BPAL of the day: Lambs-Wool & a meme

According to William Shepard Walsh, the Gentleman's Magazine for May of 1784 stated, "this is a constant ingredient at merrymaking on Holy Eve." He also quotes Vallancey's etymological speculation: "The first day of November was dedicated to the angel presiding over fruits, seeds, etc., and was therefore named La Mas Ubhal, -- that is, the day of the apple fruit, -- and being pronounced Lamasool, the English have corrupted the name to Lambs-wool."

A popular holy day beverage in 18th century Ireland: roasted apples mashed into warmed milk and ale, with nutmeg, sugar, ginger, and clove.

OMNOMNOM. You know those year-round Christmas stores in little tourist towns? Yes, yes, YES!!!!
Apples, at first. Juicy, amazing, RED RED RED apples with cinnamon. Then a little bit of the ale comes through. Delicious. Absolutely gorgeous, I could eat myself. Can't-hardly-smell-anything-husband even loves it. It's the kind of thing I would put on in August when I'm pining for the holidays. I adore it and kind of wish the milkiness came out on me, but it just doesn't. It's terribly comforting, nonetheless. I'm massively menstrual today, along with attendant emotional crashes that come when you're trying to conceive and your period not only comes, but comes early.... So this is just exactly what I need today. Wrapped in familliar, comforting scents and in a sandwich of hot water bottles.

There may even be some Disney involved later today. ::sigh::

I'm just not feeling it today, y'all.
Have a meme, on the house.



I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Furniture :: polish
2. Beauty :: beast
3. Sip :: tea
4. Block :: spammers
5. Forehead :: smack
6. Championship :: belt
7. Hurl :: puke
8. Whip :: chains
9. Destruction :: kitty
10. Leather :: fetish

Home Stretch.

I'm almost done with giftmas knitting/crochet. After much travail and swearing and tears and SUPER helpful input from my poor, put-upon husband, I settled on a chunky-ass fisherman's rib scarf for SIL's boyfriend. It may or may not get to have pockets, depending on how long it ends up and how much yarn I have. I'd love pockets on it, but he's tall, fisherman's rib DEVOURS yarn.... so we'll see. I've got to finish a ball for my kitty but I can't do much more until I have some 'nip to put in it and I have to felt it first and then make sure I can still stuff it and finish it and somehow felt the finished bit by hand, dry..... *sigh* But anyway. Everything else is done.

Mitts for SIL:
Capelet for MIL:
Convertible mittens for FIL:
Little wrist purse for GrandMIL:
Beardy hat for BIL:
Boat for Uncle-in-law:
And here's the fraction of the scarf for SIL's BF:
And the going-to-be-felted-and-filled-with-nip ball for Tessy:

And surprises for Weezie & my husband that you don't get to see until after they've received them, but they are both fucking acebest. Just hope none of the rest of the fam reads this. XD

I feel really kind of bad that my actual blood-fambly gets squat because I've had to focus on getting things done for people that will actually be there on Xmas morning to have something to open. But my mom & dad got stuff I made for their birthdays in Sept & Oct respectively, and I made my bro that Trilobite hat recently, too..... I *will* get to them, and my grama.... I feel bad, though.

Anyway.
Let's do a meme.
Unconscious Mutterings.
Word association.

1. Up :: in the air
   
2. Scram! :: cat!
   
3. Smell :: coffee
   
4. Belong :: family
   
5. Doug :: awful cartoon
   
6. Collar :: bell
   
7. Squirrel :: "and they were married..." (we totes just watched Office Space)
   
8. Chinese :: food
   
9. Tracker :: gps
   
10. Apartment :: highrise
    

Now is time for watching Goodfellas, working on that scarf (good thing I find fisherman's rib so incredibly soothing, this scarf has been stressful), and farmville. ALWAYS FARMVILLE. *addict*

Day The Eleventh. Associate.

Unconscious Mutterings:

1. My treat :: thank you!
   
2. Bell :: book, and candle
   
3. Five :: is alive
   
4. You’re crazy! :: usually.
   
5. Disgust :: Dannii Minogue
   
6. Tempest :: Ariel
   
7. Bummer :: dude
   
8. Brim :: full
   
9. Hose :: pipe
   
10. Lollipop :: stick
    

Turns out I'm not the only calendar girl in the family! My brother is Mister September in the fundraising calendar to get lights in the skate park in my family's tiny town in Idaho! He's a lanky goggle-eyed freak.


And, lest we forget, & because I am an attention hoar, let's revisit how AWESOME I was as Miss Februrary in the LSG NSFW knitting calendar this year!


Today I shall work on what I have finally settled on for SIL's Christmas fingerless gloves! Della Mitts! (Rav link, sorry everybody else)
I'm doing them in gorgeous "Taffy" sock yarn, Patons Stretch Socks.


I'm not looking forward to starting the PITA thumb gusset. God, gusset is a horrible word.
::shudder::

Word Association

Oooh, Blogtoberfest browsing has led me to Unconscious Mutterings, a weekly word association meme. I love word association. Let's do this.

Yacht :: race

Paula :: Abdul

Delete :: Cyberman

Auto :: complete

Obsolete :: computer

Dedicated :: faithful

Old :: hat

Convince :: wiles

Poster :: board

Erase :: chalkdust