They made it too hard

to be a Grinch tonight.

When I got home from work today I saw that I have been "booed" - someone had dropped a bag full of candy and a halloween goody (a 4 ft tall inflatable frankenstein) on my doorstep, with a cute poem explaining that I've been booed, and now I need to make up TWO bags like this, and drop them on unsuspecting neighbors doorsteps to continue the "fun". In the next 48 hours. Then tape the memo with a picture of a ghost on my window, so I wouldn't get booed twice.

I'm leaving on a two-day business trip tomorrow morning at 5 a.m.

My first thought is SHIT!!!! I do not have time for this! There is no way I have time to go to the library or drugstore and photocopy this poem/picture, make up gift bags, and deliver them. I'll just trace the ghosty picture, tape it to my window, and re-gift the whole bag. Not quite as good as two bags, but at least I won't be the one to break the chain letter.

Then I see a website on the bottom of the notice. I go to the website and find the notice template - okay, I can print out a copy for my window, and regift the bag of candy.

While the printer is churning, I dig through the bag. Then I see that my upstream ghost has already printed out two extra copies of the notice for me, thus saving me the effort of photocopying. Well, cripes! If it's that easy, I really can't wimp out on this one now, can I? They practically did it for me. I print out 4 copies of the notice.

Then I run down to the basement, find another small gift bag, divy up the candy, add another handful from the bag I bought to pass out on Halloween, and throw in some leftover party favors from Audrey's birthday and the two fresh notices. Not exactly Halloween themed, but not too shabby. Then a quick jog over to the two nearest neighbors I know get into the Halloween spirit (that didn't already have ghost notices in their windows), and I'm done.

I have fulfilled my duty as a station-wagon-driving, kid-toting, suburban cul-de-sac mom.

In knitting news, I finished all but one toe of a pair of socks for Audrey this weekend on our way to Minnesota for a family wedding. Yay me.

Mini-me!

Umm, well, if I had blond hair and blue eyes. But other than that....

Pattern: Little Blue Sweater
Designer: Simona Merchant-Dest
Source: Interweave Knits Fall 2008
Yarn: Reynolds Utopia
Needles: US8

Pattern mods. Quite a few, obviously, as the smallest size is for a full grown woman and Audrey most definitely is not. The pattern calls for bulky yarn and big needles. I swatched worsted yarn on size 8's, and the gauge worked out to 70% of the pattern gauge. Then I measured up my daughter and found she is about 70% of a woman's size Small! I eliminated the selvedge stitches to work this in the round, and raised the neckline a little. Of course I had to adjust the vertical dimensions too. But otherwise, just followed the pattern! No tricky math to make the cables land where I wanted them or anything. Even the sleeve caps worked out as expected!

Little Blue Sweater

Actually, it's brown.


Super quick knit!

Pattern: Little Blue Sweater
Designer: Simona Merchant-Dest
Source: Interweave Knits Fall 2008
Yarn: Louet Riverstone Bulky
Needles: US11

Pattern notes and lessons learned: I had to go up several needle sizes to get gauge, and used the same needle for the ribbing and body. Might be due to the yarn substitution - I find "bulky" yarns to be more highly variable than say "worsted" or "DK". Yarn softens up nicely with washing, although not "next to skin" soft - not that this pattern would be quite modest enough without a shirt underneath anyway.
Pattern is well written; I felt the sleeve caps were a bit too square for my liking, but acceptable.