I have a sneaking suspicion that Christmas knitting is kicking our collective SSK butts! I know it's kicking MINE...between huge Christmas knitting guilt, procrastination and general blissful optimism I'm screwed. Ha! Is there a special Christmas knitting project for me in the cards? Hmmm... that sounds like a wonderful idea, dontcha think? I challenge each and every one of you to start (or finish!) something really special for YOURSELF in time to wear on Christmas morning. You can do it! C'mon...how much difference is that hour of SSK knitting going to make in your Christmas Knit List? Hmmm? You figure that you have 6 hours for a SSK project
if you spend on hour each Sunday knitting for you. You're worth it. We all are!

Cleaves is no more...sigh. Cool thing but knitting it out of my first "real" spindle spun handspun was not practical or good....while I have quite a bit of yardage, the stuff was way different in size from ball to ball. Soooo...I decided to try this funky scarf vest from the Fall 2006 issue of Knit 1 and it seems to be working out OK but I'm knitting on the edge, not sure if I have enough yardage. I guess I'll finish the first front panel and then weigh the thing then weigh the remaining yarn and pray that I'm not ripping and starting over with something else that's totally boring since I'm exhausted dealing with this yarn. Actually, anything knit from it won't be boring...it's crazy stuff!

Yep, it's striping but I already knew that. Didn't expect it when I was first knitting with it but there it is. I "solved" the different size problem (bulky to light-worsted-almost-sport-weight) by knitting the back with the bulky stuff since I had 2 balls of the lighter stuff and thought the drape would be better for the front panels. So there's the back...short but it's supposed to be. It's like 8 inches. Hope it doesn't make me look like a line-backer. Sigh...

Woooeee.....lookit those stripes! Ha! Here's the front panel with the pathetically small amount of yarn left in that ball. I'm almost at the 20 inches to complete the straight part and then will start decreasing for the armhole. This thing is supposed to have a collar, which I may have to forego if I'm lucky enough to have enough for both panels. I *could* make it shorter than it calls for but what fun is that? I'm sure it will be because when I measure it, I stretch the heck out of it to make myself feel a little better.

This is really mindless knitting though, it's the garter slip ridge stitch (totally wrong name for it, I know!) Very very easy and pretty fun to knit though. No thinking there folks!

I have more SSK adventures to share...well, ONE...that Sheep Shawl wherein I had a close call with disaster and saved myself some serious heartache by actually inserting a lifeline...imagine that! I went by the book...sort of. I don't see the point inserting lifelines before you need them though. I mean, why not just insert them after a disaster instead of wasting time doing them when you don't need them? Hmmm? Anyone else with me on this? Or is my rebel nature just blissfully unaware of something? I tinked, had disaster with the *&%^ sk2p (slip one, k2tog, pass slip stitch over)...who the hell can tink that in laceweight Zephyr I ask you? So, I went down to a nice safe area of many garter stitch rows and used a darning needle and some waste yarn to pick up the purl bumps then ripped back, holding my breath and it WORKED. Beautifully. Whew. I'll post some pics of the process later...I'm going to be late for work if I keep blabbing here.

WHATCHA KNITTIN?????? C'MON ~ WE WANNA SEE!