Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Can't post. Must pack.

There's been precious little knitting. Hell, there's been precious little showering. Saturday is moving day! Got the keys from the owner today. Yay and wahoo!

New house

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Seven.

Seven is a good number for me. Particularly this year. On the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of 2000, I will turn an age that is a multiple of seven. And actually, I'm not into numbers. No, really.

So when V tagged me for seven things... how could I say no?

1. My hair started going gray when I was 18. Nowadays if I let it go, it would easily be more than half gray. Of course in periods of high stress (like this move) I tend to let the roots go. It's always very sobering.

2. I have a not so secret affinity for all things Scooby. I actually have a good sized box of items packed up that is all Scooby stuff. Magnets, toys, stuffed animals, stickers... I even have a bumper sticker that says "What would Scooby Doo?"

3. I have a fundamental aversion to cleaning. It just seems there are so many better things to do. Of course I am regretting this aversion now, with six days til moving day and a bunch of people coming to my apartment, but oh well. Sleep is overrated.

4. I have a bunch of port wine stains on the bottom of my feet. When I was pregnant I was terrified that the babies would end up with them on their faces. I always feel self conscious about them when I get a pedicure.

5. I think I am addicted to diet pepsi. No really. I know the chemical cocktail is not good for me, but I've tried to quit (subbing in other caffeine) and I'm more afraid to quit than I am of drinking it.

6. Back when I was thin (before the boys) and pseudo-single, I had very long hair. I dressed up as Pocahontas for the Halloween street party and braided it. I got so much attention that I wore the same costume the next year. Best costume ever.

7. I was a National Merit Scholar and blew a full ride my first time at college by basically just not going to classes my 2nd year. Not my finest hour.

I am the anti-tag. But if you haven't done this one, you should. It was fun!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

The biggest socks...

So I've been working on these jitterbug socks. And I was hella worried that the socks would be super short. Because, you know, less than 300 yards? And what with me and the boat-like footies?

So I cast on toe-up. And I kept them in stockinette except for a simple faux cable motif running up the sides. The finished sock is gorgeous. I only cast on 60 stitches on size 2 addis. Did I mention the gorgeous?

But here's the thing. I've used less than half of my skein -- 54/112 grams. And the sock is the longest sock I've ever made. It's almost taller than my sock blocker.

So I'm kind of scratching my head on this one. Here I was being all careful not to use too much yarn and well... Of course I could be speaking too soon. It could be that the remaining 58 grams are somehow different and the 2nd sock will turn out much shorter. I mean I guess. I don't know.

Anyhow. It's dark and rainy here and my sock is wet on the blocker hanging in the bathroom. Not the best photo opportunity. So we will take pictures tomorrow. And post the pattern.

Super Sox Box Swap Questionnaire

1.What are your favorite colors? What colors make you cringe? No yellow! Other than that I like just about everything. I'm partial to purples, deep jewel tones, browns.

2.Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks? Not a newbie. Been doing it for a couple of years. I've never done colorwork in socks though, but I'm not sure I want to.

3.Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Semi-solid? My favorites are those ones with variations on the same colors.

4.What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn? Superwash wool blends. Although I've never knit with silk blends, and I'm sure they are nice.

5.Where do you usually knit socks? In carline, waiting for the boys to get off of school.

6.How do you usually carry/store small projects? I have a few small bags.

7.What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? Any favorite designers? I'm a big Nancy Bush fan, and have two of her books - Knitting Vintage Socks and Traveling Socks. My favorite socks that I've done so far have been the Embossed Leaves patterns in Favorite Socks.

8.What are your favorite sock knitting techniques? I love lace socks. Makes them a bit more wearable in Florida.

9.What new techniques would you like to try? Hmmm... don't know.

10.Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting? I mostly do magic loop, but sometimes dpns.

11.What are some of your favorite yarns? Jitterbug is dreamy, and I love Lorna's Laces. I've not tried any of the indy sock yarns though.

12.What yarn do you adore and yearn for? What yarn makes you happiest? That's a toughie.

13.Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? There isn't a particular sock pattern on my dream list.

14.Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I love addi turbos, but I'm all set in my 40 inchers.

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I think I would be Lorna's Laces nearly solids. Pretty consistent but with interest.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Sweet or salty? I'm a chocolate girl. My favorite is Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit. But I don't know how mail-able that is.

Do you collect anything? Anything Scooby Doo!

What is your favorite scent? I like fruit scents. Florals are nice but they make me sneeze.

Will you be celebrating a birthday, anniversary, etc. between now and the close of the swap? Nope!

What’s your favorite animal? I love butterflies?

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? Rufus is a rescue beagle. We don't know how old he is, but pretty young. He's my sweetie!

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. My favorite is from Clue, "And monkey brains, although popular in Cantonese cuisine, are not often to be found in Washington D.C."

What is your motto in life? Life is too short to have regrets.

Do you have a wishlist? (ie: Amazon, B&N, a LYS, online store, etc.) Please list link here. Nope. I guess I should make one of those. :)

Anything else you’d like to share with your Sox Box pal? Nah.

Any allergies to be aware of for this swap? Just the cat thing.

Coffee, Tea? I like flavored coffees.

Anything Else? I think I'm good!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Round up!

Pictures of my beautiful package from my secret pal.


I especially love how my backdrop holder is peeping over the top. There was so much stuff. 8 skeins of KP alpaca cloud in two different colors. Those gorgeous silk scarves. And the opal shelridge farm? To die for! So much beautiful stuff. If you are very lucky, the sweet llamabean will be your SP next time, cause she has this SP stuff down!

Well, cleaning and purging and "pre-packing" has made me take stock of my wips. I did not count how many skeins of sock and lace yarns I have before I packed that box. But it's a good size box. Dang.

Recently Touched WIPs
1. Jitterbug Socks - my own pattern, 1 sock 65% done
2. Scotch Thistle Stole in Schaefer Anne
3. Sarcelle in Alpaca With A Twist's Fino
4. Icarus in Misti Alpaca Laceweight
5. Happy Trekking Sock - 1 done, but it needs adjustments
6. Monica in Cotton-Ease - about 40% done
7. Blooms Bracelet - Just needs stringing
8. Silk & Kid Merino Scarf - my own pattern

Very Neglected WIPs
1. The Revived Dead Bride
2. Via Diagonale
3. Perdita
4. Cozy
5. The Man's Fuzzy Feet
6. Embossed Leaves Socks that need repairs
7. Sandy Cardigan

15. Fifteen. Oh my. Oh my, my, my. The scary thing is, I typed this list out to justify casting on for the little beauty below. Surely my WIP pile wasn't that bad. Right? Fifteen says I'm wrong. Very wrong. Dead wrong.

What happened to my camera.







Um, yeah. I took *none* of these pictures.