Someone pointed out on their blog last week that the reason there are so many birthdays in November is because it is approximately nine months after Valentine’s Day. That gave me a little snicker…

Eilene celebrated her birthday in the beginning of the month, I had mine in the middle, and Heather’s came at the end of the month … A Girls of November celebration was in order! Unfortunately, our dear friend Donna (who is a Girl of October) was not able to make the party - she was missed!

Yummy brunch, mimosas, and special birthday desserts were the perfect way to celebrate!

Our waiter even gave us little candles in the desserts!

We were having such a good time, the party continued all the way to the LYS, All About Yarn. We looked through pattern books, fondled many a yarn, and finally made some decisions about what to take home with us. We all walked out with something (stay tuned to Eilene’s and Heather’s to see their goodies!)

This shop opened a little over a year ago, and each time I visit, I just can’t believe all of the new lovely things they have in house. They started carrying a full line of Rowan, Noro, Manos, Lorna’s Laces, and Jo Sharp, and others, as well as many smaller brands that have amazing things to offer. It really is hard to walk out empty handed. I just could not resist…

I missed the Fall 2005 VK somehow, but I picked up the back issue. It has some real goodies in it. Also got some size 13 DPNs because I am thinking about some chunky wristlets, a stackable small notions storage, and a ball of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Jewel. I am planning to use this one ball for a hat that is in Contemporary Knitting II. My head is getting cold!

But, I don’t just buy things… I also knit things!

See my most recent finished object?

Heather’s Birthday Gryffindor HiP Scarf!
Started: November 22, 2005 Completed: November 26, 2005
Pattern: HiP Scarf Needles: Bamboo 16" circular size 7
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in Burgundy and Old Gold
Details: Bias knit, about 6 feet long. Great fun to work on, simple stockinette with stripe color changes. I carried my gold yarn over the rows, and wove in the rest of the ends. It took awhile to weave in all of them, but I think it was worth it. I am very pleased with the final knit. I blocked her twice, and she was still rolling, but Heather did not seem to mind.

She did not know I was giving this to her so soon (she is knitting me one too!) so she had no way of knowing that it would match her Peace Fleece Everyday Cardi so *perfectly*. Love it!

I am also working on Klaralund. Sleeve two is underway, and then I have to do the back (or the front — they are identical!) This sweater is an easy construction, and it is a very relaxing knit. I look forward to wearing it.

I want to clear off some WIPs before I start anything else, and I have several to keep me busy. I do want to begin work on Kris’s sweater, however… maybe to finish it in time for his birthday at the end of December. We’ll see how that works out.

A big thanks to Jennifer for sending the lovely Lorna’s Laces yarn! Such a generous birthday gift! I love the sherbet colorway!.

And Susan and her Labradorable boys sent the great BARk magazine to me and my labradorable girlies this past week. Jenn and Bella looked at the pictures while I read aloud

Jenn spent a long time checking out the boy toy on the cover, while Bella thumbed right to the Health section! Thanks Susan! What a cute mag!

Socktoberfest updates are slowing down a bit… but I still have a pair to finish! Make sure and check out these lovely finished pairs - and email me if you have a pair to share!

• Iris finished a beautiful purple pair.
• April finished a very handsome pair for her husband.
• Carola shows off her new socks in the Icelandic snow!
• Anmiryam, Fuzzy Feet queen, also finished a pair.

I hope I did not forget anyone… please leave a gentle reminder if I did.

Thanksgiving was a real treat for Kris and I this year. We had a wonderful time with both of our families, ate some yummy food, and made good memories. This year was a little different for my family, because this was our first major holiday without Mimi. She and Daniel had their first Thanksgiving in Hawaii with their friends.

Our first stop was at Kris’s parents’ house, where we spent some quality time with the nieces and filled our bellies with all sorts of yummy Thanksgiving foods. Kris’s grandmother came down from Pennsylvania, and it was very good to see her. His brothers and his parents were also there. Unfortunately the battery from my camera died at their house and I did not have back up; but I did manage to snap this winner before the batteries were totally gone…

K, M, and Uncle Kris snuggle on the couch

A few hours later, we headed to my parents’ house to do the same big meal again. It is hard to eat so much in one day… but we manage to do this same routine every year: and our waistlines pay for it!

Mom, Dad, Sarah, Kris and Lolly

…and although the food was great, and the family company was even better, the best part of the evening was when Mom and Sarah wanted a knitting lesson! I had brought some extra yarn and needles along with me (I was hoping they would be up for it!)

