The End

It's almost the End of the Year. It happened so fast that I have barely a memory of this time last year! I was probably doing this.  Unlike the Harlot, I have no Traditions in this house. There's no family to feed, no pets to trip over & nowhere to go tonight. There is laundry to do, dishes to wash, floors to sweep, junque to toss & bills to pay but I need at least another few days to get it all done on time, so I don't think I'll let it all worry me. I've managed to get by without Traditions this long .  .  .  

But, I think I'll put my new Cranberry flannel sheets on the bed, put the old feather pillows into their new Cranberry covers & spend the day planning something tasty for dinner. I intend to KNIT IN the New Year with Inspector Foyle.  I've added a little more than 6 inches to the body of my Poncho Pullover during the holidays & almost completed anther winter sock on the side. Neither project will get finished tonight but I'll work on finishing as much as possible.

It's snowing outside again. This is unusual for our part of the world!! Snow likes to show up in February & spoil everyone's Valentine's Day plans or cause a 2 hour commute to turn into 7 hours from Hell. Trust me, I've been there .  .  .  I intend to be cozy, warm, well fed & sipping a tall, fruity drink in my own home tonight while the Galactic Clock takes another tick forward in time. See you all next year!

All Over but the Returns        

I know today is Official Sale Day. I know people have been waiting in line to spend more money on things they don't need but I will not be one of them. I'm psyching myself up to stand in line with returns. I ordered a bunch of warm shirts for the Ex this year because he never buys himself anything new. Of course I got the wrong size. Sigh. I think the thing I dread most besides going into Malls in December is the Returns in January.

I stayed home for Christmas - I intended to watch Inspector Foyle while I worked on the Poncho Pullover. I worked on the Pullover alright - it's just about time to try it on again!!! But I ended up on UTube watching an English series called Landscape Mysteries & listening to Detective Nan Vining murders instead. Apparently, I bought the Nan Vining series by Diane Emley ages ago as a package & forgot about them. Somehow I found them again on Christmas Day.

I'm also reading Monica Ferris' series of Needlework mysteries on my Kobo - I started with 'Crewel World' & am now reading 'Framed in Lace'! They're delightful, light without being silly. The stories revolve around a small, lakeshore community in Minnesota and a group of needlework lovers in a little shop called 'Crewel World'. The shop is run by the sister of the recently deceased owner, who came to visit & has been talked into staying.  I just wish I had them in Audio Book form so I could knit while I read!!

 
No Turkey here. I'm making Cowboy Chili in the crock pot for dinner tonite. If I get ambitious, I'll also make the Apple Pudding recipe for dessert. Just a totally non-traditional time at my house this year - maybe I'll make Turkey for the New Year.

The End Came & Went

Never, for a moment's notice, did I expect the world to come to an end about 3 this morning. It would've served all the Credit Card companies right, had it done so though. I'm sure a few people caught in the Ice Bombing on our new bridge thought it had come early. And the commuters caught in the massive traffic jam behind jack-knifed trucks & iced bridges the next morning were hoping it would end soon.
I kind of giggled at some of the End of the World parties that were mentioned on the late news though. One of the groups went to a Spa & then ordered IN to their spiffy hotel suite while they watched Pay-Per-View in their jammies. Sigh. Now why didn't I think of that?

I stayed home & knit. I'm trying to get my Poncho Pullover finished. This thing better fit when it's done too!! I actually hope it's a little big - I think it will be - so I can 'full' it slightly & still be able to be comfortable with a shirt under it. The body is getting quite long & I intend to end this before it gets too long. Since the front dips down quite a bit, I'm thinking of stopping when the sides are at hip length. That should place the front & rear points just below my butt. We'll see how it looks. Gawd make it look good!!!

Safeway got my last pennies tonite when I made the run for yams, raspberries, blueberries, a loaf of bread, raisins, dish soap & milk. Yeah - I got a few more goodies but not too many. I found a recipe for Crock Pot Bread Pudding & I intend to make it in the Crock as a special treat for myself. My Foyle's War DVDs also came in today so I'm really excited to spend my time Christmas day watching them while I eat my festive bread pud.

A Decision Made

The Poncho Pullover won. I was a couple of inches past the sleeve openings & I had no choice! It's sort of like arguing over who's gonna clean out that closet full of junk & having it all fall on you the next time you open the door a crack to sneak in another thing. Decision made. 

I've been knitting like crazy because I need to wear this thing NOW. Yesterday snow flurries were in the Forecast & I was out in my Recycled pop-bottle Hoodie. Here on the Wet Coast, the weather doesn't really get cold enough to invest in a big coat unless you take Transit to work. And then usually a warm jacket & umbrella will do. Periodically, Northern Canada remembers us & sends a blast of deep freeze our way, but mostly we're wet. If you drive your own car, who needs a coat??? I have a big fleece jacket & a wool blanket in the emergency kit just in case but normally, a heavy sweater will do the trick. A heavy WOOL sweater that is. Recycled pop-bottles do not keep you warm when you're sitting or standing outside in the damp for very long. You need wool. Wool socks, wool mitts & a nice wool sweater. And I'm working on it. Hold the socks!!

