Crawling out from under my rock

It's been a very long week or so since my last post, with sick kiddos and late nights and too much rushing around trying to get things done before we head off tomorrow morning. I have no knitting to show because 1) it's all Christmas presents at the moment and 2) I haven't had any time to take pictures of anything. But most everything is mostly finished except for blocking (Endpaper Mitts and a pair of Dashings), sewing on of handles (Everlasting Bagstopper) and wrapping. The last Christmas project still outstanding is some Felted Clogs, which will be gifted in their unfelted state so I can be sure to get the size right.

Since I woefully little to contribute in the fiber arena, I'll pass along a very cool link from a friend - the Crocheted Coral Reef. Math and fiber together - I'm sure that's some geeky fiberhead's dream combination. Me, the math involved in hyperbolic crochet makes my head hurt just reading about it, but it does make pretty pretty things. Enjoy.

Ivy

Last Friday night, I found myself alone in my living room with all the other inhabitants of my house fast asleep. IronBro and Walrus were visiting for the weekend, and Ironman and IronBro were preparing for a big race the next morning. I decided, in a sudden bizarre fit of neatnik-ness to clean out the WIP cupboard, aka our massive corner cabinet that houses the TV and piles and piles of my crap, I mean knitting.

And I found a whole bunch of stuff that I had forgotten about, including my two thirds finished Ivy. I started this sweater back in January, when I was about eight months pregnant with Boo, feeling approximately the size of a New England barn, and basically just tired of being an incubator. It was going to be the sweater that I wore this winter when I finally got my body back from being pregnant. I managed to get through one sleeve (which started off as a gauge swatch), the back, and was 10 rows away from being done with both fronts when I just stopped. Put it down, waddled away, and moved on to other projects. I don't remember why, but I suspect it had something to do with the arrival of Tin Tin and the loss of any spare moments or energy for the next few months.

Anyway, Friday night I was digging away in the back of the Cupboard o' Doom, and I pulled out a large bag containing some really pretty dark red yarn. And four pieces of a sweater. I pulled out the pieces and spread them out on the floor to see what I thought.

And my thoughts were pretty positive: I love the color, the twisted stitches show up pretty well, and, most importantly, I think it's going to fit well. This is the part I wasn't really able to pin down when I started the thing - how do you know what size to make when you've got a massive hormonally-induced rack, plus the baby bump and a good 30 extra pounds? You guess, that's what you do, and this time I think I managed to guess right. So instead of trying to burn my way through a Mr. Greenjeans in time for Christmas, I think I'll take this with me and finish it off when the List is done.

Note I said "when", not "if". Unfortunately, there's no good reason for that optimism.

No Fiber Friday

No fiber this Friday, but I had a sudden realization yesterday when I went to pick Boo up from daycare.

I have given birth to Tintin.

Hairdo courtesy of a snot-induced There's Something About Mary moment.

A Tintin who has grown almost three inches in three months, eats everything she can get her stinkin' paws on, and was standing up in her crib at daycare crowing yesterday when I walked in the room.

We are so in trouble.

Wow, you're really fast.

This is what the nice lady sitting next to me on the bus this morning said to me, upon realizing that the project I was working on was not the project I was working on yesterday. Clearly the poor thing is under the impression that I must finish one project before starting another. Poor deluded soul. Yesterday I was wending my way through the interminable size 11.5 socks (thanks for having such freakin' enormous feet Dad!) (Or, as they would say in Boston, wicked big feet), today I was working on the beginnings of Part I of II planned. My only defense is panic. Pure, unadulterated panic. OK, plus some Brad-Pitt-as-Achilles distraction on TMC (boy was that a bad, bad movie).

A brief update on the List:

1. One sweater for a small child - I'm sorry Boo, but you may be wearing your sister's handmedowns this Christmas
2. Bayerische socks - hmmmm...a brief looksee on Ravelry indicates that these take people, on average, 73 months to finish. Perhaps I'd better rethink.
3. Plain stockinette socks - maybe 3 inches left on #2!
4. Zeebee - done except for grafting OK, this thing has been done except for the grafting for two months now. I'm not even sure I know where it is, other then somewhere in the depths of the WIP bin (otherwise known as the TV corner cabinet in the living room)
5. Everlasting bagstopper x 2 - not started Part I started
6. Two sets of Fair Isle alpaca mitts - need to be designed and knitted. Still. We'll see...
7. Endpaper mitts - technically, I've now knit almost two of them, but only one is giftable.

We're at T=-21 days and counting, but technically they all need to be done before we leave for Boston on the 21st. So really only 17 days. Oh shit.

PS - I now know which democratic candidate I'm going to vote for. (link from the Yarn Harlot)

Ms. Tomato Head and Ms. Apple Head

My sister-in-law (also a knitter!) recently sent the girls some hats in preparation for our trip north for the holidays. So I present to you Ms. Tomato Head and Ms. Apple Head.

Devil wanted to be absolutely sure that she had the Apple hat, being not a fan of tomatoes (unless they've been converted to ketchup of course). It's finally been cold enough down here to actually need hats, and they are absolutely adorable. Thank you so much B!