Where does the time go?

I can't believe that it's been three weeks since I posted last. I've been craZy busy (as my brother used to say--with the Z just like that). I've had an insane week. I found out last Monday that I had an ear infection, so they stuck me with a needle and put me on antibiotics. On Thursday night, I was involved in a car accident. No one was hurt, but my car is a little banged up. Luckily, the other person's insurance company is going to pay for the repair on my car.

I've been knitting quite a bit. I started and finished a hat for my friend Kyle this month. He'd asked for a hat to keep his "little head warm when it gets cold outside." The only directions he gave me was that it be in black. I ended up doing a hat based on the Marsan Watchcap, without a brim, and with more stitches than the pattern called for because I was knitting at a tighter gauge. It was a fast knit, worsted-weight yarn on 4mm (US6) needles (the original pattern called for 4.5 mm/US7 needles but I didn't have any).

I learned a lot from this hat. First of all, the pattern is made up of a twisted-stitch rib (K1 through back loop, P1) and the K1P1 was the catalyst I needed to get me to learn how to knit continental-style. Secondly, I learned a lot more about how a stitch is constructed when I took a pair of scissors to the bottom of the hat. Kyle told me--after I'd already knit nearly the entire hat--that he didn't really care for hats with folded-up brims. Rather than rip back 5 inches of knitting, I opted for surgery a la Grumperina. It's not professional-looking, by any means, but I don't think he'll notice.

I've also been working on my brother's socks. I've finished one sock up and am about two-thirds of the way done with the cuff. I haven't woven in any ends on either sock yet, but I'm hoping to have them done by the end of next week. I was planning on finishing them this month, but I took a few days off to do Kyle's hat.

I'm also on the hunt for a nice lacy sock pattern. I've signed up to be a Sockapalooza 4 Sock Savior, and the person I'm knitting for says she prefers thinner socks, so something lacy should do. They're going to be in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids, in the Cherry colorway--a nice bright, lovely RED. I'm thinking about doing the 'Vog On pattern, just longer than anklets.

Score!

I had a customer come in to work the other day who was wearing a shirt that had a logo for a welding supply company embroidered on it. I asked him if that's where he worked, and if they sold fine-gauge stainless steel tig rods. He just gaped at me, and then stammered that they did. I said, "Oh, fabulous! I've been looking for some. I need them for a project at home--but they need to be rods without flux--that's no good for me." He just stared at me. So did the banker I was working with. I love doing things like that--pulling something completely out of the blue that knocks people speechless. The man I was waiting on was just so flabbergasted that a 20-something GIRL who works at a bank had even heard of welding, let alone that there were such things as 1/16th inch stainless steel tig rods that he didn't know what to say.

So today, I was waiting on another customer, when this man walks into the bank and hands a bunch of wires to one of my coworkers and indicates they are for me. Hooray! I have blocking wires now! I guess that means that I ought to get back to work on some of the lace projects that are sitting abandoned in my WIP basket.

So the moral of the story is: Doing your research and remembering random facts (like that 1/16th inch stainless steel tig welding rods could make good blocking wires) can get you free stuff!

Attention family members--I have no idea if any of you ever read my blog, but if you do, you can stop right here because you're not allowed to see what else is happening here. Go back and comment on previous posts, that's fine, but read no farther at peril of spoiling your own possible presents!

I've thrown myself into gift knitting this week with a passion. I've been working on some socks for my missionary brother in Hungary. I've turned the heel on the first sock.

I've also started spinning up some fiber that my mom gave me this spring. It was the winter coat her horse shed this spring, and she wanted to know if it could be spun. I thought it would be really difficult to spin, but it hasn't been as difficult as I expected. The horse died unexpectedly a few weeks ago, and I thought she might like to have a bag or something made to remember it by.

