good thing we have knitting

ugh, it’s one of those all-too-frequent dreary december days, when it feels like evening from first light through dusk (i can’t even say sundown because there is no sun, period).

if it wasn’t a beehive of activity around here, it would be rather glum indeed; i’d be wishing it was LAST thursday once again, when we had a fresh snowfall turning our world into a winter wonderland.

with spectacular atmosphere as a backdrop for a warm and wonderful holiday.

i was texting photos all day to our family in las vegas, who will be visiting for christmas and for whom “lots of snow” is written in the top spot on their wish list. sadly, it’s all gone now, but hopefully we’ll get more before they arrive.

thanksgiving was wonderful here; besides the pretty snow, we also had a day off; rare for us! david slept in while i went to join in the—very, VERY chilly—perry township turkey trot.

just 18 degrees at the starting line and snowy, but i have to say, it didn’t feel that cold. excitement and spirits were high and it was a fun race. last year’s race was my very first running competition and i was pleasantly surprised at how noticeably improved i was. yay. races are a lot more scarce this time of year around here, but i’m definitely signed up to run on new year’s day again; that was really fun last year.

after the race, i had nothing much planned except to get a really hot shower, work on knitting projects, and do some organizing around the house. i wanted to spend some time going through my drawers to weed out clothes i don’t wear; they were too full of unused items (i have to do my closet too, but it’ll have to wait til another day).

that accomplished, i wound up some yarn to settle in with an audiobook to start a few christmas knitting projects. some of them are secret, but there are a few i can share that i’m excited to show you.

first—and most importantly—the patterns for the red scarf red scarf projects are written and test knits are on the needles, yay! barb, never one to turn down a chance to knit with red, offered to knit up the scarf and after just a few days, she’s done already! she was over last night for class and was working on the final hem pattern. jeesh.

barb’s been working with the other red that jill sent us, called red scarf a new color which is more of a rich, brick red (soon to be available; just stalk jill’s etsy shop for an update or choose one of her other delectable reds). the pattern is all set to go; we just need to get some photos. we plan to do those early next week, as soon as we have them edited, we can release it and kick off our red scarf december fundraiser!

meanwhile, i am writing up patterns like mad and working on the smaller components with this bright red springy sport from studio june yarn, aptly named here comes trouble. i’ve cast on for a cowl to coordinate with the scarf and will most likely knit a headband or slouchy hat to coordinate.

jill sent along an alternate color so we could show these accessories in something less seasonally specific. this is midnight teal and it’s the most beautiful evening blue. our friend anne marie will knit a cowl and fingerless mitts or hat.

and barb was looking around last night for something else to knit, so she took home a skein of our kent DK to make a second scarf sample for our trunk show; we thought the cabled fabric would look great in a natural shade.

i only did a little computer work on thanksgiving. my main goal was to spend time on the house because—YES!—we had full use of our kitchen and cooked our first meal in it to celebrate the holiday. it was very simple—salmon and vegetables—but delicious. i didn’t take pictures, but we enjoyed every morsel, cozy in our warm kitchen and dining room, haha.

after dinner we started unpacking boxes and spent several hours organizing cabinets. it’s going to take a few more sessions to be finished but mister knitspot has agreed to write up a post about the renovation and reveal.

i may have mentioned in the last few weeks that we have a couple or three christmas surprise kits that we’ll be making available. i’ve been swatching and planning for a while to get these designs written up and underway.

this is NOT THE COLOR of the christmas surprise; just some leftover briar rose stella from our october club package that i’ve swatched with. the actual color is a real jewel, soon to be revealed. karolyn is actually doing the test knit of this design so you’ll have to bug her for details—if you can get her to talk, that is . . .

at the same time, i’m working on the other surprise we’re cooking up—in this luscious, luxury blend of BFL, cashmere, and silk from yarn hollow, called superior. we had a batch dyed in an exclusive colorway called lime rickey  which is nothing short of astonishing. seriously, everyone who sees it just stops for a beat before saying “i WANT that; put me on the wait list”. i’ve cast on for a little shawl-y accessory piece that i just love. it’s bold and modern and victorian in the very best way.

do you want to see the swatch?? nah . . .

oh, ok, here you go:

see what i mean; the luster is drop-dead gorgeous, right? i love these stitch pattens together; they really show off the yarn’s best assets.

we’ll offer kits (in very limited numbers) and KALs for both these items in the coming weeks; keep your eyes peeled . . .

okay, one last item and then i must stop for today—this will make you chuckle. i got a letter from the bank the other day about a change in services and the banker who signed it?

uh, yeah, doesn’t exactly boost my confidence, you know? haha, nicole and i wondered if he ever tried making it as an accountant . . .

and with that, i’m all done now.
david and i are heading out on a secret fiber mission tomorrow morning and we won’t be back at our desks til monday (everyone else is here to man the fort though). i’m going to post the next offering in our pre holiday pattern parade late tonight and i believe erica has a post for sunday.

you have a great weekend; see you next week!