Dear. . .

. . .  Every Bag I Saw at TJMaxx That Would Have Made a Great Knitting Bag: Why were you all $129.99?  I mean, every single one of you.

. . . Little Knits:  Even though I don't have a cool new bag to put any of it in, thank you for all the great yarn in my latest shipment.  I'm already working with the organic wool:

. . . Stitches South, I made my reservation for you today.  My plan for this year is to take myself on a little "vacation" each month.  Stitches fits that bill for April.  AND I get to see some friends!

. . .   Hugh Laurie, I still love you.  This was a wonderful book, and it looks like you've helped make it a wonderful movie.

. . .  Girls who were in Barnes and Noble studying for a French test: the terms are not "bone-a-partay" and "coop duh tatt."  Neither of you, I suspect, has a prayer on the exam.  And I would love to know who asked whom to help her study.

Age

Ever wonder how old I am?  Really, now --- have you ever sat down and 

just pondered?

Well, a big box of family pictures I found at my parents' might help you.

For one birthday, I received these two albums.  And my hair was decorated with a thick length of white  ropey-like-woolish-stuff.

(The red one says "The Partridge Family Album."  Geez.  I gotta lay bread crumbs out for you people.)

For Christmas one year, one glasses-wearing, POW-bracelet-sporting, hair-parted-in-the-middle-no-more-yarny-tiebacks, quilted-satin-psychadelic-robe Christmas, I got this:

Do your math.

But There's Always Shopping

I do not like to shop.  Even online I'm usually not that caught up in it.  Except for one thing.

Cowboy boots.

Could look at them all day.  I openly gasp at some.  I emit "will-die-a-little-if-these-don't-become-mine" noises often.

Last week, I was down.  Hell, I've been down all year, but last week was particularly vicious and personal.  So I took some of what rather small amount of disposable income I have, and bought myself some boots.  These boots to be specific:

Right away, the photo does them no justice at all.  The leather is buttery soft and the embroidery is impeccable, and, yes, I might have rubbed them against my face.

These boots positively take my breath away.  And they're going with me to Nashville to give me something pretty to look at and contemplate on when everything else threatens to overwhelm me.

Elect!

Edited to add: The results of these contests have been removed on purpose.  In case anyone wasn't keeping up with these races today, the Finalists will be a surprise on Monday!  Have a great weekend!

Alright, folks.  Gut check time.  Down to the last four contestants in both Knitters' Chick and Knitters' Hunk.  Today's winners will vie for the titles come Monday.  And, the winners of the nominators' prizes will be announced!  Vote your heart and your knitterly intuition. . .

Pair Ninety-One

Pair Ninety-Two

Pair Ninety-Three

Pair Ninety-Four

Support!

Nearer and nearer the end of the contests grow.  Are you nervous?  Frightened?  Intimidated?  Sad?  Well, I certainly hope you're able to vote, because there are still some blank lines on the brackets that need filling in.  Your decisions here will fill out the Knitters' Chick Final Four;  today's  victors will join Maggie Smith and Rachel McAdams.

Your votes for the men will fill out the Knitters' Hunk Final Four, winners joining Stephen Colbert and Benedict Cumberbatch.  Which means the Semifinals are tomorrow, and the 2012 Knitters' Hunk and Knitters' Chick will be elected Monday!

Pair Eighty-Seven

Pair Eighty-Eight

Pair Eighty-Nine

Pair Ninety

Opt!

So far, the men's quarterfinalists are Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Robert Downey, Jr. and Nathan Fillion.  We'll get three more today, then, once the Irons/Selleck tie is broken, the eighth one will be very near indeed.

Hope you all had a really nice weekend.  All rested and ready to express your opinions?

Pair Seventy-Three

Pair Seventy-Four

Pair Seventy-Five

Pair Seventy-Six

Once More!

Hello and How Are You?  Still trying to whittle the men's field down to sixteen.  Friday, Johnny Depp, Nathan Fillion and Robert Downey, Jr. moved there, as did Benedict Cumberbatch, who thrashed reigning Hunk Sam Neill.  Thank you, Sam, for a first-rate year;  I'm sure we'll run into you again another time.

Now --- whom do we have today?

Pair Fifty-Four

Pair Fifty-Five

Pair Fifty-Six

Pair Fifty-Seven

Repeat!

ROUND TWO

Congratulations to the 16 women and 32 men, as well as their nominators, who have made it into the second go-round of the tournament.

Sorry to say that Marin, Twinnie and Rashie have all been knocked out of the prize race, but thank every one of you for SO many things other than participating in this contest.  (You know what you've done.)

Are you ready?

No.  Really.  Are you ready?  Because if not, we can just stop the whole. . .

OKAY, OKAY!

Pair Forty-Six

Pair Forty-Seven 

Pair Forty-Eight

Pair Forty-Nine

Complete!

Well, after today, the first round will be history.  Only one more person (sorry, M.U.) has been eliminated from the nominators.  Who'll get the prize packages, and who'll join Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy and Meryl Streep in Round Two?

Pair Forty-Two

Pair Forty-Three

Pair Forty-Four

Pair Forty-Five