I'm so tickled to have two readers (thanks Dianne and Salt) that I've spent most of the morning trying to figure out how to get those darn photos on this blog. Unfortunately, I can't seem to access my ISP webspace on this new computer, so I'm temporarily trying out MSN.

I've also been busy lately trying to save my daughter's elementary school from closing. We have a lovely school at the end of our street and we enjoy walking to school every day. Sadly, demographic changes and bad GOP-sponsored funding policies have damaged the district's budget to the point that the board has opted to close an elementary school. Ours is on the short list and obviously I disagree with that. So I've spent most of the past two weeks since this outrageous proposal was announced writing letters to the superintendent. I can't believe they would even consider closing a walkable school! I'm running out of words on this topic.

So on to photos. Here is the gorgeous Donegal, which my husband is enjoying:


Donegal 

and the afghan from the Tierra Wools yarn:


afghan 

and the kitty sweater from Norsk Strikkedesign:


The kitten sweater from Norsk Strikkedesign 

and the gansey:


gansey 

and the socks:


socks 

So that is the end of the 2004 knitting.

I already have a completed 2005 project -- a Peruvian-style hat in supersoft alpaca -- but I haven't photographed it yet. Several other things are on the needles. I'm actually knitting a dress for a doll. Silly, yes. I won't describe the doll because I do have the words "voluntary simplicity" in this blog title and this doll is definitely not consistent with that philosophy. In my defense, I will say that I'm at least making clothes for the doll and not buying them from the catalog (where they cost more than the clothes worn by the doll's owner).