Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Centennial Park, Columbia, MD

I don't really make resolutions, but I do 'hope' for things for the new year. I hope to challenge myself to knit outside my comfort zone next year (brioche, entrelac, lace, more Fair Isle). I hope to destash, which will mean a lot of one-skein-wonder projects, as my stash is all odd lots. I hope to destash some of the unspun fiber that has been in a drawer for a few years. I hope to have a lot of really nifty ideas for projects!

Right now I'm working on Celtic Pride Kilt Hose ... I'd like to make them for me, though the pattern is for men. I'll see how it goes.

See that tube in the top middle, on the dpns? This is the first time I bought sock yarn that came with its own reinforcing yarn for the heel.

Do you all have any new year resolutions? Crafty or otherwise?

Ellicott City, MD

What I'm Reading: "A Murder at Rosamund's Gate."  By Susanna Calkins. Set in Restoration England, 1665, a murder-mystery. The main character is Lucy, a maid in the magistrate's house, who investigates recent murders in her corner of London. Her lot as a servant is better than most, as she knows her letters and her master and mistress are kindly. But she is surrounded by "louts" who are very "handy," and when out-of-doors, she not only has to dodge pickpockets and the like, but she is constantly fending off men who think a young maid has no right to say no to their advances. It's somewhat better in the house, but her master's guests are sometimes men who prey on maids. I'm about halfway through it, and enjoying it.

Happy New Year!! Be safe if you're going out tonight. I'll be staying in with the cats and a warm cup of tea. I doubt I'll be awake at midnight!

Kilt Stockings

All done!

Lace-me-up-kilt-hose are done!

They weren't difficult to knit, but I had to do a lot of math to make it work with the yarn I chose.

Yarn which I bought too much of ... I have nearly three full skeins left over ... so much for destashing!

What are you doing on the floor? Why are you taking pictures of your legs? 

 

Linking with Wonder Why Alpaca Farm for Fiber Arts Friday. 

Nearly There!

The Kilt Stockings are nearly done! Sort of.

Oh, oops, sorry ... that's a picture of me after I ran the Baltimore Celtic Solstice 5-Mile Run this past Saturday, which I blogged about on my other blog. My bad!

Here are the stockings...

I love the S1K1/SlP heel flap. So sturdy and still so pretty.

To solve my eternal problem of wearing through the heels, I'm trying something new.

I bound off the sock in two spots -- at the bottom of the heel flap before turning the heel, and on the top of the instep before picking up the gussets. Then I picked up the bound-off stitches along with the gusset stitches, and started completely afresh. Once I've gotten all the gusset stitches decreased back to the original number, I will bind off again, and pick up and restart. It sounds tedious, but this way I can reknit the problem part if a hole develops, and darning doesn't work. Of course, now that I weigh fifty pounds less, maybe I won't wear through the bottom of my socks any more ;-)

I can't think of any way to properly bulk up that spot on the sock without making it uncomfortable to wear.

Molly reminds you to stop by TamisAmis for Work in Progress Wednesday!

A Finished Object!

I can't remember the last time I had a FO for Friday!

I love the pom-pom ... I used all the colors from the yarn for it.

I actually wanted it to be ridiculously long, but I didn't have the patience, I guess.

I'm off to the vet ... these two have checkups, and since they're besties, they go in together!

Don't forget to stop by Tamis Amis for Finished Object Friday!

Snow Day!

It doesn't snow frequently here in the Baltimore area. Every ten years or so, there's apparently a monster snowstorm or two, but for the most part we get an inch or two here or there, and that's it. Today we're expecting 4 - 6 inches. It's a very heavy, wet, unpleasant snow. It is sticking to the pavement, but it's very slushy, as you can see ...

I like my little eucalyptus tree, so I'll probably be outside a lot today, shaking it off. It was huge last year, and I was regretting planting it near the fence. Then the cold killed it, but it came back. So pretty! I know if I dry the leaves I can dye yarn with them.

Maybe I can dye yarn with this winter cabbage, too! It would be blue yarn, right? Or is that just radiccio that makes blue yarn?

My WIPs wanted to go out and play in the snow. On the left is a stocking hat. I might be able to finish it this week. And the Kilt Hose, which are really warm and thick and I can't wait to wear. I am a bit confused why patterns call for holding two strands of yarn together, instead of just thicker yarn. Any ideas?

This picture is from our Snowpocalypse (also known as Snowmaggeddon) in 2010. I think this was the first one ... we got hit by two, four days apart, and each gave us about 40" of snow.

Georgie Girl was not amused.

But, that was almost 4 years ago. Today's just supposed to be about a half a foot, which isn't that much at all. I shall spend the day running outside to shake the snow off the eucalyptus, and brush off my convertible roof. Other than that, it's just me, the knitting, and a lot of hot tea.

You call this a snowstorm? I remember back in '10, when it snowed 84 inches in four days. Now *that* was a snowstorm!