If it weren't for my knitting, I might be in jail...

There have been some really challenging moments in this week, but it's over now and I have a glorious weekend off to recover and SLEEP. Dude, why can't you cash in on all those naps that were more for your parents than you?

In the midst of my 'stuff,' I've made some good progress on some knitting projects. I finished the first of three charts on the Serenitybaby blanket last night; this is the last time I'll be able to spread it all out flat because of how big it's getting. Exciting!

I'm also in the ribbed boarder that DOES NOT END on my TARDIS shawl; I'm at the point now where because of a) the weather and b) the project I'm itching to cast on that I just want this to be finished and in use.

I got most of my container boxes at one point or another this week, and I decided to display some of the lovely Mountain Colors mill ends I scored in Montana. So far the cat has only attacked them once...

One thing that really made a big impression of me when I was a kid, was a notebook where my mom had copied out and sometimes illustrated some of her favorite poems. I have been wanting to start one myself, and when I got my lovey leather dragon notebook I decided that the time had come. I've really enjoyed working on this--the smell of the leather, the feel of the handmade paper, and enjoying some of my favorite words. No wonder my kids think I'm bonkers...

So, that was this week. Oh, sleep, glorious sleep! I plan to spend some time with thee today!

Parting shot: Some guy made all these nerdy blocks for his son--dude, send me one or THOSE guys! This is totally the coolest thing I've seen all week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This week was half-term which meant that we had Monday and Tuesday off from school. It was nice to get caught up on my marking, to work on a few other projects that I had been putting off, and to get some rest. Oh did I need it! I got some good knitting time in on my variety of projects; here are some updates:

The TARDIS’s are appearing and I am utterly charmed! The decision to use beads for the light instead of making a bobble was a good one, and I am thrilled that my crazy use of two very different needles and adding some stitches to the pattern repeats seems to be working out well. I had to pick up 367 stitches for the bottom part—not for the faint of heart! Depending on how long this is after the TARDIS section I might add some length to the ribbing while I’m at it too. We shall see…

Beth and I have set ourselves the goal of finishing the first (of four) knot charts on our knit-a-long stole by the end of the month. While not always the best thing to be knitting while watching Once Upon a Time, I managed to make some more progress this week. You can see the knot now!

Not very much has happened on the sock front this week, so there isn’t anything of note to take a picture of. I was an idiot and had to rip out a good chuck of one of the Weeping Angel socks, but I’ve mostly got it knit back up now. I also played with these adorable little knit hearts for some Valentine’s Day cards. So addictive—I could make 3+ in one episode of a show!

I got the news this week that a dear friend is expect a little blessing in a few months, so I reacted by joyously casting on some baby projects! Here is start of the Serenity baby blanket—my first center out/square knitting project. I’m loving this pattern; I love cables, I love the plain whiteness of the yarn, and I love that it is a subtle tribute to Firefly. This baby has a nerdy mother, so I’m taking full advantage of the fun! Besides, you’ve got to start them young…

Valentine’s Day is pretty much a non-deal out here, and since it is board meeting I won’t be able to celebrate as I would like to, but some cherry brownies and a new MP3 album will be good for me. Oh—my dishes will be done tomorrow too! Also, I got a few of my boxes from the container today--yay fun! Too bad there isn’t a Starbucks in the country… Oh well, if I DID have a Valentine, this is what I’d be sending him:

Knitting, Packages, and One More Reason Why Putting Me in Charge of Children is Questionable

It’s been a pretty busy week for me; the week before half-term always is. I’m trying to get to a stopping place before the two day break from school, and I’m also trying to meet my goals for this point in the term. Knitting time has been in short supply, but I have managed to do a few things.

My TARDIS shawl/scarf continues along—I’m in the exciting decrease section now, so the rows are getting shorter and shorter. I hope to pick up the stitches at the bottom over half-term. It curls a lot so you can’t see the real shape of it very well, but here is what it looked like this morning:

I also started the knot chart of my Celtic stole that Beth and I are doing as a knit along. There is something so satisfying in working with the soft cream colored wool that just makes me happy!

I got to packages in the mail yesterday—so exciting! First, I got a box that Mercy sent me from Korea while she was studying there last fall. She had put in all sorts of fun goodies; I love them all!

The socks are particularly fun, and what’s more shocking, they fit! Happy feet!

Jennifer sent me a package that had lovely smells emanating from it, and when I opened it I found to my delight that it contained a jar of pumpkin butter, and some pumpkin pancake/muffin mix. Oh, there will be some pumpkin going on in my house this weekend!

Funny story: This week Pam gave me back a book that I had recommended almost a year ago for her to read to the boys, Red Hugh. I LOVED this book as a kid, and I was excited to see it in the staff library. few months ago Pam had finished reading it and said that it had too many crude and coarse things in it to read to the boys. I must admit that I got rather upset about that. I felt like my judgment and my family’s had been called into question, and I sputtered and fumed a bit internally. Well, when I go the book this week, I sat down to read it and got quite a shock. This was not the book I though it was! It was about the same historical figure, but it was a totally different book! Boy did I feel stupid… When will I ever learn…Well, a

I thought I’d close with this picture of what my cat has done to a ball of my TARDIS yarn. Beth’s theory is that she likes the color blue. My theory is that she is a CAT and thus doesn’t need an understandable motive, but whatever the case, Java has taken it up herself to make this yarn unusable, or at the very least full of cat hair. Brat…