We had planned on doing our weekly shopping tomorrow (Monday).  Normally we do it on Tuesday when we’re going to be out for my chemotherapy anyway, but this particular Tuesday is going to be a looooong day at the oncology clinic so we figured to get the shopping out of the way before hand.  Except that we’re supposed to be getting (in our area) about 15” of snow…

So we did the shopping this morning and I guess we’ll probably be staying in tomorrow :)

I have finished the first two panels (and started the third) of the mohair blanket.  Panel 1:

...and Panel 2:

After calculating the amount each panel is going to take (they’re about 9” wide and about 65” long) I have come to the tentative conclusion that I may not have enough yarn to make a good sized blanket.  I’d like it to be about 54”-56” wide.  That will require six panels and I don’t think I have quite enough yarn for that.  Eh, if I have to buy a few balls to finish things up, I can do that.  I must say this has so been an exceedingly easy and pleasant project so far - stockinette with garter stitch borders and the occasional row or two of eyelets.  What could be simpler?  You can probably tell I’m having fun with this :)

I finished the last hat.  I wanted to do something a little different with the top, so I played with making the bobbles out of a different color than the body of the hat.  I imagine there’s a way I could have stranded this but I was afraid of the length of the floats it would leave.  So I worked each bobble with a separate length of yarn.  It’s totally do-able but maybe only once in a while because it is kind of a pain in the butt.

Finally, there has been legislation proposed, here in Massachusetts, for a surcharge on plastic grocery bags.  Without getting into the eco-arguments for or against, my first reaction is: You mean I’m now going to have to pay for these cheap-jack bags that fall apart half the time and spill my stuff (and sometimes break…) across the parking lot or down the apartment building stairs?  Not in this lifetime!  I don’t honestly think the legislation going to pass this time, but I do think it will pass eventually.  So I started this:

This is Hannah Ingalls’ Ilene bag.  There is also an Ilene Bag available on Ravelry.

I’m liking the pattern quite a bit so far and the only change to it I have made is to convert to worsted weight yarn and larger needles.  I want to keep to about the size indicated in the pattern - at least for this first bag - but I didn’t have ay sport weight yarn nor enough of any DK weight, which might have been an acceptable substitute.  Well, the fiber isn’t cotton either, it’s acrylic - which will be strong and sturdy as well as washing and drying very easily.  Making this will give me an idea of acceptable size range.  Do I want it taller?  Wider?  Maybe sectioned inside?

I think I’m going to be making quite a few of these things!