Excited!

I received my monthly newsletter from the fabulous ThreadBear this morning and was jolted awake when I saw this: "Announcing Workshops with the Fabulous CookieA"! Fabulous indeed! I quickly skimmed the newsletter for the relevant information: 2 workshops, one on top-down sock design and the other on toe-up design, $35 fee... 16 person limit!

I hurriedly dialed the store & they still had spaces (I think my excitement greatly amused the lady on the phone)! So, this September I will be taking a 3hr design workshop with Cookie A.

Oh! And Trek received her socks!

There is is much Squeeage going on today. :)

Note: Please excuse the excessive use of the word "Fabulous" in this post. Apparently I need a thesaurus. :)

Trek's Socks

I've finished Trek's socks!


Overall I'm very pleased. They are drying now and should be on their way to her on Tuesday. :)

I've cast-on another pair of socks (surprise) for another swap I joined. It's a Discworld themed swap called "Music With Socks In" that's being held through Ravelry. The idea is that you make your partner a pair of socks (or send them the necessary items to make their own) and include a cd or 2 in the package. Since there is a possibility that my partner might read my blog (it's not a secret swap) I won't be posting any project details until I've shipped. I'm very excited about this swap. I wasn't able to go with my first idea for the socks, but I think she will love what I'm doing. And the music aspect is great, I'm having a lot of fun going through my collection for ideas!

Edit: Oh! I almost forgot to tell you a bit of exciting news! There's a yahoo group that is dedicated to translating knitting patterns into foreign languages and they've requested permission to translate my MJs pattern! I'm so geeked!

Weekend in Vermont

This past weekend I went with Honey to Vermont for a couple of Circus shows. There really isn't much to relay about the trip. The weather was lovely and I got to actually spend time with a few people that I've met at the shows. Of course, the only pictures I took ended up being far too dark and I've been unable to successfully clean them up so far.

I was able to sneak in a little yarn shopping. There was a gift shop in the tiny town we were at and at the very back there was a small yarn shop, which was stocked with some pretty nice stuff. I couldn't resist picking up this:

2 skeins of Araucania Nature Cotton in sage green. It is incredibly soft! I haven't seen the yarn locally, so that was all the incentive I needed to buy it. I've no idea what I'm going to make with it yet. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about dye-lot if I end up needing more. It's all hand-dyed, so there will be variation no matter what! :)

And the 28hr round-trip drive gave me time to knit this...

Trek's Sock

I've finished the first sock and have started the second. I'm just past the cuff now, but hopefully I finish it up this weekend.

The yarn is really lovely to work with, although it is pooling something awful. Even so, the sock is still quite pretty. I was originally going to do a fancy rib pattern, but the darkness of the yarn hid the pattern. Instead I went with a simple 2x2 rib for the cuff and stockinette for the leg & foot. I did a slip stitch heel for a little oompf.

Now I just hope they fit! :)

Coming Along

I've been a knitting fiend the last few days. I was home sick with a stomach bug on Thursday & Friday and was able to get quite a bit done on my Highland Shawl.

Not a great image, I know. The color is a bit washed out and you can't really see the lace, but that gives you an idea of how much is done. I've finished the body and started knitting the lace edging last night. I really can't wait to finish this, it's going to be so soft & warm! Yippie!

I'm going to wind up the Shibui Sock yarn for Trek's socks today and try to finish my pattern search. My initial thought was to do the Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn Clark (Interweave Knits, Fall 2004):


However, on further thought I think these might be a bit too patterned for her. She said she prefers simple stockingette or ribbed socks. Opinions?

Cast On

This weekend I finally decided to knit something, other than socks, for myself. I finally frogged the Lift & Separate Wrap that I started knitting in September 2006. I had finished the sleeves, but never got around to knitting the body of the sweater and after almost 2 years I figured it was time to reclaim the yarn, which is yummy Alpaca With A Twist Baby Alpaca in fawn.

This is it's current incarnation...

The Highland Triangle Shawl from Folk Shawls. This is the center portion of the shawl and that beautiful trim will be knit on after the body is complete. The lace pattern is fairly easy to memorize and it's moving along rather quickly since it's knit on whopping Size 8 needles! ;)

Lets just hope I don't get too distracted by this...
Shibui Knits Sock yarn in Midnight. Isn't it gorgeous? The color was a bit of a surprise because the website's image showed it as being much darker, but I love it. This is for Trek's socks, although I may have a hard time parting with it. The yarn is super soft & springy! I can't wait to get knitting with it.

