What can I say ... I'm weak

Thanks to Cara's tip in the comments of the last post, I did actually order some STR. The increased yardage is now listed so that is a good thing. I will still cast on for my first Jaywalker pair from the Lorna's Laces that I showed previously since that is already in my hot little hands and I will be able to work on those next week during my daughter's school vacation. We will be visiting my parents in NJ for the week and I usually can get in some quality knitting time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have to give any uncompleted knitting gifts so there won't be any finishing stuff to do after Sunday. This will leave me free to start on something for moi and socks will be a nice portable project since my daughter and I will be taking the train back home after our visit in NJ.

We will be making a trek into NYC for a matinee of Peter Pan - I think the kids will like this (I'm looking forward to it also!). I also have plans to visit Modern Yarns and maybe some other knitting shops in the area.

On another happy note, I signed up for Secret Pal 7. This is so exciting - can't wait for the assignments. And remember to check out Cara's birthday showcase - the past questions have been fun. Finding the answers is kind of like a scavenger hunt. And check out Cate's post on the reason for the season - she wrote a wonderful post that makes one remember what's really important.

Bits of holiday knitting

I promised a mitten picture and here it is. Thanks to Sandy I have been busy creating warm hands for others. Starting with the swirly mitten (whose mate is nearly finished) and continuing clockwise, we have Mission Falls Thrill for my niece, Fleece Artist mittens for my daughter, the pattern and Blue Sky Alpaca sportweight yarn (black and eggplant) used for fingerless gloves for a friend (sorry, I forgot to take a picture and the present is wrapped), Manos fingerless gloves (only one so far - I changed my mind about the recipient of these mid-knitting), and Fleece Artist thrummed mittens for my mom.

I also have 2 Girlfriend sweaters that are not quite finished. Here is one that still needs the button loop and the button sewed on. The second one is pink and still needs the collar, blocking, the button and a button loop for closure. They are both made from Jaeger Shetland Aran which I purchased from here. This is a nice yarn to knit with and a great place to order from - excellent customer service. I think I am doing ok with the holiday knitting. Of course, I am probably bringing the knitting powers that be down on my head with that comment so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut.

On a sad note, I waited too long to order my Socks That Rock yarn from The Fold. I was so tempted by all that Cara has to say about this yarn, but kept holding out thinking that I really don't need this yarn right now. Then when I called yesterday, I was told that all the multicolored skeins are gone for now, but a new shipment is expected around mid-January. I tell myself it's better this way. I had told myself to lay low on the yarn purchases for a while and have actually been pretty good about that. Of course, January is right around the corner and all hell can break loose then! Besides, this book came in the mail and will definitely provide much enjoyment with this KAL.

A very special gift of the season

This is what it's all about - good friends! Every year at this time we get together for a day of shopping, lunch (with cocktails of course), laughs, good times and occasionally a picture with Santa. And we leave with memories of a wonderful day and dreams of next year when we do it all over again. It definitely pushes one over the edge, right into that vat of holiday happiness.

And I am reminded how lucky I am to have such good friends. Friends I can laugh and cry with, who can give and receive hugs, friends who know when to give advice and when to simply listen. Some friends I have had since childhood and some, like these great friends in the picture, I've met through work. Others I have corresponded with only through email and snail mail, the connection being made because of common interests. Even though I have not met them (yet!!!), they are also a very special part of my life. And I want to wish all of you all the joy you deserve - for the holidays and beyond. And thank you all for bringing such joy into my life!

By the way - those drinks in the picture - Key Lime Martinis. I believe the ingredients were vodka, Midori and key lime juice. Quite yummy!

