Ouch!!!

I hurt my back and my neck. I think it's b/c of all the crap I carry around with me every day! On most days when I go into the office I have at least three bags with me: my laptop case, my purse and a third bag for random crap. Right now I'm putting together a quilt for a co-worker's newborn that I'm having everyone color a square for (it's a crayon quilt- see my very first post for an example) so I'm carrying a bag with all the crayons and quilt squares and whatnot. Then I also have a cup of coffee and usually my breakfast or lunch, depending when I go into the office. I think doing this for the past year and a half has killed my back and neck. I couldn't sleep at all last night :-( I took some Advil last night, but I could really go for a muscle relaxer. I think it's time to call my doctor.....

Anyway.... I sent my Little Critter package out:

It's just a little bunny, inspired by the bunnies that are all over my neighborhood all of a sudden. The yarn I used was a 100% aplaca that was handspun, but not by me! I had a bunch of yarn left over, so instead of just putting the goodies in the package I decided to make a magic yarn ball. Inside that ball of yarn are bunny buttons, a set of stich markers that I made, a row counter, a little sweater key chain, and I can't remember what else..... Oh, point protectors.... and that may be it. I hope my partner likes her package!! I mailed it out on the 9th & it needs to make it's way to Canada, so this could take a few more days.

I also ordered my fiber for the HHHH swap, and got myself some fiber while I was at it!! I've been eyeing the Hippie Goddess batt from Material Whirled so I finally caved and got it :-) I've never spun from a batt before, should be interesting. When it gets here I'll figure out how I want the colors to work & how I'll approach spinning it. I also got myself roving in the same colorway. I've been stalking Etsy shops lately for fiber & there is SOOOO much I want to try out! I think my knitting interest is fading and the spinning is taking over. I need to find a balance so I can USE the yarns I'm spinning!! I did start a scarf for Lil G with the Dinosaur yarn I spun from Spunky Eclectic so when there is progress on that I'll post a pic.

So, update on my co-worker that a new Daddy..... His wife was due on September 16 or something like that. A month ago her water broke and she was admitted to the hospital. They were able to get some steroids and antibiotics into her, and everyone was keeping thier fingers crossed that she would be able to stay pregnant long enough for some of the meds to work. She was able to stay pregnant for a MONTH!!!! The baby was just born on Thursday (7/10)!! She weighs 2 pounds 9 ounces and is 17 3/4 inches long. Both Mama and baby are doing great. The baby is in an isolette and from what I understand is on oxygen and a tube through the umbilical cord, and other than that no other interventions! I saw pictures of her yesterday, and she looks great. I'm so happy for them!!! I'm making the quilt as an office gift to them, and I'm also giving them a Baby Suprise jacket from me. I think I'll also knit up a few hats really quick for them to use in the hospital.

OK, time to get my day started. I haven't even had my coffee yet!!

I *heart* swaps

So, I participated in a Secret Pal swap and it didn't go so well, so I was kinda turned off to swaps.... Then Meghan from the Stitch It podcast had a "Little Critter Swap" and I decided- what the heck? and joined. It was fun! And I had a great swap partner that not only sent ME a little critter, but also thought of my KIDS! WooHoo!!! Of course I haven't mailed out MY package yet, but I have until tomorrow, so I'm not breaking the rules yet!!! I'll be in the ofice tomorrow & I work next to the Post Office, so I'm mailing it tomorrow :-)

This is the package I received in the mail:

Next, I joined the HHHH swap- it's a swap for spinners, becuase there's NO WAY another spinner is gunna screw me, right? Right! B/c my partner already contacted me!! Yeah!!! Definitely have a good feeling about this one :-) I'm a little nervous about spinning for someone else b/c I don't have mad spinning skillz, but I think it's gunna be fun!

So, HHHH Swap Partner.... I can't reply to the comment you left on my last post b/c it's Annon, so to answer you questions- If given the option I would pick an art yarn b/c I covet art yarns & don't know how to spin them, nor can I afford them when I'm trolling Etsy! LOL! As for the silk.... Would it be dyed by you? If so then I would definitely prefer dyed, otherwise it doesn't matter.

