One Crazy Fiber Lady

Holiday greetings

I really have to start posting more often.  I mentally compose many posts that never make it to a computer and by the time I actually sit down at the computer to write one, I never know where to start.  There's also my preference to write in code and not so much in english ;)

I mentioned, sort of in passing last week the possibility of my upgrading notebook computers.  Well that came to pass.  Thanks to the assistance of Nancy and her wonderful hubby, I'm the proud owner of a new MacBook.  I took advantage of a last "use it or lose it" vacation day on Friday and spent some time getting to know the new toy.

If you click and make big, you can see something that totally makes this geek giggle.  I have, thanks to Parallels Desktop 3.0 I have Windows XP running as well. I have the previous version of it running on my iMac downstairs.  The new version has something called Coherence in it which makes it invisible as to which operating system is running the application.  Translated from geek to english:  I can run windows software within MacOS without it being crammed inside another window.  I can run my windows based development suite without having to get an (non-existent) version.  Cool huh?  Doesn't take much to make me giggle ;)

Besides the geeky stuff, I've actually stepped away from the Xbox (mom is seriously addicted now btw) and done a little knitting.  The first pair of socks since early September are now finished!  Woot.  They came off the needles Friday morning. 

Project Info:

Pattern:  own basic vanilla socks.  First was done toe up and the other was cuff down.  Short row heel over 52 st on US1 needles.

Yarn:  Jitterbug in Raphael

Started: ?? Sept/Oct 2007

Finished: Dec. 21, 2007

I wore these yesterday to my sister's house for the annual family get together.  Very comfy.  Nice to finally have another pair of socks to wear.  I really got to wash the rest of the collection ;)

Another project has been resurrected.  My leftover sock yarn granny square blanket saw some action last night.

You can get a sense of the size.  That's one of the kid's matchbox cars in the upper left hand corner.  Took me the better part of an hour to do one round.  I still love it.  I'm finding though that crochet has more impact on my body than knitting.  Shortly after picking this up last night, I was noticing discomfort in my shoulder.  I must rotate it more when crocheting.  I moved my yarn supply and tried to minimize arm roll and it felt better.

Today's half day at school paired with a full day off for me, meant I could get some knitting done.  I pulled out Kauni and finally finished the body.  The sewing machine is coming out later so I can get some steek cutting done.

I want to wish all those who celebrate a very Merry Christmas.  I hope you have a very happy and healthy holiday surrounded by family and friends.  For our part, we have a nice quiet time at home as there isn't much else to do ;) 

Craft on!

Weekly Wanderings

Time for the sporadic post.  I haven't got much today.  I finished the teacher gifts.  Yay.  Well, have to block them tonight and get them wrapped for the party at school on Friday.  Bah, plenty of time.

I finally finished a sock.  Weeee.  First one since September.  The really blows my mind that it has been that long. I did immediately cast on for the second, so at least I'm staying in character there.

This picture is a couple days old.  I'm just shy of the heel.  The astute out there might have noticed that the first was done toe-up and the second is going cuff down.  All of a sudden, I'm out of love with the toe-ups.  Fortunately with the short row heel, you can't really tell which direction the thing was knit in.  Works for me.  Its nice to be finishing socks again.

My swiss cheese like memory doesn't actually remember when this happened, but more than likely it was Thursday after picking them up due to the early closing. 

Yes, Kat was wearing short short sleeves in December, during a snow/sleet storm.  I did get her to concede to wearing a sweater at least.  They were both playing different Reader Rabbit titles.  Good thing we have multiple computers in the house!  The little laptop is mine and the larger one belongs to mom.  It seems to have relocated to my room to keep the monkeys from fighting over mine.  I might be relegating mine to the twins anyway as there is the prospect of a new MacBook on the horizon.  Time will tell.

