T.S. Eliot Got It Wrong

It's January, not April, that's the cruelest month.

So I took a little break from blogging. I've also taken quite a break from many other leisure activities in the last two weeks, most notably knitting. I've been doing some reading, but nothing too serious. Instead, I'm fighting a serious case of the January blahs, blues, and don't-feel-like-its. I'm embarrassed to admit that my television consumption during this time has skyrocketed, which may be a symptom of or a treatment for the January ickies I've contracted the last few years.

I'm hoping that a weekend trip to see my chum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, will be just the thing. We've got plans for facials, good fun cooking in the kitchen, and all the laughter we can pack in.

I haven't been completely without occupation, however. Back in November, I started an official build-a-better-Julie program along with the husband. We'd talked about it for a long time but realized that talking about getting into smaller pants hadn't made it happen. I'm happy to report that after some significant lifestyle changes, particularly in what we eat and how much we eat, I've lost about 13 pounds. I haven't decided what my ultimate goal will be, but it will probably be somewhere around 40 pounds. I'm optimistic that I can continue to have as much success as I've had already (and which even includes the nearly all-cookie meal plan I adopted for two weeks around Christmas).

So I may not have been knitting or writing or doing a lot of anything else lately, but I have been watching my midsection steadily decrease in size. I've also spent a lot of minutes in front of the mirror working at trying to produce a double chin. My elation at its difficulty is almost enough to supersede all the January doldrums.

A Melancholy Update

Gentle readers, to put you out of your misery because I left you with quite the cliffhanger last time, I've got pseudo-news on the State of the Sweater Vest.

I still haven't actually done anything by means of progress, but I gave myself time to have a good think. As a result, I believe I figured out what contributed to the linebacker effect I experienced at first try-on. I must have picked up too many stitches around the armholes.

Note the flaring that's visible on the armband (see fig. a).


The common-sense solution would be just to dive in, take out the stitches, and make the necessary repairs. The Miss Julie solution is to let the sweater vest stew for a bit longer, procrastinate as long as possible, and finish the sweater in July -- when wool sweaters are just the thing.

Between watching hours and hours of Lost - Season 1 (so many hours that I've had quite disturbed sleep), I picked up a few new projects. I'm making the Rib and Cable socks from the Fall 2005 Interweave Knits. Here it is in all its after-dark, incandescent-lit glory.


It's my first sock ever. I had no idea that two inches of ribbing could thrill me so. And I'm counting on it only getting better. If I do have any trouble (I've heard talk of tricky turns at the heel), at least there are no shoulders or armbands to botch.