Cowl You Care

Sissy was delighted that so many of you were worried about her lack of cowl in yesterday’s post.  So for the lurkers and those who didn’t ask, she wore her cowl out the twenty times prior to the photos.  The cowl was soaked – freezing rain, anyone?  – so I decided she was better off without a cold, wet, pneumonia necklace.   Rest assured, Sis loves her cowl and had it on this morning.

Grab a snack, a beverage and plop down somewhere comfortable.  This is gonna’ be a long one.  Firstly, I failed to note that yesterday was Gretchen’s five-month birthday.   She’s really starting to develop what I assume is going to be her adult personality.  She’s affectionate, confident, and lives to please.  None of that is new, but she is starting to become more independent, in true JRT fashion though, which is to say that she is loyal to her pack and wants them VERY near, but she picks moments to express herself.

Now, an FO report.  MJ had requested black mitts, so I complied.

Pattern:  Fetching.   I used a worsted weight yarn and smaller needles, but the only real change I made to the pattern was I eliminated the picot bind off.  MJ has small hands, so there was no need for looser or longer.

Yarn:  Patons Classic Wool, in black.  (Hence, the lack of detail in the photos.)  A great, basic wool.  I think this is my go-to, worsted wool.

Needles:  Addi turbos #5, 24″.  The tips were a bit dull, but I do love that Addi cable.  I must confess to using a cable needle quite a bit on these.  Between the black on black yarn, the fuzz, and knitting with smaller needles than the yarn would have otherwise liked (to make dense, warm mitts), I just couldn’t always grab the cable stitches, especially on the cable back mitt.  (Anyone else find it easier to cable front without a needle, or do I just need more practice?)

Mitts would be my new socks if not for the fact that here in the freezing rain zone, there’s still more need for warm socks than a collection of mitts.  I can surely see why this pattern is so popular.

I also got a happy package in the mail yesterday. 

Actually, despite my name being on the package and the card, the rest of my household keeps laying claim to the goodies.   (Never fear; the chocolates won’t get near the fur-girls.)  The girls love the smelly soap and the cloth, and the Knight told them to eat the green stuff off of “his” cloth.  Hem, hem.  The man is very secure in his masculinity, but misguided enough to believe that EVERY knitted or crocheted cloth that enters the house is his.  Thank you, Dawn!  We’re all going to enjoy the goodies, it would seem… 

(And no, the girls won’t be allowed to chew on any of it.)

So, tell me ’bout your weekend!  We have an all-day scrapping event planned tomorrow, but I need to run out to Pins & Needles  (my favorite LYS, no website yet) before I settle in for a few hours.  Tonight, I’m going to push to finish the legs and maybe start the heels on my socks in progress.  (And yes G, I am into the legs!)  I’m trying the afterthought heel for the first time…   Sunday, I think we’re having breakfast with Bubba and his wife (maybe their teen son too, if we’re lucky; he’s a great kid, but we’re not cool enough to always get him to join us), and then I have the one o’clock meeting I slept through last Sunday.   I’ll be starting another pair of socks for my Super Bowl knitting, because I don’t have other knits I should be doing.  Hem.

Go Steelers!   If we didn’t have the scrapping thing tomorrow, I’d whip out some cowls in black and gold for the girls to wear…

I’m pretty excited.  Not only are the Steelers in the big game, but the Knight will actually be watching with me for a change.  He’s in a pool of some sort, so suddenly, he cares. 

Have a great weekend!