My day has been wonderful.

And it's all thanks to you, gloves.

I made these in about 24 hours. I finished my Baana scarf and felt compelled to make fingerless gloves. I used the brand-new Buxom Sock Yarn my friend Erica dyes up. Definitely check out her etsy shop, Bigmouth Yarns. I'm not normally one for fingerless gloves or mitts, not really seeing a point to them, besides looking like a Hot Topic-style wannabe goth, but after I felt ridiculous wearing mittens for recess duty in October, I decided that fingerless gloves would be warm but still look seasonably appropriate. I winged these things out so fast. I just used the basic glove pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, and for once, had no problems - usually I end up with 3 stitches by the time I get to the last finger or holes or some other bizarre problem. That's my fault, not the patterns. Really, I can't praise that book enough. But the gloves came out great and they're nice and warm. I got to work the past two days, so I wore them for recess duty. You ever have something on and you like it so much that it just boosts your mood? Yeah, that's how I've been with the gloves. A very good knit.

Today was wonderful. I had a great time with the girls I worked with, had a great lunch with a coworker, had nice weather for my recess duty, and even got a ride home after running into a nice man who brought me home last week. I needed to run an errand to the post office, and I decided that since it was so lovely out, and I'm wearing two shirts, a jacket was unnecessary. But I still needed something. GLOVES! So I've got my iPod on, listening to the best album I've ever heard, Electric Six's new release, Kill, wearing my happy gloves. Seriously, I cannot pimp this album enough. Every song on it is just incredible - catchy, up-tempo, fun. I was a little concerned, because their last album took a long time to grow on me, but this one was on repeat immediately. If you check out my recent charts on Last.fm, it's all Kill. I'm addicted to it.

It was a wonderful day for a walk (of course it was, since I got a ride home), so when I finished up at the post office, I decided to walk a few extra feet and go to the grocery store. I bought myself some sushi! I've been really interested in it lately. I gave myself a budget, so I was staring intently at the packages of $6.49/12 rolls, eschewing the higher priced ones. Eventually, the sweet man who makes the sushi came over to ask if I needed help. I ooze "clueless noob." He assured me that I could still eat it tomorrow, and I came home with some avocado/cream cheese/smoked salmon rolls. And they're even ninja-approved!

Oh, Maine. So culturally sensitive.

As far as I know, the guy that made them didn't throw down a smoke bomb and vanish, but I was kind of busy listening to Kanye West, and he's pretty good at distracting you.

On the way home, I pass a Dunkin' Donuts, and they had sent some coupons recently. I decided to live dangerously and order a latte. I know, my life is completely fascinating. If you couldn't tell from the sushi, I'm a very bland/picky eater, so I'm trying to expand my horizons. I also picked up some donuts (of course) for my grandmother. Thanks, coupon, for making me a hero.

So the walk home was excellent - I felt fantastic in my gloves, great songs in my ears, drinking coffee. It was actually good, too. Usually I find coffee vile. I guess I'm so used to my grandmother's Taster's Choice swill that I stereotype all of it as being nasty. Except the Dunkachino, of course. That's exceptional.

So... that knitting crap. After I finished the gloves, I hammered out a washcloth. Sometimes I want to knit and not think. HOORAY WASHCLOTH. It was supposed to be a "reverse mitred square," so that you could just knit it until you're bored/out of yarn and it'll be a square when you bind off.

Bullshit, it's a mantra ray.

I eventually persuaded myself to start a sweater. It was supposed to be a "lightweight Summer cardigan." It's October. I have failed. So I finally wound up some yarn for it. I could not be less enthused. Maybe because I don't have a pattern for it. Maybe because the "sport weight" yarn looked horrible until I put it on TWOS. Maybe it's because I provisionally cast on 288 stitches, because I like to make things as complicated as possible (as you learned from the cupcakes story. Incidentally, my grandmother INHALED those things.) and I'm doing a hem. It'll involve k2toging (it's a verb) the working stitches with the provisional ones. OH GOD I CAN'T WAIT. It bears repeating, I don't have a pattern, so this is something I'm choosing to bring upon myself. It'll be followed up by an eyelet design, and then the rest will be stockinette. I'm basing the shaping loosely off Dulce de Leche, but mine will be a cardigan. I think I'll do it Coraline style and just have a few buttons near the top. Maybe just two big ones instead of a million itty bitty ones. And holes instead of button loops, which are something akin to torture to make/keep attached to the sweater.

Or, I'll just say to hell with it and make an Ishbel with my Neptun Wollmeise. Equally likely.

Destash my life 10/23: one picture frame, box of tea bags, lots of papers and junk mail that I hang on to until I can get to the recycling station