Sarah started on a garter stitch short scarf with some leftover chunky yarn on size 11s. She picked up knitting very quickly, and also seemed to be pretty comfortable with purling. She practiced casting on several times and went on her merry way. When I came back the next day, she was ready to bind off!

Mom chose some wine-colored worsted tweed to practice. She had a few lessons from her grandmother as a child, and once she got the rhythm going, she was able to recall what her grandmother had taught her. She began a lovely scarf with garter edges and a stockinette panel in the center. By the next afternoon, she was several inches in, and much more confident in her stitches. Beautiful!

I was so happy to teach them about something that brings me so much joy. They both got the hang of it so quickly! I was not so lucky when I began knitting… it took me a few days before I really got the hang of it, but they caught on in less than an hour! I let them borrow my Maran’s Guide to Knitting, a great how-to knit resource, and I hope they can enjoy this hobby as much as I do!

The rest of the weekend and knitting / Socktoberfest updates will be in tomorrow’s blog entry, so stay tuned.

I did not have my nose in a book all weekend… just most of it! Luckily, I finished up two major papers just in time for last night’s class, and I am free for a few days before the major homework starts again. This is a big sigh of relief for me… I can finally see an end to this crazy semester. Only two more weeks of classes, two minor papers, and a big paper due in mid-December, and then I am done. (Still quite a bit, huh?)

Thanks for your encouragement through all of it. I go back and read this post and your comments often and I do feel reenergized — thank you!

However, this weekend, I escaped the stranglehold of homework for one evening, and got to enjoy a wonderful show with some wonderful people.

I love the radio, and I listen to it religiously. A few years back, I discovered the radio show This American Life and fell in love with the concept. Regular people with amazing stories to tell, sometimes based around a theme, other times a complete hodge podge.

Perhaps it speaks to the burgeoning historian and archivist inside of me… but who doesn’t love a good story? The stories told on the show are real: sometimes very raw, sometimes hilariously funny, and others have brought me to tears. Now that is good radio. (All previous episodes are archived and free to download on their site: go here for some of the favorites)

The show’s producer and "narrator" is Ira Glass, and many other well-known storytellers and comedians have contributed to the show; most notably David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell. On Saturday night, Kris and I headed down to DC and met up with friends to hear Ira give a lecture / demonstration of how radio is made. The show was amazing, funny, intelligent, and inspiring. A wonderful way to spend an evening.

…especially when you start the evening with some yummy food and great company! We met Jenna (go check out her finished Cutaway cardigan now!) and some friends from work. We headed to Adams Morgan where there is a particularly yummy Ethiopian restaurant called Meskerem.

Jenna and Lolly shared the vegetarian plate.

For those of you that have not tried Ethiopian food before, I think it can be described as a nice mix of Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines — spices are aromatic and the "stews" are filled with plenty of lentils and vegetables. The plate comes with a large round crepe-style bread called injera, which you tear and scoop up the stew mixes. This was the third Ethiopian restaurant I have been to in DC, and probably the most authentic in terms of service and ambiance.

Jenna and Lolly stop stuffing their faces for a photo op - courtesy of Kris. (I kept on thinking through this whole picture "I hope I don’t have spinach in my teeth!")

We taxied over to the auditorium after the yummy dinner, and waited patiently for Ira Glass to come on stage. Jenna thought ahead and brought some knitting, Lolly did not. However, I had fun googling over the beautiful handpainted yarn she is using for the mitten!

With these big essays finally out of the way, I was even able to knit a little myself! It has been too long!

Even though I have not seen the movie yet (I swear, I am a real fan) I did start on my HiP Azkaban scarf. Heather and I are making these scarves together using Patons Classic Merino in Old Gold and Burgandy. I think the color match is dead-on: great choice, Heather! I love the bias cut of this scarf, and it is a fun and easy knit.

This scarf is my contribution to the

knitalong.

Another project that saw the light of day; my Klaralund is nearly halfway finished. I have 3 inches more on sleeve 1, and then I will start the front, and sleeve 2. This sweater is so geometric. It is a nice cathartic knit: stockinette with some garter thrown in. It is perfect for relaxing my mind!

The garter and "extended garter" that form the bodice of the Klaralund.

Thank you to all of you who voted for my next Sisik project in last week’s post! The voting remained close in the very end, with 134 votes, the Aberdeen Cardigan pulled ahead — 69 / 65.

I began to think about what Karen mentioned in her comment "Can’t you knit both?" Well, yes, I guess I can… so, I ordered a few more skeins of rust to make the v-neck too… maybe I should have done that in the first place! I really did enjoy hearing your thoughts on the patterns and the embroidery though… maybe I will just knit Aberdeen first!

