MWF ISO RGY 4st/in

Um, that would be Married White Female in search of "Ravens Gold" Yarn with a gauge of 4 stitches per inch.

I foolishly thought I could make a hat for my husband that was "pretty". No. "Pretty" is not manly, and while I got the polite "um, yeah, I'd wear it" the more enthusiastic response was when GB noticed that the colors I had chosen were almost Baltimore Ravens colors.

So instead of a fair isle cap with black and white and this purple
and this lovely cobalt blue
GB must have Baltimore Ravens colors, and of course the blue doesn't work for that. So now I'm on a hunt for a gold that will work. The place I ordered the other yarns (Little Knits) has a great sale on Cascade yarns, but doesn't seem to carry the gold that I'd like, and since gold isn't a color I use a lot, and I probably need a quarter of a ball for this hat, I'm not really interested in paying $9 plus shipping for the durned thing.

Don't feel bad for the blue. It's now a hat for DSS's mom. Well, it's now two-thirds of a hat for DSS's mom. And frankly, by the time you read this, it might even be a full hat, since it's here with me at work. Last year I knit her a scarf for Christmas, and I realized suddenly that I hadn't given her a Christmas gift this year. We're in each other's lives, and it's an awkward enough relationship, me being far more happily married to GB than she ever was, and having a great relationship with her kid to boot. So I try to be as friendly as I can without having to actually be friends with her, which would be way too weird and requires a much higher level of maturity than I possess. In any event, I'll try to take pictures of the hat tonight, so you can see on Monday, since it will go home with DSS tomorrow.


Oh, one more thing --

Ah, New Year's... when the whole world gets together to wish me happy anniversary...

Rambling thoughts, Rambling photos...

This is what I looked like all day yesterday.

See, they DO look alike!!!

One of the things I got for Christmas was a very cute little purse from one of my aunts. It's perfect for carrying a small knitting project, if you have one. Normally, I do, and in theory right now I have several. But as I thought about which project should go in that little bag, I realized that I was at a rare impasse where even my small projects are fairly cumbersome right now. The only exception is a pair of socks I have in my desk here at work... and frankly, they stay in my desk, so they don't really need a cute little bag of their own!

There's the Creatures of the Reef shawl for MIL, which is just one big ball of lace weight Espresso, but the pattern is many pages, and I don't want to fold and crumple it into a bag. I've also got a hat going in Pastanza, but it's fair isle, so there are many balls. Here's Aslan helping (notice the lack of hands-on assistance. No mohair in this yarn - it's a llama/wool blend.)

Clearly the only solution to not having anything for that purse is to start a new project, right?

And while we're doing cute cat pictures, here's a big mean Trevor, feeling very irrate that I wouldn't let him actually get inside the refrigerator.

I know. He's very intimidating, isn't he.

Oh! And I got a not-really-halfway-but-I'm-rounding-up decent photo of the rose necklace from DSS, penny for size of course.


And this is what I feel like when there are extra people in my house and my schedule is thrown off:

The people have spoken....

And they said I was an idiot.

Okay not really "the people"... just me.

Let me tell you about my morning.

DSS is off school this week and so we have him while GB takes some vacation time and do guy things together. It's sort of cute; GB, DSS, the cats and the dog, all sitting around scratching themselves all week. Okay, "cute" isn't really the word, but still...

The point is that with GB off work, he's been sleeping in a bit, and that means I've been sleeping in a little too, and getting dressed as quietly as I can so as not to disturb the aforementioned menfolk. It also means I'm not paying as close attention to what I'm doing when I get ready as perhaps I should, instead of focussing so much on being quiet.

In any event, I rushed out the door this morning, with plans to stop off at Safeway to get something for lunch and a cup of coffee, and notices as I was walking through the aisles that my shoes were clicking unevenly. One was making a higher pitched click than the other. This is a nerdy thing to notice, I realize, but nevertheless it's what happened.

So I'm walking down the aisles thinking "why would my left boot be clicking in a softer, deeper pitch? I wonder if the little plastic disc thingy fell off, and it's just a rubber heel on that foot? So I listen a little more as I walk, and pay a little more attention (never once actually looking at my feet, because by now I'm convinced that the whole reason everyone else in the store isn't laughing at my uneven shoes is that I haven't looked at them) and I realize that not only is the left boot clicking differently, I seem to be ever so slightly shorter - maybe half an inch - on that side. I grab my bagel chips and head to the coffee counter, where there's a line, and finally a chance to inspect my boots without drawing too much attention.

Carefully I inspect the heels:

Brown boot, heel fine, no sign of missing disc thingy.
Black boot, also fine, no sign of additional disk thingy.

