You must watch this video. Disturbingly adorable!

Because I'm leaving in two weeks for New York, we have to accelerate our holiday stuff a bit. I wrapped all the presents today--there are a few I still need to take care of, but not many. We're decorating a garland instead of a tree, and we'll probably put that up tomorrow. I'm not in a "Christmas mood" or anything--it's just a matter of getting things done...

It was funny getting back to my pink cabled jacket after working with the fur stuff--I never knew how much more I liked working with small needles. So I decided to work on some Korknisse for ornaments. After making one, I realized they'd be much faster to crochet. I'll take some pictures when I have a few more assembled.

So this is the last day of NaBloPoMo, and I did it!! I should be able to keep up posting a few times a week.

I was tagged for this the other day by Heather and Diana, but I didn't get a chance to do it. So here goes:

1) Link to your tagger and list all these rules in your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs.
4) Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okay.
1. My husband heard me sing before he heard me speak, eight years ago next month. I was in a community choir, and he was invited to the holiday concert by a mutual friend. I sang the "Qui sedes" from the Vivaldi Gloria, incidentally.
2. I was extremely reluctant to join Facebook, but my arm had been twisted by too many people, so I joined today. There ya' go. (Oh, and my freshman-year boyfriend, who has never come up on Google searches, is on there. I'd never have believed it was him, but it's quite obvious from the photo... Should I message him? It's been more than twelve years since we've spoken, after all. Might be fun for a few minutes.)
4. I learned to crochet because I wanted to recreate some doll toilet paper cozies my Portuguese great-grandmother had. At least one of my original creations still exists, in my parents' guest bathroom.
5. My first crush ever (if you can call it that) was when I was four. It was on Captain Kirk. I think William Shatner is a year older than my grandmother.
6. I really want to have an herb garden. We don't have enough light where we live now for anything besides impatiens and begonias. Planting herbs will be one of the first things we do when we buy a house.
7. I hate peas--but only out of the pod. They taste different in the pod!

Yeah, and I'm not going to tag anyone, since so many people have done this already.

Today Mark made a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat to fulfill our turkey needs. It was lovely, and the leftovers are abundant. What I did today: crochet a scarf for my Share Tree recipient from church. It took some trial and error to find a stitch pattern that worked with the yarn (Fancy Fur plus some worsted weight acrylic held together); I ended up making it the long way, alternating stitches per row. Pretty boring, but it's warm, and I hope the woman likes it. I do have to buy her pants, in a size large. Do they sell non-sweatpants in S-M-L? I guess I'll find out tomorrow at the store.

We did venture out into Retail Hell today--surprisingly not very hellish. There was a super coupon for an mp3 player Mark wanted for Christmas (he didn't have one until now), so we went over to Costco. I just have a few things to finish up now for Christmas (other than his socks). I really should spend the next two weeks on hardcore singing stuff--my teacher said I sounded rested the other day, but I think I took it a bit too easy in November.

We didn't really realize it until we were on our way to my parents' house, but we were pretty disappointed not to have turkey yesterday! (The turkey looked like it had freezer burn, and since my mother only bought it last week and immediately started defrosting it, it certainly came from the store that way; they offered to replace it with a fresh turkey, but my mother has this idea that fresh turkeys taste gamy--I have no idea--so she bought a ham instead.) So now Mark is defrosting the turkey we've had in the freezer for a while. I hope we have better luck.

Eleven-thirty! Mark's been hogging the computer all evening putting songs on his new toy. I will get to that meme tomorrow!

Soooo tie-tie. But to sum up Thanksgiving: the turkey was funny when my mother opened it, so we had ham. My father was slightly grumpy. My mother was her usual weird self. I've been working on the cabled jacket--I may finish it this century. More tomorrow.

Loooooong day. I worked, then had a lesson, and managed to run like, fifteen errands on the way. But then I came home to a yummy, yummy dinner, prepared by this man:



Big man, little hat. (Viking/Valkyrie hat) I was only able to cast on for his socks today, since I was running around so much. I guess I'll work on some coffee sleeves tonight...

More retro goodness:


Gordon Lightfoot wants his sweater back! But actually, I like it. And the woman's cardigan is very classy, and I could totally wear it after adding shaping. (I've already asked Mark if he wanted me to make him either of the two men's cardigans I've posted, and he said no. There's also a men's vest pattern in the booklet, but it is hideous.)

