bag 'n' trash

Eye Candy Friday

one of my pet peeves, and i've been called on this because i seem to let it annoy me way more than it should, is when people who live here in New England, of their own free choice, complain about the winter.  and how long it is.  and how cold it is.  and how snowy.  and who wonder out loud if a couple of 60 degree days in february are signs that spring is right around the corner.  as if spring has ever started in february ... ever.  and then are angrily disappointed when we get 6 inches of snow the next day.   yes, our winters are long and it can get old come mid-march when the rest of the country seems to be blooming all over the place and we're still standing there in our old grey wool pea coats and mittens and scarves freezing our asses off.  but it's New England.  and that's how things roll in New England.

but eventually, if you're patient, spring does finally get here. 

I Am Sometimes A Slacker

i try to live by society's rules.  you know.  i don't intentionally break the law (well except for the speeding ... BUT COME ON!  does anyone drive 65 mph on the mass pike? ).  i pay my bills on time.  I DON'T LIVE ABOVE MY MEANS -- (ie.  i didn't buy a house i couldn't afford or i didn't take out a home equity loan to GO ON VACATION), i try to do onto others as i would have done onto me and all of that happy horse shit.  and i try to live by my own standard of rules ... i don't call in sick because of a hangover (because if i indulged on a school night, i kind of deserve to suffer a little), i don't go through the drive through because honestly, if i can't get my ass out of the car then i've lost all self-respect (by the way, i'm not judging those of you who do go through the drive-through.  this is my rule for my life.).  i allow myself a big mac only on road trips over 4 hours.  and i try not to let people down. 

but sometimes i break my own rules because i am a slacker.

see, when minty asked for test-knitters for her gorgeous merion mitts, i raised my virtual hand and yelled "pick me! pick me!"

and she kindly did.  and i started knitting ... only to get distracted ... and not finish before she released her pattern for sale. 

until now.

these are beautiful and fun mittens to knit. once i got going, i couldn't stop.  my two favorite details are the twisted ribs and the seed stitch palm and inside of the thumb.  such a clever design.

i made the larger of the two sizes and used one skein of ella rae classic plus a tiny bit more (i could have probably gotten away with just one skein if i'd been a little bit more careful.)  i raveled the details of my pair here.

and since it's been freezing cold here in new england, i've actually gotten to wear them.

you know you want your own pair.

Today's the Deadline

for the potholder swap!  so don't forget to sign up.  you can click on the official potholder swap button in my sidebar or go visit adrian or maritza.

and in honor of the crochet fever we're all experiencing, i've stocked my etsy shop with some crochet cards.  buy them individually or in sets of 6. 

Distractions

so i've been distracted lately and have neglected the blog.  and blogging.  and other people's blogs.  (seriously, i've been reading though.  well i read some.  in  the past two days.  did some catching up.  whoa, i'm subscribed to a lot of blogs).

anyway, yesterday margene asked me if i was ever coming back.  so here i am!

and what has been distracting me so much?

potholders.

if you'd like to get sucked in to the mania (because i'm not the only one) join us in the crocheted potholder swap currently being organized by adrian and maritza.  check out their blogs for details and come and play.

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hi!