All Sewn Up

The weekend before last I went out to my folks and my mother very obviously hinted that she would like a lap blanket for when she is in her wheelchair. She even showed me a knitting pattern, which was absolutely hideous.

Now, I love my mum, but there is no way I was going to spend the time and energy knitting a blanket only to have it destroyed the first time she uses it. Because of her medical conditions, she is uncoordinated and she often falls asleep in mid-sentence... this combined with a full cup of juice or food and a hand knit blanket spells disaster.

Instead I decided to sew her a blanket. This would fulfill her wish, would make life easier on my sister & father because it would be machine washer/dryer friendly, and save me a lot of time, money & sanity.

So Saturday afternoon I spent a few hours whipping this up while watching Jane Austen movies. I got a baseline for the size from the pattern she showed me. The pattern also had a strap that fastened around the waist to keep it from falling off. It used buttons, but I figured velcro would work much better. :)

Materials: 2 1/4 yds cotton fabric (45" width),
45x60 cotton batting & sew-on velcro

The finished blanket is about 34"x43". Unfortunately I made the fastening straps a bit too long and will have to trim & resew them. Still, I'm happy with it and honey thinks my mom will love it and that's all that matters. :)

Hubby Meme

Mary tagged me with this great meme that is all about hubby! :)

Where did you meet? I was in a play, fancied this guy and he dragged me to a party at his friends' house. Honey was the friend. I know it sounds awful, but we didn't actually start dating until 6 months after I broke up with the guy who introduced us. Still, said guy was none too pleased about the whole thing. :)

How long did you date? About 6 weeks & then he proposed. However, we waited a year & a half to get married.

How old is he? 4 years older (he'll be 40 this year).

Who eats more? We eat about the same. Sometimes he eats more, sometimes I do.

Who said “I love you” first? Hubby. Immediately after he got a nasty phone message from my ex.

Who is taller? Hubby. He's 6'2", I'm only 5'5"

Who sings better? Him, without a doubt. He is a fantastic musician and singer. He writes great songs too, even wrote one for me. :) He used to perform a lot in his twenties, but now me, the dog & cats are pretty much his audience. I always wanted to sing well, but as my sister will tell you, I can't. I can carry a tune but that's it.

Who is smarter? We both have higher than average IQs and I believe we are of equal intelligence, although he may be a bit more cunning than I.

Whose temper is worse? Mine. Hands down. I have a pretty short fuse and get snippy quite easily. Kris is pretty unflappable. I think I've only really seen him mad twice in 12 years.

Who does the laundry? Pretty much me. He does the odd load, but that is usually his own clothes. He's a bit leery about doing mine after a few disasters early in our relationship

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does.

Who pays the bills? He does.

Who cooks dinner? We both do. It's about 25/25/50 (him/me/take-out). :)

Who drives when you are together? Usually me. I'm a driving control freak. Unless we are taking a road trip, then he does all the driving.

Who is more stubborn? I think we are both pretty flexible, I don't think either of us is particularly stubborn.

Who kissed whom first? He kissed me. It was so cute. He asked if I minded if he kissed me.

Who is the first to admit to being wrong? I think we are both pretty good at recognizing when we are being irrational. No one is always apologizing first.

Whose parents do you see the most? I'd say it's about 50/50. But he talks to his mom way more than I talk to my parents, like almost every day.

Who proposed? He did. It was our first Valentine's Day together and we were at a Chinese restaurant. He got down on his knees and proposed after reading his fortune cookie. Since then I have to screen all his fortune cookies. :)

What’s his best physical attribute? I love his eyes and his giant nose! :)

Who has more friends? Him. He is a people person and gets along with everyone. I sooo do not.

What are you most proud of him for? For having the courage to follow his passion, even though it means I'm spending most weekends alone.

Who has more siblings? we each have a sibling.

Who wears the pants in the family? Well, since his salary is 3x mine, I guess that would be him. However, he is not my "lord & master" and doesn't have veto power. We are partners.

Ok. So, who to tag? How about Devin (you're engaged so you're qualified), Christy, Claudia & Ruinwen.

Clapotis Scarf

OMG! A F.O.! :)

Behold the Clapotis Scarf...

detail

Project Notes:
Yarn: J. Knits Softee Alpaca in New Jersey (which I received in the Discworld swap)
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm)

Modifications: Because I was going for a scarf and the pattern is actually for a shawl I had to make a modification, I increased to 47 stitches instead of 107. I also sized down the needle to a US 4 instead of a US 8, so as to work better with the yarn.