I have no interesting project pictures right now (there's actually a hilarious one--to me, anyway--of me modeling a gift, which I can't post until after it's given), but there will be some felted thrummed slippers and a toddler Valkyrie hat to look forward to in a few days. After that, I have a few more coffee sleeves to dash off, then Mark's Christmas socks (I only have a Ravelry link, sorry), which are tricky enough to keep me busy. I do want to finish my pink cabled cardigan by the end of the year, also my Estonian lace shawl that I am only slightly allergic to...and I'm sure I'll get to them, considering Mark's socks are a surprise. (I'm sure he knows he's getting socks for Christmas, but I like to keep the illusion alive.) And I think I'll need to make the acorn bag very soon. It is calling to me. Plus if I don't crochet for a while, things get wonky. I already crochet weird, almost backwards, so I can't let myself get too rusty. Maybe I'll work on it when I'm staying with my grandparents, so my grandmother can correct my technique. Of course, then she will need to make the acorn bag for all my little cousins, but she makes too many afghans anyway. :)

Speaking of staying with my grandparents, yesterday I heard back about another audition--probably the last I'll hear from, given that it's only three weeks away. Mark's flight is confirmed; he comes into JFK at about noon on the 23rd, so I'll meet him at Penn Station and we'll spend the day doing goofy tourist Christmas things in Manhattan. I'm not fond of crowds, but I am actually looking forward to going to Macy's (across the street from the station, so why not?) and Rockefeller Center and Central Park and maybe having a nice lunch somewhere. Or maybe just a falafel on the street--just as good. Or pizza, or Chinese, or bagels... Going to New York is an opportunity to eat all the yummy ethnic food one just can't get in the south. Which reminds me that I ought to get dinner started.

Cathy, I have to agree with you about the questions on that quiz--no mention of Jimmy Choos anywhere! Though of course some of the questions were slanted toward preparing girls to be good wives. Also, I'm glad you all don't think I'm insane about checking Mark's vitals in the middle of the night. I should mention that his father died at 47, though he'd had a previous heart attack and was a lifelong smoker. Mark is in quite good health, despite being overweight (which the doctor always mentions, but since his tests always come back fine nobody pushes too hard), so I know I don't really have much to worry about. Just don't want to be a widow at 31!

A mishmash today...

*Funny post at Curly Wurly. I am thoroughly chastised by my incomplete right arm. Holy deconstructed woman, Batman! Or are my feminist alarms going off prematurely? Hard to say these days...

*Ten random things (nicked from Knotty Mouse)

1. Magazines subscribed to - Plenty, because it was free. I really should renew my Bust subscription, since I end up buying it in Whole Foods anyway, and it'd be nice to get Vogue Knitting, maybe...

2. Aside from knitting, my favorite pasttimes are - crochet, reading, listening to music, traveling

3. If I were not a [musician] (insert your own profession), I would be - an activist, or maybe a party planner (I know, could these two professions be more different?)

4. I am irrationally worried about - like everything, but my most irrational worry is that Mark will have a heart attack in the middle of the night while I'm sleeping. Whenever I wake up at night, I have to make sure he's breathing. I know this is insane...

5. If I were the opposite sex - people would've said I was "inquisitive" as a child, not a "loudmouth". I am still angry about this.

6. The thing I miss most about childhood is - ten hours of sleep a night!

7. I like to collect - LPs

8. Though I’ve never been there, I feel inexplicably homesick for - Ireland, maybe?

9. I’ve never really liked to eat - Krispy Kremes. Yes, I know I live in the land of Krispy Kreme. Unless the hot light is on, I think those things are kind of nasty. I'm no fan of icing, really.

10. When I have nightmares, they’re usually about - nuclear war, sometimes zombies. I am a bundle of sunshine, aren't I?

*Another awesome vintage sweater picture:


Does this look like a beginner's pattern to you? I didn't think so... But it is cute! I'm thinking it'd be great in bamboo, with shorter sleeves. And shaping, which goes without saying. None of these old patterns (this one's from 1968) go above a 38" bust, so a lot of rewriting would be required...but I should be used to it by now!

Check these out!



I love the sweater on the right. And if I wanted to I bet I could buy the exact same colors of Lopi. The guy's combover is craptacular.

