What's better than mittens?

Tiny mittens!



Miss Nala doesn't think they're so cute, but I do.



And I made a hat! It's based on the Side Slip Cloche from the book Boutique Knits. I don't have the money for the book so I just deconstructed it.



I used Sirdar's Sublime aran-weight yarn. It's pretty delicious. I just need a brooch to close up the side. That white thing in the picture is a twist-tie. Because I'm super classy. But! This'll be for my mom for xmas. I hope she'll wear it. I need to do a lining, though, and am not sure yet how to go about doing that. Bah. But yay! I cast on for another one almost immediately.

Things I done did

A few weeks ago I learned a friend of mine was pregnant. Real pregnant. Due in a week and a half. I panicked. Baby coming?! Must! Knit! Hat! They didn't know the sex, so I had to find some gender-neutral superwash wool in my stash, stat! Couldn't find any! AUGH! Finally I settled on some green and white fingering weight that I'd whip into some kind of hat-with-fair-isle-sheep.

...but then three days later I saw on her facebook page that Miss Sadie had already arrived! I snagged some pink sport-weight wool (I know, I know, cliché color, but whatever, pink is nice) and the Spritely Hat pattern and four days later I had this:



The pattern is for a child's size, but with the sport-weight wool and size 3 needles it'd be close enough.

The sticks: size 3 circs
The string: Lana Grossa Cool Wool 2000.

The little leaves on the top are outrageously cute.

And remember this?



It became this:



Which I want to be enough for a scarf, but really probably isn't. Alas. Maybe paired with some black wool? Hmmmm... Ooh! No! Dark gray! Yes.

Did I have fun at SAFF?

Why yes. Yes I did have fun at SAFF. It was full of Hotties.

SAFF

I went, I saw,



I was very reasonable with my purchases.



Sugarbee Studios One night stand batt in Isaac. I don't know how I'm going to spin it up yet, but I'm totally looking forward to it.



ReadySpin (RealWool) 6-pack of rovings. This'll end up being some super stripey sock yarn, I think.

Now that I have new stuff I'm spinning the hell out of some purple roving so I can start spinning up the batt.

I didn't finish my sweater in time (the collar was still on the needles, and while I tried to wear it like that it was just too crowded and I was bordering on hurting someone with my needles), but it's just about finished now (after I fix the sleeves, re-bind-off the collar, and find buttons). Do I have pictures? Heavens no!

But SAFF was fun. And if y'all get a chance to hang out with Stacey you should, because she is FULL of win.

Oh!

SAFF is coming up. A lot of knitters, before festivals, will make it a goal to have a sweater or a shawl finished to debut in front of a very appreciative audience. While I've always respected that, I've never done it, mostly because I'm lazy. I'll bring something I've finished relatively recently, but I don't make it a goal.

So imagine my surprise when I saw this:



...three days before SAFF! Will I get the button band and the collar (I don't have enough yarn for the hood -- I think) done in time?? Only time... will tell.

(Also, who's going to SAFF? Huh? Huh?)

Scandihoovian hat

Gauge: 2 stitches per inch
Needles: Size 13 DPNs (I used a circ, and it was painful because it was too small for magic loop).
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky Natural, 1 skein (45 yards, with plenty leftover for a nice, optional pom pom)
Size: 1 year (your mileage will TOTALLY vary. My nephew is 4.5 months and giant and this hat just fits him).
Notes: My increase was knit-into-the-stitch-below. It doesn't really matter which you use.



C/O 6 (I used Emily Ocker's Circular Cast-on). Place marker at beginning of round.

Row 1: *K1, m1, repeat from *
Row 2, and all even rows: Knit around
Row 3: *K2, m1, repeat from *
Row 5: *K3, m1, repeat from *

Continue until you have 30 stitches total, ending with an even row.

Next row: Increase 4 stitches evenly.

Knit plain until the whole hat measures 6.25".

