I Never Promised You a FO Garden

I keep forgetting to post this, and I've been meaning to for ages: Rosi wrote up a very awesome (free!) pattern, and she's also holding a contest for the first six people who knit the pattern up. It's especially great for bold sock yarns - which I'm sure we know I'm a big fan of. This will link you to the pdf for the pattern; if you're not ready to commit to a download, check out her post about the pattern here.

Also, I got the sweetest e-card from my brand-spankin-new secret pal. I was easy to entertain yesterday due to my exhaustion level, so I sat there giggling as I watched the goldfish jump out of the bowl, wave at the bird, and fall back into the bowl for probably two minutes. Thanks pal - good to "meet" you!!

One last thing - my suggestion for the Socks That Rock name-the-colorway contest got selected for the finalists! I'm thrilled! I won't tell you which one was mine - I don't want to be accused of attempting to ballot-stuff - but even if it doesn't win, it was an honor just to be nominated. ;-)

So let's get to it, now, shall we? Behold! The sixth completed pair of the year!

(My showcase "Socks on Trees" shot deserved a bigger entry - the rest of the photos will be the little ones.)

I LOVE these socks. Love the yarn, love the pattern, love the blockers - everything is fantastic.


The fit is great...they're maybe a tiiiiiny bit big in the foot, but I'll survive. I must make an effort to baby these, though - they're not superwash, so I have to be very careful!


I couldn't stop taking pictures of them! At some point, a leaf grabbed hold and went for a ride with his knitted bretheren:


Project Stats:
Yarn: Posh Yarns (70% merino, 30% cashmere) in Scuffle colorway (purchased from The Loopy Ewe - I'll be sure to let you know when it's back in stock.)
Pattern: Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt (from IK Summer 2005, I believe - it's also featured in the new Favorite Socks book we're all so crazy about.)
Needles: US size 1 Lantern Moon Sox Stix
Start Date: February 9
Finish Date: March 13
Mods: I didn't do the cast-on directed or the first couple of rows directed - just used my regular old long-tail cast-on and started the twisted rib. That's about it, other than some minor changes made based on length requirements or preference.


I think we can safely say the star toe that Mona uses is one of my favorites. It fits me so comfortably. Oh, and let me talk about those Sox Stix for a minute - they're rosewood, and they're 5" - they're lovely for knitting, a little bit less smooth than some of your metal needles, so they grip quite well. My only beef is that they're pretty stumpy. I'm not a convert from my pointy Crystal Palace DPNs, but these were nice enough, and they come in a pretty bag. (I'm a sucker for packaging.)


I'd skipped the garter ridge design element on the previous Mona Schmidt socks I knit, and now I wish I hadn't - I like the little bit of flair it adds. I really enjoy Mona's patterns; I think hers might be two of my favorites I've knit. (The other was the Bells and Whistles socks from the recent IK Holiday issue.)


While I was taking pictures of my feet, Travis was replacing my newly-patched tire. See that little arch in the right eyebrow? That says "Uhhh, you're taking pictures of your FEET - you wanna come help me out here??"

But wait! There was more! It was a happy mail day!


I'm a Loopy Groupie now!!! Sheri sent my goodie bag 'special delivery' and I got it yesterday - check out that tote bag and all the goodies inside! How AWESOME!!


I got the tote (which is awesome), a skein of Opal (whee!), a very cool pattern, and ten yummy chocolates! (Yes, I realize there are only eight in this picture, and I'll thank you to mind your own damned business about it!) ;-)

Sheri did a shop update a few days ago, and in a new twist, everything's not gone yet. If you're jonesing, I highly recommend All Things Heather, and the new Cider Moon yarns are supposed to be fantastic.

Tune in tomorrow, when I will bring you yarn p0rn, a sneak peek of some of the contest prizes, and show you the really special giftie I got yesterday from Travis. (Hint: It's not the patched tire.)

Remember....leave comment, win contest. (Possibly, anyway.)

Episode 82, In Which Mother Nature Punishes Me For Failing To Commute Properly

Why this portrait of me, in my car, looking so forlorn even as I embrace my lovely Posh sock?


Nice. And of course it's due to a big ol' screw in my tire - which I'm sure has absolutely nothing to do with the massive construction going on in, around, and above our parking lot (which is under the interstate, which is of course in a constant state of torn-apartedness). This is why I love the bus...but I had to drive in yesterday, and I was duly punished. Thank you, universe. This is a brand-new tire. Sigh.