And speaking of spinning... here are my two latest skeins:

This is the June Club fiber for Spunky Eclectic, called Flowering Weeds and it's a Merino Mohair blend. this is about 1.5oz and I got 159 yards of a thick & thin single. I have another bobin of a more even single & another 3oz waiting to be spun:

This is also a Spunky fiber- Superwash Merino/Tencel in Mermaid. It was a test skein- approx 93 yards fingering weight navajo plyed. I still have the majority of the fiber left to spin & I'm hoping to get enough for socks or a lacey scarf.

Handspun Swap!

Here are the answers to my questionair:

1. How long have you been spinning?

I got my wheel in October 07, so less than a year on the wheel. I had a drop spindle for a year before that, but I think I only created like 2 skeins of yarn on it.

What skill level do you consider yourself?

Somewhere between beginner & intermediate. I don't get NEARLY as much spinning time as I would like!!

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?

Mostly 2-ply. Every so often I try to navajo ply with limited success!! Hubby says he'll rig something up so I can try a 3-ply since I don't have a lazy kate.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?

Mostly wheel- Ashford Joy. I very rarely (ok, never) use the spindle any more.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?

I've liked everything so far! I haven't really had a huge amount of exposure to that many different fibers though. I've spun Alpaca (though I think it was a blend), Merino, Corriedale, BFL, Merino Soysilk blend, some random wool/mohair blend, and I'm currently spinning a Superwash Merino Tencel blend. I have no desire to spin cotton right now though, I hear it's really hard to get the hang of & I don't think up I'm to the challenge yet!

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?

I usually buy from random vendors at fiber festivals, but I've also purchased from Spunky Eclectic and Insubordiknit.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?

Bamboo, Camel, Silk, Ramboulet, anything!!!

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?

Yes!!!! All of them!!!!

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?

Yup! Can't say I do a particulary good job of it, but I try!

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?

I have hand cards, and like 20 pounds of nasty dirty wool to clean. I've never cleaned a fleece OR used the hand cards, so hopefully soon I'll get to learn some new skillz and get that fiber cleaned & prepped. I'll probably wind up bringing it to a friend's house to use her drum carder though once I get it washed. But, the answer is that I would prefer ready to spin fiber.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?

I usually gift it! I don't get very far beyond swatching with my handspun before I give it away. I plan on changing that though! I love knitting with handspun, just haven't used MINE yet!

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?

I don't have any gadgets. The threading hook I use came with the wheel, but I covet the fancy beaded ones! A WPI gauge would certainly come in handy!

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?

Purple is by far my favorite color. I also love fall colors. I'm not one for super bright colors or even primary colors so much. I think I like darker colors and I definitely like natural colored fiber- like grey or brown alpaca and stuff like that.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?

Superwash Merino/Tencel

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?

I attempt to tie dye and make beaded jewlery. Hubby & I are also trying to teach ourselves how to sail- we got a 35 foot sailboat that we're (read: he's) slowly fixing up.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?

My family, Vacations in NH, listening to music...

16. Do you have an online wishlist?

Yup! Amazon.com: here

17. Is there anything that you collect?

Other than yarn & fiber? Turtles

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?

I don't have any spinning or spin to knit books, but would like some. I subscribe to IK and Spin Off.

19. When is your birthday?

November 14

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?

Hmmmm.... I duuno!!!!

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?

Getting hot!

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!

I can touch my nose with my tounge. I'm a big hit at parties! LOL!

Also, I pierced my belly button myself when I was 16 (after my then-boyfriend- now hubby pierced it all crooked!)

Favorites

favorite painting/picture(link):

This is my very favorite:

But I also like this one:

Candy: Anything involving chocolate!!

Food: Eggplant (I'm a vegitarian), goat cheese, all sorts of stuff.

Drink: Rum & diet coke :-) But MAN the hangovers I get!! Non-alcohol drink- I like raspberry seltzer

Movie(s): 200 Cigerettes, Ocean's 11, Old School, the Bourne trilogy.... I could go on & on....

TV Show(s): Lost!!!! Also: Survivor, Project Runway, Amazing Race, Criminal Minds... I'm a bit of a TV junkie!!

Book(s): I don't read nearly enough, but Harry Potter, anything by Marian Keyes, Wicked...

Guilty Pleasure(s): Knitting & Spinning of course! Also sailing.