It's been busy since then.  Friday my office had a holiday party for all our children.  I brought the monkeys in with me on the train and then the ferry.  They had an adventure!  There was a magician elf who did face painting and even Santa made an appearance to hand out age specific presents to the kids.  Moms/dads RSVP'ed for the youngin's with their ages/sex to make that magic happen.  There was pizza, cookies, fruit snacks, and lots of juice to be had.  By 2:30 that afternoon, the kids were so sugared up that they were running around the periphery of the office.  They had a blast!  I finally got them home at 5. Kat crashed on the train and I had trouble waking her for our stop.  Eventually she roused.  I think the threat that I'd leave her princess painting present on the train if she didn't did the trick in the end.

Last night was the holiday party for the grownups.  We had it at a nice place on Wall Street near South Street (extremely convenient to the ferry).  The food was great.  They had DJ's, and an open bar.  Good times.  I didn't make it home until almost 11.  The technology group is having a gathering at an bar tomorrow night.  Looks like I'll miss the SnB one more week as I doubt the folks will let me out a third night this week ;)   Oh well. I got home last night to find mom playing the Xbox.  He he.

Finally, I saw this meme on Nancy's blog.

If your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?

Here’s how it works:
1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every section, type the song that’s playing
5. next section — press the next button
6. don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

opening credits:

Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren

waking up:

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp - Led Zeppelin

first day at school:

Hello, I love you - The Doors

falling in love:

Celebration Day - Led

breaking up:

Roadhouse Blues - The Doors

prom:

Walk on Water - Aerosmith

life’s okay:

That's All - Genesis

mental breakdown:

All that You Can't Leave Behind - U2

driving:

Penny Lane - The Beatles

flashback:

To Each His Dulcinea - Man of La Mancha sountrack

getting back together:

Bad - U2

wedding:

Break on Through - The Doors

birth of child:

We're an American Band - Grand Funk Railroad

final battle:

Miracle Drug - U2

death scene:

Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own - U2

end credits:

We Said Hello, Goodbye - Phil Collins

Consider yourself tagged if you wish.

Craft on!

Coming Clean

Wow, time really does fly when you're not paying attention.  Days flow in their normal way.  Work, kids, sleep.  Rinse.  Repeat.  Oh yeah, knit on the train.  XBox at night.  I finally found the family timer on it and set it for 90 minutes a day.  I finally got some knitting time last night as I didn't totally lose track of time and play Puzzle Quest until midnight.

I finished the first of the teacher scarves last week ( I think, lost track of the time and stopped noting when thing were started and finished.)  Here is scarf number two, also in Malabrigo worsted, colorway Amoroso (?).  I finished it last night while watching Project Runway.  See, the timer on the 360 is a good thing. 

Friday night/Saturday I was sort of pushed to finally get an item off the queue and onto the needles.  See, Friday night the twins got robes from my folks for Hanukkah.  Alex's came with slippers.  Kat's did not.  I've been unable to find her slippers.  Then I remembered Twinkletoes and that I had already had the Calmer in pink marinating in the stash.  So I knit the little miss a pair of the toddler size.  She's got wee feet like me.

I've become the role model for avoiding SSS.  I giggle when I read others quoting my "immediately cast on for the second".  So what does this say about me?

All three are first socks.  I can't remember the last time I had three single socks on the needles!  Left to right are:  Duet Skinny in Sailor Girl, Regia in the Kaffe stripey goodness and Jitterbug.  It has been a very long time, September to be exact, since I finished a sock!  The Duet was started on 9/11 believe it or not.   I haven't a clue when the other two were started.  I'm not looking forward to all those second socks! 

The Jitterbug sock has presented additional difficulties and is now on its third set of needles.  The first set were the ebony Lantern Moons that I bought at Rhinebeck.  I managed to snap two of the needles.  WHILE KNITTING.  Not while taking out of purse, or just collateral damage in purse.  No.  I was actually knitting, on the train, and snapped first one, replaced it, and then a second one two days later.  Damn.  I  swapped in a set of rosewood needles over the weekend only to find that the 6" needles do nothing more than piss me off, jabbing me in the hands.  I've now gone to the third set, and apparently my favorite needles, Clover Takumi's. Good.  Maybe now I'll finish the damn thing.  I have to say, I'm sort of tired of these socks.

