I've got a good lead on a job which is about 15 miles closer to home. I have a good chance of landing it and it'll be more money and provide me an office instead of a cube. I hope the job gods smile upon me cuz I'm due.

This morning I cast on for the credit card holder for DD. Since it is being made to match the Seed Stitch Envelope Purse I made her, guess what? Yeah, this is made of seed stitch. I'm already about 1/4 finished with it. I love small projects.

Last night I started the Christmas Penguin Tissue Box. This is a plastic canvas project that I bought from the Herrschner's site.

What else did I do? Well, I cleaned my office and organized yarn and things. The first picture shows you the "Wall of Wanna-Bes." I like keeping my projects ideas ready to go. As I've mentioned before, I sometimes go to the "wall" and pull out a project only to wonder, "What was I thinking?" Not only did I work on the wall but I also pulled all the cotton yarn and put it in one basket and did the same with all the wool. I also cleaned out the box I inherited from Mom which, contained a load of x-stitch fabric and a huge sewing box of x-stitch thread. Mom's stash has been marinating in GBaby's closet. There is a x-stitch baby blanket in there that I plan on finishing. DMom started it when DBro Chad's second child was being constructed. Yeah, I'll be updating the list of Wanna-Bes on this page.

What, pray tell, are the other two pictures? I love the old sayings that make you scratch your head. Pray tell, tomfoolery and catawampus....hehe. Anywho - this is the fulled stocking I worked on all last week. I finished it yesterday and it spun around in the washer while DH and I prepped for dinner with DMIL, DSIL and neighbor Mike. It felted well and turned out *almost* as well as I'd hoped. I should've paid more attention to it while it was swimming. It creased and therefor, is blocking as you see in the pic. It sat in front of the fan last night so I'm hoping it is dry when I return home this evening. The pattern that I created worked out fine and I hope to find time to make more of these and also add the pattern to The Knitting Vault. How do you like how I placed my *size 7* woman shoe in the pic as a point of reference. You can tell how I was feeling at the time of the pictures - I moved from cute, little flipflops to comfy slippers within a matter of hours. When I was pulling together all the wool yarn, I found some off-white wool that may work for the boys' stockings. I ended up using over 3 skeins and I thought I could get away with less than 2.

I also finished frogging the purple ribbon sweater I bought from a yard sale. After finishing the stocking, I didn't have the time to cast on for a new project and thought I'd frog a little on it. DD was there and the next thing I know, she has the back almost completely frogged. So, that gets another thing off the to-do list. At least this will balance out at least one of the many Wanna-Bes I'll be adding to the list.

What's up next? I don't know. I dragged out the two sets of socks I want to work on but I'm having a mental block with socks lately. I also put together the yarn for the Eyelet Pullover in the new issue of Vogue Knitting. I always hesitate on starting on a newly decided upon pattern - just like I do with new clothes. I buy them and then I wait to wear them. I don't know why I do this.

BTW - the King Ranch Chicken and the cheesecake were yummy. DH and I made the KRC and DNeighbor Mike and I put together the cheesecake. He had been quizzing me on making cheesecake so I bought the ingredients and showed him exactly how easy it really is. DMIL and DSIL oohed and aahed for me. It was way yummy with the frozen strawberries drizzled over the top.

This pic is a project I finished for DSeester. I say finished because I purchased these two needlepoint projects and one was finished and the other needed about 20 stitches to complete it. I needlepointed away and then zipped these two into door knob hangers. DSeester loves Texas items and I love hanging little, stuffed items on door knobs. She was excited when she saw it in the bag of goodies I sent home with her. It makes me feel good to finalize a project that has been languishing not only in my stash but started its marinating process in someone elses stash.

So, how was CwS you ask? I had to make it through over an hour of traffic and ended up with a killer headache by the time I arrived. I immediately gulped down two headache killers when I got there but the pressure didn't lift until time to go home. Good thing since I had to drive home in torrential rains. I think back to the meetup all that took place and was talked about and wish I'd felt better cuz I know I would've enjoyed it. They played SHOW & TELL (I, again, forgot to bring the Kiri Shawl), one of the ladies was shopping for wool for a purse - big production, and Suzanne brought a zucchini cake. I didn't pass on the cake - one of my very favs, since childhood, is zucchini bread/cake/whathaveyou. It was no where as good as Dear Mom's zucchini bread but still pretty yummy. Especially for a girl with a headache. I rarely ever (ever, ever, ever) get a headache to the point of having to take something but (BUT) I have had neck problems for about 8 years and the neck has recently reached a spot of causing more than occasional pain. Yeah, it sucks to get old. All those kid things you did to injure your body in childhood reach up and slap you down in your old age.

Plugging away at the stocking. In my pain, I knitted away. When I was packing up, one of the ladies said, "boy, you've made a lot of progress." Of course, I couldn't tell because it is the relentless knitting of the leg area. I think I have another 4 1/2 inches left before I start working on the heel. I have to reach 18" before starting that. Yeah, I'm getting there.

So....this is what I share with you picturewise. The pink, knitted thing is the cuff and beginning of the to-be-fulled Christmas stocking of which, I'm creating the pattern. I get so excited with fulled knitting because I can't wait to finish and full to see what it looks like. It is tough not knowing how your creation is going to turn out. I'm liking the colors a lot which, is comforting. Tonight is CwS and I plan on knitting away at this mindless knit around stocking.