So we hadn't been to Mass since the changes last month ("new Norms", or whatever they're calling them), but the main difference is that some of the optional kneeling is no longer optional. That was fun... Other than that, we picked up some Christmas presents (locally-made soap), drove around looking at some houses for sale, and went on a wild goose chase for a remarkably effective sinus product. Right now Mark is making lasagne, so I am a happy camper.

I woke up very early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, so I read Drunk, Divorced... and I just didn't like it, for multiple reasons. The only reason I finished it is because I didn't want to get out of bed (it was cooooooold!). I'm glad I got it in a swap and didn't buy it myself. As luck would have it, the county library book sale was this weekend, so I was able to buy some things I actually like--a few fun old science fiction paperbacks (mostly LeGuin) and even two awesome old pattern booklets (the craft section was totally picked over otherwise--but can't a girl dream of coming across Victorian Lace Today or some Elizabeth Zimmerman?). I'll take some pictures of them, because they are super cool. Did you know Sears sold their own interchangeable circular needle sets back in 1968? I didn't even know they sold yarn, but I should've figured.

Last night we watched Baby Mama--it was funny, but I had kind of high expectations for it that weren't really met. Is it so wrong to expect everything Tina Fey touches to turn to quirky comedy gold? I suppose I just wanted it to be more indie--though how that would be possible in a Lorne Michaels production, I'm not sure. Anyway, it was still fun, and I do have a soft spot for Greg Kinnear.

Sleepy. I think I'm gonna turn in early.

The Pomatomus redux is complete. Before and after:


See how it's not baggy now? I can actually wear them with shoes now. Back to the holiday presents now. Although I really want to make this bag. Isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?! I just love her patterns.

I finished The Thirteenth Tale yesterday--I did really like it. I don't read a lot of modern fiction that's not scifi--especially not mainstream novels marketed to women--but in subject and setting, it owes a lot to Nineteenth-Century gothic novels. I recommend it! My next book is another out-of-character read: Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair...

No plans yet for this weekend! We should probably dust the bedroom, though.

Yesterday I folded and put away ALL the laundry (with some help from Mark), did one translation and started another, cleaned up in the kitchen, brought Mark's dry cleaning, watched two episodes of Ugly Betty online and started the foot of my second Pomatomus. It's interesting how much quicker these seem the second time. I think I'm just better at lace now, and quicker at memorizing patterns. See, I'm learning! :)

Now that these socks have finally reached their recipient, I can post a picture:



These are Twinkle Toes by Cookie A., which were featured on an episode of the late great Knitty Gritty. (Yes, I know there is a lot of Cookie A.-ness going on here lately.) I made these in May, for Helen's August birthday, but for various reasons I didn't get them in the mail until recently. Apparently they fit great! I am very happy about that.

In other news, I've been reading The Thirteenth Tale, as recommended by Wendy, and it's quite better than I thought it would be...

That was awesome.

I actually got some stuff accomplished today! I'm rather proud of myself.

The lovely green socks I linked to in the last post are officially kaput. I wore through the other heel yesterday, and there are other thin places besides, so I don't think it's worth mending them. It's a shame, since they're so pretty, but I made the mistake of knitting socks from yarn clearly designed for lace. I think I'll felt them and make coasters out of the unaffected lace parts. So anyway, I had to replace a pair of socks. I dashed through half the heel and the entire foot of my second Monkey so I could wear them today:



Lousy picture, I know. They don't match my outfit at all, but it's better than wearing white athletic socks to work... Since I am dealing with a sock shortage here, I decided now was the time to reknit the feet of my
Pomatomus so that they aren't GI-normous. They're really big. I have to go down a needle size with every Cookie A. pattern, I think. I mean, in what universe do I need a 72-stitch sock knit on size 2s? Crazy. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do yet--though somehow I have to decrease to 60 stitches, and either do two pattern repeats instead of three on top of the foot, or just knit a plain stockinette foot. It was such a fun pattern, I'm leaning toward the former option.

In other news, we won't be buying my father's car, at least for the time being. The car he was looking at to buy himself was sold before they had a chance to see it. I guess we all just need to keep our eyes open...

Oh, and thanks for the comments on my hat! I'm not too crazy about the way I look in hats, but it is definitely keeping me warm.

