The only problem was that I did not have any appropriate yarn in my stash to make the shawl. So I purchased some. It’s a lovely rhubarb colored tweed that I know she’ll love.

It only took me about a week to violate my solemn vow to abstain from purchasing any more yarn until Yarnover. And Mom called me on it. Good for her. I need someone to keep me honest. Plus, now I know that she’s been reading my blog.

In my defense, the shawl is for a new mom. That’s a lot like doing something to help a pregnant lady. And everybody knows that all the rules go by the wayside when helping a pregnant lady.

So you see, my excuse holds up. Right?

Right?

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Sock number 2.

This sock yarn is definitely prettier as a skein than as a sock. Oh well. Sock number 1 is much prettier. I’ll get a photo of that one posted after I finish it.

The reactions I get from my coworkers as I knit during my lunch period are very entertaining.

• Many people avoid eye contact. My theory is that they think that if they notice my knitting openly in any way, they will be forced to find a way to comment on it. They are not prepared to do this, so they turn on the just-getting-my-coffee-here blinders. Now, I know that some of these folks may actually not notice me, but you can always tell when someone is pulling the not-noticing-you-on-purpose trick. I wonder why knitting in public makes some people uncomfortable. Is knitting a self-indulgent activity I should I save for the privacy of my home, like cookie dough eating or making love?

• My personal acquaintances, almost invariably,  express amazement at: a) my skill or b) my quirky desire to knit what they think of as disposable accessories. I smile and chat and knit without looking at my needles. They goggle. I love that parlor trick.

• One male coworker had a paranoid macho turnaround crisis right in front of me. He approached and expressed intense interest in the knitting, but then (paranoid turnaround) retreated, claiming that he could never knit because he’s too much of  guy and didn’t have the patience for it. Or the skill. After all it takes a long time to learn how to knit that well.  How do you do that bit again? That’s really interesting. You’re making socks, huh? (Paranoid turnaround) Which I could never do, I’d end up with one this big (hand make shape the size of a clementine) and one this big (hands make shape the size of a bowling ball).  What would you say if you saw me knitting in here, huh? Nervous laugh.

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I also recently joined the 12 socks in 2012 group on Ravelry in the hopes that joining the group would motivate me to:

- Learn how to knit socks, once and for all. I’ve tried and given up at least twice when I got to the gusset.

- Complete at least one pair of socks in 2012, if not the full dozen

Joining this group, of course, inspired me to buy enough yarn for at least 3 pairs of socks. And while I was at it, I picked up some lovely kidsilk mohair. And this doesn’t count the Swan’s Island fingering weight yarn I picked up a couple of weeks ago to make a lovely shawl for work. Nor does it mention the green yarn I picked up to make this lovely dragon scale scarf for the BF, to match his new hat.

So, you see, I have plenty of  yarn. Too much yarn. The stash is growing. I see it happening.

I begin to understand some of those hoarders you hear about on tv: the ones who keep huge stashes of plastic bottles or periodicals. They have plans for those items. Dreams. Someday that plastic bottle will be used to demonstrate the Diet Coke and Mentos phenomenon to their shrieking grandchildren. Someday that large pile of newspaper clippings will find its way into a truly impressive scrapbook that will be treasured by future generations. Some day that pile of brown yarn will become a gorgeous hand-knitted gift for my mother, demonstrating my love.

I refuse to become a yarn hoarder, but I can see how it could happen. Very easily.

So I am abstaining from any more yarn purchases until the Yarnover convention at the end of April. There will be scads of exciting vendors there, more than worth the wait. And if I can make it through a good portion of my stash in the mean time…or at least manage to make a couple of pairs of socks…I will have earned the opportunity to pick up a few treats.

No more yarn until Yarnover.

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Knitting calluses. I’ve got a good one forming on my left index finger: the one I often use to nudge the tip of my needle after I’ve looped the yarn. Other knitters must get these too. Is this the sign of a bad habit? I’ve never made a study of proper needle use.

My left index finger with developing knitter's callus. The photo is a bit fuzzy, but you can almost see it. Do you have one?

Does knitting leave a mark on your body?

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Purple, lacy cowl (2)

Made with a gorgeous, plummy wool I purchased down in Amish country in Harmony, MN. It has little stands of golden brown running through it, which gives it a gorgeous earthiness. I liked this one so much that I made on for me, and then one for my sister for Christmas. Pattern is A Noble Cowl. This would be lovely in cotton too, which is what the pattern recommends.

Purple leafy scarf

I bought a lot more yarn than I realized from that lady in Amish country, so I made this scarf. And then I didn’t know what to do with it. Other knitters must do this too. Is it for me? Is it a gift? Who would properly appreciate it, love it, and not let the cat nest on it? After Christmas, I gave it to the BF, who now wears it with his new charcoal winter coat. He says it’s very warm. And he always hangs it up properly.