Next row: K7, wrap and turn (w&t)
Next row: P7, w&t
Next row: K to 1 stitch before wrapped stitch, w&t
Next row: P to 1 stitch before wrapped stitch, w&t

Repeat until you have one stitch unwrapped, ending with a WS row.

Next row: K4, picking up wraps, K13, w&t
Next row: P7, w&t
Next row: K to 1 stitch before wrapped stitch, w&t
Next row: P to 1 stitch before wrapped stitch, w&t

Repeat until you have one stitch unwrapped, ending with a WS row.

Bind off loosely, picking up wraps as you get to them. Add braids at the end of the ear flaps. Add pom pom to the top, if that's your cup of juice.

I'm a terrible blogger

Two of the things I'm currently working on:



The pattern is http://www.chicknits.com/catalog/cassidy.html">Cassidy.

Remember this sweater?:



I frogged it. It didn't fit well, and the yarn (Queensland Kathmandu Aran Tweed) was too nice to just have it sitting unused. So now it's becoming a cardigan.

And!:



Dale of Norway's Lillelam pants! GOD these are cute. SO much work. SO much work. But it's really fun, so I don't mind.

I got a hot tip from someone in the Stranded group on Ravelry for weaving in ends as you knit. It's here on Sock Prøn's blog. It's working decently well, and the thought of cutting down the finishing is a big relief.

The only thing is that the inseam looks wonky from working so much patterning in the round. It occurs to me that an extra stitch as a false seam would make it look much better. But tearing out... oh lord... I don't know.

At any rate, if they don't fit (my nephew is a big boy -- in the 90th percentile and up for his size) I'll throw a temper tantrum like the world has never seen. I'm knitting the one year size, and he'll be 7 months by then (xmas), so MAYBE. But he's already wearing 6-9 month clothes. You see my concern.

(especially since nothing I've knit him so far has fit. Sigh).

Not knitting related

Backstory: I'm looking for a job, and am having about zero luck, and frankly am a little anxious about it.

So. The phone rings at 9am on Wednesday. I checked the caller ID -- a number I don't recognize! It might be a job!

YES!

Me (trying not to sound like the phone woke me up): Hello?
Her: Is this Emily?
Me: YES!
Her: This is Gail (YES!) from (YES!) the Obama Campaign.

NO!

It was funny. Except for the part about how it wasn't regarding a job.

A second gold!

With two days to spare I finished the acrylic monstrosity!



It needs buttons still but WHATEVER, I'm calling it done.

For the record, it's definitely still a monstrosity. Here! A list of annoying things regarding the "Ready to Play" jumper.

1. It's acrylic.
1b. crappy acrylic. Really crappy acrylic.
2. Flat-knit fair isle. Purling with two colors sucks.
3. The original knitter did a float on every stitch on the purled row, not every 3rd or 4th stitch, which takes approximately FOREVER. So I didn't do it. So it doesn't match on the inside. Shhh.
4. Not only are the colors unappealing, but the pattern itself... not so great. However, I'm open to the option that it might not be horrible if done differently.
5. Since it's acrylic you can't really block it (as far as I can tell). It looks a little wonky, and I don't know if I can fix it.

What's that smell?

Why, it's Knitting Olympics Gold!



The shawl! She is done!



And now I can start working on the acrylic kids snowsuit thing!

...swell.

Isn't it nice...

when you get some help...



winding a particularly tangled skein of yarn?



(I let her play because 1. I didn't think she could make the tangles much worse, and 2. it was DAMN cute).

Olympics update: only 17 more edging repeats on the shawl until I'm done!

Knitting Olympics

In which I attempt to use the word "olympics" as much as possible.

Something about job hunting and having so much free time makes blogging seem rather unappealing. I have been knitting -- I have a sock done and its mate on the needles, but it's been put away because it's Knitlympics time!

I haven't done the Knitting Olympics before, but I have the Print O' The Wave stole for Paige's wedding, and since I'm not feeling the lace love I needed encouragement. Plus, two weeks ago I decided that if I designated it as "Olympic knitting" then I could work on something else until then.

