What's Going On?

I ask myself this question a lot lately: What's going on? Sometimes I sound incredulous in my head ("What's going on?!"), sometimes it's a little confused ("huh?"), sometimes it's a check-in, as in "how in the hell have I lost this much time?"

Tonight, a check-in, of sorts.

On the Knitting Front

Amelia's "Amelie" Dress - frogged. My gauge was never right and the thing was going to be too skinny. I waited for judgment until there was actually a baby to measure against, but this dress was going to be too small even for my skinny girl. Do over.

Mithril Tunic for the Hobbit - still on hold. Just thought I'd check in tonight to see if it will remotely fit him anytime soon. Nope. I'll try again in the spring and consider adding the sleeves then. (He's modeling it in his witch hat that he barely takes off these days. Don't try to tell him he's a warlock and not a witch though. Pure trouble.)
Lace Vine Scarf - what? Oh yeah. I forgot about that one. No problems, just forgot. It should still be a midwife gift, unless I finish it embarrassingly late. Maybe by Christmas will be okay?

Christmas stockings for the family - good. Tommy's and Christa's are done. Casting on for Brother Tom's next. This photo is pre-blocking; they will look much better with embroidered names and some flattening.

Socks for me - uh huh. I carry them around sometimes just in case. I have 2/3 left to knit on the second sock, but I'm in no hurry on this one. Especially considering what I did to my last pair of handknit socks.

Amelia's Koigu Hearts Mobile - re-purposed. Stay tuned.

February Lady Sweater - grr. Is it 306? 307? Damn, 310 again?! I was trying to achieve 308 stitches in one row for too many days. Clearly, the project needed to go sit in the corner to think about what it had done. It will be a nice spring sweater.

Amelia's Stripey Pants Redux - I d o n ' t t h i n k I ' v e e v e r k n i t s o m e t h i n g s o s l o w l y b u t w a n t e d i t s o b a d l y. No matter how often I try to squeeze in a little bit of time knitting on this project, it never seems to grow. Yesterday, I had 2 inches left and today I still have two inches left yet I have actually touched it. Must have something to do with the 170-something stitches on the size 1s...

On the Home Front

Canning - I think I love it, though the jury's still out. I'm still a little freeeeked out by the massive quantity of boiling water that it requires. Is there such a thing as a half-sized water bath canning pot out there? I canned four half-pints of apple butter last night and it was kind of ridiculous to use the mega pot for such a small batch. Still, the pantry shelves in the cellar are filling up.
Miscellany - I spent half a day yesterday de-fuzzing, cleaning, re-shaping and picking needles and nettles out of Jackson's knit things. I figure, if I'm going to go to all of this trouble to make him these things in the first place, I should take care of them, right? I had half a mind to just go to Target to buy a new hat and mittens for him for this year, but given the "economic crisis" of late (are you sick of hearing that yet? or scared of it like me?), it didn't seem like such a good idea.

On the Political Front

Okay, now that I've mentioned the buzz words, I may as well just dive right in. My friend, Kristina, posted an excellent piece to her blog regarding the current presidential race. Do you think that it would be different if Barack Obama was the one who paraded five kids out onto the stage, including a 3-month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenager? The first of many questions in the search for perspective. Please, read it.
I feel like I have a lot to say about all of this financial upheaval of late, but I really don't because I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm addicted to NPR/MPR (though I'm about to go through instant rehab when their pledge drive starts again on Thursday) so I hear every little detail about the banking crisis all day long. I'm starting to think this may not be a good thing (the listening part, I mean...though the crisis is also clearly not good). I'm also starting to think that a little cash under the mattress may not be a bad idea either.
Our Obama/Biden lawn sign has not arrived yet, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make a couple this weekend. Dan the Ad Guy (a.k.a. My Husband) mentions at least once a day that Obama's logo (pictured at the top of this blog) is the best political logo he's seen in a long time and I have to agree (though I really don't need to hear it everyday). It was fun to reproduce the logo on my signs. Spending time with posterboard and big fat markers on a Sunday afternoon was a therapeutic way to deal with the nervousness that I'm feeling about this election. He's going to win, right? I've been pleased with how I've cast my presidential ballot in the past, but I don't recall ever wanting a candidate to be president so badly (vs. just not wanting the other guy). The race for Minnesota Senator is another story altogether though. One that I don't have time for tonight.

On the Reading Front

I just finished reading Death by Cashmere, another silly knitting murder mystery. It was...good? I guess it was good in the sense that it kept me entertained for a number of days and gave me something else to do while nursing my wee one. And I know that I should never expect that much from this genre, but...well...it was alright. I so want to tell you who did it, but will not burst the bubble, just in case you're also looking for a quick, mindless adventure.
Next up: Fleece Navidad. Yep. That's the title. I already have it but can't let myself read it until at least Thanksgiving since it's a Christmas-themed murder. I promise to throw an intellectual, non-fiction book or two in between. Really, I'm off to the library catalog online now.

Right after I finish this big bowl of frozen yogurt.
P.S. Why yes, I do insert random photos of my children in my blog posts. How else will I get the grandparents to read it?