A sock knitter is born

This is L. She is a friend of mine from work.

This is her first sock. It took a year to knit. She was having issues and kept ripping it out. We finally figured out that she was knitting wayyyyyyy outside the box. Like twisted stitches and knitting on the inside of the sock, not the outside. No wonder she couldn't make the heel work. Well, anyhow, she persevered, and did it!!!! And she did cast on a new pair immediately. They are working much more smoothly. Three cheers for L!!!!

A Big Sigh of Relief

My little brother (okay, not so little anymore, but you get the point) is home from Iraq today!!! This was at least his 2nd tour. He needs shoulder surgery, then back surgery. But he's home. Surgery sucks, but he's home. He's home. HE'S HOME!!!!! (Please join me in a moment of silence to pray for those still there and in other areas of conflict) Now for the Snoopy dance!!!

I can still keep up.........

Yep, still a Punk Rock Girl. Got up yesterday at 12:30pm to rent a car and drive Hubster and I to Seattle to see GREEN DAY!!! Opening night of the tour. OMFG!!! They rocked. Just rocked. I love going to concerts. It's interesting to see the emphasis an artist puts on their own lyrics and how they present them. If you get the chance - GO! My present fave from the Breakdown is '21 Guns'. Lots of possible interpretations. I get this one right now - a ballad commiserating with the down trodden, the returning vets, the lost and forsaken, with a call to revolution that does not involve guns. We can do this peacefully. The only winning move is not to play.

Yes, I did knit at the concert. I worked on my Lavalette out of STR Silkie in Tanzanite from my stash. Our usher's mom runs a yarn shop in Seattle. We talked about knitting. She admitted to knowing how, but not much more. More knitters need to come out of the yarn closet. Pick up your needles people!!!

If we keep adding people, I'll never finish...

the Yule knitting, that is. Okay, so the score so far is 4.5 pairs out of 7 done. Yep, over half-way to Yule done. People at work are whining over not having their stethcozies yet. Well, their going to have to wait a while longer... We've added more people to the family. What you ask, one addition in April and one in May wasn't enough? How can we possible add more people if this generation has all married and the next it too young yet (here that boys?) to procreate? Why we get pregnant!!!!! Yep, it's what my family does best. Wed all you want, we'll make more. S and B are due in Feb, and now E and N are due in Feb/March. Baby knitting!!!!!!! Where's my angora?

Home Sweet Home

We're back. Sorry to anyone we didn't see. We underestimated how hard it would be to travel without adequate pain control.

This trip was rough. Mom was in the hospital. I had to step in as mother of the bride. Things were a bit disorganized. But in three days we made this happen:















I've been informed that you 'can't fire family', even if they do forget the flowers.

We also got to play with this little boy, for hours on end. Joy!!!!!!
















No knitting accomplished, but who cares?

Where I finally catch the Clap...

I mean Clapotis, of course. Where did your brain go?

So this is what Clapotis looks like in Malabrigo sock, Violeta Africana.

I like the way this yarn knit up. It used a mere 153 grams (about 1.5 skeins) and yeilded a wrap that is 22 in wide and 84 inches long on a side of the parallelogram. While I do not appreciate MalSock for socks (no body), I love it for shawls.

Blocking is a dream with this stuff. It's like a 2-dollar whore, you get it wet and it just lays down. (apologies to anyone that is offended). It is just so easy to block and has a wonderful drape. I wonder if this is because this yarn is spun woolen, whereas most sock yarns are spun worsted. Hmmmm.....

Now on the needles: Desert Sun in MS Botticelli Red, Jeanie in Smooshy Dusty Aura, various socks and Juno Regina out of the rest of the MS in the Violeta colorway.

My new fashion statement, in case you haven't figured it out, involved lace shawls and wraps. I just can't get enough right now.

Would you like cheese with that Whine?

Okay, I just got the email from Sock Summit. If you haven't, please check you in box. The registration date has been set. Tuesday, May 26 starting at 10 am PDT. Now, let's forget for a moment that I usually sleep days. This is a day I won't be sleeping. Why? Simple, I'm leaving for Tucson that day.

Here is the basic itinerary:
- work until 0630 - telemetry, no less - makes you hear beeping for days - I'll be getting up at 4:30 pm Monday night
- head home, shower, finish packing
- back to hospital for 0900 doctor's appointment - they don't really want to see me, but as long as I am on restricted duty I am required by the hospital to see the doc every 30 days. I'll be in Tucson that day, so we're doing it early
- home to register for Sock Summit, unless the appointment runs over, in which case, my computer goes to the doc with me, I can log on to the hospital's wireless there
- take cats to boarding - yes, boarding. Most people leave their cats at home, unfortunately, ours are not that well behaved. We have a 17 year old crotchety old lady and a 9 month old, fifteen pound kitten. They play, then they fight, then the go in time out. If someone isn't there with them they may kill each other. The answer: boarding
- leave the house by 1400 (2pm) to catch the MAX to the airport to be there 2 hours before our 1700 (5pm) flight - at least we don't have to get off the plane until Tucson
- land in Tucson at 2200 (10 pm) - pick up car and drive to airport

Did you see sleep in there? Yeah, me either. Cat naps (pun intended) I guess.

See you at the Summit!!!