knitting school dropout

sorry, the sweater is not quite done. i worked on the second sleeve for what seemed like eternity on sunday and in true melissa fashion, i put it down with only 3 inches to go. at 10pm sunday, i cast on for this:

(pardon the non-modeled shot, but the thing is too damp for my cold head)

around 9pm monday i was pulling the yarn through the last few stitches at the top. i can't believe i finished the entire hat in less than 24 hours. it was too cute to put down. i didn't add the lining until today. this project has made me realize that what i had thought was a provisional cast on, is probably not. either that or i am totally correct and it's just a total pain in the ass to undo.

pattern: we call them pirates from hello yarn
yarn: dale of norway hauk in oatmeal and pea green less than 1 ball of each
needles: us5 inox 16" and 40"circulars
mods: i had to go up 2 needles sizes to get closer to gauge. i made a few more decreases in the lining since i lined it in cotton and it tends to grow.

i love it and it fits just right, but this baby is not for me. i still need to work on getting my tension even and i'm sure knitting in the dark while watching movies didn't help any, but that doesn't discourage me. i think 2007 may be a year filled with stranded knitting.

the best thing about this project is that i had just the right yarn and needles without having to make an excuse to go out and buy anything. i'm on a major budget at the moment, trying to decide if i should get a new car and have the major stress of a car payment, or invest a bunch of money in my fixing crappy little car and instead buy myself the digital slr of my dreams. neither of these are very easy to do considering i work for a non-profit. tax refund time is just around the corner though, so with that and some serious cutting back, i should be able to make a decision by the end of march. i'm making it my birthday present to myself. so i'm all about the cheap thrills from here on out.

speaking of cheap thrills, i just discovered i can re-live my youth for only $17.00. going to see bands like bikini kill and bratmobile were some of the highlights of my late teens/early20's. that's why i'm so excited to get this dvd.

expect another finished object post in the next few days. i'm off to watch bad education, and finish that last bit of sleeve.