Normally, I'd say I'm kind of a natural-fiber snob but I was up exploring a new yarn and fiber store in Georgetown KY on Saturday, and I found some yarn I couldn't resist. This quite unnatural--it GLOWS IN THE DARK!! I also picked up some charcoal gray wool and I thought I'd make my roommate a scarf with a snowflake fair-isle border or something.

So, I have about three months until Christmas. Can I make a sock and a half, an entire scarf, and spin and knit something else from horse hair by the deadline? We shall see!

Rushing before Reality Hits

I've been on vacation all week. I didn't go anywhere except to class and to the dentist. I did get some things done around my home, like cleaning and laundry and so forth. Mostly I just knit like mad!



I worked almost exclusively on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. I've finished up through where the sleeves are joined to the body, finished one sleeve and am about halfway done with the other. Unfortunately, I have to go back to work tomorrow and pretty soon I'll have homework, so the knitting time will probably be dropping back to almost nothing.

So, I've got to run and squeeze a few more rows in before bedtime.

Christmas is coming

I've decided to make my "baby" brother (he's twenty today!!!) a pair of socks for Christmas. He is serving as a missionary in Hungary right now, so I think I'll need to send them out sometime around the first or second week of November. That means I'd better get started!

I think I'm going to base the socks on Thuja, meaning that I'm going to use the K3, P1, knit every other round pattern. I'm doing them toe-up (I LOVE Judy's Magic Cast On--I don't even have to look it up anymore!) and I think I might try a new heel of some kind or other. I don't want to do a short-row heel. I'd like to try the Eye of Partridge heel that I've seen around, but I'm not sure that you can do it with a toe-up sock. I'll look a little more into that when I get to that point.

I'm still working on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. It hasn't seen as much attention lately, as I've been researching sock patterns for my brother. I have about 25 more rows before I break the yarn and start working on the sleeves.

No pictures today of TYC--I haven't taken any since I finished up the garter-ribbing portion.

I can't stop!

I'm reading a book called "Majoor Frans." It was written by a Dutch woman named A.L.G. Bosboom-Toussaint in the late 1800's. It's about a very poor young nobleman who is suddenly informed that the will of a distant relative has named him sole heir to her estate--on the condition that he marry one of her nieces. However, the girl (Francis) is said to be rude and rough. She's been raised by her grandfather, a General, allowed do do whatever she wanted, and her wild ways have earned her the nickname "Major Frank." She hates men in general and has sworn never to marry. But when he meets her, he finds out the real story of her life, falls in love with her, and is sincerely trying to win her love. It's kind of a combination of "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Wuthering Heights" or "Jane Eyre" (can you imagine that combination?!?) It's *REALLY GOOD* and I highly recommend it. I can't put the book down. And that makes for lots of knitting time.

I'm getting much better at knitting and reading at the same time. Especially now that I'm working on the plain stockinette part of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan I've been making. I really like the pattern so far. It's fairly simple--all one piece to which I'll add sleeves later and then work the yoke. I love the "no seaming" idea! I've never done a round-yoke sweater before. I like how the Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool is knitting up. It is soft and drapes nicely. I think I'm really going to like the finished sweater. I'm probably two or three inches farther along than this picture shows.



School starts this coming Monday. I had to make a last-minute change to my schedule but I think I've got everything in order now. I'd better learn some self-discipline soon--either that or finish Majoor Frans before homework sets in!

Big Thanks!

Look what came in the mail for me on Friday! A Sockapalooza 4 package that included a fantastic pair of socks, a beautiful card, and a mini-sock blocker with instructions on how to make socks to fit it.

They came from Debra. Thank you so much! The socks fit perfectly and are very comfortable and I've worn them around the house all weekend. I immediately put the blocker key chain on my purse and it's fabulous. Maybe this next week I'll make a sock for it.

The color in the photo above isn't really accurate. The socks have a lot more red in the purple than you can see here.

Thanks again, Debra! I love my new socks!