The first pic shares my present I received when DS returned from his second trip to Pennsylvania. My dear baby brother sent this to me. On my son's second trip, DB took him to a Pirates vs. Astros game. Not only is this fun to go to but cool in the aspect of PA vs. TX. While at the game, DBro calls my cell and tells me that they're at the game and watching the Pieroghi Race. I didn't believe my ears and kept asking, "Huh?" He said, "You wanted your boy to experience PA and we're here seeing something you've never heard of!" How cute! I love Jalepeno Hannah. She's dressed in my favorite color and she has her handbag and baubles. Does it get any better than that? Check out DBro, Chad's, baby girl Paige in the background. Pretty baby. Both are sitting on a rescued doily...we all have feelings and Ms. Doily is happy to be part of our lives.

So, what am I working on, you ask? I am working on a felted Christmas stocking for DD. I *thought* I'd found the perfect pattern but alas, it was a pattern for making two sides and sewing together. With all the sock making experience, I figured I could come up with my own, thank you very much. I have over 3 inches of cuff on the needles and I'm thinking ahead about the heel turn. I have to think it through with the multitude of stitches I'm working with.

Pause Why do I worry who has the cheapest gas? On the way home from DF's Casino Party, I saw they had gas for $2.09 which, happens to be on the way home from work. I slid over there yesterday evening and filled up. Guess how much I saved? $0.91 - like that is worth seeking the cheapest in town! I think I'll just stick with filling up closer to home.

I finished two projects over the weekend and will share pics tomorrow. I finished an angora key-hole scarf and a hat for my brother's boy, Sean. It is made of fluffy yarn so I need to ask DS if it is ok for a guy to wear.

I love this picture of GB. He was walking around the house like this, enjoying his pink roll bubblegum. I love the way little kids always end up with it on their nose. He looks like Granny's little coke baby. He's letting me take the pic, too.

The other pic shows you what I pulled outta the box yesterday. I ordered this about 2 months ago and then felt guilty and left it in my trunk once it arrived. I started thinking about how stupid it was for me to own one of these when I can head to the yarn shop and ball yarn all I want. I got over my guilt once this came outta the box. This was so fun to use even without a ball winder! Guess what is next on the list of guilt ordering? In the pic, I'm winding up the wool for DD's felted Christmas stocking of which, I'm writing the pattern. I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

I woulda had two hats done if the first stab at Sean's hat didn't have such huge ladders. After knitting 6" on dpns, I pulled it out and started over with two circular needles. Worked out good, as you'll see in tomorrow's pics. Still, I woulda had two hats completed.

I gave up on the socks for the time being. With all that is going on at work, I keep getting in a mess and unable to find my way out. At this point, it is more frustrating than I can deal with. I was doing fine for the first 6 or so rows and thought I had it whipped. Then I ended up with an extra stitch at the end of a row and after k2tog to correct it, I came up short a stitch. I hate that. Make up your mind. I just don't think I can deal with it. I moved on and pulled out 2 skeins of Plymouth Silk Merino and three scarf patterns: 1) Alison's Scarf, 2) Arches & Columns Soiree Metallic Lace Scarf, and 3) Lace Scarves by Oz Yarn. I'm leaning towards Alison's Scarf although I want to make another lace something. We'll see what I decide. I had some other pattern in the "ready to go" project bag. I hate when I grab a bag and it is all wrong. Like last night, I grabbed a bag which held a pattern and yarn for a sweater. All wrong. Not sure what I was thinking. I guess I need to regroup.

Wish me luck to make it through another day. We have a temp since "A" left. She drives me absolutely insane. She keeps patting you, repeating herself, glasses sliding down her nose and she won't SHUT UP. OMG - I may end up hurting someone or myself today. I hope this is a major temporary situation or I'm gonna have to take vacation and take a rest in the nut house. I wonder if they'll let me have pointy sticks and yarn in there?

I delivered Jenny's top to her last night at the Chicks with Sticks meeting. It fit her perfectly! I couldn't believe it and I don't think she could either. The arms, length and diameter were so well fitting that I don't think I could've done better if I'd had her there to fit as I went. She wore it all evening. How is that for a happy ending?

Makes you wonder what I'm gonna work on next, doesn't it? I grabbed the *barely started* Friday Harbor socks that are being worked in LB Magic Stripes "Regatta Blue Stripe." The picture, shown here, is a pair that some other blogger completed. I've been thinking of having a pair of socks going at all times since I have so much sock yarn. I'm also thinking of making scarves out of all the single balls I have in the stash and then making a bag out of the scrap sheer fabric that is also marinating in the stash. Figuring I can do these for Xmas presents - make a big batch of them and let the girls choose their gift. Maybe socks in the batch, too.

Work is/will be crazy for a while now. They asked *A* to leave yesterday. We have a temp coming in tomorrow that supposedly knows a lot about the financial side. I don't agree with how they went about it but then again, they didn't ask my permission. They're bad, not mine. Morale in the office took a major nose dive late yesterday. The young girls in the office are learning "office politics" with trial by fire.

This weekend DH & I go to a Casino Party! Looking forward to it and we have beds reserved in GF's guest house in case we decide to spend the night. How nice is that?

I got great advice last night. At CwS last night, I was mentioning to the group that I'm wanting to knit or crochet clothes for my childhood dolls that I have sitting out around the house. Amongst all the chatter of what books to look for, the lady sitting next to me piped up and asked if I've ever looked in old linen shops. Bam! The idea hit me ----- I need to try *my* baby clothes on these dolls. Even if I have to modify them to fit, it would take care of two things I have on the list. I'm going to look into it soon.

Words to the Wise: Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions. Coco Chanel