There is CAKE in my house

First...the good news. I have finished the first cabled, fingerless glove and started the second. My mother-in-law, who is visiting from Florida right now, loves the color. And suddenly I'm feeling the itch to knit a sweater. I resisted the urge two months ago...but I think the fibers are beckoning. Is it time to dig for the perfect pattern?

And now...the bad news. It's the pain of sweets. The birthday party leftovers. And oh, the wretched sugar. Agony. Woe. It's cold, and I mean very, very cold, so the whole idea of knitting and eating chocolate cake...well, it may be more than I can stand. I keep walking back and forth in the kitchen...an air-tight container of icing staring back at me...and it suddenly becomes a fork here...a fork there...

Like I said...agony. But delicious agony!

And I am making homemade lasagna...now baking and bubbling-cheesy in the oven. Not anything I would call a successful diet day. Alas, the sugar wins today. Sounds like the perfect night to knit into a sugar coma! Who's with me??!

Whew...is the weekend over?

This has been quite a weekend! First, a Saturday bowling party for my youngest's birthday...eight six year olds heaving pink and orange bowling balls, gutter-guards getting "banged" over and over...what a blast. I can't say it's been a great weekend for knitting, but I have finished my first cabled glove. That is good for now. I hope to finish the second by Tuesday. Sorry, no photo as of yet. Poor Pepper Jack...even he has been worn out.

I also got an email this weekend from my great friend, Amy, in Charlotte. She's helping with a charity auction (I'll get more info and provide a link if anyone is interested in attending...and, really, who NEEDS an excuse to go to Charlotte for a weekend!! Anyway, it has me thinking of more ways I can apply myself to help others...get more involved. I need to make this a bigger priority in my life. Not just school volunteering or helping at church...something more. We'll see.

More to come tomorrow...I promise! Sweet dreams.

Brrrrr!!

Winter has arrived in Virginia, and... SHEESH... is it ever cold. Poor Stevie Kate had to wear her hat over them puppy ears! She really isn't as dopey as she looks; she's actually a very smart girl. I worked at the shop today, and we received a huge shipment of books! Ahh, the candy store for knitters. Better than fudge. And this coming from a hopeless sugar addict.

And so I realize now that I have a dilemma. I have no hat. Can ANY knitter actually admit to this? I've never been much of a hat person. I've just never been one for shoving a mound of hair into a hat and feeling comfortable. But I'm ready to warm up the temples a bit. Here is the problem: I have a pattern...but no yarn committment. Let me start by giving you some options with my current winter wear.

I have this set I just finished. I actually had the
scarf since my birthday in November, my

Debbie Bliss "Insanity Scarf" with chunky
cashmerino. I made the fingerless mitts last week, and I must say they are TONS warmer than I ever imagined...PLUS you can drink hot coffee and not suddenly turn into a puffy-fingered, clumbsy baffoon and knock a Mill Mountain Latte all over your lap. I test-drove these out last Friday with my great friend, Tiff, and they worked like a charm. And a dry lap is a definite plus. So for everyone out there wanting warm hands with fully-functioning fingers...what a great choice!

I'm wandering...okay...onward through the fog...

I've also started knitting these Kathmandu cabled mittens, which is a fantasic yarn to work with on any project. The fair isle hat pattern is Vinter Lue by designer Theresa Vinson Stenersen, found here at Knitty. Let me know what you think. And if I do the Kathmandu, what contrasting color would you use?? Or do we throw up our hands and say, "Jeez, let's do TWO hats!"

I'm going to try to update my blog every two to three days, as time permits. I'm taking a quick hiatus from my writing jobs for about two weeks to spend time with my awesome in-laws. They arrive from Florida tomorrow. Perhaps I'll get some knitting done as well...it's not been a productive knitting week, I must say.

Big sloppy kisses to all my friends! Toodles!

What's the MEANING of this??

I said to myself last night...

Self, why are you doing this? I mean, my hands in the path of a poor, innocent blog? What has that blog ever done to you? By what authority to do relinquish the habitually incoherent ramblings to the simple duties of the plain, defenseless page??

So, I said to my husband last night...

Husband, should I even start this blog? Nothing good can come of it. Besides, Gina will be so disappointed that I actually didn't name the blog "Festering Head Case." Husband said, after my twenty minute quest for meaning and sense and Almighty approval (by the way, I have a very understanding husband sometimes), that it is a fine thing. Knitting and all the little things that bring us peace and harmony are good, and my sense of weirdness should not be tidily stinted by mere lips alone. Why, NO! Share the silliness! The fiber! The patterns! The love of yarn. Perhaps some other sleepless souls will per chance dawdle a few moments and discover some fun and relaxation in this wonderful little passion...one which, thanks to dear, sweet Mimi, I have been introduced to two years ago and love tremendously to this day.

I started this process yesterday, feeling a tad grumpy and not my usual giddy-self, so it took some time to get started. Besides, I'm just figuring out the new digital camera, and I am rather technologically-impaired. So, here I am, grumpy...and something wonderful happened amid the laundry and the ice storm and the grump...Tom Brady threw an interception...game over for the Patriots. Peyton Manning and the Colts are off to the Super Bowl, I'm just about to run outdoors on the ice in bare feet, lost in glee and happiness that I couldn't concentrate to get started. But here I am today, typing away, still basking in the joy of the upcoming Super Bowl, and excited about this new little fair isle hat I saw on Knitty.com. Way sweet. It will go great with my Kathmandu aran cabled mittens I just started.

Anyway, here is my blog. I hope you'll enjoy the ride. And I'll try not to mess my blog up. Peace and Love! ~Belinda