Secret Pal 11 Questionnaire Answers

Sorry that this is late!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I prefer mostly natural fibers, although acryllic does have its place. It's not a big place in my life, but my first three sweaters (I'm on my 5th) were acryllic. I still wear one of them.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Nothing really, at the moment. I made a roll to hold my DPN's and I think they're actually in there right now. The circs are hanging off my lamp because I haven't found a nice way to store them yet.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've been knitting for about 17 years or so (gosh, that sounds SO LONG!) I didn't do much with it for a long time, and have only been serious about it for the past two or three years. I think I would say I'm an advanced knitter. There are a lot of things that I haven't tried yet and a lot of things I don't really know how to do, but I'm not afraid to try.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I do, right here.

5. What's your favorite scent? I like the smell of cinnamon and other spices, as well as Citrusy smells.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Heavens yes! My favorite candy is Reese's Peanut Butter cups .

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I'm a spinner--I bought my wheel in February. I used to cross stitch a long time ago, but I haven't done that for years. Not since I started knitting again.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) My computer does play MP3's. I LOVE world music in different languages, whether I understand them or not. I also listen to a lot of classical and instrumental music, and I love Disney cartoon soundtracks.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I think my favorite colors are darker reds like wine and burgundy. I like any flavor of purple. I like chocolate brown and pink and chocolate brown and light blue. I'm not really a big fan of olive greens and yellows, although I like the brighter colors. Now, having said that, I'm in the middle of knitting a cardigan in an olive green color. I think it will be pretty and I'll like the end result, but I'd like the process a whole lot more if the yarn were a pretty heathery purple!

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have one roommate and 2 cats.


11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes to scarves, hats, mittens, but not ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I've always got a sock in my purse. It comes in handy when there are odd moments with nothing to do but wait for someone or something somewhere. I've done lots of things, sweaters, bags, slippers, lace, hats.

13. What are you knitting right now? A purse-sock, as always. Twisted Yoke Cardigan from Interweave Fall 2007, Mystery Stole 3, and I've got Scheherezade hibernating somewhere.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes, please.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I prefer circs for most things, and I like the metal needles. I'd like to get the KnitPicks needles, but I haven't had the money for it yet (espeically since I already own needles in most of the sizes I ues)

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? I think I've frogged most of the things that I haven't liked, so my oldest UFO is probably the Scheherezade Stole.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Probably the Winter holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's)

19. Is there anything that you collect? Stationary and stickers and pens. Yarn, too, of course.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I think the books I want are all in my Amazon wish list. Someday I'm going to bite the bullet and actually subscribe to InterweaveKnits.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I can't think of any at the moment. I'd like to learn more about the hows and whys of some techniques, like figuring out once and for all which way ssk and k2tog go. I always have to look it up!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I'm definitely a sock knitter. I wear a US 7 shoe; my foot is 9 inches long and 9 inches around at the ball.

23. When is your birthday? December 3

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Yes, you can find me as Prinsessje. (That's Dutch for "Little Princess"

I didn't think I'd do it...

But I want to make Monkey socks. Everyone's been raving about them for months. Acutally, that fervor has died down somewhat--I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. I thought they looked nice, but it wasn't really calling my name. Maybe it was the colors in the original pattern--the yellows and greens and oranges aren't exactly my color, they kind of remind me of jars of baby food (no offense intended to those who like yellows and greens and oranges--I like them too, just not all together). But then my secret pal spoilee, Emily, showed a photograph of some RED ones that she made from her own handspun (gasp!) and well, you know what they say about rest and history. I want to get back to my wheel and spin!


But not yet. I'm busy working on the Mystery Stole 3. As of tonight, I've completed through row 190 (10 rows left of Clue 3). Clue 4 will be posted on Friday, and I'll have 2 weeks to work on it. I can't believe that I'm actually keeping up with this project. I don't consider myself a fast knitter at all.


I've also been working on Scheherezade and some stripey cotton socks from yarn my secret pal sent me. I decided this week that I'd send them to someone rather than keep them for myself. But they're coming along rather nicely. They're just plain and simple, perfect for stuffing into my purse to take to work for lunchtime knitting.

