A vacation... of sorts

Today should be a good day. My second hernia (the first one got fixed two years ago) gets repaired this afternoon. Right now I'm a little hungry with the lack of food and water, and bummed that they pushed my surgery back several hours, but what can I do? It's given me time to write this, so that's a good thing! (It's a big day for the Bujolds in terms of surgeries... my hernia surgery, Marc's aunt's shoulder surgery, and the two kitties are getting spayed.)

During the next week, I will have a bit of down time at home to recuperate. What a perfect time to finish up all of those projects that are staring back at me with evil eyes! Of course, with the holidays approaching, I have added a few gifts to the queue... Here's where it stands.

Top left: a neckdown cardigan out of Velvet Touch for my daughter Helen, who (along with her sister) still wears her last year's sweater about 3-4 times a week. It's getting a little on the short side, and she won't wear any of the store bought sweaters she has because she says they itch. SO, in her new favorite color... blue, I started another sweater for her in the summer. I haven't gotten to the armholes yet, so I can increase more to accommodate for her growth since summertime. It may or may not be finished by Christmas. The other day I whipped up a cute little hat for her - out of the same Velvet Touch and a strand of blue Baby Ull. VERY cute, with some I-cord fringies at the top. The pink/purple one will be for Sophie, and the multi colored/pink one MAY be for my niece. If I get that far.

Last year I made Marc a striped ribbed hat out of Cool Wool, which we have discontinued. It was red, gray and black, and he wears it every day. It's been washed numerous times and is still in pretty good shape. I saved a few balls of the yarn, and I'm making him two more hats to add into the "rotation." I've finished one, so I have one more to go. Last night when I was leaving the store, I grabbed 2 skeins of Blue Sky Worsted in Cranberry to make a set of wristers and matching hat (a Blue Sky pattern). Gift? Maybe. More likely... shop sample. I also pulled 2 skeins of Blue Sky Bulky in Lilac to make a bulky hat. Again, not sure if this is for someone or for the shop, I just felt the need to knit with this yarn in this color.

I started (and did not finish) two scarves when I went to Florida with my sister a few weeks ago. One is a dragon scale slace scarf out of Jade Sapphie 2-ply Mongolian Cashmere in Caribbean Mist. Talk about soft! I am almost finished this - I'm just having a hard time knowing when to stop. It is going to change pretty dramatically when blocked, both in width and length. I think I only have a few more repeats and the border, and then the blocking. I have a SIMPLE Koigu scarf that only takes one skein. That shouldn't take too long to finish. And then I am going to make my friend a Handpaint Hat. She saw mine the other day and commented on it, so I thought it would be fun to make her one, since it is SO quick.

If I finish all of these things, I can always go back to my crocheted pillowcases for my family room. I really would like to get those done in the near future. Or I may call the shop and ask for some yarn delivery!