I've gotten a few new knit books in the last couple of months and have acutally managed to squeak out an hour or two to look through them. Here are a few of my new faves! I've found that all these books really recharge my knitting batteries and get me excited about knitting when I'm either run down by a long day and feeling too tired to knit or stressed out by deadline knitting and overwhelmed by how much I have to knit.

Alterknits by Leigh Radford - What an amazingly beautiful, inspirational knitting book. This is definitely a book that I'll pick up and look at again and again for new ways of thinking about my knitting. I still can't get the one question out of my head: "what would you attempt to knit if you were guaranteed not to fail?" (answer: probably a more shapely version this sweater). And there are some neato patterns, like the felted bulletin board and the custom cushion. I love all the lace-up designs and adore the recycled sweater totes. I don't know if I'll ever really make anything from the book and I'm even more certain that I'll never be hosting a knitting party like she describes, but the suggestions she gives for exploration and experimentation are still swimming in my head. I like that.

Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush - Another beautiful book, and it's all about socks! I have yet to get Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Simple Socks Plain and Fancy (a book I know I'll use and love), but I have looked at it and, like it's title, it's pretty plain looking. Nancy Bush's Vintage Socks book is the total opposite. It's gorgeous, with such lovely pictures of the socks, it's like looking at a beautiful catalog. And there's plenty of info there too, like different traditional heels and knitting methods and historical background into the old knitting patterns. I think this book will also end up being more inspirational than instructional, but I keep cracking it open to take another look.

Yarn Harlot by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - This one is on everyone's favorite list, I'm sure. And not for no reason - it's funny, and serious, and true, true, true. I must say this is what I was hoping her first book was going to be. The first was funny, but I didn't find the tiny little entries that satsifying. This one's exactly what I was hoping to read from Stephanie! So far, my favorite chapter is the one on sock knitting. I've already found myself referring to it when customers in the yarn store ask about whether a particular yarn would be good for socks, or when my mom told me she hasn't worn the socks I knit for her very much, so as not to wear them out. Well, I tell them, Stephanie says that knitted socks are "an unmistakeable expression of love, simply because they do not last forever.... a knitter will have invested an average of twenty thousand stitches in the name of love and warm feet, knowing full well that...the recipient will walk big honkin' holes in them."

Confessions of a Knitting Heretic by Annie Modesitt - I must confess, I really, really, really enjoyed this book. I can't say exactly why, but I think it was just such a nice surprise. I held off getting this book for a long time because I couldn't decide if it was a how-to book or a knitting memoir type of book. And of course, as it is self-published, it doesn't have the beautiful, glossy, designed look of books like Vintage Socks or Alterknits. It ends up that the book is both memoir and knitting guide (and it works!) and the content is plenty good enough to overcome the homemade look (and honestly, as knitters, we can't really have anything against the homemade look, now can we?). I just love Annie's attitude that we should all knit whichever way works for us. I try very hard to convey this same sort of idea to my beginning knitting students. We're supposed to be having fun, relaxing, and sharing joy at making something and when we turn knitting into some sort of precision drill or judged competition it kinda ruins it. Thanks, Annie, for reminding us.

Next time when I start blogging about reading about knitting, I'll be looking at Vickie Howell's new book and then maybe I'll review some of my favorite knitting books of all time. That is if I can find them - the best ones are too often used to ever just be sitting on the bookshelf!

Sock knitting induced ennui has set in.

The elves finished gray sock #1 but got bored with the gray.

So they started a blue sock (Shepherd Sport in denim) with ribbing.

Oh yeah. Can you feel the excitement?

What an exciting week in wizard knitting it's been:

Although Amysue gave up on finishing her Azkaban scarf, she converted what she had already knitted into a fabby hat! What a brilliant idea!
Beth finished her Hogwarts scarf (and did you all see the Hermione mittens she knit in October?)
Erin made a beautiful Hermione hat
Jeanie finished her weasley and now it's the perfect length!
Kathy finished her son's "C" weasley
Lolly made a HiP scarf (and Heather looks so cute in it!)
Remember the FOUR Azkaban scarves that Margot knit? Well, they've been given to the happy recipients (Margot says she just might be Hogwarted-out for a while now.)
Patti finished her second weasley
Sharlyn made her son a beautiful weasley and is wrapping it up for Christmas

And lookie, I finished the mini-weasley tree ornament for the newest addition to my husband's family. I'd forgotten how much fun it is to make these.