This is the first sock, which has long since been completed. I have about an inch and a half done one the second one, but no current photos.

Must. Buy. Blocking Wires.

So I thought I'd save myself some money (and avoid the wait of ordering by mail--I'm impatient) by making my own blocking wires. I went to Lowe's and Home Depot and couldn't find any of the welding wire I'd seen recommended. So I bought the thinnest wooden dowels I could find and some sandpaper and went to work.

I used a pencil sharpener to make some pointy tips and sanded down the entire length of the dowel. They're still a little too rough (I told you I am impatient!) and not thin enough, I don't think. I guess I'll break down and pick some up from eBay or KnitPicks. They're the same brand, but the ones on eBay are a little cheaper (the price of the wires+shipping is the same price that KnitPicks offers for the wires alone).

Mystery knitting

I started knitting on the Mystery Stole 3 yesterday. So far, it's gone pretty smoothly, except I think that the beading might be a little TOO subtle. (You couldn't even tell the beads were there, could you!) The first two were a little bit challenging to put on, but once I figured out how to hold both needles and the crochet hook while putting the bead on, it went smoothly. I bought some other beads that were clear except for the hole was lined in silver. I think they'd pop out just a bit more, but I don't know if that would really look good with this color wool. It's kind of light brownish--well, an oatmeal color (imagine that!)--and I'm not sure how it looks with the silver of the bead. I don't know if the beads will stand out better once it's blocked or not. I think I might put it on a holder and start again from the other end with the other beads and see which I like better.

I really like this yarn--it's very soft. It's Lane Borgoseia Cashwool in the Oatmeal Colorway that I bought from The Loopy Ewe several weeks ago.

Nothing productive accomplished today

Because I'm IN!

I got an invitation to Ravelry today!!! What fun! I've wasted a whole lot of time playing around and entering in the patterns I'm working on, what I want to do, looking at others' postings about the projects I'm doing or the ones in my queue. I haven't even started to think about uploading information on my stash or my needles yet. I don't have that much stash, I don't think. One tote-full under my bed. And I don't have many needles, either. But this will probably take me quite a while to figure out.

I finished the first chart on the second half of Scheherezade today. I haven't worked on it for a while, but I decided to pull it out today and see what I could get done. I think it will probably go back into the tote on Friday, when the first clue for Mystery Stole 3 comes out. But we'll see. Maybe I'll just keep Scheherezade around and remain constantly one year behind.

Time to knit.

I had LOTS and LOTS of knitting time this past week. I had a lot of reading for a class to do by Saturday (which sadly didn't get done on time) but I can do simple straight stockinette while reading. I'm looking forward to school starting this fall if reading time = knitting time!

My car was in the shop on Wednesday and Thursday, so I rode the bus to and from work. Waiting for the bus to come and sitting on the bus = knitting time!

I had a wedding/family reunion this weekend in Nauvoo, Illinois. It's a little town now, about 1100 residents, but back in its heyday in the 1840's it rivaled Chicago in population. There's some houses and other buildings that have been restored and preserved and there are wagon rides and other things to see. It was fun. The first place I went to was the Family Living center, where they demonstrate things like how they made candles and bread and rope and barrels and so forth. There are also demonstrations of weaving and rag rugs and so forth. I've been there before and I remembered the looms and the rope-making, but I didn't remember seeing any spinning wheels. So this time, I went looking for them. They had them there, with signs all over saying "Do Not Touch" It was so hard to keep my hands off as I tried to explain what the things were to my family and how they worked. The guide that came over to see if we had any questions acted really impressed that I knew so much about how it worked.

So, anyway, there was lots of time standing in lines and waiting for rides and waiting for my family to figure out what we were going to do next. Standing in line = knitting time!

