Leap Year

For all you knitter's out there. I suggest you celebrate Leap Year by frogging a project that you've had sitting around for more than ten years that is less than half complete.

Free to good homes

A few years ago, I worked for an organization that has huge archives on stuff on the history of chemistry and the molecular sciences. While I was there, IUPAC (The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) donated their archives to my organization. The stuff came from Oxford, England, in a couple hundred moving boxes, several dozen of which I brought home to use for moving into my house.

The papers were filed in these "Hunt File Boxes" (which were made by Hunts Office Equipment Group in Oxford but are no long manufactured by anyone, it seems). The archivists at my organization were keeping the papers but discarding the boxes, so anyone who wanted them was allowed to bring them home. I couldn't bear to see such sturdy boxes tossed into the trash, so I brought some home. Actually, I brought a lot of them home--two or four at a time on the subway and the R5.

I've found these useful for storing magazines, papers, crafting supplies, and all sorts of stuff. But I have far more of these than I'll ever need (and I don't have the shelf space to accommodate them), so I need to find new homes for the surplus.

Dimensions are 14.75" tall, 9.75" wide, and 3" deep. The frame of each box file is actually made of wood, the fronts and backs are very thick pressboard. The interiors are covered with a marbled paper, and the exteriors are covered with book cloth. The boxes are very stuy and are in excellent condition; they can be stacked on a shelf vertically or on top of each other horizontally.

If you want some of these boxes, please let me know. (I have dozens of them, so there are plenty to go around.) I'll bring one to knitting next week so you can see it in person.

A very happy

Cardigan Complete

After six month in the making the Debbie Bliss jacket is finally complete, except the buttons are not sewn on yet. It fits her and she likes it.

I miscounted rows and have ten evenly-spaced buttonholes instead of seven. I had planned to use the buttons shown, but I only have eight of them. I think ten buttons along the packet would look too crowded. I'm looking for suggestions, fellow knitters?

MY SP Wants to Know

My secret pal really gets around (and changes handwriting from town to town -- hmmmm. . .). Postmarks so far from San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Boston. . . I'm waiting for Duluth, or how about my favorite town, Durand, Wisconsin? Oh, but where was I . . . right. SP wants to know "What are your three favorite things you've ever knit?" I've been mulling this over, and I'm not sure I can answer. My current favorite is the big purple mitered square blanket, appearing here. After that, I really don't know. . . maybe the Norwegian sweater, with an all-over pattern of stars, that I knit for my boyfriend the fall after I graduated from college. Having never done colorwork before. I loved that project. No one told me it might be hard, and it was just beautiful. And then. . . well, I just don't know. Possibly Bill's "elf" hat -- navy blue with 1-inch stripes in all the colors of the rainbow. He won't wear wool, and my hands don't like working with cotton (ouch) or acrylic (squeak squeak squeak) so it's the only thing I've made for him. I gave it to him for Christmas 2005, and he wore it all day, and he's worn it every day from November through March since then (not at work, just while getting there and back). I think he might get a new one next year. It's more about matching the project to the recipient for me than about virtuoso knitting. And since a good deal of my knitting time comes late at night, autopilot is usually the best kind. Not to say I don't have ideas about magnificent, complex achievements -- just maybe not this year.

twin baby pattern suggestions sought

I recently found out a co-worker and his wife are expecting
identical twin girls in June. Thanks to new 3-D ultrasounds,
earlier this week, everyone in the office saw their sweet
little faces. It's amazing how much better this new technology
is than what was available even a few years ago!

Anyone have any suggestions for gift knitting for the two?

I'd suggest something not overly complicated or ridiculously
time consuming and not booties. Other than those two
guidelines, I'm open.

I look forward to your ideas!

A visit from my secret groundhog pal

Even though yesterday's Groundhog Day party got canceled--and even though Phil says we've got six more weeks of winter--I still managed to have a great Groundhog Day.

Jan, Sylvia, and I went out to lunch with an old friend (whom we haven't seen in six years because he now lives in Yakima). When we returned, I checked our mailbox and found another gift from my secret pal. A beautiful card (with a woodcut that reminds me a lot of some of the woodcut art I've seen in Vermont and really adore) wished me a happy Groundhog Day. Accompanying it was a book that's been on my wish list for a long time (I think my secret pal is a mind reader!): Rowan Babies, by Kim Hargreaves. The designs in here are adorable--I am really looking forward to knitting them up!

Thank you, secret pal!

Thank you, Secret Pal

Just look at the lovely slippers my Secret Pal gave me. I don't know how she does it - the first gift bag (with the mittens) appeared out of nowhere into my knitting bag at Wegmans; this bag was left on my front door knob today and as far as I remember I was home all day!

These slippers are toasty and fun on the hardwood floors. I glide around as if ice skating!