This is the first year we did the 8 nights of presents for the kids.  They really "got it" this year.  (As always click for bigger)

Thanks to the snow falling outside presently, no SnB for the second week in a row.  I'll probably be leaving the office early to avoid having to dig my car out of a large snowdrift at the station with nothing more than a stupid brush.  Have I mentioned before my serious dislike of the white stuff?

Craft on!

Edited to add:  almost immediately after I hit the post button, the kids' teacher called to tell me that Tutor Time was closing at 2:30 because of the weather.  I gotta leave in 25 minutes in order to get them.   

Seeing Red

Well that was a quick loss of mojo.  Part of the problem has been the eager anticipation of the soon to arrive Kauni yarn.  I know whatever is on the needles will be tossed aside the moment that yarn arrives.  It really is all that I can think about for the last week.  I've been debating what pattern to actually knit with it.  There are a number of options.  First is Ruth's Sweater(pdf).  Then I saw her Autumn Sweater. 

Other's have followed this same path down Kauni Madness ending at the same place too.  To me, the ultimate is the beautiful Damask (From an out of print Dale pillow pattern).  I've thought of little else since I saw it.  I googled my fingers to the bone trying to find a copy of the pattern to no avail.  So I took the graphic, enlarged it greatly, broke out Excel, created graph paper and graphed the darn thing.  I'm now ready to knit this when the yarn arrives, which should be imminent.

As Spongebob would say, I'm ready. Though there is a little crazy part of me that wants to make the plain version considering that I'm planning on making this commuting knitting.  At least before the sleeves enter the picture.  Maybe I'll hold this version for a second sweater.   Yeah, that's the ticket.

Anyway.  I seem to have regained some sock mojo.  I thank everyone for their suggestions and commiseration on the sock burnout.  I've tucked all the in progress and rewound skeins away and have moved onto a tried and true favorite.  I did go for a new pattern, Baudelaire from Knitty with the Louet Gems in Cherry Red.  So far so good.  It could be a scootch smaller, but fits as is okay.  I've been using my new Lantern Moon US1 Ebony DPNs for this sock and I have to say, I seriously love it.

Besides, I think there's something to this Red Sock...

(BTW, it is now 12 13 to 1 as I write this and another pitcher got chased.  Sweet.  Let's go Red Sox!)

Finally I have a picture of the under-represented cats in this house.  Sara gets most of the screen time, but last night I found the other two, Duchess of a'Rat and Earl Grey snuggling in a pretty darn weird position.

I like her choice of a foot rest ;)

Craft on!

Missing Mojo

Sock knitting mojo seems to be a fragile thing, not to mention easily misplaced.  I don't say lost as I'm sure its around here someplace, but mislaid somewhere.

I've started and tossed aside quite a number of socks recently using a number of patterns and several yarns.  For one reason or another, none have quite cut it.

What's here?   Working right to left:

1.  Duet Skinny in Sailor Girl, pattern currently is my plain vanilla sock recipe with just the coordinating color on the toe.  There's nothing wrong with the yarn, it just isn't rocking my boat, though it has been my ferry knitting as of late.

2.  Union Center WhatNot Sock in Kitty's Eyes.  Not in sock or to-be-sock state at all.  I tried a couple of patterns including Anastasia and my vanilla socks.  Either the color, the split/pattern and/or size were wrong.  Which is odd because I like the colors.  I might give them another attempt using Monkey but then again, the K2Tog with Anastasia had me rip out half a sock.  Sigh.

