Yet again, I've let weeks go by without updating my blog once. Now I understand why no one ever links to me on their knitting pages.
I've come down off the Nutcracker tour, which was largely to blame for my lack of updates---but not lack of material. My web activities were largely restricted to checking my email off of my cell phone. Provided that my cell worked there, which it doesn't in half of New England. Great "national" plan.
My phone died on xmas day. I'm very lucky that it held on until I got home. My dependence on my cell phone while away is almost 100%. Also, the phone was still under warranty, so my service provider overnighted me a new handset. One of my friends recently lost his cell phone on the El and I gave him much crap about not having all his numbers written down elsewhere. I was quite smug about having mine in my palm pilot. So, I was really setting myself up for the nasty discovery that I did not in fact have them all there. All but a few numbers have been recovered through other means, some no longer needed. Only one is totally lost.
I can breathe easier now that the packages that I mailed to myself have arrived. A surprisingly older gentleman from Fed Ex delivered the boxes two days after xmas. I was a bit nervous, since they were to have been delivered the day before and not showing any progress on the obsessive-compulsive fed ex tracking service. Then they arrived, unbroken, and were quickly opened to show my mother all of the good things that I gathered in my journeys.
A short list:
* two skeins of rowan 4 ply to make color block socks
* two skeins of jamieson's yarn for same purpose, from a wonderful store in lenox, mass.
* two skeins of funky variegated stahl yarn that were a gift from karen, now being made up in wonderful double cable pattern socks
* a skein of blueberry colored bartlett yarn, purchased in new hampshire, where i also went on a crazy search to find aveda products for my pig-pen hair. turned out they were available across the street from our motel.
* two skeins of wool/tencel blend sock yarn from Green Mountain Spinnery, the only redeeming feature of Putney, Vt. Visit them online at Green Mtn Spinnery
* Four skeins, various colors, of Mountain Mohair bought from the orphans basket at the spinnery.
* the remnants of my ball of Schaefer hand-dye, used to make the hat for Matt. there may or may not be enough there for another hat. perhaps for someone with a small head.

My mother gathered all of my projects in progress into a lined basket while I was away. I have many, but still the new projects call strongly to me to start them. I finally finished the faux-fairisle socks that I began months ago. I think they'll look snazzy with my birkis.
Works in progress (that I'll admit to):
* lilac rowan script bag. needs to be blocked, lined, and finished.
* red cherry tree hill spiral rib socks. not holding breath on 0 gauge knitting approching completion in foreseeable future.
* charcoal mohair lined socks. still haven't reached the heel on the first sock.
* gedifra new age shell. lost the pattern, still hoping that it will turn up.
* brown miniringel socks. promising start on first sock, worked plain. almost to heel.
* currently working: cabled sock. I enjoy the challenge, since I haven't done cables since the ugly palm pilot cover that I made. Big push to actually make socks, as it is cold and I'm tired of getting cracks in my feet.

I'm also making a few late xmas presents for folks I've yet to see. Some knit, some sound things. It's nice to have a little extension!