By the way, if you EVER EVER in your life get a chance to see the Brigham Young University Ballroom Dance Company perform, you should take it without a second thought. We went to a show on Friday night and it was FABULOUS. Energetic, fun, and very entertaining. There was a song about a scientist that looked like Einstein that created the perfect Dance Partner and the "robot" costumes were awesome. Hot pink suits with a row of fringes every few inches. You'd NEVER catch anyone wearing it anywhere else, but it was perfect as the dancers Cha-cha'd across the stage. There was another dance where they turned off all the stage lights except for some black lights and did dances with giant sticks and part of their costumes were black and other parts were wild colors that showed up in the black light. The show was incredible. Needless to say, I was NOT knitting at that time. :)

With all that knitting, I'm just about done with a sock. This sock may just well become a knee sock. I've started to add some increases in the back of the sock for calf shaping. I've never done this before, and I'm not sure I'm adding increases at the right rate, but we'll see.

Look! Look! I'm finished!! Say it with me--woo-hoo!!!



I don't know exactly what I'm going to start on next. I've joined up with Mystery Stole 3 and received my yarn on Wednesday or Thursday--one skein of oatmeal-colored Lane Borgosesia merino laceweight. It was my first order ever from The Loopy Ewe. (My parents are talking about moving to St Louis--if they do, I'll definitely have to arrange to visit the Loopy place!) I have no idea what size needles to use for this yarn. I think I want to try some of those KnitPicks needles or the Addi Turbo Lace needles--something with a sharper point. Just starting to do a swatch on that fine yarn was kind of difficult.

I think I'll also start another sock. I've got several colors to choose from: some Brown and Pink Koigu my first Secret Pal gave me, some red Cherry Tree Hill I purchased a few months ago, or some cotton that my current Secret Pal sent me. I think I'm going to just do a plain sock because I want to train myself how to knit and read things at the same time. I'm starting school again in the fall, and I can't give up my fiber!

Halfway

I finished the first Sockapalooza 4 Sock today. I'm a little nervous about it. I'm afraid that it won't be able to stretch wide enough. The first draft was too wide, so I ripped it back. People kept asking if it were a baby hat, and I realized that I hadn't built any negative ease into the sock. I'm not sure what my pal will like, but I personally prefer my socks to be kind of tight on the foot. But I'm worried that these are too tight in the ankle. I need to find someone who has the same size foot to give it a try.

(yes, I'm well aware that my legs are blindingly white. That's just the flavor I come in--plain vanilla!)

I LOVE the bind off. It's SO easy and REALLY stretchy. It's P2 tog, make the stitch you just created on the right needle very loose (or just use a needle a couple of sizes bigger than what you've been using), slip it back to the left needle, and repeat. Easy-peasy!

Checking In

I've been busy working on my Sockapalooza 4 Socks. I've turned the heel on the first sock and I only have 15 grams of yarn left. I wasn't sure how much yarn the sock was going to need, so I bought three skeins. I guess I should knit a repeat and weigh the yarn a la Grumperina and get an idea of how long these socks will be if I make them only from one skein apiece.

I've been sewing.

My little sister made me a bag to carry my socks-in-progress around in my purse, but it was slightly too small. So I found a pattern on the internet and whipped this little bag up. I really like it. Especially because it's red, which seems to be my color of choice this year. Does anyone else go through phases where they buy everything in one color? A few years ago, it was light pink. This year, it's red. Dark burgundy-red.

I also made myself a pretty bag for my books for church. The messenger-style means it's also come in handy last week when I was a really good girl and rode my bike to work EVERY DAY. I still want that Biria bike, but I can't justify the cost right now.
My little brother got married this past weekend. Hooray for him! But you know, it's really really weird to think that my little brother is all grown up and MARRIED. Does that mean I'm a grown-up too? Here he is with his bride and my grandpa. Don't they all look cute?

Look what came in the Mail!

This was on my doorstep when I left to go back to work on Thursday. (I may or may not have been a leeetle late getting back to work...)

