A Measure of Common Sense

** I actually started writing this on the 3rd of Jan but things got in the way of me finishing my post and it's sat unfinished for the last few days. It's warmed up into the 40's and the snow is melting now....woot! I'm kinda sick of snow right now. We had a record breaking 30.5 inches of snow for the month of Dec....well record breaking for this town anyway. A good 9 inches of that fell in one night. Lucky for us our neighbors borrowed a snow blower and cleared our driveway when they cleared theirs. Shawn was sick when all of this was going on so I would have been the designated shoveler. 9 inches of snow + a bad back and knees = lottsa pain later on.

Today we're going to talk about common sense or lack there of. The stupidity of some people gives me blog fodder so I'm going to run with it. Lets set the scene:

The sun has set, the parking lots have been plowed, although anyone who lives in snow prone areas know that there is still plenty of snow on the ground even though it's been plowed. Anyway back to the set up, the temp is a balmy -10F not factoring in wind chill....I have no idea if there was a wind chill or not my car only give ambient temps. So anyway, you get the picture it's freezing ducks and the ground is slick. Now the sensible lady (that's me) is sitting in her warm car with her heavy winter jacket and warm winter boots happily knitting on her new pair of socks while patiently waiting for her Super Hubby to get back from a quick trip into the store when into the wintery wonderland parking lot drives Pretty Pretty Princess and Hunky Boy Prince in their BMW SUV (no I don't have a problem with people who drive BMWs or SUVs, I drive an SUV). Now Princess and her man step out of their car dressed like they were strolling through LA on a balmy spring day. The sensible lady mutters to herself about the craziness of some people when she notices that Princess is trying to walk through a snowy, icy parking lot in 3 inch heels and a very lightweight 3/4 sleeve jacket. This of course made the sensible lady think WTF! Princess did manage to make it through the parking lot and down the sidewalk without falling. She had a very bony butt so I'm sure it would have really hurt if she fell. The entrance into the store has you going at a downhill slope so it's easy to slip if you're not careful. Cutsie little jacket $200, 3 inch high heels $600, walking through a parking lot while wearing these when its -10F outside, Stupid!

Now that I've had my fun I can move on to the things I've finished knitting and some of the projects I've started.

First up, another stupid monkey.

I should have made one for Bree for Christmas but I didn't think she would want it since she isn't a stuffed animal kid. Boy was I wrong. She kept running off with Kaity's monkey which of course caused fights between the two of them so I cast on for another monkey post haste. I knit this bad boy in a record breaking two days. So now both girls have monkeys and everyone is happy.

I finished my modustar cloth (Ravelry).

This cloth is way bigger then a standard cloth. I gave it to the girls and they're using it as a blankie for their dolls and beanie babies. I'd definitely use thinner yarn if I wanted one about the size of a washcloth/dishcloth. Someone on Ravelry gave me the idea to make these in wool and then felt them down to coaster size. Love it! They would make great gifts and wonderful extras for swaps and such.

I finished moms Errant socks (Ravelry) from the second Mason-Dixon book.

The foot is pretty stretchy but once you get past the heel and start working on the leg there isn't as much give in the socks because of the cables. Hopefully they fit her. Oh well, no point in worrying. If they don't fit mom she can send them to my sis and I can make her a new pair.

I finished my Mocha Chai socks.

These are just a basic toe up sock with k3, p2 ribbing on the foot and leg. The yarn is Crystal Palace Merino 5 print and the color is #9814 (if I remember correctly). I had no problems at all getting a pair of socks out of two skeins for my big foot with a cuff that measures around 8.5 inches long not counting the short row heel. The yarn is a worsted weight (if I remember correctly). At less then $14 for a pair of boot socks, I'd definitely buy it again.

I've also started a few things for myself. I know, I know! It's about time I started something for myself.

I've finished cowl for myself.

The pattern is Forest Canopy Cowl (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) and the yarn is Tosh Worsted, colorway: Jade. This pattern worked up very quickly and the cowl has a nice close fit....very warm!

My Stripey-Stripey socks.

I'm using some Red Heart sock yarn I bought awhile back. I originally picked out a skein of Beyond Basic Knits self striping out of my stash but as it turned out the yarn was variegated and had the wrong label on it. The dyer has kindly offered to swap the skein out for some self striping so I picked the Red Heart to use this time. The yarn isn't to bad. It has the typical feel of a wool/nylon sock yarn. Not super soft but I'm betting it will soften up quite nicely. These socks are going to be bright! I shooting for matchy matchy stripes which isn't as difficult when you are knitting from two 50g skeins.

I'm also planning on starting a pair of Urban Necessity Gloves (Raverly)(non Ravelry) for myself out of some Tosh worsted and the swatches for Shawn's cabled hoodie. This is going to be a big project so I want to knit up a bunch of swatches to wash to see which one will be best. The last thing I want to do is spend all that time on the sweater and not have it fit right.

I'm not making any New Years Resolutions this year. I've never really been big on New Years Resolutions. What's the point, most people never follow them and aren't committed to them when they write them down in the first place. I'm sure there is something new I can add to my knitting bag of tips and tricks. I need to exercise more, lose weight, eat better, etc etc etc. I do want to make more time to really put in the effort to spin. It's been hit or miss for me when it comes to spinning. I will say that if I'm not using the wheel more by the end of 2009 I'll find it a new home where it will be loved and used.

I was planning a big contest this month but with a root canal and crown looming in the very very near future I've decided to put it off. All extra spending has been curbed until that's taken care of. Thankfully we have insurance so part of it will be covered but the portion we have to pay is still going to hurt. The only exception is the few clubs that I'm in since I'm already obligated to continue them and I hate having to back out of things. Plus two of them will be done very soon anyway. Never fear I have plenty of stash to keep me busy and now have confirmation as to why it's good to have a stash. You never know when you might need it.

Happy Crafting!