What happens when you don't take pictures for a month? This post. And this isn't even everything...

First off: my Estonian lace shawl is ready to block.


I am over the moon about it. I don't seem to be allergic to it (as I was to the last project I made from alpaca, though this is an alpaca-silk blend), and I think I finally have the hang of nupps--there were a hell of a lot of them, and the video at the above link was extremely helpful.

Another project--I made Mark a Tychus when I first started knitting, and it is quite pointy on top. The man doesn't need any help to look like an elf. So I made him a new hat last week.


He wasn't so keen on modeling (what else is new). I really didn't use the pattern much--I knit it from the top down, and of course my gauge was completely different--but the concept is the same. The yarn is the star here--handspun by Michelle, and a wool-mohair blend that feels very light and is wonderful to work with. (The black stripe is leftover Patons--big melons call for big hats, and I ran out with five rows to spare.) Mark actually had the nerve to say it wasn't very warm when he tried it on. There is no possible way this hat wouldn't keep you warm! He must've been reacting to the smooshiness...

I was expecting some KnitPicks action for Christmas, but Mark got me Spafinder gift certificates instead. That will subsidize two hot stone massages. I think he made the right choice. Anyway... I did get one yarny gift, from my (knitter) sister-in-law:


Portable swift! No longer will I need to use the lampshade when I have to wind yarn! It's a neat setup (purchased on etsy, nice), and the wood is quite pretty. The first thing I wound was (of course) some sock yarn. I decided I need to work through my sock yarn stash from the rear. I bought this (SHEEPaints BambooLaine) from a girl at my SnB in March, I think. I was cautious, since the projects on Ravelry in this colorway have been, honestly, kind of gross-looking. Nothing really the users' fault--lots of pooling and general misbehavior. So you can imagine my surprise when it looked so pretty in the ball. And check it out in action:


No pooling at all! I love that the colors are so complex--there's rust, burgundy, light blue and a gorgeous inky blue along with the jacquard. The pattern is Elfine's Socks, which seemed to work well with other handpainted yarns on Ravelry--I was not disappointed.

You know what does disappoint me? Having ginormous man hands. I'm gearing up to make Tatiana--Matryoskhas rock my world--so I decided to make some worsted-weight stranded mittens first to hone my (meager) skills. I picked out a cool pattern--The Green Hand, which sounds ominous but totally isn't--and I got cracking. I have like, a ton of leftover Patons from my frogged Drops jacket, and I had some great Kool-Aid dyed wool from a trade for the contrast color (two different batches, so I overdyed them with more Cherry). Here's how far I let myself get before I acknowledged that there was a problem:




And it's too small across the palm. Way too small for blocking to correct. Of course I tried it on every two rows to admire my handiwork. Of course I noticed that it was pulling across the palm. But for some reason I thought I could make up for it with the thumb. Seriously?! Ugh. So I ripped the whole damn thing out, down to the cuff, and started again up a needle size. It's still snug, but it's not pulling anymore, and I'm sure this will relax when I block it. Bah. Hubris strikes again! I am finally starting to get the hang of colorwork, though...