Catching Up

I'm sorry for the blog absence. This time of year can be very busy! I always forget how September starts out promising, then Halloween creeps up on us, with its parties and costumes, then we slide headlong into Thanksgiving and the holiday season. It goes faster and faster each year.

Instead of carving a traditional Jack o'lantern or other scary pumpkin, this year we made and Obamalantern :)

We don't have any yard signs, but we thought this would be fun. We got lots of compliments as the night wore on.

The boys were the traditional scary ghoul and demon-thing:


Clearly, Sr. Jr. isn't trying that hard. He's just in it for the candy at this point.

As you can guess from the first paragraph, there hasn't been too much knitting time (it seems like I'm always saying that). The boys are off doing boy things, so I took the opportunity to get my act together and block the Plum Lotus scarf. A million pins later, here are some pics:


I know the green on blue color contrast makes for a less than stellar picture, but it'll have to do until the scarf is dry and ready for its official debut.

In the meantime, I'm continuing to work on the Simple Knitted Bodice. As I predicted, the combination of yarn and pre-wash gauge doesn't make for terribly smooth knitting, but I'm enjoying the pattern a lot. Even though the knitting isn't as soothing as I'd like, I know that once it's washed, it will be beautiful. (Mini-comment: Since my pre- and post- wash gauge are different, I can't try the sweater on as I go to make sure the fit is right, or to make adjustments if needed. I have to Trust The Swatch. Swatches have served me well in the past, so I think I'm ok.) Here's a progress shot:

Pictures just cannot do this yarn justice. The color just sings.

I also got my copy of Knitted Lace From Estonia, by Nancy Bush. Serious knitting porn! The patterns are so beautiful! I'm staying away from it right now so that I maintain my enthusiasm for the SKB, but once that's done, watch out for more lace :)

The kids are off from school on Tuesday for Election Day. While I'm not thrilled about having to drag them to the polling place with me for what will likely be VERY long lines, I really want them to be there. This election is and will be historic. I want them to be able to say that they were there, that they remember being a part of it. Sr. Jr. is already very politically aware and opinionated. I hope to encourage both kids to stay involved and work for what they believe in.