UrbanGypZ Blog

A better picture of the Einstein yarn. Really amazing stuff.

Tuesday right?
It was all a blur. The trip to New Orleans was short but sweet. Had a good time visiting with family, enjoyed staying with my brother and his family at the W. Nothing like a filet and eggs room service to you Christmas morning while you open presents. Relative hopping Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, A quick trip to the French Quarter and I was back on the plane. But by the time I hit my lay over in Atlanta I was staggering throught the giant airport looking for the $3 dose of Nyquil.
I have been in bed for 4 days with the flu. We have off until Jan. 5, but I had lofty plans of meeting with friends and getting a ton of work done on the house this week. Oh well. This morning I woke up with this huge bump on the side of my jaw. It looked and felt like I had been punched. Went to the urgent care clinic. I have a sinus/ear/chest infection that managed to make it’s way into a gland in my jaw. I now have an inhailer and the largest antibiotic I have ever seen. I am getting a little stir crazy. Tried to go to the Mexican restaurant for lunch. I just wanted to live in denial and have an enchilada. But it hurts to chew. Got the food to go and am wondering it I coul whip up some form of enchilada smoothie. Oy Vei.
Well all this “down time” has been good for knitting progress. This is what I accomplished in New Orleans on the Sonnet:

I am now about 75% finished with the first sleeve.
Here is the yarn I got from Santa for my Pub Stitch and Bitch Einstien Knit-a-long. Yes, Minna, that is my swatch, the gauge is dead on and I am ready to start next week if you are.

I am sure I will have a fabulous time, I am just ready to get the holidays over with. Heading for the Big Easy in the morning. So I will not be posting till this weekend. And probably more bitching than stitching. AHHHH family dynamic. I feel a little under the wether as well. A little achy and sniffly. Taking a ton of vitamin C and echinachea. I do not want to be sick for Christmas. Delta swears they will let me on the plane with my babmboo needles. I am using the tried and true bamboo circulars just in case. Hope Santa is good to every ones yarn stash.

I am 80% finished with dad’s gift.
I knit in the movie theater for the first time. Brioche stitch is not so bad in the dark. You can easily feel your way through what you are doing. I finally saw Lost In Translation. I think it was a beautiful movie, just a bad time for me to see it. I really wanted to see the guy get the girl but then I guess the movie would not be uncomfortably real. Left the theater feeling lonely and antsy. Got a lot I am trying to run around a do before I leave town. I am little stressed. I am so ready to work on a sweater for myself. It has been wool sweater cold here. I have some yarn for the Sonnet knit-a-long. It is not the rayon stuff I originally got, but some Lamb’s pride in a color called chianti. I had bought it to make another cardigan that was meant for a rayon yarn, So I am just switching yarns. I really want a periwinkle cardy, but I need to reduce the stash for now.

I am feeling a little cocky. I, the southern bell who does not drive in the snow managed to make my way to work today. Of course it is still snowing and I may be taking the bus home. But I am here despite lack of things to do. May leave at noon if I can swing it. Have officially stopped working on any Christmas knitting other than my father’s gift. I think tonight I will be whipping up some henna (my gift to the tuesday night girls–henna tattoos) and re organizing the stash to figure out what I will be working on on the plane this week.

Not much to post today. Had lunch with the photographer for my next shoot, didn’t do any knitting last night went to bed very early. I have been reading a total knitting geek book. It is one of the better knitting books that I own. It has no patterns in it but goes into detail about how sweaters from around the world were traditionally made and the formulas to make these sweaters. I have been fascinated with folk sweater patterns. This book totally breaks it down. I LOVE THIS BOOK. I want my next big project to be a fair isle sweater. After Sonnet and Einstein knit-a-longs.

Dad’s gift 70% finished
Tina’s gift Looking at store bought options today.
Tom’s Gift Finished in 1 day!
Mark’s gift 30% finished Maybe I will give him one of Tom’s socks filled with
candy and they will have to fight over who gets to wear the pair.
Wool Pak lace sock 60% finished
Noro sock 50% finished
Koigu sock 5% finished
Ah Monday. I had a relatively uneventful weekend. Went on the Montford Home Tour to location scout for a shoot I have scheduled for January. Boy do I feel like a slacker. These folks with unlimited funds remodeling fabulous turn of the century arts and crafts houses in six months. I have yet to paint a room in my house. But I have done a lot to the yard. Barbara and I are going to help each other with some painting and spackling. Low key kind of day. Knitting at lunch. Working on catalog spreads for my coworkers since there was a snaffoo in my book schedule.

1. Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays?
I am usually with family in New Orleans so I can’t say that I have ever had a white Christmas. I am normally in my summer clothes.
2. What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect?
My perfect celebration would be at home with friends and /or a significant other. Kind of quiet and very low key. Fire in the fireplace, hot beverage, good music, just visiting.
3. Do you do have any holiday traditions?
Visiting the relatives, dealing with the family dynamic
4. Do you do anything to help the needy?
Not usually.
5. What one gift would you like for yourself?
My own family.
Bah humbug.
Shipped my bead book yesterday! Hooray! It is the first one to ship on time in months. Last night was the second of my Home Schooler’s knitting class. I really enjoy this group. They are all pretty earthy and the kids are so sweet. It is such a gratifying gig. Have been cranking on the gifts and am finally seeing some progress.
Dad’s gift 60% finished
Tina’s gift 25% finished (Really leaning towards finishing for her birthday in July and just buy something for Christmas)
Suzi’s gift finished!
Wool Pak lace sock 60% finished
Noro sock 50% finished
Koigu sock 5% finished

My hands hurt.
I have been working on a pattern from Interweave Knits that requires 2 different size needles at once. I am using bamboo straight needles and some nubby wooly yarn. Pushing the yarn and lifting straight needles full of knitting, uses muscles in my hands that I have not worked before. GEEZ after Christmas I should be able to crush rocks with my bare hands. I had to take time out from the Christmas knitting factory to massage BioFreeze into the digits palms and forearms. Made progress:
Dad’s gift 40% finished
Tina’s gift 25% finished (May finish for her birthday in July and just buy something for Christmas)
Suzi’s gift 30% finished
Wool Pak lace sock 60% finished
Noro sock 50% finished
Koigu sock 5% finished

I figure if I start all the Christmas presents that I hope to get done and rotate the projects out as I get tired of them, I may just finish. Of course my WIP list will look some what ADD.
I have gotten pretty far on My sister-in-law’s sweater, but I decided I don’t really like knitting the rayon mill end yarn I got. Don’t get me wrong, it is beautiful yarn and the fabric is really nice, The yarn just does not have a lot of give. After cranking a few rows on the sweater(verticle garter stitch), I picked up Suzi’s scarf. Cashmerino. I could knit this stuff for days. I love the way it feels. I will start Dad and Karlie’s this weekend. Truly that is all I really want to do. And the snow should kick in this afternoon. I look forward to a weekend of knitting, proofreading (another knitting book) and laundry.