Ta-Da!

I finished the French press cozy, and we've already put it to use. Here are front and side views, and a close-up of the coffee mug motif:



Aesthetically, I'm not wild about how it pulls over the handle (the side view is not terribly attractive), but from a practical point of view, it's perfect. It pulls on and off easily, and the opening at the top means it can be used before the coffee is pressed, as well as after. I joked with my husband that I could design a fancy version with handle and spout flaps so you could pour while the cozy was still on, but realistically, it's not going to happen. This version is just too functional, and the cheesy little mugs with steam are really growing on me. I am not a crafty or artsy person (strange thing for a knitter to say, I know), and I was pretty pleased with my little mugs, which pretty much represent the peak of my artsy abilities. Sad, eh? I may put the mugs on coffee cup cozies as well. As soon as I finished the cozy and held it up to show my husband, I started laughing. "I made a hat for the French press!" I had just realized that :) I don't think I'll write up the pattern unless someone asks for it, since I'd want to make aesthetic changes if I were going to make it as a gift.

Other knitting: Still going on the lace knitting, and I'm seeing some progress. It's getting longer and longer. Rain, thank you for the thoughts on Christmas knitting. You're absolutely right. I figure this is probably the one year I get a Christmas "free pass" with the baby due in January. Hey, I'm working on giving people a grandchild/niece or nephew/cousin! And thank you, Stefaneener, I *am* making something pretty complicated all the time!

Reading: Sense and Sensibility. On another note, I watched the Keira Knightley version of Pride & Prejudice yesterday, and having just watching the Colin Firth one, it felt like it went at break-neck speed. Maybe I'm not that picky, but I kind of like it anyway. It's good for when you need a bit of P&P and don't have time for the real thing. And the poor young man playing Colin Firth kind of grew on me. I liked Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet and Judi Dench as Lady Catherine. Although, it bugs me that they have Lady Catherine show up in the middle of the night for her talk with Lizzy--I assume it's supposed to heighten the drama (come on, people, this is Jane Austen! We're not in it for the drama!), but I can't imagine that someone of Lady Catherine's status would really go off in the middle of the night. And the ending is a smidge cheesier than necessary.

Writing: Nothing new to report :(

Cooking: We ordered Chinese last night...does that count? The Weather Channel has us on a heat advisory until Wednesday! I had to double-check what day it was. Honestly. And the a/c is not working great...the maintenance guy says it needs to be cleaned. You couldn't check that when you did the whole freon thing??? Argh.