Ten on Tuesday: 10 thoughts about the Olympics

1) I love the Olympics. I put aside all cynicism and revel in 17 days of unabashed national pride.

2) I watch everything I can and try to Tivo everything else.

3) I'm so glad that snowmobile X and snowmobile freestyle haven't made it to the Olympics yet.

4) I don't really understand moguls as a sport, but I appreciate the athleticism it takes to excel in it.

5) Short-track speed skating is nuts.

6) So is skeleton.

7) And so is halfpipe skiing.

8) I should be knitting but I'm too tired, and I'm usually trying to work in front of the TV.

9) I love having a little TV in the kitchen. I've gotten a lot of baking done with the Olympics on in the background.

10) The little dog loves the Olympics because I'm spending more time than usual on the sofa, so he gets more snuggling.

Merry Christmas!

My mum is visiting. All the adults, plus my younger son, are sick. My older son is good about walking the dog, but neither son nor dog are any good at getting dinner on the table.

Fortunately, we're all happy to settle for basic meals.

So it's a happy low-key holiday.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 books on my to-read list

I actually have a pile of more than 50 books that I've bought but not yet read... I also have a couple of library books out and over a dozen novels waiting on my Kindle. But having said all that, here are the ones I'm hoping to read before Xmas.

1) Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson

2) Abaddon's Gate by James SA Corey

3) The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

4) The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

5) God's War by Kameron Hurley

6) Ghost Spin by Chris Moriarty

7) Shadows by Robin McKinley

8) Parasite by Mira Grant

9) Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

10) Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky

Ten on Tuesday (late): 10 songs that make you want to dance!

1) "Love Shack" by the B-52s
2) "Just Like You" by Voice of the Beehive
3) "Smooth" by Santana, featuring Rob Thomas
4) "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith
5) "Groove is in the Heart" by Deeee-Lite
6) "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
7) "Bizzarre Love Triangle" by New Order
8) "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin
9) "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred
10) "I'm Only Happy when it Rains" by Garbage

Yikes!

Yes, I haven't posted in over a month.

No, I'm actually doing quite well.

Just busy. And distracted. Had a lovely summer, went to two nice family reunions, didn't knit as much as I'd hoped. Read a lot. More on that later.

Work in Progress Wednesday

I continue to knit Norwegian star mittens in Cascade 220 Superwash. Both blue mittens are just missing their thumbs, while the first red mitten is missing its thumb and the second red mitten is half-way through the second star. The blue is NHM #1 and the red is NHM #12.

FO: Socks for a little boy

Actually, he now demands to be called a "medium boy".

Anyway, it was too hot to knit at the beach, so I worked on a pair of socks. I did the cast-on, heel, and toe while my mum did the boring (easy) bits in between.

Yarn: Felici Sport in "Dapple" from KnitPicks
Needles: #1 (as always, I did the "Two Circs" method using a pair of 16" wooden tipped needles)
Pattern: followed the basic sock pattern in "Sensational Knitted Socks", at 56 stitches. For variety, we did these cuff-to-toe. We didn't stress out about making them match, so these are technically fraternal twins instead of identical twin socks.