And so here it is, and I've started working on the shawl, and ugghhhhh. Maybe the magic will come when I block it, but for now it's not my favorite thing ever.



As it's not a new project I'm in the WIPs Wrestling group, (also known as endurance trials). I have a second project in case I finish the shawl early. It's another project I need an outside deadline for. Have a gander:



Bernat "Ready To Play." Not my usual style, eh? Much too big for my nephew. Kitchy. Sigh. See, when I was young my next door neighbors were my second family. My brother and I were always over there being fed amazing food and playing with the kids. Maria makes the best pizza you have ever eaten.

Last time I was in Philly my dad and I went to visit, and Maria showed me the romper. It was started and mostly accomplished by a friend of hers who was very sick, who then gave it to Maria to finish it. Maria thought it beyond her abilities, and so gave it to me to finish. If I wanted to. It'd mean a lot to her friend to know it was finished. I promised to give it a shot, even though it's so many things I don't like in a project (acrylic, neon, colorwork knit flat). It means a lot to her, and she means a lot to me, so it's project 2.

Well. I'm starting to see a real problem with having the Knitting Olympics during the actual Olympics, because -- and this is especially true during the opening ceremonies -- all I want to do is watch the olympics. I mean really. Did you see those drummers? I'm supposed to pay attention to lace while that's on? HAH!

Unders, size XL

“The sock yarn I found there was so lovely that if you had told me that angels flew it down from heaven twice a week to try and make up for poison ivy, I would consider that a reasonable explanation. It is so beautiful and soft that I would not hesitate (except for the nagging concern that people would think I was a raving lunatic) to knit it into underpants.”

- Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of A Knitter

I think all knitters have felt yarn that demands to be made into something that goes right on one’s happy place (I don’t think Lorna’s Laces shepherd sport really qualifies, but work with me here). And UNlike Mme Harlot, I have no major qualms with people thinking I’m a raving lunatic, since what with the obsessive knitting and the obsessive contra dancing, I’m probably not too far off anyway.



Plus, I thought that knitted underwear would be awesome anyway. And they are. Remember the feeling you got when you put on your first pair of hand knit socks? It’s like that, but better.



The written pattern’s kind of ugly and sketchy, and it only comes in one size because I have NO IDEA how to change the size on something with so picky a decrease. But hey! It’s free!

If you’re smaller than me, you can use a lighter weight yarn and smaller needles.

Gauge: 6 stitches, 11 rows to the inch

I used:
Needles: size 2 circs for the body and size 3 for the i-cord
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, 1 ball and a smidge (around 50 extra yards).

Your mileage will probably vary. Rav link to mine.

Also needed:
- Embroidery needle
- Enough 1/4" elastic to go around your hips. I bought about a yard and that was fine.
- Some thinner elastic for around your legs. 1/8" or so works.

Waist:
Provisionally cast on 220, join, being careful not to twist

Knit 5 rows
6: k2tog, yo to end
knit 5 rows

Knit next row together with cast-on row. Ta da! Picot edge!

Knit in stockinette for an inch.

Back:
Over 110 (half the total) stitches:

IMPORTANT NOTES: All instructions are for right side rows. Wrong side rows are just purled. When you see two dashes (--) it means the right side row is knit plain. It’s good to slip the first stitch of each row for a selvedge (ignore this if you’re binding off stitches at the beginning of the row). This’ll make it easier to pick up stitches for the I-cord edge.

