Yesterday was the monthly orthodontist appt. for both of the kids. Our daughter received the great news that they will be removing her braces on her next appointment. She's so excited and said the first thing she is going to eat is popcorn. Our son has about another 1-1/2 years to go. He loves popcorn, but the hardest thing he has to forego is caramel. Poor boy. He has to go back tomorrow to get his bite plate put in. Then he'll talk funny for a few days.

The new KnitNet came out yesterday. I was disappointed to see there was only one sock pattern in this issue, but there were a number of other great patterns that caught my eye, so I'll cope. :-) I did like the video lesson on the "afterthought" heel. I've read EZ's description on how to do it, but this really turned the lightbulb on for me. Now that I see it, I know I should have understood the description - it's as plain as day. What a cool idea - but then again, everything EZ came up with was way cool.

I've been visiting blogs and going over the patterns on Knitty, and am amazed at how different the group of knitters are now next to when I was growing up. It's a totally different ballgame - the designers and knitters are so young next to those I remember as a teen. Oh, I do envy this generation of knitters. To be able to go to college and sit and knit with friends because knitting is "in". Heck - that's what everyone's grandmother did when I was young. Man, I'm an old fart!

I still haven't found a knitting buddy here. Everyone crochets, but no one seems to knit. I'll have to join the guild and travel to find someone. There's a shop about 40 miles from here that has a knit-in (or at least used to), so I'll just have to look them up sometime. Being down to one vehicle makes it difficult to do these things. Hubby is a programmer that is on call a lot, so he has to have accessibility to the car on those days. As it is right now, they are the same days as the shop's knit-in.

I'm hoping to make a trip to the shop tomorrow. I want to pick up some new needles and finger the yarns. I'm hoping we'll make it from the ortho appt. before the shop closes for the day.

While wondering through Walmart yesterday, I saw a number of knitted and crocheted items. It appears they are "in" this year. But the prices - man! I can't make them for those prices! $3 for a scarf, $4 for hat/mittens set... I don't know why, but I felt somewhat discouraged. I said to my husband - why should I make this stuff when I can buy it for dirt?! He shook his head and made my day... he said, "Because yours is made to be here for years unlike that cheap sh*t that falls apart in a matter of days. Besides nothing there is made of wool, so tell me how much it really is worth!" Ahhhhh - he really does get it when I spend $12 for a pair of socks!