almost escape velocity

I got packed this afternoon, including the FINISHED cowl

This one is going to go to my sister in law rather than my niece (and I do have to block it first, up at my mother's). My niece will get the Monarch butterfly baseball cap (along with some field guides and other small things); that looks more like her.

I'm glad I'm almost packed; I was very anxious about getting everything done this afternoon because I had to pack, I worried about forgetting things (I still have to be sure to remember my night guard), and I had a set of exams to grade (mercifully mostly multiple choice) and then another interview of a candidate for the job at 5 pm.

This evening, I was able to relax a bit - and I started the potholders for the AAUW gift. I entirely finished one:

I also started another; you're really supposed to leave them on the loom for a little while, it makes them easier to bind off:

I want to make a third but I want to think about different designs for them. It's actually kind of surprising given how simple and small the loom is the diversity of patterns you can get with different colors (it's all the same weave).

Also, these are useful - I have a bunch I made that I use as potholders, or you can use it as a "mug rug" like a coaster. And if you make a bunch you can sew them together to make floormats or placemats. (the booklet, which I've lost, that came with the loom, also showed sewing one up to make like a "sleeping bag" for a Beanie-baby sized stuffed animal).

They're quick to make: I got these done while watching the first 2 episodes of the UK version of "Ghosts," which I guess CBS will show as a fill-in until there are new episodes of things. I like it; it's interesting to see how it's different from the US version. (Of all the ghosts, Pat - the scoutmaster - seems closest to the US counterpart; the pantsless guy here is a former MP somewhat in a Boris Johnson mold rather than a securities trader). Kitty, the slightly-silly Georgian petty aristocrat is probably my favorite, though the Romantic poet also seems interesting. (There's no Viking; he's replaced by Robin, a caveman) 

It's perhaps got slightly ruder humor than the US version (which itself has some rude jokes); at one point there's a slightly squicky joke about a character's gay escapade with two of his servants simultaneously. And at one point the MP refers to someone as a "berk," which I thought was a pretty rude word, given that it's derived from Berkshire Hunt, which is itself rhyming slang for......well, probably the rudest slang for female pudenda. 

At any rate: I'm effectively done. Oh, I have classes tomorrow, but this time tomorrow I should be on a northbound train. And I don't have any time embargoed posts; if I can tap out a few on my phone from the road or my mom's house I'll post, otherwise I'll be back in about a week.