Just received an e-mail reminding me that Thursday is my campus' annual commemoration of the Murrah Federal Building bombing (I live in Oklahoma, for those unfamiliar...so the Murrah Building bombing is still a fresh wound here). The e-mail noted that there would also be a table set up where we can send our condolences to people at Virginia Tech.

And Friday is the anniversary of the Columbine shootings.

It gives one pause...all of these things, all in a single month of the year. It makes me wonder if there's something about April, something that pushes already-unstable people over the edge. "April is the cruelest month," Eliot said, and while I always used to joke that that was because taxes came due, I'm not sure I can joke about it with so much sanguinity any more.

***

On a happier note: I've been thinking about future projects.

I've been working a bit on the Tumblers quilt (just haven't photographed it...I'm going to wait until the top's done for the next picture). I've got a couple quilts' worth of fabric ahead and soon will be faced with the pleasant dilemma of which to make next. I think I'm going to do the one with bright, mostly Kaffe Fassett prints and brown sashing (the idea is for the effect to be like a flower garden - it's going to be one of the ones from this book. It's a simple quilt, large and small squares surrounded by sashing, but with the right colors it's very effective). I also have a bunch of grey/lavendar/grey-green prints (again, some Fassett) that I bought a while back with no real project in mind - but I think I have one in mind now.

I also dug around some in my stash and turned up the skein of Opal Handpaint (in a wonderful green colorway - like the "40 shades of green" of Ireland). I got it in a swap with Diann quite some time back, and, as I often do with "special" yarn, I put it away until I could find a pattern special enough to do it justice.

Well, I found the pattern.

I'm going to do another pair of the "embossed leaves" socks (the pattern was in Interweave, and they've also reprinted it in their new sock book). I've made this one before, but I think it will look good in the Opal. And it was a really fun pattern to do - it's a little bit fiddly but there's a nice rhythm to it once you get going that makes knitting the socks enjoyable. (And they look cool. I love knitting patterns that look like something "real").

I also have to admit...a while back I bought the KnitPicks "Gloss" to make "Thermal" from Knitty. I got the brilliant purple color, partly because I ordered it when it was still winter and I thought the purple was just what I needed. (I still think that). Granted, Thermal's a bit low-cut, but I figure if I don't make the very most formfitting size for me, I can wear it over a t-shirt or even a nice camisole (except I don't currently own any nice camisoles) and be appropriately modest that way. (I like the deep scoop neck; I don't want to alter the pattern.) I'm thinking about winding the yarn off for this and starting it sometime.

Except, I really want to get more done on both the Greek pullover and on Kenobi. And finish the various socks on the needles.