Sorry for the crappy photo; I took a quick shot with my phone. 

Today is my mother’s birthday.  I tried to make her a pair of socks, but she refused when she found out I had also gotten her a non-knit present. REFUSED.  Who refuses handmade socks?  I knew I should have cast-on before she opened the books.  The top three are self explanatory. The bottom three are the His Dark Materials [The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spy Glass] trilogy by Philip Pullman.

Carol and I have both read the Hunger Games trilogy so we’re waiting to debrief with her when she’s done.  I have His Dark Materials as audiobooks, but I’m waiting for my mother to get to them so we could, in theory, read them at the same time.

The other news of the day is that I no longer have to take Noxafil (posaconazole), the yucky liquid, fake cherry infused, anti-fungal medicine… AND …drumroll please… I get to lower my prednisone dosage!  If I do well on that, I get to lower the dosage again in another month. Yay for less prednisone!  Stupid steroid.

B-day Present for Carol

Pattern: Knucks by Pamela Grossman

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish in Amethyst Heather, Persimmon Heather, Moss, Twilight, and Cobblestone Heather

Needle: US 4 circular ML

How much would you pay for a bag my mother knit?  I know it’s really difficult to put a price on someone’s labor, but I’m asking because it has to be realistic.  In the ‘market’ it seems the general consensus is to sell a hand-crafted item for three times the cost of the materials.  No one in their right mind would pay $75 for a hand-knit bag unless it had some famous designer name tagged inside.

I’ve been asked by people to knit them various things if they bought the materials and paid for my labor.  The difficult part is that knitting, to me, is a labor of love.  A lot of it has to do with the fact that I’ve already gotten to experience working with the yarn and see the yarn go from string to a finished item.  Due to this, the end product is something I’m usually happy to gift to friends/family for birthdays and special occasions and holidays and generally whenever I’m in the mood.  So, taking all this into consideration, it is extremely difficult for me to assign a specific cost for my labor; I have yet to knit something for profit.

Anyone want to share their 2¢ ?

Note: These bags are not for sale; they are for only for show.

The other big news of 2011 was Carol’s engagement.  Fidel will officially be initiated into our family this year.  Here’s hoping I will be of sound body and mind to attend the wedding.

Upon reflection, it seems the bulk of my expenses boils down to 1. rent 2. medical bills 3. eating out/groceries and 4. knitting.  This year I was going to join only one sock club, but I found out about a fairy tale themed one and gave in.  Last year I made a commitment not to buy any new yarn or knitting related items and lasted 9 months.  Not too shabby.  I won’t make the same declaration again this year, but I will make a conscious effort not to buy anything unless I’m making a specific project that requires yarn I don’t already possess.  I can already hear the “yeah, yeah, yeah’s.”

After discovering that I completed 30 projects I have decided to start logging the time it takes to knit each project; it should be interesting.

On a completely unrelated note, I kicked Carol and Fidel’s butts in Scrabble! Best quote from the game, “What’s a gatone?”

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Christmas gift for Fidel

Pattern: Mind Reader (Tankeleser) by Tora Frøseth Design

Yarn: Wollmeise 100% Merino in Dora WD

Needle: 3.0mm 40″ circular ML

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I have to say one of my favorite Christmas gifts this year is a mannequin head from Fidel.  I have been wanting one to block and display hats.  We have named her Gertrude.

Christmas present for Kathy, my respiratory therapist

Pattern: Susie’s Reading Mitts by Janelle Masters for Dancing Ewe Yarn

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in Wildflower

Needle: US5 circular ML

Christmas present for Elizabeth

Pattern: ZigZag Mitts by Jen Hurley [modified]

Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight in Blarney Stone

Needle: US8 circular ML

knit for Jim : modeled by Elizabeth

Pattern: Tamara by Lindsay Koehler

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sport in Cloak

Needle: 2.75mm 40″ circular ML

Other Material: Darice Plastic Canvas

House Warming Present for Jami

Pattern: Three-Green Shoe Mat by Mel Clark

Yarn: Lily Sugar’n Cream in Hot Blue, Hot Green, Hot Orange, Hot Pink, Hot Purple, Red, Soft Ecru, Sunshine, Swimming Pool, Warm Brown

Needle: 5mm; US 8

Other Materials: Sewing Thread & Cotton Broadcloth

looking for a home

Pattern: Ninja from Creepy Cute Crotchet by Christen Haden

Yarn: Lily Sugar’n Cream in black

Needle: Crochet Hook E

Notions: White Embroidery Floss, 6mm Eyes

for Jami

Pattern: Slip-Stitch Hat by Cathleen Campbell

Yarn: Grant Creek Yarns Cushy Merino in Persia

Needle: 2.75mm 40″ circulars ML

for a Gift Exchange

Pattern: Mini Key Ring Purses by Kathy Sasser

Needle: 2.25mm

Notions: Key Rings, Buttons, Embroidery Floss

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Knitting always seems to somehow pile up when it’s the holidays.  The ridiculous thing is that the pressure is completely self imposed.  Most don’t know that I have x in mind for y, but I’m just too much of a perfectionist.

Right now I’m finishing up a house-warming gift and am in the middle of a Christmas gift for H and have plans to knit E fingerless gloves, F and J a beanie, and my respiratory therapist something tbd.

Besides Christmas knitting, I want to get going on a couple of baby gifts and weaving the scarf I started months ago.  Last but not least, I’m still in the middle of a stole I started for myself in April thinking I’d be done with it by the time it got cold. Ha!