BOO!

With great joy and unbridled enthusiam I shout "HAPPY HALLOWEENIE!" just as my youngest grandson says. Actually, when you think about it, I like the phrase much better than the slightly abbreviated and more technically correct term.

Life is grand here on the east coast of the good old US of A, despite a couple of travel knitting surprises. First, I ran out of dang yarn for the little shrug from the novelty yarn. I read the directions (free, from the Internet--- I say as if this might indeed have some bearing on the problem) and bought enough yardage. As I neared the end of the yarn as I was knitting the sleeve ribbing and it was obvious that the fumes of yarn in my zippy bag were not going to even begin to cut it I knew that there was only one thing to do. I called Knitorious and talked to the Wonderful Ann who immediately jumped to my service to scrounging through the sale bins in the back room until she found an yarn meeting my poorly phrased requirements. It's on hold until I get home---- whew! My oldest daughter, who shall be the Christmas gift recipient of said shrug saw the piece in progress and loved it. While this made my heart sing since I know that she will do the Big Smile when she opens her shrug I also know the truth. You see, my oldest daughter (bless her sweet heart) is the child that the other kids affectionately refer to as the Pleaser. This lovely daughter of mine is the one that is respectful, kind, considerate, sharing, caring, lovely, sweet to a fault and the kind of individual you are damn proud sprung from you loins! They struggled a bit with her seeming perfection in the past but have now embraced her twinkling persona and are able to deal with how she makes them look like crap on a regular basis by making fun of her sparkle. You know kids, y'gotta do what y'gotta do! I say that because even if this was the puredee ugliest little shrug on the planet and she didn't even like shrugs anyway, she would truly adore anything, and I mean anything, created by her mother. I really, really like that in a kid!

So patiently I took a piece of waste yarn and took the shrug (so near completion) off the needles and carefully tucked it into the zippy bag so that I can finish it once I've gone to Knitorious for that last ball of yarn. I love that knit shop................ how can you not love a shop that once again rises to the occasion and simply becomes the bestest of the best?

It was 11:30 p.m. at that point and my youngest daughter and her roommate were making dinner. Apparently dinner at midnight is a regular thing for them so I tried to get that look off my face. (You know the look, don't pretend for a moment that you don't!) I wandered back into what was temporarily my bedroom in her new apartment to look for another project from the travel knitting section of my suitcase to cast on. It was really hard to focus on what project to begin, I was momentarily distracted by the decorating in the inner sanctum. Between the Linkin Park black concert t-shirts and the bed on the floor I finally remembered my focus and selected yarn for a hat. Stupid me, apparently in my haste to pack more projects than anyone could possibly knit while traveling (unless you are Elizabeth Zimmermann or something) I didn't read the pattern all the way through. Not that this is a new thing, it is one of my biggest mistakes on a regular basis. I know I have this horrible aversion to directions and the thorough reading thereof but I do it anyway. I discover that this particular hat is not knit entirely on size 15 dpn's. It also requires 15 circs, and of course I do not have my beloved needles with me! I was fearful that some mean security person would see them in my bag and under the guise of national security steal them for himself. It could happen. So while the kids chattered on about dinner at midnight with an internet game of Halo underway I proceeded to knit earflaps. And earflaps they are indeed. They now really need circs and when the eldest daughter arrives for lunch and shopping today I'm sure that in her total need to please me it will be an easy task to find said circs in town.

Not that much knitting will take place until late tonight, if at all. There is the lunching with my kids and the shopping for the youngest daughter (of Linkin Park concert t-shirt fame) because apparently she has nothing. Nevermind that she can frequently go to concerts but her work pants have a hole in them. Then it will be time to pick up the grandboys from school and I don't need to tell you that it is Halloween. We've been discussing the best of scary costumes since I arrived and I'm just excited over the moon to be going Trick or Treating this evening. I can't be sure what the boys will end up being for this great holiday but only that they are going to be so scary I pee down my leg. Only candy will calm my fear, you can count on that.

Eat chocolate, laugh on Halloweenie, and Get Knittin'!