All I have for you is an almost FO....

I haven't been that productive, all I have for you is an almost FO and a few other in progress shots and some plans for the New Year. This could be a long post, so buckle down, get some hot cocoa and put up your feet. I've got a computer, pictures to post, a sleeping fiance, and a cat whacked out on catnip running around the apartment for entertainment so reader beware.

First off, Christmas, we do it at my Dad's because of my stepmother, and it's nice. This time the siblings came into town and therefore M and I spent the long weekend at the house so we didn't have to worry about the drinking and the driving and could spend more time with people. I got some spectacular gifts and we got a very nice gift certificate to a cooking class from that side of the parents. Awesome! Our Iron Chef (apple was the secret ingredient) themed dinner turned out very well, with all the teams covering their course of the meal exceptionally.

Now the knitting.

I worked on these that weekend and last night finished the second one to this point. They just need thumbs and the antique buttons I got in Concord center and the loop for the buttons. That's why they are an almost FO. They are for my stepmother, who is in Hawaii right now so she definitely does not need them except maybe to protect against air conditioning?

They do need thumbs, see? I made them using the standard mitten pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns and modified them with a band of ribbing about an inch long where the fingers start and then picked up stitches along the top of the hand for the flap covering the fingers, casting on the necessary stitches for the bottom of the flap so that it could flip up and the bottom of the finger covering flap would not be attached to the rest of the bottom of the mitten. This is my first time working from a guide, not a patten per se and modifying it to my needs. I feel like I am growing as a knitter and getting to the point where I can knit what I want how I want it without being a slave to the pattern. It's a good feeling and so far did not bite me in the butt, I am sure it will at some point.

The underside, so you can see the ribbing and the gap between the bottom edge of the ribbing covering the palm and the flap for the fingers.Ahhhhh! Where is the thumb? I haven't gotten around to knitting those yet.
To see the flap better.

I also turned my first heel last night!!! It went from this:
To this!!! Ok, for those of you who are really observant, those are two different socks, and I have only turned the heel on one of them. This is one of those milestone steps for a knitter, the first heel and I did it. Yay! I still am not sure if sock knitting is for me though, it's been taking me forever to do these socks, mainly because of the restarting, reknitting, and so many other projects.
Here are the two socks side by side for comparison, the one on the left only has the heel flap and the one on the right has been turned.
My mom's Branching out Scarf is halfway done. Not far enough along for my taste.

The detail shot.
The next two projects will be hats. One for the fiance in black and one for the Dad in blue, red, and purple variegated Malabrigo just like my brothers. They have to wait for some other projects to be done however. My AFO's need to become FO's.

I also special ordered some Cascade Eco Wool in a cranberry color to make a Hemlock Ring Blanket. I am excited about that.

Here's the link to his post. http://brooklyntweed.blogspot.com/2007/08/hemlock-ring-blanket.html

If you do not read his blog, go, its beautiful and inspires me to make prettier knits.

I have to work tomorrow but not Tuesday so tomorrow night (New Years Eve) will be low key for us. What are your New Years Eve plans? I like to stay in with friends, but this year the friends we spent New Years Eve with last year are scattered (we were invited to go skiing with a few of them) so it will be just us. I am not a fan of going out for New Years-it seems like a forced good time with too much drinking every time. I'd much rather be with people who really mean something to me in a relaxed environment. New Years Eve out always smacks of people desperate to make that one night extra special and it's sort of sad.

However, whatever your plans, I hope you have a Happy New Year and Happy Knitting.

I have a plan for my 2008 yarn use and purchase I will share with you soon. Publicly acknowledging it will hold me to it hopefully and it is something I want to do, so it shouldn't be too hard. It means swearing off a large portion of the yarn available out there but that's ok with me too.