It's all about the bling

I've been told that "bling" is in this year. I first heard this word this past year when I was beading at my local beading store. Knitting Corner and Scrapbook Nook, as you can tell by the name, also carries yarn and scrapbook supplies and is a fun place to hang out. Here are some of the gifts I have beaded for this year - simple beading projects all. For those who prefer knitting, there will be some knitting content later on (even pictures!). Some things have not been shown just in case certain people are reading this. First the necklaces:

Yes, that's a sheep in the picture - she sits in my bedroom and gets to wear the necklaces before they are given away. And those are dragonflies without chains on the right. Now the earrings:

Angels and snowmen. I have made 5 angels and 6 snowmen - great quick gifts. Of course, I had to have a pair of each for myself. And I have been knitting some gifts too - a good friend will be getting these:

Plain vanilla Opal socks. Speaking of socks, I have been extremely delinquent in the Jaywalker KAL and I must apologize to the gracious hostess. By the way, Cara is having a weekly contest over at her blog with some awesome prizes. Go check it out. Anyway, back to the KAL. I have printed out the pattern and finally picked out the yarn -

Lornas Laces nicely aged from my stash. I've read about the problems some had and am a little worried about my size 10 feet. I usually cast on 72 stitches, so I think I will cast on for the larger size and just keep trying it on. And lastly, I have some spinning photos to share with you. See, I have been playing with my new camera. First a picture of the remainder of one of my Grafton Fibers batts purchased at Rhinebeck this past fall - a beautiful butterscotch color.

And the corresponding singles - isn't this beautiful:

Alas, lately I have not had large amounts of time to devote to spinning. It has mostly been accomplished in stolen minutes - 10 minute periods here and there. Not great for making progress, but better than nothing.

I will try to get a picture together of the mittens I have knitted for Sandy's Warm Hands KAL. I have been better with that than the Jaywalker KAL because the mittens have been for gifts and the socks are to be for me. But when January comes around - then it is totally selfish knitting time for moi - can't wait!

It feels good...

The box to be sent to Anne in Indiana is in the car. The final total is 7 fleece scarves, 1 knitted scarf (donated by my friend Elaine), 1 knitted hat and this fellow.

It's a good thing he was designated for charity from the beginning, 'cause he was hard to let go of - especially for my daughter. She put a pink felt heart inside of him before he was sewn up and gave him lots of kisses. I think I need to make one for her. I hope he will make some child happy. I also got started on a box for Dulaan - one hat and a toddler vest done already. Thank you so much to Margene and Carole for holding the charity KAL. It felt good to be doing something and I think it has cut down on the holiday craziness.

The tooth fairy visited our house last week. It was a very exciting time especially when I was rushing around the house trying to find a camera that worked so I could take a picture. We have 3 cameras and none of them worked that morning. My daughter tried to calm me down by telling me that we could take a picture of her when the next tooth fell out, but of course I explained that this "first" would never happen again. I ranted and raved and she looked at me as if I was nuts when I wouldn't accept her plan that when the second tooth fell out, we could just pretend it was the first tooth. The next day I got my early Christmas present which means I got a picture of my daughter and now I can share pictures on this blog. What fun!!

I've also joined the Jaywalker KAL and ordered the pattern for this sweater.

I'm probably losing my mind as the pattern is in Japanese. Anyone else want to join in knitting this, click over to here. The KAL isn't starting until January 1 and since I try to designate January as "knit for me" month, this may be just the thing. But don't tell all the other projects that were waiting, not too patiently, to be taken out in January. They might not be too happy.

Odds and Ends

Thanksgiving dinner was good. The exciting part of the day was when we discovered that my daughter has a loose tooth - she was so excited and now can't keep from wiggling that tooth every chance she gets. The organic turkey tasted great and we have A LOT of leftovers. For those looking for some yummy leftover recipes, I made a kind of turkey shepherds pie - layered stuffing, cut up turkey mixed with vegetables and gravy and then put mashed potatoes on top. When I asked my daughter what she wanted to eat for Thanksgiving dinner, her reply was simply "chocolate chip pie". I've never made one so I went online and found this recipe here. It was good, but kind of too sweet. I liked my pumpkin pie better.

The bear is almost finished - it still needs arms and some facial features. While I was working on that, I also cast on for this toddler vest. It is a fun pattern and I was able to memorize it which always amazes me. That will be sent off for the Dulaan Project. And I did work on some beading projects, finishing up some simple necklaces and making 2 pairs of the cutest snowman earrings. I had to keep one for myself. Otherwise the long weekend was kind of quiet. I did brave the crowds on Friday to do a little bit of shopping - nothing major. I am actively looking for a digital camera since that is the one thing I'd like for the holidays - preferably before. I'd love to be able to share pictures of the things I'm working on.

