Sheesh

This is how you go a month without posting to your blog: I could have *sworn* I posted right around New Year's Day. Imagine my surprise. I swear, I really *do* mean to post more often this year. In my defense, when one spends all day, every weekday (and, apparently, some weekends) playing with words for a living...it's sometimes a little tiring to do so for enjoyment.

I felt that I needed to give the holidays a little space before I announced that I was pretty glad they're gone. This may have been apparent from my last few posts, I'm afraid; Bryan and I both found it hard to muster enthusiasm this year. I think all of us (meaning our parents too) had some trouble processing the holiday season with Bryan's mom not here. It's still difficult to say too much about this, at times – but the one thing I managed was to make tons of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from her recipe, and in succeeding to make them tasty, I also managed to honor her skill and flair in the kitchen. That helps a little.

In consideration of my extended absence, and in lieu of my standard irregularly-scheduled, rambly post...oh, who am I kidding? This is as rambly as normal. You will note in advance the lack of photos...and you will deal, K? Hit the links instead.

- Just after Christmas, with assistance from Amy, I decided upon the Forest Canopy shawl as my first lace project. In short order, Amy both gave me the pattern as a gift and scheduled a trip to Yarntopia to help me search out some HandMaiden silky goodness for the task.

Fast forward to NYE, when (with me still sitting by empty-handed) Amy and Bryan voted for the Amethyst colorway of Sea Silk, and I put in my order at Knitty-Noddy. (Digression to note that Evelyn was extraordinary...so much so that she deserves her own post, which she will receive on my next round. In the meantime, go buy yarn from her.)

Then, fast forward to last Thursday, when I decided to hand-wind one of the two GORGEOUS OH MY GOD GORGEOUS hanks. Meredith magically produced a "portable" swift for me to borrow, and I spent the next two-ish hours in winding bliss...results to be shown soon. It's very pretty. Really. As in, I wanted to hold it and pet it and gaze into it as if it were a crystal ball. I am trying to refrain from dubbing it "the precious," because that's been done.

No, I have not started the Forest Canopy yet. This is because Still More Insanely Busy Work Time has rendered me a bit of a stress ball in off hours, and consequently, I have lacked the focus required.

- Instead, I have been working on a couple of baby items from Mason-Dixon. Don't get any ideas, folks. My co-worker Mary has three daughters, two of whom are pregnant. One of them – the one that lives with Mary - could pop at any time. I have a Baby Bib O' Love to embellish, and a Baby Genius Burp Cloth (which may be my favorite Mindless Project ever) on the needles. Mary is a crocheter, so it sounds as though blankets are taken care of...but I'm really looking forward to surprising her.

It would also appear that it marks the end of my knitting being novel to my male co-workers. I joined two of them for lunch at our favorite wings place (I always get the boneless...no mess on the hands), pulled out the Baby Genius while we waited, and neither of them even blinked twice. (Consider that the *first* time I pulled out a project in front of them – a Ballband Dishcloth – it attracted a great deal of curiosity and started a 10-minute conversation.)

- This weekend, I began working in earnest on a rectangular shawl in a zigzag-eyelet pattern. On my never-before-detailed December trip to Twisted Yarns, I took advantage of the Gumball Sale to get 15% off a massive quantity of Manos Cotton Stria in lovely red. This was because, as I said to Amy (who surprised me by appearing there out of nowhere that day, when I was off work and on my way to Fort Worth), "I want a red shawl for myself, dammit!"

Consequently, this project will henceforth be known as the Red Shawl Dammit.

I'm quite enjoying the yarn so far. It's a teensy bit splitty, as roving-wrapped-in-thread yarns are wont to be, but it's squishy, neither too thick nor too thin, and should give me just what I'm aiming for. I did a swatch in pattern, a bit too loose on US7s, but likeable; I'm working the project on 6s, which seems to be going well so far. The pattern is fairly easy to memorize, and about three notches above mindless, so it's good for "after I've unwound" evening work.

In other news, my husband is a really good cook, which is especially nice when I get home at 7p after starting work at 8a, or when I wake up (and spend all day) with a killer migraine. Bryan cooks like I do – get ideas from recipes, then wing it to your liking – only more freeform, if that's possible. And let me say that the man has a way with pork. Loin, sausages, roast...he knows just what to do with all of them.

Oh yeah - also: it's cold. Not other-places cold, not historically cold, certainly not Armageddon-is-coming cold, but seriously chilly all the same. Must. Complete. More handknits. For self. And still, maybe, not as cold as it was a couple of days ago...but, um, nippy.

Finally, a random WOO-HOO for the 100% fantastic, talented, and beautiful America Ferrera, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy (TV)...which means that I should probably start watching Ugly Betty. I've adored her since her debut in Real Women Have Curves; she's a hell of an actress, and lovely, real, and smart to boot.

I don't know *when*, but look for pictures next time. (No promises.)