Curses

I got all fired up for the Red Scarf Project and got halfway through my scarf before I read the directions. Dang. Now I have to find some yarn that fits the rules or that I can dye red. I had been using unspun merino, but it turned out to be too bulky for the regulations.

I found out my dad would like mittens to go with the sweater I made him last year, so I'm trying to find a good mitten pattern that goes with the Louet worsted - I have two skeins left, so I think I won't run out. It might be a good project to bring on the plane to Hawaii because it won't take up too much space and I need to get it done :)

I'm pretty excited to go to HA, but I'm a bit nervous to go on the plane. Hopefully I won't run afoul of any ill-tempered security people.

I can't believe that December begins this week, and I'm just not ready for Christmas and the new year. Not that that means anything, because time won't be stopping just for me. But I just feel like I'm trying to climb up an avalanche - I need a couple more weeks.

I finished spinning up the yarn for my swap victim, and I think I have the pattern worked out. It may change once I start knitting, but I'm pretty happy with what I worked up. Once I actually start it in the real yarn, I'll put a pic or two up.

I migrated over to Windows 7; I like it. I much prefer it to Vista, but now I have to reinstall all my programs and I'm sure I'm forgetting one of them!

Swatching and Sweaterizing

D'you remember that sweater I was working on for the longest time, a version of Rowan's Juno? Well, I finally chucked the idea. I had finished the body and tried it on and realized I just didn't like a ribbed cardigan. I decided to throw caution to the winds and create my own top down raglan cardigan. I'm an inch past the waist and very happy with it. My hope is to be inspired by Juno and make cabled cuffs and maybe a cabled collar.

I'm also working on a project for a Lord of the Rings swap. It's made up of some of my handspun and some Rowan Tapestry...main issue is that I have to finish spinning the yarn up :) I'm half done, and I'm hoping to get some swatching in tonight. The handspun is a delightful blend from Foxfire Fibers of cormo, alpaca and silk. Swoon.

Besides all of my usual excuses, I haven't posted in the last two weeks because of the death of one of my friends last Tuesday. I worked with him for eleven years and saw him five days a week. He had a long life, and went fast, but I'm still kind of numb. He fought in the resistance in Poland in WWII, after escaping from the Lakhva ghetto. He made it into the Soviet army, and moved to the US after the war. I had my problems with him, but he was a good man.