I finished reading Sylvia's Farm. It is an enjoyable read about the author's life on her farm. As she says, "It is about the rhythm of the days and their attendant nights, the flow of the seasons and their gifts of joy and sorrow." Now, thanks to Deb, I am rereading Jane Austen's Persuasion. I had seen the movie on a trip to New Zealand and loved it. Perhaps it was that the theater was located in a fabulous building, part of the Arts Centre in Christchurch. The buildings were originally home to the Canterbury University College which was established in 1873. Plus I was in New Zealand for heavens sake. So rereading the book and knitting the toddlers vest out of wool that I had brought home with me from New Zealand 10 years ago - all of this are bringing back some wonderful memories.

On the lighter side, I'm glad to see that I passed 8th grade math and science.

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

What's New

Well, I finished a hat from my stash which will be sent off somewhere soon. And Anne had requested knitted bears, dolls, etc. for the children so I cast on for a Baby Bobbi Bear in the Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton. It's a fun pattern although the cotton yarn seems to be sucking the moisture out of my hands. Is that possible? I did also finish the mittens for my daughter (don't want to get thrown out of Sandy's KAL :) ). They came out so warm and cozy, I really love that Fleece Artist yarn. Don't know when I'll start the pink mittens, but if I make them for myself, I will, as Cate said, "wear them with pride"!

This past weekend we visited my family in New Jersey and I had a small amount of time to check out a new yarn store in the area - Modern Yarn. They have some of my favorite yarns - the Blue Sky Alpacas, Malabrigo, Manos, Debbie Bliss, Cherry Tree Hill, Noro and some I haven't tried yet, but would like to - Frog Tree Alpaca, Habu (they had a kit with some stainless steel yarn), Cascade 220 (yes, I am ashamed to say that I haven't tried this yarn yet and I've heard such wonderful things about it), Hemp for Knitting, and many more. The store is spacious and well laid out - looks like it will be fun to go back next time I'm visiting. There is another yarn store just down the street (Elly's Knit 'n Rest which has been there forever and has a lot of yarns and a knowledgeable owner), a great coffee shop and restaurants.

Some of this is amazingly true...

Your Birthdate: June 22

You tend to be understated and under appreciated. You have a hidden force to do amazing things, doing them your own way. People may see you as strange and shy, but they know little. Your unconventional ways have more power than they (and even you) know. Your strength: Standing up for what you know is true Your weakness: You tend to be picky and rigid Your power color: Silver Your power symbol: Square Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Take the time for others

Around this time of the year it is easy for me to get caught up in the frenzy of the holiday season. For those who like to make gifts for others perhaps you know what I mean. I have my list of things I need to make and the things on the list will invariably take longer than the time that is left until the holidays. Some people may get half finished things that will hopefully get done after the holidays and some things on the list will get crossed off as I realize that I just can't do it. And of course there are those items which I am frantically finishing up in the few minutes before I see the recipient. And every year I tell myself to try and be smarter next year.

Well, this year, Margene has started a knitalong called Knit Unto Others. During the next two weeks we can concentrate on knitting for charities of our choice.


I am so happy to be able to participate. It's a time to think about what is really important and be thankful for what I have while helping others. And isn't that the real message we want to remember.

But that was supposed to be for me...

Since joining Sandy's Warm Hands KAL, I have been checking out many different mitten patterns and yarns. I have become quite a fan of Fleece Artist yarns and have ordered a few of their kits. The yarns and their colors are exquisite. The KAL inspired me to finish a pair of Fleece Artist thrummed mittens that will be a gift for my mom and to start a pair of mittens for my daughter. I checked out this site, and found the Fleece Artist Favorite Soft Mittens/Socks kits. The mittens or socks will be made from one strand of Mohair along with one strand of Blue Faced Leicester and they even had the kit in the perfect color for my daughter - bright pinks. Her favorite color has always been pink. Sometimes she will pick red or even purple if pink is not available, but usually she leans towards the pink family. So this kit would be perfect. Now, I have ordered from this place before and I know that I can order another kit and the shipping will be the same. So I went looking for what else I might add to my cart. For those who don't understand this logic, please, don't even try. The most beautiful colors caught my eye. I love the colors of fall - rusts, golds, greens - and there they were. Another Favorite Soft Mittens kit and the colors just sang to me. I had to have that kit and the mittens would be for ME!

