Remember me?

I realize it’s a little cobwebby around here…my bad. I haven’t been around here in a while, but I have good reasons, I swear!

For one, February was smack-dab in the middle of Annual Busy Time. And then all sorts of craziness started, and Annual Busy Time turned into Hey Here’s A Crazy New Job Opportunity Get Your Resume Together time.

Which, itself, turned into Hey You Just Got A New Job time.

And that transitioned into OMG WTF Did I Do This Job Is Insane time.

And, in turn, that’s merged into Watch Out, I’m Seriously A Big Deal time.

It’s been a busy few months.

My social life dropped off significantly as I started working 9…10…11…12 hour days and have to be on-call 24/7.

I have had zero time to cook. Or bake. Or go grocery shopping.

And the knitting pretty much stopped, too. Very sad, I know. But, as I’ve started to find a balance, I’ve been able to find time to play with my sticks and string again, which has been wonderful. And this week, I’ve started a new schedule where I work from home in the mornings — something I wasn’t thrilled about in the beginning but which is actually a lot nicer than I anticipated.

So, there’s the story.

And now here’s what you really came here for.

Plain Jane Handspun Socks, with a picot hem and contrasting toes and heels...a pattern from the recesses of my brain

Yup. There it is.

The Setesdal Love Hat from Knitscene, in Valley Yarns Huntington and some handspun, donated to Tracy's collection for Children with Hairloss

You know you missed this.

The Scraptastic Redux, or The Second Scrappy Scarf

Oh, baby…

Haruni, in pure cashmere. This deserves a blog post all on its own...and it'll get one...someday...

Wait…is that actually…handspun??

Yup, had a little quality time with Evelyn. Sport-weight two-ply corriedale from Spunky Eclectic in "Twenty Ten"

For future reference, 2X2 rib socks on US 0 dpns is not the fastest way to knit a pair of men’s socks.

A modified version of Treads, from Son of Stitch 'n' Bitch, in Malabrigo Sock, for a special dude. It's a miracle I actually finished the first sock in this century.

This is kinda-sorta a sock.

Another Plain Jane sock, this time in my Bright Sunshiney handspun, again with Spud & Chloe for contrast.

So, there it is. I am, in fact, alive. And well. And knitting.

And I’ll be back here at some point…hopefully sooner rather than later!

I’ve been under water for a while and seem to have misplaced a month of my  life. Huh. Weird how that happens. Extra Work I Do After Actual Work is over, thankfully, and I’m hoping to return to regularly scheduled programming for a little while…at least until Annual Busy Time starts beating up on me again.

While I wasn’t here, I was using the various fiber arts to maintain my sanity. I did some colorwork.

It drove me a little bug-nutty, but I really wanted to wear these new mitts that match my big, gray, military-style wool half-trench winter coat.

I kind of love them. A lot. I love them so much, they’re getting pilly already.

The pattern is Vanamo (Rav link), and the yarn is that Sanguine Gryphon Free Range I showed off a month ago. I did change the cuffs and the tops, and made braids that point in opposite directions. I had to block the crap out of these because the first was notably smaller than the second. Humm…was someone a little stressed out at the start of this project? Possibly….

I also finished spinning that bright orange BFL top from Fiber Optic, and then I two-plied it.

It’s not my finest, evenest spin ever. Not by a long shot. But I’m proud, nonetheless, because I actually achieved a sportweight on Evelyn. Which rocks because I have a hell of a time spinning anything that’s not lace or fingering on her. I rule.

Evelyn and I cranked out another four ounces of two-ply sportweight right after, this time a superwash BFL from Southern Cross in the “Sturt” colorway.

Also not the most even yarn I’ve ever spun, but I’m still pleased…especially because Evelyn decided to start kicking her drive band every three minutes while I was working on the ply here. It’s the first argument Evelyn and I have ever had, and it was quite frustrating.

We’ve since worked it out, thankfully, and this yarn will end up being socks.

