PlazaJen: Passion Knit

I had Wed-Fri off, and five days away from work was nice. Actually, because I get OCD (and control freaky) about things, I still checked email, but successfully resisted the original plan to "pop in" on Friday to make sure everything was fine. I got one phone call and was able to answer the question, so hey - it was nice. Time not spent on death, dying, cancer, driving, the will, the burglary, more driving.

So I got it in my head to finish some things. And finish things I did! I had a pair of socks on the needles that had begun as socks for JWo, were diverted briefly towards my dad, but then obviously everything HAPPENED. So. Back to the Wo they went, and I got those done first:

Opal on 1's:


Then, I turned to the truly evil project that has been waiting since late Winter/early Spring: The Homespun Prairie Stripes Afghan. Yes. Knitting with Homespun. Now, here's the bitch of Homespun. I hate how it knits. That binder thread snags & it's hard to control. But the finished product is so soft, washable, and this pattern's pretty. I had half the yarn for it in the first place, plus the pattern, so I figured, knit 'er up. And I turned a blind eye to the part that would later be my biggest stumbling block: the border.



Because the border has mitred corners, so you not only pick up 8 gajillion stitches on each side, but you increase your stitches, so it takes even longer, for the 16-row border. WOOHOO. All I can say is, it's nice, it's pretty, it's soft, and IT'S DONE.



Then, I also finished Under the Banner of Heaven, by John Krakauer - talk about a mesmerizing, informative, disturbing & jaw-dropping book. I was raised without any organized religion, and knew very little about the origins of Mormonism & even the history right here in Independence, MO (a Kansas City suburb, now known more for meth production than divine salvation...) Without inciting a debate on religion, I can say that it gave me a deeper understanding of my favorite HBO show,Big Love! And that there's a thin line between faith and a cult, and the fundamentalists who have 46 wives who are on welfare, or sleep with their own daughters or wed 14 year olds should be stopped. OK, that was kind of inciteful. But I don't think my blog really plays to the polygamists, either. ;)