Hmm.

Let me check again.

Brown boot, fine,
Black boot.....



That's right ladies and gentlemen - TWO DIFFERENT BOOTS!

Go ahead, say it. I'm an idiot. A dorky, nerdy idiot.

And while you're thinking that, let me clinch the idea in your mind by telling you about a phone conversation that transpired last night. GB called his mom to wish her Merry Christmas and let her know we got the envelopes with the money. While he was on the phone, I was starting on her Christmas gift (which we'll give to her on a visit to Texas in the next few months) which is a Creatures of the Reef shawl, as she lives near the beaches of TX. I was knitting away, casting on the 80 bazillion stitches (okay, 437, but I hate casting on more than just about anything else knitting related) and counting carefully. He handed me the phone so I could talk to her, and I was so concerned that she not see what I was doing I completely forgot to thank her for the money.

Yup. Concerned that she would SEE the shawl I was knitting for her. Through the phone.

Yeah. I know.

But that brings us to what the people have spoken about. Because it was that money that I so ungratefully received that you have spoken about, and though it was a close race, you told me to put it in my Norm Hall fund... So that's what I'm gonna do. All my spare change goes into my sheepy bank, so be converted to bills which will go into that account. All the money I earn from commission knitting or teaching (not that it's a lot, but still) will go into my Norm Hall fund, and now, so will this.

So thanks to you, I am now $50 closer to having a Norman Hall wheel. Not that I'm smart enough to deserve one, but who am I to argue with the people?

I love my mother-in-law. I mean, I know you aren't supposed to. You're supposed to think she's some evil wench who never thinks you're enough for her son. But mine is adorably sweet. We got her Christmas gifts yesterday, which included a DVD copy of our wedding and a $50 bill for each of us, along with a note saying she wished she could be there to shop with us!

Only trouble is I'm a little bit shopped out. I know, I'm as surprised by that as you are. Nevertheless, there you have it. I have no need for yarn for sometime (in fact, I hereby invoke a "no more yarn purchases until Maryland Sheep and Wool" diet) and so I'm stuck trying to decide what to do with my money. That's where you come in:

What do I do with MILs gift?
	Put it towards a swift
	Put it towards a blocking board
	Be responsible and pay bills
	Put it into my Norman Hall Spinning Wheel fund
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Did she do it?

Remember the scarf you saw pictures of last week? The one that looked like this

Friday morning at about 3am?
As of about 6 pm it looked like this

(three guesses what fiber is in the pink wool blend yarn)

And as of 10pm Friday night, it looked like this:


WHEW! She loved it, and looked adorable in the set, and even just bought a pink coat that they match perfectly!

GB bought me pajamas that had these on the pants:

and I was wearing them when we got a visit from a Christmas elf! It was Christmas morning, GB had gone to pick up DSS from his mom's and I was finishing last minute wrapping. I was feeling a little blue that the two gifts we'd ordered for my mother weeks before hadn't come yet, and was wrapping a tiny "IOU" gift for her. There was a knock at the door. When I opened it, someone wearing a USPS jacket handed me a box and turned and ran back to his mail truck before I could even say "Thank you." It was NOT my usual mailman, and I don't think I've ever seen him before. It wasn't until I'd closed the door that I realized that I'd just had mail hand-delivered on Christmas day... An elf, maybe?


And speaking of GB, here he is, with his son, and my grandmother, at my parents house.


DSS got a keyboard for Christmas, and here he is with my mother, trying to figure out how it works:


And the requisite shot of the Christmas tree, with my blurry brother in the background:


I got a lovely top from one grandmother, an adorable purse from my aunt, and lots of great books, but the highlight was a little family of gifts. This family, actually:

That's a Fricke ball winder from my illustrious brother, a drumcarder from my parents (delivered by my own personal Santa, Shelia's husband who was nearby on business, drove it to my parent's house, and called my father a nerd ((it's okay - he is)) all sitting nicely on a "fiber station" from GB (with a shot of the screwdriver that put it together). You can even see Fiona looking on in awe. Yes, technically it's a wine rack, but it's where my drumcarder and ballwinder will live, and with some minor adjustments, a lot of my knitting/spinning books will live on it too, with a drawer for tools. I love all three, and I'm so exciting, and I wish I was home playing with them right now!

If you were to nail me down to one gift only, it would be what I'm wearing today (again) - a necklace from my DSS with a pendant of a rose, which I'm told he earned by selling so well in his school fundraiser... of course, it hasn't been off my body long enough to take a picture of it (and I'll spare you a close up on my chest) so I'll try to get a good shot later this week if it photographs the details with all the shine...