I love the result. It's a beautiful, light & airy scarf that is perfect for warmer weather, which is what I was going for. The yarn is a bit scratchy on the neck, but I'm hoping that will disappear with the addition of a little fabric softener.

The pattern is fairly quick & easy to knit up as well. And I got great satisfaction in purposely dropping stitches!

Overall, I'm very happy. I'm a little upset it took me so long to finish, but as long as I'm typing for a living my hands/wrists are going to continue bothering me and that means no knitting during the week. :(

Contest Results

I hit 20,000 visits! Whee!

Thanks so much to every who has visited my blog, especially those of you have commented. I really appreciate it and enjoy reading your comments. I wish I could give you all a prize, but a girl can only knit so much. :)

Now, onto the results. I placed all the entries into a hat and had honey draw.

The winner is...

Trek!

Congrats! I'll be sending an email to you shortly to get your details.

I'm Such A Dumbass

I finally started typing up the pattern for the Bittersweet Heart socks. In fact, I've got the whole pattern done including charts.

I was just going to start calculating the stitches needed for different sizes when I discovered that I didn't actually write down my GAUGE when I was making up the pattern.

I guess I'm going to have to reknit.

Idiot.


(btw- less than 100 hits to go for the contest! squee!)

Seriously Peeved

I just watched I Am Legend...

I knew better. Really I did, but I just couldn't help myself. I knew from the moment I saw the first preview before it was even released that my viewing this movie could really tick me off. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.

Now you may be thinking, it wasn't the best movie but what's there to be peeved about? The fact that other than the title and the name of the main character the movie bares no relation whatsoever to the actual novel. Really. None. Read the book. It won't take you long, it's only a few hundred pages.

You'll be struck immediately by the fact that in the novel Robert Neville is not a doctor, he's actually a blue collar guy who lives in a suburban area (in Kansas if I remember correctly). And while he is looking for a cure, he's winging it from stuff he's picked up in library books. Oh, and the monsters are actually vampires who have all there cognitive functions... not mindless zombies. There is actual interaction between him and the vampires, in particular his former coworker/neighbor.

I don't want to give away the whole plot, but the book is an excellent study of isolation & morality. The ending is brilliant. It actually gives you something to think about and discuss. Not the sappy movie ending "he saved us all" crap.

(sigh) Perhaps Beowulf will be better...

I Can Haz Theremin?

How friggin' cute is this?

Shamless Plug

Registration has started for the Mystery Theme Swap 3, which I host. Come join us, it's loads of fun. XD

btw- only 260 more hits until 20,000! I'm so excited!! I can't wait to see who I get to knit for!!! :)

50 Greatest?

First off I want to thank everyone who has commented on my contest post. I must say I'm overwhelmed! The last time I had a contest there were maybe a dozen entries, there are about 35 now and counting! Amazing! Thanks so much for the well wishes... and I wish you all good luck in winning the sox! :)

Okay, now onto this post.

Recently IFC teamed up with Nerve and they compiled a "50 Best Comedy Sketches of All Time" list. Now anytime someone does a list like this the results end up being controversial... let's face it, this is a highly subjective medium. What I find funny isn't necessarily funny to you. Even so, I think they did a pretty fair job.

The Python boys are fairly represented. Honey is a bit upset that the Fish Slapping Dance didn't make the cut, but Dead Parrot is #1 and the Spanish Inquisition is #33, so I'm happy. Kids in the Hall have a few sketches on the list as well, although I think there were better ones that could have been chosen.

In general I think that SNL is a little over-represented. I knew the "More Cowbell" sketch would be there and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Dan Akyroyd's Julia Child sketch made the cut and that "Synchronized Swimming" with Harry Shearer & Martin Short was #10. However, the only Eddie Murphy sketch they included was Buckwheat sings, which is funny but personally I prefer Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood (Kill my landlord, Kill my landlord) or Velvet Johnson's How To Be A Ho (but that's just me).

The biggest and best surprise was that "Nairobi Trio" from the Ernie Kovacs show was #7. This is perhaps the silliest thing I've ever seen. I think it's brilliant and most people my age have never seen it because it aired in the 50s.

So, that's my little 2 cents worth. If you like sketch comedy you should definitely check it out, especially since there are YouTube clips of almost every sketch!

20,000th Visitor Contest

I'm quickly coming up on my 20,000th visitor to my blog and I think that deserves a celebration!

