I finished Peony Knit's Anthropoligie inspired caplet. I'm a bit iffy on the end result. I don't think it's the best shape for my body, but it was really quick to do, gave me instant gratitfication, and used up scrap yarn, so whatever. Here it is.

Oh, look. A sweater.

Oh, yeah. Lion Brand Thick & Chunky? I don't like you.

Please?

http://www.sharingmachine.com/index.php?item=12

I won't actually, but I've got a reputation to keep.

Christmas is extra fun with a baby around. Little Ms. Chloe loves her bottle and to be held, and that's about it. Being put down is probably the worst thing that could happen - no greater torture is known to man. I think she's going to be a singer when she grows up. She likes to be sung to, as long as it's not Abba. The girl has no love for Momma Mia.

She's learning about her tongue. It's very fun - you can stick it out and roll it around and have a grand time with it.

I think she's lovely.

Umm, why aren't you holding me?

Anyway, in knitting related news, I've finished my patterns for the dine and dashing scarf and hat. I'll have the patterns up on Ravelry as soon as I'm approved to sell patterns. This will be the first patterns I've ever sold. They'll be $4 a piece, and all the cash goes to the Kansas City foodbank, Harvestors.

Totally worth a $4 donation.

My craft room is finished enough. I still want to hang some shelves, but last time I tried, I punched a hole in the wall. I'm thinking I can live without shelves.

Barack O'llama brings hope that projects can be completed.

I'm pretty proud of this. It took all my nascent interior design skills. I took 2 sizes of glasses and some vases, put rocks in the bottom, and filled them with my needles, hooks and scraps of yarn. It's a pretty cool looking way to keep my needles together.

Are you on my Christmas list? You're getting this:

And probably in olive green. And you will have to like it, because it was made with love. Ho, ho, ho.

The lights and presents are great and all, but one of my favorite parts of Christmas are photographs of terrified children sitting on Santa's lap.

Seriously - how can this not make you giggle?

Santa looks like he's howling, the baby has the best "Get the f away from me" face, and the poor girl is just humiliated by it all. Ah, the memories.

The Chicago Tribune has hundreds of these. Enjoy.

I have this. It's Lang Yarns Silk Dream, and the name is apt. It's dreamy.

mmm, silky

I do not have it.

But I do have a mascot for my soon be complete craft room.

I named him Barack Ollama. He fills me with hope.

My sewing table is half assembled on my craft room floor, so soon I will have a place to sprawl out my projects.

I finally bought the fabric for the next baby to enter my world.

I'm smitten.

The goods.

Since my niece, Chloe, was not impressed by my gift of a rubber ducky (the dog loved it though...), I'm making her a sweater. One she can spit up on three times before calling it a day!

She's yawning with delight.

Christmas is quickly approaching, and all the good crafters are picking out fabric and yarn. What do I do? Make diversions.

Afghan in progress

I've been thinking a lot about the purpose of this site lately. What motivates me to go through the work of writing up a pattern, paying hosting fees, tinkering with the CMS and CSS and so forth. I check the traffic a little obsessively, but I never really had any idea of what I really wanted from those 100 visitors a day.

I don't really want money. Frankly, being paid for my crafts usually makes me feel cheap. When I think about all the time and love that goes into it, getting $50 in return is not really emotionally sustainable. I work for a paycheck, I make things for a different reason.

I've been trying to come up with the perfect post to kick off my blog, and, well, a rant about socks is you get.

I've recently decided that it's high time I knit my first pair of socks. Those that do seem to knit them passionately, and there are so many beautiful patterns (unnecessary proof).

So, I give in. I buy some sock yarn on sale. I wip out the size 1 dpns that I must have bought while smoking crack. And I cast on these puppies. It's a very simple pattern - truth be told, too simple - so I figured they'd be quick.

Yep. This is where I am-

This is after staying home from work sick and knitting most of the day and watching movies (being sick is oddly wonderful).

They are very lovely socks, and I'm sure I'll enjoy wearing them. They will keep my feet warm and prevent my shoes from becoming smelly. But... come on. For all the time that goes into these bad boys I could have made a cool lace shawl, an complicated cable scarf, a hat or two, the laptop sleeve I've been thinking about. Some thing that once I'm done will be cooler than... socks.

Sock knitters, you realize you can get a pack for like $5, right?