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Blanket 1

Originally uploaded by ModernYarn
this month has been spent making these–4, in fact, in a variety of colors and bindings. The blanket is organic wool in a 65″ width. I borrowed the idea from Purl, and used the organic wool from O-Wool. This particular binding was from fabric Bro #2 had chosen long, long, long ago for a quilt I was going to make him. The quilt’s still rolled up in a pile on my wardrobe. (this is truly sad–the entire thing’s together, I only need to quilt it, for crying out loud). This binding is the left-over backing from that project.

But I can’t quite figure out how to add more than one photo from Flickr, so bear with me as I add blankets 2-4:

and #3

and last but not least:

I can tell I’m too old for all this (not the sewing, the tech stuff)–I’ve got a headache now.

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.  I’m testing out the “blog this” feature Dorre was so kind to share at Knit & Nog!

“did she ever finish Thing 3’s stocking?!!” Well the answer to that is “yessiree bob!”

Ta-da!

And I’m pleased to report that all three stockings held ample awkwardly wrapped stuff!

is just so busy. With events throughout (like our knit & nog tonight!), my crunch time knitting and sewing is suffering. And, I just have to remark that after sewing these projects (photos coming soon) for my sibs, I’m so glad I’ve got knitting to fall back on. I’m not so good at sewing. The huge mound of discarded thread to the right of my machine is the best indicator. And the bobbin. Don’t even get me started.

Anyhow, yesterday at my other job we held a gift exchange. This was so much fun. Everyone wrote out a wish list, and then the company cut $100 checks to everyone. Then we picked names and you spent your $100 on the person whose name you chose. And you had to choose from their list. I had Alex. I got him a cute tie, an iTunes gift card, and I made him this:

Here he is modeling it:

Giving is tons of fun (of course), but so is receiving. Adam had my name. Boy he’s a good shopper (although I do have to say, I’m a pretty good list maker–my list was a take on “my favorite things” from my favorite movie–The Sound of Music). Here’s what I said was one of my favorites, along the lines of “whiskers on kittens”:

But take a peek at the inside: this is the best!:

Ok. Converse just ROCKS! And so does Adam! Excellent cats on the inside! Woo-hoo!

Paige

but there’s still some time for fun. 

First and foremost, Thursday night (12/20) at 7:oopm starts the annual Modern Yarn Knit & Nog.  No, you don’t have to knit, nor do you have to drink the nog (although personally, I love it almost as much as fruitcake).  But there will be nog on hand.  And knitting getting done.

The added bonus–you will get to play with the Koigu!  Woot!  It finally showed up on Monday.  And it’s just freaking lovely:

We got about an equal amount of sock yarn and Kersti, which is a dk weight.  We got a lot of the speckled stuff, my & Kristen’s fave. 

Oh, and my holiday knitting got knocked back about a week as I whipped up some surprises for my co-workers (that are being distributed today):

I hope they like them.

There’s this excellent article about the hand-made movement in this Sunday’s NYT, which I get on Saturdays, and one of the premises for the explosion of the crafting industry is seen as being anti-big corporation/mass production, etc.

I get the point, but OMG.  I am hugely anti-big corporation BECAUSE THEY ARE SUCH FAILURES AT WHAT THEY DO (yes, I’m yelling).

Honestly, you do not even want to hear my Verizon story (because I’m actually going to write it up and sell it to Saturday Night Live it’s so freaking ridiculous).

And now UPS.  Actually, I’ve always had a deep-seeded dislike for UPS, no matter how nice the delivery guys are.  Ever since they made me drive out to Parisippany on December 21 during rush hour to pick up a package they had failed to deliver, despite pleas from both the sender (apple–the only big company that has, so far, knock on wood, not let me down) and myself that it would be ok to not require a signature.

And again, this year, as our Koigu was shipped “3-day select,” a guaranteed 3-day service, meaning that having left Koigu Nation on Tuesday, it would be in Montclair, guaranteed, on Friday.  Hah.  Guarantee means squat to UPS.  And all that “track your own package crap?” Yup, it’s exactly that.  Those scans mean absolutely nothing.  They are not indicators of where your package actually is, it’s an indicator of where it should LOGICALLY be.  Huh.  Logic tells me that if I PAY for “3 Day Select” then my freaking yarn should be IN MY SHOP in three days.   That’s logic.  That my yarn is actually in a sealed container in the Meadowlands IS NOT LOGICAL!

So sadly, the Koigu won’t get here til Monday we’re told.  But all bets are off.  Because I honestly can’t say that I believe Brown any further than I can throw them.

Going off the grid is so appealing right now.

The koigu has f*in’ SHIPPED!  It will be here Friday!!!!

so Kristen & I had some good news today.  It appears that we’re finally OFF the Koigu waiting list, and our order is being dyed.  No word as yet as to how long this dying process takes, or what the ETA of our order is, but rest assured, Koigu is bound for Modern Yarn!  Woo-hoo!  Now if that’s not a reason to be cheery, I don’t know what is!

And to continue along in the “it’s all about me” category, my to-do list just keeps growing.  And I’m sacrificing everything else for the sake of knitting.

Here are two things I’ve (almost) completed, though:

The first is my noro silk garden 1×1 rib scarf, (duh moment for this inspired use of Noro courtesy of brooklyntweed).  Although 1×1 rib is the bane of my knitting existence, I’m putting up with it just cuz of the wonderful play on color.

Then, just as I predicted.  I promptly finished Christmas Stocking #2 (for Thing 2), and have yet to cast on for Thing 3’s.

Here is DH modeling Stockings 1 & 2:

Neither is blocked.  You’ll notice DH has very big calves.  He could definitely not wear tall boots.  The socks, however, fit nicely.  Hmmm, maybe some slippers will get added to the list.

So keep your fingers crossed that the Koigu will get here soon and that Thing 3 will get her stocking!