Apple Sock (for the avoidance of bruises) + the jury duty blanket

I've been knitting up a frenzy here, where finally the first lasting snowfall of the year has landed, just in time for the holidays (though I'm told it's supposed to heat up later this week). However, because everything is a gift for someone else, I can't show any of it off for fear of discovery by the intended victims... I mean recipients.

Because the boy's teacher had to have her gift before the winter break, though, I've already gifted hers. I made her an apple sock.

This seems way better than just gifting an apple. It's the equivalent of teaching a man to fish rather than buying him one fish dinner.

Of course, I couldn't knit all last week, because I was in jury duty. All week. Knitting needles are considered weapon-like and are thus banned from the court house. I did what any self-respecting ravelry-acount-owning citizen would do. I crocheted instead. And like a good English major, I listened to the fifth Harry Potter on my ipod while I did so. The first day, when I didn't have the pattern and yarn ready yet, I read through a book and a half of short stories.

What is the pattern, you might ask?
Why, I'm using woven crochet to make a blanket recreating my family's ancestral Scottish plaid:

I worked on it from tuesday through to friday and this is how much I've got done already:

I have another repeat and a half of the main plaid pattern (4 rows blue, 4 rows navy, 4 rows green, 1 row white, 4 rows green, 4 rows navy, 4 rows green, 1 row white, 4 rows green, 4 rows navy, 4 rows blue, 1 row navy). After that, I'll be chaining 1 chain per row in the pattern colors to weave through the mesh holes in the blanket base to make the vertical stripes that will turn the horizontal stripes into a plaid.

I'm not sure how long this blanket will take, now that I'm starting my new full time job on Monday, especially seeing as I still have thesis hours left and a thesis to revise for spring graduation. But that's okay. I'm looking forward to my first real job ever, even if it eats into my yarn time.