Update:

It's not that I haven't been busy, it's that I've been busy with other things. Also, I often forget to take pictures of what I'm doing so that the two people who read this have a reference point.

I have a few projects in progress right now--well, more than a few, but just a few that I'm close to finishing.

I'm crocheting afghans for my niece and nephew with yarn they picked out all by themselves. It's been interesting; I've taken to calling The Lad's afghan the "Amazing Technicolor Afghan" because there are, I kid you not, 7 different colors that don't necessarily match. He chose them, though, and my sister and I figured out a way to make it work with stripes. I got done and realized that it wasn't as wide as I wanted it, so I went back to the store and picked out two more colors of yarn. I hope he likes it. Charlotte chose a really lovely pink-cream-brown variegated yarn which I'll do in wavy stripes, or "tripes", as she calls them. She loves tripes. I hope to have those done by Thanksgiving so I can ship them to the kids. When Baddest Baby in the Land is a little older, I'll have her choose yarn as well.

I did the finish work on a Megara costume for my friend's daughter. It took me a couple of hours to figure out how to make the hip sash stand out like it does in the cartoon, and I think I swore in my head a couple of times, but it turned out pretty cute. I even used Sculpey for the funky swirly buttons--I just made half-inch thick snakes that were about 3 inches long and rolled them in a spiral like a cinnamon roll. Poked a couple of holes with a darning needle to make them into buttons, baked them, painted them gold (with one of my three different bottles of gold acrylic paint), and sewed them on this morning between 6 and 6:30. No, I don't normally get up that early and sew, but I think it's good for me and I am thinking about making it a habit. If I can sneak in half an hour in the sewing room every morning, I'll get a LOT done.

I'm making a costume for my friend Anna. Last night, I was able to serge the skirts for both the underskirt and the dress (too lazy to do real seams) and get the rest of it cut out. Tonight, after my callback audition, I'll do the boning, throw the bodice together, and figure out the half-elastic/half-waistband finish for the underskirt. If I'm really lucky (and don't keep breaking serger threads like I did this morning), I should have the basic thing banged together before 11 tonight and completely done for delivery around 8:30 or 9 tomorrow night.

I finished piecing (in less than 30 seconds) the miniature quilt I started when I was 17 or 18 and all I have to do now is find some thin batting, a sturdy embroidery hoop, and quilt the darn thing.

I purchased this lovely thing because I only have four crochet hooks, but many knitting needles "inherited"--acquired because my mom had them but I'm the only one in our family who actually knits--from my grandmother. I hope to start doing more crochet because it's pretty easy for me and I like yarn. More knitting too. I had wanted to knit a sweater by the end of the year, but the only way that will happen now is if it's a baby or doll sweater. ha ha.

I found the perfect pattern to use up some of my fancy scraps that have been sitting in a box forever (the birds and ornaments) and plan to put some together and use up some fiberfill that's just been hanging around in the sewing room.

There are also a couple of dresses I started over the summer that NEED to be finished soon. They're both within a couple of hours of total completion, and then I need to make three long skirts for winter, not to mention the numerous knee- to mid-calf-length skirts I have fabric for.

Wish me luck...

No Taos for me, but a stroke of genius:

Short story: They had to cancel the spinning workshop because of lack of interest. I guess my interest wasn't enough to make it happen. :) I'm fine with it.

Stroke of Genius That's Probably Been Thought Of: What about fleece insoles? How easy would those be to make? They'd make my Danskos extra comfy and warm...and they could be something I'd never wear on my body, like pink camouflage...