1: b/o 4 either side
2. b/o 1, ssk, k to last 4, k2tog, k next, pass last st over knitted st
3. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
4. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
5. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
6. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
7. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
8. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
9. --
10. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
11. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
12. --
13. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
14. --
15. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
16. --
17. --
18. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
19. --
20. --
21. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
22. --
23. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
24. --
25. --
26. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
27. --
28. --
29. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
30. --
31. --
32. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
33. --
34. --
35. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
36. --
37. --
38. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
39. --
40. --
41. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
42. --
43. --
44. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
45. --
46. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
47. –
48. --
49. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
50. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
51. b/o 1, ssk; k to last 4, k2tog, b/o 1
52. b/o 1, ssk; k to last 4, k2tog, b/o 1
53. b/o 1, ssk; k to last 4, k2tog, b/o 1
54. b/o 1, ssk; k to last 4, k2tog, b/o 1
55. b/o 1, ssk; k to last 4, k2tog, b/o 1
56. b/o 1, ssk; k to last 4, k2tog, b/o 1
57. --
58. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
59. --
60. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
61. --
62. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
63. --
64. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
65. --
66. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
67. --
68. --
69. --

Front:
1. b/o 3 on both sides
2. b/o 3 on both sides
3. b/o 3 on both sides
4. b/o 3 on both sides
5. b/o 3 on both sides
6. b/o 3 on both sides
7. b/o 3 on both sides
8. b/o 3 on both sides
9. b/o 3 on both sides
10. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
11. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
12. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
13. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
14. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
15. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
16. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
17. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
18. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
19. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
20. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
21. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
22. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
23. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
24. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
25. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
26. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
27. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
28. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1
29. sl 1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1

Kitchener two sides together.

Using size 3 dpns or circular needles, I-cord around the leg holes. Note: be generous when you’re I-cording. Pick up more rather than fewer stitches – I-cord doesn’t stretch.

Use the 1/4” elastic to measure around your hips and mark the end. Don’t stretch the elastic when measuring. Lace through the picot edge, overlap the elastic by about an inch, and sew together, being careful not to twist.

Use the 1/8” elastic to measure around your leg and mark the end. Don’t stretch the elastic when measuring. Lace through the I-cord. This can be tricky. Sorry. Overlap the elastic by about an inch, and sew together, being careful not to twist. Repeat for other leg.

Weave in ends. Put on. Prance around.

Shiny

I'm not in a mood for knit-based rambling, but I haven't updated in an age, so here! Have some pictures, with assorted commentary, maybe! I haven't decided yet.



Sport-ish weight singles spun from the superwash merino that Grace sent me. I hereby dub that yarn, "IBFF."¹

The back of the vest I've been working on:



I've ripped it out more times than I'd care to think about, it's got a ton of things I'd change if I cared to rip it out again (no), but it's trucking along decently.

OMG Cable Close up!!1!



And even though I really should be spending money on unnecessary things, I bought some sock yarn while I was in Wisconsin last week (did I tell you I was in Wisconsin? I was in Wisconsin. Family reunion.) to make socks for my mom.



Now I just need to pick a pattern. Bayerische sock? But would it be comfy enough? I want comfy AND sophisticated. I really like the Rivendell sock, but am not feeling the whole "paying for a pattern" thing right now. So I dunno. Thoughts?

Also, I spent many, many hours both in a car and on a plane with my remaining Schaefer Anne, and it would NOT stop pooling. It's in time out. Possibly for a long, long time.

That's most of my news. How's with all y'all?

Apparently I ramble even when not in the mood. Intriguing!



¹ Internet BFF

Damn it.

Dear cables:
You are dead to me now.

Up yrs.
Emily


Ughhhh. I'm trying to design this cabled, hooded, zip-up vest, and I swatched, like did a proper swatch and everything, and I decided, because I am STUPID, to design my own front cable, because I am STUPID.

And I swatched the damn cable but, because I am STUPID I didn't write down what I did, and now it's looking like I'll have to frog about 3 inches (of 4 and a quarter total).

I hate cables.

(P.S. My nephew is hella cute:

)

Just in time for summer

I've been thinking a lot about knitting between stitches lately, and after some swatching, ended up with this hat:



It's really just a variation on a slip-stitch, but I'm pretty fond of it, and have great plans for more swatching and tinkering.



I worried all through knitting that it would be too big, and it's not. It's not totally snug, but I was actually aiming for that since I'm not-so-fond of hat head. I know, crazy.



It's a nice dense fabric and cozy like whoa. I defy you, summer weather!

