Gloving it

I still have the gloves for Dneph on the needles, but he really wanted some right away, so I made him a plain pair out of the leftovers of the Limari.  He likes them well enough to wear them to school and around the house, taking them off only to eat and bathe :)  When I finish the other ones, I can use them as a gift of some sort.  I do want to get them done, but they take concentration and the chart is a bit bigger than I'm comfortable with using on the bus.  Ah well.

I'm going to be babysitting my nieces next weekend, so I need to come up with some projects.  I'm thinking of doing the woven felt pillow with my oldest niece.  The nice thing is that you end up with a finished object at the end!  DP offered to take me to the fabric store, so we might do that tomorrow.  We could also do some food projects - maybe make some of those cake pops.  Rather than using candy disks to coat (tons of poisons) we could just use chocolate, maybe mixed with some coconut oil for stability.  Both projects should use up chunks of time between snacks and naps :)

I'm in the middle of DP's scarf right now, and worried about running out of yarn.  I went back to the yarn store, but they were out of that color, though they did have a ton of Madelinetosh DK.  I prefer Vintage weight, but I had a gift certificate, so I just went with it :)  My sister also asked me to add on to the twins' winter hats, because they are a bit too short.  I don't think I have any of that Madelinetosh left, but I might have something in near the same weight.

I also have an idea for a cowl floating around in my head.  It's based on the Brising necklace, and I'm thinking of either a gold yarn or a silvergilt (maybe that silk/cashmere?).  Maybe using chain ribbing and one large motif in the middle.  I just have to decide who to give such a thing to!  I'm planning my attack for Christmas, so now is the time to get the pattern ideas worked out.  Food items and/or sewing might also play a part, and I already have a book for the oldest of my younger brothers.

Snow and socks!

It snowed this morning! I was setting up for a meeting, watching the snow drift down, and wishing I could just be at home. Sigh.

I'm almost done with DP's plain stockinette socks. I have to finish the ribbing and do the afterthought heel, and finis. I'm pretty happy with how the striping worked out, since I didn't really plan for them to stripe at all. The yarn is STR mediumweight in Muddy Autumn Rainbow, and the heels are the same yarn in Bella Coola. The mediumweight gives a good springy sock that's not overly thick, but is nice and warm. I've discovered that DP needs at least some nylon or mohair in his socks, because he just ripped through the koigu autumny socks I made last year. Huge holes under the ball of each foot. I think I'm going to rip out the socks from the toe to the ball, and reknit them in something with some strength. I love making socks for him - he always appreciates and wears them, and he chooses his own colors. Something we can collaborate on :)

I ordered the buttons for my Uinen - little handmade brass ones from an Etsy store. I think they're going to be awesome. I'm tracking them on their journey to me, and they are currently in Coppel, TX. Maybe I'll get them by the weekend!

I'm still trying to work out the pattern for my handwarmers; the transition is tougher than I thought it would be, and I spent two hours screwing around with it to no avail. I think I have to tweak the lace to make the pattern run over fewer rows so the transition isn't as jarring, and possibly combine two transitions to make it work. If I ever finish the dang things, I'll let you know.

I don't know what to do about Christmas...maybe stockings with lotion bars or something? Is it better to give something that people might not like or give nothing, or just give everyone $25 and be done with it?

Back to the grind

All is as it was. Thanksgiving is over - it was pretty fun - and I go back to work tomorrow. Sigh.

I just made these cranberry sauce muffins using the leftover cranberry-orange-ginger relish from Thursday. Super delicious! DP and I each had three in quick succession. I'm going to tell my mom and sister about them, though they'd have to make cranberry sauce in order to have it left over at this point :) I also made a turkey soup with the leftover turkey carcass and meat. It was pretty tasty, though we couldn't finish it all, so I put the leftovers in the freezer. That way, I'll be ready to make homemade turkey pot pie sometime this winter.

I'm plugging away at Uinen, my Sprossling. I'm about a third done with the back. I might finish the back this week, if I play my cards right, leaving me just the arms to finish before Christmas. I love the feel of the fabric.

I also want to swatch for that Thandie funnel neck from the latest Interweave Knits, but I have to wind the laceweight first, and that's about 1500 yards worth. Right now, I don't want to give up valuable knitting time for winding time. I was going to do it last night, but I was so tired I fell asleep at around 10:30.

I haven't really gone out this weekend, which is probably for the best, since crazy shoppers might be about. I'd like to go out and get a Christmas tree, but maybe I should wait until December...I'm just not sure. I don't know how long they last, and I don't want it to be completely dessicated by the 25th. We decorated the basement on Friday with lights and the mini tree, since we were trying to occupy my niece while my sister took a nap. It looks very cozy, and I think it will be even better once we get the tree. Maybe my sister et al will help us decorate!