Christmas Gift Progress (Or Lack Thereof)

I'm tantalizingly close to finishing the right front of the Bristow Cardigan. Unfortunately, I've come down with a cold, which is impeding my progress. My mother came over on Saturday for dinner, and I compared the back piece to her back. Alas, it appears the cardigan will be too small. I'm not losing hope just yet, though. I'm going to try some aggressive blocking first. There's no reason for the cardigan to be too small. I swatched and my gauge came out fine!

I haven't been putting pictures in my posts lately. This is due to laziness. I've been blogging at work during my lunch break, instead of at home where all of my pictures are. It's probably more important to post the finished product, so I don't feel too bad.

I've sort of had a change of heart regarding my grandmother's cardigan-to-be. At first I wanted to do the Stella Cardigan, but now I've committed myself to doing a double moss stitch cardigan with cabled edging. (The pattern is called "Cari / Palmikkoreunainen jakku" on Ravelry.) My grandmother is an extremely tiny woman, and I was scared she'd end up swimming in the finished Stella Cardigan. The new cardigan I picked comes in a smaller size, which I think I'll try. I pretty much HAVE to knit the new cardigan I picked since I just put in an order for the yarn. I had to buy new yarn since the yarn I originally bought is worsted weight, and this new cardigan calls for DK. I love the old yarn, so I think I'll use it when I make something for myself.

I'm starting to feel the crunch, even though it's still September. Perhaps this weekend I'll start working on some dish cloths, or that Reversible Cable Scarf that I've been eyeing up. I need something to break up the monotony of the Bristow Cardigan. It's a great pattern, but a girl needs variety!

In dog related news, I'm starting to lose patience with Xerxes' bladder. This weekend, when my mom came to visit, he acted atrociously. (And of course, all of this happened soon after I finished telling my mom that he's been such a good boy lately.) First, upon her arrival, he started hyperventilating due to the excitement. Ok. We can deal with that. A little quiet petting remedied that situation quickly. Then, as she was offering Darby a treat (Xerxes had already had his), Xerxes walked right over to my mom, lifted his leg, and PEED ON HER! I was mortified. After that fiasco (and a quick wardrobe change), Xerxes proceeded to grab my mother's leg and hump it while she was sitting on the couch. Xerxes is not a "humpy" dog. He humped Darby once when he first met her. After that, no humping. I don't know what got into him! When it was time to say our goodbyes, Xerxes became visibly upset. He stood in the doorway, put his ears and head down, hunched his back, made the most pathetic face, and emptied his entire bladder on the floor. Any emotion trumps bladder control when it comes to him. I love his puppy-ness, but sometimes I can't wait for him to grow up!