Thanks!

Thank you, everyone, for putting up with my rambly post yesterday; I had other things on my mind and it's hard to write when there's a deadline and you just don't feel like writing anything AT ALL. But the good news is that my new Plan of Action (which includes "generous honesty" and "courageous risk-taking" ... sounds self-helpy) seems to work most of the time, and I am NOT breaking up with my sweet orange-headed Boy. Yay! I can concentrate on better things now, and wrangle this blog back towards the knitting.

Some of my svelte and sharp-witted readers may know that in the past I had another blog (some may even know that this blog is technically a spin-off of that one). Non-knitting blogs are okay but they seem to totally suck up all my time if I let them. Mostly I read blogs about current affairs, politics, popular American culture, all that junk, and I would find myself sucked into these lo-o-ong comment threads. Since I killed my non-knitting blog I have found that I don't read the other non-K blogs much anymore. Is this a good thing? At first it was a load off my shoulders not to spend hours and hours clicking through all the "required reading," but now I miss being in daily touch with those writers. (In fact, I got to meet In Real Life someone I only "knew" via locopop blogging, Xta, at a recent knit night! Woohoo! That's probably what got me thinking about this.)

Saturday night I sort of felt guilty for abandoning that region of Bloglandia. Was I missing out on all the vital issues of the day? Was I just being lazy and apathetic? Then I ran across this page of "knitting cocktails" and remembered why it PAYS to read knitting blogs. Knitters just UNDERSTAND one another. We share information not to prove some esoteric point but in order to better the lives of our fellow knitters. I was dismayed to find that I have no Stolichnaya Vanil (WTF?????) so I was forced to fix my Needle Roll cocktail using Stoli Razberi.

Friends, let me say to you now: Godiva Chocolate Liqueur + Stoli Raz + ice = LOVE. I'm more of a scotch girl myself (I also find gin to be very useful) but my cabinet seems to have a lot of fruity/sweet liqueurs anyway. This was a very relaxing cocktail for the after-work bubble bath (tough night closing at the restaurant) and I recommend it to you for all your knitting/bubble-bathing occasions.

In more knitting news, today I was graced with the presence of my favorite Known Lurker, Gali, who was sporting a melon-colored Rowan handknit for me to fondle. I love seeing other people's handknits, especially when they don't realise that you are checking them out. One of my coworkers learned to knit over the holidays and now SHE is also spying on knitwear. Based on my extensive knit-watching, I have decided that the unofficial Hot Item for this winter is the garter-stitch scarf received at Christmas 2004. It is this year's poncho, only less obnoxious and more sweet. It would be great if next year the unofficial hot item was handknit socks or something that would show that our knitting gift-givers are keeping at it. I hate the thought of a knitter making a couple scarves and giving up!

Alas, I have some ideas about what my next object of lust is: SaunShine's Regine! I even know what color I want to knit... and I also happen to have that Patternworks gift certificate to buy the yarn. I think it's fate. DAMN I want that sweater. (Or maybe I just want to look as good in it as Saun does.) Saun is a local knitter (and I think I even saw her shopping at the LYS once) and I would like to support her nice designs if I can. It's good to see a design that is chic, stylish, and hip without obviously TRYING to be those things. (Berroco, I'm looking at you.)