SQUEEE!!!!!!!!!!

I went to the book store to get this book tonight:


So that I could get it signed by this man:
He totally rocks :-) He was chatting it up with Georgie and shook everyone's hands.... There's a cute pic of him & Georgie together, but I have to figure out how to get it off the phone & onto the computer. For the record, I have no idea why I look 7-months pregnant in this pic, but OSCAR DELAHOYA is in the picture, so I can't complain, right? I'm not pregnant at all, but my shirt is really pretty funky looking there.... I was having issues regarding a button that fell off the shirt & was really making efforts not to flash the crowd!!! He was so nice & sweet & OMG.... HOT!!!!! Ya, totally my secret boyfriend!!! LOL!

Edit: I figured out why I look like that.... #1, my shirt is pulled all funky, and #2, I'm holding Georgie, so my back is arched & I'm sticking my belly out b/c his other leg is wrapped around my back!

Not too much new

I really have nothing to say, but I give Gloria a hard time when she doesn't update her blog, so I figured I should update mine! The end of the school year is coming up.... Not quite sure how that happened! Next thing you know I'll have a 2nd & 3rd grader! Devin starts a new school next year, and the bus is an hour later than it is this year, so I'm not entirely sure how we're gunna work that one out. I've been busy knitting for my neice to be. Juli will be home this weekend for her shower, and it's a good thing, b/c I would like to move on to other spinning & knitting projects! I feel like as long as there is time before the shower that I HAVE to fill it knitting for the baby! There are two babies due to co-workers in Sept & November, so I have to knit for them too, but not as much as for my neice.

Onto the pix:

I finished the Hemlock Ring Blanket & gifted it to my friend Missy for her wedding. I hope she liked it.

Mr. Shaggy Head before getting his hair buzzed. I SO wish he would keep his hair shaggy, but her likes it all nice & short. What am I gunna do with this kid?? Devin at her 2nd grade class picnic yesterday. I took the day off to go with her :-) Georgie has his on Tuesday. And some new roving I got in the mail. It's Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club- 8oz. It asked to be something for me. Perhaps a shawl. We shall see....

Parental Ponderings

When your 6-year-old son tells you that he's the "Captain of a group of boys that are so tough that no one wants to mess with them" how do you react? What do you then say when that same child tells you that "you're lucky my friends aren't here b/c they would teach you a lesson" after you tell him he can't have dessert b/c he didn't touch his dinner? Now what if said child was this cute: Ya, it's a tough one, isn't it?

And a picture of Devin doing the Tango with Papa, just for fun. They were up to the "dramatic dip" part.

Me & My BFF

Did I mention that I'm totally BFF with the Yarn Harlot? We met at Rhinebeck last year... she was TOTALLY following me around.... Every time I turned around, there she was! Then I went to Webs, and what do you know, she planned a trip out the Mass on the weekend I was going. She couldn't keep her hands off my sock. I bet she's gunna follow me to Rhinebeck next year too....
Onto the pix:
Here we are talking about the salking incident at Rhinebeck. I told her I was a little worried at first when I kept seeing her every where I went, but it's OK, I know she's not creepy or anything .

Then I let her sign my book, b/c you know, she's into that kinda thing. Makes her feel important.

And with my River Rapids sock that I made for my co-worker, Eleni. Eleni wasn't nearly as impressed as I thought she should be when I told her that Stephanie Peal-McPhee liked the colors of the yarn. She's a non-knitter, so I was able to forgive her on this. Mom & Gloria in the theater before the talk. Mom brought some sewing that it was too dark to do & Gloria brought the baby blanket. I was working on my socks. And Stephanie on stage. We were in the first row of the balcony. At first we sat on the main level, but it was too dark to knit down there, so we moved to the balcony where the light was better & we didn't have anyone's heads in front of us.

Juli said we should have told her that we do a podcast, since she tends to put the podcasters that see her on her blog, but with only 6 podcasts recorded & the last one like 2 months ago I'm sure she wouldn't have cared! LOL! There is a picture of Mom's arm on the blog.... The people in front of us brought a stack of dishcloths to show Stephanie. And if you use your immagination you can picture us in the first row of the balcony, just slightly right of center, in the crowd shots.

