Thursday, December 28, 2006

Gasp

Has it really been so long since I posted? Egads. Well, settle in, since this will be a loooong update, then.

First things first. I purchased myself an early Christmas present- an Ashford wheel! Thanks to Craigslist I got a fantastic deal on it. It also came with two extra bobbins and a bobbin holder. Woo hoo! Once I finally got everything re-attached and in working order, I was able to sit down and try my hand at it:


Hey spinning swap pal, does this look familiar?

Next, I decided to round up all the socks I've knitted in 2006 as a fun way to show how far my knitting has come. I've knit some hats and scarves as well this year, not just socks! I was astounded to find that once I added in the socks I've gift knit as well, I've knitted a pair a month for a year! Wow! For some reason, I feel like that isn't a complete listing, like I've left a pair out or something. Oh well:


More socks than you can shake a stick at!

Clearly, I've been busy this year. Also, I need new sock yarn like a hole in the head. But once I felt these two at the LYS, I just had to have them. I've beeen dreaming of the Collinette Jitterbug since I was introduced earlier this month. I think they're going to make some fantastic Valentine's Day socks. They are 100% Merino Superwash (mm, superwash). The Trekking is a Superwash/ Bamboo mix. It's almost as soft as the Austermann I bought earlier this month. (Those socks are still on the needles- have turned the heel, now just need the calf and ribbing).


The pink one smells vinegar-ey. Mmmm.

I got a wonderful gift from my finace this year- knitting books! I got three that I really, really wanted- Louisa Harding's new pattern book, the Vogue Stitchionary Volume 2 and Nicky Epstein's Knitting Beyond the Edge. I could look at some of those patterns for hours- and have been! I'm doing a little mental pre-planning for next year. I'm not sure if I what I want to use the patterns in the books for- there's quite a few, and only so many hours in a day- but I know for sure I can think of some ideas!

Finally, I was able to pull off all of my Christmas Crafting this year in the nick of time. Everyone loved their gifts, even my little cousin, whose jewelry box I was unsure about. (I'm guessing filling it with pink barettes and Hello Kitty hairbands sealed the deal). All in all, the time spent was worth it. Less people to shop for, and I got to indulge my crafty side in a new persuit.