Crash

Here I was, all ready to start blogging regularly again, and my computer crashed. Crashed hard. Crashed so hard that I almost stumped the nice Geeks on Call guy who helped recover most of the data on my hard drive. Have all my knitting patterns, all my pictures, but none of my emails (I think) and not my calendar. I still need to work on those to see if I can find that data.

As a result, new computer.

Thanksgiving was the usual. That weekend we went to Charlottesville so the T boys could compete in the Virginia State Cyclocross Championships. All of them did respectably well, given their competition (e.g. the 19 year old phenom in Sr. Jr.'s race, and the fact that he's now on the younger end of his competitive age range). We didn't realize that the Virginia/Virginia State game was that same weekend, so we avoided going downtown Saturday evening.

The holidays are approaching and I'm feeling really grinchy. I have no idea what to get anyone. The boys want video games that I won't let them play, or gadgets that they probably shouldn't have. Mr. T is terrible to shop for. He doesn't like stuff that one would normally think of getting for guys. All he wants is bike stuff, and I can't get him that. I default to getting him sweaters, but he really does not need anymore of those. And no, I'm not knitting him one. I knit him a hat and he barely tolerates wearing it, so I'm not putting all that energy into a sweater that will not be appreciated.

Mr. T's firm party is next week, and I have to make the annual trek to find a dress to wear. "Wear something you wore before," he says, and then wonders why I laugh.

I've been knitting and spinning, but not that much (time of year...) I'm working on spinning enough yarn for a sweater. Hopefully I can do this. The first skein is done and finished. The singles for the second skein are done, but not plied up. I need to finish the bobbin of other stuff that I'm spinning on my other wheel before I can do the plying. In the meantime, I've started spinning the singles for the third skein. The challenge is to try to spin the skeins so they match in gauge.

These may look familiar to you. They may remind you of the yarn I used to knit Mr. T's hat. It's from the same dyer, All Spun Up. I'm mulling over patterns and modifications to patterns, but I really have to wait until all the yarn is spun up and I know what gauge it will knit to before I make any decisions.

I'm also spinning these adorable Cupcake Fiber Co. sock batts:

I've finished two socks, and started their mates. (I do not know why the text has turned blue.)

That blue sock is the most recent installment of the Cookie A sock club. I'm trying to finish it up before December's package comes. Got a reprieve today, since it seems the pattern for December won't sent out until the 20th. Whew!

Finally, Pipit. I haven't knit it in a few days, but I'm having fun with it. You start at the center back and knit down to the wrist. Then you pick up stitches and knit toward the other wrist. Pick up some more stitches and knit a bit of a front neckline, then knit around and down. Hopefully I can have some pictures to show you soon.