Monday Loves

My biggest Monday Love of all is my impending vacation. I think I'm high on plane ticket fumes. November cannot come soon enough.

Um, anyone in the Tallahassee area wanna dog-sit?? We've got a complex schedule of feedings, walks, and attention-giving sessions tentatively worked out with our landlords and some friends, but I'm feeling super guilty about leaving Sam. Who will he cuddle with at night? Who will he snuggle with on Sunday afternoons? It's not the feeding and walking I'm worried about as much as the attention....he's spoiled rotten and needs lovelovelove. I'm scheduling people to go take care of him, and they're like, "Ok, so a feed and a walk? That's it?" and I tell them, "No, no. He'll already have been fed and walked. I need you to go over and pet him and talk to him. Hug him. Maybe throw his ropey for him out in the yard a little bit. Sing him a song or something."  People think I'm nuts. Sigh. I'm such a dog mommy. Look at this though, he's such a love. He and B were having a snuggle fest yesterday.

Anyway, the vacation is all B and I can talk about. Where to go, what to do, who to see. I thought 10 days would be better than the 5 or 6 I was there last time, but it's not long enough. We'll have to jam- pack it full of all the stuff we want to do. I'm actually looking into a possible Vegas detour....we shall see. I love Vegas. The place is just so sublimely, over-the-top, ridiculous. I really think B would appreciate a visit.  Now, no one get all excited about the m-word. It would just be a little side trip. Nothing else.  It  has been decided that there will be no wedding ceremony of any kind without B's mom present, so get that idea right out of your head...I'm still trying to get it out of mine.

Speaking of that wonderful woman, she's a Monday love also. I am quite fortunate to have such a strong, intelligent, kind woman as my future mother-in-law. We spent some time with her Saturday and she bought me an awesome gift from Ten Thousand Villages.

This is my new pet. He'll be living in my office next to my Darth Vader action figure. He needs a name. Any ideas?

I'm definitely feelin' the yarny/knitty love this week. I've got some new knitting crushes. I seem to be suffering from Sweater Insanity again. In mid-August. In the South. There are at least 5 I want to make. Sweaters. With long sleeves. You know, for COLD WEATHER THAT WE DO NOT HAVE HERE. Kill me now. 

I love this...........and this......and I have the yarn to make b0th...and I am swatching for both...completely abandoning my second socks that need to be finished. I feel so naughty, especially since I made those Summer of Socks rules for myself.

I knit up some samples for Meg this weekend and fell in love with her yarn all over again. The Shiny knitted up so beautifully that I am kinda-sorta halfway tempted to knit a sweater out of it. I loved this yarn back when I made my Monkey's, and I love it all over again now that I've worked with it recently. First though, I must finish the Clapotis. Oh, and I have plans for this too, sometime in the near future.

I cast on a Montego Bay scarf in some Tofutsies last week, and really like the yarn and pattern together. I was NOT loving the yarn+pattern+needle combo, though. The damn stitches were slipping off my beloved Knit Picks circs. Great for socks, not so great for this open, lacy pattern I'm knitting with yarn thinner than what the pattern calls for. Sadly, the scarf has been sent to Scarf Heaven and shall be reincarnated another day with different needles.

Oooh, looky! I actually FINISHED SOMETHING! These are the Rapunzel House Socks from d-made.com, made into footies. I used some Misti Alpaca I had in the stash to knit these babies up. The pattern is great, it went really quickly. These are not for me, they're a gift for a pal o' mine.

Have I mentioned 10 million times yet how much I adore Ravelry? I'm so thrilled to have been a part of this for the last 6 months. I remember when all the members showed up on three pages, and now? There are thousands of knitters, crocheters, spinners, and dyers signed up. Tons of patterns and yarns have been added, there are dozens, hell, hundreds, of different sub-groups...it's just incredible.  Casey and Jess deserve all the buzz they are getting for this site, and they really deserve the support of the knitting community. If you are a member, I encourage you to donate a lil' somethin' to them to help them keep everything up and running.

If you've not yet received your Ravelry invite, please be patient and know that it is truly worth the wait. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I logged in over the weekend to check out pattern mods/yarn subs for the Josephine Top and Tangled Yoke Cardigan. This is such a fantastic resource for all of us, and as it grows I think it will just keep getting better and better.

Now, I know y'all know this, but I love B. I love him for so many reasons. I love him because he's just as silly and ridiculous as I am. Yesterday I was getting ready to cut up a watermelon. We're all about wordplay, silly accents, and general goofiness at our house, sooooo one thing led to another, and I ended up calling the watermelon a vato melon. Which led to this.

We couldn't help ourselves.

Other things I'm loving-

Shout Wipes, due to the frequent amounts of liquid I've been spilling on my shirts which is directly related to the copious amounts of tea I've taken to drinking recently.

The David Sedaris story on this episode of This American Life because it is hilarious for so many reasons.

This blog, because not only does Alyson make some gorgeous yarn and knit some purdy things, she is HYSTERICAL.

My polka dot shoes. They just make me feel happy. Love them.

Happy Monday!

Comments

[Jonathan]

Name him Herby

[Carly]

I vote for Gilbert :) Good luck finidng someone to love the doggie while you're gone. . I totally know how you feel :-)

[stephanie]

I'm sure your trip out here is going to be filled with fun SOCAL attractions, but you two better make time to come to our house for dinner one night. I would like more than that of your precious time, but I'm sure B will not want to listen to us gab about useless B.S. for more than one night. Plus, I know I have to share you with your other friends and family too. :) :)
Ok, now on to the name...........what else???? FLUFFY!!!!