Knotty Mouse

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I wanted to pop in and wish everyone a Happy Halloween! MIL and I are taking Munchkin out trick or treating tonight in a friend’s neighborhood and we’re also going to go out to dinner somewhere for my birthday. My birthday was actually the 29th but everyone down here (aka. the inlaws) celebrates it on Halloween - which is fine because this year it means I’m celebrating being 31 (eep) on the 31st! Munchkin will be dressing up as Indiana Jones this year… we just have to stop at the thrift store sometime today and pick up a shirt - he’s already got the whip, hat, bag & pants. I wish I could say this was an inexpensive Halloween costume but sadly this is costume choice #2.. the first was a Star Wars Clone Trooper costume. Thankfully my son wears ALL of his Halloween costumes around the house for dress up play until he grows out of them, so it is at least going to see more than one night of use.

I’m always sort of back and forth about posting “look what I got” photos because in one way I LOVE to see what people buy, get, etc.. and in another way I feel like I’m “showing off”. Regardless.. here’s a photo of my new statue that I received from a friend which is now making my kitchen counter and “tea area” much prettier. Its a solar statue for the garden but with the temperature falling I thought it would be better to put it in my kitchen and use it as a night light! I also received a bag of llama roving, stitch markers, and a skein of mmmmmmalabrigo — thank you internet friends! Not pictured is a beautiful (and huge) set of Tibetan prayer flags which I haven’t gotten to hang up yet.. I’m thinking that I’ll string them across the living room for the winter.

In my blogging absence I’ve also  managed to finish another Malabrigo hat - this one is the Slouchy Copy Cat Hat. I am not sure whether I’m totally in love with this hat or not.. the color is a bit on the ‘blah’ side but the pattern was really easy to remember and I love the mock cables. My only issue with the hat is that the ribbing and the cables don’t line up..  I’m trying to ignore it.  As you can see I’m definitely on a Malabrigo & hat kick. I’ve wound the Malabrigo in the earlier photo into a ball and will be starting the Mystery Beret from Wooly Wormhead as soon as I figure out what I did with my size 7 circular needle.

I’m off to eat some cinnamon toast (the seasonal ‘Country Crock cinnamon spread” is out in the stores.. I love that stuff even though its probably HORRIBLE for you) and have another cup of tea while I ponder which restaurant I want to go to for dinner.  Happy Halloween everyone!

I recently finished this cowl/hood thing - I don’t even know what to call it. Basically its a garter stitch rectangle made with my handspun (Maple Skies.. the same stuff I used for the mitts in a previous post) with button holes on one end and buttons on the other. I added tassles and some crocheted embroidery with some white acrylic I found inside my button box… and I really love it. I love the fact that its open in the back since I wear my hair up in a bun most of the time.. its so hard to wear a hat with my hair up. I can also button both sides and wear it as a cowl if my neck gets cold.

I can’t take credit for the idea.. I’ve seen it somewhere before on Ravelry though I can’t seem to find who made the original. I am definitely making more of these.. they’re so comfortable and warm!

I actually started another project last night while watching House (my newest tv show obsession) since its getting cold already here in GA. I’m working on another slouchy hat (this time its the Slouchy Copy Cat Hat) in purple Mmmmmalabrigo yarn from my stash. I’m hoping to be able to buy another skein or two of Malabrigo for my birthday — which is coming up in 9 days. SAFF is next weekend but I won’t be attending.. its too far of a drive and I’ve already got plans with Munchkin to do fun Halloween stuff (costume contest, corn maze, and pumpkin carving) - I also really don’t have any money to spend at an event. I’m hoping to at least be able to go out for Indian food for my birthday… that would be a nice treat.

*smashes skull on desk*

Last night I stayed up until 2am watching the VP debate and the following commentary on numerous channels, (and by “watching” I mean screaming nasty and profane things at the television while jumping up and down AND watching the live blogging over at the Ravelry “Knitters for Obama” thread) and then this morning I woke up to my computer making the most horrid noise you have ever heard in your entire life. It sounded like a cross between silverware caught in the garbage disposal and a Dremel tool on high..  and believe me when I say that its a noise you NEVER want to hear coming out of the mechanical box that houses all of your important technological stuff.

Tech Support (aka. my husband) says that my second hard drive (the one that he installed in my computer to house all of the “important” stuff that I didn’t want to lose like photos, purchased knitting pattern pdf files, shop stuff…) had burned out and burned up (literally.. there were black marks on it) sometime during the night.  Apparently the data is GONE…  he tried everything he could think of including putting the hard drive into its own external kit and plugging it in, but its just too far gone.   I haven’t had a working DVD drive for some time now and never was able to offload any of my photos anywhere… which means that 3 years worth (give or take) of photos are now GONE.  I can’t even begin to think about what else was on that drive.

If you need me… I’ll be under my bed with my teddybear.