Weekend Things

This weekend I finally shucked off the mantle of procrastination, shut myself in my room and got serious about revising the last few stories for my thesis. I ignored all regular housework, kept my mind off the archive boxes in the back of my car that I bought for organizing 12 years worth of kids' artwork and memorabilia, paid no attention to the lovely blue sky (Saturday), and even resisted the siren song of National Clean Out Your Fridge Weekend (actually, that's a lie––I did clean out my fridge, but not until Sunday evening, while I cooked dinner).

As a result of my diligence, I totally rewrote two stories, tweaked another six that were mostly done already, and did some initial note-taking and thinking about one last one before I ran out of steam altogether. That one's on tonight's to-do list. I'm super excited to be on the home stretch (draft thesis due this Wednesday, the final, after one or two more rounds of revision, is due December 20), and I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. I'm not entirely satisfied with the endings on a couple of stories. But that's the hardest part, isn't it? The ending? That is, after the beginning and the middle.

Amidst it all, I did manage to cut one boy's hair. He was extremely unhappy with me (thus, no "after" picture), but I am going to be so happy to have to contend with those snarls anymore.

And I (almost) finished one Christmas present (weaving in of ends and felting still remain to be dome):

I have been meaning to make E and Z felted mittens for years now, but have somehow not managed to make it happen. Then, last weekend, I discovered I had already knit the right mitten of one pair. They're made with Noro Kureyon (to match this green hat, which has gotten lost since I bought the yarn for the mittens) and some locally-spun sagey/minty green I've had hanging around in the stash forever). Last Sunday, while riding to and from our hike, I cast on the left mitten and knit up through the thumb gusset. That night, while watching Masterpiece, I discovered I'd knit a right thumb gusset, not a left, so I ripped it out and did it again, correctly.

Then, this past Friday night, after we got home from open mic, where M did a duet of "Hotel California" with a friend of ours, I watched an episode of "Ripper Street" (I discovered this show on the airplane home from Ireland, and I love it!) and knit up half of the hand part. I finished up the hand and the thumb on the drive to and from a Portland Pirates Hockey game Saturday night (I used to go to hockey games all the time in high school, but I hadn't been to one in years. I forgot how much fun they are!). As always, one mitten came out looking smaller than the other (perhaps the huge gap in time that usually occurs between knitting each half of the pair is to blame), but hopefully they will even out in the wash when I felt them.

Last night, I wound my yarn into balls and started the cuff of a second pair. Just a couple more nights of television watching or a long car ride and I should have two Christmas gifts in the offing. Unheard of!