*Now* it's a New Year!

Howdy folks,

As I am sure you all are on the edge of your seats: I remain a medical mystery but no appendectomy necessary last night (thank ye baby Jesus). I was discharged at 11:30, (that's right, 12 and a half hours at the ER yesterday, good times!) and Jon and I were able to smooch in the new year on our very own couch. There are, of course, follow-up exams to do, such as an MRI later this week and an ultrasound of my internal organs next week, but I've been through that before and I'll get through it again. In some ways, I wish it had been just a simple case of apendicitis, as the "we don't know what's wrong with you" route is much more tiring.And frankly, I think you deserve a little surgery after sitting on your ass in the ER for 12 hours.

And with that, we can move to knitting.


My mom modeling her "Child's First Socks" by Nancy Bush in hand-dyed handspun North Ronaldsay wool.


My mom-in-law modeling her (size 6 thank god) Rolling Thunder socks in Shepherd Sock. These are heavily modified with a 5-row picot edge, no beads, and two upper-leg pattern repeats.

And finally, folks, I stretched myself this year for Christmas. I have been harboring a dark secret for years and it is finally time to bring it to light: I am (was) afraid of colorwork. I know, it's shameful and I'm not proud of my creative reluctance, but now you know. The thing is, while Mom and I were in Scotland this summer, we saw a beautiful hand-knit sweater at the Raven Press Gallery that was a soft grey with these almost pastel fair isle designs in it and Mom loved it. However, it was very expensive (as all great hand-knits should be). So we traveled on and in the Orkneys we bought enough grey North Ronaldsay worsted weight to make a sweater. The two bags of wool have been sitting around my house waiting for me to find the right complementary yarn and to get the hell over my (idiotic) fear. I did and on Christmas Day, I delivered this to Mom in her stocking:


My mom holding my very first colorwork.

I found the contrast yarn in the form of Sarah Anderson roving at OFFF back in September in the colorway "Autumn Joy" and luckily managed to spin it to the same weight as the existing North Ronaldsay. My mom was happy and impressed (as she should be!) and I have now overcome my Greatest Knitting Fear. It was a Christmas miracle. :)