Gifts for People Who Have No Internet Access

Thank you all for the kind words about my dad's benches and tables. I love the carved trees. I might have to order another item from him, myself.

In family news, my parents were down to town (from the mountains) on Monday for some business and stopped by to see us. We had fun walking to school and back with Nana and Grandpa. BFJ was also home for the day, so it was a whole family affair complete with two dogs. I showed my dad a few things on his new digital camera and online, hence the last post. And that was even his photo. Pretty good composition, I thought. Oh by the way, I made the rag quilt on the couch in that photo a year or two ago. My first "quilt" by machine.

Today, BFJ is enjoying snaking the sewer line, an annual delight. On the plus side, the boys were happy that Dad was home early today. Luckily we noticed a teensy bit of water around the drain in the basement this morning, so there was no major flooding this time. Since Dad is outside spraying things off with the house, The Bruise asked if we can play in the sprinkler. Um, no. It's November. In Colorado. But really, today's high was 72* F. Tonight's forecast is freezing drizzle. Hmm.

I haven't posted as much lately because I prefer posts with pictures. Between secret Christmas projects and the drab scenery, I haven't had a lot of pictures to post. But Finally! something I can post about: I am making three little blue hats. They will all be the same, but different colors. You can see the first one there on the left. I think they are turning out pretty cute, if I say so myself. They are just stockinette with a couple of stripes, and for decreases, I divided the stitches into eight groups and worked an ssk decrease. I think my three little noggins will like them. I keep trying them on different heads. They say, "Is this my hat? Can I have this hat?" and I answer, "This is a Christmas present," somewhat dismissively, so hopefully they'll be a little surprised on Christmas.

On the sewing front, someone saw my needle cases (none of which have sold yet; oh bother) and asked me to make a bag like the nifty little one she had, to keep skeins from rolling away while you knit. Here's the one I made for her:

Below, you can see my needle case: it folds in half. I thought I should clarify that. It looks sort of like a wallet, I guess, and holds 6 sets of dpns, sizes 0-5. Ideal for someone who knits socks with dpns, and fits neatly into the matching bag I made to hold a sock WIP. (This is the outside of the Sock Monkey needle case I posted earlier.)

And finally, some foliage. Zoom planted a lima bean at school. I don't eat lima beans, myself, but it is a very pretty plant. We even have a bean pod on it, but I thought you might like to see the blossom. I don't know how long it will live in its cup, but I appreciate the transparent quality of the cup. It's the first indoor plant I've been able to keep alive. I guess I've been overwatering!