Well. While I was in the Poconos (which are in Pennsylvania, for those of you playing at home) I stopped in at Mountain Knits and Pearls in East Stroudsburg. It's a great shop with lots of Dale of Norway patterns and yarns, plenty of sock yarns (including Noro's Kureyon sock), and what looked like a charming knit afternoon. Plus beads and stuff, but I mostly ignored that.

ANYhoo, I was browsing the Dale of Norway patterns and saw these Lillelam pants:



And my ovaries melted into a puddle of goo. I mean, I'm not really one to get all in a fluff about clothes, but there's clearly some kind of subliminal cuteypants message in all that fair isle. Even now I keep thinking "Pssh, they're pants, whatever, I'll just take a look and awwww those are so CUTE I love you yes I do."

Yes I do.

But! I was going to Maryland Sheep and Wool the next weekend, so I refrained! And in the following week thought better of it, and called the shop and ordered the pattern book AND the yarn. I couldn't find a website that had both together, so I figured I was being clever. And in conclusion, I was. Sort of. Dale Ull is pretty expensive. I won't tell you what I ended up paying for the yarn and the book because it pains me.



So. I pulled out the book and started to read the directions. They're short -- like 3 paragraphs. And it's all dense and abbreviated and it uses 7 colors, y'all, 7, and GOD do you know how many ends that will be? and this is for an infant and all they do is eat and poop and make messes and then they grow out of EVERYTHING and 7 colors, people! AND ONLY 3 PARAGRAPHS OF DIRECTIONS. How smart do these people think I am?!

And then I have to go lie down for a while. But they're cute pants.

Finally

His name is Jackson! He's cute as pie, healthy and mostly happy (being an infant is hard, often upsetting work, you know). I haven't gotten to smoosh over him too much yet, but soon. Oh yes. Soon.

While I, family and friends were bonding with the really uncomfortable waiting room chairs as Jackson took his sweet time in joining us in the bright, harsh world I cast on, and finished, these:



They're Saartje's bootees (pdf!), modified as closed-toe because my SIL wasn't impressed with the strappy version I'd knit previously (she called them Mary Janes. I scoffed at her). They're actually cuter in real life.

My mods (for the large size):
Mods:
Row 26: k16, ssk x3, k1, k2tog x3, k to end
Row 27-29: work plain
Row 30: k13, ssk x3, k1, k2tog x3, k to end
Row 31-32: work plain
Row 33: bind off

(Though you could probably bind off on row 31. Am going to try that next time). The only problem is that they're Koigu KPPPM and not machine washable. I'll gift 'em anyway, just because they're cute.

So. Remember back in, oh, December when I showed a bunch of knits I finished while in NZ? Like the Tomten Jacket which just needed a zipper or some toggles?

Y'all, I searched at LEAST... like... four stores for non-huge, non-ugly toggles, and there was NARY A ONE to be found. And then I tried looking for zippers. Did you know there are at least two kinds of zipper? Separating and non-separating. The non-separating kind are like the ones in your pants. Separating are like jacket zippers.

I couldn't find a short (and I needed short -- babies, it turns out, are tiny) separating zipper. So the jacket remained in my Ravelry WIP list. For MONTHS.

Finally (see how I reference my title? I was an English major!), I was in the Poconos and hit the American Ribbon and Craft Outlet in Stroudsburg -- which is a strange place. Not Stroudsburg -- the store. Stroudsburg is very charming. It (the store) is old and dusty and has weird stuff like old ribbon bobbins and lots of train set equipment. There are big empty spaces and things aren't quite put away properly. It's got a lot of character I'll tell you what.

But! The point is they had zippers, and I found a 12" white separating zipper (the shortest they had) and bought it, took it home, held it up to the jacket, and found it was about 3" too long. At which point I threw it all into a corner for another few weeks.

When Jackson arrived I had fresh resolve (fresh!) and looked up how to shorten a zipper. It's not that hard, actually, and I ended up using a mishmash of techniques.