I neglected to mention in my last post that while I love sweet potatoes, they don't really love me back. A bit under the weather today... (tmi)

So it is fricking cold here now. I was able to wear my new beret and matching cowl...


I don't look so cold right there, since I'm inside. The house is very drafty--I'm wearing two pairs of socks (one pair handknitted--I just repaired the heel on one of them, since I accidentally put my thumb through it after accidentally felting them, good times) and a sweater Mark left downstairs, and I made some tea to try to keep warm. The thermostat says 65 degrees, but it is clearly colder than that. And there's no real point in turning up the temperature, since it won't make much of a difference to anything but our energy bill. (It could be worse: we have friends who live in a 100-year-old house, and their thermostat is right near the front door. They set the heat at 50 degrees and use space heaters. They also don't have air conditioning.) I should use the oven tonight, and maybe do some laundry. Well, if a cold front gets me doing chores around the house, I guess it's a good thing.

We just got back from our first holiday party of the year. (I know!) It was an early Thanksgiving dinner held by my husband's boss/college buddy. Two different kinds of sweet potato casserole! Yummm... We brought Mark's beer, which was a hit. (And also good for me, since it required no work on my part!)

In other news, I hope I'm not jinxing it by mentioning it too soon, but I think we are buying my father's old car to replace mine. His is older, but it has about 60,000 fewer miles. I hope to hear by tomorrow...

I'm still looking for something to replace the awful felting mishap. I have this pretty mystery yarn (bamboo/silk/rayon?) I want to use, but have tried a few patterns and haven't found the right match yet. Still plugging away!

This afternoon Mark and his friend made beer, while I started my neverending Wagner aria translation. It's a ten-minute aria.

The felting technique I was trying is based on Shibori techniques--basically you bind or fold different parts of the fabric before you felt it. That part actually worked fine (I had made some gathers with rubber bands). It was the rest that was hideous!

I think I have a project to replace the awful felting. Today I mainly just worked on my companion cowl to the beret. Now I just need the pictures. (It was 70 degrees here today, and stormy--not really ideal for modeling wool.)

We just finished watching Blow-Up, which we got from NetFlix. Kind of a weird movie--though it was fun to recognize Jimmy Page in one scene. The NetFlix people must think we're insane--we get the strangest mix of DVDs. Operas plus art films plus Mystery Science Theater: 3000 plus The Bob Newhart Show...

Disaster. Over the past few months I'd been working intermittently on a garter-stitch mohair scarf on big needles, so I could try out some felt-resist techniques. Tonight I finally did the felting. After ten minutes in the wash, it shrank down to about two feet long by two inches wide (it was about six feet by eight inches). It looks like a dead animal--worse, some nasty nightmarish creature from a Clive Barker novel. I'm pretty upset about this. It was a perfectly nice garter-stitch scarf. See?


And now it is in the garbage. Not to mention that I'm short a Christmas present now. Grrrrr.....

No ear infection, by the way--I have a "bulging eardrum" but it's just from congestion. I'm supposed to call back if lots of Sudafed doesn't cure it in a week. Yes, but my ear hurts now...

Granted, I really don't have that much to complain about. My beret is cute, at least (I have to have Mark take a picture), and based on Niki's suggestion, I'm making a matching cowl with the leftover yarn. I do love this colorway.

Whoops, almost forgot to blog today... Not much going on, really. I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow to see if I don't have an ear infection. And I may be done with the beret:


I'll bring it to SnB tonight for opinions. I think it might be a little small...maybe after blocking it'll be more beret-like. It's a really fun pattern, though.

Hooray! The computer is back. And I have wasted the last several hours of my work-at-home day downloading and setting up the printer driver (blech), changing all the display settings back to the way I like them, and learning how to use Firefox. (We figured we'd switch, since there are fewer viruses written specifically for Firefox, but I've had to figure out which of my regular internet haunts require cookies, and allow each of them separately--I do hate cookies, the fake kind anyway. I'm glad I remembered to copy my internet Favorites onto our portable drive, since Firefox was able to swipe them from IE.)

I also spent a bit of time uploading photos. Unfortunately the best ones are of gifts, so I can't show them! But here's a gift for my grandmother, who unfortunately doesn't use the computer:


It's the Dolores Park Cowl, a super-easy project that I finished up on Election Night with some random Patons Divine I got in a trade. You have no idea how happy it makes me to use up orphan balls of novelty yarn. Well, maybe you do. I made another one for my mother in snow-white Caron Bliss, which looks like cotton candy and feels like a baby animal, but is rather plastic-y to work with. I think I have found it a good home.