3.  Fearless Fibers (etsy) in the Chocolate Pink Cherry, just past the heel on the first Monkey.  This sock was tossed aside when SOS started.  I went back to it this morning, but  maybe its me.  I'm just not feeling it.  Seeing half a plain foot in the project bag from the other end of the wound ball reminds me that it started as a plain vanilla toe up that just didn't grab me either.   

4.  Lornas Lace Shepherd Sock in Parfait.  Started Saturday as a vanilla but then ripped after the toe to then become Monkey's.  I tossed it aside last night while watching a super funny episode of Top Gear.  I'm not liking how the colors appear.  This seems to be another example of when I like a yarn better in the skein.

There might be another couple of socks-in-progress-but-not-loved somewhere around here.  I just can't remember them at the moment.

I'm not entirely sure what to do now.  Did I burn out on socks over the summer?  Maybe.  I think I lost my mojo for a bit then too now thinking back.  Freaked my SnB buds out that night, but was able to recapture it ASAP.  Do I try something else with one of the existing non-favorites?  Do I try a different yarn from the stash (of which there are plenty)?  Do I go with a yarn I know I love (a solid Louet) and work a new pattern?  I do have Wendy's Asparagus Cable socks and a Claudia Handpaint in a tone-on-tone nearly sock of Lipstick.  I also have a semi-solid Yarntini also in a red.  I'm just scared if something new isn't successful, the mojo might just be gone for longer. 

Bah.

Craft on!

Random Wednesday

While it might appear otherwise, I am indeed alive and well.  I'm seriously touched by recent comments inquiring as to how I am.  It has sadly been a long while since I posted, and I'm sorry about that.  Part of the reason has been that work involves a longer day as I'm now getting home at 7:15 instead of 6:15.  Dinner is now later, which I don't always get to share with the monkeys either.   I'm trying to adjust to the new schedule and hopefully will get into a real routine that will also include semi-regular posting shortly. 

In the meanwhile, here's a random Wednesday update as to what has happened over the last THREE (can it really be that long?) weeks:

1.  The twins were on vacation for ages.  Their last day at the old school was August 24th.  They've been home, making my mother nuts since.  I did provide her a bit of relief that last week of August when I had one of the girls from school come over for two days.  They finally started up again today at the new place (Tutor Time) and were almost eager to go this morning.  They took to it like old pros.  Alex asked of he could go back tomorrow.  I'll take that as a good sign, especially since they only go M/W/F :)

2.  We spent Labor Day weekend on the boat.  The weather was gorgeous and sadly, for most of it, I had camnesia.  I did manage to remember the thing for Alex's first fish.  We fished off the back of the boat while tied up at our regular slip at the marina.  He caught this little baby using grilled chicken as bait.  It's not a huge fish, but darn good for his first time out.  The little dickens reeled it in himself!  I managed a few catches too including a small pike, a crab and even a catfish.  It was a very relaxing weekend!

3.  I finished spinning up the second bobbin of that BFL on my Schacht last week.  I pulled out the Fricke eSpinner Friday night and plied it all.  I had forgotten how wonderful that sucker is for plying.  It took me over an hour to ply it all.  Contrary to standard practice, I skeined it and then even washed it immediately.  I set it out to dry in the sun on Saturday.  I'm pleased with the colors and am eager to see how it knits up.  I haven't measured either the length or the wpi of this skein, but it is all of 4.5oz.  Will be plenty for socks.

4.  Knitting continues.  I have finished not one nor two but three pairs of socks since I last posted.  First up was the Monkeys:

Not sure when I started, or even finished these.  I just know they were done when I started the next pair on Aug 15th.  Notice the lack of monkey-ness on the foot.  I went with the plain knit and opted for a smaller needle than the pattern calls for.  The socks fit my little feet perfectly.

