Will no one rid me of this meddlesome weather?

Yes, this is my first entry and I hope not my last. The snow is blanketing NJ but its muffled hushness is permitting me to pick up the needles and knit my new project. It's the Heather Hoodie Vest designed by Debbie O'Neill published by Knitscene, Fall 2009. I love this pattern (this is the 3rd vest I've made) and I think this one may be my favorite.

I'm making it for my son's girlfriend. The yarn is an all-out hedonistic, luxurious, sumptuous 100% cashmere -- Capella by Anny Blatt, unfortunately discontinued but still available on the web, in the Veloute shade (a darkish heathery denim blue). The yarn is silky, puffy, woven and easy on the needles with excellent stitch definition and can be spit spliced. When I learn how, I'll post a pic. Cashmere is the best fiber -- bar none. If I'm going to spend my leisure time and creative energy, I want to be able to knit with something that gives me pleasure.

I was raised by a rather straight-laced (or so I thought at the time) single mom who parsed out pleasures: tv (b&w at the time) only after 5:00 and never more than an hour; big dinners only on Sunday; fancy shoes only for church (amen to that b/c fancy = painful), new clothes twice a year (more a product of economy I think than choice); and never have an alcoholic drink, chocolate or dessert before nightfall. Only illness, natural disaster or celebratory event altered Pat's rules. Today, I realized that my mom's rules have crept into my lifestyle; instead of indulging in an all day knit fest and finishing the aforementioned vest while the dreaded white stuff fell from the sky around me, I had to wait until after 8:00 p.m.

Well enough disclosure. I'll try to loosen up a bit and let knitting enter the day light hours from hence forth but only on non-work days.

Now about the Legal part of the Needle. I'm an attorney, sole practitioner with a varied practice in Bergen County, New Jersey. Part of my practice is representing children with special needs. I wish that School Districts would comply with the law and make my job obsolete, but in the current economic climate, it is not going to happen. It is so important for parents to learn what their rights are and the obligations of the school district as well as what parents cannot expect from School Districts. It's part of my job to educate the parents so that they are able to navigate their child through school and become happy, productive, and educated members of society.