I love a good day off. No plans, no obligations... a true day of slacking off and doing whatever I please. At some point I plan on knitting, or crocheting, or maybe even working on making a new knitting bag. I have an actual knitting bag (with pockets specifically for skeins and needles and such) but it's a little cumbersome to drag to knit night. Right now, I use a canvas bag that Scott bought for me a long time ago, which is the perfect size- but lacks pockets. And frankly, carrying around a canvas tote bag makes me feel more like I'm turning into my mother than I'm comfortable with. It doesn't help that the bag says "Mom" on it. So I went to Joann's last weekend and picked up some big remnants for a new bag (plus thread and a button):

I don't know where the button will go, or what it will fasten, but I like buttons. The stripey fabric will be the outside, and the paisley will be the lining. Now I just have to figure out how to sew. :)

A couple days ago, I went through a box of keepsakes in search of this sweater:

This sweater was the first thing my dad ever bought my mom. It's super cute, but even if I could fit into it, obviously I wouldn't want to risk damaging it. So it stays wrapped in plastic, in a box in the closet. Even bringing it out for a little while sort of makes me panicky. But I really like it. My guess that it's not hand-knit is based solely on the fine gauge, and the amount of sewing for the seams (machine sewing, not seamed up with yarn). The construction intrigues me- it appears that the yoke was knit separately in the round, steeked, and sewn together with all the other pieces. Also, I didn't see increases in the yoke; instead the gauge just changes.

My early relationship with Scott sort of mirrors my parents' in that they met and fell love pretty quickly. Their engagement was only 6 months, as was ours, by sheer coincidence. Both my mom and I were 19 when we met our husbands, and we both married older men (which mildly concerned our family in both instances). Anyway, I think it would be fun to knit something using the same fair isle pattern as sort of an homage. I'd like to use the same colors, but that main color will pretty much make me look seasick, so my colors will be similar but with blue undertones. I bet there's a pattern out there for a similar cardigan, where I could just swap out the fair isle pattern and change the hem/cuffs/collar if need be. So I've charted the fair isle bits, and the sweater is now safely back in it's box.

The crocheted baby blanket is still chugging along. My early concern was (once again) running out of yarn, but after finishing up the third ball it's about 10 inches long... So if I do 9 stripes, that will be 30 inches, plus there will be the one ball of green left over for the border (which might not be much, but that's okay).

I've gotten faster at crocheting, but can't look up from it which sucks a little. Thank god for podcasts!

And lastly, I did wind up starting a pair of socks for a little variety.

That's going to be a pair of Hedera socks using Shalimar Yarns Zoe Sock in Asilomar. Clearly, they're not too far along, but so far so good.