Happy Birthday to Best Friend

.Now that she's received it, I can post the sweater I made for Best Friend.

It's Emerald, from Knitty, same as I made for Sister. Again, I used Lamb's Pride Bulky, this time in the Cranberry color way. It took only 8 skeins, but I bought 10.

I forgot to take another picture after I put on the one big wooden button and before mailing it off. But imagine a big wooden button.

Her birthday's not until next week, but I sent it early, since she lives in Denver and I figured I was done (had been done for some time) so why wait? And who doesn't like early birthday presents?

Testing Temptation -- the LYS version

My favorite yarn shop, Knitch, has moved and today's the reopening. I have tomorrow off, since I'm working on Saturday. I'll be selling Chinese batiks and my handmade pottery at the Harvest Market in the City of Riverdale. The proceeds will benefit the organization I work for.

So... Friday, I will come to the office and pick up tables and chairs for the event, and probably do some work. Then I'll go to the pottery studio for open studio time to throw some more pots and carve up the ones that have reached bone dry stage.

After that I may go to Knitch to check out their new digs. Depends on traffic. I also have a frequent customer discount to use by Nov 11 :)

Texture

Last night I brought home a bowl that I threw last week. I'm uncovering it and letting it sit in the sun and wind for a bit, to dry and harden up. When it's leather hard, I can carve designs into it without it squashing all out of shape.

Wine bottle included for scale. Behind them is the 191 building with the 2 turrets. The glass cylinder is the Westin Hotel. The black rectangles are plywood to cover up the missing windows. The windows were smashed when the tornado blew through in March 2008. We weren't living here at the time, but I bet it was pretty cool to see.

When I was at the library this week, this book caught my eye.
Then, as I was flipping through, this close up sparked an idea:
I'm going to carve that bowl to look like this. I can't wait.

Must...Finish....ZZZZZZ

I have 6 more rows to go to finish the left front of the Sunrise Circle Jacket. However, it's midnight and I really should go to bed.

But only 6 more rows! I could knit while watching an episode of FlashForward and finish it.

If I could keep my eyes open.

I want to make a new shawl

As I mentioned, I went to a semi-formal event on Saturday, and it was chilly out. I don't have a dressy coat, and I thought "Dang. I wish I had a nice shawl."

I'm thinking of making the Earth Stripe Wrap from the Rowan Kidsilk Haze and Kidsilk Aura yarn shown above.

As far as I can tell from comments on Ravelry, the ESW is made by holding 2 yarns together for a heathered effect using similar and discordant colors, and following a particular sequence of stripes that repeated several times.

Well, I don't have the same colors nor exactly the same amount of yarns, so I'm going to do a top down, center out triangular shawl, making up my own sequence of stripes. Then knit until all the yarn's done.

Sister, Sister's Fiance and Brother Two are coming to visit for Thanksgiving, so that could be a nice mindless, sedentary time to work on the shawl. Depending on the size of the needle (I'm thinking size 8 or 9), it could be done in time for Husband and my 10th anniversary trip in late December.

Um, please disregard the randomly striping pink, black and grey rectangular mohair shawl that I've worked off and on, for years. Currently it is off and hiding under the couch.

I've made quite a bit of progress on the Furisode Log Cabin afghan, thanks to the hours and hours of TV watching and reading I've been doing. Plus, Furisode is bulky weight.

Tonight, during Heroes and Castle, I picked up the Sunrise Circle Jacket. Still slogging along. I'm motivated, though. I've been wearing Hermia cardigan almost everyday and I'd like something new and complete for the December trip. If I work on just the SCJ, I probably could make it.

Okay. That's the plan, then. I'll start the Kid Silk Haze/Aura shawl tomorrow and put the Furisode afghan on hold.

What kind of self-control do you think I have?

ETA: Just looked at my notes on the SCJ on Ravelry. Cast on on Sept 21 and today (Oct 27) I turned the hem for the left sleeve front. Just about 20 more rows, including WS purl rows, and I'm done with the left front. So it is a pretty fast knit, despite the fluctuating stitch counts on the front. And despite the fact that I put the left front in time out for about 10 days.

If the SCJ is my main TV knitting, I may be able to get this done in a few weeks. Plus, the sleeve part is perfect portable knitting.

See, I can start the Kid Silk Haze/Aura shawl guilt free, because I'll soon have a project off the needles.

Ah, rationalization. It's true, decision making is more about emotion than logic.

Sierra "Belonging"

Just watched this episode of "Dollhouse." Wow.

What I liked:

1. The explicitness with which they talked about power, control, and exploitation. and money.

2. Adelle and Topher's crises of conscience. Especially Topher. In other episodes, we saw how Adelle wrestled with it. And in the end, in "Belonging" Adelle gives into the order from up high that would enslave Sierra forever. On the other hand, Topher rises to the occasion do the right thing and really help Priya this time.

3. Priya getting her revenge on Nolan.

4. Topher and Boyd coming to help her cover it up.

5. Boyd's grey morality. Why is he part of the Dollhouse? Adelle mentioned that everyone who works at the Dollhouse has compromised morality. So what's Boyd's story? He's Dollhouse's Shepard Book. I hope we get to learn more about Boyd than we did about Book.

6. The enduring power of love. Even though Priya couldn't remember Victor's name, she could feel and remember that she loved him greatly. And it helped her agree to be wiped again.

7. Increased craftiness on Echo's part and a bit more about Victor's background. I hope we get to see that too.

This is an episode that I'll watch again. There are layers that I know I've missed. At least I'll have to look at it through a gender lens.

Fall in Atlanta

Above is a picture of Centennial Olympic Park, as seen from my balcony. Most trees still very green.

Below is the park that's on the roof of our building's parking ramp