This was inside (you can't see it all in this photo, but I can't upload photos of everything that was in there in one post).

Thank you, Thank you, Secret Pal!!!

I can't believe how much was in this box: a book called "One Skein Wonders," two balls of alpaca yarn , some wool/silk yarn, cotton sock yarn, ribbon yarn, a container of wool wash, and a little container of something called Wool Wax. It's a lanolin cream and I LOVE it. There were also six balls of roving (two light pink balls of merino and the pink and grey and the other two pink balls are Corriedale). Enough for a sweater, I think. My secret pal gave me some ideas of where to find more if I want to make a solid pink sweater, but I may use the grey/pink for a stripe or a yoke or something. I guess we'll see how it spins up.

What I want to know is how did she know that I really wanted to make a pink sweater? Did I say something about that somewhere?

My little sister made this bag for my socks to go into while they're in my purse. It's made of an old silk shirt that I used to wear and lined with some fabric that she bought to make a quilt. I really like the bag, but I may ask her if I can have her make another one just a bit bigger. I don't know if a brand new, just-wound ball of sock yarn will fit in this one. Maybe she will if I offer to make her another pair of socks in exchange...
I went to a friend's house this weekend, and she wears the same size shoe as my sockapalooza spoilee. As I feared, the sock was too big. WAY too big. As in about two pattern repeats too big. So RIIIIIP! It's going much faster now that there are fewer stitches in each row. I didn't have any scrap yarn with me this weekend, so I learned how to do the figure-8 cast on using the magic loop. Now I'm slightly paranoid that they're too small, but I'd personally rather have my socks a little too small than a little too big. Negative ease, I think they call it! :-)

All play and no work

I had the day off work today to go to my roommate's (well, now it's ex-roommate's) wedding. It was a nice time. The ceremony was very simple and sweet, and it was good to sit around at the reception and talk to old friends. Here they are coming out of the temple after their wedding. He's pretending to be surprised at all the people there taking pictures. She's just happy. They look fabulous. I've been working away on my sockapalooza sock. I keep worrying about it. Is the toe too pointy? Is it going to fit? Will my pal like the colors and the design? I sure hope so!

So far, I like this magic loop method. I like that you can knit half a row before you change needles. I think I might start the second sock and try to do them both at once, that way I get them the same length. That's always a plus, right?

Edited to add: A Title

Lots of news this week.

On Saturday, I finished the second Pink sock. I like them! Unfortunately, now that summer is here, it's too hot to wear boots to work, so only black sensible socks for me for a few months. We have a dress code at work and my manager has specifically mandated (for my benefit) "NO FUNKY SOCKS". Only black socks are allowed. In a fit of rebellion, I bought some nice black boots to wear so no one can see if my socks are blue or purple or orange or pink. I'll just have to stockpile a stash of "funky socks" to wear once the weather cools down again.Isn't my Jamison cute? I'm going to have to take some good pictures of Mattie to post or she'll be jealous.

I had two skeins of Cascade 220 left over from Eris, so I went to the yarn store and bought a skein of brown yarn and the pattern for Fiber Trend's Felted Clogs. I whipped the first one up on Saturday and haven't started the second one yet. I may do that this week and wash them when I go home over Mother's Day weekend. Someday I will have a house with my OWN washer and dryer.

On Tuesday I went shopping for yarn for my Sockapalooza socks. It's Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Tahoe Colorway. I think I'll be knitting these toe up and using Melanie's Twisted Stitch pattern. I decided to try out the Magic Loop method and bought a very long 2mm (0) needle. I keep casting on the wrong amount of stitches, though. I can't count very well, apparently! I'll have pictures of that next time.

And finally, I got an e-mail today saying that I've been accepted into the University of Kentucky School of Library and Information Sciences Graduate Program! Whoo-hoo! I didn't think I'd get in. It'll be a long haul, though. I'm trying to avoid debt as much as I can, and I don't want to give up the full-time benefits of my job. So it'll be a night class here and there for several years, I think. I'm still in shock.

