Coming Up for Air

Here's the sock I've been neglecting as I work my way through the Mysterious Pink Birthday Thing:
The yarn is Vancalcar Acres and very yummy to knit with. I love the subtle color changes.

And here's the MPBT itself:
It's just a piece of it, but all the pieces look exactly like this. Ugh. I can't wait to finish this.

It's Alive! It's Huge!

Ok, it's not actually alive in the Cloverfield sense, but it's pretty big. As promised on the Colbert Report, the National Portrait Gallery was displaying Stephen Colbert's portrait within a portrait within a portrait. Like the Land O'Lakes butter box, only in a much more illustrious location:
And with an audience too. There was an actual line just to take pictures (for the restrooms themselves not so much).
Not sure if the Portrait Gallery anticipated this much public interest, but I'd guess whatever gets people to come to the museum is OK by them.

I'm in the midst of frenzied birthday knitting for Jersey Twins. I don't think there's any chance they'll see this, but just in case, I'll only post a hint:
This is for Jersey Girl. Call it gender role conditioning or whatever, but Jersey Boy's not so much in love with pink. Imagine this yarn in 2x2 rib - lots and lots of 2x2 rib - and you'll get the idea. Must knit faster...

Dishrag Swap Questionnaire

1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both?
I knit mostly, though I can do some basic crochet.

2. What types of needles do you enjoy using for making dishcloths?
I prefer short metal straights for dishcloths.

3. What types of cotton do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? Is there any that you've been wanting to try?
I've only made dishcloths with sugar 'n cream and peaches 'n cream.

4. What color(s) are your kitchen and bath decorated in (if any)?
Our kitchen is white with black and a bit of red, though I have kitchen cloths in all sorts of colors.

5. What are your favorite colors for yarns? Least favorite?
I love green and dislike yellow.

6. Do you like Winter, or do you count the days until it ends?
I love winter and cold weather! Weird, huh?

7. What's your favorite way to brighten your day when you're down in the dumps?
I usually use a combination of TV and chocolate.

8. What is your favorite treat to indulge in and when your down in the dumps?
Ice cream never fails to cheer me up!

9. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Cocoa?
I don't drink either coffee or tea, but do drink cocoa.

10. If you could take a vacation starting tomorrow and go anywhere for one week and money were no object, where would you go and what would you do?
I think I'd go to Peru to see Machu Picchu and maybe learn to weave.

11. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should be aware of?
I don't have any allergies but I'm not fond of mint.

Swap 'n Socks

I'm planning on joining another dishrag swap, the "Defeat the Winter Doldrums" exchange. Not that I'm really suffering from the doldrums - I like winter and cold weather. But who can resist a quick knit, especially when you'll get another handknit in return?

I finished some socks:
Pattern: Thuja (yes, another one!) with some modifications
Yarn: Garnstudio Fabel
Color: 672
Needles: 12" Addi Turbos 2.5 mm

I started the first sock last summer and left it languishing in one of my many WIP bags until a few weeks ago. Now they're both done! Hooray! They're a bit loose but not too slouchy. Maybe next time I'll go down a needle size or remove a repeat.

Last and First

The holidays certainly got the better of me. I can't believe I've neglected this blog for almost a month. I'd better fix that right now. Here was my last FO of 2007:
A Thuja made from Mountain Colors Bearfoot and some black Opal 6-ply. I probably didn't need to do the heels in black, but I'm kind of glad I did the toes in black. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd have run out of yarn. And here's my first FO of 2008:
Does a skein count as an FO? This is about 150 yards of slubby merino spun from some leftover handpaintedyarn.com roving. I hadn't spun in about a month, and it was quite nice to relax with some sloppy, so-what-if-it's-uneven spinning. I'm thinking of making a slubby hat or maybe slubby mitts.