With the leftover Lorna's in Bittersweet, I knit a pair of socks for Miss Kat.  I did hers toe-up over 44st and used a rib lace pattern on the cuff.  I increased the stitch count the round after the short row heel to accommodate the pattern.  Miss-miss is very happy with her new socks and immediately tucked them in the nearest bag.  I don't know if I mentioned this before, but the chick is a serious bag lady.  Everything is in bags!  Anyway... I'm very pleased with the socks and will prolly make her (and her bro) a few more pairs.  These were started on 8/18 and finished on 8/24 (my former wedding anniversary but that's for another post :)

Finally there was a third pair started/finished.  More basic vanilla stockinette socks in STR Silkie Little Bunny Foo Foo colorway.  I believe I got this yarn in a swap with Dorre, for what, I don't actually remember :)  Couldn't be more standard.  US1's, toe-up, short row heel.  blah blah blah.  Started:  8/15 Finished:  8/29.  The preschooler socks snuck in before I managed to finish both socks.

The crochet sock blankie progresses but that, like a few other projects, completely lacks updated photos.  I'm just shy of the armpits on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan.  I've acquired the yarn (but haven't cast on yet) for the Hemlock blanket.  It's rather high in the queue and I might just tackle it this weekend.  We'll see.  I also finally dug out the much neglected Ribby that I started so very long ago.  A hidden note in the sidebar indicates that I cast on for it on 4/5/06.  I worked on it off and on, mostly off obviously, but last touched it last winter as a break from Celtic Dreams.  Seeing Deb progress on hers made me remember this bad old thing hanging about and I finally dug it out from the back of the closet where it has been hiding since I moved into my new room last February.  I'm ashamed to admit how far along I was when it went into hiding.  Earl here helped me show you:

I had completed not only the back and both sleeves, but also the right front and had done the lower ribbing on the right.  One evening in front of the TV and I had it to the armpit.  One more night and it was done.  I've ordered (and even received) a zipper for it, now I just need to do the fiddly things.  But first it needs a blocking.  {snicker} maybe this weekend.

That should do it for now.  Hopefully more very soon including further catch-up.  Miss you!

Craft on!

Going, going...

I just had my exit interview.  Let me first say that anyone who is an HR professional, please look away.  I had a horrible experience with my exit interview.  The meeting was kicked off with an opportunity to give any feedback and to explain why I was leaving.  We would then follow with an explanation of the benefits (of which I didn't need as in a previous life I was a benefits analyst) and COBRA.  So I started to explain that the reason I was leaving was because of the unprofessional, rude and otherwise undesirable behavoir by my director.  That was when she turned the meeting around on me.  Why didn't I say anything before?  Why didn't I tell the director that his behavoir was rude?  WHAT?  Oh sure, that would have made it a more comfortable workplace when I'm telling the director that he's rude.  How could they make it better if no one complains.  First I don't think they have the power to "make it better".  This is the ass' nature.  There is no changing it.  What's HR going to do about it?  Put a note in his folder?  What she did was make me feel unreasonable for being uncomfortable enough to look elsewhere without talking to her first.  I finally told her that I don't care whether so and so is bothered by his behavoir, the 4 people before me were unhappy enough to leave and so am I.  Whatever.  I'm done.  One more day.  Its not worth the energy.

In happier news, I checked out Tutor Time this morning as the wicked early time of 7AM.  Eew.  The center is gorgeous.  The security is phenomenal.  The program is wonderful and I think the kids will be happy there.  It is also quite a bit more expensive than the current place.  I'm beginning to seriously think that I'd been getting a bargain price.  I'm happy enough with the place that I'll be canceling the appt. I have for tomorrow afternoon at another center a bit further from home.  I crunched the numbers and can definitely swing it, but I will be knitting from stash more.  A new austerity budget regime is about to commence.  Two more years until public school.

Thanks to the help of the other bloggers on this wonderful internet, I finally found what I'm going to do with all the leftover sock yarn!  I saw this first when Beth posted about seeing one here.  Okay, I'm a hooker too.

