My big steaming pile of holiday failures.

A little math problem for you all:

1 baby sweater + 3 adult sweaters + about a billion hats = ??

Then divide the answer above by 4 months.

The total?  FAILURE.  Yup.  Guess who didn't have anything done as of Christmas Eve.  MEEE!  It took me most of Christmas day to finish that cute little Danish baby sweater for Misha - the only person who actually got the promised hand-made gift.  Want to see?

Yup, that's all I have to show for all of the procrastination over the last semester.  Maybe my problem is that I didn't procrastinate enough??  I'll try harder for you all next semester.  Pinky swear. (:

A little inside information on moi:  My family (parents, sister, etc) celebrate Christmas because, duh, they are Christian.  I am a Hanukkah celebrant because, duh, I'm Jewish.  Weird, I know, but go with it.  So I went home for Christmas and got some goooooood stuff.  Here, look and drool a little. (:

  

  These were a bit of an impulse, I have to admit.  But they were 50% off!  How can you say no to 90 yards for $3.75!?  Plus it's bulky, so it will knit up quickly.  I'm thinking of doing a little fair isle sweater for baby Jayden - all my other nieces are too big (you did see Misha, right?).  While not the softest yarn, I think the tweed-ish qualities in the yarn will help it redeam itself.  But really, how can I stay mad at sale yarn? I can't.

  THIS is Cascade Eco Alpaca.  WTF!?  EVERYONE has been holding out on me.  How did I not know that Cascade made soft yarn!?  I felt this in the store and had to have it.  Luckily I had already found a new Sirdar book that I had to have and that called for this DK-ish weight yarn.  It was mine.  A sweater in 5 skeins?  Yes please!

Oh, and how about some new literature?  

These are both from my sister and ooooh I was so excited to get them.  If the colors of "Seams to Me" excite you, check out the author's blog here.  She designs some DELISH fabric and there are some great free projects if you are interested! (I know you're interested, let's not kid ourselves.)  I definitely asked for the itty bitty hats book... but I think my sister chose this with a little self interest involved.  I mean... she's the only one with an itty bitty baby with an itty bitty head.... well, not that itty bitty, but ya know...

 

  Maybe you can see the knitted pieces on which these books are sitting?  Those knitted pieces, my friends, are the pieces of knitting that never made it into complete sweaters for Christmas and which function as evidence of my complete crafty failure.  Bah.

  Anyway, so after Christmas in the frigid north, I came back to Chicago to celebrate Boyfriend's 31st birthday, our 3.5 year anniversary and, of course, to celebrate the last 3 nights of Hanukkah!  Hurray for gelt, candles, presents and a huuuuuuge sushi dinner at Coast.... probably the best place for Niguri in Chicago, if you're interested. (:  So what was my Hanukkah present?  $100 gift certificate to my favorite LYS!!!!  He's gotten me Tiffany silver jewelry for the past few years, which I love and wear every day, but he really hit a home run on this one.  I am so excited and I will certainly post pictures of my loot.  

I'm thinking of the Addi snap set?  Or does anyone have any suggestions for yarn that are wonderful that I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford?  I'm all ears! (:  

As we say in my family - Merry Christmahanukkah!!!!  Hope you all had as lovely a time as I did!

Seriously? ANOTHER hat?

I knit this up on Thanksgiving Day during the hours I managed to not sleep.  It was originally made for a girlfriend, but the hat is starting to give away the fact that I've been wearing it.  Often.  

Pattern:  Koolhaas

Designer:  Jared Flood/BrooklynTweed

Fiber:  Malabrigo Worsted, 1 skein

Needles: US 7 and US 8

Size:  Mens, I think?

A flawless pattern, true to form.  I will say that the cables got a bit tedious... I need to learn to knit continental... or whatever the way is that I don't knit right now (yarn in right hand, thrown).  I don't have time for all that yarn throwin'.

Speaking of which, I can't sleep.  I laid there for an hour just almost unconscious, but thoughts about finals just kept creeping in.  One week from today and I'll be sleeping (and knitting) happily.

Oh YAY!!!!

Can you read that?!  It says that tomorrow and Saturday are my favorite days EVER!!!!  Renegade is back and I am suuuper excited.  

Chicagoans:  GO THERE.  

The rest of you:  WHY DONT YOU LIVE HERE?!

Oh, because it was 15 degrees at noon today?  Okay, that's a valid point.  

Danish? Yes please.

There is exactly one bad thing about Ravelry:  It lets you discover patterns and fibers not available in the US (or wherever you might be.)  Fortunately, Ravelry also provides a remedy for its only downfall: other users who can help!

I have been wanting to make the Mini by Else Schjellerup since I saw it last year.  It's not a complicated peice at all.  Just a top-down baby sweater or dress (depending on where you stop).  Unfortunately, it is only available in Danish and in stores in the Netherlands.  Also unfortunate: how badly I wanted this pattern.   I tried to make it by sight, but my version was missing something... something that was cruicial to the aesthetic of the dress and why I really wanted to make it. 

So I tried and tried to find someone who would buy the pattern for me and send it to me.  That was a no go.  I emailed the designer.  No go #2.  I posted on boards, googled, sent emails.  No, no no.  

BUT!  About a month ago, I finally found a website that shipped internationally:  www.pinnsvin.no.  I got my package yesterday and now I can start this little sweater/dress (I haven't decided yet) for Misha's holiday present!  

The pattern is only available as a kit, so I also received some Design Club DK Duo Merino.  It says fingering, but it feels like lace.  It has beautiful texture to it, and the heathering is really nice.  You can barely tell, but this is a grey-ish pink.  It's going to be perfect.

So, about the language thing..... right.  Well, I spent way too much time looking up Danish words online last night.  Then I wised up and thought I should use my beloved Ravelry!  So I PMed someone who had made a mini and asked for translation help.  True to Rav form, she was totally up for it and so helpful.  For all you Ravelers, check out her version here.  It's one of my favorites.  Another one of my favorites and probably the reason I needed to make this dress is here (for ravelers) and here (for non-ravelers).  

I should finish up here.  It's finals time and I really should be doing many other things unrelated to knitting right now.  Should.  Off to my beloved mini before bed!