Have you seen my mojo?

I seem to have misplaced it. Not just my knitting mojo. My, well, everything mojo. True, I haven’t felt like knitting much over the past few weeks but I also haven’t felt like blogging, reading, cooking or cleaning. So, what have I done? Um, played computer games. I tried blaming it on the holiday rush but truth is, I think it is more than that. Maybe it is that parenting a one year old is such a joy; you know, what with the whining because his food isn’t on the right plate, and the whining because his cup has milk and not juice, or the whining because he isn’t allowed to bang on the computer, or the constant picking up of the Tupperware (thanks Jen!) that has exhausted me. Or maybe It is knowing that the coming year will be a difficult one that I’d rather not face. In March my Big Boy will leave for San Angelo for two months of training so that he can leave us in June to spend six months in Afghanistan.

But, you guys came here to hear the good stuff. Yes, Piglet had a great Christmas. He is now the proud owner of a rocking horse; five new books; a shape sorter that talks and thankfully, has an off button; a dashboard that makes all sorts of car sounds and, thankfully, has an off button; a ride on toy; a Little People school bus that is politically correct with a kid in a wheelchair, but, has no off button; and, a bunch of other goodies as well. On Christmas Eve he left Santa some applesauce cake and found a love for it himself. Check out his stocking with a new "backup" lion.

I scored a Tom Tom navigation system, two different gift certificates, and this bracelet from Etsy (sorry, I couldn’t get a good picture at home).

What little knitting has been done has been somewhat depressing. I love the Lady Eleanor in the Sea Silk. In fact, I downright adore the Sea Silk. However, this pattern sucks yarn faster than California can fall into the ocean. I will likely have to buy a second skein.

Clapotis is coming along nicely and I think the decision to frog the original Lady Eleanor was a good one. My plan is to give it to a friend who has a birthday on January 12. Will I be done in time? Not likely! I have to put in quite a few more of the straight row repeats to get it long enough.

Finally, there is Tangled Yoke. The first sleeve is huge. Right now it is measuring about 2” larger than my wrist and it fits comfortably over another sweater. My original plan had been to wear it over a tank top but a recent bout with contact dermatitis (with an unknown cause) has made me think I will need a long sleeved shirt with the wool. This leaves me contemplating whether or not I really need to frog the sleeve or not. I am on a mission to finish this sweater. You see, MaryAnne has promised me lunch at Panera if I finish it and wear it to Stitch and Bitch. This deal came as the result of a conversation in which she pointed out that I never wear anything that I make; mostly I give it all away because I either make the wrong size (I have been fooling myself for a while now) or I don’t like the pattern once I get started, or I just plain ‘ole screw it up - what can I say, life is a constant learning curve.

Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, before we all get caught up in the food and gifts. We are staying home for the holidays. Santa wouldn't be able to find up otherwise. Piglet is fascinated with the lights on the tree and the gate that keeps him from tearing it down. We will be leaving Santa some applesauce cake - he has requested it! Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day with your friends and family. I promise to be back after the New Year and I hope to have found my knitting mojo by then - it seems to be lost!

The one where she is a little crazy...

The other night I thought I was losing my mind. I kept hearing a strange sound outside my bathroom window. Big Boy said that he had turned off the sprinklers so that wasn't it. The sound was too even to be Annabelle snoring. My fear was that something was living outside (and despite Big Boy's suggestion, I did not go outside in the cold dark to see what it might be) or under my whirlpool tub. I heard it two days in a row and was about to call Ghostbusters to come help when I found the source. Piglet's stuffed cow. Yep, cow has had a bad case of Insanus Bovinus ever since it arrived here. Calvin's attempts to revive him have only served to increase his unpredictability but now the random MOO's are more muted.

To add to my frustration, I finished Piglet's stocking. I know, after a year, that should not be frustrating. I attached the trim for the second time only to discover that I seamed the trim in the front of the stocking instead of the back. Now it is back in timeout while I decide if it is worth removing it or not.
The one piece of sanity in this house is that I did the sleeves to Piglet's sweater separately and somehow they came out the same length! This has never happened before! Now I have to attach them and work the yoke. Maybe it will be done in time for Thanksgiving.

As for the Thanksgiving knitting... I have been giving it some thought. I know it is still two weeks away but one has to have a plan. We have a 10-hour drive ahead of us as well as four nights in a hotel. I think I will cast on for Tangled Yoke using the Highland Silk from my stash. You would think that with Grandma and Grandpa around I would get more knitting time in, but it is doubtful. Instead I will be chasing the Piglet around, keeping him out of the fireplace, trash can and off the stairs.

It's a bird... It's a plane... It's a...

Piglet in a monkey suit.
Piglet's first Halloween was a big success. We stopped by a few neighbors but didn't accept any candy since he can't eat it and I've already mowed through two bags by myself. After, he and Baxter helped me hand out candy to the little princess', Army guys and ninjas. He did get to experience his first candy bar. He managed to sneak a Twix out of the basket and was enjoying sucking on the wrapper. Next thing I know he has melted the chocolate and somehow opened the wrapper and is sucking the chocolate out. What a silly monkey!

The Great Pumpkin Charley Brown

Check out my cute little pumpkin! On Saturday we took Piglet over to the pumpkin patch at a local church, where Big Boy insisted we get a tall pumpkin so he could carve it. Say What? In 10 years of marriage Big Boy has never carved a pumpkin. He never even mentioned that he had pumpkin carving skills. Imagine my shock, fascination and fear! This is what he came up with. Isn’t it cute? It has one of those push on lights inside so that people can see it from the street at night. Now, you are probably thinking that it is really cool that he colored one of the eyes and several of the teeth black. Mmmm, nope. This morning I went into the dining room to turn off the light and take photos only to discover the pumpkin was turning moldy. All during this photo session I kept telling Piglet to not touch the pumpkin! Jack (as in O’ Lantern) has since been moved to the front porch and I suspect he won’t be living here much longer! Oh, in case you can't read his shirt, it says "I'm so cute it's scary". Yep, he's right!

Ok, I have tried endlessly to insert a video of Piglet and his pumpkin but it didn't work out so you will just have to follow this link instead... The version I have on my desktop is much better quality but still...

I heart Ravelry. I'm addicted. There, I said it. But, do you know why I love Ravely? It is purely selfish. I get hearted over there. Yep, it does my ego good to look at my notebook and see that people have hearted my projects. Better yet, everyone who is on Ravelry can see that my projects are hearted. Other than Ravelry I am still on my people hating kick and am contemplating hermitville. :-)