(I found one ball of this discontinued color of Felted Tweed in the sale bin somewhere and after five girl mini weasleys, it's definitely dwindling. Note to the in-laws: three or four more girls and then it's gotta be boys, boys, boys.)

I saw the Amigurumi competition over at Etsy.com and became fascinated with these little crocheted creatures. Just check out these: Sayaka, tiny Noro octopi, Dancing Hippo, Orange Creamsicle Mouse, Krabby Kat, Yarn Boy, Pink Ninja, and Mr. Tampon. I love these things!

Kim, the editor of Crochet Me, is into it. (Read her comments here for a definition of amigurumi and check out the latest issue for a pattern!) There's an Amigurumi-Along! And this amigurumi even started its own blog. Too cool! I really should go take a shower and make the bed and all that, but I just can't stop searching for amigurumi.

Ami-gu--help-me.

Progress on the blue socks.

I finished the first one last night, but still have to kitchener up the toe. I think I've overestimated the recipient's foot size, so I'll probably rip out the toe and go back an inch before reknitting it. I want these to be really nice. They are a holiday thank you gift for a friend of my mom's who always sends the boys great Xmas gifts, even though he's never even met them. Almost every gift he's sent is something the boys love and use everyday - some cool chairs, fun umbrellas, their favorite puzzles, the comforters on their beds...

You know, there are some good people out there. And they deserve handknitted socks.

Speaking of thank yous and blue socks, this is some beautiful blue sock yarn that Bliss sent me as a Sockapaltwoza thank you gift. She is a sock goddess! She made great socks for her pal and a pair of sock savior socks and now she's sent me this awesome sock yarn from Jocelyn's Fiber Farm. Yup, lots of good people out there.

UPDATE: And just two hours after posting this, the Christmas packages for the boys arrived from Mr. Blue Socks. I'm so glad I'm making these socks!

Apologies all around!

First to all those sock pals still waiting for socks or to be assigned to sock saviors, I've been focused on holiday knitting and a pattern I'm working on and haven't managed to work through the last set of updates and reports from sockapaltwoza participants. My bad! I have heard from several sock saviors that make-up socks have been finished and several forgotten sock pals that they've finally received socks. Let me say here how grateful I am to the sock saviors for their extra time and generosity and genuinely delighted I am when I hear from someone who patiently waited and was at last rewarded with a great pair of socks. So sorry for having fallen behind. I'm hoping to squeeze in the last bit of admin before the Christmas rush begins.

Second, apologies to my two sockapalooza tech guys who have already started to hear things like 'wouldn't it be cool next time, if the sockapalooza folks could do this or this when they sign up...' when they haven't even received their tech guy thank you socks yet! Don't worry, socks are in the works. Then the work can begin. (Wink. wink.)

Third, an apologetic warning to my future sockapaloooza (yes, that's three o's!) sock pal. I'll be wanting knee-highs! I am all about knee-highs now. Here's my new favorite pair. I lerf them.

And finally, sorry Santa, you're gonna have to make this Christmas a big one, 'cause Nikolaus came this morning and he was very good to the boys this year. He's going to be a hard act to follow.

"I'm so excited!"

"a lego Christmas tree - let's build it!"

Chrismas is coming. On a jet plane.

After hours of knitting on that tiny circular needle (which I've forgiven for being so fiddly now that I'm on a 24 inch circ), the turtleneck shrug has two sleeves and the beginnings of an actual turtleneck.

But now I'm out of yarn. Ooops! Well, that's what happens when you substitute. Another thing that happens: the yarn store sells its last skeins while you're knitting. Double oops. So it's on order. No worries, though, it's not discontinued (although that is the third thing that usually happens). I should have it in time for Christmas.

Did I just jinx myself?

Second blue sock begun.

Gray tech guy socks done.

It's a war on holiday knits!

So, I'm in the Barnes & Noble a couple weeks ago. I enjoy going there with the boys because they can look at books the way they like to. (Let's face it, they're boys, they don't do the sit calmly on a bench and look at a book thing. They tend to pick out the loudest of the interactive press-the-button-make-some-noise books, two of them of course, lay them out on the floor, and scoot and squirm around with them beeping just out of synch with each other. Not exactly library behavior.) And in a brilliant move, my B&N decided to locate the craft book section directly next to the kids section, so I usually grab a knitting book and read it on the floor next to the boys.

