Four Years (plus a few days)

So my 4th blogiversary came and went on Wednesday, but I didn't post on the day itself because I was in rural South Carolina visiting my grandparents. If it weren't for my phone, I wouldn't have had any 'net access at all there. Not without a 20 min. drive into town, at least.

Anyway, I'm now able to reveal details about the mystery project. They were socks for Josh, whose birthday is today. I was one of a bunch of folks who clandestinely sent gifts off to his David (ignore the warning, unless the occasional bare hiney beefcake photo would get you into trouble) with which to surprise him. And now that I know he's opened his gifts, I am free to share a photo with you.



And it now looks as though my bus is nearly to the Portsmouth station, from whence I'll have a very dark drive home in the snow (our power went out in the storm last night and hasn't come back on yet). So I'll end this here and go into further detail about the socks later.

Scary Good

So I filed my tax returns a couple weeks back and have been checking my bank account to see if the refunds have shown up. My state refund appeared last week, but the federal had been lagging a bit. I figured the Snowpocalypses might have slowed down the IRS's worker bees a bit, but I've kept checking at least every couple of days.

Today my federal refund showed up in my account, except that it was way, way higher than I was expecting. As in nearly 2.75 times higher than I was expecting. I very nearly had an anxiety attack on the spot, because I didn't think there was any way it could have been other than a mistake. I certainly don't want IRS goons knocking on my door demanding I pay them back with interest.

Anyway, I called them up and got, of course, their robo system, which said, "We made adjustments to your return that increased your refund to $xxxx.xx. We'll be mailing you an explanation of the changes made." So apparently it's not an error, though my chest is still a little tight thinking about it. We are so definitely getting new windows upstairs, though. And I'm definitely going to be stepping up to VUBOQ's 10% Tax Refund Challenge again (maybe even before he gets it all organized).

Finally, Non-Secretive Knitting!

I actually finished this a few nights ago, but this being my busy week, I hadn't gotten around to blogging it. This is the second kid's sweater done in Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool that I'll be sending to Afghanistan (along with this one). Cousin Brian's deployment will be up soon, so I'll likely just send them to afghans for Afghans at this point. Either way, they should help to keep someone warm who needs it, and that was the point of making them.

This one is a top-down rolled cuff raglan. I'd done one years ago from a pattern (Oat Couture, maybe? I know I've still got it around here somewhere), but it's simple enough to sort out with a bit of EZ math, so I winged this one and it turned out well. I said it before, but I really did enjoy working with this yarn, and I expect I'll be using it to make something for myself at some point.I have a couple of vest projects I need to sort out first, though. One is a Fair Isle vest in Harrisville Shetland and the other is an Aran vest in some springy, slightly grayish-blue, seawater-and-solar-dyed yarn I got from Nanney Kennedy at Rhinebeck last fall. All I have for both at the moment is yarn with no pattern, so a bit of swatching and designing needs to be done.

Ganz Schoen Kreativ

Since I've been photo-poor lately around here, I thought I'd share about all I'm able with my current project. Let's just say it's involved provisional cast-on and short rows, and it's nearing completion. I'll share more when I'm able, and comments trying to guess at what it might be will get moderated out, such is the need for secrecy.

Required Reading

This morning's post from Glenn Greenwald.

After which you may want to go back and reread this post (hint: especially the part about the Move Your Money initiative).

अ लिटल रेंट

एस्तो एसटी एस्क्रीबीयेंदो असी पा के नादिये पूदियेरा लेयेर्लो सीन दीफ़ीकूल्तदेस, पार्तीकूलार्मेंते ला हेफा दे ला क्लीनीका। एंट्रे मीस अमीगोस एस पोको सेक्रेतो के नेसेसीतो उन नूएवो त्रबाहो। कोण लो देल मोमेंटो, टेंगो पोको ओपोर्तुनिदाद पारा मॉस देसारोयो प्रोफ़ेसीओनाल ई, आसे मूचो तीयेम्पो, नो मे इ सेंतीदो कोण ला सीतूआसियों। एस पोर एसो के इ एस्तादो पेर्सीगीयेंदो कारेरास दे एस्तूदियोस आवान्जाडोस ई आसे मेसेस बूस्कान्दो ऊना पोसीसीयों नूएवा एन ला क्वाल पूएदा आवान्जार्मे ला कारेरा प्रोफेसीयोनाल।

एल प्रोब्लेमा के एस्तोय एन्कोंत्रान्दो एस के कासी तोदास लास पोसीसीयोनेस के पागारीयाँ सूएल्दो सूफीसियेंते, आऊनके टेंगो एन्त्रेनेमीयेंतो सूफीसियेंते पारा आसेर्लास, रेकीयेरें एक्स्पेरीयेंसीय के मे आसे फालता। ई कोमो आल मोमेंटो सीगों सीयेंदो एल उनिको एन नूएस्त्रा कासा गानान्दो सूएल्दो सीकीयेरा, क्रेयो के सेरा कासी ईम्पोसीब्ले एन्कोंत्रार पोसीसीयों आ नीवेल दे एन्त्रादा के पागारीया सूफीसीयेंते पा सोपोर्तार अल नूएस्त्रो ओगार। सीगो एस्पेरान्दो के एन्कूएन्त्रे आ आल्गो के आल मेनोस मे पेर्मीतीयेरा बूस्कार त्राबाहो ऊनो ओ दोस दीयास आ ला सेमाना एन क्लीनीका पारा गाणार उन सूएल्दो सूप्लेमेंतारीयो, पेरो आल मोमेंटो मे तीयेने उन पोको फ्रूस्त्रादो।

ओग ई स्त्रिकिंग नीहेटर, ऐर याई फ्रेम्देलास योब्बर पो मीस्तेरीयत प्रोयेक्त। ओग सीदें वेल्दी फो मेन्नेस्कर क्लारार ओ कोम्मा सो लंगट ई ओ ओवार्सेत्ता डेन्ना, विल याई सी नो आत प्रोयेक्त ऐर अत पार सोक्कर फ़ोर एन विस ब्लोग्गर सोम इक्का स्त्रिक्का (ओग सोम फोर्होपेंत्लीविस इक्का फोश्टर नोश्क स्क्रिफ्त्ली फोनेतिस्क)। बिल्डर नोर तीदें ऐर रिक्ती।