I totally have start-itis--and holiday knitting is totally enabling that. But what am I starting today? A beret, for myself. Haahahahahaaaa...

I'm on Mark's laptop. We are in the middle of system restore stuff right now... Wish us luck!

I had all sorts of fiber fun today...which I will relate tomorrow. Hopefully on my own computer.

Bonus post! A quiz from Princess Pea:

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

27 Impressionist, 21 Islamic, 16 Ukiyo-e, -34 Cubist, -39 Abstract and 17 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

I think I'm finally starting to catch up! I've actually put away laundry the last few days. Granted, there is much more to put away. Mainly sheets, which I have a hard time folding by myself. I guess it's not too bad. Wait 'till we have kids...

It looks like I do have at least one audition in New York next month, which is actually a little surprising--I wasn't really expecting to get anything. Maybe that's why I'm dreading it a bit. Drive eleven hours one-way (or fly, depending on when I hear back), plus various long and short train rides, for a five-minute long-shot chance at a job. Wait, shouldn't I be used to this by now? :) Nah, it'll be fine. I just hope I get another audition, so I can make the trip more worth it. The other thing is that Mark and I are tentatively planning to drive up to New York to see my family (and maybe his brother) for Christmas. My audition is the week before Christmas. I do not plan to do that drive twice in a week. My office is only open for two days the week of Christmas, so maybe I should just stay up in New York (I have a work laptop, so I can do 75% of my job while traveling) and Mark can fly one-way. A possibly very good idea! I have to remember that.

Oh, and yes, we still have that damn virus. Mark's bringing his work laptop home so we can explore some options. We still may end up reformatting. And considering all the time I spent over the weekend trying to eradicate this thing, it would probably have saved lots of time to just reformat. Ugh.

Fantastic. Looks like we're going to have to reformat the hard drive, unless we can figure out another solution. We have a backup drive, but it's still a royal pain in the ass...

We did have a great time at the monthly KIP today, though. :)

Currently fighting a computer virus--no time for an actual post, except to state the obvious. Viruses suck. Though this one is really just more annoying than anything--no crazy popups or extra icons. Wish me luck. Again.

I had various plans for today, and woke up early and everything. Then I noticed there was a Dr. Who marathon, which basically derailed everything. Just this week I had been wondering how, with all my sci-fi cred, I had never seen a single episode. Now I have seen several (David Tennant-era, early on I think). How did I miss out on this? I remember seeing snippets of it on PBS in the early Eighties, and just thinking it was weird. Granted, I was like, five, and wondering why
3-2-1 Contact wasn't on... I think I have to NetFlix the whole damn shebang now!

I did manage to translate a French cowl pattern today as well. Although I just could not decipher the bind off (something about "gansey"--I have no idea)--I think I'll just do a picot bind off. Should be pretty, though--I found it through a discussion on Ravelry about Sarah Palin's famous, ostensibly qiviut smoke ring. Mine's not qiviut, of course. :)

Tomorrow: an exciting trip to the recycling center is planned! And we may get smoothies.

The leaves were glorious on my 100-mile drive to my lesson, and the weather was wonderful. We get the same today, with better weather, and again I have to drive 75 miles on the same route for this audition (it's a house audition, for a company I've sung with before, but I've never actually sung for the artistic director as I will tonight). I'm glad I've taken off for tomorrow, so I can enjoy our last day of the year (ostensibly) in the mid-seventies. I have to find a cafe that isn't in a strip mall! I want to look at trees while I knit and enjoy a latte. Ooh, one of those pumpkin-flavored ones...

(For those of you who don't know: I have a part-time day job, and theoretically work part-time on singing--practicing, lessons, auditions, traveling, translating, listening to recordings, rehearsals all should be allotted 20 hours a week on average. I usually take a day off every week to concentrate on singing. Also, I try to sleep in past 9 A.M., which is actually important for my singing as well as my sanity.)