For those of you that asked: the Aberdeen Cardigan is available in the Dalegarn 115 book (Google to find availability), and the Vienna v-neck is in Dale Trends 123. (The Dalegarn 115 book is also the source for the Sisik Balmoral cardigan that I made this past summer)

Expect another entry after the holiday — I have some great Socktoberfest finished pairs to share with you, and may even have an FO of my own!

*PS-I just found this site on the Bust’s Girl Wide Web–it has great potential in the forums, reviews of yarns and shops. Go check it out — register, and start some forum threads!

http://www.knitheaven.com/

Justification 1: Sisik is a great yarn, and I loved working with it for my Dale of Norway Balmoral cardigan.

Justification 2: Little Knits had it 35% off, and I got free shipping with this coupon. (Big shout out to my girls Karma and Heather for alerting me on this sale and coupon code!)

Justification 3: This yarn is being discontinued by the manufacturer.

Justification 4: It was a birthday present to myself!

And because I have some forethought in this whole process, I bought this yarn knowing I wanted to make one of these two patterns:

Vienna v-neck pullover. I would use the Charcoal Sisik, and possibly outline the cuffs, hem and neckline with the rusty red Sisik. Another choice is to go all charcoal, and leave the rust for another project.

Aberdeen Cardigan. I would use the charcoal as my main color and use one ball of the rust to embroider the small stars and the edgings. Or, I could just leave the stars off and go with a plain color. The details of this cardigan are what really caught my eye: lattice pattering on hem and cuffs, and small mock cabled ribs.

Help me decide! Also, if you want, leave me a comment with your thoughts on knitting with both colors.

If you like Aberdeen, should I do the embroidery? If you like Vienna, should I do a solid?

Updated Sunday morning 9:46am:
It’s a dead heat! Get your votes in! I will knit what you tell me to!

School finally appears to be letting up a little… I have a big paper due on Monday, and I am nearly finished with it now… so I am rewarding myself with some knitting time tonight. Unfortunately, I am not off to see the movie, but I do have a date to go next week… that will give me time to work on the Azkaban scarf!

Chris and her fab family sent me some ~aloha~ love in the shape of chocolate-covered macadamia nut candies. God help me! I need to call the dentist already! And the beautiful flowers? they were a surprise giftie from dear Heather and a precious Pixie (seen here wearing the lei and dress I got her in HI)! Thank you girls!

I love books. I love knitting. I love knitting books. Thanks to my parents and Kris for adding to my knitting library! They are all filled with great patterns and techniques. Happy birthday, indeed

**I was recently contacted by Sterling Publishers, the people behind Vickie Howell’s new book New Knits on the Block. For those of you who don’t know, Vickie is the host of the DIY network’s show Knitty Gritty. I have picked up several helpful hints from this show, and even knit a pattern that they featured on their episode, Just Beachy. The new book recently hit the bookshelves and is filled with some great patterns, mainly targeted at knitting for children.

In the first week of December, I will be interviewing Vickie Howell here at Lollygirl.com. I plan to ask Vickie questions about how she made the jump into designing knitwear, what tips and recommendations she has for budding designers and new knitters, and some other fun questions along those lines. If you have a question that you are dying to ask Vickie, please email me or leave a comment here, and I will try my best to get it in the transcript! (Wendy will also be interviewing Vickie on her blog — she is also soliciting questions — check it out)

So, stay tuned in December for this interview! I hope it will be of interest to many of you!

Kira held a contest on her blog a few weeks ago… and I happened to win. The prize was this amazing sock yarn, hand-dyed by Sweet Georgia herself. The picture does not quite do this yarn justice, girlfriends. It is stunning. Many thanks to Kira for the generous gift, and to also to Felicia for making this beautiful skein.

I received this yarn, and immediately afterward, I checked out Cara’s new blog entry… she was announcing a brand-spanking new knitalong: Grumperina’s Jaywalker socks from Magknits!

It is a well-documented fact that I love socks. Now, I just need to finish my Socktoberfest pair (you heard right… the hostess of the knitalong still has a pair of unfinished socks!) and then these babies will be on the needles with the lovely green blue yarn, hopefully well before the Valentine’s Day priz deadline!

Speaking of Socktoberfest, I have so many beautiful finished pairs to share with you! Please make sure and check them out!