1. Figure out where you want the zip to stop, then sew a stopper in between the two teeth like so:



I used 3 threads of embroidery floss (a half a usual strand).

2. With some needle-nose pliers remove the four teeth above your stopper. I found grabbing the tip of the tooth worked best, for some reason.

3. Cut below where the teeth start up again, and fold that extra bit of fabric to the back for a nice neat edge.

Then I followed Claudia's technique for installation. Except that I hand sewed it because I don't have a zipper foot for my sewing machine.

I find the uneven row of stitches pretty charming.



And it's finished! Ha HA! And too big for little Jackson for a while yet, but that's okay! It'll fit eventually.

In other news! Yesterday I trekked over to the Philadelphia Book Fair, met up with the entirely cool knitting/spinning/contra dancing Marie and we yanked out our knitting to see the Yarn Harlot!



She was riotously funny, and we all learned about how knitters are on mental par with Buddhist monks, which is very encouraging.

She spoke about this Cambridge study (and if you're planning to see her I'm not spoiling anything here) which essentially concluded that having a repetitive physical task during a traumatic event can make people less traumatized. I immediately thought about being on a plane, and how if we could somehow show the FAA and other airline security groups this study, maybe -- maybe! -- they would finally and totally ease up on our need for pointy sticks.

Less trauma means fewer lawsuits, right? (Okay, so the image I immediately got was a plane crashing and two or three people furiously knitting as the plane goes down. To reduce the trauma! ...right? Are you with me? Hello?).

Anyway. As I handed my book to Stephanie for her to sign I started to mention this theory, and she replied, "Needles are allowed on planes." I was a little thrown and said yes, but not always! IcelandAir didn't allow my needles. National flights, sure -- but -- and she agreed that international flights don't always, and then everything was kind of a blur as I tried to explain my theory and got flustered because they were shooing the line along, but she called out a "Nice to meet you!" as I dazed away.

But! I have explained myself to all y'all in a lengthy way, so I feel better now.

Clarification

Some of y'all may have seen Grace's post today about how we met, and I'd just like to clarify a few things.

It's true, we met at SAFF two years ago, but she says "I grabbed her sleeve and babbled excitedly and mostly incoherently about her sweater while she was very gracious about being attacked by a crazy person."

This, y'all, is not entirely true. What really happened is that she said something to me about my sweater, and then I strategically glued myself to her side. I was on my third-or-so lap around the building, and hadn't talked to anybody and was beside myself with joy that I'd met someone. Plus she looked pretty cool, iffin' I say so myself.

So I hung around awkwardly while she and Elizabeth tried out wheels. Grace hipped me to the blogger meetup, and whispered excitedly that La of Jen and- were there, and I played excited even though I didn't actually know who that was. And then there was exchangery of emails, and now we're totally IBFFs (Internets BFFs).

And she is hella cool. I mean honestly. And not just because she graciously lets me inundate her with often-random knitting-and-spinning questions. She's also hilarious and a FABulous step-ma to a singularly awesome young man.

Plus she sends me cool gifts. Look!



Clockwise from left - her own handspun! 190 yards of smooshy colonial wool! Mmmm!; Merci chocolates, half of which are, heh, now gone. I mean, they're so SMALL, it's okay to have five or six in a sitting. At 10am.; more chocolate, which is getting saved for when the Merci chocolates are gone, because sometimes I have self control; and some superwash merino in "Emily" colorway! I admit to you in confidence here that I geeked out just a little bit when I saw it was in the "Emily" colorway.

Grace wins.

And to cap off this post, gratuitous nephew shot!

It's POSSIBLE that I'm a little bit biased

...but I'm pretty sure there never was a cuter nephew:



Yes, he showed up on mother's day. Yes, all are well and hopefully getting some much-needed rest. No, he doesn't have a name yet. Yes, I damn near cried when I saw him. Yes, I'm close to crying now just thinking about it.

Oop. Crying.

Welcome out, Infant X!



More soon!