She picked it up pretty quickly, clever girl - I think she must get that from me. She's already about half-way done her first dishcloth. Mwah hah hah hah!
I'm too sleepy to be coherent about much else, so look at this instead:
So dignified!
I've also been working on some Sci-fi themed ATCs for a swap:
Glue and paper bits everywhere - too much fun!
Note that, although the yarn is quite lovely, and soft, and I'm quite taken with it, that's not what really caught my attention. Please pay special attention to the word HUCKLEBERRY:
I LOVE huckleberries, completely and unreservedly. With the passion that some people reserve for sports events such as World Cup Soccer. (Thanks Rebecca!)
In other news, I wore the New Socks today. Which was quite exciting, right up to the point where I realized I would have to wash them again. By hand. And leave them to dry on the counter for another 2 days. Ooops! Guess I'll save them for special occasions. Also, though the fit was QUITE comfy, the knitted fabric felt a little odd on my feet. Not as soft as anticipated. This is not a problem. This means that I can justify the alpaca/silk sock yarn I've been eager to try. (Mwah hah hah hah hah!)
Even sweeter:
Now that I'm home again, I'm trying to motivate myself to at least get some laundry going. But I can hear the bed calling me, begging me to come back...How can I resist? It's not like I have anything exciting to think about today.
In the yarn store, she asks, "Do you need help, or are you just fondling?"
Is it wrong to want to roll around naked in my stash?
Of course, the colours aren't quite true; the top skein is more earthy-brown than red; the bottom has a lot more purple in it. It's all lovely, and soft, and I may have to sleep with it tonight! Thanks Amanda!
There was also an email from another swap partner, saying she had put sock yarn in the mail from Alaska...can't wait to see that! And to top it all off, tomorrow I'm going yarn-store-hopping with a pal I haven't seen in aeons....have to find some "sassy" sock yarn for my own swap partner. And maybe something little for me. Since I'm there already. Just because.
Because my life is NOT all knitting: Today the sun came out, despite the dreary forecast. Beautiful storm-light, that brightness against the black clouds, and the gulls' wings the same glowing colour as the fresh snow on the mountains. And crocuses really, really up in the neighbours' yards...mostly yellow, a few purple for accent, among all the snowdrops. My morning walk to the bus is a new adventure every morning now.
Several of my students didn't show up for the speaking test today - nasty flu going around, among other things...and it was actually kind of nice. It's a pretty boisterous class, lots of strong personalities, and it's a lot of fun. But it also requires a lot of juggling when all 10 are there. So to have half of them away meant a lot more focused, personal help. It felt like a really constructive class....very good! (Also it was a lot less exhausting!) One of 'em has been given directions to the best Italian cafes on the Drive for the weekend (with the hottest Italian men working at them) and we are all looking forward to her report on Monday.
Now I'm going to go pretend to be a housewife, and open a can of soup for Mr.Q. Maybe even throw some toast in the toaster for him, too!
(I mean the creature, not Steve McQueen...) So I am trying to knit a bit and drink a lot of juice. (I may actually turn into a grapefruit soon...which might be interesting!) The cats have been quite companionable, and are making great sacrifices to keep me company by staying in bed with me, and even keeping the bed warm while I'm up:
And I am wandering about in my PJs, my befuddled brain pondering the mysteries of life, such as Whether I Should Watch Season 2.5 of Battlestar Galactica Without Ferdy, and Why So Many Knitters Seem to Have Cats AND Watch BSG....And this scenario: One of my Mexican students was wearing a lovely, intricately-cabled sweater the other day. I complimented her on it, and she said her mother had made it. "Really?" I asked - the work was quite exquisite. When she said "Yes," I stepped a little closer to have a better look. She laughed. "My other teacher told me about you!" she said. Hmph.
Hooray for me! I felt quite triumphant, grafting the toe and weaving in the ends. Though the victorious thrill was tempered by an irreverent urge to stick googly-eyes on the toe and use it as a sock puppet. I should be careful about that kind of thing, or the knitting goddess may put me in my place.
To celebrate, I went out to the Railway Club for a pint...and to hear/see Mr.Q play in a new project he's been involved in. It was quite funny to call from the yarn store and ask about set times and sound checks and oh yes, make sure I'm on the guest list...I bet it sounded a LOT more exotic than it really was. However, he played his fretless bass brilliantly, and looked more at home on stage than he has in a long time.
My horrid photography and the bad lighting aside, isn't he just sexy? It's those nimble fingers. Mmm hmm!
My day today was reasonable, marred slightly by lack of sleep and mild-ish "stomach troubles" that I think are a wee case of food poisoning from some bad pizza I had last night. But I don't think I confused anybody too badly with grammar, and I have nothing to do tonight that can't be put off....so I'll spend the evening in my PJs, drinking herbal tea and working on Sock the Frigging Second. And it's already Thursday tomorrow...hooray!
Here's a cat picture, because I can:
There are more pics, of course, but it wouldn't be fair to Mom to show them. And I'm such a dutiful daughter....!!!!!
Knitting news...Sock the First is ready for the last class on Tuesday, just a few steps away from finishing. Sock the Second isn't far behind. I'm about to dip my toe into the world of felting (otherwise known as Shrinking on Purpose). And I've just had my first foray into freeform knitting without a pattern:
A warm, cozy headband. What you can't see (and what I won't show you, since it's awful and I'd hate for a Real Knitter to see it) is that this project includes my very first buttonhole....boy do I ever need a drink now!) There was some experimenting with increases and decreases to shape the underside so it's not all bunchy under my hair. I love it, so far.
I suppose these aren't the most flattering pictures of me, but I do think they show off my handiwork rather well. Look at the pretty colours and sparkly bits instead...
