Well, I’m back to work – and with a bang! We are BUSY! I’m working one night a week, too. That’s why Goodnight was in the office with me last night and I asked her to be my guest blogger. I showed her how to post on a blog and showed her how I get the photos from my camcorder. That was fun.
But . . . . she had to get back to her math homework so I could correct it before I went to work.
I love my job and am nearing the end of my 21st year. But I must say, I adjusted to vacation very nicely – particularly last week when Goodnight was back to school. That’s when the knitter in me shines. I do love it so.
At least I get to come back to work with the products of my work.
Here is the Satchel Grande that I traded out for my old work tote. The button says ‘HOPE’. I let Goodnight help me pick the button. We all can use a HOPE reminder, eh?
The Satchel Grande was a pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. I liked it very much. It’s roomy because of the side gussets. I added a little feature to the gussets that wasn’t in the pattern.
The gussets done according to the pattern would stick out and thus leave an opening where something could slip out.
I added two buttons to each side and an elastic to the center of the gusset. 
I can pull the center of the gusset to an inside pleat when the elastic is around the double buttons. It makes for a tidy , finished look. If I need more room to stuff my bag, I can undo the elastic and pull the gussets to the outside.
Inside my Satchel Grande, are the things I need for the day. I always carry a shawl because room temperatures vary around the college. I knit a little zippered bag for my shawl. The little bag helps keep my shawl from getting dirty.
Another pattern I knit up last week was called Pocketed October Scarf. I thought it looked cozy, so wanted to try it.
It’s cozy and warm, but rather stiff. The pattern called for two strands of Lion Brand Thick and Quick. I would prefer to adjust the pattern to accommodate only one strand. The shawl would have a softer drape that way. But I still love the design. It’s more of a shawl than a scarf due to the shawl collar increases. Very clever!
SInce the Pocketed Scarf is so stiff, I won’t wear it at work. This is what I actually made to have at work. I think it’s my new favorite. It’s a largish collar turned into a shawl. Interestingly enough, I used the sme yarn as the Satchel Grande, and the Pocketed Scarf, but with only one strand instead of two, it has a much softer drape and I like it better. It’s quite handy to don and doff as need be. I used an old clear button that I found at an antique store. It’s large, I know. That’s just attention-getting behavior, isn’t it? 
I also had to knit some frivolous ornamentation! (I knew a guy that used that phrase to describe jewelry.) Actually, the knit beads turned out nicely. Not heavy because they are so small.
Here’s a photo of the Hot Water Bottle Cozy that I also knit last week. That was a free pattern from the Lion Brand website. But I had to make a modification to the pattern to accommodate the design of my hot water bottle. This was something I was knitting to use up some cotton I had at home. Boy! Talk about having just the right amount of yarn for this one! I would have been bummed to rip it if I needed to knit another half inch.
The buttons on the bottom allow for taking the bottle out for filling.
I also began some knitting for next year’s craft sale at church. I try not to cram it in all at once because I get burned out. The things that seem to do well are red and white things because the craft sale is in November – in time for holiday gift shopping. I have some fun designs that have done well for them over the years. Here is a stocking cap and matching scarf. When it gets time for the sale, I will tie the two pieces together and add a candy cane.
Another project I finished is a Crayon Caddy. It’s a very cute free pattern – again from the Lion Brand website. I am going to use this for a toy drop this afternoon – for the Toy Society website. I still haven’t decided where I will drop it, but I think I will have Goodnight help me decide.
Here’s what the Crayon Caddy looks like when it’s open. The button is a little kitty.
I learned from experience that crayons can fall out of caddies if they don’t have a flap to hold them in at the top. The pattern didn’t have this feature, so I added it. Here’s what it looks like closed.
The whole thing then gets rolled and tied. That’s how I will put it in the bag for the toy drop today. It was fun to knit and I will make some of these for the church craft sale, too.
That’s about it for the knitting I did last week. Not bad for a week’s work/play. Of course, you met Camel yesterday. I am treating Camel to lunch during my break at work. We’re an item now!
One last memory/story from vacation: Julia Child. Corny as it is – I DID IT!!! We had her beef bourguignon. I won’t write a book about it, but it was fun because I had the time. And it was delicious. Here’s the deal though – can I really say I made beef bourguignon when I didn’t use burgundy?
One day when I was out to coffee with Camel, I thought I would run into the liquor store to get the wine. But it was one of those cold, awful, snowy days we had last week, and as I walked out of the coffee shop and headed toward the liquor store next door, a woman ran into the store . . . . with her car! She broke an entire huge pane of glass and it roared down on the sidewalk because of the bitter cold.
I stood there in stunned silence. It was an accident. I think she stepped on the gas instead of the brake. She wasn’t speeding in the parking lot, she was gently pulling up close to the door.
After that, I just didn’t have the heart to ‘run into the liquor store’ for the wine. I used sherry that I already had at home. The stew was delicious – but what would Julia Child say?
Oh well – bon appetit!!! I have leftovers and dinner is at 6:00!!!!
