Columbus Day

Columbus Day is a BIG holiday in my house.  We like Columbus as much as the next guy, but I have to confess, it’s a little bit more personal.  Our anniversary falls on the long weekend (we’re both government employees, so we both get the Monday holiday) and it’s fun to always have a three day weekend to celebrate!

This year, we aren’t doing a lot of celebrating, having already broken the bank with our anniversary gift to each other, our sweet Maine Coon Cat Harry.  Harry and his sister Hermione had a little trip to the vet for shots this morning, so they are happilly snoozing away.  They took up most of the morning.  The rest of the day was spent shuffling the four littles from school to tutoring to art, etc etc etc.  So it’s been your average day, although I do have a huge pot of Osso Bucco in the oven, and it smells tantalizing!

I did have time for a little bit of knitting/art/dyeing today.  First off, I don’t think I have shown y’all the wide rib scarf I’m working on in Rowan’s Big Wool.  The colors are delicious — brown and darker brown, and although I was afraid the yarn might be a bit too scratchy for a scarf, it is actually fabulous and two of the kids are fighting over it already.  It’s a wide rib — 4×4 with a garter stitch border, so it has been easy enough for rush hour knitting in the car but the result is quite beautiful.

I’ve also been dyeing some silk.  I have a hobbit on my hands for Halloween, but he eschews the store bought costume I thought I was so clever to purchase in advance.  Needless to say, I will be making a cape and hoping I can put something together.

Although it doesn’t look like much at this point, once it is all wrapped on a pole and steamed, it will be quite lovely.  Parts of the colors remind me of the purpley-green-browns at the heart of an artichoke.

I’ve also been dyeing yarn today.  I wanted something that had red, white, and blue colors, without exactly mimicing the colors in the flag, to do felted purses for some friends with loved ones in Iraq who need something special for Veteran’s Day.  I think this yarn should work perfectly.

And finally, I devoted a little bit of time to painting some children’s clothing for my E-Store.  I wanted to do some little elves and fairies.  Once they’re dry, I’m going to go back on the ones sized for children beyond the age of constant self-endangerment and add a little bit of beadwork.

So, that’s my day.  The husband (now of 18 years) is off picking up our girly-girl from art classes, which means I need to go pop into the kitchen and make salad (arugula with shaved parmesan and my homemade mustard-vinagrette) and brussel sprouts (we roast them and they are absolutely to die for).