Some Progress

I've made some crafty progress lately. Part of it is continuing working on some projects that I've had going for some time, and part of it is starting a new project and making really great progress in a short amount of time, because I've been sick.

Did I mention I woke up sick on Christmas Day? That was a cold, and went away pretty quickly. I also started feeling sick one evening, and stayed home from work on January 30, also with presumably another cold. This past Monday I started feeling sick again, but I said, "eff this, I'm not gonna be sick again -- I'm going to the gym!". I did go to the gym, and I survived, but the next morning (incidentially my birthday) I felt like crap and was able to squeeze in an appointment with a nurse practitioner to see what the hell is going on. Turns out, I got hit with sinusitis with "a touch of" bronchitis. Agreed, the bronchitis isn't as bad as the sinusitis, which made me want to rip all of my sinuses out and live the rest of my life without a sense of smell or taste, just so I wouldn't hurt anymore. A few days of antibiotics and rest seem to be working. Nope, I haven't been at work since Tuesday afternoon.

It did help me produce this:



Yup, that is Momma Monkey's pattern Fawkes, produced for Socktopia last year. I can't find the proper url for it right now, but I think the pattern is still available out there. I love the stitch definition of this yarn, which is Ellen's Half Pint Farm Wool/Bamboo sock yarn that I got for Xmas. I love how the colors make it appear more multitonal than it is. That's hot pink and orange, folks, and they blend in so nicely.

I've gotten even further on this sock since taking the picture. I've turned the heel and am working on the gusset decreases. I suppose the next picture I take, it will be done.

I also recently finished the first sock of Poseidon:



It took me a long time to figure out how to do the cuff edging, and once I figured it out I said, "duh!" I think the second sock is going to be a blast to knit, now that I know what is coming. They're supposed to be blocked so the edging shows more, but I'll wait until they're both done.

I also did some spinning:





This is the blue-faced leicester I received in the spinning secret pal swap from the blogless Maiziemama. I hand dyed this back in October along with some sock yarn that I still haven't used. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure if this fiber was fugly or not when I dyed it, but I do like the way it looks spun it. If that little flyaway part is any indication, it should look good plied as well. I just have to figure out how to ply it, as I have only one bobbin. Do I want to Andean ply it all (that's where you wrap it around your wrist and hand and ply it from there). The problem with Andean plying is that there are no breaks -- you do it all right there. So if you have to go pee you have to hold it, 'cuz you can't even cross your legs while spinning (or if you can PLEASE tell me your secret!). Maybe I'll ply it this weekend.

I did do some plying too:





I think it came out pretty nice. The very first bit on the bobbin was pretty gross from when I started plying it over the summer. Ooooh, there was much swearing involved with that! This time, it went so smoothly. I think perhaps I know how to spin now. I don't know how much I have; the niddy-noddy is about 63 inches around the way I wrapped it, and I counted the wraps and figured out how many inches that equals. I just need to figure out how many yards it is. It's hanging up behind me now, drying and setting the twist. ZMrK helped me out with an ingenuous way of weighting it down, which I'll have to photograph for you later. Let's just say it involves a coat hanger, a belt and a wok.

Let's turn to the cute part. The cats have finally figured out the new kitty pi is for them:





Ellie also figured out that she can fit inside the little scratching hutch thing:



She also likes to "help" me when I knit:



She "helps" when we try to read as well, and when we're at the computer. She hasn't tried to help me yet because she's "helping" ZMrK sweep the floor.

I think it's safe to say that she and Ken really like each other. He enjoys washing her face, and when she decides she's had enough, he enjoys forcing her to have her face washed, which leads to him biting her and her fighting back. That of course leads to a scuffle which ends when someone runs away. I'll need to take pictures of that. I don't know how much the Feliway helped, but it's safe to say they're used to each other.