Oh, and I spun up some Spunky Eclectic corriedale on Evelyn, too.

I’ve since plied these singles and set the twist on the yarn. Both the Spunky and the Southern Cross were part of my random prize from the 4! Ounce! Challene! As you can see, Operation Stash Containment continues.

I’ve been working away at my Military Cardigan…

…but I’ve kind of petered out a bit on the collar and placket. I’ll pick it back up soon, though. It’s a really cute sweater.

Finally, I whipped up a little hat!

The pattern is Brattleboro, the yarn is Malabrigo Worsted, and the hat is for a collection that Tracy is hosting for Children with Hair Loss in honor of her 30th birthday. Not only is Tracy cutting off and donating her gorgeous hair, she’s asked us to not get her gifts and to instead knit hats or make a donation to the charity. How could I not??

Like I said, fiber arts helped maintain my sanity…it’s amazing how much better my head feels when my hands are busy, busy, busy.

Way to go.

You’ll just have to imagine how awesome the colorwork on these looks. And how I’m cruising along on these awesome-looking cables.

I did snap this pic of the worst part of my commute today.

That’s the traffic getting off the highway at my exit, backed up for a quarter mile because three lanes are down to two.

But, there are worse sights to see while you’re sitting in traffic. I’ve worked in that on that campus and under that gold dome for four years now, and I’m still constantly struck by how beautiful that building is. Can you believe there are people who actually think it’s ugly? Crazy.

Mother Nature dumped another foot of snow on us last night, officially making this the snowiest January ever. Literally. Folks round these parts are unhappy, but I’m loving it. The kids love it, too. Tilly plays with the snow off my boots! Simon likes watching the neighbors use the snowblower.

I don’t know where he learned how to use his paw to part the blinds and look out the window—his mother doesn’t do this—but it cracks me up every time. He’s just so charming!

Madori, however, prefers her prime spot: The couch.

Even better if she’s under the blanket. Even better if that blanket is my Girasole.

Annual Busy Time, along with Extra Work I Do After Actual Work, is totally kicking my ass right now. But I have been knitting. No spinning to speak of, but lots of knitting—it saves the sanity. It’ll all get blogged at some point…maybe…

What I can’t stand are people who don’t know how to drive in it.

Now, we got whalloped yesterday with snow of epic proportions, so I kind of understand the roads being less than awesome the next day. However, this is New England and, from time to time, we do get some snow during the winter. Shocking, I know, but history will support this. So I don’t get why we’re all so shocked when we get slapped by Mother Nature with some serious white-age.

All that being said, I’m not a 4-wheel-driver. My first car had it; it was fabulous. That car broke. I got a new one. A little one, subcompact-style. Very fuel efficient and cute. And freaking KILLER in the snow. This car is unstoppable. I’ve never gotten totally stuck. Ever. But idiot snow drivers threaten to bring my bad-ass-mobile down constantly. So, as a public service message here’s my tips for the not-so-snow-savvy motoring public.

• Don’t brake. Seriously. An attribute of the modern automatic-transmission automobile is that, if you simply lift your foot off the gas pedal, the car will slow down. CRAZY, I know, but I assure you its the truth. So don’t brake. If you brake, you will slide. And if you’re following the car in front of you so closely during a snow storm that you’re forced to slam on your brakes when they tap their’s, you’re probably just going to slide into them anyways. And you just learned a valuable lesson about proper following distance. Just say no to braking.
• Maintain forward motion. If you stop, you might not start again. Momentum is a beautiful thing. Embrace it.
• Don’t be a dumb ass. So simple, but such a difficult concept to grasp.

And that’s it! Wow. I feel so much better now.  End rant.

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So, because of the Epic Snow, I got to stay home from work yesterday. I used my free time wisely and finished my Girasole. I love her.

