December WIPs/SWIPs

  
  There's no mad holiday knitting rush for me this year. Only person I'm knitting for is Mom (socks and mitts), but, sadly, as she won't really remember if she gets them on or after Christmas, I don't have to kill my hands rushing to finish them. The socks will be done by Christmas; I doubt if the mitts will even be started by Christmas.
  
  
  I would like to finish as many knitting and spinning WIPs as I can by the end of the year, especially these projects:
  
On My Needles
  
  Hitchhiker Shawl - I started this a week or so ago and am about halfway through and liking muchly (both pattern and yarn). I'm using my brown and white Shetland handspun from last month called DA3, and size 5 (3.75mm) needles. As of this (Thursday) evening, I'd reached 24 points. I think I have enough yarn to reach or come close to the 42 points called for in the pattern.
  
Apologies for the picture quality. This is from last weekend when I was out and about. 
 
  
   Mom's Socks - the socks I messed up last week are progressing nicely. The first sock is done and I'm motoring up the foot of the second sock. I'm using size 1 (2.25mm) dpns on Berroco Sox yarn.
  
I need to put the afterthought heel on the first "Woolgathering" sock (the second sock is finished), but it seems it's fallen into a black hole or is hiding somewhere.
  
  
  On My Spindles
  
Spinning Seafoam - The Loop Bullseye batt in the Seafoam colorway is going slowly. After what seems like forever spinning I'm just really hitting the first color change. So I'm hoping changing from spindles to the e-spinner will speed things up a little. I love the Bullseye batts, the prep is wonderful, as is the blending. I just wish it wasn't Merino. Note to self: stop buying Merino fiber! You know you don't like spinning it!
  
There are a number of other WIPs/SWIPs I'd like to finish by yearend, but I'll be happy if what I've listed above is all I get done.
  
  Off My Spindles:

Spinning Itty Bitty Bits - this is a catchall project/name I'm using for the little fiber samples I've been spindle spinning. Some are from Phat Fiber boxes and some are leftover samples from the Wool Breeds Challenge. (This is an ongoing project that won't be finished for a few years at least and doesn't count in the year-end completions.) Here are a few little skeins:
  
  
 
  
  
  Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:    
  Audiobooks:  These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer; Blood Lance by Jeri Westerson;            
  DVDs etc:   Castle S4;    
  Pod/VideoCasts:   The Knit Girllls; Round The Twist; Knitting Pipeline, The Knitmore Girls, Subway Knits