serendipity

Luck - being home with a sick child on the day that history is made by our neighbours to the south. I got to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama, and I'm glad I did. Can I tell you how compelling a speaker this man is? I'm not much of a political person - I expect the people we elect to do the best they can for everyone, so more often than not I am somewhat disappointed, but I'm glad to see some change and growth happening. I do hope that he is given the time and chance to make good on his mandate. Things won't change overnight, and I know things will probably get worse before they get better, but hey, we can hope, can't we? Now if only we Canadians could do something about Harper...

In knitting news - pictures! Yes, finally, pictures!

This is where my black cardigan stood before a day at home with sick child:

and after:I've added a neckband, 3 more inches of the black and half of the grey alpaca hem.

The hem on the sleeve - grey alpaca, doubled over for a sewn hem. (Sorry Helga, I know you wanted a fold over cuff, but the alpaca wouldn't hold the fold very well!)

I am very happy with how this is turning out. Once I finish the bottom hem, I will add a front band all the way around in the grey alpaca, and it's done. For a design on the fly, this turned out so well - it fits, it's comfortable, and it used up stash! I used all the black wool I bought at Kitchener, and will use all of the two lonely balls of grey alpaca I had sitting around, as well as part of a ball of cream alpaca that I have used to line the hems - I wanted to stretch the grey as far as possible.

I've also been working on a pair of socks - my travel knitting - good for lunchtimes at work, basketball practices and games and swimming lessons.

My FIL is always looking for soft socks - he got the alpaca/silk pair at Christmas, and my MIL has to steal them from him to wash them - they are a hit. So up next for him is a pair of grey bamboo.

You'll note the colour transition - FIL likes his socks long. Actually MIL likes them long - she hates seeing bare leg on him when he sits down and his pants ride up. I weighed the sock as I went and when I had used up half the ball, I knew they were no where close to long enough, so I dug out another ball of bamboo in a darker grey and transitioned the colours. He's happy with it, so that's good. The only problem with showing them to him already is that now he's impatiently waiting for them. Ah, the pressure!

And I'm only at work for half a day today - Husband is home for the morning with sick child, and I will go home for the afternoon to care for the limp dishrag. Poor kid, he's lying there lethargically, and all he wants to do is go to basketball practice. Sorry kid - not gonna happen...