That's what friends are for...

(Doncha just wanna belt it out? You know you do... In good TIMES and BAD TIMES I'll be on your side for evermooooooooorrre. That's what friends are for.)

So, in light of my recent gloominess (we will speak no more of it), I would like to appreciate the following points of light:

• My racing support! (Yes, I keep calling it a race, even though there will be brisk walking only.) For more on this, look to past entries.


• K8 and Paula exerted very little pressure on me last night at THE BEST KNITTY MEETUP EVER to buybuybuy more of their fabulous yarn. They could have, I was in a weak state. But they are way too awesome to take advantage.


• Coming home from a uber-crappy day at work (can you say "birthday parties for everyone but me" whinge whinge) to a little party on my computer, courtesy of my Sweetest Baboo and the Post family of cereals.


• A.C. Moore, for sending me a 40% off coupon in the mail. Probably I will use it for something other than yarn... (bwahahahahaha! riiiiight.)


• Lara, for being a wonderful friend who gave me a fantastic b-day present (which included the not-pictured the book du jour: Loop-d-Loop) :

[Click to see all of the cutest ever (as yet unnamed) in the company of austere Frog and Toad]
Who could be anything but thankful with all that greatness happening around her?

I also released a UFO recently. The Hex-from-Hell afghan was originally a pattern that really excited me. The long color changes in the Homespun means that the blanket looks as though it is made with a lot of colors (rather than only two, Tudor - the multi color and Deco - a cream). The big downfall to this pattern is the line:

"Hexagon Pattern: Make 17 with A and B as follows; make 42 in A only."

OK. I don't even like to make the second sleeve on a sweater, and I thought that Fifty-Nine hexagons would be "doable" ?! I got through exactly 5 and stuffed it in the closet.

Luckily, Lion Brand has scads of free patterns, and I was able to find this baby. I can still enjoy the changing colors of the Tudor, and there's only one piece. Plus, it hooks up on the crochet equivalent of size 13 needles (K 10.5 for you closet hookers). Hopefully this blanket will replace my first and rather tragic afghan. But that's a story for another day.

It was very liberating to pull out those five hexagons. Talk about taking a load off! And though diagonal blankets always seem to take WAY longer than square ones, it is breezing along. Isn't she lovely? And so soft!



Anyone else feel like liberating an old FO... Letting them go peacefully on to the stash basket in the sky? Let me know if you do, or tell me about it if you already have. Letting go can be a good thing.