There be sleeves here.

Yep, just bound off the sleeves for Pinup Queen. Now, to breeze through the front, block, and beg someone at the yarn store to teach me how to put together a sweater (well, um, have someone help me actually).

Stuffed Mr. Turtle without making him take another bath. I also washed and blocked most of the other gifts, and am quite disappointed with how the grandfather gloves turned out. If possible, the palm grew and the fingers shrunk, and no amount of poking and prodding and stretching could do a thing with them. I almost don't want to give them to him, but I seriously don't have the time to make anything else. Once I get the sweater done, it's packing and freaking out about the trip. Once they're on, they aren't bad, but DAMN, do they look funny. *cry* What to do, what to do. Probably I'll suck it up, say, I knit you a pair of gloves but they aren't gift-worthy, here's an IOU for a pair of gloves that actually look normal. Gah gah gah.

quick one

--I can't decide if Mr. Turtle needs to go for another swim or not. Maybe I can just scrub at the fins for a bit, because the body is pretty much fine.

--Pasha is knitted....now he needs to be sewn up too. I HATE SEAMING. There, that's out.

--I made a stress scarf this week. Yeah, I know I should have been working on the sweater, but the mood I've been in (finals and all), I would have screwed them up with the inability to count to 2. So I made a garter stitch Cotton-Fleece-meets-Fun-Fur long-ass scarf. Will probably wear it tomorrow to the party. Heck, I'll probably just wear it tomorrow altogether. It might bring out the pink in my hair that seems to be fading. (I dyed it just over a week ago, and didn't use nearly enough dye. Need to redo it sometime next week.)

--Three gifts will be delivered tomorrow.

--Will work on sleeves tomorrow. About 2 inches before shaping the caps.

mmm, wet animal

Ooooh, how I love the smell of wet alpaca. *grimace*

Yes, that was sarcasm. I'm working on the first of two Blocking Parties (the first is for Roy and Elise's scarves, the second is for everything else, since I have to get Roy and Elise their gifts this week).

And I'm also handfelting the turtle. He's swimming around in hot soapy water as I type, and I'm going to go attack him with a potato masher shortly. Go me, or something.

Where am I?

Blogging is going to be sporadic at best until after finals (which are next week), and then non-existent from Christmas through the first week of January. Just so no one worries :-)

Quick pictureless update:
Scarf swap scarf is done except for the weaving-of-the-rest-of-the-ends. I did 2 1/2 stripe repeats without access to a Chibi needle, so I have all those ends. It's narrow, but it's about 8 1/2 feet long, which makes up for it. I think I want one, possibly different colors since that green makes me look ill, but it's a fun scarf. Have a lot of yarn left though, so I might throw in a hat, if I have time next week.

Russ's dad's hat took less than a day to make. Much quicker than socks.

Started the felted turtle today on the bus. Halfway through the top shell (actually more than halfway, as from here on out there's lots of decreasing). With any sort of luck I can finish knitting it tonight and bat my eyelashes at the boy's mom when we go out there this weekend to borrow their washer so I can felt it.

Kerry's coming over to knit/whatever she's working on tonight. This is why I'm hoping I can finish the turtle tonight, since I'm planning to knit.

It is very important that I post this RIGHT NOW!!!

I'm finally able to Kitchener stitch without looking at instructions the whole time!

Yes, I needed to post that at 2:16 am. I most likely would have forgotten by the morning.

And since it was so hard to type that first sentence correctly, it is time for bed, provided, of course, that the random plastic trash cans blowing around (loudly) in the street don't keep me awake. Is it really that hard to bring in your trash can after the trash is removed from it? It's been nearly 20 hours since the trash truck came! (This is the sort of thing that doesn't quite belong in a knitting blog. No, I'm not drunk. I'm just extremely punchy due to insomnia. Everything is amusing, or annoying. Either way, it's bedtime.)

Suddenly knitting is manageable again

BWAHAHA! There is no letting a puny little power outage stop me from knitting! I finished Mom's Present with a flashlight held under my chin illuminating my hands. (Kitty loved the shadows that made, let me tell you--and I decided it was wisest to not attempt the end weaving until the power came back on. It worked much better with real light.)

So that means 3 presents to go. And I just reduced the scope of one...Boy and I decided his father would like a hat more than a pair of socks. Timewise, a hat equals *a* sock, just about (since I was making heavier socks). The turtle won't take long. The sweater's already started. Then I can knit a couple things for myself again before a new round of gifts! (I'm starting my Christmas 2005 gifts on December 26 of this year. I know better now.)

Now, time to pick your brains, gentle readers. Which wool wash would you recommend? I have some Wool Pak (I think?) in the lavender scent, but somehow I don't think the guys on my list will be into that. I have to have a blocking party pretty soon, that's why I ask.

Oh, and I put some yarn on my destash page. Kureyon, Lorna's Laces, and On Line. Good stuff.