And then look what I found on the camera! She went for a ride on the yarn swift! Oh, dolly.

I have even more finished knitting to show you, but I have to finish packing and get to the airport!!

Last night I went to a winter solstice gathering and we made these origami boxes. Inside are all my hopes and dreams and fears for the new year. Hang in there, the days are getting longer!

Have I ever told you there’s a very large bird that moved in across the street? It moved in a few months ago. I don’t know what kind of bird it is, I think I saw it on the shoulder of the neighbor walking down the street once. Maybe it was white. Or green. Whatever it is, it’s *loud* and it *squawks* or maybe *screeches*. It’s very odd. I feel sorry for the bird. It’s not quite as bad as the dogs that used to live next door in Chicago. Their owners would leave them alone and they would bark all night long when I was trying to sleep. Their window was right next to mine and it sounded like they were in the room with me. It made me very unhappy.
This rant is going nowhere, so I’ll stop now.

Click here to watch the PETA video on Austrailian Merino Wool!

How do we know if the wool we’re using is from Australia? I don’t think there’s any way to know… The yarn manufacturers can use wool from anywhere, right? They don’t list it on the label. Jeez Louise, just when you thought you were an innocent knitter spreading the joy of handknit items, our beloved Merino wool is villified!

Sunday the coast was calling and we had grand plans to hike 7.5 miles to Alamere Falls, but it was getting too late in the day. It was so sunny and clear, a bonus between “storms” during the rainy season, we stopped off at Mt. Tam instead. I knitted the hat in the car, soaked up the sun on the hill, and ate my salami sandwich. Don’t be deceived, it was pretty chilly up there.

I never tire of looking out at the ocean. It’s probably because I grew up in Chicago. Lake Michigan is great, but I don’t experience the same sense of awe as when I gaze at the ocean. I like to think of all the creatures, big and small, swimming along in the ocean swells.

We were walking in the cemetery this morning and there was a catering truck for movie sets, trailers, tents, and shuttle vans everywhere. I thought there MUST be stars in it because they had trailers that said “STAR WAGGON” on it. I mean, only famous people must have trailers that say “STAR WAGGON” on them, right? One of the vans had a sign in it that said “Kite Runner Crew,” that’s how I knew what movie it was.

It’s a book, you can go read it before the movie comes out.

You might be interested in the CNET video tribute to James Kim, a collection of his technology reviews (click on “watch the video tribute” in the lower left hand corner to load the playlist of about 14 short videos).

If you would like to donate to the James Kim Memorial Fund, you can find more information here: http://www.jamesandkati.com/

CNET has also posted Tech Tips for Wilderness Survival. Probaby not a bad idea to keep a mylar emergency blanket, waterproof matches, and a pocketknife in the car.

I was glued to the news during the search for the Kim Family. I can’t really understand or explain why their experience has affected me so much. Maybe it was because we took a trip up north from the SF Bay Area on Thanksgiving weekend, too. We drove home in the rain while they were stuck in the snow just a few hours north of us. Maybe it’s because I can understand the thought “Hey, it’s a holiday weekend, let’s take a road trip,” since we’ve done it several times before. I can’t even imagine that such a happy trip could have such a terrible outcome. They were victims of such an unfortunate chain of events: a missed exit on the highway, low on gas, wrong turn on a spur road where the gate was left open, snow & rain for days, and a search that took just a little too long to help James Kim.

Maybe I just can’t bear the thought of a mom of a 7 month old and 4 year old losing her husband.

I finished the hat. Now I will model the hat for you a la sEn^ (TM). Since he is poking fun at knitting blogs, even going so far as to claim he has actually knit something and taken a picture of it, I thought I would poke my own fun.

As you can see, this hat is appropriate for many activities. Including morning coffee.

And no, I’m not giving away free handknit fingerless mittens. Are you crazy? Free handknits to perfect strangers? I have hardly even knit anything for myself yet! I have knit 4 single socks.. without pairs! You’re going to have to make your own, or have Sen knit you some now that he is the master knitter. Or visit the Etsy shop. Thanks for visiting, though.

P.S. My BFF Sen is offering free guitar lessons to the first 50 people who comment on his blog if you mention me, letterknit. He hasn’t spoken about it on his blog, it’s only for people *in the know*.

I bought this yarn when a yarn store was going out of business. I wasn’t sure what to use it for at the time, but I eventually realized it should be a hat. It is the most lovely charcoal color, not too bulky, and feels soft and warm. It’s so lovely I want to keep it for myself (this gift knitting is more difficult than I thought). I’m very pleased with how it’s turning out. The person who will be receiving this hat has a long head, so I hope it fits. A long head, you say? I don’t know.. it doesn’t look long, but when they tried on another hat I made, it was too short.

This hat has taken me awhile to knit. It’s a fine yarn and a single color, so I’ve had other projects going to spice things up a bit. I’m putting my socks on hold while I knit some other gifts. I can always knit those on the plane to Chicago for the holidays.

Nice perm, eh?

But let’s get to the point of my post.

They like the way I wind, They like the way I knit.
I like that partofthe song, eventhough I think it’s $*!#

My friend Jane lent me her yarn swift and ball winder! I’m so happy not to be winding that sock yarn by hand. Now I can spend more time knitting and less time winding, very important with the holidays so close. I must get back to work.

“uh, uh, uh Wind it Up! uh, uh, uh, uh”

I really don’t like that song. Gwen Stefani never intended to make this a theme song for knitters everywhere., I’m sure of it. I have a feeling this is going to have the same effect on me as thinking “It’s Gettin Hot in Herre” every time I feel a bit warm.