Next Year will ROCK

So, on Sunday I cast off the second sleeve of the Chocolate Decadance sweater. So lots of hemming and seaming, as I'd like to wear this while at home next week! See the pretty hem? Ooooooo



Also, to answer previous questions, no, I did not color my hair, 'tis the lighting and NaNo was OK. It was my first year, and I got 32,000 words. Next year will be better!

BUT! BUT! BUT! Dan got us tickets to go on our vacation this spring and it's even better than Niagara Falls! Look where we'll be in March!




BEIJING! CHINA! Fei chang hao! Wo gao gao xing xing si le!

I want to climb one of the Daoist mountains. Either Huang Shan:




Or Tai Shan:



I know they look zhen de li hai (super hard-core) and they are, but there are stairs carved into the mountains (I love China) and little old ladies will totally kick your ass while climbing. You'll be all panting for breath and they'll just run by you.


On Saturday I leave for home for Christmas and will be there for a week! YAY! Packing space is at a premium, so I'm going to cast on for Birch! Finally! Because 3 balls of Kidsilk Haze does not take up much room. But, alas, when typing the above, I typed "bitch" a portent of things to come? I hope not.

So if you really love Christmas, come on and let it snow...

Last night, I had all sorts of big plans.

I was going to bake gingerbread cookies for the library party today. I was going to go running. I was going to work on my short story. I was going to take a nice long bath.

Last night I... ate an entire pot of macarroni and cheese. I drank some wine. I realized that I had unopened cookies from when I went to the grocery store. I watched Love Actually (and bawled at the funeral scene in the beginning!). I wound up some yarn. I cast on for the legwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts but didn't like my color combination, so I ripped it all out and went to bed.

And now it's snowing snowing snowing and all the schools are closing early, but I'll be driving along the Beltway about the time this starts turning into lots of ice.

This Week in Knitting= AWESOME PANTS

You know, where pants is an adjetive meaning "Super", not that I'm knitting myself trousers.

BUT on Sunday I was big and brave and screwed up all my courage and went to the DC Stitch 'n Bitch at Warehouse Cafe by Mt. Vernon Square. I went all by myself. I didn't know anyone there, but I've been missing my Ann Arbor knitting friends like crazy. I went and then found they only took cash, but that was ok, because even though I only had $2, coffee was only $1.54. And I joined the group and it was fun and I'm totally going back. I'm so happy. I was giggly the rest of the night.

AND THEN! Today I discovered even more knitters than I knew about at work. And wanna-be knitters and it turns out there are underground plans to start a work-based knitting club and maybe a teen knitting club, which is cool, because we have some awesome knitting books in this library, let me tell you.

It was a good weekend in knitting.

Also, we went to Adam's Morgan yesterday for Amsterdam Falafel. OH.MY So super tasty.

Yet Another Candle I Tried to Eat

Dan brought this home from a fundraising dinner and I found it on the counter. Because it was his, I DID NOT EAT IT, but doesn't it look good? Aren't I good for not eating the cupcake? I'm supergood, because I asked Dan about it, and he informed me that it is, indeed NOT a cupcake, but instead a candle. What is it with me trying to eat candles?!



In other news, I got a haircut today. Here is the old hair (please disregard the dirty dirty mirror)







Here is the new hair (with Dan's arty photography)







Here is take 14 bajillion on Dan's socks. See, I'm on the heel now, just turning it. La la la. You will also note the lack of elf toes. This is what I did today instead of cleaning the house. I have my priorities straight.

I'll Rochembeau You For It

I really wanted this post to be me revealing my secret pal who is ALSO a children's librarian (which I became during the course of this last secret pal cycle THAT'S TELEPATHICALY CRAZY, SP6 HOSTS) but I'm a complete idiot and can't seem to find her email with the link to her blog. Dear awesome SP6, please email me again, because I totally forgot to bookmark you AND you're awesome awesome awesome.

I'm going to turn the heel on Dan's second attempt sock (Actually, I think this is the 3rd or 4th attempt. Not counting the languishing argyles.)

Here's a story from warmer times:



So, earlier in November, some darlinink friends came over from England and we took them into town to see the sights. Here is Adam on the left and his friend David on the right and me in the middle, enjoying the attention of a some cute Brits with Northern Accents! (oh course, Adam's gone very posh on us and is starting to start a bit like a Londoner)

The highlight, of course, was the statue of Rochembeau. We coudln't quite remember where it was, so we tramped all over in the dark, looking for it, because once they heard there was one, hoo-boy! Here they are trying to kick each other as hard as the can, square in the nuts.



They then tried to explain themselves to some frightened passers-by. They made it worse.

Don't mind them, they're from Barcelona.

Atttack of the Killer Vacuum

So, remember when I said that Dan's sock was too big and I had to rip it out? I mean, look at this!



My finger is the tip of his toe. Aiya!



But I didn't want to rip it, so I was working merrily along on the second sleeve of chocolate decadance.

But then something very bad happened. I spilled an entire bottle of beer on it.

Then something even worse happened a week later.

It went through the vacuum cleaner. The entire sleeve went through the vacuum cleaner. I screamed. Dan freaked out (as it was an accident and he felt so very badly, because he is supremely lovely).

See how that needle is broken clean from the cord?



See how the other needle is splintered and frayed?



See how there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE KNITTING?!



Somehow, my sleeve survived! But it's on hold as I get another size 5 bamboo circ.