Time Out for Sheep Cuteness

And, for the curious, this is how they got those sweet lambs to sing ...

Reclaiming my Needles

Its given name is the Jo Sharp wide collar vest, a project that, according to my Ravelry page, I started in ... 2007! Yes, Henry, that was before you were even born. It soon became known as the project with interminable ribbing.


Also known as too tedious for words and the only justification for a knitting machine. And as of last week ...


It's also known as finished! Kvetching aside, I like this vest a lot. It's warm but not bulky and fits nicely whether belted or not. I hope others like it, too, because they will be seeing it alot.

I have indeed reclaimed my size 6 Addis, which I thought were 5s, which I need to start the body portion of this. I thought briefly of taping together all the 16-inch 5s that aren't busy and make do, but sanity quickly returned and I opted instead to fetch some 7s and make the first sleeve:


Berroco refers to it as Blackstone Tweed, shade 2635, but I call it medium teal -- it reminds me of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran. I've heard one complaint that it breaks, but I have had no issue with it. I am falling in love.

I haven't decided what to do with the two leftover balls of the Felted Tweed, but I should be able to find something here, don't you think?

P.S. If you're Christmas shopping for your favorite knitter, be sure to read the Yarn Harlot's last few posts. She knows what she's talking about. Just sayin' ...

Hip-Hip Hoofbeats

This is not your grandmother's dressage freestyle:

Something is Not Right

I saw this item from the Los Angeles Times. Am I the only one who is disturbed?

Infants and toddlers are spending twice as much time with screen media as they are with books, according to a national study by Common Sense Media.
Forty percent of 2- to 4-year-olds and 52 percent of 5- to 8-year-olds are using smartphones, video iPods, iPads or similar devices, the study found.
Among the study’s other key findings:
• Forty-two percent of children younger than 8 have a television in their bedroom.
• In a typical day, 11 percent of kids up to age 8 use a smartphone, video iPod, iPad or similar device to play games, watch videos or use apps. Those who do such activities spend an average of 43 minutes a day doing so.

Compare and Contrast

This weekend has been nothing short of miraculously mild for this time of year -- riding outside in shirtsleeves in November? Yes, really. Everyone is talking about it. What I keep thinking about is a year ago this very weekend, when not only was Dr. Denney bird hunting in South Dakota, as he is now, but it was considerably less lovely.

Speaking of less lovely ...


This is what it looks like the third time a Christmas ornament gets frogged. Why? Because the knitter hadn't read fair isle charts with increases/decreases for ... longer than she realized, clearly! After making probably all of the mistakes that can be made on a small globe-like object, it finally got sorted out. Among the five or six of us who chipped in to help get the shop ready for the holidays, this was the result (The hapless tangle is now the rocking horse, just left of center):


Then there's this little odd bit,


which grew up to be this sweater, a shop sample.


Cordial, a cropped little number from Rowan's 50th anniversary magazine. It isn't my favorite color, but it isn't my sweater, either. It's a large, which fits more people than the teensy sweaters that Rowan sends around! It's a Big Wool special, so it knit up quickly, all that seed stitch notwithstanding. I gotta say, though, that several skeins of the Big Wool had a knot in them, one had four! Let's hope it was a fluke bad batch and not an indication of larger problems. I want to keep loving this yarn.

Today's parting shot is, you guessed it, more yarn. Rowan Colourscape, in bracken, found fabulously on sale here on Saturday. Its spotty reputation precedes it, but four skeins came home anyway, which means a return visit for three more. My first impulse is to make this, but I'm open to suggestions!

Not Like This!

I totally stole this from masondixonknitting. It's very funny. Knitting for muggles:

Welcome, wee John!

For the new buckeroo, cowboy booties:


Congratulations Holly and Todd! We're thrilled for you!