Behold. My Christmas knitting, actually completely and totally finished before Christmas! It's a Christmas miracle!

From top: Pomatomus anklets in Koigu
Jaywalkers in Yarntini
Red Sox in Baby Cashmerino
Cable Twist Socks in Socks That Rock

Since the Cable Twist Socks have not been given their official debut, here they are.

Then there's this, Ms. Clapotis, finished months ago...

No idea how to wear this, so hopefully my mother-in-law can figure it out! And wear it!

And I'm gifting the Mermaid Gloves as well.

Along with some other non-knitterly items, I am on time, on schedule, and 100% done with Christmas shopping. And I didn't step foot in a mall once! Let's dance! Or take more pictures!

Cleeeck!

From this post forward (actually from yesterday's post forward), all photos on this site shall be courtesy of my very advanced, rather heavy but TOTALLY AWESOME new camera and lens. Thanks - or no thanks! I'm broke! - to Kathy for getting this ball rolling. And many many thanks to brooklyn tweed for answering all my incessant emails with great info and advise. I've wanted a dSLR forever and ever but not too long ago they were for people who were either very rich or who were actual photographers. I wasn't any of those things, I'm still neither of those things. However technology keeps getting cheaper - and better - by the minute. And one of the funny side effects of knit blogging is the desire to not only become a better knitter, or even a better writer, but a better photographer as well. I don't know what's in store for 2007, perhaps not better knitting or better writing, but by Jove there will be better photos!

There will be!

Behold. Our temporary home and office space while in Santa Fe. Not bad huh? It's lofty, spacious, and gloriously sunny. The only slight downside is that it is on the edge of - rather than a part of - a lovely residential area, and next to sort of a strip mallish street with a lot of new development surrounding. Not exactly a pretty location.

HowEVER, we have views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains from the many skylight windows, and it is still less than a mile from the Plaza, aka historic Santa Fe, where the action is! Too short to drive to, but definitely walkable and bikeable.

Let me tell you it's weird to be living in someone else's house, using their forks and salt shaker and especially their toilet seats. At least we brought our own bed linens. I cannot handle sleeping in other people's linens in much the same way that I cannot handle wearing other people's underwear.

The big things we're missing to make this feel like home are cable TV (no TV for two whole months!!) and the boys. They clearly do not miss us though. Bastards.

So as I mentioned, I finished Clapotis on the way here with all the driving I didn't do. After it's been properly blocked and weaved in I'll take an official photo.

But in the meantime, let's talk more about Santa Fe, shall we?

So small and so lovely. So blue and so orange. And so close to the sun, so very close to the bright, blazing sun. I was afraid that the elevation would affect me enough that I would have to deal with altitude sickness, which I've experienced before (and it was yucky unpleasant), but luckily, after initial symptoms of lightheadedness and windedness from ambling on flat terrain for only 5 minutes, I've been A-OK. Duck too.

We arrived just in time for the Santa Fe Fiesta. It was a good primer for getting a feel of what the city culture is like. For example, I learned that Santa Fean standard poodles love mariachi dancing.

We also learned that green chiles can kill you. This lesson took place at La Choza, the first restaurant we lunched at shortly after arriving, and just a short walk from our apartment.

Duck ordered the Green Chile Clam Chowder, I ordered the Chile Verde Con Papas, or green chile stew with pork and potatos.

For some reason, due to the thinner air or the hotter sun, but most likely because of the Spanish, it occurred to me too late that I was ordering green chile, and not say, green bell peppers. I mean, I knew I was ordering chile, but the synapses only truly clicked right before I took my first heaping spoonful, and then it was OH SHIT I'M EATING PUREED GREEN CHILES, and then all the synapses burst into flames along with the rest of my face.

I'm sad but alive to say that that spoonful was the only one I could muster. I ended up having the green chile clam chowder as my meal which was still spicy and very tasty, but comparatively bland next to the stew that Duck braved every tortuous spoonful of.

Afterwards he was seeing unicorns and leprechauns. Maybe the leprechauns were riding the unicorns, or the unicorns were dressed like the leprechauns.

Either way, dementia set in pretty quickly:

"Who are you?"
"Your wife."
"But. You're Chinese..."
"Yes."
"...Am I Chinese?"
"No."
"Hm. I don't feel so good."

So there was that, and now a raging bout of a cold sore the size of Texas on his upper lip. The poor thing. It should have been me, ha.

Hello fellow Americans who are possibly still sans Rowan! I received my Rowan yesterday in the mail, hopefully you guys did too. And let me say, it...was kind of sort of only slightly worth the wait...? Maybe? The two items that caught my eye, besides the crazy KSH ballgown "Arwen" which no way would I ever make, is Aelf and Lorelai. The others are nice but just how nice I'm not sure yet.

It just doesn't quite compare to last year's issue, Rowan 38. Even though it was better known as The Issue That Was Universally Vilified, it was responsible for really turning me into a Rowan fan, whereas before I was frankly puzzled by its popularity.

In fact, while waiting for 40 to arrive, I took another good look through 38, and find I love it even more. Aside from finally finishing Kooch (and I'd really really REALLY like to finish it. I was in anthropologie yesterday and sweater coats were everywhere), I want to start Miss Maple. Yes that beautiful sweater-poncho-cardigan enigma that will do nothing to accentuate my non-existent curves but whatever I still love it. It's trendy yet classic at the same time. No? Maybe.

Instead of Felted Tweed I could use the mounds of Peruvian Wool that has been sitting in my stash for nearly 2 years. So all I need are a couple of skeins of KSH. Which I will purchase at WEBS this weekend when we are in western Mass for a BBQ (this has been a fantastic summer, by the way). Damn you WEBS for carrying Rowan now! I am weaker than ever in your yarn-filled presence!

Anyway. I think I just reviewed Rowan 40 by reviewing Rowan 38. That's really helpful. I'm such a good knit blogger. And didn't I make a promise not so long ago that I'd blog daily? I should quit saying things I don't mean. Like "I'll call you right back" or "Yeah I'll do the dishes" or "I'm going to finish Kooch." Oh well, I've been really busy. I mean lazy. Sorry.

But I've been knitting! Check out what's been accomplished just in the last week:

Boston Red Socks
I am LOVING the way these are turning out, like ACTUAL, official team-sanctioned socks!

The pattern I'm using is the Madder Ribbed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks, and the yarn is Baby Cashmerino. I'm using US2 needles and have adapted the pattern for this gauge.

The Horseshoe heel looks interesting, like a coffee bean.

It's sad. These Red Socks are better than the actual Red Sox.

Clapotis
I needed something "brainless" to knit and this fits the bill, although what's great about this pattern is that it's not so brainless at all. I can see why it's been so popular. It's witty, if a pattern can be called that. I love the part in the pattern where you drop the stitch. The first time I had to really think about how to do this. I mean I've dropped stitches plenty of times by accident. Having to do it on purpose sort of messed with my brain. Knitting on the bias did that too.

I'm making this half the called-for width but it's still wide enough to be more stoley than scarfy. The yarn is Noro Silk Garden in #34. So pretty. So so pretty.