I've been knitting the last month like I've never knit before. I had good and bad news early in December. The good news: My men's cardigan sweater design had been accepted for the Stitch 'n Bitch Men's Book! The bad news: the completed pattern and finished garment were due by Jan. 2nd. That meant I had only 3 weeks from the time I got the yarn to knit a whole sweater and work out all the kinks in the pattern! Somehow I managed to get it all done.

Debbie Stoller gave me the thumbs up when I brought it in since she was on the phone discussing important knitting related business. I'm so proud of myself and now I know that I can knit anything in any period of time if I put my mind to it. I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season.

I think I won the award for most obsessed knitter when I told my family we couldn't have a holiday get-together after I had handed in my sweater in January! Ok, so I know you're all waiting for the picture. But it's top secret so you'll have to check out the book when it comes out later this year.

I finished the infamous "purple sweater" in time to give to JF's dad for Hanukah. It was a perfect fit and he's already gotten complements on it. Pictures forthcoming. Knitting related gifts I recieved:
Secret Santa: a gift certificate to the LYS Knitting and Stitching.
JF'S parents: the book At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much by the Yarn Harlot herself Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee
JF's sister and brother-in-law: the book Dominknitrix by Jennifer Stafford
JF himself: subscriptions to Knit.One magazine and InKnitters magazine, and the 2007 Stitch 'n Bitch Page -A-Day calendar. (Next year my socks will be in it!!)
My family-I'll find out this Sunday when we have our belated Hanukah get-together ;-)

After those labor (of love) intensive sweaters were done I treated myself by whipping up this quick cabled scarf of my own design. I had bought the yarn (Bear Creek from Kraemer Yarns) at P& S Fabrics a couple months ago. It's a craft store in Chinatown that was having this big going out of business sale. I went there with JF and my roomate ND and it was sooooo crazy. It was so crowded we had to wait 15 minutes just to be let into the shop by a security guard. ND saw a couple things she liked and made the wise decision to join the line while I finished scouting out yarn and supplies for us. Turns out she was on that line for an hour and a half! But we did score some great deals. We even bought felt and puffy paint and made ourselves stockings that night:



My knitting resolutions for 2007 are:
Make a fair isle sweater.
Continue to design patterns and get them published.
Learn to make 2 socks at the same time.
Complete some projects using Magic Loop.
Make more handknit items for other people rather than keeping all that yarny goodness to myself! Hmmm....yarny....I just created a new word!