Oh, for the love of Clearance Sales!

Three Kittens Needlearts had a clearance sale over Thanksgiving weekend that put all other clearance sales to shame. I'd always liked Three Kittens, because they always had whatever I was looking for. I didn't like Three Kittens as much as I wanted to, because it was always so darned difficult to find whatever it was--it was floor to ceiling yarn, with aisles that were so narrow I could barely squeeze through. I picked up some novelty yarn for 75% off, so I can make some lovely garter-stitch thingies for the non-knitters in my life who are easily impressed by such things. ("Oh, what a pretty shawl!" "Wouldn't you rather have this cool cabled sweater?" But the colors are so pretty!" *headdesk*)

Finished:
Noro Transitions Short-Row Rib Scarf: All done! Transitions is expensive, so I used every last bit—and ran out about 2 dozen stitches from the end. I fished some coordinating Silk Garden out of my stash, and completed binding off, just in time for it to get cold enough to wear it.

Peapod Baby Sweater: Heavens, this is a cute, CUTE pattern. Of course again, in my enthusiasm, I didn't take a photo of it before I gave it away. You'll just have to trust me.

Felted Squirrel: From the geniuses who brought you the ubiquitous felted hedgehog, there’s a squirrelly equivalent, too! This is for my brother, for Christmas. (He likes squirrels, despite us telling him they’re really just rats with cute fluffy tails.) Next time I make one, I'll put the ears up higher on his head, but he's cute anyway.

On the Needles:
Yet another pair of sox: Managed to snap a Size 1 Brittany Birch during an enthusiastic SSK, so I switched to my cheap-o Susan Bates metal needles. Poking along happily—the heel turning is in sight.

Charity Tank Top: Whaddya know? I actually finished the back at knitting on Sunday. Only a front left, since tank tops don’t have sleeves. Nifty!

Christmas Shawl: I'm turning some of that novelty yarn into a shawl for my sister-in-law--triangular, on size 15s a la the Grandma's Dishcloth pattern, in a peacock-ish colorway of blue, lavender, and lime. It's pretty, but oh so boring. So very boring.

Finished:
Schaeffer Anne Victorian Baby Sweater: All done. Now with matching hat and booties. Leftover yarn + a Lemur with free time = entirely too much cuteness. Of course, I forgot to take a picture before I wrapped them up for giving (I was tying the ribbon bows on the booties at shower T-1 hour), so you’ll have to wait until I get a picture of them on little Marta (who arrived on a couple of weeks ago, and is doing quite well, thank you).

Party-Time Apron: Finito! Vintage red-orange button from Borealis? Perfect. Now gracing the home of Babs. Hee.

Squid's Boundary Waters Sweater: Thanks to a weekend car trip to Atchison, KS (that’s 7+ hours each way), the front came together quite quickly. I finished the seaming and neckband at the lake last weekend, and Squid was able to wear it home. It fits beautifully, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
Yarn: Cascade Eco Wool—Three skeins of chocolate brown, plus a skein of green and tan for the stripes. Eco Wool comes in HUGE hanks, so I have quite a bit of yarn left in all the colors.
Needles/Gauge: Size 9, 4 sts to the inch
Pattern: Standard, crew-neck drop shoulder sweater pattern from The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, in k6p2 rib. Have I mentioned how much I love this book? It and its companion book of all kinds of patterns, are like learning how to cook something tasty based on what you have in your kitchen, rather than blindly following a recipe to the letter.

A kitty sweater for Trevor: Don’t tell him that it’s actually a dog sweater pattern from Knitty, but my friend Vet of the Dead’s rescued, one-eyed Sphynx cat needed something warm for winter. Check him out:

Tribal Tiger sweater for Trevor: Someone on LiveJournal needed test knitters for her upcoming book of dog sweaters. When I offered a naked, one-eyed cat instead, she jumped at the chance, so I knit another for Trevor--this one in black superwash with an abstract, Skinny-Puppy-logoish tiger head on it. It was totally an intarsia development opportunity. I came close to being reduced to weeping over the end-weaving required, but stayed strong. Once the book is public, I'll be sure to post the picture of Trevor in his new sweater. It's GREAT.

On the Needles:
Someone help me! I’ve had a case of cast-on-itis!

Yet another pair of sox: Cuff’s about four inches long, and I’m really liking the pattern. Foot tests show that the diameter should work—the ribbing draws in so much when it’s unstretched that I was a little worried.

Noro Transitions Short-Row Rib Scarf: I’ve had this yarn in my stash for over a year now, waiting for a spot in the queue to open up to make this clever scarf from MagKnits. It’s working great, and the yarn is seriously fun to knit with—the different fiber sections really do have a tactile difference in the knitting. I had planned on making it two skeins long, and knitting a matching hat, but I decided to go all three skeins for the scarf because long scarves rool.

Peapod Baby Sweater: I love having pregnant friends. It means I get to knit the cutest things. I have a pale apple green Butterfly Super 10 that is knitting up super cute. Baby Boy is due in December, so I need to get cracking. Good thing it’s a quick knit, though, because . . .

In the hoop:
Whaddya know? It was Belisle retreat time, so I actually did some stitching! My CA Wells Needle Cottage is nearly complete--it just needs to have its hedebo edging added, and it will be ready to finish. Only problem is, I don't remember how to do hedebos. It's like detached buttonhole, but my efforts were looking like total crap.

Obligatory Cultural References
Reading: The End, by Lemony Snicket, along with this week's Entertainment Weekly, and The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt.
Listening to: The computer fan hum. And some Daft Punk that's stuck in my head.