Happy new year. Oh wait ...

Good grief, is this my first post of 2008? Gah. I really need to get better about this.

In any event, the Monkey socks are done!! They feel great on the feet too.



Next sock priority: to darn the Eleanor socks, which already have a hole in them (Darn!)

Also I am 3/4 (at least) of the way to completing the back of St Brigid. It's getting kind of routine now but the yarn and cables are so lovely that it's still a pleasure to knit.

And, in sewing news, I completed a Dora-themed nightgown for Claire (Kwik Sew 3105). My gathering and ruffling skills are improving a bit. It's still not perfect, but I'm OK with it. She's been wearing it to bed, so at least the major goal is accomplished.



Next sewing project: a T-shirt from Wazoodle's Grab Bag for girls, using the ever popular Jalie 2005 t-shirt pattern.

In other news, I am fiercely attempting to memorize the concerto I'm premiering next month. Fun times.

All right, here's hoping I don't skip another month!!

Random photo goodness #1: A platypus on my cat (sorry, stuffonmycat.com):



Random photo goodness #2: Matching father-daughter chinrests:

Slow and steady

Since we got back from Newfoundland on August 7, things have been pretty crazy. I didn't expect to be playing or coaching nearly as much as I have. So things have progressed slowly on the crafty front. On the Rock I finished the back of DH's pullover:



Rows and rows of stockinette, but the Naturally Tussock DK from New Zealand is lovely, flecked with all kinds of tweedy bits. I also finished my first ever Jaywalker, in Socks that Rock Lightweight. The colourway is Fairgrounds, which is nice and summery:



My first completed sewing project in August is the bag from KwikSew 2320. It was fun, but I probably should have bought some heavier machine needles for sewing through four or more layers of fairly sturdy cotton. My thread kept breaking, which usually doesn't happen with Gütermann thread. Anyway, I learned to install grommets and reviewed a bunch of other construction things, which was nice.



Now on with the second sock, and the front of the pullover. I'll get back to St Brigid when that's done. Sewing projects in the queue: a buttoned pillow cover for our new chair in the living room; matching aprons for me and DD; some pajama pants with contrasting cuffs (this and the pillow are from Sew Simple 1) and a tunic from some African printed cotton I bought from Wazoodle a while back.

Very sad news this week of Richard Bradshaw's passing. The Collaborative Piano Blog has a collection of links to obituaries and memoirs. I still have not visited the new Four Seasons house in Toronto... early childhood and opera houses don't mix too well ... but I do appreciate all Maestro Bradshaw did for our Canadian opera scene. He will be missed.