Ending the Week with Smiles

Does it feel to anyone else like it's been a very long week? It hasn't even been a particularly busy one, but yet the days have seemed to crawl by and I've been expecting it to be Friday the past couple of mornings when I've woken up. We've finally made it, though, and I thought I'd finish up the week by sharing some happy things.

First, Mo has a new pair of socks (which she just might need this weekend, when there is yet again snow -- albeit of the nonsticking variety -- in the forecast):

I didn't do anything special with these -- I didn't even bother trying to get the stripes to match up! They're my usual sock recipe worked over 64 stitches, with a heel flap and gusset and a wedge toe. They are a bit roomy on her for now, which isn't a problem at all, as she only wears her hand-knit socks around the house, but they do give her some space to grow. You can't see the sparkle at all in the photo, unfortunately, but trust me, it's there and it's delightful.

Another happy thing: playing with handspun. I swatched with my Rambouillet, measured my swatch, gave it a good soak, left it to dry, and measured it again. I was very close on gauge before washing and it changed just a tiny bit (I'm spot on for stitch gauge and off by half a row per inch on row gauge). More importantly, I discovered that this yarn is a delight to work with and creates a lovely fabric, so I'm going to have a very nice sweater out of it. And as the socks were done and I needed another mostly mindless project on the needles, I wound up my most recent skein of handspun and started a Hitchhiker.

Can you tell it was gloomy outside when I took this photo?

I have to admit that I was peer-pressured to start knitting with this handspun by several members of the Southern Cross Fibre Ravelry group, but I don't regret it at all. I've knit a bit more since I took this photo, and I'm getting a lovely subtle rainbow that is making me very happy indeed.

The next happy thing is something I totally forgot to share on Monday. Last weekend we had a big dinner with some family friends -- friends we've known since the summer before I started first grade and my brother was a newborn. These are friends we've gone on vacation and celebrated holidays with over the years, and now that there are three generations involved, it's harder and harder to find a time when everyone is free. But amazingly we all were last Saturday night, and it was great to see everyone. Most of all, it was great to see my brother and nephew arrive in the coordinating old man-style sweaters I made them:

Yes, I did stick his hand in his pocket for this photo.

I hope you appreciate that it took three women making absolute fools of themselves to get my nephew's attention for this photo:

The final happy thing? Tomorrow is my birthday! It's not a big birthday (to be honest, I don't really care so much about turning another year older except that I don't love the next number and am sorry that I will no longer be the answer to everything). I also told my family that I didn't really want a big to-do, but I like being with them and would like to have cake. Tonight the three of us are going out to one of our favorite restaurants; tomorrow we're having the Mister's side of the family over (except for my brother-in-law, who will be out of town -- presumably to celebrate his half-birthday because he is exactly 6 months older than i); and on Sunday, we'll have an early dinner at my parents' with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. I'm hoping to get some of the household chores done today so that I can have Saturday to myself, and I'll plan to cast on for my new sweater then.

I hope you have an enjoyable weekend, whatever you have planned -- be sure to eat a piece of cake in my honor!