I have almost two full skeins of yarn left over, so go me on finally having an adequate yardage estimate. I’d heard stories about the edging on this pattern, and they didn’t disappoint. The edging took forever to work over those 640 stitches. But it was totally worth it in the end.

The pattern itself  isn’t terribly difficult, and I liked that it was broken up into a whole mess of smaller charts. It would have been monotonous, but the excitement of getting to start new charts all the time helped keep it moving.

The final piece is about 60 inches in diameter, plenty big to curl up with on the couch. While knitting, I had some concerns about how I was going to actually block this, and it needed a serious blocking. I don’t have an abundance of floor space, and leaving it in the middle of the living room for three days — where two eager cats could have their way with it while I’m at work — was not an attractive option.

Then, I had a stroke of brilliance and decided to try steam. It took me and my iron an hour and three cups of water, but I got a nice even block on her. Not as hard a block as I usually want on lace, but it’s a damn blanket, not a shawl. I’m really happy with the results.

So, there it is, the first FO of 2011! And Operation Stash Containment continues. Still loving the stashdown, too.

After I wrapped up Girasole, I dug out two skeins for my next project and got to casting on.

Sanguine Gryphon Free Range in “Ixworth”

Sanguine Gryphon Free Range in "Cochin"

You know I love me some colorwork.

2010 was a weird year for me: fewer tears, big changes, mountains of stress and mountains of joy…it was a year to reboot, I think. Not great, but not horrid.

I have high hopes for 2011.

I’ve been on vacation since Xmas Eve; tomorrow, I go back to work and Wednesday starts Annual Busy Time. This vacation was all about recharging my batteries…and catching up on so many little things. So, here’s my catch-up blog post…

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I finally got around to taking project pics. I’m still not in love with my new camera, but we’re getting along better than we were; color is still a bit off, though. Gotta figure that setting out…

This is the 80/20 merino/cashmere 2-ply laceweight from Corgi Hill that spent so much time on Evelyn this fall. It’s lovely, and will make some pretty lace someday.

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These were, officially, the most labor-intensive socks ever.

They weren’t difficult, and they worked up very quickly, but the manual crossing, twisting and interlacing of the stitches was really intense. They came out fantastic, though…

…and I see many more handspun socks in my future. I also see more toe-ups with heel flaps. Way better fit on my feet than short-row heels.

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I knocked out that pair of Pointelles. They finished beautifully.

I still have to give them to Mom for her birthday. I’m resisting the urge to keep them. That little touch of cashmere just makes them so delicious.

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I Navajo plied off the first skein of Crazy Silk…

…and wound up with 339 yards of 52 WPI. I have a lot more of this to spin…a lot…

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I finally got around to photographing Multnomah.

The pics are terrible, but the shawl is lovely.

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I knocked out a quick hat between Xmas and New Years.

It was a tricksey little pattern, very engaging to knit. The two yarns—Malabrigo Worsted and Lorna’s Laces Greenline Worsted—are just delicious together.

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I’ve spent way more time on knitting than spinning lately. This BFL has been on Evelyn for quite a while now.

I have so many things I want to knit, though, that it might have to stay on Evelyn for a while longer.

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My current obsession is my Girasole.

I can’t seem to put it down! It’s on track to be my first FO of 2011.

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So, here’s to a new year! One full of friends and creativity and love and fun and much, much more!

Despite having photographic capabilities again, I still didn’t take any pics of any of my finished projects, some of which have been around for a month or more.

Slacker.

Instead, I took pictures of Simon and Tilly being ridiculously cute in their new favorite sleepy spot: On top of Princess’s tank, right next to the heat lamp.

Simon got upgraded to an adult cat collar on Saturday; he officially outgrew his kitten collar. And next month we’ll celebrate his neutering. Little boy’s getting so big.

I also braved the general locale of the mall on Saturday, without actually going to the mall. The general locale was enough. I’ve managed to avoid the mall altogether this year. Score.