Generic Blue “Boy” Hat

I knitted a lot of my Christmas presents this year, including gifts for the BF’s family members. I don’t know all of these people or their fashion preferences very well, so it was important to be careful with the gifts I made. Not too fancy or too “froofy”. For the BF’s brother, I made a very safe, plain hat out of blue merino.

Silky Soft Cowl

Last year, I received a couple of skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino in Nocturnal (ooh, spooky) for Christmas and it languished in my stash for a year. Then this year I was inspired to use it to make this cowl for the BF’s brother’s wife. Again, a plain design, but I think the colors will appeal to her (after all, she gave me the yarn). And it was a simple, quick knit. I worked on it all day on Thanksgiving, between bites of cheese and sips of wine.

Silky Soft Cowl #2

I loved the one I made for the BF’s brother’s wife so much that I made one for myself on Christmas Eve/Day while visiting with my family. It’s such an easy pattern that it’s perfect for times when you don’t want to have to pay attention to your project.

Green Woven-Look Hat for the BF

BF made the mistake of mentioning that he would like a hat that covers his ears, for once. Be careful when you mention interest in clothing items around a rabid knitter. A week or two later, he got this:

The Ever-Popular Honey Cowl

Just before I went home for the holidays, I purchased a couple of skeins of green heathered yarn to make this cowl. EVERYONE on Ravelry seems to have made this cowl.  Crazy.  My mom (also a knaddict) recognized it immediately. This was one of those is-it-for-me-or-for-someone-else projects. I screwed up the pattern, but it turned out well anyway. (For those who know the pattern, I successfully did the purl 1, slip1 part, but somehow I got it into my head that the alternating rows were purl rows, not knit rows. And I did that the WHOLE WAY THROUGH).  As soon as I whipped it off the needles I asked Mom and my sister to try it on, then immediately bestowed it on my sister. She looked cold. Sometimes a knitter doesn’t need a better reason than that.

The Ever Popular Honey Cowl #2

I really liked that cowl…and decided I needed one for me too.  This is getting to be a pattern.This time I made it in a warm toasty color to go with my new cream colored winter coat. I picked up some gorgeous alpaca/wool yarn at The Sow’s Ear in Verona, WI and whipped this up right around New Years Eve/Day. This time I got the pattern right.

Green Leafy Shawl

This is the project that convinced me not to be afraid of lace. I worked on this off and on for more than two months. It turned out beautifully…however I learned an important lesson about HOW MUCH LONGER THINGS CAN TURN OUT AFTER YOU BLOCK THEM. It’s a very, very long shawl.

Gray Bandana Cowl

This is another pattern that’s been popular on Ravelry. I tried it out using some fuzzy gray  yarn that had been languishing in my stash for about 5 years. I don’t know if I liked out it turned out. I’ll have to try blocking it…maybe that can fix everything. I hope so.

Vivid Teal Diagonal Wrap

I fell in love with this wrap and decided to make it for Mom for Christmas using souvenir yarn I’d picked up in Ashland, OR. I learned another lesson with this project: the importance of using the type of yarn recommended for the project. This pattern calls for a very light, linen yarn. I used Gem Louet sport weight merino. It’s very plush and pretty, but  bit too stretchy. And once again, far too long after blocking. Grrr. Lesson learned twice over. Mom still liked it, though.

That Noro Silk Garden Garter Stitch Scarf (3)

You know that Noro Silk Garden garter stitch jobby that everybody was making a decade ago? So rewarding and impressive for something so simple and mindless. I gave one to my boss and one to each of my cat sitters. Two of these I actually knitted a year ago, so they don’t count for this Christmas’ total.

And that’s it for Christmas knits. I’m not counting dishcloths at all as most of those were knitted months ago in preparation for Christmas gifting. In fact, I uncovered a forgotten stash of at least 10 in an upstairs closet. When I die, they’ll probably unearth stashes of dishcloths all over my house, like the antiques they find on that HGTV show If Walls Could Talk, only less valuable.

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I am a creature of obsession.

I get fired up and inspired about one particular activity or topic, and the blaze of my obsession (and the smoke that always results from a firey obsession) blots out my other interests.

The title of this blog is particularly telling: “All I Want to Do Is…”

When I first started this blog, it was a dance blog. I was in the midst of a consuming surge of interest in ballroom dancing. I’d been dancing for years, but my enthusiasm had faded. For a few years I went to dances and attended classes because it was a habit. Because going was better than not going and, if I didn’t go, I would be the sort of person who didn’t dance. I didn’t know how to be the sort of person who doesn’t dance. Then something happened to my dancing (I wish I knew what, but I don’t) and suddenly it filled me with staticky joy again. It was a source of positive, addictive energy in my life. All I wanted to do was dance. And when I wasn’t dancing I was tweeting about dancing and reading articles about dancing . All I wanted to think about all day long was dancing. That’s when I started this blog.

