Ugh, I'm sick. I have no desire to spin or knit or anything.

Pity, though, as I just have the thumbs to complete on my cashmere Turkish mittens.

My chest cold is starting to break up, so I'm at that miserable, hacking, expectorant stage. Fun fun fun.

I don't care, as long as I'm well in time for my trip to New Orleans for spring break.

I have a new blog. It is nothing like this one.

It is about sex. I will try to keep it on topic.

I will probably update the other more.

Fair warning, if you like this one, you will probably not like the other.

Well, I managed to find/make Mardi Gras here in NYC. I'm shocked that I came home with more beads than I left with. And I was giving them away! Sajnos, senki sem mutatotta a pöcsödet.

It looks like the New Orleans trip is starting to flesh out as well. I have one other person who's already bought tickets, and 3-7 other people who are trying to fit it into their schedules. So I won't be entirely alone all week. There's so much I want to do; now I just have to decide what I want to do with other people.

T-30 days to debauchery!

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

It's Mardi Gras. Break out the Hurricanes & beignets. Throw me some beads, mister! What will you give me for my beads? (Mutasd a pöcsödet!)

I'm happily decked out in my beads, here in the den of iniquity, but no one else seems to be celebrating. Well, it is New York.

I'm thinking about going down to New Orleans for Spring Break, but having a hard time getting anyone to go with me. Not that I particularly need the company.

Who'da ever thought I'd like a southern city so much?

It so figures. Just two days ago I was rejoicing at my finally being able to spindle again after having sprained my finger playing volleyball this summer. And wouldn't you know it, I dove for a ball last night an burst a bunch of blood vessels in one wrist - sprained the other.

sigh

Wow, Blogger.com has changed a bit since I first started this. I may be time for me to rehaul my blog - redo comments; start adding pictures, etc.

Well I finally started spinning again. My finger doesn't hurt anymore! So I'm working on the Cinderella mittens. (Mittens that are too big for me, but maybe they'll fit a SO.)

I also gave away a pair of socks that were too small for me. The recipient loves them. She wants to commission a sweater of similar design. (Aran) We have to get together to see exactly what she wants, and whether I have to design it myself or if there's a pattern she likes.

I don't purposely make things that fit or don't fit. I make things - according to the pattern. Obviously, I can tell that they're going to fit or not fit by the time I've finished the first one. Just because thay don't fit me is no reason not to make them, or to frog them, or what not. They'll fit someone, and I can always make another set for myself if I like them. If I don't like them, then at least I'll still have the experience of having knitted them. It's all about the process, isn't it?

My god, it's cold. I was brushing the snow off a windshield & scraped off the better part of a fingernail. Didn't even feel it, my hands were so cold. (Of course I felt it when my hands warmed up!) Hey, where's that blood from?

I finished my last present. A kufi for my brother. If I would have bothered to put up the instructions before, I would have had them available ... but no. So I had to recreate it by staring intently at this summer's kufi.

So here's my notes for those of you intrepid enough to build your own:
p -- purl
k -- knit
O -- yarn over
/ -- knit 2 together
\ -- slip, slip, knit tog slipped stitches
M -- knit 3 together (ie: 2 st decrease - what ever fashion you like)
RT -- Right leaning baby cable (2 stitches)*
*Remember, each letter is a stitch, so even though RT is one notation, it is over 2 stitches.

Lace**:
p k k p p k k k k k p
p R T p p k O M O p ----3
p k k p p k k k k k p
p R T p p O / k \ O p ---1

** a modification of Canada Lace in Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments. I changed the direction of the cable (because I knit right twists faster than I knit left twists) and recentered the stitch order to better work in the round. Read from right to left, bottom to top - like a chart.

Here's what I do:

Cast on 88 stitches on a circular needle. (All of my hats are 88 stitches, so I don't have to guess/remember how many to cast on/decrease. To alter size, change yarn/needles/gauge.)
purl one row;
knit one row;
begin lace pattern over 11 sts 8X & follow for 6 repeats (24 rows);
purl one row, BUT maintain the 8 baby cables (ie. *p9, RT*);
*p2 tog, k6, p1, k2*, rep.;
*p1, k6, p1, RT* rep.;
*p2 tog, k5, k2* rep.;
And so forth, switching to dpns when necessary, until you get to 24 sts remaining.
*p1, RT* rep.;
*k2 tog, k1* rep. 16 stitches left.
Cut yarn w/long tail, draw through remaining stitches tightly & weave in ends.

This makes a kufi on which the lace panels are separated by cables which spiral together at the crown.

I could write this out in idiot-proof directions, but I don't feel like it. There's enough information for most anyone to replicate this if they're so inclined. And more importantly there's enough here for me not to have to rebuild it next time I want to make one.

Mind you, I'm also writing this off the top of my head, after the fact, not as I'm going along, so the directions may be a bit wonky. (I don't see any errors, though it's possible.) But you're a smart knitter; you'll figure it out.