Chicago Blogging Take Two

That is a picture of an incredible package I won from posting a comment on another blog. Larkin of The Lady Knits held a contest last month and I won! Unfortunately I did not get a picture of everything in the package before my heathen children got hold of it. Aside from the three magazines and the orange Blue Sky Alpaca Melange and the cranberry Malabrigo Merino Lace, there were some candies and cookies, and a small candy corn candle and a pencil with an orange troll like thing at the top, some orange bath salts and some amazing orange stitch markers. The contest's theme was 'Orange and Other Fall Colors,' can you tell? Thank you Larkin!!

Tomorrow we fly out to Chicago for a whole week. I'm really excited. Larry is a nervous wreck. He doesn't fly well. It's endearing in an anxious kind of way. If that makes sense. Me, I like adventure, I like to travel, see new things and meet new people. Larry is a self proclaimed cave dweller. I think the only thing making this trip possible is the fact that we'll be staying with his folks where he already has built his pseudo cave. Meanwhile I'm doing my best to curb my enthusiasm and just do what he says and avoid conflict. The man does not need any more stress.

So we had already decided not to take Rachel with us, a week with absolutely no kids, bliss. Late last week he told me how worried he was about me being away from Rachel for 8 days, the longest I've ever been away from her. He was really concerned about how I would handle it. We both know that Rachel won't even know I'm gone, she'll be having way too much fun with Bubby and Zaidy. He was worried enough to actually check flight prices for her. You didn't hear it from me but I'm thinkin' it's he who is going to miss Rachel more.

We haven't hammered out our visiting agenda yet, we figure we'll play it by ear. But I have planned my own personal down time agenda, knitting and more knitting. I'm going to make Ysolda's Peaks Island Hood for Chana. She will love it and it is knit up in heavy worsted weight on fairly large needles so it should be a pretty quick knit. I'm also taking along yarn for a hat and mittens for Nachman. For the plane I'm taking another pair of socks. Why? Because I finished my Monkey Socks!

They're mine, all mine. And soooo comfey.

So what's left for holiday knitting? I have to finish Miriam's Snapdragon Mitts, the Tam is done. Chana gets the hood/scarf thing. Nachman gets a hat and mittens from yarn he picked out. Rachel has the Cupcake Purse filled with knitted foods that I have to work on when we get back. Nosson wants an earflap hat. I have some really nice charcoal gray yarn I just haven't found a pattern I like yet. I'll take ideas, I'm open to color work but he's a teenage boy and doesn't want anything 'fussy.' I was going to try this skull pattern that I thought was really cool. He looked at it and said no way. I may make it for myself. I'd use only one row of skulls though.

I'm not knitting for Larry. The man hates socks, doesn't wear hats or scarves and only sometimes wears a sweater. Forget about it.

I'm already planning knitting and crafts for after the holidays. I'm insane. Here's a hint at what I've got in store:

Can you guess??

Tomorrow I'll blog from Chicago!

Yakira