Inventory Complete.

OK. Remember those Varsity socks that were almost done? Well, they're still almost done. Sigh. They got buried in the bottom of a basket and were forgotten. They've been moved to the top of the priority list so I can finish them at last. Besides - with this cold weather happening, someone must have cold toes!

Here is the Current list of UFO's - not as bad as last year, and not as bad as I though either.

The Sagittaria Shawl: It's very pretty, probably 40-50% done. It's hard to estimate. The center part is finished and there's a wide border

that I've begun. The yarn is fabulous: Little Knit's Indie II, marvy blend of Cashmere and silk. The red color is divine. I started this in the fall and the center part went quickly as the pattern was simple to memorize. I've slowed down a bit on it now that I'm on

the edging. Never fear - I plan to finish this! If you want the pattern, it's available here:

http://vilman.blogspot.com/2007/03/sagittaria-shawl.html

Ali's Fingerless Mittens: This is actually the second pair of these I'm making the first pair I gave to my sister. They were a little large for Al, who wanted them dearly, so I took a few

stitches off the backside (four to be exact, one rib repeat) and decreased the thumb increases by one as well. I also shortened the top a little, but not the wrist length - she wanted that loooong. These are made from a sport to DK weight pure alpaca yarn I had in my stash. I think it may have been from something I started

last year and frogged... Very soft and warm. That pattern is also available on-line: http://petrastrickt.myblog.de/petrastrickt/page/166936 Don't be freaked that the pattern starts out in German. It's translated into English further down the page. Click on the chart to print it out larger.

Baby Jacket: My friend Liesl is pregnant! Perfect excuse to knit

cute baby stuff and of course, I couldn't wait to cast on. Not sure yet if it's a girl or a boy. This is the Just-in-Case-It's-A-Girl project. I'm telling you, DROPS design has the most amazing free patterns to be found on the internet today. This is but one example. Pattern is here:

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=b16&d_id=3&lang=us

Biff Baby Cardigan: Another baby cardigan started for Leisl, this one

in case it's a boy. It's mighty hard hard finding great baby stuff for boys, but this pattern really caught my eye! This one I've barely started, so I'm posting a pic of the finished cardigan. I'm doing mine in gray also. The puffiness comes from the fact that the stockinette in between the garter ridges are actually double knit patterns. The pattern calls for knitting them separately and then bringing the two sides together with the garter ridges, but I'm double-knitting to save time. Works perfectly! (More fun, too!) Oh - here's Berocco's pattern: http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/biff/biff.html

Mittens: Frost Tapestry pattern. In cream and a variegated yarn. I have one mitten almost finished, but I think I prefer the black and white in the photo. These are on hold and may get frogged. I like the whole set, even tho I look like a chemo patient in hats. :-(

Lace V-Neck Dress: I think I had this started last year. I'll go back and take a look - probably tomorrow at this point. At any rate, although it's temporarily shelved, I hope to have it done by the time the weather warms. I have the back complete, although not blocked yet, (see picture), and a goodly portion of the front done. It won't take too much more to finish up. I'm using Paton's Silk Bamboo - a yarn I really like working with. I know it's going to be a pleasure to wear as long as it wears well! We'll see!

Last but not least (or maybe it is) - the Snowdrift Wrap: I'm not sure if I should call this a a UFO or not, I really just started enough to do a 'proof of concept'. I haven't truly decided if I want to continue. The wrap is very pretty and the yarn I'm using is actually (for once) the yarn called for, Elann's Woodland Cashmere. I need to think on it some more.

This list is soooo much smaller than last year. Tomorrow I'll take a look at last years list and figure out what happened to everything. I did a major clean-up in the craft room a few months ago when I discovered that some critter had eaten a pair of socks I'd been saving. (Very sad). I haven't seen much moth activity but we have a lot of carpet beetles and silverfish. Ugh. I transferred a lot of yarn stash into ziplock baggies to minimize contamination (after careful inspection!)

So much for now. I'm going to try and finish those danged Varsity socks tonight! LOL