So, I had one of those moments where I was pretty dang happy with my knitting self. Last Wednesday (the 9th), I cast on the toe of a sock because my mind didn't want to concentrate on reading anymore. I finished the toe and then I had a three hour class. I took the sock with me. I finished the sock and cast on the second one on Friday night. Then I bound off the second sock on Sunday afternoon (that was yesterday, the 13th).

Yes, that's right. I, Anna the crazy knitter, knit an entire pair of socks in less than a week. I can't do the very awesome thing that the Yarn Harlot just did, because I'm just not that fast of a spinner and a knitter, but I'm very happy with myself (also, I'm happy with myself because I managed to finish a reading report tonight instead of tomorrow morning--I'll take my victories where I find them).

Granted, these were plain stockinette socks. Very simple. No wonder people knit stockinette socks. They're like instant knitting gratification. I forgot to take a picture before I wore them and then washed them, but I'll try to post a picture once they're dry. I managed to get the stripes to match up, which is always nice.

I finished a sleeveless sweater, Shalom, last week, too. I finally got the buttons on yesterday. It's comfy but not exactly fashionable. It'll be the sort of thing I wear around the house and possibly to knit night and maybe to the grocery store.

And now I've hit a bump in my fast knitting, because on the needles I have:

The Tibetan Clouds Shawl, which I'm finally in a mood to work on, and for which I require the chart, and which have beads.
The Glass Slippers Socks, which have mini-cables, which are lovely and dainty, and for which I require the chart.
and, last but not least, the Fireside Sweater, which has large cables for which I require the chart, and also which, despite swatching, I keep having to frog and start over because apparently my actual size (based on the one listed on the pattern, at least) is too big and I need to go down one or two sizes (I have read in other people's project notes that this has happened before, so it may not be me--it may be the pattern sizing).

I'm thinking of starting a cowl just so I have something to knit on the bus.

Random thought of the day: Some of the X-mas gifts this year included several lotions from the Body Shop. They're very nice, although scent-wise, I could take or leave most of them (the strawberry one is a little too much how I would expect Strawberry Shortcake to smell if cartoons were scented), but the mango one is amazing. For some reason, it makes me want to go get frozen yogurt, and frozen yogurt is something I never crave. Since we're out of yogurt, frozen or otherwise, I'm eating frozen blueberries.

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In other thoughts...I wish I could write the kind of poetry I love the best. Free verse turns out to be very difficult to write. When I listen to a reading of a good poem, all the words flow and sing. Anyone can write a sonnet (whether it's a good sonnet or not isn't the question), but free verse that excels? That's truly challenging.

I suppose that means that I should practice.

I'm not a morning person. I've had moments in my life where I could pull it together in the mornings, but this morning doesn't seem to be one of them. I just want to go back to sleep, and instead, I have to leave in fifteen minutes and I haven't decided whether I need a jacket or a heavy coat yet (okay, jacket it is, based on what the weather report says) and the fact that it isn't raining outside.

Maybe it's because I had one of those nights where I thought I would never fall asleep, and then when I did, I had really strange dreams punctuated by waking up at intervals. I really should start writing these down. Some of them might make good short stories. I dreamed the other night that I was going to have twins, and I was due the next day, and we didn't have anything ready (no bottles, no baby clothes, no diapers), and I hadn't knit anything, and I was trying to knit a baby blanket at the last minute...and all I had was scarlet eyelash yarn. The knitter's nightmare.

When thinking it over, the part that sticks out most is the yarn. I have no eyelash yarn in the stash. I have never had eyelash yarn in the stash (although, come to think of it, if I did, I might go for red, since it's a great colour). I have this kind of yarn that will make a ruffled scarf (which I'm thinking about starting soon), I've used ribbon yarn, and I've had boucle yarn (which I didn't like that much but I was knitting on needles that were too small for it), but I don't knit with the novelty stuff very frequently. I want to try chenille some time if I can find the type that has enough wool in it so it can felt, because pictures I've seen of that are really neat.

Anyway, enough of a digression. Time to find my shoes.