So, we bought a rug...

About a month ago actually, but November happened and I got a bit preoccupied.  Here are the pictures we took of it, with husband added for scale. :-)

It's a big rug.

There's been the pondering of what to do for the holidays, plotting what to wear to the office holiday party, (leather pants, corset and gold heels, we'll see what happens).

I also just got yarn to start making hats for Halos of Hope. This was really brought to my attention through the Podcaster Throwdown (Ravelry link).  How many hats can these knitting, crocheting, and sewing fans of participating podcasts make?  We shall find out after Stitches West.

Near and dear to my heart

Even if it is kind of short notice, but I did only just find out about it a few minutes ago. ;-)
PoMo Golightly had the genius idea of Craft Friday as a counter point to Black Friday's mass, chaotic, consumerism.  I am so in! Knitting socks, mitts and toys plus a little sewing and baking, instead of dealing with hordes of humans possessed by gross materialism?  Hells yes I will stay home!  If I get daring and the weather is amenable, I may take a chair and my tea and sit on the front porch to knit! :-D  I am such a rebel. ;-)

A Bright Spot in the Day

Today has been...less than ideal.  Nothing drastic, just unpleasantness in various forms that decided to show up all at once.
Then the mail arrived, bringing with it sock kits from Knitter's Brewing Company I bought a little over a week ago.  Packaged in bright tissue paper, with a handwritten note from Wendy, I instantly felt better.
How could I not with kits like these?

They brought a smile to my face and lifted my mood, so I wanted to share.  How could you not get a grin from that fanged heel? ;-)

Keeping myself entertained

Husband has been exceptionally busy with work lately, which means keeping myself occupied...and sitting and watching television does not cut it.  Cue dance parties in the living room, (on the new rug), movie marathons (to knit to) and of course, new projects.
I hope to finish the sleeve on this sweater today.

Then I decided that I had a couple of embroidery designs that would be ideal on large canvas bags.

I still haven't decided on the exact colors I will use for the pieces.

The other most recent project is the final result of a personal quest.  I have spent more time than I care to admit in a search for a sheer nude and sheer red lipstick.  I found the sheer red, just at a cost that I did not want to pay for a day to day cosmetic.  And the nude...well, everything is always too orange or too pink or too tan.  So, I grabbed a basic red lipstick I liked the color of, put it in a double boiler with some coconut oil and cocoa butter and five minutes later, voila!  It turned out so well I fished out two lipsticks (one too orange and the other too pink) and put those in the double boiler as well(after cleaning it out) with similar proportions of oil and cocoa butter.  It was like magic.  Both are exactly what I had been looking for! Now instead of three lipsticks I would use once in awhile, I have two lip sheers I will likely use daily. I need to look good to work on all those other projects. ;-)

There's also the sewing patterns I need to cut out, the other embroidery projects still in the hoop, the two quilts I designed around finished needlework pieces, and the ever looming pile of in progress knitting projects.  I may be a bit easily distracted, but things get done...eventually. :-)

Now that the skulls are put away...

We were one of three houses on our street that went with more "scary" and less "cute".

I was let near a dye pot and green eyeshadow.  This was the result:

I raided my closet for everything but the hat and the stockings.  I had no idea being green was going to make so many small children nervous, maybe I shouldn't have sat partially hidden behind the rose bush knitting on a sock.  The knitting confused lots of people, but no one said a single word.
We had fun. There was also a ton of candy left, plus some homemade maple marshmallows sitting on the table.  We might be through all of it by Thanksgiving.