OK, a friend has asked me to make her a pair of Christmas stockings. She wants something like these - the striped one on the left. I've never made a stocking or a sock or anything like that, so I'm wondering how to proceed. Does anyone have a pattern? Or any advice on how to find a pattern? Is it easier than making socks? I am totally looking for advice, so please weigh in no matter how big or small your tip is!

Oh, and before you ask why she doesn't just buy that one for 19 bucks, she wants different colors, and she wants their names on them, and she wants them about a foot longer than that.

I'm back to working on the Quiz sweater. The sleeves are striped so they go just slightly more slowly than the rest did, but hardly a difference. The big question is whether I will be able to deliver the gift in person or just have to ship it up to Lisa. We're all so busy and holiday time just makes that worse.

Ryan and I have developed an amusing morning tradition. He's been working at a freelance gig a block away from my office for about a week now. Every morning, we come out of the subway, and into the Manhattan Mall, where there is a player piano. On Monday it was playing "Our Love is Here to Stay," and we got goofy and danced a few bars to it. It's continued every day, including some mean swing dancing from Ryan (I was laughing so hard I could barely follow) this morning. Then he goes off the the exit, and I walk a few feet over to the super-secret entrance to my office building, where the security guard is always amused. It's a very sweet way to start the day - I hope it lasts as long as his freelance gig does.

I think that along with my slowly-redeveloping discipline, I might be ready for a more ambitious knitting project than I have done in the past. Not that knitting four bridesmaid tops wasn't ambitious, but it's not like the pattern was difficult. Straight stockinette the whole way. I'm not much for wearing wildly patterned knits, but something with some pretty cables or lace ribs, or something like that would be nice. Time to start going through the books and magazines. I feel like I saw some stuff in last Fall's Interweave Knits that I wanted to try. Wish I could figure out where I put it!

I have been posting on a particular message board for a while, and watching it deteriorate into nastiness and accusations. A lot of it is aimed at a woman I became friends with in the real world (and whose wedding I went to back in May) and who sort of uses the boards as an outlet for her frustatation, and is thus often a real bitch online. She's been flamed (and worse) far beyond anything she deserves, and I finally got tired of watching it today. I deleted my membership, and I feel much better about it now. I was wasting too much time and mental energy on that crap. There were some nice women there, but experiencing that kind of nastiness day after day is just not worth the minimal payoff. It's amazing how absorbed you can get in that kind of community - I feel so free having deleted my membership!

Wow, talk about a busy weekend! Friday night we had a double date with Amy and Steve, and saw a fun show at the Upright Citizens Brigade. It was really funny, and nice to do something a little more interesting than seeing a movie (for only seven bucks, too!).

Saturday we went out to Leanne's house for a Fall party. Lots of kids, lots of food, lots of dessert. We ended up staying there quite late, going back for round two of the main courses a few hours after dessert. Then it was back to Brooklyn for another party at Bill and Andrea's. Andrea is my friend Cara's cousin, and they just got married a few weeks ago, with Andrea wearing my veil and headpiece as her "something borrowed." It was so nice to be able to lend them to someone - they deserved another trip down the aisle. She had some pictures, and they looked just beautiful on her. Now they're back home just in case I have an emergency wedding need.

Sunday we decided to take advantage of our extra hour and clean the apartment. I mean seriously clean. We did the bedroom, office, bathroom, kitchen and storage alcove before we collapsed. Tonight we'll finish off the livingroom and bask in the glow of our incredible cleanliness.

I'm hoping the cleaning kick has started me off on a better foot, lifestyle-wise. I've been very undisciplined and lazy for months. I recently started going to the gym again, which is helping me to feel better. But I need to be more conscientious at home, rather than sitting on my ass in front of computer, Xbox, television, etc. I think once I get back into a real routine, I will likely knit more, too.