Today's my Friday

So it's not even Hump Day. It's end-of-the-week-day. Except I will be in on Thursday and Friday, at least part of the day, to work on stuff.

Saturday, if everything works out and I expect it will, I will be in Longview, shopping and getting to see a friend. (No, I don't "need" any more yarn. Actually, I've been ordering yarn some this past month - it's a stress-response of mine. I think part of it is that I see it as a promise to myself  - "someday you will have time to knit this up" but also partly I kind of lose my sense of reality a bit while looking at yarn (just like when I am in a bookshop) and I start thinking, "Oh, I totally have time to make [whatever I'm buying yarn for]"

Though, really, if I'm only spending the money I have budgeted for "entertainment" on yarn, I don't think there's really any harm. The worst that happens is someday someone else inherits my yarn. Or I decide I can't keep all of it and I give it away to people, and even though I did spend money on it....there's still pleasure in the obtaining, the having, the planning - and if you give it away, the giving.

(Which reminds me. If I get some time over break, I should sort through some of my bins of fabric. There's a church in OKC that does prayer quilts for people and they accept donations of fabric. And that would be a way for me to clear out some of my currently-unloved pieces (my taste has changed over the years) and pass them along to people who will like them and use them.)

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I am back to working on sweaters. I added about an inch to the second sleeve of Basketweave last night. And it's getting to be sweater weather again - in fact, I'm wearing my Cobblestone sweater this morning (I have a t-shirt on under it, in case any of the classrooms has got its heat on already). Oh, we'll probably get another blast in the mid to high 80s at some point this fall, but for now, it's going to be cooler.

I also got the head done for Pink Fluffy. I have to figure out the feet and snout, which will be done in "plain" yarn (not held with the fluffy stuff). I don't look forward to appliqueing the eyes on the super fluffy head, but the head needed to be fluffy. (As will the ears, but those will be easy enough to figure out). Also, this thing takes a monster amount of stuffing - it's going to be very heavy and solid when it's done.

(And it's too bad you can't get noisemakers to put in a critter that go "pppppfffbbbbbllllt," because that is the noise this thing allegedly makes)

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Huge and Huggable Mochimochi is out! My copy came yesterday. Wow, there are lots of fun patterns in there - my absolute favorite is the rolly polly (yes, she has an Isopod pattern) and I will have to make one sometime soon. But there's also an enormous squid - seriously, it's almost four feet long with the legs.

And there's a pinata (a reusable pinata! And it does have a slot in the bottom where you can fill it with candy). And a sun pillow. And a robot pillow case large enough to hold a bed pillow. And a slice of birthday cake.

And there are capybaras. They're probably the most-generally-recognized-as-cute thing in there, though I have to admit the rolly polly is awfully cute to me.

Most of the patterns are knit with bulky weight (CYC size 5) yarn - but like most toys, you can do the pattern in whatever weight you like, provided you use the correct size needle. (I think tiny capybaras made out of sock yarn leftovers would be very cute).