Since then, I’ve added “yoga” to the list of things that this blog is about. About a year ago, after a running injury grounded me from the dance studio, I took up yoga and quickly got addicted to that. I could have changed the name of this blog to “All She Wants to Do is Yoga.”

Then this year, around Halloween, my compass needle of obsession (Yes, I have one, doesn’t everyone? Who needs a compass to find their way to physical places? I need one to find way out of my own head to reality.) swung toward knitting, a long neglected hobby.

These days, this blog could be called “All She Wants to Do is Knit.” Not that I’ve written any posts about knitting yet, but I’ve been thinking about it. I’m spending most of my spare time making lovely shawls, hats, and cowls. I’m spending far too much money on yarn. I’m spending more time than I’d care to admit on Ravelry. I’m obsessed. I’m itching to talk about it. To blog about it.

I’m still dancing and yoga-ing. But that’s not what I’m on fire to write about right now.

What’s a girl to do? I’m inconstant. Ever heard the phrase “inconstant as the moon”? It’s an odd phrase because, in reality, the phases of the moon are remarkably regular. However, I think it applies very well to me and my cycles of obsession. I’m inconstant like the moon or the tide. Depend upon it, one day dancing will once again become obsession numero uno.

For now, all I want to do is knit.

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I started with two cans of garbanzo beans. They say that using dried beans provides the best flavor, but sometimes waiting half a day for beans to pre-soak takes too long.

2 cans garbonzo beans (3 cups) = $2.80

I dumped the garbanzo beans into the food processor, plus 3/4 cup of tahini, 3/4 cup olive oil, juice of one lemon (I used lemon juice concentrate because I’d forgotten to buy a lemon), and the following spices to taste: cumin, red pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and salt.

Add in all of the flavorings, oil and tahini. Cost ~ $2 (tahini is main culprit)

Now blend.  I like a little fresh parsley in my hummus, so I added a bit of that as well.

Finished hummus. Goes great on rice-nut crackers.

And that was it. We spent about $6 to make approximately 1 quart of hummus (about 4 times the amount of hummus we purchased at the co-op). For those who are counting:

• Co-op hummus: $4.50/cup
• Homemade hummus: $1.50/cup

If we had used dried beans, we could have saved even more money. Next time I will. My goal is to get this recipe under $1 per cup.

The judges are right: Nick has great feet. I think picking a tap dancer to dance Quickstep with Iveta was an inspired choice.

I’d like to see the dancers dancing with five points of contact, the way they’re supposed to, but I’ll be happy if I see that later on in the show. It’s hard to get comfortable with dancing so closely when you have to worry about lots of other complex choreography.

Way to go, Iveta and Nick!

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I’d like to repent of my earlier bellyaching about the lack of good ballroom competitors on the show this season. I think the producers hide some of the top 20 from us during the auditions.

Iveta Lukosiute finally made it onto the show this season. *Happy dance.* This is a phenomenal representative from the ballroom world to have on the show. I’m so excited.

• 2 times World Professional Ten Dance Champion
• 4 times US National & North American Prof. Ten Dance Champion
• 3 times US National Classical Showdance Champions
• 2 times World Classical Showdance Finalist

The fact that she’s done so well in showdance gives me a lot of confidence that she’ll do well in contemporary, hip hop, and anything else the judges can throw at her.

Are you a Facebook fan yet? https://www.facebook.com/D8Iveta?sk=wall  She’s been posting regularly since making it onto the show. It’s a lot of fun to read her updates.

Here’s one more thing that gives me a lot of confidence that she’ll do well on this show—I couldn’t distinguish her from the other dancers during the Sonya Tayeh number.

Watch the Top 10 girls video from last week. I scrutinized the video, watching it multiple times, trying to figure out which one was Iveta…and I couldn’t spot her, not until the very end, when all the girls were lined up for the judges’ comments. Costuming and makeup had a camouflaging effect, no doubt, but the fact that the quality of her movement did not stand out in any way from the other dancers around her was amazing.

Go Iveta! I’ll be rooting for you.

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The auditions portion of the show also features great music selections. Unfortunately, since the music is chosen by those auditioning, there’s no opportunity to communicate the song information to the TV audience. It’s a real bummer.  I’ve often wished that some SYTYCD superfan would take the trouble to record the music, track down each song, and blog about it.

Wish no more. The superfan and their blog have been found: Emilie at  Pure So You Think You Can Dance

Here are links to the song lists from each audition episode:

So You Think You Can Dance Season 8 Premiere – Atlanta/Oakland Auditions

Salt Lake City/NYC Audition Music – SYTYCD Season 8

Los Angeles Audition Music – SYTYCD Season 8

Thank you, Emilie!