Excerpt from "The Holy Bible"Book of Luke
Chapter 2
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
(As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

'Til ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
~Longfellow


~~~~~~~~~

Last year, DSS was 11. He went to his father and said "Daddy, I know I'm too old to believe in Santa Claus, but I'm gonna do it for a little longer, okay?" You can't get much sweeter than that.

It was the first year that GB and I lived together, DSS and I were still adjusting to our "someone else will take up GB's time" weekends. So Christmas was a little chaotic. He wanted to spend it with him mom, he wanted to spend it with his dad, I wanted to spend it with my family... We decided that DSS would spend Christmas Eve with his mom, wake up there, and then GB would pick him up and take him to my grandparents, my own family tradition. Later in the evening we would have a smaller Christmas at my parents where my brother (who is a minister and works most Christmas Days) could join us. Sort of a Maryland tour of Christmases (Christmai?).

In the chaos of the tour, one of DSS's gifts got left behind at our house. Must have fallen out of arms as we were caring things around. In any event, when we finally got back to the house at the end of the night, DSS walked in and saw it on the couch. It was one we'd signed "from Santa."

"What's this?" he asked.

"Um... looks like a gift for you... but who's it from?"

"Says Santa"

"Hmmm... maybe Santa wasn't sure of your plans - cuz we were in so many different places today. Maybe he just wanted to be sure you got a gift everywhere, since you were so good."

He opened it. Inside was a small toy he'd seen when we were out, and had thought was fun. He sat on the couch, an unreadable expression on his face. My stomach sank - I knew we'd been busted. His determination to believe in Santa had been blown because we couldn't take one final sweep.

Feeling a little queasy and disappointed, I started down the hall... but what I heard behind me made tears come to my eyes.

It was DSS, quietly singing to himself, "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake..."

I might post more later, but right now breathing is taking a great deal of concentration, since I got suddenly and violently ill last night (and yet I'm at work. I deserved that damn bonus!)

Rent was amazing - loved it and cried through the whole thing, and then erased any chance that my husband wouldn't realize what a little music geek I am by trying to explain word painting and how very brilliant Jonathon Larson was in the car on the way home (that is, I was explaining in the car on the way home, not how very brilliant Jonathon Larson was in the car... he would have been very creepy, but not unwelcome, in the car. Oh, how I love a good dangling participle). GB's gift (that I mentioned yesterday but couldn't give you details) was a pair of socks - the first thing I've ever given him that I knit, because of the curse. They were (oh, come on, you know what's coming) Alpaca and he loved them. I just forgot to take pictures.

I did remember to take pictures of Caroline's gifts. The mittens, which were finished around 3 this morning, because I couldn't lie flat so was sitting up on the couch and felt I should be productive. Need a little trimming of ends, but everything is woven in. There's also the shot of the hat with the mittens, and that little blob above the hat is the scarf-to-be. It will be stripes of the white (which is white Cha-Cha double stranded with the pink Yukon) and plain pink. I sure hope she likes them - I think they're darn cute, myself.




~~~~~~


'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.

The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
but I had not finished the caps for their heads.

Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.

Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.

Out on my lawn, I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both dad and the boys.

And though I was tired,my brain was a bit thick,
I knew in a moment,it must be Saint Nick.

But what I heard then left me perplexed-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I had expected

"move,Ashford; move,Lopi; move,Addie and Clover
Move,Reynolds; move,Starmore; move, Fraylic--move over"

"Paton, don't circle round; stand in line.
Come now, you sheep wool work just fine!

I know this is hard semi, it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."

I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight woolly sheep on my lawn all a'grazing.

And then,in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across the porch floor.

I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned round, Saint Nick, I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were handknit from above to below.

A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
and his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.

His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.

The scarf round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.

The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable,
And suddenly on one I spied a small label.

SC was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
and I asked "Hey Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"

He proudly replied "Ho-ho-ho, yes I did,
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."

He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself for I'd thought up a plan,.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew he was tied to a chair.

He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my needles and yarn for a cap.

He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two;
For the first time I thought I'd really get through.

He put heels on the stockings and toes in some socks
While I sat back drinking Scotch on the rocks!!

So quickly like magic, his needles they flew,
That he was all finished by quarter to two.

He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.

And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon
"Next year start your knitting sometime around June!"

Author Unknown

Unfortunately $500 only goes so far, and I really am trying not to spend ALL of it... So, nope, just the 8 verses of the song. But feel free to sing it ad nauseum nonetheless, lifting your egg nogg high.

