Skulls...

Those who know me know that I have an utter obsession with skulls...Mainly because I plan to be a pirate one day...when I grow up and all that jazz. :)

However, until such dream is finally realized, I am content to knit myself a pair of skull socks. I found this pattern at www.helloyarn.com. And yes, I know that I have several christmas gifts currently on the go, but I need to take some me time. (It is kinda like on that show, The Oblongs, when the mother is trying to win a shopping spree offered by the local cigarette company, and despite having smoked several packs of the local brand, takes a "smoke break" with one of her own brand...I know that I am knitting a thousand and one things, but I need to have something that I can relax with...)

Hopefully I will be a little closer to finished soon...but for now...



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Friday...sweet, sweet Friday

Yeah!!! The weekend is here. IF I choose to go out in the cold and ice and snow for the next 2 days, it is completely my own fault/choice/etc. Very happy about this.


And to boot, I am going to hit up the local toy warehouse (you know, those little warehouse places that open in September and close in December) to get the shopping part of Christmas all done (little one will be with her grandma and grandpa). I hope.

I am sure that I will likely break down and cry while there (I hate large crowds, and tend to get very angry, and pushy, and generally it is the worst parts of PMS all rolled into one), but my little girl is worth it. And, since this place offers tons of things at a massive discount (see previous posts - I am cheap), I am sure that it will be packed....absolutely packed...

I just have to remember that I am there for her...not me... :)

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AJN Pattern

Cast on 78 st; divide 26 on each of the three needles.

Work a simple k2; p2 (or whatever tickles your fancy) ribbing until it measured about 2 inches.

k until the piece measured approximately 5 inches (use your own discretion on this one).

round 1: k2tog the first st on each needle;k to end; rep
round 2: k

Continue round 1 and 2 until you have just 3 stitches (1 per needle) left.

cast off together and secured on the inside of the hat

VOILA!!

Argh!!!

I am not built for winter. I know this full well, but sadly continue to put myself through it every year. Not once have I taken a year off of winter, despite my desire to do so. Last night, the rain that had been coming down since early yesterday morning, turned to slush. I hate slush. I hate it when it piles up at the corner of streets making it impossible to keep your shoes, pants, etc. dry when all you want to do is get to the other side of the road. I hate the way it squishes, and you can never be too sure that you are not about to keel over and break into the splits. And I hate that as I watched it fall in massive clumps on my car, I knew it would eventually freeze over and leave me with an icebox of a vehicle come morning.


So ever the smart cookie, I brushed my car off at 6:30, 9:00 and again just before bed at midnight. Midnight was the worst, as it was cold, and dark, and as I was brushing the slush from my car, big, fat, soft, white flakes started falling...so as quickly as I was cleaning the car, the snowflakes were covering it up (I am thinking, of course, in the neurotic way that only I can, that this might have something to do with the book I have just finished...Wintersmith (Terry Pratchett...awesome series)...and the universe has somehow decided that showing me it can be much worse should make the paltry 20 cm of snow I did get seem like a walk in the park). I am getting ahead of myself.


Knowing full well that there would still be snow in the morning, I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. At 5:30, I finally dragged my ass out of bed, put on my comfy togs, and (of course after grabbing my freshly brewed coffee) headed outside to face what horrors awaited me. I will post pictures when I get home...however I was mortified. I wanted to cry. I knew the car was in there...somewhere. I am very enviro-conscieous, as well as very cheap, and cannot justify letting a vehicle run for 30 minutes because my ass doesn't feel like brushing off the snow.

So I brushed...and drank coffee...and brushed...went downstairs and woke up my daughter...back upstairs and brushed...went downstairs and got myself into clothes; again asked my daughter to get dressed...went upstairs and brushed...went downstairs and physically dressed my now screaming because she is a big girl and can do it herself daughter...went upstairs and started the car...came back in and got boots, mittens, snow coat, et al. on...then proceeded to drive over the snow on the driveway (I hated this...I really cannot stand when people don't shovel their drives) reaching a top speed of about 5 km...and safely made it to my daughter's school.

Sadly, in the 3 minutes which my car was off (had to take her in the school and help her get undressed), my car was, yet again, covered. This time, I just drove.

I hate winter. (I have decided to get over the depression I am feeling towards it, I will go and check out the knitting books at the local Coles during my lunch hour. That should help...and yes, I know that I have entirely too many projects on the go for me to THINK of starting another one, but it never hurts to be prepared.)

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Projects Projects Projects

I realize that I have lied to you all...and fooled you in to thinking I would have updated you on the progress of the turtleneck for my mother...I have just been lazy. (At least I have the decency to not lie as to why...I could have told you that a toilet seat fell from the sky and crashed into my front lawn, shattering my digital camera, however leaving the rest of the yard, and sadly the entirely too many that still need to be raked leaves, unharmed.)

Anyways, in addition to the turtleneck, I have also at least tried to start on the Christmas (yes, I said Christmas...not holidays...and I make no apologies for such) projects that I have ahead of me...including a pair of socks for my daughter (I let her pick the yarn about 6 months ago...the least I could do is do something with it), a purse for my dear sister, 3 sweaters for my nieces, and another sweater for my mom (she fails to realize that if you are cold, you should put on a sweater...I figure she just doesn't have very many, and is entirely too cheap to purchase some).

I will post pictures soon...maybe.

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Ma's Sweater

Well, I have gotten a rather large chunk of the sweater for my mom (Bernat Classic Turtleneck, for those of you who are interested) done, and have just started working on the sleeves. The other day, while I was on the train home, I noticed a woman working with dpns. Of course, my immediate thought was socks...however I was wrong, and now I have to wonder why I hadn't thought of it before. She was working on the sleeve for a sweater she was doing for christmas...using dpns so as to avoid having to sew a seam for the arm when it is completed.

And I have noticed that it is going much quicker than any other sleeve which I have done in the past. This could just be because I am excited about working with dpns to finish the sleeve, or it could be because it actually is taking less time...or I could just be neurotic and there is really no time difference at all.

Anyways, long and short, I am very happy for the woman on the train.

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Updates

So, I have finished the second installment of the AJN hat...and I must say that I adore it! Below is a picture of the detail at the crown. I am very impressed and happy with myself as to how this project has turned out.


And here is my Daddy enjoying his sweater (and a very challenging puzzle, as you can see):



And, of course, my daughter's sweater doing what it is supposed to:


I have recently returned back to working in Toronto, which means that, of course, I have returned as well to the Go Train commuting. And, much as I hate this, I have found that I am being much more productive with respect to my projects, which with Christmas around the corner, is definitely a good thing. I am working on a turtleneck for my mom (she is horrible with keeping herself bundled up during the winter time, and I figured with it being a handmade gift from her child, she will HAVE to wear it...if I have to wear the foam crown that pulls my hair out, she has to wear the sweater). And it is nice, because I can actually see an end to the sweater in the not-too-distant future.

YAY!

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