Oh, and just so no one thinks I'm a wacked out stalker, I'm completely aware that we're not BFF ;-) But I do suspect she wants to be..... LOL!

ETA: I forgot to say- the talk was great! So funny! And I keep quoting things she said to my co-workers and friends that I'm trying to convert to knitters. I'm also quoting her in trying to make a case for teaching our clients to knit! I did teach one to crochet... No small feat being that I don't crochet....

Mother's Day 2008

My Mother's Day was awesome. I asked for the kids & George to let me sleep late, then to get an egg sandwich and coffee in bed. Well, Lil G was busting at the seams and could not contain himself past 6:30 am, when he woke me up to give me the best gift EVER- a spindle that he made me!!! He said it can double as a bug smasher. How sweet, huh? LOL! Then I went back to sleep and about an hour later I was woken up again and presented with my eggs (egg white wrap on a whole wheat wrap with broccoli, onions and mushrooms- Yum!) and a nice big mug of coffee. I was also given some very funny cards and gifts the kids made in school. G got me season 3 of lost. When I got out of bed I finished up some tie dying that I had started the day before, did some spinning then some knitting. When I finally got around to showering we headed out to my Parents with a few bottles of Champaign for Mimosas. At my parents house I washed out my tie dye and hug out & knit all day while drinking my Mimosas, then we got Tex Mex take out for dinner. I was VERY happy with my Mother's Day. I hope everyone else had great days too!!!

Bloggity Blog

Time for another update, huh?

OK, so my secret projects were a TON of dishcloths!! I had two showers to go to & I made each bride a set of knit dish cloths and a set of coasters & trivets with pictures of their favorite flowers, sunflowers and calla lillies, which are also the flowers they're using in their weddings :-) You may recognize one of the sunflower pix from a post last year :-) The Calla Lillies were purchased special for the *Coaster photo shoot*, but the sunflower pix I had already taken. The coasters are just two pieces of glass with a picture between them sealed with copper tape.

Also completed are my Hubba Hubba Sox, AKA, George's socks. He's been wearing and washing them, but I just stuck them on my feet & took a pic just now. I think they're looking good :-) Behold the matchity match-ness of the stripes!!! That took Mad Skillz!!! OK, ok, so all I did was make a note of where in the color repeat I cast on the first stitch for the first sock & cast on my second sock in the same spot.... At leat give me credit for having the forethought to do that much!! LOL! They clearly don't fit my feet, but fit G's perfectly. He's already asking for another pair. Yeah!! I'm so glad he likes them!

And remember that yarn I dyed that looked suspiciously like vomit? Well, it turns out that I really like how it knits up! Even the speckles that I was so upset about add interest and depth to the knitted fabric :-) Hey, that's my story & I'm sticking to it! These are River Rapids Socks for a co-worked that helped me catch up on my work when I was having a complete and total breakdown. I'm almost through the leg on the 2nd sock. I'll definitely have enough yarn left over for another pair of socks.... It's a good thing I like the yarn now!

And last but not least.... Spinning!!!! I finished a skein of Alpaca (the stuff Juli got me for Christmas): 300 yard of lace weight that I'm pretty sure will be a Branching Out, but I can't say for sure. I am quite proud of this! Way more than I should be I'm sure! I'll be taking my first spinning class on Saturday, so hopfully I'll just get better from here :-)

Bad Blogger (again!)

I've been such a bad blogger! I don't update nearly enough.... But really, who out there is reading this anyway?

So, what's new in my world? I'm working on some super-secret projects that will be revealed in a few weeks. For those of you on Ravelry, they're in my Notebook. I can't wait to finish what I'm working on so I can get back to some things that were put on hold... Like Wicked,
George's socks
and my Jaywalkers. Plus, I have Baby Knitting to do that I haven't even come up with a plan for yet!! I told Juli that I plan on tie dying for her baby more than I plan on knitting, but the three other babies that are expected to arrive around the same time as hers may not be the tie-dye wearing kind of kids, so I plan on knitting something for them. They're due in August, September & October, so I think a hat/sweater/bootie set would be appropriate for them. I really don't want to start anything til I know the sex of the babies, so I have a few weeks before I can get started.

