Brief and to the point

Not words I would usually apply to my writing, but, ehn.

Christmas was wonderful. I have two projects outstanding, but at least those who are getting them know that they're coming, so that's not so bad. The Kid was simply awesome this year - he opened every gift like it was the greatest ever, and although he did have some clear favorites (A to Z Mysteries, Sonic action figures, the gift card that allowed him to buy His Very Own DS), his responses were so over the moon for even mundane gifts. Six, I think, is the Best Age, but then, I say that every year.

I got to cook Christmas dinner this year, for the first time! We had ham, sweet potatoes (with marshmallow, yum!), green bean casserole, and veggie lasagna. And we also had leftovers.

As for my own best gifts? Having my family around me, spending a first Christmas with a good friend, watching the delight in the Kid's face.... oh yeah, and Metalocalypse season one, Danger Mouse, Brain Age 2, and the yearly gift of a Bag of New Underpants.

Gearing up for a difficult week ahead. However, if the first week of the year is going to be rough, then the rest should be okay, right?

Happy New Year if I don't post before then, all. :)

I'M IN!!!!!

I just got my Ravelry invitation! This is something that I've heard about for some time, but finally got around to signing up for it a little while ago. It's.... well, how can I explain it without comparing it to other sites? It's social networking and project ooohing and aahing for knitters and crocheters. And apparently addictive, according to what I've seen.

I'll go have fun on there and see what happens, ne? ^.^

Cookie and Knitting Progress

Finished so far:

About six dozen each of the peanut butter, coconut drop, and mint candy cane cookies, and two and a half dozen gingerbread men (would've been three dozen, but the Kid got the cute idea of having one tray's worth "hold hands"). Finished a scribble lace scarf, made significant headway into a garter stripe scarf and a snowflake lace scarf (it's a scarf year), still need to make the Thing for my Random Internet Gift Exchange (even though I know what I'm getting, I don't want to spoil the surprise for my opposite number.), bake chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, and I have to finish assembling and felt one very nice handbag.

As for buying stuff - I need gifts mostly for guys and for Z's family. At least I know what I'm getting the kids. Oh, and one more little kid, too, because she's a sweetie. I can do this on the weekend, since I don't get paid until Friday.

Oh, hai, Zoos.

moar funny pictures

I promised good stuff

And good stuff will happen!

So, while I was at work yesterday, Z went out with his sister and brother-in-law and got himself a car! It's a dark grey Accord, and it's bee-you-tee-full!

Also, today he got to scrape snow off of it for the very first time!

I need to get started on my cookie-baking. Only nine more days!

Post 50!

Is this cause for excitement? Couldn't say.

Z is back home. THAT is cause for excitement. Hooray!

Things are.... tense, between the holidays and everything else going on. Superpowers would help immensely.

Here's hoping things go well for the rest of the year, and the times ahead....

Next post will be fun, I'll try and make sure of that. Tonight I feel like being vague and gloomy. Except for the previously mentioned hooray. That was genuine. It's nice to have a few bright spots in the dark, isn't it? I just wish both of my bright spots could've been home this weekend.... but one out of two isn't bad. Actually, there's some more good stuff - my mother doesn't have cancer. Did I mention that before? I may have. Well, that's another bright spot. I guess overall, there's plenty of good to offset the bad, but why does the bad stick so fiercely with us, and the good seem to flicker past?

Little things....

I have nearly all of my holiday knitting done.... just six projects left, three of which are already on the needles! Yay! I still have shopping to do (mostly for the menfolk and for Z's family) but it's nice to see how much is finished.

I love these two pictures:


The Kid's party is today! We finished making goody bags last night, full of fun little trinkety things. I hope he has a blast! He's so big now; I can't believe my baby is six tomorrow!

Also, my new deodorant makes my armpits smell like Piña Coladas.

It's cold.

Yes. It's cold.

After work, I spent some time tagging some of the pictures in my flickr photostream, knitted a couple of rows of a lace pattern, and got to talk on the phone with the Kid. While my day hasn't improved, hearing his little voice always makes me smile. I even got to sing him "our song" like I usually do before he goes to sleep.

Can't wait for both of my guys to be back home.

Some days are up

And some days are down.

This is a down day.

Tomorrow, my mother is scheduled for a CT scan to find out whether the growth in her abdomen is cancerous, or just another weird fibroid like the ones she's had on and off throughout her life, and I don't know how to deal with it either way. She'll need surgery no matter what, and it's not going to be easy or fun over here for a while. I'm going through some baloney with the Kid's father, and our court date is fast approaching. The little guy's birthday is soon, too, and his party's this weekend, and I still need to pick up some last-minute party goodies, bake a cake, and make goodies to bring to school for the big day itself. And Christmas - don't talk to me about Christmas! If I had another month, I'd be close to being ready on time. I'm wound up emotionally and hormonally from an early period this month. I need to get Z's bed in place, at least, for when he gets home next week. (And he's carrying his own burdens lately!) Laundry must get done. Work needs to be done. I can;t find a stack of very important paperwork, which I may have purged in my recent "Let's Get Rid Of The Extra Paper So That The Desk Isn't A Fire Hazard" binge. And to be honest, what I want to do is just sit down and knit something - anything - to recenter myself.

Yarn as therapy? I hope.

I'm so damn crafty

So, I was going through my son's dresser, cleaning out the too-small shirts to make room for new winter stuff, and I came across a lotta buncha (okay, three) Otakon tee shirts that I bought for him in the years that he was too young to go. They're cute, and he likes them, but he can't wear them and, for instance, breathe at the same time, so I got busy.

I made them into pillows.

I cut around the graphics on the shirts, resulting in four good-sized pictures (one had front and back images, the others were backs-only.), dragged out the sewing machine, and by the time he was back from his dad's place, he had two new cuddle cushions.

Check 'em out!

Work in Progress

An iPod sock. Oh yeah! Like everyone and their mom hasn't tried to make one of these!

You do it too, so I'm not alone. It'll fit a nano. When I figure out the larger versions, I'll be sure to add them in. ^.^

You need:
small amount of (self striping, naturally) sock yarn.
Three size 1 dpns
one size 2 or 3 dpn
one small button
thread to match/clash with your sock yarn & button
size d crochet hook

Gauge - 8 st/inch. row gauge not really important.

Dimensions: while laid flat, 2 inches wide by about three-and-a-quarter inches or so high.

Cast on 32 stitches on your larger needle, and VERY CAREFULLY slip every other stitch onto two separate dpns. In other words, you're taking the cast-on stitches from the big needle, and you slip the first onto one smaller needle, the second onto another smaller needle, the third onto the first smaller needle, etc., until all stitches have been transferred.

Now, start working in the round! Knit around and around in plain old boring stockinette until the sock is as tall as your nano. Three and a half inches, if you're keeping track. Knit another round or three to make it pull comfortably over the top, then bind off on one needle only.

Work flat on second needle for about an inch, inch and a half, then bind off (You may want to work this in seed stitch or some other non-rolling stitch, or block the hell out of it). With the crochet hook, chain a few stitches to make a loop, and attach to the center of the flap. Sew a button on the sock, just where the loop on the flap would reach to, and make sure the loop fits over the button. I cannot stress this enough, as the button and loop should be working in total effing harmony.

That's all. Go weave in your ends. You're done. You can block if you want to, but you probably don't.