Nerdy Knitter

Happy 2008!

Hi everyone--well, the holiday season hit with a bang, and I was away for quite a bit of time, meaning no posts, which I'm sure left you all bereft and befuddled. NOT!

My time off from work (close to 3 weeks--a first!) was lovely and relaxing...at first. I did nothing but knit, watch tv, read, and help Nerdy Hubby with our never-ending bathroom repair project (too long a story, but suffice it to say we had black mold on sheetrock behind the shower, which led to another discovery, and another...you get the idea). I went to Philadelphia to see my college roommate, Boop.

Boop is a veterinarian who works with the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, which is affiliated with the Philadelphia Animal Control agency. We went to the PAWS shelter for some critter time, and I fell in love with one of the skin-and-bones strays they'd just brought in. Sigh. So if you live in Pennsylvania, and want a wonderful dog who needs some TLC, ask about Merlin--he's just such a sweet thing. He was a stray in a bad area of Philly, and was as thin a dog as I've ever seen in real life, yet he was sweet & lovey when we took him into the socialization area. He rolled on his back & got belly rubs, he rested his big head on my knee. He's soooo sweet. He's in foster care now, and needs surgery due to an eye condition--I'm sure he's going to be a wonderful pet for some loving person/family...

Anyway--that was the beginning of my vacation--fun time in Philly with Boop. Then we went to NYS to see our friends and families for Christmas. Fun? You bet. Long drive? Yup.

Believe it or not, I didn't knit once while in my parents' house, even with my mom, knitter extraordinaire there for consults! We looked at knitting-related material, don't get me wrong--I just never sat & knit. Funny how that happens.

We spent 2 days in Williamsburg with Nerdy Hubby's family members--the nephews got a Wii game for Christmas, so we all got to try our hands at bowling, golfing, carnival games, etc. Boxing was a great workout--phew!

I don't have any photos because Nerdy Hubby has the camera with him while's he's in Orlando for The Golf Trip of His Life (gift from his friend).

But, the biggest knitting update I have is that I finished the sweater I started just a few weeks ago--I even wove in the ends, blocked it, and everything! I wore it yesterday, and am quite pleased with it, except i need to find a better pin to use for a clasp. Photos will follow this week, I hope.

I also started/finished a seed-stitch scarf in baby-pink alpaca (Bernat, I think) for my boss's 90-something mother. Now I'm working on a pair of socks for a man I work with who generously gave up his free time to come to our house to consult on the bathroom repair project. I usually dislike making socks, but I chose a fairly bulky weight yarn (5 sts/inch), and am already halfway through 1 sock! I'm using Wendy's toe-up pattern, and it's working just fine. The gauge is tighter than the one recommended on the label--I did that in the hopes of making a tighter fabric because the wool isn't very tightly twisted. I hope my friend likes them. I tried the foot on his foot today, and the length is just right--yahoo!

Why all of this productivity, you ask? Because my NEXT project is burning a hole in my knitting bag (so to speak): I'm going to use Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears to make a cardigan for Nerdy Hubby. Nerdy Mommy ordered the wrong color of KnitPicks Telemark, and it's perfect for Nerdy Hubby. So, a sweater he will get. I'm excited about trying to make it fit him "just so." We'll see how it goes. But first--I have 1.5 socks left to go...

posted by Nerdy Knitter @ 2:42 PM