Back in the swing

Okay, so it's a little early, but my new year's resolution is to blog. So here I am.

I've been knitting a ton since fall quarter ended, and I've finished three fingerless mitts (yes, only three, none of them match, and they're all the left ones), three hats, and one teddy bear. I think it's relaxing, and it's so easy to do while I'm watching TV or listening to music or a podcast. Shane's mom Sharon and his dad's ex-wife Florence both asked me to knit them hats, and I've finished Flo's and am working on Shar's. They're this great pattern from Loop Knits, called the Grace Lace Beret. The pattern is so simple and beautiful, I love how it turns out. This is the one I knit for myself:

I love how it fits on me, the ribbing is just tight enough to stay on my head, but loose enough that it doesn't mess up my hair or feel like I'm wearing a hat at all, really. It's very comfortable. I knit it with some plain old red yarn I had laying around (the only yarn I had enough of to knit a hat). I think it would have turned out better if I used a lighter weight yarn. I also didn't quite know how to do the double decrease (slip two stitches as if to knit two together, knit one, pass the two slipped stitches over the knit stitch). It's supposed to look like a regular knit stitch that's just raised (as if it were embossed), but on mine it looks kind of like a sloppy k2tog (knit two together). Oh well, I had fun making it, and the one I've made for Florence was even better. I'm using Wool Bam Boo from Classic Elite Yarns on Sharon's, and I'm finding myself wishing again that I had enough money to buy yarn from Canvas Works all the time. Sigh. College life doesn't give me much room in my yarn budget. I did, however, get a giant box of yarn from Florence. I think I may even have enough for a sweater!

My uncle Dylan passed away on the 20th of this month, and the whole family is really distraught. It's very hard, although I'm not sure it's supposed to be easy. One way my body has apparently decided to cope is by having neck spasms. It's really frustrating and painful, because my neck is always tense. I don't often have pain like this, and it's helping me empathize with my boyfriend Shane, who has chronic back pain. Also, I've gotten painkillers from the doctor, which are quite enjoyable.

What would Megan play: Gears of War 2
What would Megan read: Born in Ice, by Nora Roberts