I had to call Travis to come help me. Not because I'm a girl - on the contrary, I'll have you know that I had the fastest tire-changing time in my driver's ed class, thankyouverymuch, and I've changed tires on residential streets and on the side of the turnpike. (Admittedly, that was a little scary.) But I've never been in a situation where I was in fancy dress and being accosted by the homeless while trying to change a tire. And while I sympathize with the homeless, I really don't want to attempt to change a tire while a toothless man harasses me about letting him do it in exchange for two dollars. (Why? I'm doing just fine on my own, and it's free! Besides, don't you think two dollars is kind of lowballing for that kind of labor?) So along came Travis, and since he was there....I let him do it. Heh. Today, though - this was stressful morning, man; the stakes of catching the bus have never been higher - there's no more driving on that little cruddy spare, and I would have been stuck at home.

I made a HUGE commitment yesterday. I'm immensely proud of myself. And since I've not forgotten about my pledge to do new things this year, we'll call this my New Stuff Wednesday item:


Okay, to the average eye, this is nothing special. But to me, it is an incredible stride into adulthood. I still have trouble describing myself as a "woman" and fall back more frequently on the term "girl" or "gal", and I think it's my inability to commit that makes me feel that I'm still falling short of adulthood. But this! This is my beloved conservationist-approved Starbucks mug marked in PERMANENT INK with my drink of choice. (Grande iced single shot caramel macchiato, 2% milk). I love this mug because it looks like a Starbucks cup and I think that's endlessly clever...still, I couldn't bring myself to tattoo it. But today, I am committing to my drink; I am establishing permanence! Not that I can't tell them something different if I'm feeling feisty that day....but hey, it's progression!

(And yes, I do carry that cup everywhere in case the craving strikes. It's in my knitting bag with all my other essentials. The sad thing is that Starbucks' coffee beans aren't even very good. I'm not a big coffee fan, but even I can tell that they over-roast their beans and there's better coffee in this world. And yet, I'm completely addicted and in love with Starbucks. Thank goodness I don't live in Seattle (yet) - I would just pitch a tent outside of Caffe Ladro and live there. A Ladro latte alone is worth the flight out there.)


Hey, a wound cake of sock yarn! That must mean there's a new sock on the needles - which in turns means there's a sock OFF the needles! Huzzah - FO photos coming soon. (This is Yarn Pirate's merino/tencel yarn in the Dogwood colorway. I almost started my Socks that Rock kit, but I've been itching to try this merino-tencel blend. The pattern for my wedding socks hasn't been released yet, so I'm killing time.)

Remember, blogiversary contest - leave comment, fabulous prizes.

O Cookie, My Cookie

So was anyone else kind of socked shocked and disheartened by the absence of Cookie from this season's issue of Knitty? I even saw the thumbprint photo of this sock and thought, "Ahhh, the Cookie pattern!" And while it does have a Cookie correlation, it wasn't a Cookie pattern. (Granted, it's a fabulous pattern and I'm going to knit it anyway.)

But of course, she's been busy with Stitches and all those crazy awesome patterns she was writing for that...and now they're available for sale to the non-Stitches public!! Wheee! AND they're downloadable PDF files, so you can have them right this second! I'm grateful for the instant gratification, even though I'd love her to write a book so I could buy all the patterns in one handy volume for about twenty bucks - I just spent plenty on four of her sock patterns...but a book would take over a year, and I needed them NOW. They're so blissfully gorgeous...Rhiannon in particular is such a work of art. I can't guarantee I'll knit it, but I know I want to...and that's half the battle.

I finally got my Favorite Socks book from Overstock. I'm so thrilled with it - sure, a lot of them are reprints, but just having them all in one place is worth the money. I'm tired of rifling through my issues of Interweave to find the right sock - and hunting for back issues, since I'm still relatively new to the scene. (I'd also picked up the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook - I can't wait to dive into that one!)

In News of the Smooth Segue, did you hear about Eunny?? I'll let her tell you herself - it's such big news, you really should "hear" it from her. But man....she has our dream job. Lucky duck.

I've been having fun reading all your comments for the contest. Keep 'em coming; remember, it's just leave a comment - any comment, any post - between now and midnight Eastern on Saturday...I've started perusing the stash, and there's some great brand-new stuff in there that I'd love to share. There may be enough for several really fantastic prizes - and if you're not a sock knitter, there's something for you, too. ;-)

Stuff, Things, Freebies...

Heddy mentioned that she'd not tried buying yarn online yet - it's tough for me to not order online, though; Orlando isn't exactly a happening place for knitterly pursuits, and my LYS, as much as I completely adore it, doesn't carry a tremendous amount of sock yarns; further, none of them are indie dyers. My favorites are the indie dyers, so I do most of my shopping online. (Psst, Heddy, a word of caution: it is a slippery, slipperly slope!)

A couple of folks mentioned my poor flogged and bleeding wallet - most of my stashing lately has been gathered with destashing funds - so I haven't been tapping the mortgage or wedding accounts in the interest of yarny pursuits. (Well, not this time anyway.) It is time for me to slow down, though.

