So, here's what I've been working on recently:

Thanks to journal articles, and "The Little Ice Age" (which I'm almost done with), here's the start of the lace panel on the back of the Zelda Pullover:



I've also been working on the Morehouse Farms Merino Knit-Purl scarf:



I think that shot shows the texture of it well enough. This is a REALLY NICE yarn to work with, if I've not emphasized that enough already.

And finally, because it feels like spring is on its way here (it was in the upper 70s yesterday, I have a daffodil blooming, my pollen allergies have started), I wanted to start some kind of silly little spring-thing. So here it is:



It's a decorative scarf (as opposed to a warm scarf) made of Red Heart "Tiki." One of the few yarns available at my local Wal-mart that I'd actually consider working with. The color is called "cheery" and it matches a couple of my little spring dresses pretty well. The scarf is the crochet pattern on the back of the ballband. I originally bought two balls, thinking to knit a wider scarf, so now I've got a second ball to use for...something. I don't know what. Generally I don't really like novelty yarns, but there's something sort of pleasant about this one...sort of, I don't know, springlike and bearing the promise of times when it won't be grey and rainy.

This coming Sunday is my birthday. I've been finding more and more grey hairs every time I brush. Sigh. I expected it to happen, but not to happen quite so fast.

My mom said she had sent my "birthday box" Saturday. I suppose I'll get it this week. I don't know if I'll open it immediately or try to save it. I also don't know whether to bake a cake for myself and bring it to work on Friday, or if that just seems kind of pathetic (I don't know how many of my colleagues know this is my birthday, or how many would remember. But I do want cake.) There's a Youth Dance at the church Friday night, which I agreed to in a weak moment, so my Friday will probably be largely spent frantically tracking down "appropriate" CDs to play. (The closest thing I have is bluegrass and I think one lone CD by The Proclaimers. I don't think that will work. I also live in fear that one of the kids will try to slip in some Eminem or 50 Cent [or some more obscure singer who uses swears or misogynistic language] at the last minute when I'm busy and frantic and have found I have exactly three CDs to fill a two-and-a-half hour dance with. I didn't even go to dances when I was of an age, so somehow it just exhausts me to think of planning and being in charge of one...and being the one who will be blamed if it's boring, or if kids get loose in the no-access part of the church, or if a song with bad language slips through.)