I've been crocheting technically longer than I've been knitting.  Mom taught me to crochet first.  Probably a granny square then too :)  I have nightmares from the 70's of brightly colored ack-rylic granny squares being seamed together for just about everything under the sun.  No thanks.  But.  One big honking granny square blankie of quality sock yarn, count me in!  Is it bad that I'm looking at sock yarns to see how they would fit in to the blanket?  That center blue stuff?  That's the leftover of the Lorna's in the Jeans colorway.  Leftover after getting two socks from one skein.  He he.  Okay, anyone got leftover sock yarn they don't want?

What else?  Oh yeah, the first sock is definitely done (and there's a goodly amount of leftover ;) and the second is well begun though I won't bore ya with progress shots of it as they'll look alot like the first one.

As to the larger quantity leftover, I'm torn between adding it to the blankie or making pairs for the monkeys.  Grrr.

Anyway, beloved SnB tonight!  Woot.  Can't wait.  Tomorrow?  Last Freakin' Day!  woooooot

Craft on!

Around and Around

No soap opera moments here today.  At least I don't think so at the moment.  I have an early morning appointment tomorrow at a nursery/daycare center (Tutor Time - if anyone has experience with the chain please do chime in!) and another Friday afternoon.  I should be able to finish this project off before starting the new job Monday.  Have I mentioned that I START A NEW JOB on Monday? :)  Thank goodness. 

I've been sitting idle at work since last Tuesday when I deployed the last project I'd been working on.  Figures I get an email from someone a half hour ago regarding something that had been in discussion as a wish list item in APRIL.  They've finally compiled what they want, what format did I want it in.  Um. None ;)  I copied my original email, along with a reminder that Friday is my last day.  She'll have it to me by EOD.  What?  I thought the freakin thing was compiled already.  Geez.  I hope "Brand Creative" has signed off on this wonderful addition to the intranet.  This kind of project I don't even want to do.  HR wants a page linking to outside vendors.  oh yeah.  You need a developer to do simple html. No wonder they can't keep anyone here for more than a year. 

Okay, enough griping... this shitty job is almost done.  Since yesterday was Tuesday, I spun!  Amazing how fast bobbins fill up when you spin regularly!  Totally unreal!  So anyway, while watching yesterday's episodes of Ryan's Hope, I finished the second bobbin of the hand dyed merino on the Gem.

Still playing TV catch-up as I didn't get home from the Parent Meeting on Monday until rather late, I watched Hell's Kitchen while working on the Schacht.  I finished the first bobbin of the BFL and am ready to start splitting up the second half for some interesting stripey fun.

I didn't do much knitting yesterday.  The humidity was really unbearable.  Even worse today, especially after that torrential downpour this morning that totally futzed up the commute.  I took this picture yesterday morning using the TM dashboard location...

.. I've since finished the sock on the way in this morning and (everyone) immediately cast on for the second!  You can see that I went plain footed on this modified monkey sock.

I also managed to get a picture last night of the Striped Baby Sweater in that yummy Smooshy yarn...

It is such a cute little knit.  I'll have you know that I've been working in the ends as I go.  With the three active yarns for each row, the ends were making me nuts so I just had to get rid of them.  The colors in this picture are just a little bit off.  The orange isn't quite that orange, more a peach, and the others aren't quite so blue.  Maybe I can get a dashboard shot for true color representation :)

Craft on!

Weekend Update

Saturday I was treated to another birthday celebration.  Deb had the twins and me over to her house where she made us lunch, served a very yummy home made Grandma cake and provided entertainment.  She has an excellent recap as well as fab pictures!  She gave me two skeins of Koigu KPPPM for my birthday in a beautiful colorway.  Thanks Deb for everything! 

I brought my little gem with me over to her house and spun some of the hand painted merino that I bought in MD this year.  It is the peachy color stuff at the back of the pile here.  I got to look at these pictures more often as I totally forget what I have!  Kat has requested a sweater out of it, and with 1.5lbs, I can probably oblige her.  Doing the quick fold-back-on-self method of measuring, it will probably result in a 14wpi cushy merino yarn.  I wasn't able to get a good picture last night, but am close to finishing a second bobbin.  I put in about an hour on the second bobbin last night as Sundays are for spinning (along with Tuesdays).

