eggs with googly eyes and other things

1. Thursday night, already, finally. The first week back is always such a drag, and the snow is still completely unwilling to admit that it is March, spring fashion was in stores a month and a half ago, and maybe it should think about going back to where it came from. In the afternoons, it falls off of roofs and gets melty where there's salt, but aside from that, it's still January around here, with snow banks taller than me and two inches of ice on the sidewalks (now turning into moats of brine in the afternoons). I want to wear some shoes that aren't my only pair of winter boots. I want the world to see my awesome socks. I want to wear my light trench coat, or maybe even no coat at all. I want to see something green outside that isn't the St Patrick's display in the drug store window (it is pretty cute though, stuffed bunnies in leprechaun hats are a tasteful commentary on the controversy surround St Pat's being during Holy Week this year, or something).

2. To counteract the snow blahs, I've been amping up the colour in my knitting projects, dragging out the brightest yarns I have. Right now I'm knitting some pretty basic ribbed socks out of some rainbow bamboo sock yarn that may look familiar to some:

And also some Spirogyra handwarmers from the brand new issue of Knitty, in some frankly gorgeous silk from Fleece Artist, a Nova Scotia company that is world famous for its beautiful colours, a Christmas present from Sean's parents:

Incidentally, it's about the only pattern from this issue that I'm on fire to knit - too many vests and pants and things. Please, people, never ever knit pants. They stretch and bag, no matter how cute they looked. Some things are meant to be knit, like sweaters and socks, and some things are just meant to be sewn with fabric.
I'm also working on a few origami models. I'm getting competent with Kawasaki's rose and some interesting variations, though not good enough to post a picture yet, and I managed to get most of the way through assembling a kusudama, which is a wickedly difficult modular model that has to be assembled by slipping points into slots inside the model. I'm not sure how you are supposed to be able to finish it, but they are awfully pretty.

3. Also, we have easter eggs.

Those are in the entryway. We have more. Sean enjoys sticking googly eyes to them, though he didn't realize I was taking a picture of him, too.

Chocolate! (By the way, he has hair in case he has to get a job this summer that frowns upon large tattoos. He's hoping to get hired at the library to work in the computer lab, as I mentioned, and since I think there's a good chance they hired him mainly based on the tattoo in the first place, the hair might be gone soon anyway.)
Man cannot live by chocolate alone, I suppose, so tonight I made this for supper. Mine wasn't as pretty, but it does taste surprisingly like the way Hamburger Helper is supposed to taste, without that weird gritty slimy feeling that makes me gag. And with vegetables.

4. Kitty update: glowing.


5. Links:

• The Vatican has announced a few new deadly sins, including polluting the environment, excessive wealth, aggravating social injustice, and creating poverty.
  
• Possessed, a video about compulsive collectors. This one's for you, Mom.