Pattern: Windmill Bag
Needles: US 7
Yarn: Lily Sugar n Cream
1 ball each, Guacamole, Terra Firma,
Sonoma Print, and Country Sage

Nothing much happening on the knitting front, I’ve been working on washcloth gifts for various family members and some people at work.  Its all I have the brain for right now.

On the reading front, my husband bought me a delightful book called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  You know you have a good relationship when your husband sees that in the bookstore and simply has to buy it for you.  Its absolutely hilarious.  I have read Pride and Prejudice and didn’t really like it, very sappy and femaley, and even the men were far too ladylike.  But if you throw zombies in there its awesome.  The five sisters have been trained by their father and various martial artists in the “killing arts”.  And they are able to behead the “unmentionables” with much finesse.  Mr. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth because of her great skill at cutting a swath through thirty zombies armed with nothing but a dagger.  The great debate among the sisters is whether or not to carry muskets, they make fighting zombies easier yet are so unladylike.  I love this book, much better than the work it is based on.  I’m also re-reading Dracula, just because I love it.

On the marriage front, we celebrated our fourth anniversary on April 23rd.  We went to PF Changs for dinner and it was super yummy.  Then we went to Best Buy and I bought Ricky Gervais’ HBO special.  OMG SO funny!  After that we did what married folks would normally do, and it was super fun.

Here lately we’ve been in homeowner mode.  We’re trying to kind of update things a little.  Nothing major, just a good spring clean, moving furniture around and some inexpensive things.  We’ve decided to get rid of our big heavy coffee table.  We bought it at Goodwill when we moved into the house, it was $20 and in four years its just gotten cumbersome.  Its a good solid table, heavy oak or something similar.  And it has beveled glass corners.  Its a pain in the ass to clean, you can’t use anything wet to clean the wood and then you have to take the glass out to clean it.  Plus, its rather large.  An IKEA just opened up not too long ago here so we went there today to get some ideas.  We bought one endtable today, and next week we’re going back for the other one and the coffee table we decided on.  This weekend we moved the living room around and cleaned up half the kitchen.  I say half the kitchen because I did all the dishes and cleaned the stove, microwave and counters.  The other half is still a pigstye, but our garbage can is full and it doesn’t get picked up till Weds.  Next weekend we’re going to tackle the bedroom.  We’re getting rid of the massive entertainment center and the ugly ass video cabinet, which will give us lots more room in there.  I also bought a new Bed In A Bag today to kind of help freshen things up.

Really, it was making me crazy.  I started with two projects on the needles and now I have four.  I started and stopped countless other projects and my knitting area was a total wreck.  I came to the realization that I don’t want to knit a big gift on a deadline, deadlines make me nuts, the closer the deadline comes the less work I do on whatever needs to be done.  I want to knit my Cozy Shawl, I want to be able to start on Shawl That Jazz without a bunch of other WIP’s floating around.  This is just me being neurotic, but still.

So this week and weekend I shall work on washcloths, then I will go back to my own projects.

I’ve also decided to revise some of my knitting goals.  I haven’t been excited about any of my projects.  I’ve decided to put the Wavy scarf in hibernation for awhile.  The Cosy shawl is on hold also.  I’ve decided to make a Branching Out scarf for my Great Aunt Madelyne.  I started it with one kind of yarn, but that yarn was too thick.  I’m going out today to get some lighter weight yarn.  This is going to be the main project for awhile, as it has a deadline.  After that I’ll probably  jump on the Yarn Harlot bandwagon and make Shawl That Jazz.  I think its just the cutest shawl ever.  And its all garter stitch, but also one big short row, so it should be easy enough to knit without boring me to tears.  Then I might go back to the Cozy shawl, or I might decide to go ahead and start Adamas.  Or I might decide to work on Cozy before I start Shawl That Jazz.  I’m not sure.  But the most important right now is definitely the scarf for Aunt Mad.  I’d like to get it done quickly if I can, but we’ll see.

