Pilgrims Progress
Finished the sleeves on Cabled Hoodie this weekend:

Taped, but Unblocked


... and started the ribbing for the Left & Right Fronts! Happy, happy, joy, joy, I may actually get this thing finished before long.

Growing Up With a Pretty Mother
I had a Pretty Mom when I was growing up. How pretty? So pretty that little girls in my class would come up to me and say in admiring tones, "Your mom is soooo pretty." This sort of dynamic can sometimes set up an inferiority complex in a little girl. Not me. I was proud of having the prettiest mom in class.

Circa 1972, my mom was the neighborhood Cher -- she was tall, slender, and had long, straight, dark brown hair with bangs. She and her best friend, our neighbor Joyce Fletcher, swanned about the neighborhood in velvet hot pants, knee-high go-go boots, and long, fringed leather vests. She was a goddess. But after my parents divorced, it made for some interesting times. My mom has always been the type of person to attract, well, fringe sort of people. Of the male variety. There was never a State Fair or carnival that some snaggle-toothed, in-need-of-a-bath carnie didn't try hitting on my mom. While strapping down the safety bar on The Spider, they'd lean over conspiratorially and say to my sister and me (ages 4 and 7, respectively), "Yore mom's shore purdy. Think she'd go out for a beer with me?" Sure, buddy, you have my permission to date my mom. Can I have an extra round on The Spider if I tell her you like her?

I don't have quite the same problem as my mother. I tend to attract people of the "wounded bird" variety. I can't tell you over the years just how many people of borderline personality disorder, mild (and not-so-mild) sociopathy, and the just-plain-needy seem drawn to me. Same with kids and animals. It's some sort of palpable maternal comfort vibe that I unconsciously emanate. DH calls it my "Mom Ray." This "thing" of mine caused problems until I learned to distance myself a bit while getting to know people. I guess it's better than carnies hitting on me, but sometimes I wonder.

Happy Monday, everyone.