One final picture. Georgie's class made Leprechaun traps that they brought into class on St. Patrick's Day. Apparently there was a Leprechaun causing all sorts of mischief around the school & they were gunna try to catch it. George & Georgie spent HOURS in the garage making this thing! That's gold dangeling down inside the box on a wire. The wire is attached to a pin that goes through an eye-hook. When the Leprechaun pulls on the gold, it pulls the pin out of the hook and the door of the trap slams shut. He was SOOOOO proud of this thing! He didn't catch the Leprechaun, nasty little bugger left him a note saying "Haha, you can't get me!" LOL!

Oh, and in other exciting news, I'll be going to see the Yarn Harlot at WEBS next month with Gloria & my Mom!! Yeah!!! I cant' wait :-)

Devin's new look!

This is what Devin looked like on the night of her birthday: And this is what she looks like now (can you tell she has a thing for PINK?!?!):

She donated her hair, for the second time in her little 8-year-old life, to Locks of Love. She's such a sweetie! In her hand is the hampster Georgie gother for her birthday. She's deciding on a name for it tomorrow, but she's between *Cutie* and *Angel*. For some odd reason she can't wait to clean out the cage. Nut! LOL! Tomorrow is her birthday party, so I can't wait to see what her little friends say when they see her new look! As for my new look... I've only lost 9 pounds towards my *Green Dress Goal* so far :-( I really have to step it up & try harder.....

Green Dress Goal

Not too much has been going on here..... Small progress here and there. I did the short row heel on G's sock, he tried it on & it had this odd spike kinda thing poking out of the heel. Ya, so I did too many decreases. I ripped the entire heel out & decided I'm doing a heel flap and he will just have to be happy that he's getting socks at all! LOL! I want to try to have them finished by his birthday- Feb 11th. I think I can do it. (I hope). I also cast on for Wicked, and did the collar, but nothing else so far. I got the yarn for the Hemlock Ring blanket, but haven't wound it or cast on yet. I got a bit of spinning done yesterday. A friend and I went to her friends house and did a spinning day :-) I haven't spun in a while, so that was nice.





I decided last weekend that it's time to take all this weight off that I put back on after working so hard to take it off in the first place. I did really well on Weight Watchers, so I'm back on it as of this past Monday. I'm doing really well so far & have already lost a few pounds :-) Yeah! I have a few weddings coming up (one in May & one in June) and I have this awesome green strapless dress that I want to wear to one of them, but I would have to take off a significant amount of weight to fit into it again. I'm not sure exactly how much I would need to loose, but if I remember my weight correctly from when I fit into the dress it would be around 30 pounds that I need to take off. I think 30 pounds in 5 months is a realistic goal... that would be what? 6 pounds a month? About a pound and a half a week? I think I can do it! So, for motivation, this is me in the dress in October 2005:

Looking at this picture though, I think I may have to take off more than 30-pounds- Yikes! I'll be starting to exercise this week too though, so hopefully that will help me lose inches as well as weight & get me to the *green dress goal* quicker! As an aside- my hair is so short there compared to how it is now!!

I haven't taken any pix yet of Wicked, so I'll try to take some & get them up next post. And I also made a bunch of stich markers this morning, so I'll take pix of some of them later too. I actually ran out of jump rings, otherwise I would have made more. Time for a trip to the craft store!

Look! A bandwagon!

I need to join EVERYTHING. Just HAVE to. No self control. Everyone is knitting socks? I must also. Wiked KAL? I'm in! Oh, and a Hemlock Ring Blanket KAL too? OK, count me in! For about 5 seconds I was working on one project at a time.... It was nice while it lasted, but I guess it's just not my style!




So, some pix!





Rob's mittens:
I still need to weave in the ends on the mittens. I have them all just tucked inside for now.


The beginnings of George's socks:

I'm thinking two more cable twists then I'll be ready for the heel. I guess I should look up how to do a short row heel, huh? Oh, and I'm loving those short sock needles!

And some yarn I dyed for Juli:

The subtle color variations don't show up as good in the pic as they are for real. This was supposed to be green, but it's yellow and green. I know it looks purely yellow in the pic, but trust me, there's green in there too!

Freaking Crackhead!!

