Let's not forget why I started blogging

It was to show off & brag about my knitting!  So, for the first time since I got on Ravelry back in '08, I'm actually participating in a knit along.  I'm in the Cowls group, and for the January theme we're suppose to work on "something new" to us as knitters.  It could be a yarn that I've never handled, or a technique I've never used, or what ever is outside my usual knitting "envelope".  I have always wanted to try double knitting, and had just serendipitously come across the Allotrope cowl by Lindsey Freeman.  I cast on for it New Year's Day, and have so far worked about 5.5 rows of the patterning.  I'm really glad I had some experience with stranded knitting & holding a yarn in each hand, as that has been the key to getting this project moving.

Oh, and it is a double whammy, as I've never knit with Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK yarn before.  New technique + new yarn = interesting knitting.

And I think I'll find this a useful item, as it's been colder than that chunk of brass folks are always putting in a snow bank, at my desk.  

And of course I'm still working on Mi Kara, which is from a Drops free pattern.  Shh, don't say anything to the Plaidman, but I'm trying to buy some yarn from another Raveller.  See, I've got about half the amount of this yarn that I need for a particular project.  If I can get these skeins from one Raveller, and a few more from another Raveller, I'll have enough!  Cross your fingers.  

Teehee!  I just got this shirt from the Ravelry mini-mart.  I'd never ordered anything from Rav, but when I read the story I thought it was too funny, and had to have the names of many sheep breeds shirt.  You can see the error, running up my left chest.

Disco has been offered the chance to convert from a temp to a permanent position at Amazon, which I sure hope she'll jump on like a duck on a june bug.  Let's hope she's smart about it.

And I hope you didn't believe it either..

That I would actually knit up a slew of small gifts for the other coders.  There just was not enough time.  But hey!  I did get some little presents knitted for the Plaid Patrol.  DiscoDame got a warm lace headband in bulky yarn, from the Blueleaf Headband pattern.  And the Plaidman got an Ear Warmer for Baseball Caps (Kraemer Yarns, free pattern).  Observe:

Doesn't she look thrilled?!?  This is a fun & quick pattern, also free.  And she was kind enough to display the Plaidman's ear warmer for the photo.

And then Plaidman had to model it, minus the ball cap....

Look, kids!  It's Santa during his hippie years!  He was such a rebel then, wearing all that plaid.
Now you're ready to see what I got for Christmas:

There she is, sitting in my parking spot.  She's a 2014 Chevy Malibu.  She makes me so happy!  I've always named my vehicles, and I've really been thinking hard about this one's name.  So far, I got nothing.  This car deserves a nice name, something that either has a lot of meaning to me or that just tickles the snot out of me.  The black car sitting next to my new beauty is our old Malibu, which went through a couple of name changes before I settled on one.  When we first brought it home, I told Disco that I would name it Barbie....Barbie Malibu.  She flipped out, which of course just made it funnier.  So I called it Barbie for many months, until she finally started calling it that too.  Then I said that as I am the pirate captain, I was renaming her the Black Purl.  And that she remains.
But back to my Christmas presents!  I got jewelry, both dressy & cute stuff.  Disco gave me some specifically "Christmassy" pieces, which she knows I collect:

I love the Rudolph earrings!  The others are less holiday & more just winter, so I'll probably wear them real soon.  The penguin is a pin, and I might wear that soon too.  Then both my roomies got to the pretty stuff, and each got me a dressy bit:

The necklace is from Disco, and earrings are from Plaidman.  As you can see, nothing terribly expensive here, but nice to add to the wardrobe.  I think I need to get Plaidman to hang another necklace holder on the wall, for the shorter necklaces -- they're getting rather crowded in the jewelry box.  The only ones that need to stay in there are the ones on silver chains; I keep a dessicant in there to combat tarnish.
Disco has a few days off, she did work thru the 26th so she's eligible for the completion bonus.  She's going to go in to work on Wednesday, which would be her next scheduled work day if she's still employed.  Now, she was hired as a seasonal worker, and they did say the 26th was the end of the season, so I don't know that they'll actually let her report to work!  But hey, if they do it's just gravy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

First off, I have to say I'm thankful I'm still here.  No one of us knows when our time is up, but that is something I'm always trying to plan for.  And now (drumroll) something really special to be thankful for (really BIG drumroll!) -- DiscoDame has got a job!  She's gone in today -- yes, on the holiday; she'll be paid double-time -- for her second day on the job.  She rather liked it yesterday, although it was a long day.  However, she's not at all sure she can keep up with her online course of study (sad trombone), so may have to shelve that for a while.  But goodness, she'll be able to get insurance and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes (and have those programs available to her at need).  Well, she has got insurance; I just paid her premium for December.  But it would be so wonderful if she'd pay for it out of her money instead of her parents'!   And she's taking a step in the right direction, as far as her future independence.  I keep telling her that neither Plaidman nor I will be around much longer.
The Plaidman started cooking last night, making us a pumpkin-pecan bread pudding for dessert.  He's got a small turkey breast to plop into the slow-cooker.  I don't know what else is planned.  I'm guessing that peas with pearl onions will show up, along with some sort of potatoes.

I've been working on a poncho, a Drops design called Kara poncho.  I actually started it a couple of weeks ago, and had ten rounds done when it became obvious that the thing was twisted on my circular needle.  So, it got frogged and now I'm at about 8 rows in, and it looks ok.  Not great, just ok.  It's the yarn, Roslyn by Cascade.  Lovely in the store, very deep red & very tweedy.  But it looks like red string with lots of dryer lint stuck to it, when it's pulled out of the skein. And it sheds tweed neps like mad!  I'm having trouble envisioning this as my poncho.

Shh!  Don't tell Plaidman, but I bought a huge bunch of MadTosh yarn from another Raveler.  3 colors of the 80-10-10 worsted, just lovely stuff.  I haven't received it yet, should have it on Monday if all goes according to plan.  We got refunded some dough from medical bills, I guess insurance kicked in some more on them so I got back part of what I paid.  Anyway, I've just spent a bit under half of the refund on this yarn.   Hey when I break a yarn moratorium, I really smash it.