Good lord, people, you make it difficult.

Okay, okay, as tempting as it is to send a skein of black Malabrigo lace to Ryan Hurst (aka Opie), who, it appears, has visited my blog (this is astonishing to me), I have decided to send the yarn to someone I know is a knitter. But Ryan, if you're reading this, did you get to keep your Opie hat? Would you like me to make you one?

The choice was difficult, very difficult, and it was particularly awesome to read your descriptions of items you remember and didn't have a link to or visual for, because this is how I get so many of my ideas. I'll tuck something away, a certain jacket on a poster, a sweater in a movie, and then, after rolling it around in my mind for a while, I'll start knitting. To those of you who did not win, fear not, for each free Recession Series pattern there will be a giveaway! I'm aiming for one a month.

It was a tough choice, people, but I made it. The Malabrigo lace goes to Emily, for the Warren Johnson Jacket, edging out the competition by the fact that her dad is shown modeling the jacket on his motorcycle. You really can't do something more fitting. So Emily, email me (weaverbergh13@verizon.net) your address and I'll get your yarn in the mail!

In other news, my second book recommendation is Studs Terkel's Hard Times, his interviews with all manner of people about the Great Depression. Here it is shown with my next project, Handwarmers for Very Small Typing Hands, which will be done in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Pinstripe and some red Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. Next Recession Series pattern?

Do we need another handwarmers pattern? Do we? Note: Pictured below are the handwarmers I've been wearing for years. They used to belong to Chris and were probably made on a machine in China somewhere. Oh, and the colored pens? Pens in very unusual colors just... appear... in our supplies area. I used to have a light grey Sharpie.