SP goodness (and more bunnies!)

Oh, Secret Pal, you've made my week! Last Minute Knitted Gifts and Loop-d-Loop? in one box? on one day? Such a generous gift - I'm totally spoiled and lovin' it! I must must must make the braided neckpiece. Who cares if it's the middle of summer?

Though I've been neglecting blogging, I haven't let up on the knitting. The end's in sight for the bathmat:

I'm only making 12 squares instead of 15 so the mat will fit by the tub. 9 squares down, 3 more to go.

And I can't go without a bunny cam update:

Two little bunnies having a light dinner, watching the funny humans. It's an improvement over the last photo, but I'm still waiting for the perfect shot. If only the critters would cooperate! Can't they just pose nicely near the platform after I arrive at the station but before the next train comes??

What, behind the rabbit??

Now, what you're supposed see in this picture are two cute little bunny heads peeping over the concrete wall. But of course I didn't have a real camera with me so you'll have to use your imagination: the little brown-and-white blobs (one to the left of the sign and one right under it) are the two rabbits that live - or possibly just graze - at the Fort Totten Metro rail station. I see them most days, though this is the closest I could get to them (without falling off the platform, of course). They're a nice diversion on the commute home and I've become mildly obsessed with getting a good shot of them. I've even packed my camera in case I see them tomorrow!

Nothing much happening on the knitting front (bad knitter! no new yarn for you!). I'm almost done with a cable scarf made from some unspeakably old wool from my stash (seriously, this yarn was just shy of collecting a pension), and I've started a bathmat for the upstairs bathroom. It's pink and white cotton and matches the tiles and tub nicely. I've got four squares done so far, with 8 more to go.

FO update

The one-skein wonder is blocked and ready to go:

Hooray!! I ran out of yarn (note to self: must swatch more carefully!!), so the ribbed edging had to go, but apart from that, I'm a happy girl :) Thank you again, Secret Pal, for the yarn, the pattern and the encouragement!

It's been a bit too warm to wear my latest creation outside, so I've been having fun going through my more than ample wardrobe to find stuff it goes with. This red dress is one of my favorite dresses, made for me by a wonderful family friend who is addicted to sewing (and she knits too!).

I have absolutely no excuse for not blogging over the holiday weekend, except that I am very easily distracted. So, what was I up to? Let's see....The really big distraction came in a twin-pack. My cousin and her twins came to visit. Among other activities, we played with the camera on our way to Walmart, with dizzying results:




Then there was the Smithsonian folklife festival. There were plenty of art and fiber-related exhibits - mostly weaving, which I could never make heads nor tails of:




There were other activities too, like a fantastic cooking demo by Patrick O'Connell, an informative how-to-get-out-of-your-parachute-if-you-land-in-a-tree demo from the the US Forest Service (Yay, Smokejumpers!), some very enthusiastic beekeepers from Virginia, and camels:



Since the festival was on the Blue Line anyway, I took the subway to Alexandria to visit Knit Happens. I got something for my SP5 spoilee, which, by my reasoning, meant I could also get something for myself :) hence some Koigu:



In other knitting news, I finished the One-skein Wonder! My gauge was all wrong unfortunately. It's being blocked, but I tried it on before washing it and I think it still fits ok. I also finished Latifa. Or at least mostly finished it. I still have to weave in all the little ends - yuck, my least favorite part. But the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can start something new. What a great motivator! Hmmm.....there's the new edition of Knitty to explore...