I really don't know what I'm thinking half the time. I made *A* Jaywalker sock. Yes, *ONE* measly sock in my entire sock knitting history. Not a pair, *A* sock. So what do I think will be the next step? Yup, why not make up my own pattern for a pair of socks for hubby? It can't be all that hard, can it? Well, I'm thinking it will be fine, but I'll keep ya posted! I'm doing a 2x2 ribbed cuff with a mostly sockinette leg, but it has a cable running down the sides of the legs. I hope I placed the cables appropriately so they actually go down the sides of his legs and not the front & back... Not sure what kind of heel I'm gunna use, but he prefers the look of the short row heel over the heel flap. I've never done a short row heel, but I can do short rows, so I think I can wing it. And if I'm doing a short row heel I may as well figure out how to do a short row toe, right? The cable is a 4 stich cable with a one stich purl ditch. My issue (perhaps the first of many?) is that my smallest cable needle is too big, and when I try to cable w/o the needle the stiches drop & I have to crochet them back up, which is a total PITA to keep doing. I'm thinking a paperclip may work well here.

The hat & mittens for Rob are finished! Yeah!!!! I need to replace the batteries in my camera & I'll take some pix.

What else so I have in the works? I promised a Calorimity to the neighbor (she likes the one I wear to the bus stop in the mornings, so I told her I would make one for her) and being that we have nasty weather coming in I may work on that tomorrow & give it to her on Monday. I also want to make another Marsan Watchcap & give it to another neighbor. She tried on the one for Rob & it was so cute on her, so I think she needs one! And, I'm doing the Wicked KAL with Sharon from She-Knits (Check it out on Ravelry) so I have to print out the pattern, wind my yarn & swatch (GASP!!!!). Yes folks, you read that right, I'm gunna swatch for this one.

Then there's the baby to knit for! Anyone that reads Juli's blog knows that I'M GUNNA BE AN AUNT :-))) Yeah!!!!! She's due early Septmeber, so there's lots of knitting time ahead of us. I figure I'll make a few gender neutral items, that way if she winds up eventually having both genders she can re-use things, and then when we know what she's having I'll make some gender specific stuff. In either case, I plan on supplying this kid with all sorts of tie dye in addition to knitted garmets. I think I'll actually knit more stuffed animal than garments, since they'll get more use. And the tie dye is nice and quick. This is such a great excuse to buy more dyes and stamps and ink!

OK, that's it for now. I have to get back to G's sock.... He better like it or I'm poking him in the eye with my size 1 sock needle! He's SOOOO picky about what I make him, but he told me that if I just went ahead and made it he would be far less picky than he is when he's actually involved in the design process.

Attack of the Stash!!!

One of my 2008 Knitting Goals is to get a firm grasp on my stash... Organize it, gather it up from it random hiding places throughout the house, figure out what I actually own... all that scary stuff! So, I started taking pictures of what I have and putting it up on Ravelry, and OMG, I'm scared! LOL! I have way more than I thought! I definitely have to make an effort to knit from my stash more and buy less. I was at a yarn shop yesterday & saw some yarn that I thought would make a beautiful Branching Out scarf, then today I pulled out several skeins of lace yarn from my stash that were purchased specifically for branching out scarves! I'm glad I didn't buy that other yarn! I wound up getting a few skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash in pink and green that Devin picked out for me to make her a sweater with. I'm ok with that new purchase, since I don't currently have any other 220 Superwash, but I DO have some purple yarn that had been knit into 1/2 a sweater for her a while back. I think that will have to be ripped out & reknit into a sweater that will actually get finished! I'm slowly getting my stash up, but go have a peek if you're brave! Check it out here.

So, knitting pix.... I made a watch cap for the trade G made for the navagational charts & I'm 1/2 way through the mittens (one mitten made). I also finished my first sock :-) I haven't cast on the second yet, but I plan on doing so after I finish the mittens, then I plan on making socks for George. I haven't been knitting much the past few days since I've been organizing my stash. No spinning has been done either, but I expect to get back to that soon.

I tried on the hat:

Then I made G try it on. He didn't like it. He thought the blue was too femanine and the ribbing was "too fancy":Then when he saw the beginnings of the mittens he decided that the blue was in fact nautical and not too girley after all:And my first sock! Yeah!!!! One Jaywalker down, one to go :-)

And that's it for now. I'm getting back to putting my stash on Ravelry!