Two days later the box showed up at the door. Colorsong Yarn has excellent customer service and the packages always arrive quickly. I even met the mailman as I saw the box sticking out of his bag. I opened the box and was overjoyed by the colors of fall. The yarn looked like the perfect pile of leaves with all the glorious colors. And the pink kit was as perfect as I thought it would be - just the right colors for my daughter. She came into the room and here is how the conversation went.

Me: Look at this beautiful yarn that I'll use to make your mittens. Don't you just love this pink yarn?

Her: (her eyes looking at the 2 bundles of yarn) Yes, it's beautiful, but what is this other one for?

Me: (with the first little twinge of panic) Oh, this one with the fall colors? It isn't as bright as the pink one. Don't you just love the pinks?

Her: But this other one looks like a rainbow with all the pretty colors. Please can you use this one for my mittens?

Me: (panic setting in) Well, we can wind it up, but it's not as bright and beautiful as the pink - kind of dull don't you think?

Her: Oh no, mom. It looks like a rainbow.

So we proceed to wind up the yarn. As the yarn goes on the swift, the colors call out to me, but I can already feel my grip slipping away as my daughter carresses the yarn. I attempt to pull that yarn back one more time.

Me: (in a stern voice) You know, you can't have both yarns. If you pick this one, you can't have the pink one too.

Her: Do I have to have the pink one?

Me: (resigned) Of course not. You can have this one instead.

Later I received a note in her "kid writing" - "I love you so much mommy. You share everything." What's a mom to do!!

Ahh.... Roma

Thanks Juno for this link:

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city girl with a small town heart Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand And gorgeous Italian men - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

Sounds like fun - when do we go??

Happy Birthday to my friend Connie! Connie and I met on the Socknitters list and even though we live on opposite ends of the country and have never met face to face, I love our emails and letters. She just got back from SOAR and a class with Nancy Bush. Can you call me jealous :). Spinning and knitting with people who love the same things - how much better can you get! Happy Birthday to a great friend. Have a great day!

The baby bootees and hat are almost done. The hat needs to be blocked since the picot cast on is curling a bit, but the gift will be done in time for when I go to NJ next weekend. I need to get to work on the next pair of mittens for Sandy's Warm Hands KAL. Instead I keep ordering patterns and kits - now I saw these kits when I was checking out what mittens people are working on: I am just tempted way too easily by yarn and patterns. And Sandy liked her prize - I'm so glad!

20 Random Things

Cate did this last week and she said the same thing I had been thinking. Coming up with 100 things kept putting me off, but I think I can manage 20 random things.

1. I love coffee.
2. If I don't get my coffee I can be a real grump.
3. I didn't realize it was possible to just totally love another person so much until I had my daughter.
4. She rocks my world.
5. I love being able to see things the way she does.
6. I hope I'm as good a mom as my friend Wendy. She has tons of patience and is a great role model for her girls.
7. I have a hard time getting rid of things.
8. Consequently, there is a lot of stuff in my house.
9. I love to read a good book.
10. When I was younger, I would always take a book to those family gatherings. Maybe I was a little unsociable.
11. I'm kind of shy.
12. Sometimes it's hard to know what to say, especially around people I don't know too well.
13. I love to travel.
14. I traveled more when I was yonger than I do now.
15. I like a good apple martini.
16. I majored in math and computer science in college.
17. I started nursing school, but left because of family issues.
18. I learned to give shots when my cat developed diabetes and needed insulin everyday.
19. I don't have any pets now - except for the three fish in my daughter's room.
20. I really miss having a dog or cat around.

Well, that wasn't so bad. It was actually kind of fun.

Since the baby hat and sweater are finished, I just had to cast on for another baby gift. I'm making some basic "stay-on" bootees (from Knitting for Baby) from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino and (get ready to say awww...) this hat from DB Cashmerino Aran. My parents neighbors just had a little girl (they have 2 boys), so I thought the mom might like some girly things. I did make a trip to the post office last week to send out a prize/gift to Sandy for leaving my first ever comment. I hope she likes it.

Keep on knitting!

