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It seems like many in blogland are in the doldrums... I am in a knitting frenzy - finishing projects and starting new ones, but I haven't had the drive to post about it. Ugh.

Even though it's been over a month, I'm still getting used to working 5 days a week. During my last semester of grad school, I worked 4 ten hour days, and did my practicum on the fifth day. It made for really long work days, but the day 'off' was really nice. A leisurely train ride down to Palo Alto with plenty of time to read or knit, and then a nice train ride home in the evening. And, I still got home when it was light.

Now, however, it feels like I never see the sun. When I leave for work in the morning, the sun is out but not yet over the tops of the buildings. And coming home in the dark is getting old. Can't we have Daylight Saving Time all year?

Enough whining. All of this serves as an excuse/explanation for the tardiness of this post, and for the office-y background of the pictures. I am so desperate that I brought the knitting I wanted to tell you about and my camera to work with me so that I could take pictures during lunch.

Project: Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang

Yarn: 1 skein each of Koigu KPPPM 1323, and KPM 2339

Needles: size 0 and 2 Clover bamboo dpns

Mods: None

My have been finished for about a week. They are wonderful! I am in love with the colors. They're certainly not perfect, but good enough for me. I love that I can wear them in my ice-box of an office and still type :) Yes, I am that big of a dork.

The second one is a smidge larger than the first. I'm sure this could be fixed with blocking, but I was so excited to wear them that I didn't bother. Maybe some day I'll worry about it.

Tatami still needs ties, so the unveiling will have to wait. The pattern calls for the ties to be a crocheted chain... I'm not so hot with a crochet hook, so I'm knitting I-cord instead.

And finally, my new project. I am making Pomatomus in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Georgetown colorway. I cast on for the first sock on Friday, and I just turned the heel today. I think I'm getting the hang of this sock thing. Love it!

two things...

Saw this on Bekka's blog and couldn't resist. It took me a while, but here it is.

Two names you go by:
Risa
Hey you!

Two parts of your heritage:
German
Irish

Two things that scare you:
The Commander in Chief
Rape

Two everyday essentials:
Lancome Bienfait SPF 30 moisturizer
chapstick

Two things you are wearing right now:
Wedding ring
J.Crew velvet coat

Two of your favorite current bands/artists:
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Tina Dico

Two things you want in a relationship (other than love):
Laughter
Trust

Two truths:
I rarely wear the things I knit.
I'm scared to find a new job.

Two favorite hobbies:
Knitting (duh)
Reading

Two things you have to do this week:
Go to the dentist. (yuck)
Buy my step-mom her birthday present.

Two stores you shop at:
Noe Knit
J. Crew

Two shows you like to watch:
I don't have a TV, but we've been watching In Living Color and Freaks & Geeks on Netflix.

Two things you'd buy if money were no object:
an alpaca
a cabin in the woods

Two wishes for 2007:
I would like to try my hand at design
Try new techniques, and refine those I am already familiar with.

Ok, that's enough. If all goes well, there will be TWO FO's this week. Stay tuned!

UFO challenge #1

Frogged it!

The object in question *was* a vest of my own design. I bought the yarn and cast on about, oh, three years ago. You know a project is finished when you look at the empty size 9 spot in the Denise case and wonder, "Where are they?" - oh right. On the dead project.

I chose three cables from Volume 2 of the Harmony Guides "450 Knitting Stitches," an intricate one for the center, and two other, simpler ones repeated on each side.

Lest you think this was just a little thing thrown together, on the spur of the moment, I will show you my row by row notes. What dedication. All that planning wasted... what a pity. I still do have the notes if I ever change my mind.

Now I have a vest worth of Artfibers Papyrus in a lovely navy blue. What will I do with it?

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose...

Today, I finally sit down to write about the new year.

While I hope to change some things about my lifestyle in this new year, I also take comfort in the continuity and stability of my situation. Last year saw the completion of many long term plans and goals (including a wedding and a graduation), and I am looking forward to the new beginnings, changes and challenges 2007 will present.

This year I will begin, not only a new job, but a new career. I will celebrate a first wedding anniversary. I will start repaying my student loans. I will be a better blogger, and take more pleasing photos of my work. I WILL switch to the new blogger as soon as they let me. And, most challenging of all, I will organize this:

Scary, isn't it?

I have joined Kat with a K's UFO Resurrection Challenge to help. And, while I won't make any promises, I will do my best to bust my stash.

In the mean time, though, I am making great progress on my Tatami Kimono.

I love this yarn! Sundara is amazing!!

Last but not least, many HUGE thanks to my wonderful SP for the gift certificate to Article Pract. I can't wait to cross the bay and go explore a new yarn store. Thank you soooo much!!!

Oh, and one more thing... A couple of people asked about the pattern for the hat I posted in my Christmas post. It is from EZ's Knitter's Almanac. You can see another example here. The pattern calls for a bobble on the top, with a pingpong ball inside to "cause hat to float in emergency..." She sounds like she was quite the character. I can't wait to get more of her books.

Success!

I apologize for the long hiatus. It was a nice holiday, even if I didn't get too many days off. A quick trip to the other coast helped me get 2007 off to a great start. Catching up with friends I haven't seen in almost 5 years, and visiting the great alma mater was a lot of fun. Pictures to come.

Anyway, I promise there is a reason for the title of this post. And it is that my little sister considers herself obsessed. She emailed me some pictures of her completed socks, and has this to say for herself:

"and by the way, i AM an obsessed knitter. its official. after one sock, i was just getting into it. But, once i did the second one i became obsessed and the days before i became a knitter are just history. ... make sure to let allyour friends know that i accomplished the impossible!"

Look, just see for yourself.


Not the greatest light, but you have to admit... those are socks! I am so proud.