Fall Break Fun and Festivities

The kiddos are on Fall Break this week, a brilliant move on the part of the Schools, in my opinion, because they can avoid the Halloween controversies related to families who celebrate it and families who boycott it. This also prevents me from needing to create festive Halloween Treats for 3 different classrooms, not that I would ever begrudge my poor children that pleasure.

The first really fun and fabulous thing I did was last weekend...Knit in Public Night at the Theatre! My friend and I went to see "Girls Only! The Secret Comedy of Women" at the Galleria Theater in the Performing Arts Center, and it was a great evening. Not only was there unapologetic knitting in public, there was much kinship and laughter, as well as dinner without any children and a lovely cocktail called a "Hot Flash", which was apparently several different liquors with enough coffee in it to make it warm and brown. I don't remember a lot after the whole Hot Flash experience, but I do have some wonky knitting to show for it.


That photo shows the yarn I got in the little "Goodie Bag" they gave us. I have now learned the advantage of taking a non-knitter, like my friend Michelle, to a knitting event...they will likely give you their free yarn, thereby doubling your yarn jackpot. That is sock yarn from Lime and Violet (the peachy color) and Sunshine Yarns (the green). I have never tried either brand, but they look and feel beautiful.

This is what happens to a lovely "Two Weeknights with Warrick" Scarf when you try to knit in a dimly lit theater after drinking a "Hot Flash".












We also attended a Pumpkin Carving Party hosted by the Youth Pastor of our church. This was my first time ever to attend a Pumpkin Carving Party and I'm now all for them. You see, I despise everything about pumpkin-carving, primarily the mess and the goo, but everything really. So I was relieved that all this could take place at someone else's home, with plenty of folks who enjoy the activity to help my kids while I hang out and munch on snacks.











































The kids and I also went Bowling yesterday, and had a great time. A surprisingly good time, actually, considering the fiasco that was the previous day's trip to the "Paint your own Pottery" store. (I shall not speak of it. It's too painful...) But look! I am still a Cool Mom and I have photos to prove it:





In Knitting News: I have discovered Elizabeth Zimmermann and Barbara Walker; the knitting classics, I suppose. I have been dreaming of knitting a sweater with Fair Isle designs for at least a year, and talking myself out of starting. Well, Elizabeth Zimmermann's idea of knitting a Swatch Cap is just the thing I needed to give me the confidence to "Just Do It" using her instructions in Knitting Around.

Check out this great cap:


Knitting this has given me a way to evaluate my stitch and row gauge in the round and in pattern, test out my color scheme, and practice knitting the patterns. The bonus is that I now have a cute hat that will match the sweater, and how fashionable and coordinated is that? So hopefully, this project will grow up to be a size-8 sweater for a six-year-old Girly Girl. But at the very least, it's a great little hat!