The last time we were there, I noticed a new book, Vickie Howell's New Knits on the Block. You know Vickie Howell - she's the fabulous host of DiY's Knitty Gritty and designer of cool knits like Tinsel and Banshee from Knitty.com. Yeah, that Vickie Howell! (And yes, she does really knit!) So here's this neat book all about knitting things your kids would actually like to have, like fun knitted objects for playtime and costumes for dress up. And as the creator of Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes, you know I was diggin' this book. (These Swamp Thing hats in fact, totally reminded me of the thing hats I made for the boys for Halloween. I have got to get some googley eyes!) Then when I got home, I had an email from the publisher that Vickie was going to be doing a blog book tour for the book and would I like to participate. Yeah! I've got some questions for crafty grrrrl, Vickie Howell.

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Q: Just how crafty a grrrl are you? What other crafts do you do besides knitting? Knitting is the best, right? (wink, wink)

A: (nudge, nudge ;-) ) If it involves yarn, fabric, thread, paper or glue, I probably do it! I sew, crochet, embroider, decoupage, cross stitch, card make, etc. Seriously, I dig anything that involves crafty goodness. Knitting holds an extra special place in my heart though--it's the one craft/art form that seems to always hold my attention. It's been years since I've gone more than a day without picking up my needles.

Q: Were you always this cool or is there hope for the rest of us? Can we knit ourselves cool?

A: LOL. Well, thank you. Ummm, I'm embarrassed now and don't know how to answer your question so instead, do you mind if I just curtsey? *curtseying* Thank you.

Q: The patterns in your New Knits on the Block book are awesome! As a mom who dressed her boys up in handknitted Halloween costumes this year, I discovered that it is amazing what they'll let us make for and put on them as long as it's fun. Knitting for kids really isn't so hard, is it?

A: Nah, it doesn't have to be! Even a simple, garter stitch belt (like the one from the Knight's Chain Mail project) can be fun for kids, because it gives them a place to hold their sword. :-)

Q: I don't have any girls to knit for, so, do you think I'd look bad in that Hawaiian dress? How about the mermaid tail? Okay don't answer that. I noticed that a lot of your own patterns in the book are knitted objects (totally LOVE the bowling pins, by the way!). Do you enjoy this sort of knitting more than garment knitting?

A: I feel your pain, I don't have girls to knit for either! Don't think I haven't tried to squeeze my 32-year-old behind into that mermaid costume, though. ;-) Thankfully the designer, Tina Marrin, will be on a future episode of Knitty Gritty showing how to make an adult skirt using the same stitch that she used for the mermaid.

I really dig the sculptural aspect of knitting objects but I don't necessarily enjoy knitting them more than garments. I think that for this book though, I wanted to design a few projects that a child could see developing before his or her eyes while the objects were being knitted. The bowling ball and pins especially, take shape really quickly and are worked in chunky yarn that makes them knit up fast. For me at least, those two features are important when trying to fit knitting into a busy life.

Q: Are you knitting lots of holiday gifts for people this year? If not, can you help me with mine?

A: Oh man, I had grand plans of knitting tons of gifts but there just hasn't been time. I have one lacey scarf done that I made for a friend months ago, but that's it. I feel so lame for being this professional knitter who can't even get her own gifts made. Ummm, so no, I can't help you - but thanks for asking! ;-)

Q: I saw recently on your blog that your 6-yr old son asked you to show him how to knit. Do you think he could help me knit my holiday gifts? Heh, heh, sorry, what I really meant to ask is, are your boys crafty too? I can't get my boys to spend more than a minute in front of a craft project. Do yours enjoy your crafting?

A: That depends. Does the job pay well? Just kidding. Yeah, that post was written during the course of the one row that my son knit before he promptly sent the needles back to their more valiant post as weaponry in his mythical army. My youngest son seems to be more interested in crafting than my oldest, but neither of them is quite ready to slow down long enough to get serious about anything more than throwing yarn balls.

Q: Speaking of boys, what's up with feminism these days? I mean we're having kids, we're knitting, we're knitting for our kids - this is a good thing, right?

A: Absolutely. To me, the 3rd wave of feminism means being able to choose your own path - making the decisions that are right for you as a woman, no matter what they are. A true feminist embraces that which makes her feel whole - we can bake, we can borrow, we can boardroom. It's our world now!

