What's a few months between friends?

I have missed all holiday-associated deadlines associated with the recycled cashmere rug due to it being wrist torture to cut the sweaters into strips. I am now looking for some sort of improved mechanical method for spiral cutting the sweaters. I hope to now finish it in time for giving sometime in the 2009 cycle of holidays.
Moving on.
There are now twin projects taking up most of my think-about-knitting time.
A) a hammock knitted out of rope
B) a sweater for my mother
More on both these topics later and, ideally, finally, some pictures.