The flow of the fiber as therapy

I knew that was what I needed. The simple act of letting the fiber flow through my fingers as I made yarn. That would be soothing. It had been one of those days and I felt as if I was being pulled in every direction. I admit it - I am the type of person that tries to please everyone. And sometimes, well, it really sucks being that kind of person. Because, inevitably, you can't please everyone and you end up being untrue to yourself. That little word - two letters is all - and yet, it is such a big word. No! There I said it, just not when I needed to. So, by the end of the day, I knew that spinning would be the perfect retreat. And I was right. I have been staring at a small amount of fiber that has been sitting by the wheel for the past week - the end of my first Grafton Fibers batt from Rhinebeck. When that is finished, I shall start a second bobbin with the next batt. 7 months ago I would have laughed at myself saying that spinning would be a way of relaxing. I had just started my lessons back then and would watch with horror as the fiber would be pulled from my fingers as soon as I started treadling. And when I was able to get it on the bobbin, there were these huge lumpy things - yes, that first yarn you ever spin. The yarn that they told you would be hard to reproduce when you got better at spinning - and you laughed, not really believing them. Well, amazing as it seemed back then, spinning has become a natural thing for my fingers to do. My feet treadle and my fingers draft the fibers without my really thinking about it. The fibers just flow and I watch the yarn take shape. It is such a joy to stop and let a small bit twist back on itself, envisioning the next step of plying and thinking about what this fiber will become. And it helps me become calm and less annoyed with myself for not making my voice heard earlier. Yes, the problems will still be there the next day, but maybe I'll be able to deal with them a little bit better. And if I can't, there is always more fiber to spin.

Finishing one project does not mean I can cast on another...

Well, I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween! Now we have way too much candy in the house and between that and the stuff that is brought to work, I am sorely tempted!

On the knitting front, the baby sweater and hat are finished. They are made out of a wool/mohair blend from Steadfast Fibers. This is a new wool at my LYS and it was nice to work with. The skeins are "individually colored" (according to the label). I bought two skeins called Deep Woods and this color has variations of deep blues. The sweater is a pullover raglan which I did in the round up to the underarms where I separated and knit the back and front straight with the raglan decreases. I did the same with the sleeves, knitting in the round until I had to start the decreases. I really don't like seaming so I thought I'd experiment and try to avoid as much as possible. The hat was also done in the round with one of those i-cords on top that you tie in a knot. The set looks quite nice. I always like having baby gifts on hand and right now I know two woman who are due by the end of the year. One of them will get this gift.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I take my daughter to her gymnastics practice. Each practice is 1.5 hours so I sit in the bleachers and knit. Sometimes I feel guilty - I suppose I could be exercising (we're at the YMCA), but I like watching the practices and my daughter likes having me there. Some of the girls are always interested in what I'm working on. I get lots of questions. One of the girls was very observant and noticed that I work on a lot of different things. She would ask if I had finished the last project and when I answered no, she questioned how I could be working on something else when I hadn't finished the other project. Oh, how do you explain WIP's (no, I refuse to say I have some sort of attention deficit disorder :)) to a 6 year old. Yes, out of the mouths of babes!

I have been fighting a bad case of startitis. Cate tempted me with this, but I resisted the first time I saw it and I think I can hold on a little longer. Now this is another story. Sandy is knitting this mitten (see her October 30th post) and I have been thinking about getting that Smitten book by Mission Falls. The Advika mitten is really cool - especially with those cute little mirrors. Even though I'm won't be too happy weaving in all those ends, I love all the colors and I don't think I can resist those mirrors!

A Little "Me" Time

Well, this past weekend really revolved around my daughter. Two fall festivals, a birthday party, gymnastics show and a friend sleeping over all made me totally exhausted by the time Sunday rolled around. But I did get a little bit of "me" time and here is the proof.

That's one of the Girlfriend Swing Coats that I'm working on. I don't think I can sit anywhere for any period of time without having my knitting. I even bring it when we go to amusement parks - some of those lines are rather long and that is some prime knitting time - good for something small like socks.