On the Schacht, I've been working on the first bobbin of hand dyed BFL from Painted Skeins in the Stone Fruit Sunrise color.  I bought this fiber right after the last issue of Spin Off inspired me to approach hand dyed in a different way than is normal for me.  The Spunky Tulips I spun as per my old approach:  divide the roving into half and then just spin each half, ply together.  I love the yarn, but the results were a bit odd.  I'm split this BFL in half and am spinning it as is.  The other half will probably be split in thirds.  It is almost spinning itself.

I'm showing a bit of consistency in the colors that are drawing me in right now.  No longer the pink/brown/cream of the Neapolitan that held me in its grip for so long, but now the orange/yellow/pink/purples have me. 

Witness the Lorna's Monkey Sock in Bittersweet has those exact colors as well. I can also count two other sock yarns currently in the yarn basket that have the same colors too.  I'm going to have me some brightly colored socks!  I hit the heel on this sock this morning and one stop before mine on the PATH, I pulled the needle on the flap.  I took it back to the last circular round and have decided to reduce stitch count and do a plain foot.  I'm not a huge fan of patterns on the foot (cabled socks notwithstanding) and thanks to my good friend Ms. Right Ankle, I wear closed shoes a lot.  The texture both annoys the foot and is lost inside the sneaker.  It just makes more sense to do a plain foot.

Speaking of the sock yarns, I noticed that my basket is overflowing...

This basket is almost entirely sock yarn.  There may be a couple of skeins of lace weight in there for fun (including that yummy cashmere purchased at MASW), but really, it is almost entirely sock weight.  It should also be noted that this is not by far all the sock yarn.  There is a chest at the end of my bed that also contains a goodly amount of the stuff and honestly, that floor full that I flashed during the packing to move last year is still in a box in the basement.  There are probably a few skeins not in any of the aforementioned locations as well, and no way includes the box in my closet of leftovers that can either grow to be socks for the twins or get reused somehow in a scrappy blanket.

See that cone of yarn behind the CD and next to the basket?  That coffee with cream color?  That is a cone of 1/36NM cash/silk from Colourmart that is now the lead contender for the WRS.  I swatched it Friday night and really love it.  I'll have to get a good picture of it (camera batteries were dead and I honestly forgot about it last night when rounding up other shots) but having shown both the Lacis and the Colourmart swatches to first Deb and then Mom, we all agree that the cash/silk is the one.  I'm ready.  I'm ready. 

I really am getting closer to ready to cast on for that shawl.  MS3 is no longer one of my loves.  I'm really at a loss as to what to do with it.  I finished Clue 4 in plenty of time for 5.  The theme was revealed on Friday, as I'm sure you all know by now.  It is Swan Lake.  A beautiful theme, but the remaining part of the stole is going to form a wing.  A wing?  Ugh.  I decided to sit back and let others knit this so I can see what it looks like.  Having now seen it, I can't say as I like it.  Sure there's two more clues after this one and who knows what the edging is going to look like, but I really don't like it so far.  There is a stated alternative to knit clues 1-4 again and graft in the middle.   Except I'm not that enamoured with the rest of it and really don't want to knit it again.  I'm torn now between ripping the thing out entirely or creating my own ending for it.  At least it has all be very fast to knit so if I do rip, I don't feel as if I've wasted a lot of time.  Blech.

Either way, it is in timeout and I'm going to move forward on Tina, 7 repeats of the 9.5 are now done and finally cast on for WRS.  Though... there's always a though isn't there?... I'm tempted to use a slightly heavier cobweb (snicker - J&S 1-ply) and knit the Bridal Shawl as a warm up for WRS.  Decisions decision.