I'm getting one of my Christmas gifts early this year... tonight, as a matter of fact...

(drum roll, please)



(thank you)

TICKETS TO RENT!!!! This is one of my favorite shows, based on my favorite opera, and GB and I wen to see it on one of our first dates (I say "one of" because it was at that time period where we were "just friends" exclusively ... we were a little slow on defining things...)

Because he's giving me something early, he'll get something early too... but I can't tell you until he gets it tonight, because he might read this...

Still knitting Caroline's mittens and scarf. The hat is done, and I have no fear that the mittens will be done. The scarf is making me a little nervous, but I think it's still doable. It would have been 100% doable if I hadn't wasted time last night.

I changed the pattern. This isn't a surprise, since I don't follow patterns - I see them as suggestions, not rules (interestingly enough, I cook the same way). And I thought I was being SO smart to take notes as to what I did, seeing as I had a whole other mitten to knit. I neglected to note two things - how many stitches I cast on, and which size I'm making.

Yup. I'm an idiot.

I guessed the cast on, got to the section where I'd cleverly notated my changes, and convinced myself it was wrong. Ripped that out, started again (with a different cast on number) and then got stuck in the same spot. Third time's the charm, I went back to the original cast-on number, got to the sticking point, and stared at it for three hours.

This morning, I picked it up, figured out with one glance what I'd done wrong (started with a cast on amount of one size, didn't want to widen as much as the pattern suggests, so altered an increase row - this is what I noted - and then picked up with the next size down) and was able to get about halfway up the mitten.

If AC would ever go home today, I'd be able to knit the rest of it here. But Nooo... he has to be all responsible and good-employee-ish and he's doing his work. Jerk.

And because of the show, I can't knit tonight (maybe the scarf? It is a balcony seat... HA. You know damn well I'll drop a ball of yarn over the edge accidentally...) so that leaves me with tomorrow and Saturday morning to do the scarf.

I have this vague feeling I should be more stressed out about this.

I'll shoot for pictures tomorrow (you'll love the mittens, they really are adorable)

The eighth thing my Christmas bonus got me for is goodies from Adagio


Mittens and Gloves


Knitting on the Edge


FIIII-BERRRLYYYY KARMA!


the new Golding Spindle


another sweater of Cascade


a sweater's worth of Cascade


and a letter expressing their thanks...

~~~~~

Today's bonus gift was subsidized by Steph and a lovely RAOK of a gift certificate. I bought several tea samples and the coolest teapot EVER which is pictured there - the tea pours out the bottom. That's really the best way to describe it, but there's a little video on their website here.

I met a new group of knitters last night, which was really nice. They ooed and ahhhed over the mittens for Caroline (well, one mitten. The first mitten I made I guessed wrong on which size to make, and since you can't really tell until it's seemed up how it fits, it wasn't until then I realized it was really more of a sleeping bag than mitten.) Pictures? Heck no. Forgot to take them. But I will do my best to get some before they're given away. I spent the knitting group ripping out the oversized mitten (a mohair blend double stranded with an eyelash. It was like a little Christmas miracle that we didn't see "The Nightmare (three days) Before Christmas: the sequel"). Since the one that fit took under three hours, I figure I can knit that tonight, and that leaves me Thursday and Friday to knit the scarf.

What afghan? (denial ain't just some river someplace...)

And for those of you in need of a last minute gift for that dirty old man in your life, consider this. Let's all say it together.

Ew.

The seventh thing my Christmas bonus got me for is
Mittens and Gloves

Knitting on the Edge


FIIII-BERRRLYYYY KARMA!


the new Golding Spindle


another sweater of Cascade


a sweater's worth of Cascade


and a letter expressing their thanks...

~~~~~

I'm making this bonus go pretty far - combining it with my varsity shopping skills, and a few gift certificates here and there.... It's been really nice for that past few days being able to say "hmmm... can I afford to get that?" and have the answer be an exuberhant YES!

