Happy New Year's Eve!

To all of you celebrating this evening.

Just a quick post before I crack open a bottle or two of vino. Tonight I will be ringing in the new year while working on this:




Minnesota Mittens from Folk Mittens by Marcia Lewandowski. They are being knit from left over Patons Shetland Chunky Tweeds (I bought too many balls for the Hugs and Kisses Sweater). For those of you unfamiliar with Minnesota Mitts, they aren't gloves and they aren't mittens, but a happy combination of the two. They look like gloves, but they have a pouch that you can pull over your fingers to make them into really warm mittens!

Well my guests are here, so:
TTFN and KEEP KNITTING!

Hope your holidays were good ones!

I am posting this blog update on the new toy my boyfriend bought me for Christmas: A new laptop! Yea! (although I know that he had ulterior motives in buying it. Now I can blog and surf to my heart's content and not interfere with his World of Warcraft playing!)

I had managed to finish the Flared Lace Smoke Ring for my boyfriend's Mom:

She loved it! I also included a bottle of Eucalan so she can care for it easily.

To recap: This is the Flared Lace Smoke Ring from Heartstrings, and it was knit in Michell & CIA Luxury Collection Alpaca Cashmere. (For those of you not familiar with what a Smoke Ring is, it's like a cowl that can be worn around your neck instead of a scarf, and it can also be pulled up around your head like a hood).

My current WIP on the needles is this:

A pair of mittens to match my Tassled Fez. I am almost done the second one. I am using Patons Classic Wool Merino in Winter White and Blue Storm, and the pattern is an adapted version of the Turkish Mittens from Vogue Knitting Mittens and Gloves.

Well, that's it for now!

TTFN and KEEP KNITTING!

I think I am developing an eye twitch...

...however, there has been progress:

Finishing the Hugs and Kisses sweater for my boyfriend (my own pattern and first attempt at an Aran-style sweater) was courtesy of this last Sunday:

One heck of a snowstorm! We got dumped on, and it isn't even winter yet!

In light of the fact that I have no other finished projects to share with you, (although I only have one more to complete) I have decided to show you the ornaments in all their glory on my tree:




I love these ornaments that I got out of a Christmas craft magazine at the Library: (I can't remember the magazine, but the design is by Kathleen George for the Dow Chemical Co.[they make Styrofoam brand], I just used smaller Styrofoam balls)

Basically you need some leftover yarn, a Styrofoam ball, two bamboo skewers, and two wooden beads. You wrap the yarn around the Styrofoam ball, and secure the end with some glue. You cut the pointy ends off the skewers at the length you want, and then glue the beads to the ends to make knitting needles. Stab the "needles" through the ball of yarn, hang and enjoy!

So, now it's back to knitting...

TTFN and KEEP KNITTING!