I have one thing left to pick up, then Xmas gifties are all done. I did some baking on Sunday, and will do some more on Thursday night and Friday, since I don’t have to work.

I’m ready to turn the heel on the second Pointelle sock. My mom’s birthday is a week from today. I think I can finish them in time, since the insteps work so much faster than the leg. Rock on.

This post is pretty lame, I know, but I felt the need to put something up here. This space seems a little neglected lately, and it’s only going to get worse once Annual Busy Time starts up after the first of the year.

Oh, also on Saturday, I got a live catnip plant for Simon and Tilly.

They’re *BIG* fans.

He also brought his much-loved Naughty Reindeer hat with him so that I could finally get some finished pics of it.

The pattern is pretty simple, if riddled with long floats. However, instead of being a total dope and using a silk blend for colorwork (as I have been known to do in the past), I smartened up and used good ‘ole Cascade 220. The stickiness made the floats easier…most of the tension issues came out with a good wet block on my glass head. To make it cozy, since I don’t find Cascade 220 particularly cozy myself, I put in a partial lining—just up to the ears—with some soft and fuzzy angora/bombyx handspun, which I didn’t snap a shot of, of course.

Immediately after I snapped these pics, I dropped my beloved little camera LCD-screen-side-down on the hardwood floor. I joked out loud, “Way to break your camera, Jac,” and realized hours later that I had, in fact, broken my camera. Totally fried the screen and broke the little tab that holds the battery in place; it won’t even stay on, just turns itself off.

Such a disaster…so tragic…

I was so upset, I couldn’t help but jump online and order a new one. (I’m a Pentax girl for life.) It’ll be here in a couple days, thank goodness, because I feel completely lost without my camera.

Yesterday, I made brocolli mac ‘n’ cheese, my second attempt at that recipe and a good one; it came out even better than my first try. And, in an effort to use up some sweet potatoes before they bit it, I whipped up Smitten Kitchen’s sweet potato buttermilk pie, which came into work with me today. And I threw together a few batches of dough for these delicious-looking French Butter Cookies. Its currently chilling in my freezer, waiting to be sliced and baked at some point.

Of course, since I’m such a disaster and broke my camera, I have no pics of any of this culinary awesomeness.

Weak.

In knitting news, I finished the first Pointelle sock, and started the cuff on the second. Great pattern, and the yarn is just wonderful. I’ll show them off at some point…such a disaster…

Still the most fun I’ve had at work in a long, long time.

And, in my attempt to be “less lame,” I’ve been spending more time with a circle of friends I haven’t spent a lot of time with lately. My long-dormant social butterfly is waking back up. I’m loving it.

And least you think I haven’t been knitting, let me assure you I have been. I finished Multnomah (Simon was *very* helpful with the blocking process) and a pair of simple socks, that I gifted to Jenni because I apparently can’t remember how big my feet are on any given day.

Then I whipped out my very first pair of handspun socks, and cast on a pair of Pointelles in one of my favoritest yarns, String Theory Caper Sock, which I think are destined to be my mom’s birthday present. And I started (and dang-near finished) a Super Secret Xmas Project for one of my favoritest faves. More on that way later.

And all that is from stash. Yup, Operation Stash Containment is going fantastically thus far. I’m doing great. What I’m not doing, clearly, is taking pictures of anything.

A good part of this past weekend was devoted to another recent project: Making my apartment my own. I love my apartment, but when I moved in, I never intended to stay very long. Then everything blew up and my life kind of fell apart for a while. I’m getting back to a good place, and a big part of that has been making my 700-or-so square feet all my own. The first project was the kitten-room re-do. This weekend was all about the kitchen.

First and foremost, I’d be totally and completely remiss is I didn’t give madd props to my favorite spindlemaker. See, my apartment has no countertops. At all. For almost two years, my only counterspace has been a four-foot kitchen cart—not really convenient when you like to cook. When I mentioned my desire to put in some sort of counter, Mark didn’t just agree to help; he jumped in with both feet and built me an entire, custom, upcycled-wood cabinet that would color any woodworking hobbiest impressed.

