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Hi. Remember me? I occasionally write things here. Yeah, yeah, I’ve been busy. But I’m here now and that’s what matters, right?

So how have you been?

Me? Oh, how sweet of you to ask. I’m good. Work has been really busy, you know how it is. I saw my darling Ms. Melanie on Saturday. As her blog would lead you to believe, I was 2 hours late because I was on a leisurely drive. My detour was more of a hellish descent into a dark spiral of frustration and shame. Anyone in Massachusetts can attest to the mystical properties of Interstates 93 and 95. Like the cables of a mighty Rogue, they intertwine playfully. They also can go North or South with nary a concern for the seaman’s compass. I was listening to Air America, simmering about the state of our great nation, and I missed magic portal where 93 continues being 93. I was immediately but imperceptibly transported to 95. I could regale you with the wonders which befell me, the sights I saw (sometimes more than once), the gigantic circles in which I drove for two hours trying to get my journey back on track. But I won’t. Just know that I teetered on that line between laughing and crying hysterically for the second hour.

I finally got to the coffee shop and was delighted to see that Melanie was still there. I figured she would have left by then, although I did call the coffee shop and had the guy at the counter tell her I’d be late. So very late. I did miss seeing Bendetta (who is an amazing knitter with a brand new bouncing baby blog check her out!), she had to leave before I got there. I also missed seeing Elisa, Wendy, and Jennie, but only because they couldn’t make it at all. Melanie and I had a lovely time, we eventually went back to her place where we watched Garden State, which I wholly recommend.

In project news, my Tropical Shawl is finally done and I’m really happy with it! I just need to block it and I can send it to my friend’s mom in Florida. Pictures are forthcoming. I showed it to her when we visited in November and she thought it would be perfect for cool nights on the yearly cruise she and her husband take. I love the simple feather-and-fan pattern. It’s so simple, but it looks complicated and delicate.

I also got my yarn from Danette Taylor and it’s just as beautiful as I had hoped. The alpaca is thinner than the laceweight I used for the shawl. When I met Bookish Wendy a few weeks ago, she declared that I needed some chunky yarn to combat the laceweight. I know she’s right, but I must say that I’m rather fond of teeny, thin, lacey yarn. Unfortunately, it takes forever to knit up and I don’t have as much time to knit as I would like. I think I’ll go for something a little thicker for the next project. I could use a little instant gratification. In fact, I am. I started a scarf using the loopy mohair. You really have to pay attention, otherwise you end up knitting the loops instead of the stitches.

In the comments a post or two ago, Mayflwr asked what I was going to do with all that Geisha yarn I bought a while ago. She has some, too, and doesn’t have anything in mind for it. Well, me either, sister. I was originally going to use it with a vintage mohair sweater pattern, but the colors are a little too soft for a sweater I’d actually wear. The light blue and lilac look great together, though, so I may make a couple of long stripey, lacey scarves as mid-winter gifts. The yarn takes lace patterns really well, but it sucks to rip out because the fuzz gets all knotted up. I ended up tossing a lump of it away when I was wresting with the Ostrich Plume shawl (which I vow to do. At an undetermined point in the future.) I need to take a good, hard look at my stash and start putting patterns to all this yarn. I have a bunch, and yet I don’t have anything specific in mind for most of it. It reminds me of being a kid on summer vacation. You’re dying of boredom even though you’re surrounded with fun things to do. Then you end up doing the same old stuff every day. I need to gather it all up and take a retreat in the woods with it. I need to Be the Yarn.

On a side note, is anyone watching Trading Spouses? I occasionally catch it, and for some reason, it strikes a nerve in me. It’s like Good vs. Evil. Typically, the Evil is represented by the neat-freak and all the light shines on the lady who doesn’t always necessarily clean the bathroom all the time. Or ever. This is the show for me. It makes me feel like one of the good guys. Tonight’s is especially good. One woman’s house is a total wreck and her daughter has a fake eye which she needs very little prompting to take out for the amusement of others. The other mom is a compulsive neat freak who vacuums her house a few times a day and feels that hugging people crosses a boundary that she’s not comfortable crossing. Guess who I love best?

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