Woo.

Before I even begin this post, I'd like to be redundant (in terms of the blogosphere) and wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Woo.

Ok, so here we go...first post of 2006:

Do not make fun of me, people. I HAD to use the paper plates from my impromptu shindig last night in order to pin down this sucker and get it to unroll itself.

Also, do not, I repeat, DO NOT make fun of my "tomato." It is but a temporary measure until I can find an edgier, more stylish one (do they even exist in this fashion?). I only included it here so you could see the difference in reds between the "tomato" pin cushion and the Rowan 4-ply Soft. Rowan calls this color "red," but really, it's more of a deep, rich, cranberry color. In certain light it can be a traditional red, but in the light of day (the actual light of day, not the metaphorical light of day...ahem), it clearly has cranberry undertones.

The pattern is "Elizabeth I" from Alice Starmore's* Tudor Roses.

Here are some details:

So, this is how I ushered in the new year, people, and it was SU-WHEET!

Ah...

For three days now, I've been in my Hello Kitty and Snoopy jammies and my old, holey sweats (and yes, I have showered each day, transitioning from the jammies to the sweats) and it's been AWESOME.

I did have all these plans, but one-by-one they all fell through and I was left with this glorious chunk of time to do nothing but knit, spin, read about spinning, spin some more (not really spinning, more like learning to spin), eat, drink, watch movies while knitting and generally just lounging.

Did I mention how great this has been?

After weeks of Xmas flurry, a ton of obligations (fun, but with no detox time, which is something I need badly after going out) and work stuff, it was great to not have to go ANYwhere or do ANYthing.

I have to say, Elizabeth I is just what I need right now. Size 1 Addis, fingering weight yarn and a simple silhouette with an intricate, symmetrical, charted pattern. YUM. It's actually progressing much faster than I thought it would (I've knit on it a bit more after these pics were taken, but don't tell anyone...shhh!), and I'm hoping I can wear it before the season is over.

Now, excuse me while I get back to the business of catching up with my knitblogs and playing with my wheel (that just sounds funny, doesn't it? Hehe). Can you believe I have a whole other glorious day scheduled for this? Can you?

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*Can I actually type her name and mention her pattern? I'm a little scared after reading this. I actually, seriously don't think I can even mention her name -- seriously (there are a bunch of other articles which mention how she's trademarked her name and how it is illegal to refer to her by name or by "AS" or by linking to her [I think]...just search her name and "litigation" and you can read all about it) -- but I like to live on the edge. Of course, I was totally unaware of this until Miss Grumperina turned me on to it when I first mentioned "Her" (I shall from this point on refer to AS as "Her," which I think is still in violation...hehe) book. I just realized this entire paragraph is probably in violation of her trademark thingy. Claudia? Again, I like to live on the edge. ;-)

Isn't this sort of like the whole Metallica Scandal, but with a "famous" (and I use that term loosely -- it's more like, Big Fish, Small Pond) knitwear designer?