Over the course of Saturday, Mark outfitted it with doors and, after a quick-ish trip to Home Depot, hardware. Then I got a five-minute lesson on laying tile, and we went at spiffing her up. A coat of primer and paint, and she got to looking really pretty.

Course, I’m making light here. It was a ton of work, mostly on Mark’s part. I’m a lucky girl to have a friend like that, and I know it.

I’m totally psyched for how it looks in my kitchen. The red tiles don’t exactly match the wall color, which is perfect. I had something completely different in mind when we walked into Home Depot, but this just screamed at me off the display. I think I made a good choice.

Yesterday I went crazy with three rolls of shelf liner. My mom ingrained in me the need to “do things the right way” as a child. Damask-ish print shelf liner is totally “the right way.”

So, there it is, my fabulous kitchen, now even fabulous-er. My steal-of-the-century kitchen cart now serves as an island, and my cooking mojo is about to go sky-high. And a zillion-and-a-half thanks to Mark for being so ridiculously awesome its not even funny.

Next up: The closet known as my bathroom. My landlord has promised me a new ceiling and a new bathtub/shower in the near future. Rock on.

But not me. My stash always resided happily in two under-the-bed storage bins, resting safely, waiting patiently and comfortably until its turn came round.

This is no longer the case.

And it’s driving me bonkers.

Now, it hasn’t gotten so unruly that it’s all over the house. But, it all has to be locked away because of a certain yarn-chewing cat and her wool-stealing spawn. Gone are the days when I could artfully drape Malabrigo in a basket on the bookshelf and call it “home decor.” It all gets stashed…and the stash is getting snug.

So, in order to remedy this problem, Operation Stash Containment, or OSC for short, is commencing today. Actually, it’s already kind of begun, but its “official” start date is right now. No waiting until January 1…this project needs to start ASAP.

And here’s the rules:

• Operation Stash Containment will be deemed “complete” when the *entire* stash once again fits in those two under-the-bed storage containers. And this means *actually* fits, without bulging in the middle like they’re kind of doing right now…
• This doesn’t just include the yarn. It includes the fiber, too. All stash must be contained. (Of course, yarn takes up less space than fiber, but spinning is more labor intensive than knitting. So, it’s a tradeoff.)
• Only once OSC is complete am I allowed to buy yarn or fiber again. Yup, this is a purchasing freeze as well. It does not, however, apply to tools needed to complete projects. I will be needing new needles for some projects…seriously, how do I not own US 7 or a US 8 Addi Turbos??  Books and patterns are also exempt.
• Yarn needed to finish a project is allowable. However, projects cannot be chosen if from the outset it is understood that more yarn will be needed. For example, I can’t go out and buy a skein of Malabrigo Worsted in “Natural” because I decide I want to do colorwork with that skein of  “Sealing Wax.” But if I’m using the “Sealing Wax,” and I need more to finish the project, I can buy another skein. The objective is to match projects to stash in order to decrease quantity, not as an excuse to purchase.
• Gifts of yarn and fiber, as well as any contest or giveaway winnings, will still be accepted; however, they too must be contained.
• I get two get-out-of-jail-free cards over the life of the project. Because I’m not perfect.
• I’m also building in a specific Rhinebeck Exemption. Because there’s a possibility I won’t be done by that time next year, and I need to be prepared.
• I need an enforcer…or two. I’ll be accepting nominations and applications. Enforcers must be tough enough to withstand the effects of notorious stashown naysayers. **coughcoughKriscoughcough**

So there it is…all laid out in black-and-white. A little daunting, I’ll admit. But I did decide to reward myself for actually taking the leap with a little something, well within the rules, that should help me make shorter work of some of the enmass sock yarn in the stash. USPS tells me it should be home tomorrow or Wednesday…very excited about that.