It's been a busy week.

We had to drive to South Carolina Monday to attend Husband's grandma's funeral (he's OK, and she's in a better place now). It's about a 7 hour drive from here, which would not have been a problem at all, except that we had to make the same trip the very next day. We literally left the funeral and drove home on Tuesday, getting home at about 11 pm, exhausted and sick of the car. We probably would have stayed an extra day, but we had a very important appointment today (more on that in a minute).
While Husband drove, I knit.

pattern: Thorpe
yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky
I knit this entire thing (with the exception of the braids) on the way to SC. The pattern is really easy, and I think I like top-down hats a lot. The only complaint I have with this hat is that it's a bit tall. On me. Which may not be the case for those with normal heads. Since becoming a knitter, I've realized that I have a rather large noggin, circumferentially speaking. S'okay though. I can deal.

On the way home, I cast on for another cowl. Does this yarn look familiar? It's the remainder of the skein I used to make the Sunset Cowl. I love this one too.
The pattern is a simple eyelet pattern that is easily memorized. It's knit up like a very short scarf, and the ends are seamed together. I probably would have gotten this finished on the trip home, but it got dark, and I don't knit well if I can't see.

Looking at this picture, you'd think I'd be struggling to get air. Really, it's not as tight as it looks: It's not snug at all. It is cuddly and warm though.

Now, about that important appointment...
Goodbye foggy window panes... Hello-

Installer guy.

I Kinneared him. And I thought I had actually gotten away with it, until he looked over at me like I was a weirdo. Ahem.

Anyway, look!

I have locks!! And who has locks? Why, those whose windows actually open!!

OOOH! And look what else! I have SCREENS!!!

Huzzah!

No more birds in my house, thankyouverymuch.

FOs of 2 (very) different types

OK, I've noticed that, contrary to the name of this blog, there hasn't been much knitting action goin' on here (on the blog, I mean). There has, however, been some bitterness goin' on.

FO Type 1- Finished Objects
I have been knitting. Quite a bit, actually, so I have some things to share.

First, we have the Turn A Square hat I made for Dylan. It is made from some Debbie Bliss Rialto I had in my stash (yay for stashbusting!).

I did like the pattern, but I couldn't get the whole "jogless stripe" thing to work for me. There is a jog up the back of this hat where the color changes, but honestly, does this look like a kid who cares that there's a jog in his color changes?

I don't think so either. He just loves his new hat.

Next, my new favorite winter accessory, the cowl. This is the Crofter's Cowl (Ravelry link), made of Mmmmmmalabrigo. Yummy yarn, lovely color. This was a very quick knit- it could be knit in one productive afternoon- but it sat for a few days while I got up the courage to Kitchener it together. I'm not entirely happy with the way that turned out, because you can totally see the seam. If I knew beforehand that there would be a visible seam, I would have just sewn it together and saved myself quite a bit of time. But, I don't guess it's that bad considering it was my first attempt at Kitchener stitch. Overall, I really like this cowl. I think it will get lots of wear just as soon as the weather decides to stay cool.

Finally, I finished my Rusted Root!!

I cast on for this sweater 5 times before I got it right. I had some issues with reading the pattern/pattern comprehension/sizing. There were so many stitch markers on this thing, I didn't know what was going on. Do I increase here? or just before the lace pattern and not after? (Just so you know, don't increase at the "special markers" and you'll do fine. Really.)

This sweater started out red. Once I got the pattern down, I knit until the join beneath the underarms and I tried it on, just to be sure I was on track.

I wasn't.

There was no way this things was gonna fit over the girls, so I had to frog it and go up a size. Guess what? I didn't have enough yarn. But that's OK. I really wanted it in blue (I guess).

On to FO Type 2- Flying objects.

I'll give you a minute to figure this one out on your own.

No, I'm not referring to the roosters on my tablecloth. I'm referring to the freaking bird perched on said tablecloth.

I like nature. Really, I do. Just not in my house.

How did this happen, you ask? If you know me at all, you know that not a single window in my house is operable. This means that any time I want fresh air, I have to leave the back door open, which has no screen. This leaves my door open to... well... birds. Usually they just hop in a few feet from the deck but turn around as soon as they realize they're not outside. This one just came right in and made himself at home. He didn't want to leave. I had to chase him for a good 5 minutes, during which time he hid behind my refrigerator. I had to pull the stupid thing out to get him to leave. Thank goodness it's on wheels.

Oh, and if you're interested in knowing, I'll have all new windows Wednesday!!

The Black Hole

On Thursday afternoon, a Louisville woman made a shocking discovery- the Black Hole was found to be located in the dash of her Toyota Camry sedan.

The discovery came after the woman left Stevens & Stevens deli, after enjoying a wonderful lunch. She came upon her car and noticed nothing suspicious; that is, until she sat down in her car.

At that very moment, reality sank in. The Black Hole sat staring at the woman as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.Slowly, the cold, hard facts began to make sense: The Black Hole had always been present in the Camry; however, until that point in time, it had been hidden by the presence of a nearly new JVC stereo.

Her mind reeling, the woman began putting together the clues she found at the scene. All of the doors to the Camry remained locked, except for the front passenger door. It is presumed that someone, perhaps a skilled thief, used a tool known to the underground world of thieves as a Slim Jim, to unlock the door. Then, the thief removed the stereo, being careful not to disrupt the Black Hole that was hiding behind it, thereby allowing this gaping area of nothingness to be seen.

The woman, who is still a bit shocked that such an event occurred in mid-afternoon at a crowded deli, had nothing nice to say about the Black Hole. As a matter of fact, the woman reports that she would rather have the view of the Hole covered by a replacement stereo.

Unfortunately, the thief who made this shocking discovery possible was not available for an interview.