Demonic Progress

My Knitting & Crochet

Mice 51 and 52 are done:

Lynne is coming over to stuff the last eight mice this weekend, and I will take a picture of all of them before giving any away.

My Child's Mendocino cardigan was frogged, sorry to say. There was a mix up with the yardages given for the put-up. Ravelry said they were 98 yards per skein, and I had 5 skeins, so I was fine. Then I noticed that my yarn was running out faster than it should be. I was only one and a half inches up the back and my third ball of yarn was half gone, and I knew that at that rate I was going to run out of yarn. So I read the ball band, and it said Organik was actually 89 yards. That meant that I actually had 25 yards less than I needed for the sweater, not 40 yards more than I needed, as I had thought. Oh well, it is a learning opportunity. Should have read the ball band and not depended on Ravelry! Organik probably is 98 yards per ball now; the company has changed hands and I imagine the put up is different. Or someone may have dyslexia over on Ravelry. Sorry, Georgia, you won't be getting your sweater this Christmas! I am sure you will like what we gave you, probably more than a sweater :)

I've been crocheting a lot this week. Sorry I don't have pictures. I have one block done and one block to go in the In A Spin crochet-along, with another week's square coming out today. I've also been working at finishing my Scrap Yarn Afghan thingy. I just have a little more scraps to finish up, put an edging around it -- with other scrap yarn, of course -- and call it done. Then I can start a worsted weight scrap yarn afghan :) I think I'll use a ripple stitch for it though ... I'm getting tired of the granny square.

This IS My Happy Face

Poor Nicky. The weather's sucky. He is vastly Not Amused.

Here's his glamour shot:

Oooh la la! 

Heh. Pin-up posters for the girl kitties. 

My Knitting and Crochet

It's a big day! Mouse 50 is rolled out:

Woohoo! He's a darling boy, isn't he? 

I got my 6" square done for the In A Spin crochet-along. Gem Star is pretty, and although it looks slightly askew in this picture, rest assured it is not:

Actually, it took me longer to do this little six-incher than to make all the previous squares, even though two of them were twice as big. I just couldn't seem to get my brain wrapped around it or something. Then there was the size issue; Gem Star was only about four inches across when I did it the first time and I had to fiddle with two border rows to get it exactly at six inches.

I worked a little on the blue cardigan too:

It's pretty :) 

Upcoming Knitting and Crochet Books in 2013

There are some truly great books coming out next year! Check these out:

1. 100 Scandinavian Motifs: The Knitter's Directory by Mary Jane Mucklestone.  (There's not even a cover image yet.) You know if MJ makes it, it has to be good. I already pre-ordered this book. She's taken 100 of the best designs from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and the Faeroe Islands, and showcased them with a hand-knitted swatch, with easy-to-read charts and a reverse colorway. She has included five designs at the end of the book. I can't wait! Coming out September 10.

2.  Scandinavian Christmas Stockings: Classic Designs to Knit for the Holidays by Mette Handberg. Following in the same Scandinavian line, this is a collection of brightly-colored Christmas stockings, complete with an alphabet for personalizing each family member's names (or dogs and cats!). There's also a nice collection of stocking caps, patterned mittens, and leg warmers, too. And don't worry, you'll have time to knit them; the book comes out July 1, 2013.

3. How Tea Cosies Changed the World by Loani Prior. I put this book on here because I love the title, hehe. I don't even have a tea cosy, and I don't have the patience to make one. I'll just have to drink my tea fast! But for those people who love to make them, this book is the ticket. The author has an outrageous imagination. I'd kind of like to see the "Betty the Burlesque Dancer" tea cosy. (Now that's a sentence I never thought I'd write!). Loani Prior's fans can try their hands at a knitted purse, or a double-knitted scarf. If nothing else, this book is creative and funny! It comes out June 1, 2013.

4. Free-Spirit Shawls: 20 Eclectic Knits for Every Day by Lisa Shroyer catches on to the bug for knitting shawls that's got everyone knitting. Socks did it a few years ago. Ravelry's most poular patterns of all time has 13 of 35 patterns for shawls. They fit everyone, they're relatively easy to knit, and they make great gifts. I don't know if anybody ever wears them, but knitters do, and nobody else really matters, right? The book is divided up into Color, Lace, Simplicity, and Texture. This book is coming out May 21, 2013.

5. Patterns for Pooches by Anne Burton is based on the designs she's sold successfully on line, designed from necessity: she brought home a Boston terrier pup named Bean, and he didn't like the frigid Nebraska winters. She knew some basic crochet and set about making him sweaters. (This book is for crocheters only.) Her style is simple, with a quirky sense of humor! It comes out May 1, 2013.

6. Light and Layered Knits: 19 Sophisticated Designs for Every Season by Vicki Square. I like Vicki Square's books, and this one looks as good as the rest! These designs are fluid and fashionable, sized to fit almost anyone, and they are good for layering in a casual or workplace setting. Good for summer knitting, they are knit in silk, linen. cotten and bamboo. I think this looks like a fantastic book, with styles that are truly wearable. It comes out just in time for summer knitting, too: April 30, 2013.

My Spinning

All the orange fluff is done! (It's actually corriedale.)

This was fantastic to spin. I would have gotten done sooner, but NaNoWriMo got in the way a bit. 

I  started plying it up last night.

I am so very pleased with this yarn. It's just wonderful. I'm going to make socks with it, because who doesn't need some hunting socks for safety? hehe. It's actually a pleasing shade of orange, not the blinding sort of orange that makes yelp in surprise. It is going to be fun to knit!

 

December

Time to get your advent calendars out!! The first day already flew by me, I didn't even write my blog yesterday. That's why I left Sundays open, hehe.

Last year I made a musical advent calendar using Spotify and put it on Facebook. That was fun, but doing it two years in a row would be boring, I think. This year I opted for advent calendar software from Jacqui Lawson, which is easier, I must say. 

The Christmas movies will start tonight, I think. We'll watch at least one a day through Christmas. The Muppets Christmas Carol has become my all-time favorite, I think. What Christmas movies do you like?

A Book

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul! 

Emily Dickinson