Happy Birthday to Me!

Definitely not the birthday I wanted or asked for. When asked, nay badgered, by M about what I wanted for my birthday, I could only say "President-Elect Obama". I knew it was a gift she couldn't promise, but it's really all I wanted. I got that, and a little bit more that I didn't want.

Thank you to those who've expressed sympathy here, privately, and on Rav. We're going to get through this ("no matter how many chicken wings it takes," as one of our friends says). We've got a great private support network, and the Southwest Conference and local UCC pastors are providing fantastic support to the congregation and the Church leadership.

To observe my birthday -- and because it's my blog, darnit -- I decided to catalog some of the new experiences (good and bad) that my 43rd year has brought.

• I lived through my first foliage-less fall (as an adult -- there was that year in FL when I was in 1st grade)
• I lived through my first snow-less winter (again, as an adult)
• I went four-wheeling
• I knit entrelac
• I bought a major appliance
• I have a job that's entirely virtual (woohoo!)
• I got paid real money to knit
• I ate (and didn't like at all) prickly pear cactus pads (LOVE the fruit)
• I lived in a Red state (again, those few months in OH -- which this year is blue anyway -- when I was an infant don't count)
• I stayed up for a significant time AFTER the Super Bowl was over (gotta love that time difference)
• I didn't change my clocks for daylight saving time
• Someone I know was murdered
• Someone I know committed suicide

I could seriously have done without those last two.

And just because life has been a bummer -- and it's my birthday and I want something happy here -- some dishcloths:

Recognize it? It's the Obama campaign logo -- a dishcloth I can believe in

More "believeable" discloths -- these are the ballband dishcloth (modified for my tiny hands) in red, white and blue
Oh, and I don't think I showed off these:

Pattern: Modified version of the Waving Lace Socks from Favorite Socks. I knit these toe-up and mirrored the lace on the two socks.
Yarn: Lang Jawoll Colors #58.
Needle: KnitPicks Harmony 32" 2.5mm circular

There is knitting happening here at Casa Likelyyarns, but much of it is super-secret sample knitting, so I can't share, yet.

PS -- Page 13 of the Fall 2008 KnitPicks catalog (the one with the Palette sampler bags on back) -- remember this mystery?