Spaz Attack

Thanks, everyone, for the birthday wishes. I hate to disappoint but we did not go out and par-tay. Once I graduated from college and wrung out my liver I became a bit of a homebody. That and the fact that we don't have anyone we trust to babysit anywhere near us means we stick close to home. It's cool though - Daughter and I drove into Buffalo yesterday to meet Husband, Mom, and Dad for lunch at Romeo's bakery (no website but if you come to Buffalo you MUST visit...1292 Hertel Ave. Write it down. You'll thank me.), we then went to Target to get all the junk we needed (and some we didn't), and finally came home to clean up for my in-laws to visit. My mother-in-law brought dinner and dessert so I didn't have to do any work. Whee!

What's that? You want to see the goods?

I am happy to oblige:

holy books batman!

I know I mentioned this at Christmastime, but I must bring it up again - when a holiday involving gifts is coming up, I give Husband a list of the things I would like the most. In this case it was an Amazon wish list. When will I learn?!? He buys the WHOLE DAMN LIST! And I mean, that's cool and it's so fun to open a big fat box o' books, but he spent a bit more than I wanted him to. He justifies it by saying that 30 is a big birthday and I deserve lots of nice presents. Ok. I can live with that!

Above we have: Handknit Holidays, Last Minute Knitted Gifts, Weekend Knitting, Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls, and Folk Shawls. Sheeyah! What a haul!

I requested these almost entirely at the recommendation of the internet. Everyone has been making such lovely projects from these books that I had to have them. Now I understand why everyone loves them so, especially Handknit Holidays, which leads me to the title of this post. I started going through this book yesterday morning with my tea (Husband let me open the box on Weds. at midnight), and with each turn of the page my hands shook a little more, my stomach jumped, my heart rate sped up, and I may have even squealed a little. Folks, I want to make almost every single project in this book.

Geez, I'm getting a little shaky just thinking about it again. As I went through it I mentally started substituting yarns (mostly from Knitpicks - we're on a budget here, remember) and assigning gifts to the people I know and love. Ach! Those over-the-knee socks! The Regal Frost Cushions! The various stockings! The little stuffed animals! The Evergreen and Christmas Rose Gift Bags! The River Forest Gansey! The Swedish Heartwarmer Shawl! That last one is so getting knitted for my mom. I don't do colorwork on a grand scale ever, but for my mother I will learn. This wrap is so gorgeous. There are so very few designs in here that I don't like...I'll be busy for years from just this one book. If you don't have it, obviously I encourage you to get it right now. Go ahead. Place your order, I'll wait.

I am thinking I might return Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls and get A Gathering of Lace instead. Not sure. I have to go through it again and think about it. What? Have I ever knit lace before? Ha. Not really...just a tee-tiny bit of a lace edging out of fine cotton on US1s. But I really liked it and think I'll continue. I already have the Adamas pattern (by the lovely and talented Miriam) and yarn to knit it, so hopefully lace will be added to my repertoire.

Anyway, I also received two handmade reversible aprons (which I haven't photographed yet) from my awesome mom, a lovely outfit of gray wool pants, soft pink silk sweater, and coordinating soft pink wool jacket from my in-laws, and a box of chocolates from my bro-in-law and his girlfriend (which I am systematically working my way through this very minute). So far it has been a lovely birthday, with cards arriving from family and friends near and far. One girlfriend even gave me a "gift certificate" for an entire meal that she will prepare and deliver on the night of my choosing. So sweet! I like to cook but the very best meals are the ones I don't have to make.

Oh, before I go - I 'F'd an O' after finishing the kitchen paint job!
kool aid socks!

These are the socks dyed with kool aid that I started a couple weeks ago. The yarn is Knitpicks dye-your-own merino sockweight (fingering weight?), the kool aid is something like switchin' secret, cherry, black cherry, and grape, and the blue was made with McCormick food coloring and vinegar. I knit them on US 2s, 60 stitches, regular ol' heel flap, kitchenered toe. They are about 8" from cuff to heel, and about 9.5" long from heel to toe (I wear an 8.5 shoe). They are awfully hard to photograph for some reason.This shot is a little better:


The color variation is quite interesting and I think it's pretty. I wore these yesterday and I have to say, merino wool is simply lovely for the feet. It makes the handwashing worthwhile.

You must be tired of reading by now. Boy, can I be wordy. As your reward here is a gratuitous shot of my adorable child helping me with the laundry:

The heart-stopping cuteness makes up for the fact that she woke up wailing at 11 last night and would not calm down and go back to sleep until 1am when I finally took her to bed (which we do not believe in as we are afraid we will crush her if we fall asleep), cuddled with her, and sang myself hoarse. Of course she was back up bright and early this morning at her usual time. Schwa-?