Thanks so much to Vickie for virtually stopping by. I hope you've been following the tour. If you haven't, go back and check out Knit and Tonic's hard-hitting interview from yesterday and catch Vickie at Lolly's tomorrow.

- - - - - - - - - -

By the way, once I got the book home, the boys seemed to get that it was really something for them. They took a peek at it, so I told them they could flip through the pages and pick out one thing and I would make it for them. They immediately found the swamp thing hats. But in the end B asked for the bowling pins and ball (hooray! I soooo wanted to make those!) and S picked the memory game. (He really liked the crown, but since B picked a toy, he changed his mind and went that way too. Phew!) So those'll be the new knits on this block after Christmas.

And speaking of things I HAVE to knit, did you see the most recent Knitty Gritty with Tina Marrin making the high heeled boots with the drilling and everything?! Too cool. I don't even wear heels, but I feel that I have to make these things. I mean, there's a drill involved and like 10 double-pointed needles. How can I resist? It's like those dang sweatpants I made last year. I could not get the silly things out of my head until I made them. So who's up for making the funky boots with me? Come on now, friends don't let friends knit silly stuff alone.

Two knitting wizards to report on this week: Erica finished her daughter's weasley and it looks awesome! And Michelle has started a neat Ravenclaw raglan sweater.

I caught the first movie on ABC Family yesterday. WITH the deleted scenes of all the Weasley brothers and Harry in their sweaters. So here's a little inspiration for those of you still working on weasleys:

look, green "F" and "G" weasleys for the twins!

hey, that's Percy in the back in a brown weasley

and, finally, we get to see Harry in his blue weasley

I made popcorn for the occasion and started a Hermione hat.

Apparently, I wasn't Harry Potter-ed out after all. As soon as I saw this bright, rich variegated red Manos at the store, I simply could not resist trying out the hat with it. If there's more of this yarn, I swear, I'm snatching it up to make the matching mittens!

So before they started talking to Michael Moore, I gave them a day off from holiday knitting and let them have some fun. They made a pompom for my funky handspun hat.

I kept thinking how that crazy fringe is really what makes the scarf so cool and as I still had some leftovers from the fabulous misshawklet bulky yarn I'd used for it, I decided the hat really needed a matching pompom. I tried out one of those little ring pompom maker things (because I am crap at making pompoms!) and it worked so well, I'm now wondering if the boys' kool-aid hats don't maybe need pompoms too.

And since I used up all my misshawklet yarn, I had a friend pick me up some more of her funky handspun at Boston's Bazaar Bizarre this weekend. It's crazy cool!

Visions of funky scarves are dancing in my head....

Sockapaltwoza sock savior socks you have to see....

Anna's socks for Judy
Brynne's socks for Pam
Joan's socks for Kristel
Kim's socks for Alison (scroll down to Dec. 1)
Regina's socks for Lindsey

A big thank you to these generous knitters and to my other sock saviors, including Carry, Jody, Judy, Julie, and Katherine.

Last call for sock saviors! I've got seven names left on the list (one of whom needs a sock savior for their sock savior). Dare I ask if there are more generous knitters still out there?

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In keeping with the holiday spirit of giving, fellow holiday knit-alonger, Raellyn, has donated a little pressie for the post-holiday contest. (Shhhh, I think it might be stitch markers, like these beauties that she sent me!) If you recall, everyone in the holiday knitalong who finishes all their gift knitting will be entered in a contest to win some little knitterly gifties. I've got a hank of some fabulous Atacama alpaca ready for gifting and, well who knows what else....

So remember to keep me updated on your gift count and get that gold star!

Just because I haven't finished the blue ones yet, doesn't mean I can't start another pair, right? I've got three more pairs to make here, and I don't want to fall into a sock slump.

I'm knitting these socks from the leftovers of the Shepherd Sport I used for the two pairs of tech guy socks. I had about 3/4 of a ball extra in each color and am hoping that it's enough to make two socks. Pretty please?

I wonder what sort of sacrifice I can offer to the yarn gods....

click here for the HUGE picture

The elves have completed another pair of socks! With the blue Shepherd Sport socks finished, the elves are celebrating by catching up on their sleep. Then they'll be catching a break from holiday knitting and will most likely work on the Hermione hat. All the remaining items on the holiday list (2 pairs of socks and 2 scarves) are for folks who we'll see on Christmas Day or later, so we've decided they can risk it. Anything to keep the elves happy. We're all S.P.E.W. supporters here, don't you know!

