It needs "some work" and I'm not sure how I will accomplish/pay someone to do that...but I'll be spinning soon-ish. I hope. Thanks, Sam, for the present/curse.
What I got for Christmas!
For your viewing pleasure:
I present the entrelac head wrap, also known as Quant. The yarn is something I picked up (for free!) at the first ever Winterthur S&B. It's made of soy. I love the colors, but I think I may have a slight soy allergy. I felt kind of weird every time I worked on this project. I have yet to wear it in the great outdoors, so can't make any comments on its actual utility. Perhaps tomorrow I will sport it while I journey to Philadelphia. 
And the really exciting thing: 
Interestingly, another object made of completely free (to me) yarn. The green is the yarn I received from Jen for my birthday last year. Her own homespun, made of...? Do you recall, Jen? I sure don't. It was great to knit with! It did make me a little nostalgic though. I kept thinking of all the times we used to knit at your house back in Bmore. The grey is from Knitpicks. One time, I ordered some yarn and needles from them and they sent me two of everything, even though I only paid for one. And they let me keep the extra stuff! I even called and tried to send it back to them. So thank you Jen and Knitpicks for providing me with the materials to create this awesomely warm cowel that will keep me comfortable in the library. I'm looking forward to next semester so that I can use it...
A newbie
Yes, Sam is now a knitter. Here she is, balling her first skein of yarn. Don't you just want to pinch her cheek?
Her first project is not a dish towel. It is Calorimetry, which does in fact require the use of short rows. Sam did wonderfully on that aspect, it was gauge that got her. Version 1, which I do not have a photo of, was...large. Way bigger than any head on earth. So she tore it out, took out 12 stitches (based on my precise measurements) and...still too big. Closer, but not functional. Photos are forthcoming, though I'm unsure if Sam will actually let me take a pic of her wearing it. I might have to step in as a model.
On my needles? Quant. In a wholly different colorway. Will be done with that soon.
Pillows and an Improved Yarn Balance
I started these pillows a really, really long time ago. I was attracted to them because of their colors and because they looked challenging. 
Critical miscalculations on my part: The yarn I bought, Knitpicks, was not the yarn used in the pattern. Thus, not the same colors. Whereas the pattern looked like something that would be mellow, almost rustic, mine came out "circus like" and "bold."
See how the back of the one pillow is all vertical stripes? Yeah, that's about 12 inches of intarsia using something like 25 different strands. Challenging? More like heavy, frustrating, and not something you want to pick up to work on for "a few minutes." I could have made it easier on myself by using fewer bobbins and just carrying the yarn more, but I wanted to do it "right." Pff.
Buttons. They cost money. Wasn't really a problem when I started the pillows and had this great job where I could just show up, do easy work, and earn the little extra money I needed. I bought these buttons in Portland, ME while on a research trip for my Master's thesis. If that doesn't say poor, I don't know what does. The buttons are my only souvenir from the trip. I guess that's one reason to keep the pillows around.
One really valuable thing came out of these pillows, besides learning that I shouldn't do vertical intarsia stripes: I learned that I was mounting my purl stitches backwards somewhere in the middle of the first pillow. You can totally see the line where I went from improper purls to proper. Long lasting evidence of my folly.
And, on the lighter side, one night I was balling some sock yarn and I was like, "Huh, how will I know if these two halves of this hank are close in weight?" Sam came to the rescue with her ingenious handkerchief/hanger balance scale. And no, she did not dress as Justice for Halloween. 
Brrr...
It's time for the winter knits. We had snow and thunder today. It was a big wet pretty snow. I got out my boucle scarf and Ellery wore the sweater Jen knitted.
Also, last week I helped host a shower for a friend that is expecting twin boys. I got out the ol' Debbie Bliss seed stich hat pattern. 
One more thing: Jen, I know you aren't much of a tv watcher. But I'm wondering if anyone saw last week's episode of Pushing Up Daisies. Knitting played a big part.
Help me remember
Ok, I have a project in mind, but I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it. Knits is the likely source, but I don't have the magazines with me at the moment. I want to make a wrap/cowel thing that goes around the shoulders in a continuous circle. The front is sort of like a knot, but it is knitted that way. It's possible that this pattern is in a book dedicated to wraps/cowels. Anyone know what I'm talking about? I think the one in the pattern is a dark red color.
Aha! I found it! The thing I was thinking of, or at least a close approximation of it, is in Wrap Style, Published by Interweave Press Anyone have a copy I can borrow?
what's with all the variegated?
Remember this?
Now it's these!
Remember these?
Now they are this!
Can I say how much I love my new sweater?
This!
Yarn.
There you go, the yarn haul from Portland. The light green in the hank and on the needles is the Peace Fleece. The other ball is sock yarn made by...Schaefer Yarns (Anne). (had to go look at the tag). I'm knitting up the Peace Fleece into Henry. I'm thinking of it as the boyfriend scarf redux. If the scarf doesn't scare him off, the socks might. It's sort of like a 1 - 2 punch. Freaked out by the scarf? Bam! Have a pair of socks that are so amazing they make you want to cuddle something that belongs on your feet. I guess time will tell how this pans out. Let's keep in mind, though, that this is the guy who held my yarn a mere 6 weeks into our relationship.
Note: After reading over the post, I realized that it sort of sounds like I'm knitting this lucky man beautiful things in order to scare him off. Of course, that's not the case. I mean, he did hold my yarn! I'd like to keep him around. However, we all know about the taboo knitting-for-the-boy and its typical results. Here's hoping I can dodge the bullet!
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