Sunday

About 5:00 AM I woke up with my part of my body hanging out of bed and one of the dogs pushing up against me. Pushing back didn't get me more space on the bed, and I was fairly awake, so I grabbed my book and headed out to the couch. Before I had myself settled I had both dogs on the couch with me, and one of the cats followed. I'm doomed to be crowded by animals. I read for a while, and about the time I was ready to put the book down and take a nap, John called to me and said it was time for him to get ready for work. So I got up and ironed, made tea, toasted and buttered his English muffin. After driving him to work I stopped by Fred Meyer and bought the paper, a 2 lb.brick of Tillamook cheddar and coffee. Typical Sunday, though I like it better when John is at home.

When Audrey got up she started talking about projects, projects like cutting out and sewing a red corduroy jumper she's been wanting to make. That sounded like work, so I suggested we make the sugar cookies I had mixed and chilled the dough for last week. So here's the finished product:



It was fun. I'm less of a control freak than I used to be, 'though it's still hard for me not to take over the project myself and make every single turkey as perfect and as alike as the rest of the turkeys as possible. But then I would have missed out on the paisley turkey, and the autumn leaf turkey, and that would have been too bad.

James got up, announced he had a sore throat and to get him when lunch is ready. Then he went back to his lair to play WOW (World of Warcraft.) He's a level 31 orc and just got his steed. I forget what it is. I want to say it's a giant turkey---but I'm pretty sure that's wrong.

Our giant turkey (16 lbs.) is thawing in the 'fridge. We are having a "just-us" family Thanksgiving/John's B-day and I'm planning it to be low-key and nice. All I have left to do is buy vegetables, cook, and do the dishes. John said we can put the birthday candles on the pumpkin pie if anyone insists on candles. That's silly, of course we will insist on candles.

First Mittens!

Very boring picture, but we're in the middle of a multi-day rain, so I had to photograph them inside with the flash.



These are my very first mittens! They are headed off to San Francisco as part of the latest Afghans for Afghans campaign. I was able to use the pink Moda Dea Cartwheel yarn I had left over from my afghan. This is a good thing as I had two full skeins of the hot pink remaining, and it's not a color that works in our house, or for me or Audrey.

James is home sick today. I was tempted to wake him up earlier. He's going through a growth spurt and puts on inches every time he goes to sleep, it seems. He's now bypassed his dad's 5'10".

John and I are going to take a drive later to look at the rivers in the area (the Cowlitz in particular.) We are on the edge of what the weather maps indicate as a flood zone from this storm system. So far what this has meant to us is a couple inches of water up to the center line of the streets in places where the storm drains are clogged with leaves. We are pretty safe from flooding, but areas within about 20 miles of us were under quite a bit of water last year.

Cozy Needs a Sweater

If you sit or lie down at our house, you are likely to get dogged:



If it is chilly in the house (like it is now and will be until next June,) your likelihood of having a dog in your lap (or draped across your shoulders)increases quite a bit. Here's why:



See that belly? That dog has a lack of hair on her belly, and only a thin, silky layer of hair on top. That leaves her chilly, which makes her overtly cuddly in cold weather. I posted on Ravelry (I am having serious fun on Ravelry) in the "For the Love of Pitties" group asking if anyone had made their pit bull a sweater. Bingo! Yes, those very clever Ravelry-ers had.



(Bob does not need a sweater, Bob is well furred.)

Now the only thing is to find the time. We are now at the beginning of our indoor season here, and I need to do some serious cleaning and decluttering of the house. "Necessities Only November" does not include take-away and drive-through food, so I'm cooking and washing more dishes than I am accustomed to (though it's a good thing, really.) I am trying to do a handcrafted Christmas like never before, partly due to financial pressures, and partly because my knitting skills have finally advanced past garter stitch scarves. My time at home is pretty busy.

I finished this very practical object yesterday:



It is half of a pair of Clara Parkes' "Maine Morning Mitts," and I am over-the-moon proud of it and have already cast on for its mate. I've been really wanting to make mitts for over a year now, and my knitting skills have finally gotten to the point where I can make them. I want mitts. James wants mitts. Audrey wants mitts. John will wear mitts if I give him a pair. They will keep our hands and wrists warm while still allowing us to type, pet dogs, open doorknobs, play the cello and all those other things we do. The first pair is for Audrey, who has Raynaud's Phenomenon, which cuts down on blood flow to her fingers when they are exposed to cold (part of the whole auto-immune problem of hers.) She picked out the cream colored Paton's Classic Wool. I am revelling in the power of knitting today---every time Audrey has given me a hard time I say "Do you want the second mitt?" and I automatically get what I want. It's magic. If only the same thing would work for controlling the dog's behavior:"Do you want that sweater?"