I just successfully did my first spit splice! That is surprisingly cool. ^_^

I hate it when the computers decide to remind you who holds the upper hand in our dependent and frankly rather abusive relationship. *sigh* So this morning I get to deal with an "infamous vista problem" and use my boss's laptop for the actual work I need to get done. I never enjoy using other people's computers, they feel so very personal and like I'm going through the other person's underwear drawer so something. This is probably really illogical but whatever.

In knitting news I finally finished up a pair of socks I've been working on since May of 2009 (at least according to Ravelry). 2009! Really? I don't generally suffer from second sock syndrome. I suffer from whatever it is that causes you to cast something on and then leave it partway finished for years. With this pair I finished the first one and then....nothing. Didn't cast on, didn't put the project in my queue, didn't even really look at the thing once that first one was done. But now they are a happy and rather pretty pair that will hopefully be sent off to J-buns (aren't college nicknames fun?) this week. They are Cookie A's Milo, done in some fabulous Handmaiden Casbah sock yarn in color Renaissance.














I really like the X's and O's on the back

Well its been an interesting week, or at least the beginning of it was. I got a jury summons right before the end of the year, joy of all joys (please note the dripping sarcasm there). I knew it was going to be a long day when I found out that it was a criminal court and then it got really fun when we found out it was for a capital murder charge.... I was thankfully not chosen for that duty and got to spend the rest of the week doing boring things at work.

Due to the focused amount of knitting that I did before the holidays, I decided to pull my quilt out the bin and work on it for awhile.















Its done using Maxine Rosenthal's One Block Wonder techniques. All of the various blocks come from one fabric and when its all put together you get something really different and neat. Here is a close up of it:














This thing will of course taking me forever to finish but I do think its neater than shit. ^_^

So the holidays are over and I am back at work (blarg). I survived the hellishly long drive from Dallas to Des Moines and back (11 hours, each way), and got to experience riding Amtrak down to Austin for New Years. On occasion the holiday spirit confuses me greatly. I love Christmas I really truly do but it always shocks me how once it is over, ITS OVER. So much build up and then *wham*, happy times over please resume your regularly scheduled program. Despite that I had a lovely time with my family, indulging in all of our particular brand of family traditions. 21 people in the house this year, it was fantastic! (I feel I should note that they weren't all staying in the same house)

My parents decided to gift many knitting things upon me this year, which was fabulous not only because new knitting stuff is always good but also for confusing the crap out of the rest of my family. Have you ever tried to explain what a swift does? In a way that conveys to non-knitty/crafty people why you are excited to get one? I'm pretty sure I failed on that score though I was slightly more successful in explaining my glee over the blocking mats. The fact that I should never again find myself standing over my bed, armed with a hair dryer, at 2 o'clock in the morning, trying to get my sweater to dry so I can go to bed is deeply satisfying. ^_^

I will hopefully at some point get pictures of various people with their Christmas knitting and will post them here. Oh and I did finish the pink socks! At 10 o'clock on Christmas Eve, which isn't really all that bad. Though in order to do that I did end up knitting in some places I'd never done before. I'm sure the people at Acme Tools got a kick out of seeing a girl with obnoxious bright pink yarn stuffed in her coat pocket knitting away while her mother bought last minute Christmas gifts.

Hope the holidays were merry for everyone else!