I can't get enough of this yarn. It is sooooo soft. I've had this skein of Malabrigo in my stash since last winter's trip to Webs. It was the first time I had seen, or more importantly, touched, Malabrigo and I simply couldn't resist it in this light blue color. This fall at Rhinebeck I picked up the Morehouse Merino Le Beret pattern and finally I've worked up the math ('cause you know my yarn don't have the same gauge as the pattern!) and cast on. I actually cast on two weeks ago at the beginning of my beginner's hat class. I always try to have a hat going to demonstrate various techniques and issues. Usually I don't get very far in the knitting, but this time I've been picking up the Malabrigo beret to knit a row or two whenever I was feeling stressed.

Okay, apparently I've been feeling a lot of stress (um, let's see, early Christmas shopping for pressies going to Germany, deadline knitting, sockapaltwoza deadbeats, finishing a pattern, working more at the store, and generally being trapped in the house every day with two four-year olds due to bad weather outside). Just squooshing the yarn in my hands has been enough to improve my mood (sort of like the most expensive stress ball ever!) and knitting with it has been a genuine delight. I've worn the half-finished beret around the house several times (with the needle in, the working yarn hanging down, and the skein in my back pocket) just because it made me feel happy. And when I had to rip a couple of inches out because it was too big, I was grinning from ear to ear. This stuff is like knitty prozac!

Yes, I'm high on Malabrigo. Please don't mention the two scarves I have to finish knitting, the two pairs of socks still on the to-do list, the knitting charts I still have to make, or how far behind I am in updating the holiday knit-along. Oh, I'm going to need some more Malabrigo.

Andrea finished a weasley ornament, and another, while Whit is working on a wonderful "F" weasley, and I finished my Hermione hat!

Wow, this one almost went south soooo many times. I am now an expert at dropping down whole cables and reknitting them properly. And at redistributing increases in the middle of a complex pattern.

Any of you who've made one of these, can you tell that the swirly cable/bobble part of the pattern doesn't go as high on my hat? I was using the Manos that inspired the whole project and it's quite a bit bulkier than the Cascade 220 that the pattern calls for. Although I was knitting the Manos down on the specified needle, there was just no way that I was getting the right gauge. It didn't matter to me that the hat was a bit wider. I knew the original was very tight, so this fits quite well actually. But I noticed after the second bobble that the hat was going to be about six inches taller than my head if I didn't start decreasing early. Now, if you've seen the pattern, you know that changing around all the decreases is not a trivial task. But I had to do it. No way I was ripping the hat out and reknitting all those cables (especially not after I'd reknit so many of them already!). And no way I was using a different yarn - I LOVE this Manos. So I just took a deep breath and reworked all the decreases. I just managed to squeeze the third bobble in. I couldn't possibly live with three less bobbles, now could I?

I heart my Hermione hat

I really really like the hat. So much so that I bought the mitten pattern and another skein of the Manos for them. I guess I'll be redoing that pattern as well.

So what are the rest of my weasley-alongers up to?

UPDATE: Because Margot asked... here's a full frontal of the hat.

Now that we've decorated what is quite literally the largest tree that could possibly fit in our home,

I hope you didn't want to get into the living room

the boys decided it was time to let Santa know what presents they hope to find under the tree. They insisted on writing their Santa letters all by themselves.

This one says, 'Dear Santa, I want a teddy bear and a choo choo train.'

This part says, 'and mommy wants yarn.' See the yarn ball?

Another pair of socks underway.

These are for mom. She picked out the yarn (Koigu) on my summer trip to Purl. I wasn't so impressed by the colors in the hank, but they are knitting up so much nicer than I expected. Each color is really rich and the variegation isn't pooling or swirling or looking muddy. Everyone who has seen this sock has been quite impressed. Nice eye, mom!

And with this project all of my holiday knits are either done or on the needles. Here we go!

Another pair of sock savior socks to make us all feel good about knitters and swaps and things like that:

Betsy's new Jaywalker socks from Anita

And a big thank you to whoever it was that sent me sock savior yarn from Maine (there wasn't a note in the package and I forgot who it was who was sending a yarn donation). The donated yarn has been sent out to two sock savior knitters to knit make up socks!

And I'll be making a pair of sock savior socks too. Just something I felt like I had to do. These are on the post-holiday to-knit list.

