Thanksgiving

My Chloe is still doing fabulously. She milks her 3-legged status for all it's worth, and is greatly spoiled and adored by all. It's been over 3 months since amputation. and about 6 since cancer diagnosis. It's bonus time, and I try hard to remember to appreciate every bit of it.

In other news, knitting!

Baby sweater for our friends James and Adria's forthcoming baby. I think it's hilariously like a little old man sweater. I even used the fake woven leather buttons.

I have my standard 6 billion other projects going, too. This year the Pacific Fabrics KAL is using Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick, so I'm currently in the throes of both a brioche hat and the petticoat socks (Ravelry links), as well as some secret holiday knitting projects.

Also in the ongoing project kingdom, I'm working on the quilting on a queen size quilt I'm making for my mother. I'm so close to done, but I'm having trouble getting done. But it sure is pretty.

Ketchup

Look, I finished a knitting project!



These are Scrunchie Handwarmers from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders, out of Jojoland Melody Superwash in the color "Magic Moment." (Do you have that song stuck in your head now? You're welcome.) They were the January project for the Pacific Fabrics and Crafts Knit Along.

Here's what else has been going on. Trent and I have decided to create a raised bed for vegetables in our courtyard, so we've started excavating, and I've spent inordinate amounts of time reading seed catalogs. Unfortunately, right after we started clearing for it, Trent got the Shitty Virus (our name - some sort of respiratory crud that lingers like the shameful memory of that time at the junior high dance when you made an ass out of yourself asking the cute popular guy/girl to dance with you). He was dog sick for a week and a half, then I got it, then I got a sinus infection. I think the grand total of time we spent moaning and groaning was over 3 weeks. It sucked. So, that was pretty much January.

Meanwhile, I've been sewing an outfit for a fashion sewing competition. If any of y'all are going to be at Sew Expo the last weekend of February, please try to make it to the fashion show on Saturday at 12:30 (the Bernina and the Sewing Workshop "Runway to Everyday" challenge). I'll be the one with the really uncomfortable smile and the stylin' chocolate brown jacket. So, my outfit for the competition is about done, but my sewing room looks like it exploded and then was ravaged by wolves.

Happiness and woe

I finally blocked the eye searing pink shawl, with some help from Peggy and Rebecca.





We didn't wet block it, since it's already freakin' huge. We pinned out the loops on the edge, very gently straightening and stretching, and then misted it with warm water. It's been done for several days, and I could have retrieved it tonight at the Feral Knitters meeting, but my car is in the shop (woe).

I also finished another Knit Along project, this time Cozy Socks for Kids (from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders). These are out of Cascade 220 superwash.

On a bookstore trip, I fell in love with some of the critters in the Tamie Snow's book Tiny Yarn Animals, so of course I had to get the book, even though my crochet skillz are sad. I really bought the book for the lemur, but I started with the elephant. He came out cute, and rather charmingly crooked.


Now I'm working on a lemur. At some point this evening, after 2.5 hours on the couch crocheting lemur bits, I found myself thinking that I could have used the time for something useful, like a sweater, or sewing, or house cleaning. But then I said lemur lemur lemur lemur lemur until I started giggling.

I've been working many days in a row (woe). My boss is very sick, and since we have a wee staff, that means I'm in the trenches until she's back on her feet. Since my car is in the shop, she's sending her husband to pick me up in the morning - that's the upside of working for a wee company.