I have learned that the process of knitting does not end when a garment is bound off the needles and put in a drawer. What is more important than how your knitted garment wears? We all want our knits to last the test of time, but does that really happen? All of the work that goes into knitting an item only for it to be relegated to the back of your closet? This kind of information needs to be shared in the knitting community–there is great worth in telling your fellow knitters how a pattern shapes up after a few outings, as well as how the yarn washes and wears on a daily basis.

Purly did it last week. Lolly does it this week. Who is next week?

I encourage you to let your fellow knitters know!!

(Compliments to Rachael for "inventing" this fun finished knit pose)

Rhapsody in Blue was completed this past summer while I was at the beach. I have worn it about three or four times, and initially was very happy with how it turned out. I liked the wide boatneck and the bell sleeves. However, with each wear, I found it stretching width-wise. I washed and reblocked, and it was good again. I am concerned that it will stretch out width-wise again, and I guess I will just repeat the blocking process. Have others had this problem with Cotton Ease? Do you always have to reblock?

The yarn itself looks as good as it did the day I finished. No pilling, no fading, and no stray fibers sticking out from the woven ends. I had a few problems in the beginning (pictures in this May entry) with the way the reverse side looked–it could only be described as "wonky". However, these patches have smoothed out very well with the washing. I continue to be very happy with this yarn–I think it is my favorite yarn I have ever used–and sure enough, it is discontined now! However, I do have a little reserve in the ol’ stash–at least enough for two more garments and an accessory or two

VERDICT: Love it — even if it takes a little more maintainence to reblock it!

This is Tempting, from Knitty.com. I completed this sweater in the beginning of May after a few problems with the pattern. However, once I got it down, I was pretty pleased with the result. I was determined to show that even if this sweater was designed for smaller girls, I could wear it too. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. It was really wonderful to work with while I was knitting this garment. However, I really am not very pleased with how it has worn. I have worn this garment only twice in public. I am not entirely sure how the off-the-shoulder look would go over at the office, or at a Catholic school… So, I wore it to a festival last spring, and have worn it to dinner once. After only one wear, I began to notice fuzziness and the beginnings of pills on the sides of the sweater.

I picked some pills off, but more appeared almost immediately.

It may be hard to make out in the photo–but they are there, trust me.

The other major problem with this knit is how much it has stretched. The yarn is quite heavy in the knitted fabric–and in my opinion, may not be the right weight for this particular project (although that is what the pattern calls for) The stretching has caused this figure-shaping feminine sweater to look boxy and droopy… and that is not flattering at all.

Plus, I am not happy with the sleeves. I would make them longer–they are a weird lengh–either a cap sleeve, or a 3/4 sleeve would be a better fit for this garment. Another mishap, entirely my own fault, is the hole in the sleeve–this happened when I slipped it over my head, and the yarn got caught on a piece of jewelry.

All of these factors make me like this sweater less and less. I am willing to give the yarn "another life" in a new garment if I can reduce the pilling. (It is such a great color!) Any ideas? Has anyone made a garment with Cashmerino Aran and LOVED it? Please tell. In the meantime, I am thinking of another garment that this yarn is better suited for–Tempting was a fun knit, but if I ever did it again, I would choose a different fiber, and knit a size (or two) smaller.

VERDICT: This one will be swimming in the frog pond shortly.

Yesterday, I celebrated my 25th birthday. I guess it was not so much of a celebration as it was more of an observance… The high point of the day was definitely a nice lunch with my mom at our favorite French cafe. Unfortunately, I had to cut the afternoon short because I was getting some major cold symptoms–but I had to get to class that night to turn in a paper. A nap and some medicine helped me through the rest of the evening, but I sure was ready to hit the sack once I got home…

We did get the chance to have a little fun on the weekend before the school and work schedules started up again. We met my parents on Sunday for an early birthday dinner at a favorite Mexican place.

When it is your birthday, you get to wear a sombrero.

A big thank you for the lovely cards and birthday wishes that filled my inbox! This community is full of amazing people!

You know what I want for my birthday? I want YOU to place a pin in my KnitBlogger Geography map! This is a new project that I heard about through Bonne Marie. Other knitters have maps too–make sure to sign theirs as well!

I had a great time compiling the pomegranate post. Thank you for your interest and comments on it! I so enjoyed seeing your experiences with pomegranates, as well as your stories of your own personal treasures. Cathi shared her extensive city mug collection and some information about her travels past and future, and Cathy shared her adorable panda collection and more information on how to help these endangered animals.

If you share information about your own collection in a blog entry, I would love to know about it!

Socktoberfest news will be in the next entry, so stay tuned!