A "Mental Health" Day

I just love Fridays. During the week I teach a lot of students (usually from 3-4 hours a day), and by the evening I'm pretty tired. However, Friday is the day I can unwind and have a "mental health" break.

Today was no different, although I do have two hours of teaching ahead of me (I don't usually teach on Fridays).

I took the kids to McDonald's this afternoon to get rid of some excess energy. Yes, I know, I took them twice in one week. In my defence, the weather is just too nasty to let them play outside, and we are quickly developing cabin fever!

I haven't posted any knitting projects in the past few days, so here are a few finished items, as well as a few things still on the needles:

This Infant Apple Hat and mitten set is for a friend's baby shower tomorrow. I hope she likes it. The red is very vibrant, but I think it's cute, nonetheless. I used Red Heart yarn, which I don't usually like, but it was all I had in my stash that was the appropriate red shade. I was pleasantly surprised how nicely it knit up!

This is a shawl for - - - - - -. It's a nice woolly heathered brown. It's not a fancy pattern, or anything, just a regular Grandmother's Favorite dishcloth expanded to a larger needle size. When it's done, I'm going to sew these clasps onto the front to help the shawl stay on the shoulders. I'm debating weather I should weave some ribbon or beads in the eyelets. Any color suggestions? I'm thinking brown and aqua blue are nice, or perhaps a sea green.

Speaking of brown and blue, I've just cast on some worsted weight yarn for another pair of socks. I've had this yarn for a few months, and I wanted to start whittling down my yarn stash. I'm just going to knit a basic sock; nothing fancy. Plus, I'm going to use nylon in the heel and toe and see if doing so helps the sock last longer.

Finally, I have (drum roll and trumpets, please) my splurge of the month. My birthday is next month, so I decided to be very naughty, and get myself something I've been eyeing for months.

What is it? Denise Interchangeable needles. I am sooooo sick of having loose knitting needles all over the house and in my yarn bins, not to mention that fact that it's inconvenient. These needles are so cool. The little box has needle sizes from 5-15, with interchangeable cables that allow me to make a long needle, or a circular needle. I really wish I had just bought these when I first started knitting. If you are a fairly new knitter, and have an inkling that knitting may take over your life, save yourself some money in the long run and just buy these. They're fantastic!
I just love Fridays. (Peter is not grimacing. He's attempting to smile for the camera).