I’m kind of at a standstill on the crafty front.  I just can’t find anything that I really feel like working on.  The Wavy scarf is in official hibernation for now.  The Cozy shawl is just sitting there, begging to be worked on, but I’m just not feeling it right now.  I started a super-simple hat that is half completed, and also a filet crochet panel.  But I’m just not jazzed about any of it right now.

In more exciting (for me) news.  I had been thinking of going to Boston this summer to visit my Great Aunt Madelyne and her daughter Ann.  I wasn’t sure when Aunt Mad was supposed to come back from Alaska, and what with trying to figure out summer vacations at work, plans were sort of all jumbled up.   Then, in one Saturday, plans just sort of fell into place and everything worked out and I couldn’t be more excited.  Aunt Mad is coming back from Alaska in July, along with her other daughter Myra (who lives in Alaska).  My mom hasn’t seen Myra in 25 years, I apparently saw her when I was two but I don’t remember it.  Anyways, Mom and I are flying into Boston the day after Myra and Aunt Mad get there.  Neither one of them have any idea we’re coming, so its going to be a big huge surprise.  Hopefully a good one.

For knitting, I want to get through another ball of yarn on the Wavy Scarf, I’m almost done with the second and would like to get through the third.  Also four balls of yarn on the Cozy Wrap, but this is ambitous, I’ll be satisfied if I can get through 2 or 3.

WIP’s

Cozy Wrap – complete by May 16th.  I want to start the Adamas Shawl on Memorial Day weekend.
Wavy Scarf – complete by April 25th.  Just want to be done with the damn thing.

Upcoming Projects

Using Stashed Yarn

Blueberry Waffle Socks – KnitPicks Essential – Princess Multi
Tidepool Socks – Yarn Bee Walk Away sock yarn

Using Yarn Not Yet Purchased

Gathered Scarf – NaturallyCaron.com Country, 2 balls
Hedgerow Socks – Premiere Sock yarn, 2 balls

Other Projects Using Stashed Yarn

Feather and Fan Socks – Sockotta
Plain Vanilla Socks – Berroco Comfort Sock
Marsan Watchcap – Lamb’s Pride Worsted
Double Bump Scarf – Swish Worsted
Tipsy Rib Scarf – Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn

Saturday I finished the Mother’s Day Scarf and the Toe-Up socks.  I also went grocery shopping.  Grocery shopping was a somewhat traumatic experience.  I don’t know what it is about the rain, but it seems to make people three times as inconsiderate as they normally are.  People were parking their carts smack in the middle of aisles, letting their kids run absolutely crazy throughout the store (I would SO vote for banning children under 12 from grocery stores).  And then one family actually pulled their SUV under the awning at the exit, and I don’t mean just under it, I mean two feet in front of the door, so no one could get out while they were loading their two cartloads of groceries.  People tried to tell them to move but they acted like they couldn’t speak english.  I made a solemn vow not to go anywhere else for the rest of the weekend, in order to avoid being on  the news with a AK-47 mowing down shoppers.  The bonus was that while driving home I saw that the old Taco Bell (which closed last year) is now a Church’s Chicken!  For the non-southerners, Church’s Chicken is like a soul version of KFC, but the chicken breasts are the size of London Broils.

Sunday, I started on the Cozy shawl.  Love this pattern.  Works up fairly quickly, or at least it seems to.  I have twelve balls of yarn, 75yds a piece.  I got through two balls and started on the third.  If I can work two balls on Saturday and two on Sunday, and at least one during the week, I could feasibly be done with this in a month.  But, I also need to start another pair of socks, as I don’t have a mindless knitting or a ‘knit in public’ project.  I also unclogged my shower and made a bang up Sunday dinner.  I made a herbed pork loin, rubbed italian seasoning on the outside and put garlic cloves in little slits.  I also made some gravy, biscuits and corn.  It was super yummy.

Mother's Day Scarf

NaturallyCaron.com Spa, Color – Misty Taupe, US7 needles.

First Toe Up Socks

Red Heart, Heart and Sole sock yarn, Spring Stripe, US2 double pointed needles.