Happy Halloween (part 1)

We are completely intrigued with a little gift G'ma & G'pa brought us...
It's a plug in, table top spooky house. It has a little witch on a broom that zooms around and around on the top. Clay says "look, it's mommy witch on Honda broom...". Yes, i had a little bit to do with the "Honda" part, but i think the rest is totally his.

And now for some truly spooky knitting news! I am now on the "Wing" part of my MS3. Yeah, I know ... finally. I really like the way it is looking, so let's keep our fingers crossed that I get this thing done sometime before Christmas. As I am still holding on to my "one project at a time" mindset (I know, why do I torture myself so?), I have been allowing myself to plan the next project i will dive into. I am thinking of embarking on some of Chuck's cabled Socks in the Kauni EV colorway and/or the Leavened Ragland in the Fall 2007 IK. I kind of slid off the proverbial "wagon" last week and accidentally enhanced my stash with some Noro Silk Garden last week (it was on SALE at Little Knits!), and some scrumptious sock yarn. The sock yarn I picked up on Etsy at Fearless Fibers. She has some beautiful stuff!

A moment of silence while we ogle together, please?

Fearless Fibers Superwash Merino
4 oz. / 550 yds.
Marrakesh colorway (left)
Inner Sanctum colorway (right)
(The picture was taken on the one spot of grass I did not kill this summer with the baby pool.)

Ah yes, and both so full of that beautiful squish-bounce feeling. Because of my little indulgences, I will not be purchasing the lovely Fiesta Kokopelli that the Leavened Ragland sweater is shown in - BUT, I will be giving it a go with some stashed Rowan Polar, that I think will have a similar gauge. I won't be sure though until I actually get my hands into the Polar and give it a good swatching.

I feel a small rant coming on...

You know, I have always liked Halloween. Bats, cats, smiling toothy pumpkins - it is all just so much fun! Halloween used to be so simple. A few maimed construction paper cut outs in the window, and a costume consisting of a black ski mask, black leotard with tights and wings made out of garbage bags were all you needed to do it up right. (Halloween also used to mean that it was cold outside, and trick-or-treating was done in the dark, yet, I digress). Recently though, I have been annoyed with the whole over-the-top holiday explosion. It now seems that Halloween has become yet another easy vehicle for stores to enable a frenzy of excessive, seamless, October through December buying, decorating, and waste. It 's like folks suddenly think that the more theme decorations you can cram outside (and inside) for each.and.every.holiday, the MORE you are into the holidays than EVERYONE else. I drive down the street and I am bombarded with yard atrocities that scream "Look at us! LOOK AT US! We have a yard so full of pumpkins and non-hardy mums that we look like we are running a U-Pick it farm! And our concrete geese are dressed in coordinating festive fall wool sweaters! Do we know how to do FALL right, or WHAT?"

M.I.A.

I have been missing in action lately. My mind has been a lot of ethereal places, just not here. Honestly, it has been hard for me to decide what to write about. I will come up with a topic, wait till the kiddies are in bed, and then the 20 tons of bricks fall into my lap. There I sit there, vegetable-like, on the sofa, staring at yet another episode of Law and Order. I don't even LIKE Law and Order. But there I sit, glazed over - much like the doughnut picture in My Profiles.

I have been quite apprehensive about talking about my knitting, because I just don't know what to say. I have a severe case of knitters block. I feel completely seized up. I try to lunge into a new project, but there is a tangle of UFO's, yarn wants, yarn needs, and knitterly daydreams that hold me back. At the moment, I am just a stagnant, tangled thoughts mess. Just how many entries can I put "STILL doing MS3"? I am on row (gulp) 251. Good GOD. At this rate I will never finish. I love the pattern, I love the yarn, I love how the project is turning out -
I just HATE how little time I seem to have for it at the end of the day. I have been trying hard to keep my "one project at a time" rule going - especially while MS3 is on the needles. But it has been so hard for me! Now that fall is here, the nights are cool and the trees are changing - I have this deep urge to start working on warm, colorful, autumnal things.

I want to pick up some serious stranding, and do me up socks like Mel's, Chuck's Cabled Socks (GORGEOUS!)
I am so totally obsessed with wanting to make these socks. I have the pattern, I am about to purchase the yarn - so what am I waiting for? Well, I also want to make this, and this, and about three things from this. See what I mean? I just don't know where to start. I have all of these ideas, and I am bursting at the seams wanting to start them all, but they are all backed up in the bottleneck created by my beautiful Swan Lake Stole (MS3). I hate to say it, but this whole thing is kind of like being constipated. I want, I need, I HAVE to get it done ... but nothing is happening. I feel so guilty comparing this beautiful lace project to constipation. There has to be someone out there who knows what I am going through with this.

All of this on top of trying to plan knitted baby gifts for the NINE people that are due between October and April. NINE! Nine babies in seven months! That number might go up to eleven any day now (no, not me) but two of my friends. So far, I have finished one baby jacket for the baby due in 2 weeks. I will be photographing it on my youngest little guy later today, and i hope to be posting pictures of it here, and on Ravelry in the next few days.

Gasp. The doorbell ringeth - 'tis the postman!
Does he come bearing gifts of yarn,
knitting books,
non-buggy bread?
Let's go see,
shall we?