I finished a quick project just in time for my birthday:

These are the fingerless mitts from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Instead of the Noro Cash Iroha called for in the pattern, I used Cascade Lana D’Oro. The Alpaca content makes them super soft. I knit at a tighter gauge in order to shrink the mitts to fit my kid-sized hands. They’re a little shorter than I would ultimately like, but a perfect fit otherwise!

In the past, I always turned up my nose at fingerless mitts, thinking they were just a cop out for lazy knitters who didn’t want to fiddle around with knitting fingers. I just had NO idea how comfortable and practical they are. What a revelation! I’ve hardly taken them off since I cast off the last stitch. They’re wonderful.

Yesterday, a friend and I took a little drive down to Madrona to peruse the market. We both found some real treasures. Here’s my haul:

I had never had the pleasure of seeing Blue Moon yarn in person until yesterday. It is so soft, vibrant and luscious. I bought a lot of sock yarn and several patterns, including a fair isle kit. I’m really looking forward to trying that out again! The first pair of socks I ever made were fair isle socks for my mother. At the time, I didn’t realize that knitting multiple colors on double-pointed-needles was supposed to be difficult. I just did it. I’ve since psyched myself out of that easy confidence and haven’t tried anything like that again. It’s just silly. I’m going to sit down and do it. If it doesn’t turn out the way I like it, I’ll just rip and re-knit. No big deal, right?

I’m also ridiculously excited about the TOFUtsies sock yarn. The bright pinks and yellows just make me want to sing. They’re so springy looking. And how cool is it that the fiber is made out of crab and shrimp shells? What will they come up with next?

I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the Sea Silk (the blue and brown yarn), but its softness and briney scent seduced me. There was no saying “no” to it.

Last, but not least, here’s a better photo of the recycled silk scarf I knit awhile ago. It turned out ok, but there are some extremely thin spots that look a little less than dandy to me. I’m still going to wear it proudly

What makes a grown woman jump up and down hollaring like a cheerleader on crack? Why a finished pair of hand-knitted socks:

They turned out GREAT. I’m so thrilled with them. The only thing I might have changed would be the length of the cuff, which is a tad short, but that’s a minor, minor thing in my opinion. I just love these socks. I love the yarn (Lorna’s Laces sock yarn would be my choice if I were stuck on a desert island with only one type of yarn). I love the color. And once I slipped them on my feet, I didn’t ever want to take them off.

They’re almost better than dark Belgian chocolate. Almost. Chocolate is just one of those things that will always supercede everything else as far as self-indulgence goes, you know? (My mother could live without the stuff. I just cannot comprehend that.)

The other highlight of my weekend was watching my son at basketball practice.

Honestly, there isn’t much that’s more entertaining than a bunch of kindergartners playing basketball. These kids are just too cute!

(Sam’s the one in the foreground, running for all he’s worth. Coach Robert (Daddy) is the big guy in the yellow shirt.)

I can’t believe it.The schools are closed AGAIN on account of the crazy weather. I’m starting to forget what it’s like to go to work…not that I’m complaining. The kids and I have had fun playing in the snow:

We built a snowman, who apparently is a skilled knitter of socks:

Frosty turned the heel and is furiously working through the gusset decreases.

I’ve been keeping up with my exercise routine and feel stronger and more energetic every day. The only weird thing I’ve discovered is a lump on one of the knuckles of my left hand. I wonder if I’m going to have to start contending with arthritis? Ugh. I hope not.

Last night, I attended the first of 11 yoga classes I signed up for at Tree House Iyengar Yoga. I’ve taken classes in the (long ago) past and followed along with various videos, but last night was a completely different experience. Having someone there to explain each little detail of a posture and to correct slight problems in my form made a tremendous difference. The workout was a lot more challenging, but also a lot more rewarding. I felt terrific when I woke up this morning and that says alot. During the past few years, I have always felt terrible after a night’s sleep, due to all sorts of aches and pains. It takes a while for me to warm up and work the kinks out. I’m really looking forward to seeing where this practice will take me.