Despite the amazing number of projects that I have on needles right now, last night (at 10 pm), I decided that I would start a new project..something fast and easy to complete. I need that knitting ego boost sometimes. I decided to knit a store sample, the Helena baby sweater by Alison Green Will and is published on Knitty. I selected the Cascade Arcadia in a lovely “Lemon Pie” color. The yarn is one of my new favorites – made from cotton and angora. The angora makes it a bit easier to work with than most cottons but it isn’t furry like most angora blend yarns. So I got cast on and realized that I needed stitch markers for the raglan increases. Have you ever tried to go find stitch markers in your house? Where do you look? I started with the sofa cushions. Turned up nothing. Then I checked the end table, where I tend to toss them after I am done using them. Nothing. I suspect that the cleaners came on Monday and threw them away, not knowing that they were actually useful for something. They probaby also got the ones from under the sofa, the other stitch marker hiding place. I finally scored in the basket that I keep my extra buttons. (you MUST have a button basket. Its so useful for sweater and hat projects that need just one button. I take all the “extras” that the big stores put inside of their sweaters and shirts and such and I use them later for knitting projects.) Anyways, I did eventually scare up four markers and was able to get the entire raglan increase section done last night. Mostly I think I needed something to keep me occupied while Phillip began his 24 hour “Maddenoliday.” If you don’t know about this, and your husband stays home “sick” from work today, it is likely that he is has actually acquired a copy of the new 2009 Madden football game. Maddenoliday is the day that our men take off of work to stay home and play the new game. It usually falls in the middle of the week but they moved it to a Friday this year. Maybe so folks would have a three day weekend? I don’t know. Phillip doesn’t even try to hide this day from me anymore. He now reserves the game in advance and left the house last night at 11:30 p.m. so that he would be at the store to pick up his midnight copy. He crawled into bed at 5:30 a.m. Good thing that baby sweater kept me busy until 1 am or so.