Still totally stoked about Tuesday night. The first time I hooted was when they called Pennsylvania--really McCain's last chance to win--and then again when they called Ohio. Then I did the math. Eleven o'clock was still such an amazing, jubilant moment. And it was quite lovely to hear it in Keith Olbermann's sexy, stentorian voice. (Yes, I kinda have it bad for him. I even have this fantasy where I run into him in the Starbucks in Grand Central--during audition season I always stop there and get a peppermint hot chocolate before I catch my train back upstate--and he takes me out for a steak dinner. Et cetera. Mark is not too keen on my having a TV boyfriend, but we still have to watch Countdown anyway...)

In fiber news, I have actually broken down and decided to make some gifts. But they're all simple, quick things that I want to make--cowls, mug cozies, dishcloths, maybe a little scarf or two for someone special. And I'm trying to use up the novelty stuff I've collected, with varying degrees of success. When I need a break I work on the Monkeys--and also, remember my Estonian stole? I started working on it again last week, and I've finally finished the first part. I am still no fan of nupps, and am glad I won't have to do any more until the very end. The cable needle I had is about the same size as a size 6 needle anyway, so it really made no difference; I ended up just doing them the conventional way, being very careful. My forearms are still sore. Bleck. Luckily, the 70% alpaca doesn't bother me nearly as much as 100% alpaca--maybe it's a mild allergy after all...

We are very happy here, and very tired... I have a lesson this afternoon (two hours away) and an audition tomorrow night (90 minutes away), so I don't get a break until Friday--but I've taken the day off so I'll have plenty of time to catch up on sleep and laundry...

Still, I have a permanent smile on my face.

Allow me to get all political on you.

Si, se puede!

(finger puppet from Lion Brand--apparently skin tone is impossible to replicate with yarn, or at least the yarn in my stash)

"The great thing about voting for Obama tomorrow is not that you will be able to tell your grandchildren that you did one day, but that they won't understand why it was so significant." (Jed Report)

Good news I forgot to mention: my brother Jeff (aka The Best Ironer in the World) proposed to his girlfriend Lauren on Friday. I really like Lauren, and I think she and Jeff make a great couple. (Granted, they've been living together for about two years already...) They're tentatively planning an October 2009 wedding, which I'm sure will be a blast. Now if only my other brother (Brandan) would finally marry his fiance--they got engaged a week before Mark and I did, and we've been married 3 1/2 years...

So my trip to Boston. Forty-eight hours on the ground, and nary a break the whole time. I had planned this dinner meeting, which got very expensive through no fault of my own--plus the editor's fifteen-minute talk turned into an full-fledged, hour-long meeting. It was also my first time meeting my editor, a German man who is as diminutive as he is demanding. At least he didn't seem to be disappointed in me... Yes, the once stress-free day job becomes stressful from time to time. In my one hour away from the convention, I walked a few blocks to Newbury Yarns. Cute little store with some awesome knitters doing their thing--it was a bit pricey, but considering it's on the same block as Anthropologie and Zara and countless other boutiques I understand. And my booty?


Love! Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Yellowstone--it's a bit darker than the photo shows. It was a typical New England fall day--grey, windy, misty, about 50 degrees--and the yarn reminded me so much of falling leaves. (The leaves are finally turning here.) So I have to make a leaf pattern with this--and something at 7.5 stitches/inch, since this is a heavier fingering. I was thinking about Embossed Leaves from Favorite Socks, but I'm not sure yet...

Hard to believe that my show ended two weeks ago! I've just been so busy since. It actually went better than I expected. I got a review worth quoting on my website, which never happens (they said I was "smoky"!), and I totally bonded with one of the girls in the cast. So it turned out well. Then I had 36 hours to get ready for my business trip to Boston...which I will write about tomorrow.

Here's the Monkey I started on the plane to Boston.


I've never used Tofutsies before, and I really like the way it feels knitted up. It is a little splitty, but it's not too bad. I'm working the socks on size 1s, so they're a bit snug, but Cookie A.'s socks always end up big on me so I'd rather go small...

And yes, my toenails are green. I never wear nail polish on my fingers, but my toes are always some crazy color or another.

Because I've been such a slacker on the blog, I've joined National Blog Posting Month. (I don't plan to write a novel anytime soon, after all...)

My first post of the month: my completed GreenGable hoodie:


It's been perfect for chilly mornings, and I've gotten all sorts of compliments on it. I added shaping to the body (it had none!) and narrowed the wrists, but I otherwise followed the pattern.

More tomorrow! That's the point, right?