Things have been pretty quiet around here, as you can probably tell by my once-a-month posts. Still, holiday season is upon us & perhaps things will liven up.
I am participating in another swap. The theme was WTF Holidays, and the participants were to select a holiday (real or otherwise) to be the starting point for our swap partner ("swapner") when picking/making items. My swapner's holiday was Bunsen Burner Day. Yeesh! I had a hard time finding anything relating to that; I wanted to include a Bunsen Honeydew, however that is one hard-to-find figure. The ones I did find either didn't look much like him, or cost more than the swap price limit. I ended up knitting a hat & fingerless mitts with a blue flame pattern which I think came out really nice, then added things that matched her likes (black tea, dark chocolate, a little scented candle, cinnamon candies, scone mix, 2 skeins each of blue yarn & purple yarn, some kitchen towels in a Fall theme, a puzzle, and a Hex bug. I think that's everything). My upstream swapner hasn't sent her box out yet, however she's already let me know she'll be shipping on the first so I'm not worried about it. Oh--my holiday is ADHLAS Awareness Day. Those of you familiar with the comic strip "Frazz" will recognize that as Attention Defi--Hey, Look, a Squirrel!!
Ralph & I were going to go to Disneyland with friends on Veteran's Day, however one of the friends was ill and the trip was cancelled. Since we had the day off already, we decided to head to Downtown Disney anyway and wander the shops. We didn't buy anything (other than lunch at the Rainforest Cafe) but had a good time window shopping. I especially liked the creative candy apples they were selling; I love the Jack Skellington in particular.
Halloween was fun this year. The party theme was "We're Still Here," since the party was held the day after the world was supposed to end again. Not too many people dressed according to the theme (not even the hosts) but Ralph & I did. Our portrayal of Thurston & Lovey Howell won us Most Humorous for the third year in a row. I thought Ralph looked particularly good, with his natty jacket and drinking glass which he made himself from a real coconut. However, if the host hadn't disqualified himself from the running, I'm sure he would have won all the prizes with his portrayal of Conan the Librarian.
I'm working on several knitting projects at the moment. I still haven't finished the praying mantis I was working on in July, and I've got a tote bag that has been waiting for its handles to be attached for at least a month now. However, I've turned my focus to Christmas knitting so who knows how long those other projects will be sitting. On the other hand, I know someone who would probably like that mantis; if I finish it up I'll have one gift done...
I finally got a chance to make the treacle pudding using golden syrup instead of molasses. It really does have a much different flavor that way. I didn't have much golden syrup left for pouring on each serving, so we've been eating it with agave syrup instead. Not bad, not bad at all. I think it would taste best by making the pudding with molasses and serving it with agave syrup; a nice strong gingerbread-y flavor to the pudding offset by the light sweetness of the agave will work pretty well IMHO. I'll have to give it a try.