I did get over the inertia of which piece of lace to knit by casting on a baby sweater for my new niece.  It is the Simple Stripes Baby Sweater in the Dream in Color yarns. I've finished the first two stripes.  Sweet little sweater.  I'll probably use some of the leftover to knit her the Saartje's Bootees(pdf).  Those things are sooooo cute.

I'm tired today.  Kat crawled into my bed sometime during the night after I turned in and proceeded to have an accident.  Ugh.  1:14AM and I feel wet.  She's standing on the bed crying.  I get her changed, grab my pillow and head to her room.  She curls up in the usually spot on the floor and I took her bed.  Glad I got her a nice bed :)  Not quite as cushy as my pillow-top dream, but comfy enough.  Oh well.

Dad took Alex for a haircut on Thursday.  Got another summer buzz cut (timely too as the weather has been beastly hot).  I love this cut on him!

Deb is right, they don't look like toddlers anymore.  I blinked.

FOUR MORE DAYS!

Craft on!!

Sock On!

We don't need no stinkin' sock machines.. certainly not in the land of the crazy.  As predicted, I finished off the first sock Tuesday night on the way home.  Now all together... "immediately cast on for the second one".  Good job!  I didn't get very far before I had to pack it away to get off the train and managed to only do the first round.

Yesterday I took the day off.  I had to get my car serviced and didn't want to do it over the weekend.  Add in that I've got NOTHING to do at work now and really, why should I?  I've already written all the documentation necessary to turn this job over to the next sucker fool Intranet Developer.  So I took the day off.  Two hours sitting in the Firestone waiting room got me from the toe to halfway through the short row heel.  Then another 45 minutes at Panera, escaping from the housekeeper took me to about 1.5" short of the cuff ribbing.  Last night as I was getting ready to settle down for some serious TV watching, I realized that the sock wasn't going to be enough knitting for the entire commute today and rather than finish it up and schlep along the supplies for the next, I finished it up during the Top Chef rerun.  (I finished Clue 4 of MS3 earlier in the afternoon before hiding at Panera.) 

So from start to finish, the second sock took one day, or really 4.5 hours or so.  As a recap, this is my basic sock formula, toe up, short row heel, 2x2 rib cuff.  I really can do these almost in my sleep.  Thanks to the yarn gauge, I got by with 52 total stitches on US1.  For all intents and purposes the pair was started Monday morning.  Sweet.  I should rename them the Evelyn Wood Speedknitting Socks.

Should I mention that I've started the next pair already?

(Dashboard Shot - patent pending)

I cast this one last night during Top Chef.  As a change from the basic socks, I'm going with a little pattern for these.  Monkey socks, take 2.   The yarn is the new Aussi Sock that I bought last week at Seaport Yarn after my first interview with the new employer.  Boy I love saying that!!!  BTW, got the official offer letter yesterday, signed it and faxed it back to them.  We're good to go :)  Anyway, the yarn is new for them and going for a bah-gain of $14 for the skein.  I picked up two skeins:  Faded Valentine and Sahara Desert.  This is the Faded Valentine.  Its got my current fad colors of pink/cream/brown but they are awfully muted.  I can't say as I'm loving the colors right now, especially after the last couple of boldly colored socks, but the yarn is very nice to work with.  I'll keep going with it, unless of course so new yarn waggles its ball band at me at MY tonight :)

Since Tuesday is for spinning, I spun Tuesday night.  I pulled out my dream wheel - the Russo - and got to work with the Foxfire Fiber Cashmere/Silk that I bought at MASW this year.  It hasn't always been a total pleasure to spin, it has sections that clump terribly, but it is pretty and I'm sure I can make something out of it.

I'm hoping to get enough in singles to knit the Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style. 

That's really about it for today.  I think I'll take advantage of the lack of work and catch up on the 720 posts I haven't read yet in Bloglines!  Y'all have been really busy!  I'm glad I'll be able to read all that instead of just resetting at 0 :)

Craft on!