I never showed off the lamb and sheep I made in ceramics - two clays, embossed, engobed, glazed, fired... voila! little lamby friends!  not sure who this grandpa is singing "Mares eat oats" but I love him and the song... makes me smile!

Just a quick note to announce the completion of my first sweater for 2009- it's a test knit of the stacatto hoodie (minus the hood) that will soon be available from www.throughtheloops.typepad.com - keep an eye out - it's an incredibly fun knit - and next time I'll be knitting the hood as well!

I did a few mods - I obviously changed the hood for a polo type collar and I did ribbing around the base of the sweater instead of the turned hem...

I am crazy enough to have decided to attempt 12 sweaters for 2009 - one month down... 11 to go.  I started a cardigan last week - I'm done with the first sleeve and about halfway through the second one - my goal is to complete the second sleeve this weekend - keeping on track will be more difficult once the school semester leaps into full gear but I'm going to do my best!

While we were putting away things and cleaning up from the holiday decoraing, I had the bright idea of putting things in the attic.  We have a big attic by Southern California standards, but not huge... (you can stand up in it) - anyway, early Sunday morning, while Gregg was putting things away up there with my help, he accidentally put his leg through the ceiling of the office - making about an 18" x 18" hole and dumping 30 year old insulation (no asbestos, thankfully) all over whatever was below...

What happened to be below was my metal crate of Noro Silk Garden - I don't know how to get it clean... any suggestions?

Gregg is fine - a little scraped up -- and needless to say we stopped putting things away for the day - but the garage is a bit more organized from our efforts!

As a wonderful thank you from Kristen Kapur (Through the Loops) for test knitting a pattern for her, I was given 880 yards of 100% merino handspun custom dyed by String Theory on Etsy - it's AMAZING - I can't wait to figure out something to make with it - it appears to be about DK weight - I am thinking it might be enough to eek out a vest... I LOVE the colors - and am so thankful for the opportunity to test knit her pattern AND to get to work with her gorgeous Handspun!  (Thanks, Kristen!)

Sunday afternoon (after falling through the ceiling) we picked our friend Chuck up from the airport and went antique shopping in Pomona, CA - I got caught up in doilies... I have an idea of what I want to do with them - I'll let you just be curious for now :) 

I also got a new friend - a boyd bear lamb - with an intarsia lamb sweater - how cute is she?! 

My partner is saying that I'm insane... but after finishing the back of the Dave sweater on Saturday, I was itching for something new to work on - I wanted a "break" from the monotony of knitting plain knit and purl row after row... but this... Kaffe Fassett is a genius (and wayyyyy amazing) - I'm starting the Gridlock Cushion and I have done 10-12 rows so far.  Ther notes aren't 100% accurate in the pattern - the pattern for the cushion is the same as the one for a blanket in the book - but the blanket "squares" are 25 stitches across, and the cushion "squares" are 20 stitches across... This means that everything within the pattern has to be adjusted accordingly - it's a pattern that you have to stop, move slowly and pay attention to in order to keep it looking they way it's intended...

That being said, I like knitting it - I wish I had a room where I could lay out all the yarns (I put each one in a baggie and labeled it with its corresponding letter) it'd be much easier to work if there was a space to do that...

Anyway, I like it... it's a challenge - and I'm probably crazy for starting this a week or two before the new spring semester - I hope I'll be able to get it done... before the semester gets crazy...

I also started a month or two ago this seed stitch scarf - we bought the yarn early one morning (after a brunch with friends) and I started the scarf while watching "MILK" (great movie!) - After the movie was over, I had knitted quite a bit but decided it was too wide so ripped back, cast on less and began again... it has been sleeping in my closet - I decided to take it out tonight for sleepytime knitting... I love this yarn - 240 meters, (Austermann Murano) - it's 51% wool and 49% acrylic - the way the colors change it's pretty cool... we'll see what it looks like when (if) it is finished...

It's a new year - and I can't believe that weeks and weeks have gone by without my showing off the giant head I made in ceramics!  Forgive the coloring of the main photo; I took it at night with no natural light - it's big - we had to make the pieces at least 12" high before firing.  Ceramics lose about 12% of their size in the firing process, and even after that this one is over 13" tall! :) -

It started out as a Buddah head but as I was working I decided to turn him into some sort of Jewish guy - he has a kippuy (yarmulke) and it's a lid - so I can put things (yarn?) into his head! -

I also felted the slippers I was working on - they fit Gregg's feet perfectly and they're super fun to make... I made a second set but haven't photographed them yet... all in good time...

I will suggest if you haven't made a set of these yet, go get the pattern and make them - they're easy FUN and quite rewarding... and in less time than it takes to make a scarf, you can gift to friends a set of comfy slippers!

Lastly, I want to mention to those of you who are participating in the Knitting: Men in America project - the time is getting near - we decided to wait until the new year to get started and also wanted to give everyone a chance to get signed up - it seems we have most of the 50 states represented now - check out the website and let your buddies know if they have the ability to represent the states that have yet to be named! - to get involved, email me and submit your name, email, blog, website, ravelry or menwhoknit ID's (if you're a member of either), the state you'd like to represent, and a short statement about you and your knitting.