Startits

It's not the kind of startitis you think it is. I can't seem to finish a blog post. I've begun one every day since Friday!

I did have a lot of knitting time this weekend. On Friday night, I had an overnight-meeting and I worked on the pink sock during the down time. Just as the first session ended, and before any down time began, one of the women in charge at the meeting laughingly commented that she ought to keep a sock in her purse so that she could stuff it in her mouth to keep from saying something stupid. I thought it was rather amusing that I DO have a sock in my purse at all times--but not for my mouth!

On Saturday, there was a book fair here in Lexington. I had a great time. The Yarn Harlot was here!

It was fun. Stephanie is as much fun in person as she is in print (naturally). It's fun to read back through her side of the visit--I'm in the first crowd picture, right in the middle. And I met some of the people in the other pictures. Needless to say, I had lots of knitting time on Saturday: pretty much four hours straight from one to five. And then I went home and knit some more. My poor little brother who's a missionary in Hungary (not the same one who came home from a mission in Brazil last year) doesn't hear from me nearly as much as he ought to. This is probably not a healthy obsession!

I'm learning how to knit continental style. It's a long process--I'm not patient enough. I can knit quickly in the English Style, but the continental style seems so much more efficient. But it takes longer because I'm not good at it yet What I need is a project like a sweater with lots of stockinette that I can practice on.

I have one FO to report for this weekend: a hat. After Stephanie finished speaking, many of us sat around and knit. Jane and Diane of Magpie Yarns were collecting hats to be donated, so I brought some bulky-weight yarn out of my stash to use up and give away. I worked on it on Saturday and finished it yesterday. There was a generic pattern there but not for the weight of yarn I was using. I decided to just cast on and knit until it looked good--it will fit someone, right? I think it turned out kind of cute and I don't know how I did it.

SOCKAPAL-WOOOOOO-HOOOOOO-ZA!

Sign ups started today for Sockapalooza 4. Yippee! I've been at my computer all evening stalking the Blue Blog watching a movie and knitting and I signed up as soon as I could. I've read as people posted about Sockapalooza before and I always thought it sounded like fun. I'm really excited to take part now.

I didn't realize that I hadn't posted for so long. I've been tinkering with the blog format quite a bit over the past couple of weeks, so I didn't really notice that I hadn't actually SAID anything. I've added a stat counter (I always wondered how people knew what Google searches had led to hits on their blogs!) and have been playing with buttons and so forth. I'm also trying to figure out to make those progress bars that show graphically how much you've got left of this project or that. The new blogger made it a bit easier to organize my sidebar, but it's not sophisticated enough to do what I want it to. I don't understand html code very well, but it looks like I'm going to have to learn it to get my blog to look the way I want it.

I went to the Spinning Guild meeting on Friday night. I didn't bring my wheel with me as I was coming pretty much straight from work, so I worked on my current purse socks: Elongated Corded Rib socks from the Sensational Knitted Socks book in cotton candy pink Cascade Fixation.
I'm about two inches farther than this picture shows. I've finished the gusset decreases and now it's just straight knitting in the pattern until I get to the toe decreases. I found the second ball of yarn (one of the cats had batted it under the couch and I hadn't seen it in days). I'm a little concerned that I won't have enough to finish the sock. I only bought two balls and I've got six inches or so left to go and only 15 grams of yarn. I'd rather not have to try to track down another ball in this same dye lot.

I came home from the guild meeting on Friday with this:

Over 100 grams of Alpaca roving in a fabulous colorway: Mostly lavender/lilac colored, but with occasional bright sections of a limey-green-yellow. Lovely! It's fun to spin up. The Romney I've been working on is currently on hold while I play with the softer stuff.

Like the rest of the country, we had a cold Easter weekend. It snowed here on Friday, although we only got about an inch. I'm glad that my plants are in containers that can be moved inside from the patio!