Originally I was thinking of just giving away a couple skeins of handspun or maybe custom dyed yarn, but upon further consideration I realized that a) not everyone who reads my blog knits or crochets and b) this is a little more special and therefore deserves a prize that's a little more special.

So in honour of my 20,000th visitor, one lucky person will receive a pair of custom handknit socks of their very own. They may chose the colors & pattern if they like and the socks will be knit to their unique foot/leg measurements. :)

To enter, simply post a comment to this post. I will randomly select one winner when 20,000 visits have been reached.

Good luck and thanks for visiting!!

WOW! Actual Knitting Content!

As promised, knitting is once again in progress! Unfortunately I was a little rustier than I had thought and decided to put the Noro Sock Yarn aside until I've gotten back into the swing of things. It's too purty to be wasted on crap socks!

Instead I started a fairly simple pattern on bigger needles; a scarf version of Clapotis. I'm using the J. Knits Softee Alpaca that I received in the Discworld swap, which is really lovely to work with, and am knitting 47 sts on size 4US needles. I'm about 1/3 of the way finished and am happy with the way it's coming so far.

Can't wait to see how it looks once blocked. I think this will be a lovely, light scarf for spring.

P.S. I'm going to be having a contest soon in celebration of 20,000 visitors to my blog! Details soon. :)

Boring Blogger

That's me. I know I haven't posted anything exciting in weeks! First there was the creative slump, followed by carpal tunnel pain, resulting in nothing interesting on the blog.

I had planned on filling the time with playing with my embroidery machine, but that only led to frustration. I was able to get it working and it works ok with the stock patterns on the machine, although it does tend to leave gaps. When I tried to use a self-made pattern, the machine couldn't sew it properly and after breaking 3 needles I gave up in frustration. I'm not sure if it's my inexperience or of it's the machine. Either way it killed my desire to sew.

Thankfully, my hands & wrists are feeling much better from the rest and I'm thinking of busting out the needles today and knitting up some of this:
Gorgeous Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn that I received as a thank you gift from a fabulous MTS participant. Not yet sure what pattern I'll use, may wing it, but I've been itching to knit this ever since it arrived... soooo purty!

I'm also going to get in gear and get the Bittersweet Heart pattern written up for test knitting. So, hopefully the blog will be back on track with knitted goodness soon. :)

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a bit of puppy cuteness.

Diatribe

I've a bit of a diatribe welling in me. Last night my hubby and I went out for a lovely dinner. After eating, the waiter offered us coffee, cappuccino, etc. and I ordered a hot tea.

Honey got a lovely cup of cappuccino, with a side tray filled with shaved chocolate, cinnamon sticks & whipped cream that could be used enhance his coffee drinking experience. They brought me a tea pot and a selection of bagged teas... all of which were either flavored black tea, flavored green tea or herbal!

This is far from the first time this has happened, and it got me thinking. Restaurant owners would never DREAM of only offering flavored coffee. They just wouldn't. So why do they think it's acceptable to only offer flavored tea?

I'm not asking for much here. While I'm a bit of a tea snob at home, I don't expect that type of quality when I go out. Hell, I would settle for a bag of Lipton. Many times the only black tea they offer is Earl Grey, which they seem to think is not flavored for some reason. Well, it is and I cannot stand the taste of bergamont.

And I have to say I've noticed this phenomenon far more in upscale restaurants. They even have special humidors to display their pricey tea bags that are full of fruit & herbs. I'm sure this is really impressive to those who are drinking tea on a lark, but to serious tea drinkers this is really depressing. I mean I can go into any coney island or fast food joint, order a hot tea and get a black tea bag, no fuss. They may ask if I want decaff, but that's it.

Also, people who are going to drink their tea with their meal don't want some fruity concoction messing with the taste of their food. They are not like wine which, when paired correctly, can take your entree to new heights. These teas aren't designed to enhance the meal, they are meant as after-dinner, on their own kind of drinks.

Is it really too much to ask for the restaurant owners of the world to stock 1 plain black and/or green tea? Really?

end diatribe. :)

Grumble, Grumble

Cough, Cough... stupid michigan weather! At least this made me feel a bit better:



Corrina also made me smile. In the midst of a full on hack attack, I looked out the window to see her doing her "freight train". This is what we call it when she runs full tilt around the back yard in ever decreasing circles. She ended this bout by dropping to the ground, rolling over & rubbing her back in the snow. Crazy puppy! :)

Discworld Swap

I participated in a Discworld Themed swap on Ravelry and just got my amazing package.
Apron, knitted string bag, Pursenality Plus book, 85% Cocoa Lindt bar, Candy, Fiber Pieces Alpaca/Merino yarn, J. Knits 100% Alpaca yarn (the purple), and a phone charm! Oh, and there's a lovely shawl pin stuck in the green skein, but it's a bit hard to make out in the photo.

