Ancient Scroll

Well okay, maybe not 'ancient,' but they have been on the needles for a while. Scroll Lace socks, done in Hazelknits Artisan yarn (nylon & merino) in Plum Glace'. Great pattern, easier than I thought it would be. Knit toe-up (natch), and sized for a woman's big (10.5? 11?). Chickenknittle likes her socks high up her calf, so the first time I finished them, I wanted to compensate for the fact that legs get a little wider going up the leg. Oops, I over-compensated and when she wore them for a couple of hours, they got a little slouchy; can't see the lovely pattern when they're all squished down around her ankles. So I undid the 2x2 ribbing in favor of a 1x1 ribbing (oh and I may have decreased down a few ::cough:: 8 ::cough:: stitches). She tried them on today and they fit like they were made for her. Which they were. Duh. :-)

And, even though she had a wicked bad head cold, she still came over and helped me reorganize my yarn room. Everything's nice and neat, but the best part is that there are empty spaces that are crying out to be filled with MORE YARN! Just in time for the Bobbin's Nest pre-inventory sale!

Blessed (slightly belated) Solstice, Chickenknittle. Thanks for all your help today, and I hope you're feeling better.

Thankful, But Disappointing

Christmas Day was quiet and lovely. Waking up next to DH always makes it a good day. And with the current economy, I really shouldn't complain about going to a nice restaurant for Christmas dinner... but I must.

A formal letter to the restaurant will be written today or tomorrow, but it started with a shard of glass found on my bread plate, then continued to store-bought dinner rolls, having to ask (twice) for a fork, a cold prime rib, and a liquid creme brulee. Unfortunate, especially given the price they charge for 'special event' days like yesterday. The server wasn't attentive enough to notice that I wasn't eating my appetizer (no fork), wasn't eating my steak (no fork), cut my steak but had stopped eating it and pushed the plate to the side (cold), or had cracked into my creme brulee but had put that aside, too (liquid). Luckily, the food - once problems were rectified - was superb. (And I changed my main course from prime rib to something else - I didn't want to take any more chances.)

No, I'm not going to name the restaurant. This was highly unusual for them, and I do mean *highly* unusual. We normally get excellent service there, even on other special event days. So, while we're chalking this up to an aberation, it still demands that they get a letter.

So, despite the clunk of a dinner, it was a wonderful day. We're together, we have wonderful friends and family, and have been able to keep a relatively steady income through the year.

Oh, and Santa went shopping at a yarn store, and I got some Mountain Colors wool/mohair/nylon sock yarn in a gorgeous colorway. Yum! (This was on top of my other Santas bringing me some Jitterbug, some Malabrigo sock yarn, and some Arucania Magallanes. More yum!)

Hope your holiday was happy!

Quick!

The last three days were spent at the new Clement Hotel on Monterey's Cannery Row. It was one of the nicest vacations I think we've had in a long time, which is really weird since it's only about an hour from home. But there was no writing work to be done, no housework to be done, no alarms to set, no cooking to worry about... absolutely nothing to do except walk up and down Cannery Row, wander around the Monterey wharf, watch the people ice skating on the postage-stamp-sized ice rink they put at Custom House Plaza, go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, wander over to Pacific Grove (and visit Monarch Knits), have room service bring us food, and sit, and take naps, and read, and relax.

Three nights away, back home in time to have Chinese food for Christmas Eve dinner, then wake up together in our own bed for Christmas Day. Nice.

Right now, though, DH has stepped out to do Christmas shopping (he will *always* show his guy genes on 12/24), and since we've been away during the time I thought I would wrap presents... I gotta do it now! Before he comes home! Hurry! Quick!

(Oh, lots of progress was made during the Monterey foray: Did 3 more inches on "Hey, Teach," cast on Silkie (in 'Moody Blues') for Monkeys (and got through 1.5 pattern repeats, just in time to start some Cat Bordhi Upstream increases), cast on Paton's sock yarn in 'Denim Jaquard' for socks in a basket-weavy pattern (almost time to start the arch expansion for those, too), finished fixing half of one of ChickenKnittle's Scroll Lace socks that were a little too loose around the ribbing, finished one of FIL's slippers and started the second one. Like I said, lots of progress.)

It's A Big 'un!

Yep... The big 6 - 0... No, not me, wise guys! DH turns 60 today. All he wanted for his birthday was to have dinner with his 'nieces.' That's inside-joke-speak for me and KB. On recommendation of KB, we're going to R_______ J____ R______ in Los Gatos. (It's a surprise... I don't want anyone to leak where we're going!) Lots of good reviews, so it should be quite delightful.

And, in honor of his turning 60, on Friday he gets to have his first colonoscopy! Oh joy! Oh rapture!

Sugary Sweet

That's me... full of sugar that can't go anywhere. I'm now among the ranks of people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Oh joy. Kids, take heed: watch your weight and watch what you eat. This is preventable, and I knew it, and I still let it happen. More pills to take; oh goody.

That's not the bad news, though. The bad news is that my aunt has been diagnosed with 'multiple myeloma of the bone marrow,' or MM as the insiders apparently call it. While this is treatable, it isn't curable. She goes to the hematology oncologist on 12/22 to find out what's next. Please send good thoughts her way.

On a happier note, I wonder if anyone else has wondered about the sweaters in the Stainmaster carpet ads...

I think they're pretty sweaters, especially the cable. Do you think they found the sweater and loomed the carpet? Or loomed the carpet, then found/knit a sweater to match?

Goody, Goody, Gumdrops!

FO time! Holiday gifty! Wonder who for?

Cloud 9!

I got one of the BEST emails in Ravelry today... and I quote:

"Hi! I just wanted to tell you that I got your book off of Lulu.com, “It was all such a blur”, I just finished it, and I loved it! I saw the link from there to hear and since I’m on Ravelry too I thought I’d drop you a line and let you know how much I enjoyed your story. Have a good night! -Kathy"

Squeeeee!
happy dancing my way off to beddy-bye

Subversive Knitting!

Don't you just love Stephen Colbert??