Koigu #805

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And an update on my race to finish the holiday knits. There is lots of holiday cheering, because one black/gray sock is done!

Unfortunately, there's also some holiday jeering, because it's just not right for the recipient. The size, the colors, the ribbing - they're all fine but not really for the person I had in mind. But I think they might work for another person whose socks were pushed from the Christmas to the hey-Hannukah's-after-Christmas-this-year list. So I'm ahead on his gift! That makes me 9 of 13 now. Thankfully, most of the remaining recipients don't mind getting their gifts with the needles still in them!

Check out more details on my progress and all the general holiday knitting madness at the knitalong!

I don't know what I'm doing finishing this instead of the two pairs of socks still on my Christmas list, but here it is, my Malabrigo beret.

Blame it on my hands, which got to touch the Malabrigo again during hat class last night and then wouldn't be satisfied with any other yarn for my evening knitting. I do believe they are getting spoiled. Seriously, after the Malabrigo, the Koigu seemed scratchy. The Koigu! Of course, that may have something to do with how wicked dry my hands are. Only the malabrigo keeps me from feeling like some sort of reptile. All I want for Christmas is gloves in a bottle!

And maybe a little more Malabrigo. (Hint, hint.)

A last minute substitution in the race to the holiday knits finish line. Since reallocating the black and gray socks to a Hannukah gift, I was left in need of new yarn and a new plan for the original pair for Christmas. Exit classic, neutral socks and enter color, color, color.

It's Koigu Kersti in gorgeous purple and orange shades (color #121). I wouldn't have ever picked out these colors for myself, but now that I'm knitting with it, even I, anti-variegation girl, have started coveting this sock. The colors are so bright and complement each other so well.

And the Kersti is all soft and squooshy just like a great yarn should be. Which made it easy to knit the first sock in one day.

Only two more days 'til Christmas and the elves are doing their best to wrap things up.

The Kersti socks are finished and ready for gifting! Unfortunately, the wrapping elves also uncovered a small quality control problem in the knitting factory. As they were packing up one pair of tech guy socks, they discovered that one sock was significantly larger than the other. Santa had a tough call to make, but the elves responsible have been dealt with and one tech guy sock has been sent back to the factory for reknitting.

In the meantime, the elves managed to crank out one complete Koigu sock, but since no Cash Iroha has arrived, the turtleneck shrug is still awaiting its turtleneck. And the second Hannukah sock will most likely be neglected entirely until it's actually Hannukah and the elves have finished the Christmas gifts and had a little egg nog at the factory holiday party.

Yup, this year's Christmas knittng is going into overtime. The elves are asking for holiday pay.

God bless us, every one.

smile for the... oh, forget it

Before going downstairs to open the presents, the boys and I pulled on our weasley sweaters. I'm thinking of keeping it as a new tradition for Christmas - wearing weasley sweaters, or handknit sweaters to open gifts.

and eat giant Christmas lollipops

And under the tree were a few fabby knitterly things.

A blue sheep mug for my blue blog from Rebecca.

carribean sky under the tree

Beautiful blue hand-painted yarn from Dani. I'd been coveting this yarn in her online store and she saved some for me!

Super-funky book, Knitorama, from Lisa (I love this book so much I've already kinda made something from it! More later this week, when I get some buttons to finish it off.)

And the boys were very excited to be able to tell me that there was "yarn for mommy" in their new, big Lego crane set.

see it?

Well, I guess that's what you get when you put yarn on the boys' wish list.

look at me, I'm giving out stars!

Teacher says, every time a bell rings, a gift knitter gets her star. I've been passing out stars at the holiday knitalong all weekend. There are now over 50 knitters who have completed their holiday gift knitting! I too am inching closer, having finished mom's Koigu socks, just in time for her to take them home with her after her visit.

happy feet

The boys love their new slippers too. Can you tell? They're sitting in their new favorite chair, the Ikea Lomsk chair. They were so excited about the chair they even wanted to help daddy put it together. Good tip on drill use from my son S. (especially for all of us planning on making those Knitty Gritty knit boots):

the drill as a knitting tool - I love it!

"We have to be careful and stand back because if it touches us, it will hurt us and we will screw ourselves."

Remember my struggles to keep the boys big blankies in one piece? Well, I fear the battle is lost.

