January Was Not For Finishing

Well, the idea was good. It just did not work out quite to plan. I did finish the Calloway and Sunday Swing Socks. Two out of four is not too bad I suppose. But I did not start any of the other projects that I was thinking about in early January. Instead I started a neck warmer, Seraphim Shawl, and (last night) a Snapdragon Tam. There is a story with the Shawl that I'll tell you sometime later this week, but for now, my plan for February.

I do not like my WIPs sitting around for months, and I do want to finish the ones that have been languishing, so I have a new plan. For every project I finish, I have to finish up an old work in progress. My second Liesl has more finishing than the others, so I am counting that as two. So when I have finished four projects, I will be completely caught up with my knitting. Or at least that's the plan. I assume this will probably take me two months, but maybe I will surprise myself.

What am I thinking for new projects? I want to start a Wood Hollow Vest and a Bunny Slope hat (my first color work). I am also in love with Mythica, and purchased the yarn on Friday. Oh yes, and I cannot forget the beret, scarf, and Ishbel I mentioned at the beginning of January.

What new projects are you dreaming about lately?

What I've Been Reading

No, I haven't given up on the A-Z author project. I've just been reading books by authors I've already read (such as S.J. Rozan) or letters I already have (James W. Loewen). Lowen's book, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbooks Got Wrong, is an interesting exploration on what students don't learn about our history. I spent most of the book trying to remember what we'd been taught, and I think my classes did better than most. Of course, that might have been because I took AP American History, which emphasized primary sources and critical thinking more than average history classes. Do not be fooled, Loewen has as much of an agenda as any textbook, but it is still worth a read. The S.J. Rozan books (I think I read 4 since the beginning of the year) are quick Bill Smith/Lydia Chin detective novels. One book will be from Bill's perspective, and the next from Lydia's, which I think is an interesting device. I also like that way that Rozan interweaves Chinese-American culture into her books.

Speaking of detective novels, Robert B. Parker, my favorite mystery author, passed away on Monday. I can't say enough good thinks about his Spenser novels. (I'm not so thrilled with his other characters). I especially love the way he writes about Boston. One of his books even talked about the reservoir that was right across the street from the house where I lived in high school. If you have a chance, check out his books.

Keep Me Sane Socks

A little something I started to mitigate the stress of finals.

Pattern: Sunday Swing Socks by Kristel Nyberg
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Loopy's Knitting Nook
Needle: size 0 circular
Date Started: December 4, 2009
Date Finished: January 17, 2010
Comments: The colors are much richer in real life than this picture. I was very impressed that this yarn did not pool. There is a little pooling at the ankle, but that's not at all surprising with a heel flap. Total knitting time was only a few days. The pattern was easy to memorize (even for me). By the end of the second sock I was getting to the "I want to poke my eyes out with my needle" stage, but I'm glad I persevered. If you are looking for a good, free, beginner sock pattern that isn't just plain vanilla, I definitely recommend this one. I changed the toe and heel flap decreases a little, but other than that, I stuck to the pattern.

New B, M, and P books

I happened across books by authors starting with "B" and "P" recently. I'd already read those letters for my alphabet challenge, but upon examining my list, I realized those were two of the three books by authors that I had read in the past. So I decided to change my rules- the A to Z author project will be for NEW authors only. Below are by B and P reviews. Now I need a new M book.

The first book is familiar to many of you knitters, I am sure. It is Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter by the Yarn Harlot herself, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. This book is hilarious. I think it would be funny to a non-knitter, but to a knitter, it will have you rolling on the floor. The stories aren't just humorous though, some are touching or heartbreaking. I think my favorite stories are Is This a Test?, Ten Ways to Anger a Knitter, and One Little Sock. I highly recommend this book to any knitter, and even to anyone who just likes funny stories.



The second book is The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I absolutely loved this book. It is probably my favorite of this project so far. I'm not even quite sure if I can give it justice. It is an intelligent, heartwarming story. You will need to have a dictionary sitting right next to you, but believe me, it's worth it. My best friend and I have very different tastes in books. I think the only author we both like is David Sedaris. However, both of us love this book. Go out and get it now. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

*Photos from Amazon.com and 2.

