Lazy Day

After much excitement at work, I finally arrive at my Saturday day off. I think a trip to the yarn store is in order to check out the finished version of the sweater I'm working on. And to buy yarn, of course. Perhaps I should decide on a project *before* going....

Knitting and Taxes

Life is going pretty good. It is not often I say this as I am cynical and pessimistic (the two go hand in hand, I feel.) But this morning, after a good while spent at the coffee shop already at this early hour, I shall say it and probably regret it later. The purse from hell is done (at least the knitted portions; lining still needs to go in.) I shall never knit a flat purse again. So now my attention can be focused on my first sweater: a sideways garter stitch sweater designed by the owner of Miriam's Well/the Santa Fe School of Weaving. I'm excited. While one might think that I'll start hating it due to tedium, like my purse, one would be mistaken. Despite the rows and rows (and rows and rows) of garter stitch, it's still exciting. It's my first sweater and it's going to be awesome.

And as for the rest of my chipperness, my federal taxes are ready to be sent out (I can't wait to get my grubby paws on that refund check...) and I'm about to e-file my state taxes. No procrastinating for me this year. It's funny just how much of a motivator money is for me.

Pictures

Two pictures to share: THE slippers and Mom's scarf.

Kat's Scarf

Well, Kat has received her scarf. It went over well, and I am very happy. Though I purchased the same dye lot for the balls of yarn, one of them had much brighter reds and oranges than the other two. I emailed the company about it, and they are being awesome and sending me three complimentary skeins. Life is good. That about wraps it up for now...I'm currently being lazy at the coffee shop and making a lengthy post is just being too productive.

Dad's Hat and Other Things

This is my Dad using the hat I knit for him at his Freeze Your Butt Off contest. It's made from Lion Brand Yarn's Homespun in Rococo. This yarn is pretty decent to work with; it's soft and has a neat look, without being expensive (not to mention it's available at the Michael's on the way home from work.) The first scarf I ever knit, also the second project ever knit, was in this yarn in Cotton Candy. This is very pink. I don't think the swatch on the website really does it justice. They're not kidding around when they call it vibrant.

The seed stitch purse I've been working on for at least a month is my current project. I finally finished Kat's wild scarf and so I feel I must finish this purse...no matter how boring it can be. I've been having more fun dreaming up how many trillions of pockets shall be on the inside lining.

Last night I did something I had promised myself I would never do: I bought yarn without a real purpose for it. To moderate myself, I only got one skein. Well, really, I sort of have in the back of my head a hat I want to make out of it. But there's no set project.

Well that's it for now, I suppose...I'll blabber more later.

THE slipper debacle

Unfortunately, this post does not contain any pictures. It should, but it doesn't. Anyway, the slippers. Every Christmas for my childhood my Grandma knit us each a pair of slippers. Now, mind you, these slippers were nothing special. They were acrylic. Always. And they hurt your feet if walked around in them without a pair of socks on, too. But they were warm. Now, one way or another, we all needed new slippers by next Christmas. I, invariably, lost one (or both) of mine. My mom wore through hers. The list goes on. As my Grandma got older, the slippers fit less well. I, the youngest, invariably got slippers that were much too small. My Dad hasn't had a pair of slippers that fit for fifteen years, or so he tells me. It was something we giggled about as we swapped slippers around to fit. Well, my Grandma died when I was in High School and we have all gone slipper-less since. I don't think I really appreciated those slippers until I couldn't have them anymore.

Now, since I started knitting, there's been a glimmer of hope in my family members' eyes. So we thought, just maybe, that we might have slilppers again. My Mom had recovered a pair of slippers knitted but not sewn together. My aunt Ann believed she could make a pattern from that. I tried, but really lack the experience to properly create a pattern from a knit piece that involves anything more complicated than knit or purl. And then the phone call.

My Mom calls me with that tone in her voice that means she's excited but wants to toy with me. Well, to spare you all the suspense, she'd found THE pattern.

I've almost finished the pair. I'm proud. They're awesome. And there will be pictures soon. Soooooon. There will be slippers this Christmas.