I've found four of these in S's blankie and two in B's. They are so far advanced that there really isn't much darning I can do. I've run a scrap piece of yarn through the live stitches around the hole and cinched it together as best as I can. This is, of course, a very inadequate and very temporary solution. I've started dropping hints to the boys that we'll have to throw the blankies away when they really start to fall apart. Unfortunately, they seem to think this is some sort of mommy threat and not an inevitable event. They've started hiding the holes.

Just when I needed something to get me out of the blankie blues, mom brings me an old Woolrich sweater she got at a thrift store that was in great shape but for a thumb-sized hole in the sleeve. Could I possibly repair it? Luckily, I've practically got a yarn store up in my stash and found almost perfectly matching yarn. I created a few lost rows and voila: sweater and self-confidence saved!

I even felt good enough to tackle that tech guy sock gone wrong, picking out the woven in ends, and opening up a hole to start unravelling.

The holes may be winning the blankie battle, but I will fight on!

Okay, I'm not technically finished yet, but I'm so close to being done I couldn't help but start planning for after.

Yes, I finished the Hannukah socks! And the last tech guy sock is back on the needles. (The yarn I need to finish the turtleneck shrug is being slow to arrive, so I don't think it should count against me.) That puts me at 11.5 of 12 gifts finished and close enough to start making post-holiday knitting to-do lists.

1. Begin sock savior socks. I've got a sock class starting next week and hope to complete these with my students and have them ready for mailing mid-January.

2. Make fabby knitted boots. The shoes are on my Amazon wish list. I didn't get them for Christmas, so time for me to go ahead and order them myself!

3. Make Hermione mittens. My hands are cold.

4. Begin a new sweater FOR ME! There are so many that I had planned to make this fall and winter that it's going to be hard to choose. Current possibilities are: this pullover in red Mission Falls wool, Rowan's Bless cardigan in blue Cork, Ella Rae t-shirt sweater in purple cotton angora, Knit & Tonic's not a cowl in something from my stash.... What should my first sweater of the new year be??

5. Begin sweater for hubby: the man's zip raglan cardigan from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I've already got the yarn and since at least two other Knitsmiths are making this one for their man, we can all knit it together!

6. Start organizing sockapaloooza three and planning what projects-gone-wrong to rip out for the new year's rip-along!

7. Get a full night's sleep. Right, like that's going to happen. Not with all this new knitting to do.

Here it is, my Knitorama accidental project.

I was really diggin' the funky shrug in the Knitorama book that is made with sampler squares all sewn together into a big rectangle. But Lord knows I'm not ever going to knit sampler squares! Large rectangles of stockinette, however, I can do. In fact, I have done it: in my melvilla poncho. I actually rediscovered my poncho when I was pulling the Christmas decorations out of the back of the hall closet earlier this month and have been admiring the poor neglected thing for some weeks now. I mean the colors are so fun and the Manos much too nice to merely decorate the closet. But the whole thing didn't end up being very wearable. It wasn't really warm enough to wear as outerwear on a cold day, but there was way too much fabric for me to just wear it to keep me warm at night while knitting. All I needed was a brilliant idea of how to rework it so it would be more functional. Enter the funky shrug.

On Christmas Eve, I pulled out the poncho, took some measurements and realized that the two rectangles of the poncho could be resewn together to make one long rectangle approximately the size of the Knitorama shrug. So, I took apart all the seams, then reseamed it and stitched together armholes. I nixed the buttons, as my shrug doesn't have the exact same proportions as the pattern calls for and would be too constricting if it was closed (picture Tyrannosaurus Rex arms and you'll get the idea). But even without the buttons, it stays on just as well as any shawl would. And check out how those blue stripes came together in the back.

I freaking love it and have been wearing it since Christmas!

Looks like a lot of folks had a very merry Harry holiday!

Amanda finished a HiP scarf and made THE COOLEST gift label to wrap it up
Amanda made a Gryffindor hat for charity
Jeanne finished an Azkaban scarf for gifting
Jenn knit about a million holiday prezzies, including a HiP scarf
Katherine made a HiP tie gift
Sandy made a J weasley for the perfect Christmas present
and Shireen finished her X weasley for her niece!

And other Harry knits were spotted in progress:

Becky was working on a Slytherin PoA scarf
Caren started a gorgeous Hufflepuff scarf
and Cirilia's F weasley had to be put on hold to make time for holiday gift knitting

Now that I am practically done with my holiday knitting, I've started my Hermione mittens. This pattern is addictive!

Here's to a happy and healthy and Harry new year!