Feeling Good Again

Whew -- I should have known that when the boys get the stomach bug, it is only a matter of time before Mom gets it! Don succumbed first, a whole week after Nate was sick, just when I was thinking we'd get off scot-free. And I woke up sick the next day. One day of everything coming up, and then a day of feeling like the stuffing had been knocked out of me.

On the bright side, I had taken my knitting bag (with the Braids sweater) upstairs yesterday and just didn't even have the energy to go up and get it, so I sat down and finished the sleeves of the Jean Frost jacket, AND went on to complete the collar! All of the pieces of the jacket are done. Now I just need to decide how to block them. As mentioned once before, I've never been one for blocking at all. For this sweater, you block the individual pieces and then sew it all together. I've not really enjoyed this sweater very much. I started another sweater with the yarn and didn't like it, so frogged it and started this one instead. Even so, I've told myself several times that I'll probably find this a great addition to my work wardrobe. Now to get myself to block it.

Feeling better today, I went for a long walk this afternoon. I decided to walk downtown and visit a couple of my favorite shops, knowing that they would be starting to put up holiday stuff. I was in Kmart earlier today and there were canned Christmas songs being played, which was a real turnoff. But I can get into the warm fuzzy holiday stuff in a small shop. Then I went to my LYS and decided to purchase Peruvia to make the Tilted Duster (Nora Gaughan, Fall 2007 Interweave Knits -- cover). I'm trying hard not to buy the color yarn in the pattern photo in IK but every color I picked out, they didn't have enough in stock for me to make it! Hmmm, is there a message there? I picked out a denim blue and they'll order it for me, but I'm OK with working on other projects in the meantime. The nice thing about this store is you can pick out your 8 (or whatever) skeins, purchase one or two at a time, and they'll hold the rest for you. That way, you are only spending a bit of your allowance at a time, instead of writing a big check :)

In addition to Don and I recovering from the flu, our kitten, Lydia, was spayed on Monday. She is acting like she is feeling better, but is still wearing the collar to keep her from licking her incisions. The funny thing is, she isn't much for self-grooming -- we give her a weekly bath and she gets more grooming from our older cat, Pandora, than she gives herself. But when we take the collar off a couple of times a day, she can't stop licking her healing spots. We take it off and give her a luxurious neck rub, and then she goes right at herself until we put the collar back on. Hopefully she'll only have to wear it a couple more days. There are five more days of giving her her medication (antibiotics) -- I'll be glad when that is over! Luckily, she doesn't seem to be holding anything against us. And, she's appreciated my sitting around the last couple of days so she can keep me company.

OFF MY NEEDLES
The Vine vest is done -- just needs blocking.

The Jean Frost jacket is knitted -- just needs blocking and assembling.

ON MY NEEDLES
The Braids cardigan is coming along very nicely. I really love the Colrain yarn and will definitely do another project in it.

Zeben's socks have gone nowhere, but I think I'll take them with me to a concert tonight.

Haven't touched the feather and fan scarf. I'll get to it eventually, but am itching to get to bigger and better lace projects.

NEXT UP
I've ordered lace weight yarn from Knit Picks (on sale!) -- some in handpainted colors and one plain, neutral color. My first project will be the lace shrug from Meg Swanson's A Gathering of Lace. What a nice project to wrap up in when the winter really sets in!

I need new mittens. And, I should start a pair of socks for myself as the sock yarn is starting to pile up -- three different ones waiting as we speak. A Tofutsies in variegated light and medium blues, an Aruncula Ranco in smoky purples, browns and greens, and a Knit Picks Gloss in burgundy. Now to pick a pattern! I just got Favorite Socks for my birthday, so will look there first.