic at the waist.

I washed some Alpaca last night that I’m planning to blend with Romney wool to spin and then dye and turn into a sweater for Clark. He’s almost two, I haven’t made him a sweater yet, and it’s totally bugging me. I’m going to a dye workshop on the 26th, and hope (haha) to have it all spun by then so I can dye it under experienced supervision. Am I nuts?

I might be.

Now, (deep breath and happy, wistful sigh), I’m going to clean my house.

Hi all. I did ok. No exercise, but I’ve been a little under the weather. I’ve been watching what I’ve been eating though. At least, Thursday through today.

How is your week?

I don’t remember when I bought this yarn, but I remember specifically seeing it on the shelf and knowing that it had to be cabled socks. And I’m finally getting to it.

Both cuffs are done and I’ve started down one leg. It’s an extremely bizarre color. I can’t decide if it’s purplish, gray, green, or if I even like it… but I know I’ll like the socks.

And speaking of socks, my friend Carol from Knit Me Up is starting a sock club inspired by the Twilight books and characters. Her yarn is great. She negotiated with mills to get it spun to her specifications, and it’s lovely.

Yesterday, Clark and I went out. I decided to go at his own pace, and let him walk everywhere, so it took a very long time, but it was really fun. We first went to the library where I picked up some nice books.

That Cables Untangled is looking pretty cool. I might need to buy one.

So, I’ve been thinking, (and I’m going to need to be a little cryptic because of some adolescents that peruse), about knitting a few small shoulder shawls for some upcoming, spring commencements of age. If you get me.

I think they would be well received, and wouldn’t take too much effort. I was thinking of the Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style, the Angel Shawl, also by Evelyn Clark, and perhaps the Flower Basket if I don’t find another. Any suggestions?

Wow, winter break is almost over, and I. am. tired.

We made our annual trip to the Seattle Center to see the Aerialistas.

How exactly they manage to do all of that upside-down-swinging-stuff without falling out of the revealing outfits they’re already falling out of is a mystery to me.

Even acknowledging the existence of Super Glue.

New Years was great. We had 5 families over, kids and all, and still managed to play party games with the adults. For the countdown, we all squished into our basement family room

and watched the lack of fireworks at the Space Needle show. Hearing all the kids yelling the countdown was fun.

I’m looking forward to getting Christmas put away and thereby having room to set my fountain out again. I miss that thing.

I’m stalled out on knitting. I’m dying to sit and relax with the needles, but I’ve had a hard time committing to a project, mainly because everything I’d like to knit, I want to spin the yarn for. Maybe I’ll start some socks.

I got on the treadmill this week and intended to do it several times… then Nate decided to paint his office and piled boxes of displaced office stuff on it. I’m not sure when I’ll have access again.

My health efforts are spluttering, but I’m still trying. I wanted to get a decent head start on the New Year so I wouldn’t feel like a complete loser, but loser or not, I’ll be working out in January, along with the majority of humanity.

If only it really worked that way.

So yesterday, we pretty much left the kids to their own devices and worked on the basement. Nate moved furniture around and painted in his office, I cleaned, purged, and organized my craft kitchen. I’m not done yet, but I’ve made significant progress.

From this

to this

and from this

to this.

It makes me so happy! I painted the cabinets and installed new locks to keep the little monkeys out of my dye solutions when I eventually have some. The small bookshelf in the bottom left of the last picture is going, I need to affix the cabinet panel in front of the sink, there are a few remaining things to box up or redistribute to other parts of the house, and I’m going to get more of the white shelving…. but it’s very close, and it looks great.

Depending on how you look at it, an unfortunate thing happened a day or so ago (I can’t remember exactly). Nate got an email from the art gallery we buy from saying that Greenwich Workshop is releasing a new set of Cassandra Barneys. (I was hoping for one or two for Christmas, which didn’t end up happening, but I got a lovely camera. [The black one]).

I’d seen these pieces as originals on her website and loved them, Minerva (blue) in particular, and had no idea they’d become available as limited editions.

I could die. What are they thinking, releasing something like this right after Christmas, when all the money’s been spent?

Grrrr.

And now I have this big, open wall in my own, private room I’ve just cleaned which can be seen from the family room… and I want them.

Cassandra’s art fills me to overflowing with the desire to dwell on the beautiful, and the inspiration to create it. They could totally be perfect down there, if they don’t settle in my bedroom first.

Christmas was great, and I have a lot of pictures.

On Christmas Eve morning, we took the kids and my brother to breakfast.

I’ve discovered that the way to keep a toddler happy in a restaurant is to give him his own drink right off.

When that wears off, letting him walk around and flirt with other patrons works, too, but isn’t as polite.

Next, we headed off to the bookstore to see Santa.

On his own, Clark walked right up to Santa and talked most cordially, but when I set him on his lap, well, he didn’t like that very much. I don’t think he was scared, so much as mad.

Later that night, the girls did their annual wrapping of cousin gifts,

which I don’t particularly like to save ’til the last minute, but this year, it was the best we could do. I was so desperate for time, I had them wrap most of the uncle gifts as well.

Then we hauled off to the in-laws for the annual nativity reading/enactment and an all around good time.

Lastly that evening, the annual “picture-in-front-of-the-tree-in-new-pajamas”.

I don’t have a toddler trick for this one.

I let the two hams pose for more.

Christmas morning was, well, Christmas morning. The novelty this year was that we managed to sleep in ’til after 8.

I couldn’t get Clark to unwrap a gift to save my life this year. He did much better last year as a baby.

So my big knitting project for Christmas…. wasn’t that big at all. I knit three little necklace pouches for the girls MP3 players out of Koigu.

So, with all of that out of the way, I’ve resumed knitting on my handspun, basketweave cable scarf which my brother really wants. I’m feeling horribly guilty for not being willing to give it to him. To ease my conscience, I’ve begun a similar scarf for him with some Donegal Tweed from the stash, but it’s not remotely the same.

As for the sheep… I didn’t end up making any for me, so I still have more sheep to make in the future, and I’ll tell you all generally how to do it, since a number of you have begged and pleaded :-).

Today, I intend to clean and organize my downstairs kitchen/craft area while Nate paints his office. The girls are all plugged into their music/movies on the ipods, so it’s relatively peaceful around here, despite the house being completely trashed.