There seems to be much to report...

I don't know that I can do it all in one sitting. We'll see. I'm only writing during the commercial breaks of The West Wing. I don't want to miss a minute. I need to buy some more seasons on DVD because I'm really going to miss this show next year - especially considering how great this season's shows have been.

First, my fabulous Friday night. I stayed up until midnight on Thursday night to finish the orange cabled vest. It fits just as I had hoped! And I was too close to being done at 11pm to stop. That left me tired on Friday, but knowing that I was going to get to meeting the famous Yarn Harlot herself that evening kept me going. I met my friend Erin on the bus and we got to the shop pretty early. Stephanie was still getting a tour of the shop when we arrived, but I'm not nearly outgoing enough to go speak to her while she was speaking to the shop owner. I did try to hang out by the baby yarn and the cashmere while she and the yarn shop owner were chatting nearby. :-)

We browsed for a bit and picked up our copies of "Knitting Rules", and found pretty good seats by the Cascade 220. Stephanie was marvelous! I could kind of tell that she was a little nervous when she began, but within 10 minutes or so she was totally relaxed and on a roll. She was funny and clever, and I even laughed out loud at things I had already read just because her delivery was so good. My favorite part was the discussion of the Knitting Olympics.

I was a little dissappointed in myself for not coming up with a good question for her - it seemed like the Q&A questions were a little light, but I hadn't even considered that we'd get the chance. This was my first lecture and book signing. (Of course I came up with a good question today. Did she plan the content for all three book in advance or did she think of the next one as she finished the previous one?)

The signing wasn't quite as organized as they have planned, but it seemed to help things go smoother, since not everyone got into line at once. I'm pleased to note that the Yarn Harlot noticed my handknit vest almost immediately and complemented me on it (she was the only one other than Erin to say anything all night.) She even wrote "Nice vest" in my book. She's so lovely!

I read the first couple of chapters last night, and so far it's a great book, too.

Other enjoyment this weekend was getting to see the Reds on TV. I watched most of the game Thursday night while I worked on the vest. (During CSI, I switched the game during commercials) Saturday I watched the game while cleaning and chatting with my parents. And today I watched the game while cleaning until I had to leave for a meeting. I'm happy to report that the Reds won 3 of 4 games this weekend against the Pirates. For the Pirates sake, I'm glad they finally won a game...they are hosting the All-Star Game this year, so we don't want them to have the worst record in the league by July!

I didn't pay much attention to baseball last year. I hope to improve that this year. The Reds definitely have some great offense again this year. If they're pitching can hold up, maybe they have a chance for a good season. I'd be happy with a season in the running where they end up over .500. They're coming to Pittsburgh in mid-May and the last three games of the season. I hope to make it to a few, if not all of them.

In other news, I spent much of the weekend cleaning. The kind of cleaning that one does a couple of times a year. Dusting all of the woodwork, dusting each and every knickknack, cleaning the inside of the windows, vacuuming all areas of the carpeting in multiple directions (and moving most of the furniture). I got the first floor done and I started hanging the dining room curtains. Monday and Wednesday night's cleaning work will need to get the bathrooms clean first, and then the upstairs vacuuming, and then whatever else I can get done. I'm ready for spring cleaning to be done enough that I can focus on my room. Oh, and company comes on Thursday night. :-)

Just a few knitting photos. I'll do the rest soon.

First, the Mexican socks I mentioned the other day...
















And here are the three hats I've made for the Dulaan Project. One with Ken's Hat Pattern, one with Norma's Hat Pattern and one is the hat from my Fair Isle Class.










And here is a long overdue picture, of the scarf I made for myself and have worn all fall, winter and spring. This is the one reason that I will be just a little bit sad to see the warm weather arrive. This is one of my favorite things that I've ever made. The pattern is the Short Row Rib Scarf from magknits.com and the yarn is a Japanese Merino. (can't remember the brand name at the moment)

Oh, and I just got email saying that the Spring Knitty is up! Woohoo!