the trouble with... my life

when did i post last? i forget. but certainly it was before i got braces (last monday) and broke my foot (last friday). i had set everything aside to work on xmas presents and such, but after the foot incident i decided "i wasn to do things for me me me" and went back to my yellow sweater, which i was sufficiently unhappy with that i frogged it entirely. have started from scratch improvising based on a memory of what i want it to look like. so far so good - body is almost done (i'm past the waist and shaping). whee.

also, i really like beatnik and when i was looking at my stash to see if i somehow already had enough yarn for it, i realised i could do that and the 1930s 3-hour sweater that i'm keen on, if i frogged the stripey dress i cast on and instantly got bored with. so, while i haven't frogged yet (hedging) i've almost done the back of the sweater (and yes, it does take more than 3 hours) while watching the trouble with harry, one of hitchcock's more light-hearted films, featuring a quite young shirley maclaine, and edmund gwenn (aka kris kringle from miracle on 34th street and (as tg pointed out) charlie from charlie's angels. very weird to hear that voice coming from a person instead of an intercom box (and it's sad that although john forsythe has done so much other stuff, that intercom box is how i remember him).

another day over and what have you done?

today: groceries, prepping food (quiche filling & crust & bread) for having cousin over for lunch tomorrow, squash soup, zipping around with the bambino, mailing packages, working on mil's xmas present (no pics in case she ever checks here!), going through photos, etc. failed miserably in my attempt to consume sticky toffee before monday's orthodontist appointment. did, however, buy "fancy" bacon, which will be cooked crispy and consumed with glee. and enjoyed a yummy steak along with salad culled from backyard and garlic bread (a simple meal, but one of my all-time favourites). best part was knitting & reading on the front porch while the bambino decorated the sidewalk, until i realised he was eating chalk.

it's beginning...

Xmas is less than 3 months away! And the kid now has an elf hat to go with his socks to get him in the spirit. I've written up the pattern as well, in case anyone else can't stop thinking about the holidays already. I've only written it up for their size (3 1/2-year-old with a big head) but it should be easy to size up or down, as long as your cast-on is divisible by 8. Here's the pattern! I knit it out of Briggs & Little Tuffy - bought on sale, that means a hat and socks for only $5! yay.

A couple of things you will need to know for the hat: short row shaping, s2sk (like ssk, except you slip 2 tog, then one, and then knit through all 3 - a centred decrease from 3 stitches to 1), kfbf (knitting in the front and back and front of a stitch to make 3 out of 1.

back to work... time to relax

made it through the long weekend! final count:

* 1 skirt
* 1 pr pyjamas
* 3 lasagnas
* 2 polenta with rapini
* 2 chicken cacciatore
* 2 colcannon
* 1 big pot of lentil and swiss chard soup
* 1 batch of vegan peanut butter cookies which mysteriously disappeared within hours of baking

also, i managed to convince the boy to pose in his elf socks:



and i have just turned the cuff on a matching elf hat:



and i drafted some alterations to a pattern for a turtle costume to make it more like a snapping turtle.

phew!

it really is labour day weekend

busy day today - a trip to the library with the bambino's asl instructor, some sewing (a 1930s-ish bias-cut wool plaid skirt in time for fall, finally finished the second set of pjs for the beenster - well almost, i still have to add buttons) trip to the danforth, visiting with neighbours, grocery shopping, etc. etc. why am i not in bed yet?

is it too early to think about xmas?

of course not! i've got a to-do list going already of gifts to knit, and
stuff that needs doing around the house (e.g. paint living room). last
year was just horrible in so many ways, i am really hoping that this
year will make up for that in wonderfulness. so, i've already started
accumulating stocking stuffers, and have finished elf sock #1. really
hoping i have enough in the skein to do an elfy hat as well.

the list so far:

- elf socks & hat for harry (done by 10 december for holiday party)
- repaint living room
- build shelves in dining room (ambitious? moi?)
- gift for gogo (have yarn but haven't cast on)
- gift for siena (started but much still to do)
- gift for tg (need yarn!!)
- finish the *@# wreath
- need new cushion covers for living room
- update xmas card list
- make xmas cards!

and of course i need to figure out what to get for a bunch of other
people. never too soon to start!