Adult conversation and an adult dinner to boot.

Darling son o'mine is currently with "Pappa Joe and Holly" for the week. His daycare is closed for spring break, but I still have to work, so they were kind enough to take him this week. Sean is almost 4 1/2, and their son Patrick is 3, so they do ok together. Though, Holly called this evening to ask me how to get Sean to shut up. I suggested duct tape. I guess I forgot to warn her that he is a babbling brook.

So, while we are childless for the week, a new realization happened. We can actually go to dinner in a place were there is not a clown on the menu. Were we can sit down, enjoy a cocktail, and adult conversation. We actually went out with another couple of friends, and had a really good time. Wow! It's been so long I almost forgot what it was like. I didn't have to share my meal. I didn't get the, "Eeeew, I don't like that." And I even got to go to the bathroom without having to share the stall (though, we did perpetuate the myth that women cannot go to the bathroom alone. We must go in pairs or trios). I'm still stuffed.

On the knitting front (you knew I couldn't forget that), I have actually made some progress on the shrug. I caved and dug out my stitch markers. I'm still making some mistakes (like forgetting yarn overs), but nothing so major that I actually have to rip out the entire thing. And I got to sit all evening last night, knitting and watching Stargate re-runs on Sci-Fi, and didn't have to get up 40 times to see if Sean was into something he shouldn't be into.

I've also bought yarn for yet another new project. OK, so JoAnn's was having a store closing sale. I bought 6 skeins of the Lion Brand Chenille in the Amethyst. Not really enough to make anything for me, so I'll be buying some of the darker purple to go with it. I need another knock-around sweater.

I'll also be digging out some other UFOs to show people this weekend. Our local SCA group is doing a newcomers day, and the organizer wants to show what kinds of needlework were done in the middle ages. Luckily, knitting has been around since at least the 12th century. And some of my projects probably won't be completed until the 24th. Century that is.

And if it couldn't get worse....

My son found scissors. Yes, he is still among the living, but his foothold is tenuous at best. I will preface this by saying that he is not quite 4 1/2. He may actually make it to that age, if he's lucky.
Saturday night, we usually let him stay up and watch video tapes in our bedroom, so the adults in the house can watch something other than Blue's Clues or Veggie Tales (though, I do like the Dance of the Cucumber).
I get him put to bed, and then go back into our room to get me to bed. It's late, I'm PMS'ing, and I'm in a house full of men. As I straighten up the bed, I see holes. On my side of the bed. In the fitted sheet. In the 300 thread count fitted sheet. The set of sheets I bought that actually fits our bed. I yelled at him to come into our room. Now, he knows he's in trouble, because we NEVER get him up out of bed after lights out unless the house is on fire or Odin himself is standing on our doorstep. By this time, I'm too mad to do anything but speak quietly and ask him "Why?" All he can do is apologize and plead silently with his eyes, "Please don't kill me." I'm still upset. And he had the nerve to ask for scissors on Sunday so he could cut paper. Um, NOT. I may never let him use scissors in my house. He'll have to learn how to tear paper very straight.

On the knitting front, I've re-started the &%#*$%^#* Good Bias shrug for the THIRD time. I'm beginning to think that Kendra did not want me to use her angora for this particular project. One more mistake, and I'm done. I'll go out and find something else, put the angora back in it's bag, and let it age for a while longer.

My SIL is knitting a hat for herself. I'm quite proud of this, since she told me at one time that she would never learn to knit. HA! Never say never.

I may have to find a mindless project to work on for a while. One that I can work on when I'm dead tired, or drunk, or both. And Lyon, I'll take you up on that drink.

Freaking low-life scum

Someone broke into my and my husband's cars last night. I'm so mad about it I could just, well, clean my house (for those of you who know me, this means that I'm REALLY pissed).

Evidently, the scumbag was just looking for money, as he really only took the change from our ashtrays. In my car, he probably netted less than a dollar, but hubby is a change horder, and probably had about $15.00 worth. But that is not what I'm currently up in arms about. The SOB trashed my stereo. It was a nice JVC aftermarket, the only thing really worth anything in my car. It had the removeable faceplate and everything. The jerk actually tore the face plate off, and broke the mounting bracket in the process.

I may also be missing a cd of Ten Penny Bit, which is a good cd to have in the car if you like peppy tunes your kid can sing along to. I don't know yet, because the twit also took a good bit of the trash in my car trashbag and liberally sprinkled it all over the car. Yuck. And, to top it off, he left the butt of a Swisher Sweet on the passenger seat. Hubby and I don't smoke, so it smelled like a bar, only without the stale beer smell.

The sherriff is supposed to be dropping by to file a report tonight, and then I'll be cleaning up the car. Ten years in this neighborhood, and never a problem.

Anyway, a little on the knitting front. The "Good Bias" shrug has come to a halt, as we rearranged the living room this past weekend, and I've just been too lazy to start up on it again. I've only got another 3 repeats before I start to increase for the upper arm and the back on the 1st side. I'm probably woefully behind everyone else, but c'est la vie.

I'm going to try the French Market bag pattern from Knitty. It looks like fun, and I've got scads of Brown Sheeps Lamb's Pride laying around not doing anything. One can only felt so many pairs of slippers before you need something else.

The Rogue is still in the same state as it was last month. I'm still going to rip the hood back, but because the size 9's are on the shrug now, I may have to wait a bit, or get another pair of size 9's.

Sigh. And by the way, if there really is anyone reading this, could you throw me a bone and post a comment? Even a simple "hi" would be appreciated. I need some cyber-hugs, and a strong drink.

"Knit along, little doggies......."

I have found my yarn for the "Good Bias" knit along. I was rummaging around my stash (woefully depleted due to real life emergencies taking my money like leaking toilets and daycare), when I came across some yarn that I never had a use for, until now.

A bag of black angora. Two huge, Tribble-like balls and several baby Tribbles, still in their protective plastic baggies. Just waiting for a project. This was yarn given to me by a close friend after his wife had died. She was a crafter, sewing-goddess, and fellow yarn ho. She also had the "dangerous" job of working at Jo-Ann's. When she passed, the world was a much smaller place. Though now it seems that whenever I work with something that I received from her (yarn, fabric, whatever), the project is reminscient of something she would have done. I will always be reminded of her generosity and warmth when I wear this.

But, I digress. Often, and with little to no provocation.

I cast on the required stitches, and knit the first few rows. Wow. Soft as a whisper, black as a moonless midnight. I'm having trouble actually seeing the stitches as my size 9 needles are dark blue (Thank You, Boye Needlemaster). I've done about 5 repeats of the first pattern, and have determined that I either need to get a set of silver colored needles, or knit with a 5,000 watt Kleeg light over my shoulder so I can see what I'm doing. Better light will help, but I won't get a 3rd degree burn if I get the lighter colored needles. But, this must wait till the weekend. I figure that if I can knit 2 or 3 repeats of the pattern a night, I can finish this up in no time. Of course, this will be between work, my family, sewing for the SCA, and my 6 other knitting projects that I need to finish. AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! Not enough hours in the day!!! Need sleep!