I am not a very political person. At all. For those that know me, they are snickering right now because that is such a complete understatement. I wouldn't say I'm apathetic either. I just don't enjoy politics and the inherent conflict and resulting divisiveness. However, this election surprised me by making me interested, and moreover, by how much it interested the kids.
Sweetie Girl was asking so many really good questions, up until the day of the election. She asked to go vote with us, and walked away proudly with her "I Voted" sticker. She asked where Obama stood on Prop 8, and I was proud to tell her it was the same as our viewpoint. (That's right. I am definitely "No on Prop 8!") Last night, while following the campaign on our drive home from soccer practice, she was counting down the minutes until our polls closed. Then she surprised me by asking if we could drive by our polling location to see if people were still voting. We all cheered when we heard that Obama was announced as our 44th President. My little future voters witnessed global history in the making and wanted to be, make that, were, part of it. For me, that is heart-warming.
While I am deeply happy and satisfied with the victory, I am equally saddened (and a bit appalled) to hear that California voters approved a ban on same-sex marriages. Our world would be so much better if people stopped telling others how to live their lives.
Okay, end of political rant. You will probably never read my political opinions again, because I might never experience such strong political again. Thanks for reading, and if you like, you can politely agree to disagree. Really. Just don't leave me any hair-flouncing huffy messages, kay?
As I promised, here are the basic birthday cowls I made for Freezing Niece. Yay! I actually have FOs to show.
Project: Dolores Park Cowl by Parikha Mehta
Yarn: Mmmmmmalabrigo Worsted in Buscando Azul, less than 1 skein
Needles: Knit Picks classic 16" circulars, US size 8
Start: October 24
Finish: October 27
Thoughts: Love it, love it, love it. Super soft and squishy. Color bled a lot in the bath, but a bit of vinegar cleared that right up. This pattern originally uses Malabrigo Chunky, but I wanted to stash dive and knit. I followed JenniferLang's worsted version. This one is definitely a knit-again; in fact, I just bought some Malabrigo Chunky in Lettuce (my favorite color of theirs) to make another.
Project: Chickadee Cowl by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky in a Grey and White twist, less than 1 skein
Needles: Knit Picks classic 16" circulars, US Size 11
Start: October 27
Finish: October 29
Thoughts: I love the look of this cowl with variegated yarn, but with this yarn, not so much. The yarn, which is usually super fluffy and soft, compacted quite a bit to make a dense fabric because of the linen stitch on the pattern. I started on size 10 needles, and went up to 11s. Stash diving again, I chose the alpaca because I knew it's the warmest of natural fibers and that's what Freezing Niece right now. I actually took a scarf that I had crocheted and frogged it for the yarn. Then I wound it up and steamed it to get the kinks out before knitting it. I would knit this one again, but only with some color. This looks like a dud, but check out the different versions on rav before forming your opinion.
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky in a Grey and White twist, less than 1 skein
Needles: Knit Picks classic 16" circulars, US Size 11
Start: October 27
Finish: October 29
Thoughts: I love the look of this cowl with variegated yarn, but with this yarn, not so much. The yarn, which is usually super fluffy and soft, compacted quite a bit to make a dense fabric because of the linen stitch on the pattern. I started on size 10 needles, and went up to 11s. Stash diving again, I chose the alpaca because I knew it's the warmest of natural fibers and that's what Freezing Niece right now. I actually took a scarf that I had crocheted and frogged it for the yarn. Then I wound it up and steamed it to get the kinks out before knitting it. I would knit this one again, but only with some color. This looks like a dud, but check out the different versions on rav before forming your opinion.
Project: Cherry Garcia by Adrian Bizilia
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Creme, less than 1 skein
Needles: Knit Picks classic 16" circulars, US size 11
Start: October 30
Finish: November 1
Thoughts: I love the beautiful cabling on this project, especially with this cream colored yarn, again stash yarn. However, this was the project that cramped my style, literally, and caused pain in my arms that I have not felt in a looooooong time. But I have forgiven it because I think it's gorgeous. Definitely would knit this again, but on bigger needles.
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Creme, less than 1 skein
Needles: Knit Picks classic 16" circulars, US size 11
Start: October 30
Finish: November 1
Thoughts: I love the beautiful cabling on this project, especially with this cream colored yarn, again stash yarn. However, this was the project that cramped my style, literally, and caused pain in my arms that I have not felt in a looooooong time. But I have forgiven it because I think it's gorgeous. Definitely would knit this again, but on bigger needles.
I gotta pack these up now and ship 'em off. Have a great week!
