catmas cheer

Remember to put some catnip out for Santa and his reincat, hard at work tonight.


Remember that only good cats get catmas presents, so a last-minute public display of affection for your catmas friends is always a good idea.


And finally, don't forget to get to sleep early the night before catmas - it can be tiring, being full of catmas cheer.


To friends old and new, Happy Holidays!

wipping post

Look what I done gone and finished. A thing of beauty, in the pattern, a thing of glory, as other people have made it. A wonder.


Yes, that is a finished Eunny Jang Tangled Yoke Cardigan. And I made it with proper grafting, and short rows for lumps, and even grafted off the ribbed button band. And it is lovely, made in a not quite too fuzzy coned yarn from Sue Blacker. (Okay, so it is much fuzzier than the pattern recommended yarn. But I deserve brownie points for stash-busting. And even though the fuzzy makes the cables less stand-out-y. But, still, I deserve points for stash-busting.)


But. Despite getting gauge (even with yarn adjustments), and knitting to what I thought was the right size. I forgot something. I forgot about negative ease. And the thing hangs on me like a sack. A really, really bad sack of idiotness. (And the buttonband needs better blocking.)


So, do I give it away? Frog and reknit? Hide it and continue sulking (this sulking may have had something to do with recent blog absence, because I am not a grown woman)? Or, daringly, do I try a very subtle and gentle semi-felting? Answers on a postcard please.

Still, there have been other works happening here - behold two in progress, which do fit, dammit.

A baby Muir, in a Habu silk. Lovely, but slow. My designated sitting in front of the 'puter waiting for a CD to upload knitting.


And my one and only bit of Xmas knitting, a pair of socks, not even for me. The Clematis Vine (but without the vine) from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters. And I know these fit, for the giftee is regularly instructed to hold out foot, close eyes, and then forget the feel of stranded Regia Silk goodness.


What I really, really like about these socks, apart from the fact that two colour socks are just so much quicker, is that the combination of the red and charcoal plays tricks with the eyes, making it look almost ribbed. That, and if you do trust in Cat's magical master numbers, it actually works.

And now, I would like to share with you just one final piece of wisdom, stolen from Carrie K. (very clever woman, that):

The reason to never finish your knitting is to avoid any possible danger of learning that the infernal thing doesn't fit.

See, nothing but a license to keep casting-on....