an ent knits

Though I packed two shawl projects last week, I didn’t work on either one. Instead, I spent a fair amount of time spinning:

targhee, on my Kundert. I’m not at all confident that the cop will slide off, so I’ll probably just wind it off.

the second Brick House Abby batt. I’m really looking forward to plying these and seeing how they turn out.

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And I spent most of the “official” party time knitting on my chocolate cherry sock, which now has a heel:

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Down-time knitting went toward this scarf, which I’m trying to use to learn (improve enough for practicality) Continental knitting:

The scarf is going fine, but I’ve been wondering why Continental is cast as more lefty-friendly. I’m not convinced. I still think it’s likely to be more efficient once I improve, but it seems to me to require more complex activity from my right hand than does my version of English knitting.

I like lights at midwinter.  And, though I occasionally miss going out to my aunt’s farm to cut a smallish Eastern redcedar (juniper), the table-sized fake tree is much, much more convenient.

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Christmas Day is one of the few times when I watch the sun rise.  (Even if I’m up that early on other days, I’m usually busy and not watching.  For whatever reason, though, I kept waking up early last week.  I suspect it’s the extreme quiet at my grandmother’s house–it’s unsettling.)

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My dad and I only managed one walk along the bike path, but it was a lovely, lovely day.

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We did a bit better as far as cookie-baking–we made oatmeal cookies, chocolate crackups, and an improvised nutella cookie, which we served along with gjetost (my new favorite dessert cheese!), some Earl Grey shortbread that I made here for a cookie swap, and neighbors’ banana bread and hermit cake.  (Speaking of which, if you have a recipe for hermit cake that you know and trust, would you send it to me?)

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I also did a bit of knitting and spinning, but I forgot to get pictures in daylight, so that’ll show up later.

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(The real highlights, of course, were getting to see my parents, grandma, and other family.  And it was also lovely that all of my gifts went over well, including the neckwarmer.)

Yesterday morning was tricky for walking, but I took a bunch of pictures on my way to my co-op shift.

Shiny!  (I finally watched Firefly and Serenity over the last few weeks.  I couldn’t resist.)

I have no time, and Friday snuck up on me again, so here are a few hopefully-eye-candy-like pictures of some of what’s been keeping me busy. (No pictures of work, though.)

(a neckwarmer/cowl thing. out of oldish handspun from Spirit Trail fiber)

(apple-maple jamlike stuff. will be blogged on FTP when I have time, maybe tonight)

(fresh yarn! two of three October Hooves batts from Enchanted Knoll Farm)

I just got home from a party, and I was checking my gmail, and one of the sidebar ads mentioned “spinning top”. Being a wee bit obsessive, I was thinking combed fiber until I saw the word Hannukah and realized they meant dreidels. Anyone know why “top”, though?

Things are still busier and more stressful than I’d like, so I present some photos from my trip to Vermont in July.  (They’re from film that I developed after Rhinebeck and only just looked at again.)

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It’s a good thing I’m only trying to knit one small holiday gift, since I’m starting to wonder whether it’ll get finished…

So…the thing I left out of my Thanksgiving post was the big thing I brought back with me. I did a wee bit of shopping while I was there, but I picked up a new toy I’d had shipped to my parents:

I now have a Louet Victoria!  As soon as I get my current project finished on Amy the Lendrum, I’m planning to have one wheel for big projects and plying and one wheel for small projects and fiber night.

This is my first plied yarn from Victoria, a sample bit of merino from Enchanted Knoll Farm.

The knitting continues on the Adamas Shawl–I’m really excited to have reached a color change in the yarn.  I’m also feeling better about its sturdiness, though I still doubt I’ll block it as vigorously as I might a shawl in plied yarn.

And…not spinning/knitting related, I got a late birthday present today, perhaps the best present I’ve gotten this year (even counting the wheel I bought for myself):

It’s a handsewn silk scarf from my friend Emma–strips of silk, lined up, and sewn together.  It’s totally not my usual (practical) scarf style, but I love it.

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There’s other stuff to talk about, but I’m utterly fried.  I’m going to spin for a few minutes and then crash.