Can You See Me Now? Socks

Pattern: Calloway Socks by Cookie A.
Yarn: KUAS Superwash Fingering Yarn in Sex in the City
Needle: size 1.5 circular
Date Started: November 11, 2009
Date Finished: January 3, 2010
Comments: I loved making these socks. Yes, you will go blind if you look at them for too long, but the yarn is divine and the pattern is very original. It did not take two months to knit them, either. I just got sidetracked with Christmas and other projects. Of course, you knew these had to come out well. When can you ever go wrong with Cookie?

2009 Knitting Year in Review

I started and finished 32 projects this year. It was a big year: my first sweater, toe-up socks, and mittens. This is how the projects break down:

Sweaters

1. Loppem
2. Featherweight Cardigan
   

Socks

1. Monkeys
2. Neapolitan Socks
3. My Midterm Got Moved So I Deserve Yarn Socks
4. Halema 'uma 'u
5. Van Dyke
6. No-wrap Toe Up Socks
7. Trilobite
8. Purple Rose of Loopy
   
9. Mermaid Socks
10. Marlene
11. Candy Cable Twist
    
12. Yellow Striped Socks
13. 2009 Mystery KAL Socks
14. Easy Lace
    

Hats

1. Lady Grace Beret
2. Lisa's Beret
3. Springtime in Philadelphia
4. Relm
5. Ballard Slouch Hat
   
6. Autumn Rush
7. Twisted
   

Scarves/Shawls/Shawlettes

1. Ishbel
2. Jeanne
3. Lavalette
4. Milkweed
   
5. Sue's scarf
   

Misc

1. Red Mittens
2. Bella's Mittens
3. Autumn Rush Fingerless Gloves
   
4. Ornaments for grandparents
   

Still on the Needles

1. Liesl 1
2. Liesl 2
3. Calloway socks (actually finished these last night)
   
4. Sunday Swing Socks
   

First Book of 2010: G

Yes, I have already started and finished my first book of 2010. I am a very quick reader anyway, but this was helped along by a New Years induced "sit on the couch and do nothing day" yesterday. The basic premise of Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success is that those people we consider extraordinary (such as Bill Gates and the Beatles) did not get to be great on their own. Greatness is not just a result of talent, but of culture, year of birth, opportunities, and even "luck". Gladwell's book is interesting, almost a Freakonomics without the economics. The collection of stories of outliers were pretty convincing.

However, I do have a couple of issues with this book. First, Georgetown is not an "okay" college, thankyouverymuch, it is a very good one. Second, if you are going to give a bunch of statistics about differences between groups, such as test scores of high and low income students, those differences do not mean anything without also stating their statistical significance. I found Gladwell's statistical examples the least persuasive. Third, while 10,000 hours might be the magic number to be great at something, I do not believe that practicing alone makes greatness. People without any talent for violin, for example, would give up before they got to that magic number. Only those with talent would be willing to practice hard. Just as ability is not everything, nor is luck. Fourth, while his arguments about the relationship of birth year to career achievement and entrepreneurship are novel, I'm not sure they are important. Of course someone born in 1990 is probably not going to make his or her fortune on railroads, just as someone born in 1930 is not likely to found Apple or Microsoft. Pinpointing exact two or three year windows is an impressive bit of scholarship. However, what do we gain by knowing that?

Despite my methodological concerns, I still found this to be a unique and fascinating book. I recommend this book to anyone who questions the idea that The American Dream is an accurate representation of how people become successful.

*Image from Amazon.com.

January is for Finishing

I've been thinking a lot about my knitting in 2010. I don't want my yarn stash to end up like my scrapbooking stash (large, unwieldy, and unused), so this year I want to get it down to a reasonable size. Likewise, I do not want to have a lot of unfinished objects. Last year, I finished every project by New Years. That didn't happen this year. If you are the type of knitter that has 10 (or more) projects on the needles, and that works for you, then great. But too many projects stress me out. Therefore, January is going to be about finishing things up. I don't expect to finish everything in a month, but I want to make a dent. The things I currently have on the needles are:

• Liesl sweater 1- just need to weave in ends, sew on button, and create button loop
• Liesl sweater 2- second sleeve, button, finishing
• Calloway- second sock
• Sunday Swing Socks- second socks

Although I haven't started these projects yet, I also have a few where I've already balled up the yarn, and they are starting to take some of my mental knitting energy:

• Katie beret
  
• Matching scarf
• Ishbel

I'll let you know how it goes. I wish you all a healthy, happy, and productive 2010!