I have finished a cone of yarn.

15 CounterPain Squares and an empty cone.

This should really feel like an accomplishment. But I just look at the other 13 cones and think about the other 125 squares and it’s just not all that exciting.

I left something out in my knitting update the other day – but only because this is much better with a picture:

Square needles!

Becky mailed them just the other day and they are very cool. They are light and fit neatly into my pinky finger joint. The only thing to do now is determine their size. I am going to swatch on regular 8s and 9s and see which one more closely matches the swatch I am making on the square needles. Just for fun.

Also for fun:

Awww. William Henry, you’re so cute when you’re not chewing yarn.

This is going to be a sad, visual aid-free post today. It’s raining, which is great (I love rainy days), but it makes for terrible picture taking. Part of me said: don’t bother to post without pictures. Another part of me said: if you feel like looking at the computer screen, jump at the chance.

The knitting update goes like this:

• I finished my Toasty Toes Socks ages ago but didn’t bother to mention it to anyone. I don’t know why. I am going to pop them in the mail next week.
• Henry the Navigator arrived at his destination! (I’m waving wildly in what I think is the direction of Massachusetts.)
• I swatched for Cutaway for me (My stomach will fit through there, right? If not, somebody say something!). I got the KnitPicks Elegance in Barn Red for this project a while ago. My original intention was to make Cutaway to get a little more wear out of a short-sleeved fall dress. But having a dual purpose cardigan works too.
• I am in love with the Elegance, it’s soft and has a really nice sheen (from the silk) that gives the colors an extra depth. I ordered a bunch in Burnt Orange to make a sweater vest for M. He can wear it to Christmas. M is so cute in sweater vests.
• If M’s sweater vest is orange, I really should have something green (or brown, but barn red won’t work) to wear to Christmas. I ordered a pattern book that might have something that I can make for me (I am hoping for a ballet sweater or a cardigan that has a tie or something at the top).
• I’ve started on the pillow projects I wanted to make from whatever Rowan that is. I’ve finished the two halves of the round one – I just need the cats to take a nap so I can sew the pillow insert.
• I made the hat that Great Gran said she would make for Maggie. Shhh, don’t tell. It’s pink.
• There is something Tragically Wrong with my feed reader thingy. I went to read blogs today and all of the entries were the same. Something about getting up at 8:30 to make DH’s breakfast. Whose blog entry is that I wonder? This Tragedy means that I have to check everyone’s blog one by one. Or wait for everyone to post again.

For those of you who are interested, New Baby (who will henceforth be known as “N” for Noobie) will be arriving toward the end of May. May is summertime down here. Summertime in South Alabama does not require many itty bitty knitted items. I already have plans to ground N when he/she gets here because of Poor Timing on his/her part. I will let you know what N turns out to be (with regard to he/she debate) when I know. But I will probably hide it behind a “CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT N’S SECRET IDENTITY” button in case my Dad decides to read the blog all of a sudden. Dad’s current position is that he doesn’t want to know.

Thanks very much for all for the good wishes and congratulations and encouragement to stick this whole N Thing out for a couple more weeks! Thanks also for your patience with my Slowness in Posting as well as my current Lack of Email Etiquette as far as writing back to everyone in a Timely Manner goes. I am sure that the computer will stop making me feel ill any day now…

I went to get the mail today.

Exotic package! It’s from Iris in the UK!

I didn’t waste any time with the paper ripping.

Quick! What’s inside?!

OhohOH! Opal! I can’t tell you the colorway definitively because the label is in German, but it might be “Hagebutte Partie 17.” You really don’t need the name, look for the skein in sunset colors and you’ll be good to go! The divine purple (called “Sloe”) is from Curious Yarns and comes with a smaller skein in a complementary color for making exciting heels and toes. Both of these yarns have been on my “Gotta Try That” list for a while so I am absolutely thrilled to have them! But wait, there’s more! Iris has also included two of the sweetest little drawstring sock bags – I can loop it on my wrist and knit and walk at the same time, a couple of sock patterns (one is vintage!) and a little book of Yorkshire Teatime Recipes. I LOVE the recipe book, it is full of scones and cakes that have names out of books. If I can get ahold of black treacle* I am SO making the Startforth Gingerbread. I almost forgot (out of sight out of mind), Iris also included some “Clotted Cream Fudge” which is/was really delicious and survived the trip across the ocean quite well.

I gathered up my things and took them inside to hide them from the cats.

Thank you so much, Iris! I hope that the box I send along makes the next person half as happy as you have made me!

Now, you might notice that in the above picture, my eyes have some serious dark circles. I have been insanely tired lately. The lie on the couch and cry when you have to get up to fix dinner kind of tired. Which is why I haven’t been posting all that much lately (that and the computer has been making me feel a little seasick). I have done a tiny bit of knitting, though. Remember when I made the matching socks for M and myself? I had just enough yarn left over to make another matching pair.

It’s a Family of Socks!

*They have it at Amazon if you can believe it!