I did come up with an idea this morning, and I'm documenting it here, so don't everyone run out and patent it at once. Coffee dispensers at gas stations. I don't want to run inside and wait in line for just coffee if I could have paid for the gas at the pump. And I don't want 86 bazillion gas-station-paper-coffee-cups in my car. So I figure they have a little dispenser right by the pump, and I could use my own cup, or pay an additional charge to use one of theirs, and they charge me by the amount of coffee dispensed while I was pumping. It can be added right to the tab there. Yes? (okay, so I had to walk across a sloppy wet cold parking lot this morning. What can I say, inspiration strikes in unusual places)

When I got home in the bitter cold last night, I opened the door and was nearly flattened by two cats. Trevor is rambunctious. I'm used to him pushing the rules. Aslan, however, is normally immaculately mannered. I'm pretty sure some feline-currency exchanged hands (paws?) at some point to cause enough distraction for both cats to rush the door at once. It was about ten degrees out, and Aslan's no fool, so he didn't even make it to the second step before turning around and going back in. Trevor is obscenely stubborn (okay, he might have inherited that from me) and ran off into the dark. Oscar was literally bouncing off the door to his bedroom where he is locked during the days inside, and so I went and put him on his leash. He immediately went outside, found Trevor and herded him back into the house. It wasn't quite the crouching down low thing that Austrailian Shepherds do, but it was definitely herding. Both cats were reprimanded, for my own benefit, certainly not theirs. They are cats, after all, and guilt means to them what talent does to Anne Heche.

When GB came home, Aslan stood out the counter yelling at him. Normally a greeting is given, and then we can all go about our lives, but this time Aslan would not give up, just kept yelling. Finally, GB went over, looked him in the eye and said "I know you went outside."

Aslan stopped yelling, turned around and walked away with that "Well, fine then." attitude that every cat co-habitator knows well.

Well, fine then, indeed.

The sixth thing my Christmas bonus got for me is Knitting on the Edge


FIIII-BERRRLYYYY KARMA!


the new Golding Spindle


another sweater of Cascade


a sweater's worth of Cascade


and a letter expressing their thanks...

~~~~~

...Oh, and a cracked windshield. But that probably didn't come from the bonus, so it's hardly worth mentioning. Except that I love that State Farm will send someone out to my work, fix it without even bothering me, and not need a deductable or anything. This will be my third windshield with Norman, who cracks windshields in cold weather like most folks get chapped lips. The weather dropped from 45 - 55 degrees last week to 8 (count'em - 8) this morning so I should have known the windshield would be a casulty.

GB is home from his business trip, and should be home for a while. At least a week, anyway. And I knit a mitten for Caroline this weekend, but it seems really huge, so now I have to decide if I want to frog it and start over. Looks like there will be enough yarn to do a cute scarf to go with the mittens and hat, so I'll probably bring that to work and do that once the mittens are done - don't want to start before because since measurement doesn't matter for the scarf, I can just knit up all the last bits of yarn. I'd have pictures of the hat and huge mitten (which fits GB with room to spare, and Caroline is a wee bit smaller) but the battery in the camera is charging up. Maybe later this week.

I'm looking forward to getting Knitting on the Edge. I got a good chance to look through it when I stayed at Bess's last fall, and I think it's just what I'll need to solidify the design I have in mind for the green Cascade 220. I have a little version sketched out, and I can see the entire sweater completely done, except for the neck and collar. What I think I'd like to do is in Knitting on the Edge, but I'll need to see how it would work to decide if that's what I'll actually do. It will be my most complex design yet, and I already have the name chosen for it (hey, cart, get back behind that horse!) so I'm really looking forward to starting it. You know, in my spare time.

The fifth thing my Christmas bonus got for me is FIIII-BERRRLYYYY KARMA!


the new Golding Spindle


another sweater of Cascade


a sweater's worth of Cascade


and a letter expressing their thanks...

~~~~~~

I decided a significant portion of my bonus would go to the annual Knitter's Review Heifer Project Drive. Once I figure out how much tax came out of the bonus, I'll know exactly how much I'm giving, but it will be at least 20% of what I got. I've got it pretty good. Even if it's hard (and it is) to part with money that should logically be going to pay off bills, this is a better thing. Heifer teaches people how to survive, how to use what they're given to make a better life. This is the least I can do. I hope you'll do a little something too. Check out the organization, it's a really good thing, and you can buy portions of gifts as well, so you don't have to sell your first born to feel like you're doing some good. (one year, my family got a donation made in our name by good friends of ours as a holiday gift - this could be a fantastic gift for those people at work you have to buy for but don't know what to get....)

And I know the karma's already kicking in for me. Why do I say this? Because I discovered this morning that I can go at least 85 miles with the idiot light on before my car is officially out of gas. I learned this - stupidly, since both my brother and husband are in another state, so I would have been pretty well stranded - because work is 37 miles one way. The idiot light came on just before I got home Wednesday. I drove to and from work yesterday with it on. And then headed out this morning, thinking I'd go to the cheap gas station about halfway there. About 15 miles from the cheap gas station, dear little Norman started choking. I was able to pull off the highway and coast into a gas station at the next exit.

They even had coffee.

This, my friends, is what I mean by karma.