Cut. Print. It's a Wrap!

I've just returned from a day in South Philly, watching the Mummers Parade and ringing in the New Year. If you're ever in the neighborhood and want to do this, I have one piece of advice that will save your sanity from screaming college girls, grown men dressed as babies, and little kids with air horns:

Bring a flask.

The Mummers Parade is a strange Philadelphia tradition, but it is fun to watch. Not so much fun that I'd want to come back to see it when we're gone, but while we're here, it was an entertaining way to celebrate another year.

I've heard from a lot of people that 2011 was a shitty year for them. I can't say that things happened the way I wanted them to this year, and yes I did spend more time in the emergency room this year than I ever have in my life, but overall, everyone I love is healthy and relatively happy.

Instead of dwelling on the things that didn't go the way I wanted them to, I think it best to move on. In the immortal words of Rafiki, from The Lion King, "It doesn't matter! It's in de past!"

If I was the kind of person that planned ahead, I'd look to the future. However, I don't plan ahead. Anything, really. Which brings us to the next segment, which I'm calling:

"If I Actually Kept Resolutions..."

If I actually kept resolutions I would resolve to cut back on my drinking.
If I actually kept resolutions I would resolve to get back into some kind of shape besides "extra squishy."

If I actually kept resolutions I would resolve to write. Every day. No matter how I felt about it, and no matter if I had nothing to write about.

If I actually kept resolutions, I'd prepare to apply to PhD programs by seriously thinking about what I want to do with my life.

If I actually kept resolutions, I'd make a pattern list for my 12 in 2012 endeavor and stick with it.

If I actually kept resolutions, I'd stick to a blogging schedule and tell you all about my success.

But since I don't, we'll see how it goes. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year, from Ben and me.
Oh, and the Loch Ness Monster.

Neglect and the New Year

Happy Holidays to you all.

I've been neglecting this blog because I've had an enormous amount of holiday knitting/crocheting/spinning to do.

However, I did make:

1 luna moth shawl

1 autumn leaves wrap

1 baby blanket

1 beard hat

2 fish hats

1 pair of cuffs

4 washcloths

5 pairs of owl mitts

and 1 ball of handspun yarn

Pretty good, right?

For Christmas, I got all kinds of goodies as well- a ball winder! blocking wires! gift certificates, and....wait for it...

CASHMERE. 3 WHOLE SKEINS OF CASHMERE.

My boy is the best boy in the whole world.

12 in 12 on 12

It's the first day of December.

Do you know what that means?

It's World AIDS Day. I encourage you to donate as much as you can afford to a worthy AIDS-related organization. Steven over at Bitches Get Stitches has organized a project for the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force- you can go over there and donate to them, and be entered to win some incredible fiber prizes.

Or, you know, you can just donate, if fiber's not your thing.

Don't forget to share it with your friends. AIDS isn't any less important an issue than it was 20 or 30 years ago.

The beginning of December also means that NaNoWriMo is over. It's been over for me for awhile, but I should check in with others and see how it turned out for them.

December means that I should be working on holiday crafting and not blogging.

I'm making progress though...see?

That's Gabriella's sunflower blanket blocking on my dining room floor. She's not supposed to make her appearance in the world until the middle of January, but her mom is getting a box of baby-knits (crochets, but knit has a nicer ring) for Christmas.

Finally, in keeping with the 12 motif I have going, I present my rather vague project list for the 12 in 2012 thing that I'm going to participate in on Ravelry next year.
I intentionally kept my list vague because I can't be distracted looking at patterns at this time of year. I need to focus on clearing out the yarn that has been accumulating in boxes around the apartment before the boy gets annoyed. (I don't think he will, clutter bothers me more than him anyway, but I still need to get it done for presents).

So my 12 projects in 2012 will be:
-3 shawls, wraps or cowls
-3 garments with sleeves (or at least armholes. vests count)
-3 pairs of socks (as I am a new knitter it could potentially take me a year to make three pairs of socks)
-3 wild card projects

Again, donate!
Off to do some more crocheting before work.

The Saga of the Beret

I made this beret for Ashley, in gray. Maybe you remember it.

When I made it for her, I had to go back and rip the slip stitch row at the end, because it made it too tight. I could get it over my ears, but it was just a little too tight to be comfortable.

So I ripped it.

Last week I made the same beret for myself. I was hoping that my gauge was the same, because for this hat, I wanted it snug on my ears to keep out the city wind.

My gauge was not the same. It was much too loose, pre-slip stitch row. After, I couldn't get the thing on my head.

What the hell?

So Ben said, "what if you put the slip stitch row farther up the band, where there are more stitches?
Brilliant.

When I finally got around to ripping the slip stitch row, which I did not do right then because I was cranky, I screwed it all up and cut the wrong ends, and ended up ripping back three rows to find a place where I could start again.

So instead of moving the slip stitch row up, I just decreased the single crochets on the last round. It's a little loose. I might try to add one more round and decrease some more.

I might just leave it alone and find a different pattern altogether for the other ball of purple that I bought to match my coat.

But, ultimately, I did end up with a hat.

NaNo Fail

Perhaps fail isn't the right word.

Well...

in describing the 50,000 word goal? Yes, fail. Epic.
My novel is entrenched at 10k. And I have no enthusiasm for it anymore. I do like the idea, deep down, and I'd like to continue with it at some point, but this month, it just isn't going to happen.

So I have a new goal.

One query letter for The Smell of Rain sent, for every remaining day of the month.
Originally, the second half of my goal was to finish the first draft of my He and She fairy tale novella, but now that I'm thinking of quitting my dog job, I'm thinking of changing that part to writing as much of my dog-walker memoir as I can, while it's still fresh in my head.

And the holiday crafting continues...

NaNoProper

We've come to the end of the first weekend of National Novel Writing Month (the original month, as opposed to CampNaNo which I did this summer) and now it's, regrettably, Monday morning.

I am behind. On everything, really.

I have not made my word count, but I'm really only a day behind, and I have a light dog schedule today, so there is hope that I might catch up after work.

I have not registered for the GRE. Or begun putting things together for my grad school applications. And really, the reason for this is...I don't know if I should.

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY LIFE?!

That up there, is also why I've been putting it off. When I start thinking about it, I get a little panicky and my head starts to hurt and I want to cry. So I've been doing lots of holiday crocheting instead.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to see pictures until after Christmas.

In addition to writing and crocheting, I managed to cook and freeze all my pumpkins yesterday.

Advice on what I should do with my life? I'll take it.

In the meantime, I'll continue to knit.

Dark December

I decided that I was going to cast on one last selfish project before I commenced Holiday Crafting in earnest.

It's getting chilly now, so I started with the two skeins of thick wool for a nice shawl. The pattern is called Sidewalk Shawl (and I'd link for you, but I'm lazy and don't feel well) but I'm calling this one Dark December. I love the very subtle blues, greens, yellows, and rusty reds mixed in with the black.

I got the yarn from the Briar Rose Fibers tent at Rhinebeck. It was the skein that I saw from about forty feet away and said to my mom, "over here! I have to have that, it's perfect!"

And now, I'm off to walk some dogs in the rain, and hope my fever goes away.