No road trip, knitting instead.

I didn't go to Minneapolis. Earlier in the week, I was ill (to the point where I had to get off the bus before embarrassing myself royally. Also, if someone is throwing up in a parking lot across the street from a seedy bar, that does not necessarily mean that the sick person was a patron of said bar.)

Needless to say, I took a taxi the rest of the way home.

I am disappointed about it, but I know that my bank account will thank me later.

The other day, a colleague mentioned that there's only sixty-some-odd shopping days until Christmas. Well, I don't do much Christmas shopping, but I had better get cracking on some Christmas knitting.

My list is not extensive. Two little girl Christmas sweaters (different ones, this year, I've learned my lesson) and a pair of socks for the boy. Easily done in two months, but I want to finish a couple of things first.

So, naturally, I started two completely unrelated projects this week. I have the urge to do some felting, and N needs a new hat.

These are the projects:

French Market from Knitty. I've had this pattern printed and saved for over a year, and on Wednesday, when home sick, I dug some stash yarn out and cast on. It's a lovely, mindless knit. I'm using my new Knitpicks Harmony needles, which are turning out to be wonderful. The yarn is Lion Wool (colour: flower garden) and it is quite rough. There's no way I would wear it, so it's perfect for a felted bag. I've got four balls, and I'm going to use it all, so it's gone (I bought it while undergoing some retail therapy a year ago. I just needed to buy SOMETHING).

Tweed Beret from Interweave Knits (Winter 2006). Yarn is Paton's Decor in New Teal. This is the first acrylic blend I've used in years. I knit the same hat last spring, and even though the yarn has the same yardage as what I used, this is ridiculously pointy on top. Therefore, it will be frogged, promptly and begun again with bigger needles (4.5 mm instead of 4, likely). We'll see how that goes. I should have it done in the next week or so, so that N will have it when it gets cold.

Stepping outside to take these photos just now makes me wonder what I'm going to do all winter - my camera works best with natural light, and there's no way I'm going outside in the middle of January just to take picture of knitting.