Christmas-knitting is actually coming along well.  (Shocking, I know.)  I was able to cross two items off my list:

(One Row Handspun Scarf and the Amanda Hat)

The scarf is made out of some handspun corriedale from Sakina Needles and the hat is Malabrigo Worsted.  On the garter rows, I held together a single-ply of the handspun with the Malabrigo to incorporate the colors of the scarf into the hat a bit more.  I’m debating on using what’s left of the single-ply to add some fringe to the scarf.  Hmmm.  Haven’t decided yet.  Anyway, both are for my grandmother.  Hopefully she’ll like them.

I also started a scarf.  I’m knitting it up using some positively yummy Cascade Cash Vero DK that recently came in stock at my LYS.  The pattern is the Palindrome scarf, which is a reversible cable.  I added one extra repeat (4 cables instead of 3) to account for the yarn being DK weight rather than the heavy-worsted that the pattern was originally designed for.  I’m pleased with the results thus far and I’m shocked at how far I’ve gotten in a very short time.  I worked on it at a knitting get-together last night at Barnes and Noble and I made it well over halfway through the first ball of yarn.  I’m hoping that four balls total will be enough to amount to a reasonable length.

Oh!  Speaking of Barnes and Noble, whie we were there last night, one of the gals in my knitting-group got one of the employees to go in the back and pull a copy of the new Mason-Dixon book.  Oh my gosh is it ever fab-u-lous!  It’s now on my Christmas wishlist (*hint, hint*).

… AND, speaking of books — the new Yarn Harlot book, Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again, should be available any time now.  There was a post about it on the Yarn Harlot blog a couple days ago.  I’ve had mine on pre-order for what seems like months.  I’m so geeked about this book.  I enjoy Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s writing so very much.  I can’t wait to get my copy.  Yay for Amazon.com overnight shipping.

Anyway, aside from Christmas-knitting and stalking bookstores, I’ve been making soap.

Er — well, no.  Not making soap.  I’m more melting, mixing, and pouring soaps.  I haven’t attempted the actual making yet, though I hope to do so eventually (once I learn enough about it to get over my fear of lye-burns).

Bramble Berry has become my new favorite website to stalk and I’ve gotten several new books to read all about soaps and essential oils (Storey Publishing owns my soul at this point).

It’s all really, really fascinating honestly.  I might’ve been a lot more interested in Accelerated Chemistry I and II during high school had it been put in the context of things like this!  I think it appeals to me because it satisfies my geeky-technical side as well as my creative side all at the same time.  There’s a lot of precision measurement and science involved, but a lot of asthetics as well.  I have soooo many ideas for different soaps I want to make.  (Guess what everyone’s getting in their Christmas-stockings this year…?)  Honestly though, who can’t use a few bars of pleasent-smelling soap?  Yup.

Needless to say, I’m keeping busy.  As always.

I really don’t know what to say… there must be a fairy-knitting-godmother out there or something.

I got home from work today and there was a box waiting for me from Amazon.com. Now I definitely love to shop online, and I had pre-ordered Crazy Aunt Purl’s new book, but I knew that shouldn’t have come yet. I had no idea what it could be.

I ripped the box open, and inside were two knitting books I’ve been lusting after, and the 2008 Stitch ‘n Bitch daily calendar.

I don’t remember ordering these…?

I pulled out the packing slip. Sure enough, my mystery friend from Canada sent them. The same person that sent all the knitting books and the 2007 SnB calendar last year.

All I can say is thank you. Thank you again. It’s too much!

Nick and I went to dinner at Tony Roma’s tonight, and on the car ride there I got a chance to look through the books. Oh.my.gosh. I don’t know what to do next! I love almost every sweater in The Yarn Girl’s Guide to Knits for All Seasons. I love that the book has some really nice sweaters for men in particular (something, IMHO, that’s hard to come by). The other book, Weekend Knits, is fabulous because… well… who doesn’t love a quick knit!? But the great thing with this book is that none of the projects look like they were quick. They are intricate and beautiful. And I need to knit the argyle slippers on page 28! They’re sooo adorable!

I think I’m going to have to drag my new books to work tomorrow to peruse during lunch. I’m resisting the urge to open up the calendar and flip through it. (Part of the fun is getting to see all the new patterns on every Friday, so I hate to spoil it!)

FYI… if you have the 2007 SnB calendar, I discovered that a 6×6 scrapbook is the perfect size for keeping the patterns in. I tore out all the patterns (every Friday) and slipped them into the scrapbook page protectors. It worked great!