Done Shrug-ing

Last night I stayed up too late finishing the knitting of the Black & Blue Shrug and today while I stayed out of the cleaning lady's way I wove in the tails. then after she'd left I went downstairs and dug around to find the perfect button for it.  I think this carved black button was my mother-in-law's but it might have been Mom's or my grandmother's.  I don't know where it came from and it was at the very bottom of one of the button boxes but I think it's perfect.  I was smart and got out a plain old black button to sew on the inside of the sweater band on the back of the pretty button so it has more support to stay put.  I kept putting the sweater on today because I'd get chilled but then I'd have to take it off because I'm already wearing a t-shirt and wool v-neck sweater and adding a double-thick wool and mohair cardigan over it is just, well, overkill.  But I know it'll be perfect over a long-sleeved t-shirt and one of my 100 Acts of Sewing Dresses No. 1.

I spent some extra time after the button search sewing together the 2 pair of leggings I had cut out and suspect that the fabric of one pair isn't stretchy enough.  I was getting cold and had dug out yarn and needles for the next project(s) I want to cast on so I left the leggings un-elasticked and un-hemmed.  I'll get to that maybe tomorrow, maybe Thursday, maybe over the weekend.



After supper I finished January Too Early Birthday Preemie Hat #2... because tomorrow's the last day of January.  The first name of the next preemie hat I cast on will be February, won't it?



January 30--Architecture Detail.  From where Fran stood the scene looked like a painting by one of those artists that paints squares of colors instead of figures.  A red wall was pierced by logs over a white porch roof with the navy blue sea and robin's egg blue sky beyond.  In that moment she understood all those abstract paintings she had puzzled over for years.  She would never look at blues, white, and red the same again.  George poked the small of her back.  "Are you going to stand here staring all day?"  She turned to look at him.  "Maybe," she said.  He made no reply.

This afternoon I took the van up to the mechanic on the corner so he can work on it first thing tomorrow morning.  It's been running a little rough so I gave it a tank of premium gas and that hadn't helped at all.  Time to have Chad give it the once over.  Of course, it would have been more convenient to have the work done today but he was booked solid.  I have a 12 noon haircut across town so he'd better get it done by 11:30 or I told the owner I was going to be taking a 1-2 hour test drive.  I walked home, uphill, and it took less time and I was less winded that the last time I walked home from Joe's.  It's downhill when I go to pick it up.  I like downhill.
--Barbara