Many moons ago, I bought 13 skeins or so of Tahki New Tweed to make Dolman Updated from IK. After three failed attempts at that sweater (including finishing it about 80% of the way twice, and starting completely over) I decided to make the yarn into the Hourglass sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I tried that one twice. Maybe my perseverance is a testament to how nice this yarn is to work with. It's soft, but not cuddly the way a merino is. I finally turned 4 skeins of the yarn into something worthwhile, and even beautiful! A scaled-down scarf version of Cozy. The curse, she is lifted! I was surprised to find that this was not a fast knit. Even with my faster-than-light Continental style that regularly melts my Denise needles into useless gobs of plastic.

Behold, my sweet little wooden Christmas tree from Germany.

Can you tell that this snail's face is held together by epoxy and expletives? Well, it is. Nothing is sadder than a snail without a face, but somehow, we managed to save this one. I bought it at Molbak's a few years ago, and this is the first year I hung it up. It was broken within 5 minutes. Face - gone. In three tiny pieces embedded in the carpet. I think this sucker is going into a hermetically sealed chamber from now on.

Epoxy + holiday deadlines = madness, pure madness. I did manage to epoxy some wires to these innocent seashells. I call them "Modern futility." Bring on the eggnog.

There's nothing nicer than cozying up in front of 100 twinkle lights wadded up in the fireplace on a cold winter night.

Here's my progress so far on Backyard Leaves from Scarf Style, in a lovely orange shade of Knitpicks Merino Style. This pattern is really fun to do, and even kind of quick, but it requires a lot of attention. I'm really motivated to finish it, because I have lots of sweaters that would go perfectly with this little number. Afraid of color, I am not.

If you're like me, you're just beginning to suffer the agonizing realization that maybe you should have knitted more gifts for people. Argh. I just found this great pattern for a cute little Bowtie Scarf that is SO cute. I've seen versions knit up in Koigu and other variegated yarns, and they are fabulous. And what a stash-buster. I think this pattern may save the day for me this Christmas.

I just returned from Philly, and now I'm a lot less chilly. Fo-shilly. Anyway, there are some photos of my escapades up on Flickr, but they're mainly of the Reading Terminal Market. I loved this market. It was way too crowded, and impossible to reliably navigate, but it supplied me with a kick-butt cup of coffee (supplied by Old City Coffee) and excellent pastries (courtesy of the Metropolitan Bakery) in the mornings. I was also able to pick up some yummy treats to bring home at the Pennsylvania Dutch merchants. The conference was good, and I even attended a session about the role of blogs and wikis in public health. Non-leisure type blogs aren't really on my radar, but I learned of the existence of several interesting public health sites, such as Effect Measure and the Flu Wiki. The theme of the conference was evidence-based public health policy and practice, and public health folks are often frustrated by political realities that lead to the adoption of policies that aren't based on scientific evidence. Ever wonder why the FDA doesn't regulate cigarettes? Or why abstinence-only programs are taught in public schools? These policies certainly aren't supported by science. And in case you thought that scientists are unbiased, many researchers are subject to real or perceived restrictions on what they can publicly say. I'm telling you, public health is rife with intrigue. I'm sure Angelina Jolie will be signing on to play Susan Wood in a biopic thriller any day now.

In case you didn't get the chance to cook on Thanksgiving, there's still time to whip up a Turducken for Christmas. Or winter solstice, or whatever buffet-centered holiday you might wish to celebrate. But don't look at this page for help, because it might frighten the living daylights out of you and make you swear off turducken for life. What's a turducken? Why, it's a yummy mass of duck stuffed inside a chicken crammed inside a turkey. With stuffing.

I just came across this little gem that will either make you feel stupid, or thankful. It's the 1908 University of Washingon entrance exam. I don't know the answers to hardly any of the questions! Q. Describe an Egyptian temple. A. Pointy on top, and in Egypt. (Somehow I think they're looking for a more in-depth answer). Q. What did Caesar do for Rome? A. Not much. Although he did bring one fabulous salad to Tijuana. Q. Compare the empire of Otto I with that of Charlemagne. A. Charlemagne's taste in drapes was much more tasteful than that of Otto I. Q. Who were the Minnesingers? A. In the coal mining days, the miners would use canaries to test for breathable air in mine shafts. If they heard the canaries singing from deep in the mines, they knew it was safe to descent. Thanks to the minnesingers. Q. What was the Holy Alliance? A. Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion on a sesame seed bun! (I knew that one!) Q. Why was King Henry VIII popular? A. That boy got game. Plus, the song. Q. What was "mortmain" (a dead hand) in early English history? A. Something that would likely be sawed off by a blacksmith with a rusty wagon wheel and no anesthetic. Q. Name the great drainage systems of the United States. A. Whatever they are, they can't smell good. Q. Give dates of the beginning and ending of the war between the states. A. 1861 -1865. Is that specific enough? Thank you, Ken Burns. And Margaret Mitchell. Q. What were the limits of the United States in 1783; in 1804; in 1820? A. First base, second base, and living together. Considering that all you need to know to succeed in college nowadays is "liquor then beer, never fear", I'd say that people were much smarter back in 1908. Either that or fewer people went to college in 1908. Or all that historical stuff was just so recent, that it wasn't hard to know all that stuff in 1908. It's like asking a modern-day freshman how many carats Paris Hilton's engagement ring was. And according to Wikipedia, her IQ is 83. Which explains a lot, actually, and is rather sad.