Back the Blog Up!

There are so many things I meant to blog in 2006, and even though the first quarter of 2007 is already nearly done, I can't quite let go yet. (I haven't finished sending out the holiday cards yet, either. And no, I haven't admitted to myself that it's not going to happen. Yet.)

So here are a few highlights of last year in the world of knitting, cats, and miscellany...

Three Mariahs
My first finished object in Jan 2006 was Mariah, designed by Jodi Green for Knitty.

This photo was taken in March 2006 on a walk by the Schyulkill River. I loved knitting this, and I've worn it so much in the last year that it's in serious need of a good de-pilling and a little zipper repair. I used Patons Classic Merino in Chestnut Brown.

I ordered 10 skeins and only used 5 for this, so I decided to make another one for Y as my Knitting Olympics project (since I loved the cabling so much!). Only she wanted a pullover instead of a cardi, and a little collar instead of a hood.



Here she is, showing off her cutie dimples. Oh, and there's some nice cable work on the sleeves.

I didn't get the Olympic Gold for this, though I did get all the way to the collar by the deadline. I knit and ripped the collar many times to try to get it right, and ended up with a mere few yards of yarn leftover. Unfortunately, the collar is still too tight (difficult to get on and off), and I'm planning to rip it back and try it again. Eventually.

Last but not least, when my dear friend M had the guts to ask for a Mariah like mine and bought the yarn for me to make it, (more Patons Classic, this time in Deep Olive), I feel like I got to fix all the tiny mistakes I made on the first one. I finished this in late October, and mailed it to M in the UK for a Happy New Year/Happy you-finally-got-a-tenure-track-job-after-years-of-academic-nomaditude present. I took the opportunity in November for a photo shoot of the sweater on my own self, since I know M hates having her photo taken. (I still want one, though!)

I did a much cleaner, more durable job on the zipper installation on this one, and I managed to get the two fronts even since I figured out that the selvedge edge was meant to continue all the way up past the cabling, and lining it up made for a perfect match.

M, for her part, displayed that while she is sassy-bold enough to ask for a knitted gift, she also way, way knows the spirit in which to receive one. Most gratifying!

There's lots more of 2006 to review. I'll try to keep it up!