I should call this my Fourth Quarter sweater. I started it during the busiest time of year when work had me on the road with meetings and tons of overtime. 
Every year it's the most stressful time but my knitting actually keeps me sane, gives me a reason to slow down, breathe and just knit. A very good balance. It's my 2nd garter yoke cardi and I could easily do another in a different Noro shade as the color combinations are endless and my love for Noro never ends...
Beef. It's what's dinner! I'm so excited about this gift from my sister-in-law. I'm not much of a cook but I LOVE to grill and this is one of my favorite gifts of the year. What a cool idea for beef lovers and accompanying cookbook of steaks and stews from Buffalo Gap, Texas. There's even a recipe for jalapeno cheesecake and bread pudding with whiskey sauce I'm excited about trying out.
Merry Christmas to you. We have been blessed with a White Christmas and a lot of time with family making it a very special holiday. The young'ns of the family fixed us "elders" a wonderful Christmas meal and husband gave me a leather and rhinestone Harley jacket. A girl can never have too much BLING!
Seems like every year I'm knitting feverishly right up to Christmas and this year is no exception. I've only got two more days to finish two more hats to go with the matching mitts out of Araucania Panguipulli merino wool. The pressure is ON!
Update: Finished up the last hat Christmas morning. Mission accomplished!
Melanie and I are in Kansas City for a little holiday shopping and girl-fun weekend on the Plaza. We spent a couple hours in Stuff and I picked out a rockin' pearl necklace creation from one of my most favorite jewelry designers, Amy Labbe. 
I knitted up the night before just for the trip. The shopping was good and our seafood meal, oysters and cocktails at McCormick Schmicks topped off the evening. Well, actually, the cheesecake we took back to the hotel topped off the evening and a wonderful day.
These mittenettes are easily one of my favorite "go to" patterns to knit with any worsted weight yarn. This time, I'm using some of my own handspun yarn from an Art Club wool batt that makes these mismatched, funky and fun. A pair to gift and a pair to keep.
Husband and I went to Kansas City over the weekend for his work Xmas party. Down the street in Westport is a knit shop, MisKnits, where I found inspiration in tiny socks hanging on a clothesline at the register. The owner knits one with leftover yarn after completing a pair of socks -- such a clever idea. Then I found knitted ornaments and yarn balls at Trapp & Co. I debated just making my own but with so many lingering projects I thought it best just to purchase several for some knitted holiday cheer.
Work meetings have me on the road all this week and you know what that means - lots of motel knitting. I brought along some Noro Kuryeon to start a 2nd garter yoke cardi and picked up some coordinating soft brown wool yarn at Wildflower Knits in Manhattan, KS. This cardi is going to have cropped sleeves and dark brown coconut shell buttons.
I'm into my third weaving session at City Arts and it's been productive so far. I completed a rug designed as a shoe mat by the front door. I wasn't 
My marathon wool cardi is now complete. I selected Noro Kureyon for the yoke and Cascade Heather for the body of the sweater but the detail is in the finishing -- I made button holes in grosgrain ribbon and then sewed to the button band as reinforcement for a designer touch.
A relative of mine is undergoing chemo treatments. Since losing her hair, she says her head gets really cold and asked if I could make her a hat -- well, that's the least I could do. I found one, two, three chemo cap patterns on Ravelry (completing several this weekend from Nashua Cilantro) and delivered them with a bouquet of flowers to brighten her day.
Many years ago, I used to compete in bodybuilding and even qualified for Nationals. This was the fun part: performing on stage. I'd still be doing it if the training and diet wasn't so time-consuming and difficult. I guess if it was easy everyone would look like this. Husband and I are in Oklahoma with a good friend who won the Master's division (over age 50!) Red River Classic bodybuilding championship. He's looked like this for the 20+ years we've known him and is still going strong.
Just wrapped up my fourth alpaca shawlette. This one I made for myself out of the hand carded/spun alpaca from Ashwani at Heartland Farm. I noticed this fiber was much softer than William - interesting how each animal has a different fleece.
I didn't set a record, but I did get quite a bit of knitting completed for what I'm calling was my Noro Cardi Knitting Marathon. I set a comfortable pace for myself with the garter stitch yoke, slowed slightly for the button holes and kicked it into high gear for the stockinette body. As for contemplating running a marathon someday (April?) Jackie recommends getting the book Half-Marathon by Jeff Galloway.
Angelique is back in town from NM and we drove together to Kansas City today for the 2009 Waddell & Reed Marathon run on 
Saturday where we met up with Team Tabor (Jackie) and relay Team Twist (Judy, Becca, & Laura) and Lori who's running a half-marathon. I'm going along as a team supporter and will be in charge of taking pictures and holding the signs. We enjoyed a high carb dinner at the Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza and did a little p.j. knitting in our room. GO T-E-A-M!!
I'm excited to be starting a new knitting project on the road with my knitting friends. I'll be working on the Garter Yoke Cardi from the fall/winter 2008 knit.1 issue using Cascade for the body and Noro wool on the yoke. While my friends are running a marathon I'll be doing my own little marathon knitting.
Finished a pair of ankle socks for mom from the Panda Cotton she picked out in Texas. She isn't a fan of wool socks so this bamboo/cotton/elastic nylon yarn will make for the comfy bed socks she has in mind.
Although the weekend was busy with travel and family time in Texas, I did manage to crank out a pair of ankle socks for myself from leftover Panda Cotton in chocolate mint. Conveniently, while at a yarn shop, mom decided she wanted me to make her a pair so she picked out the yarn and I started hers on the way back home.
Today was a day for the dogs and benefit for the Kansas Humane Society. This year's Woofstock event at the Sedgwick County Park was improved with more organized parking and a more spacious vendor layout. It's always entertaining to see all the different kind of dogs and it seems the most popular breeds in town are great danes and boxers. 
Our pack played well with others during the Woof, Walk and Wag event and then laid down to do a little dog-watching of their own.
