National Turn Off Your TV Week

Greetings and Dear Cynthia,

There is nothing like the impending doom of a big exam weighing heavily down over me to spur me on to start new knitting projects. Not sure why that is, especially since right now, these are supposed to be my priorites:

1. Caring for my family and keeping things at home running relatively smoothly, insuring that each person has clean clothes to wear, that the kitchen is functional, etc.
2. Studying for my chemistry exam (first semester chemistry, which I took 25 years ago, but am re-taking a final exam on May 1st so that I may be permitted to register for the second semester course in fall)...and then, hopefully, nobody will have to put up with me droning on about it any more!
   
3. Knitting.
4. Cleaning the house (which is almost always my last priority -- not the best approach for a person who has allergies to the by-products of dust).

So naturally, I started not just one, but two new knitting projects.

First, a multidirectional scarf:
At my moms' group, we decided to spend one session each month working on charity projects, so I decided since I had red yarn in my stash, I'd knit a scarf for the "red scarf project" nine or ten months before it is due. (Yes, I can't believe that I am starting so early, but then again, it isn't done yet, and we all are a witness to my KADD (knitting attention deficit disorder).) Question: How do you think it would look if I made one of the "triangles" grey instead of red? I was thinking about making the next triangle grey, and all the rest of them red...but it might look "funny"...

Second, with yarn leftover from my shawl, I'm making a Branching Out Scarf. This scarf and my nephew's hoodie sweater are both "deadline knitting" projects, but the scarf is due first, so I thought I'd better at least get it started so that I could get a handle on how long it is going to take me to knit it.

My four year old loves to do projects, and the checkered placemats in the photos are our most recent creations.

And speaking of my four year old..... There was a choir visiting here from Oak Park, IL, last night, and we went to their concert. During one of the choir's breaks, there was a guest organist who played a piece. My four year old was sitting on my lap, and we were in the very front of the church for the concert, because that's where my kids wanted to sit. And so, when my four year old, whose father has a masters degree in organ and church music, put his hands over both of his ears just after the organist began playing, it was all I could do to keep from bursting out laughing. Judging by the sounds coming from behind me, I was not the only one having difficulty remaining composed. Anyway, it was just really fun to get the boys all dressed up and go out on the town for an evening. Of course, it didn't seem like such a great idea when the chocolate ice cream we treated ourselves to after the concert was dribbling all over their "church clothes"...though sometimes it seems best to just enjoy the moment... And, it was a beautiful night to be out and about.

Well, not sure what I'll do tonight, but since it is the first day of "National Turn Off Your TV Week", it will probably be something like studying, knitting, or reading. I think this is going to be more difficult for me than it will be for my kids, because I really enjoy relaxing with my knitting in front of the tv once all of the hullaballoo for the day is over..... (Actually, I see that it doesn't officially begin until tomorrow, but the preliminary information we got from our school had today's date on it, so we're going to stick with today as our start date. Bummer, because I was looking forward to watching the final episode of The Apprentice...) Anybody care to join me in this "turn off your tv" challenge?

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)