Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today's my mom's 81st birthday. I'm taking her to lunch at her favorite spot, HuHot, but it wasn't until Wednesday when I was about ready to leave for work that I realized that I didn't have a present for her. Now, I could have gone somewhere on any one of the intervening days and purchased something, but where's the frantic panic in that? So, in the 3 minutes before I had to leave to get to work on time, I sought out a free pattern, unearthed some yarn in her favorite shade of green (I can't believe I had it!), sussed out some needles (they were the aluminum "bottom of the barrel" and they used to be hers), shoved it all in a bag and left. I got the first half nearly done at work on Wed. and finished that evening. I cast on the second half Thursday after Writer's and finished it yesterday evening. I saw another pattern on Ravelry that had leaves at the top, I liked that so I knit some of other colors of the same yarn to place artfully on the side where I swooped an I-cord down from making the tab for the top. I got it all put together and photographed before bed last night. Ta-da! I really like it. I hope Mom does too.

Earlier in the week I felted Clutch v. 2. I was really thrilled with how it turned out. I still want it a bit narrower and twice as deep, but this is better than before. It wasn't until I looked inside that I realized more work was needed.


Um, can you imagine trying to find something in here?!? Me neither. Time for a shave, I think. Pretty colors though and I'll look for a swank button to sew over the closure this week.







Today I'm dragging a friend with a trailer and big muscles to a town 30 miles west to pick up a king-sized bed DIL's parents need to get rid of. After all the years of Durwood's traveling for work we both got used to sleeping in the middle, we're hoping a king-sized bed eliminates a few of the border disputes. Yesterday I was writing a thank you note to deliver when we pick it up and nearly wrote "we'll think of you every time we use it" but decided that was just too icky for words. I settled on "thanks for your generosity." A much more appropriate sentiment, don't you think?