Tuesday Afternoon

Boss socks are done!  Regia sock yarn in one of the Jet Set colorways. I used two US#1 or 2.25mm circs & cast-on 72 stitches. They were worked top down. Secretly, I thought they'd never end. I think it was that frogging of the second sock when I got to the heel shaping & discovered I'd cast-on 82 stitches instead of 72. But they eventually got finished.

It's been cool enough outside that I really, really have to get a thicker sweater finished for me sometime in the near future. I'm still dickering between the two top-down sweaters from Cabin Fever, the Poncho Pullover & the new Top-Down sweater, the Lace Frock. I suppose the best way to go is to pick the one the furthest along & just finish the damned thing. Makes sense doesn't it??? But my heart isn't in it.

Got this lovely stuff in the mail yesterday from Sunset Fibres. The owner paints her own fibres  & has produced many really nice combos. This one is called Blue Jeans. There's even a little bit of smokey grey & khaki in the mix. I'll be curious to see how it modifies the blues. There's enough for socks but this fibre felts so I have a couple of ideas for it once it's spun up - hopefully, over Christmas with the other two braids I couldn't resist.

Free at Last, Free at Last

Yesterday was my final day at the Motorcycle School, well, officially that is. I still have a few things to do but I can do them on MY TIME & bank the hours. Yesterday was an eventful day besides being the final day on the job. We graduated our very first December DaySchool class. All of them are now legally able to ride on Public Roads during daylight hours!! We'll see most of them in the late spring for their Road Tests & one fellow will take his back home in Northern BC. Normally we close by the end of November but the calls kept on coming in .  .  .


Just because I'm officially free from the School it doesn't mean I'm free free .  .  .  I already have two boxes, one giant envelope with two year ends & two plastic bins - oh shit, there's that damned briefcase sitting there too. So my days will not be filled with bacchanalia just yet. But, I'm looking forward to locking my doors, pulling down the blinds, turning off the phone, slipping the new flannel Penguin sheet set on the bed with the new Penguin quilt cover, opening that bottle of Blood Orange Merlot, lighting the Vanilla Cookie scented candle & spending a week with Detective Inspector Foyle between Christmas & New Years! I'll finally use that nice little portable DVD player that I got a couple of years ago to play my 'Walking with Leslie' CDs. It will be ensconced in the bedroom where I can snuggle under Penguins with the Inspector.

I love Mail Call

I did manage to get myself out & about yesterday - I had two small packages to mail & my mailbox to clean out. I've been doing a lot of shopping on line lately at Amazon, the Kobo site & Public Television so I've got some goodies coming by mail. My Ex is getting a couple of seasons of his favorite TV show which he missed while on Satelite TV. While shopping for him, I got Cast On, Bind Off - 54 step by step methods for myself which came yesterday!!! I love the little book already.

 
I love the way it lays flat as you use it. And the techniques are nicely illustrated & demonstrated. I found them easy to follow & taught myself one already. After skimming the pages, I discovered a Picot Cast On which I thought would look wonderful on wrist warmers! Had to drop the socks & get out the needles for a small try. It turned out so well that I may even use it on a sweater neckline or sleeve edge since there's even a Picot Bind Off included elsewhere in the book. Judy's Magic Cast On is there as is her Extra Stretchy Bind Off! A terrific book as far as I'm concerned. Small, easy to read, lays flat & fits in any knitting bag.

My first attempt at the Picot Cast On from the book. Isn't it pretty??? I'm going to make some wrist warmers to wear under my fleece jackets. The sleeves are quite wide & the drafts go in when I run outside to scrape my car windows in the mornings. I'm not a glove person but wrist warmers seem to do a good enough job at keeping me warm.

Down to the Wire

Third day off in a row - this is almost an oddity since getting TWO off in a row only happens when there's a Monday holiday & no class scheduled. But, a third day off in a row & I've got nothing much done. Oh, I had plans to haul my sorry ass out early with the bags of recycling but it's been raining & blowing. Yeah, I know we're used to rain around here but my computer's flashing the RED STORM WARNING & the garbage & recycling bins are at the front of the house. I don't think I'm the only one around here that saves everything in the house until the last minute either, the bin's always empty until the day it goes out to the street!! But, at least I don't have to put them out!! That's why we have teen aged boys in this world, isn't it??

Have been knitting like crazy - good TV on the Knowledge Network on Weekends!! - and was going to turn the heel on sock #2 for the Motorcycle Boss only to discover a problem. Could NOT believe it but I actually cast 82 stitches on for the second sock! Now, these are plain-jane, pattern-in-my-head socks. They are carved so deeply into my little Grey Cells that I can knit them in my sleep. Or so I thought. And I cast on 82 stitches instead of 72. So, last night I had to frog a quarter of a sock & get that same quarter re-knit ASAP. They go to their new owner on Friday! Hopefully this is just a minor glitch in normal bodily operations & not a prediction of things to come .  .  .  .