Close-up of the hand painted apron.

Charm for the goddess Anoia, which now is hanging
on my computer monitor.
She even drew boot-soles on the bottom of the box!

She really went above & beyond! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

The Great Unravel

This weekend we headed off to Philly for the Circus' cd release show. I was enlisted to run the background videos. I have to say I was pretty nerve-racked on the way down. I've never done any kind of video production before and I was really nervous I was going to screw it up. However, everything seem to come off well and I got a lot of compliments from the audience. Most importantly, the band was happy so I guess I didn't suck! You can see a bit of my work in this shaky cam video of Tink that someone made at the show. :) Watching it you can hardly tell that poor Joziah had a nasty respiratory infection and couldn't really talk for 2 days before the show!

I have to say I really love the new cd, The Great Unravel. There really isn't a bad song on the album! I was going to link to it, but it seems it isn't up for sale on their website or cdbaby yet. Kris thinks it won't be available online for another month, so it looks like the only way to get it is to attend a show.

In other news, I want to thank everyone for all the well-wishes! The antibiotics did the trick and I am once again healthy! Yippie! Unfortunately my carpal tunnel has picked now to flare back up, so it looks like my knitting hiatus will have to last a little longer. I think this is a good time to finally figure out my embroidery machine and do a bit of sewing. :)

Sinusitis

Just when I thought I was getting better, Sunday evening I start spiking a fever again. Yesterday I went to the doctors again. What started out as a nasty viral infection has mutated into a nasty bacterial infection. So, now I'm on antibiotics and am hoping this finally clears things up as I have been sick for 3 weeks now and it is making me seriously cranky!

I haven't even had the energy to knit!

You Make My Day

While getting caught up on my blog reading I discovered that the wonderful Devin nominated me for the "You Make My Day" award. awww! (blush) Thanks Devin! Right back at cha!

So, it's my turn to nominate a few people.

Joanne for being my dearest friend. You are always there when I need someone to talk to, even if you are on the opposite side of the country.

Mary for saying what I'm thinking in a far more eloquent way than I ever could.

Christy for sending me a wonderful, thoughtful package that arrived just when I needed a pick-me-up the most.

Thank you!
There are lots of others I would like to give this to, but unfortunately they are not bloggers. Maybe I should just tell them, eh? :)

MTS2 Package

Today is the first day in nearly a week that I am not running a fever! Yippie! I'm going to take this opportunity to show you the lovely package I received on Wednesday. I only wish I could have shown it earlier!
My lovely partner Christy picked "Japan" as my theme. She included a platypus pattern (too cute!), 3 skeins of Plymouth Galway yarn, Crystal Palace bamboo needles, green tea, Lindt 70% cocoa bar (my favorite!), a glass dragon, a traditional Japanese cup & saucer and 2 packets of Royal Milk Tea, which I can't wait to try once I get my sense of smell & taste back! :)

Here is a close up of the adorable glass dragon:
And my favorite item:
I absolutely adore this cup & saucer! Seriously! I'm almost afraid to use it for fear of breaking it. Almost. :)

Thanks so much Christy! I absolutely love everything!

Mock Albums

I ran across this the other day and thought it would be fun to try. It is! Mary, I think you will enjoy this...

Here are the rules:

1 - Go to Wikipedia's random article page - The first article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to the Random Quotations page - The last four words of the last quote is the album title.

3 - Go to Flickr's Interesting photo page - Third picture, no matter what it is, is your album cover.

Put it all together to make your album. Either crop it to CD cover size, or just use the raw image itself... the only rule is you're only allowed to add the album title and artist title.

Here is mine:
Now go make your own. :)

Coriolis

After a slight internal struggle I decided to frog the Tantalizing sock. It really wasn't progressing as I would like and I didn't want to forge ahead only to be severely disappointed.
After ripping it out, I promptly cast-on the master Coriolis pattern from the same book. Here is the first sock.

Ok, it's a little wonky looking when not on the foot. But when worn...