I just noticed the other day that I'm coming up on my one-year blogiversary - this blog, anyway. (My other blog is coming up on its one-year-abandonment blogiversary. I had it for almost two years, though, so I can't bring myself to delete it.) And, in the spirit of knitting blogiversaries, I'm running the obligatory contest.

Everyone who leaves a comment between now and midnight eastern time on March 17th (Saturday) will be entered in the contest. Any comment, any post - and it doesn't have to be the least bit profound - if you just want to delurk and leave a comment on this post saying "enter me", go nuts. One entry per reader, puhlease....as for the swag....well, as you can imagine, it's sock yarn.

I haven't decided yet how many winners I'll have - but I've got an idea of what the prizes would be. There may be some Cherry Tree Hill.....there may be some Kindred Spirit....there may even be some Sweet Georgia!

So don't forget to leave a comment this week - the winner(s) will be chosen at random on Sunday morning.

I'll be starting on my wedding stockings soon. I'm not planning on wearing shoes, and my mom is very concerned about this. Granted, we're not always the luckiest people, and I'm fully expecting that anything that can go wrong will...but she had a really intriguing theory about the sorts of things that could be present at the wedding.

Mom: "But what if you step in something???"
Me: "Like what?"
Mom: "I don't know, dog poo or something!!"
Me: "Um. If my wedding features an aisle smeared with dog crap, no amount of pretty high heels are going to make me feel better."
Mom: "But what if??"
Me: "You know what, if that happens, I'll be thrilled. Because my socks and dress will be ruined, but be damn sure my wedding will be free!"
Mom: "Hmm, good point....I'll get there early, you distract the inn's owner."

Heh. Heh heh.

What A Day. And Night.

Dudes, Travis is out playing video games with the guys. I am home with some cold jalapeno pizza, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle on TBS, and a sock-in-progress. Heaven! (Note: I don't normally enjoy stoner comedy in the least...but dammit this movie's funny. Any film that includes the line, "Did Doogie Howser just steal my f***ing car?" is alright by me.)

Today was such a great day. There's an FO a few paragraphs down, if you want to skip to that, but for a second I want to harp on my awesome day.

We hit up the tux shop first to get Travis fitted and make our final selections. We went to Mellow Mushroom for one of their delicious wheat-crust pizzas, then to Starbucks for my macchiatto fix, and headed to the mall (which I survived, thank you) so I could pick up some essentials (read: get some makeup and a free gift). We also stopped by the SPCA to snuggle some kitties and make cute noises at the dogs - the shelter is right across the street from the mall, so I like to drop in and spread some love.

And we got our rings! It makes me feel that much closer to marriage - wheee!!! Poor Travis had to try on dozens of rings before finding one that was comfortable for him - he has the strangest fingers. He has beautiful hands, especially for a mechanic - he's almost obsessively clean. But his fingers keep changing sizes! Last weekend, he was measured at 8.25. Early this afternoon, another store measured him at 9. And later in the afternoon, when we bought the ring at yet another store, it was the 9.5 that fit best. We get home, unwrap them, try them on again.....

His is too big! What the hell??? So now we have to take it back, get the 9....what's causing this? The only thing I can figure is that he works with his hands, and they must swell and shrink depending on what he did the day before. He did have a really long tough day at work yesterday, so maybe his hands are swollen.

I photographed a few highlights.

I've only seen him in a full suit once, at our friend's wedding when he was an usher. I was sort of stunned again by how handsome he is. The same face I see first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and yet sometimes it still comes as a happy surprise when I look at him.


Honestly, this one just almost stops my heart.

Okay, thank you for indulging me and my nothing-to-do-with-knitting nonsense. I reward you with an FO report!


Fini!! I'm so happy to have another sock FO - feels like it's been ages!!!


Pattern: Craftoholic's Mata Hari sock (unfortunately not available right now.)
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in one of their potluck colorways
Needles: US size 1 Crystal Palace DPNs
Start: February 22, 2007
Finish: March 9, 2007
Pattern Notes: The pattern was sort of a guidline more than anything - a portion of a chart, and some pointers. It assumed you could pretty much wing a sock pattern - but of course I can, so I inserted 2x2 ribbing for an inch, an eye of partridge heel, and a wedge toe. The recipient has little feet, so I think I like knitting for her!


Oddly, even though the yarn stained my needles purplish, it didn't bleed much at all. And it's very squishy and soft; I think I'll put Cherry Tree Hill on my list of favorites. And I love this potluck thing - I like variation in my colors, but I'm actually selective about variegated yarns; I like the depth, but I don't like the pooling. This is a perfect yarn for that.

Okay, back to my quiet evening with myself, the pets, Harold, and Kumar. I just got a nice surprise, too - this weekend is a big celebration in our little town; some festival thing on the lake a few blocks down from our house, and they do a huge fireworks display that can be seen from our front porch, and which made the night that much more awesome. It was nice of the town to celebrate our great day.

Happy knitting!