A Proud Mama

What's this - a picture? Yes, the lovely, generous and very talented Jennifer of The Spirit Trail took this photo of my daughter by Jen's booth at Rhinebeck. This bright pink merino, silk, angora (? gotta find that label...) roving was purchased at Cummington this past May from Jen's booth. It was a joy to spin and soooo soft! Then I had to figure out what to do with it and after reading about One Skein Wonders for children here, I decided that would be the perfect thing to make. I know I may be a little biased but I just love this picture - thanks Jen!

And my daughter was named Student of the Week this week in her class at kindergarten. What I wonder sometimes is how I can be so proud of her one minute and then tearing my hair out the next? This morning we were getting ready for school and I was helping her put her tights on when to my surprise I noticed that she had written her name in pen - her first name on the bottom of one foot and her last name on the bottom of the other. Where do they get these ideas? Actually it was pretty funny and I wasn't mad - just amazed.

Startitis ... Finishing Deficit Disorder

I definitely have a problem when it comes to starting new projects. A new yarn or project will whisper provocatively in my ear "Come play with me" and I fall hook, line and sinker. Forgetting about the projects that I already have on the needles, I cast on for a new one. The "On the Needles" list I have started is not complete - they are the ones that are most visible and higher on my list of "to finish". I am kind of hoping that blogging about these projects will kind of push me to finish them up. The problem with finishing things doesn't always involve wanting to start something new. Sometimes I just hit a snag and instead of dealing with it, I stuff the project away somewhere and go onto something else. Or during this time of year, I feel that I should be working on gifts and not on things for myself - which is the reason that my Moriah's Wildflower Cardigan from the Green Mountain Spinnery book has been put away with just one front piece left to finish knitting. (Whoops - that one isn't in my list ...). And it goes without saying that there are many projects (with yarn) waiting in the eaves - and now there is also the unspun fiber. The possibilities abound and sometimes I feel overwhelmed. But who can resist the call of the fiber!

One of the things I found out when I started reading blogs was that other people had similar issues. And this is one of my most favorite things I've read. I'm not sure what it says about me that I would love to do something like that. So now I know that I am not alone and I think that makes me feel better or at least not so out of control. And that is comforting in its own way.

Some details

A friend just stopped by for a brief visit. We met in our breast feeding support group when our girls were infants and joined the same playgroup. 5+ years later and we are still great friends - she was the youngest mom in our playgroup and I was the oldest, but we still found a lot in common and I rely on her for my sanity. She was one of the few people I could call at 6AM since I knew her daughter was an early riser too. The girls are good friends too and play together very well.

Speaking of friends and sanity, our knitting group at work met today for our lunchtime escape. Pauline is working on a felted bag and realized that she couldn't get much farther decreasing on the circular needles she was using. She didn't have any dps with her but just happened to have another circular and Elaine and I were able to show her how to use the 2 circulars to knit in the round. She finished the bag and is now onto the i-cord. Elaine's working on socks and I'm working on a baby sweater. Elaine is my one hope for a local spinning buddy. She was actually the one looking at spinning wheels and I was like no way - why would I do that when I can go out and buy yarn!! One year later and she has a rigid heddle loom and I have my beautiful Rose. And I love playing with fiber. And yes, I still buy yarn.

For anyone who was wondering what I am thinking of doing once my Corriedale batt is spun - this and this are both possibilities. I did finish knitting the fingerless mittens out of Blue Sky 100% alpaca sportweight. Wonderful stuff to work with and I think I'd like a pair for myself. Psst...I actually did buy some for myself (paprika and green like in the pattern picture). Maybe I should just cast on for those.

My First Post

Well, I've finally done it - I've started a blog. I have been reading other blogs for a while now, but have put off doing it myself. The reasons - let's see: I don't have a digital camera and posts are so much nicer with pictures, what will I write about and when will I find the time. But I've decided to try this out and see what happens.

My blog will mostly be about my knitting and spinning, my daughter and other related things. To start off, I've been spinning a most wonderful Corriedale batt from Grafton Fibers that I picked up at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck last weekend. A lot of posts have been written about the Rhinebeck experience and let me tell you, they are right on track. It is a fantastic time for anyone interested in fibers, spinning, knitting, eating, and meeting some wonderful people. My knitting projects are plentiful - I am definitely not a "one project at a time" type of person. Today I was knitting on a pair of fingerless mittens for the Warm Hands KAL. They will be a Christmas present for a special friend.