Scheduled Caturday #2

Just like last Caturday, I'm writing this in Lexington, but it will be posted the Saturday after Christmas. I hope everyone's holiday was magical!


Eve has been sleeping next to me some nights. It's very sweet.


George is very interested in cribbage.


And Pippin likes getting the love, even if he has to sit on a lap to get it!

Vacation Knitting Roundup: Day 10

First, I have to show you how tough Wisconsin sparrows are. It's very, very cold in the picture below, and you'll notice that the sparrows are nonetheless eagerly bathing in the only-thawed-because-it's-slightly-heated birdbath. Also, I understand that I have witnessed history in the making. With the snow we got last night, Green Bay has broken its all-time December snow record--our 39.7 inches beat 1887's 36.4 inches. And there are still 5 days of December left! Whee!


Now, the knitting. On the first day of my vacation, last Wednesday, I didn't knit; I drove, and drove, and drove. Since then, here's what I have accomplished.

I knit a hat. (See previous entry.)

I finished my last sweater piece. (Ditto.)

I finished the first half of my lilac silk scarf
If this looks way off, color-wise, I apologize--my parents' monitor is darker than I'm used to, so it looks funny to me, too, but I didn't want to mess with it too much.

I finished the first skein of the yarn I'm using to knit my latest pair of socks. One and a half socks from one skein!


I knit as far as I could on the second half of Anne's Christmas present.

Notice the trailing yarn on the last three photos. I have more to do on each of these, but no yarn handy to do it. What's a girl to do?

Start a new sock!

And maybe two more, for good measure.

I had no idea I could knit this much this quickly. I haven't even spent all my time knitting--I've managed to be sociable, bake, have family dinners, make 5 billion tiny meatballs for the Italian wedding soup, visit with friends, have family Christmas, read, sleep, and bathe, too!

Bloggity-blog

I have lost all ability to be creative with entry titles. Sorry about that.

But look! Knitting!

Because I am home with the folks and far from responsibilities, I have been knitting up a storm. Last night I finished the last piece of the sweater I cast on in February!

Check it out--two sleeves! They're even the same size! I would love to say that I would be spending today blocking the pieces and assembling the sweater, but as it happens, I left the front and the back in Lexington. Not a lot of foresight, here.

I also made a hat the other day.

It's all nice and warm. Which is good, because it is freaking cold here. When I got up this morning, the actual temperature was -3, with a wind chill of something ridiculous like -22. Gah! Good thing I packed every pair of wool socks I own!

I've also been working on my silk scarf.

Mmm, shiny and soft. I'm nearing the end of the first skein. Where is the second skein? Why, it's in Lexington!

I've also worked a bit on a sock that's been riding around in my purse for a while. I haven't worked a ton on it, because it's a second sock, and there's not enough yarn left from the first skein to finish it. Where's that second skein? Lexington! Are you seeing a pattern here?

Luckily, I have the second half of one of Anne's presents here as well. I plan to work my little keister off on that and finish it by January 5, when I go back to work. Of course, I might run out of the main color before I leave Green Bay, because I left Skein Two... all together now!... in Lexington! I'm so freaking smart. Actually, I choose to believe that I didn't pack any more sweater pieces or second skeins because I truly didn't believe I would need them. It looks like, for once, I may have actually underestimated the amount of knitting I would be doing! Crazy.

Scheduled Caturday #1

As you're reading this, I am in Green Bay getting ready for Christmas with my parents. I'm writing it before I leave town--ooh, blog magic! I hope everyone's preparations are going well!


Eve looks seriously evil in this one. Basement cat lives at my house!


Pippin is not evil.


George likes to climb on my lap while I'm at my computer.

Caturday!

Here are the kitties!


And as a special bonus, here's a picture of the girl I took to the theater and her little brother, posted with their Dad's permission.

It's completely adorable how much Violet loves her little brother.

Blogginess!

Check it out--knitting!

I picked up a few skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, and was compelled to immediately cast on. It's the same leaf lace pattern that I'm using for the black wrap I started a little while ago, but narrower and more scarf-like. This thing is gorgeous. The yarn is incredibly soft and has a beautiful sheen to it. I wish the color were more vibrant, but I love lilacs, and this color reminds me of them, so it still makes me very happy. Click to biggify--it's worth it!


I also snagged a holiday meme for your viewing pleasure.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Both, but I definitely prefer wrapping paper. I find unwrapping much more satisfying that pulling things out of bags, and I try to let other people have that same pleasure.

2. Real tree or artificial?
We always had real trees when I was growing up, and only recently have my parents gone the artificial route--honestly, there are advantages to both. I haven't really had my own tree as an adult; still rocking the folks' place at Christmas, so it doesn't make sense for me to put up a tree and abandon it.

3. Why are you willing to answer these questions?
Fun, and blog filler.

4. When do you take the tree down?
See above, re. no tree.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I do.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
My parents might be bitterly disappointed, because I'm sure there were plenty of amazing gifts that they put a lot more thought into than this one, but the one that really sticks out in my mind was a desk set. It came with stuff like a plastic inbox tray and message pads. I loved that thing.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My dad, paradoxically. He always wants the same things, which should make it easy--but I want to get him some other, extra things as well, and that's always a struggle.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Probably my mother. I always have tons of ideas for her.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
I think I technically do, in the same sense I have a set of silver--that they're earmarked for me come inheritance time, which is slightly macabre, but my family has never been deterred by the macabre.

10. Do you send your card by mail or e-mail?
I don't do cards; I think they're a waste of time and resources.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I honestly can't really remember any that made me cringe. Oh, wait! Yes I can. When I worked at the car rental place, the store manager made gift bags for all the employees. The men got work gloves, box cutters, and measuring tapes, and the women got cookie-making kits and his church's cookbook. He had no shame regarding his appalling gender bias. Also, who brings 9 box cutters into an airport? Seriously, people.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Charlie Brown Christmas

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
It depends. This year I started ridiculously early, and I still probably won't be done on time.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Not that I recall, except in White Elephant exchanges.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Spritz cookies!

16. Lights on the tree?
Yep. But I prefer all one color lights, not the multicolored strings.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
I love sacred carols, despite not being religious. Musically they blow the secular ones out of the water. At the moment, the winner is probably Adeste Fideles.

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Travel. To home. 600 miles--whee!

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?
I sure can.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When I was a kid, we always did Christmas Eve at Grandma's, then Christmas morning at home--at Grandma's we got extended family presents, and at home we got immediate family presents. Best of all, we could open our stockings--which always contained small presents--as soon as we woke up on Christmas morning, without waiting for Mom and Dad. These days, it's pretty much all Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The fact that it starts earlier and earlier every year.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I do love the silver and white themes, and I also love the underwater theme on my parents' tree.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Several kinds of soups!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Um... sleep?

Much Belated Caturday

Sorry, sorry--I really meant to schedule a Caturday post before I left town for the weekend, but somehow "packing" came first.

This is what most of my pictures of Pippin look like. No matter how many times you try to coax him to look at the camera, he always seems to look away at just the wrong moment.

Not so George. George loves the camera.

And Eve has a bag. This is Eve's Bag. Woe betide anyone who tries to take it from her!