Much nicer. Here is a better view of the top...
I didn't do any of the suggested variations. Instead I just knit the master pattern with a plain heel. After the heel was completed I knit for another 1 1/2" and then did 4 rnds of 1x1 ribbing. I knit one round of purl, and then 8 more rounds of knit and cast-off. This gave it a nice rolled edge, but with ribbing to keep it in place.

I'm very happy with the way this one turned out and will be casting-on the second sock tonight.

That being said, I have a huge complaint with the New Pathways book. The patterns are revolutionary and, once you muck through everything, fairly easy to knit. However the layout of this book SUCKS! You are constantly having to flip pages just to knit one pattern. For this "master" pattern I had to have 3 pages bookmarked for reference. If I had chosen a variation it would have been more. On Ravelry there have been a lot of people who have taken their copy to Kinkos to have the perfect binding chopped off and a spiral binding installed. I'm seriously considering doing this.

On top of the layout issue, because the patterns are generalized for all the variations (and presumably unwritten variations) they are not specific enough. There were several times where I had to stop and try to figure out what they heck I'm supposed to do, and I'm an experienced knitter and very well versed in sock construction. It's so bad that I think if I knit another project from this book I will have to go through and write everything out beforehand so I'm not constantly searching for the correct page, and possibly missing a step because I didn't pay close enough attention. :(

So, overall I would give the book a B. It really is innovative, but the layout went for style over ease of use and coherency. I would only recommend this book to experienced knitters. Definitely not for the beginner or novice.

Mememememe

I've been tagged again. :)
These are the rules:
List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
Tag seven people to do the same.
Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it".

1. I'm a huge control freak when it comes to driving. I get really anxious if I'm not driving, unless I'm in the back seat or in a different city.
2. I'm petrified of spiders.
3. I had a speech impediment as a child and had to go through speech therapy for a few years. I'm still really self-conscious about it and it tends to creep back into my speech when I'm really nervous, like when I have to speak in public or when I'm meeting a lot of new people at one time.
4. My eyes change colors. The are usually green, but can shade to brown or yellow depending on my mood (or so I've been told).
5. I really, really, really (can't emphasize this enough) REALLY hate house cleaning.
6. I'm not fond of chick flicks/lit, except for Jane Austen. I would much rather watch a grisly horror flick.
7. I love my cats, but deep in my heart I am a dog person so I tend to give Corrina preferential treatment.

Ok, I tag Joanne, Mary, Denise, Anita, Ruinwen, Ruth & CJ

The Pen

Silly Claymation from Jemaine Clement of Flight Of The Conchords. You must watch all 4 episodes, particularly Sean! XD

Tantalizing?

Well I think I'm slowly coming out of my creative funk without the aid of the spa (I'll save that until I'm really stressed out!). However, I'm not there yet.

A few days ago I cast-on my first project from the new Cat Bordhi book New Pathways For Sock Knitters. I have to say when my sil first showed me this book I was blown away. The patterns are so creative and the construction is quite different. I was so excited when I received the book for x-mas! Imagine my dismay when I discovered that I couldn't just jump into a pattern but had to read the book first, and then actually do math (shudder) to determine the number of stitches required for every pattern! I, who fearlessly knit sweaters without checking gauge, am now required to knit a swatch for every pattern just to determine the number of stitches required! Tsk! :)

Anyways, I dutifully did my swatch and got my numbers and then started knitting Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks.



I have to say that I'm not feeling the love for these. I really like the pattern, but I'm not liking the way this attempt is progressing. I think a froggin is in order.

Good Reads

Thanks to Denise I have a new obsession. I've been busily entering all my books at GoodReads. It's quite addictive and easy to use. Plus you get to compare your reviews to others and get book recommendations. :) Now if I could just remember all those that I've read that I don't actually own a copy of...

Silly Slippers

Ok. I just had to share these with you...

And they've got memory foam in base which make them super comfy as well as completely goofy! XD

Creative Slump

It's probably just post-holiday burn out, but I am feeling decidedly non-crafty. I've got several projects waiting to get started as well as a pattern to write up, but I've no motivation to get going. I actually tried casting on a sock the other night & after messing it up 4 or 5 times I gave up in disgust and haven't want to look at yarn since!

Usually when the knitting blahs hit I get excited about some other craftiness. Most often it's spinning, weaving or sewing, but occasionally drawing... and rarely writing. This time I've got nothing else catching my fancy.

Perhaps I should just use the spa day that honey gave me for x-mas. Maybe if my body is reinvigorated the mind will follow...