throughly chastised

I was, in fact, chastised by more then one person about how I haven't been writing very much in my blog. I have a number of excuses. The first one, which most of you may accept is:

1. I have been busy. That leads into 2. i took pictures but haven't had time to take them off the camera and it felt silly to post another blog entry mentioned that at a later date there will be pictures but not right now so I just didn't post. 3. I wasn't home the last few weekend to even think about uploading pictures.

So I have decided that today's post will be picture free unless you can show up at my office with a cord for my camera which happens to be in my bag. (I also had a hard time finding the spare battery for it which was also in my bag making it that not too many pictures were taken last night)
Tomorrow's post, or this evening's post will contain pictures and hopefully I will get into a better rhythm of taking and posting pictures. (We can always hope)

Knitting was slow for the last week. Last weekend I went to visit a friend at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center and didn't even think of knitting for a minute. I did however dance and sing under the stars, hike, move a bunch of chairs, read, sleep a lot, attend a very spiritual wedding in which I knew no one, and meet a lot of wonderful people. It was truly a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I spent Memorial Day recovering.

Tuesday evening Auntie Em met up to draft an attack plan for Wednesday (aka Harlot Day). We plotted out food, necessary items, delivered my clothes for Thursday and my sleeping bag to her house and figured out exact times for everything including when we needed to leave the house by and when we needed to be on the train by. We thought we were ready *dramatic music*

Wednesday we were out of the building 2 minutes early, on the T 5 minutes early and at Riverside 30 minutes early. So we did what any normal person would do, sat down and knit. Next thing we know a 15 person van with Yarn Safari on the windows pulls up, a man wearing a suit gets out and opens the door for our wonderful guide for the evening, Peta. We met up with everyone else, and we were on our way. Peta handed out water and these wonderful tote bags perfect for carrying tons of yarn in. In mine was a gift certificate for $25 off another Yarn Safari trip. I am so excited to look forward to using it.

We pull up at the Calvin theatre right before 6 and are escorted in. The WEBS staff knew we were from Yarn Safari and we got handed a signing time of 7:45 so we would have enough time before we had to leave. We found seats at the back of the theater and then our guest of the evening showed up. WOW. If you haven't heard her talk, I would recommend it.

Afterwards, we walked right out of the theater and into the van where we were whisked to WEBS before we knew it. We got into line before the line even went into the warehouse and met local celebs like Melissa from www.getstitchy.com and Amy of the Giant Glove. Auntie Em told Stephanie about her pattern and how she figured it out finally with the help of some friendly translators from the knitty boards. I showed her my sock and got a sock picture with hers. YAY! Then I went for my first shopping trip in WEBS.

I can't say I remember much of it. I remember finding a box of sale sock yarn, and wandering aimlessly in the back room yelling "100% Merino DK weight, anyone found some?" Next thing I knew I was staring at $46 a hank sock yarn and remembering I should check out before I lose it entirely. Um, I still have no idea about how so much sock yarn decided to come home with me but it was very welcome.

MMMM very welcome.

It was a dark and stormy afternoon...

when I sat down at the computer to type this blog entry. In fact, the sky over the Navy Yard is as dark as if it were late at night. Now, a pop quiz question: which book begins with the now-infamous line "It was a dark and stormy night." Bonus points if you can name BOTH books, the one that started the contest and the one that I reminded my dad about when we had this argument back in November. Dad, any memory there?

In fact, this morning I received an email from my father requesting that this be posted on the blog. Umm I don't know how I feel about that except that it is a lot of knitting.

The sock is about 5 and a half inches long, with me adding a half an inch this morning on the T and while waiting for the shuttle. I hope to add about that much on my ride home and maybe more once I am home. I am starting to wonder if I have enough yarn for the sister sock since now that it is all wound up it looks like a lot less yarn. If I had a scale I could know for sure, but a scale I don't yet have and its not yet on the "Need to buy it list" like my dream ice cream scoop. (I am refusing to buy any scoop that isn't my dream one making it that we have been without a scoop for almost a year. Beth, my roomy, chooses to say nothing when the topic comes up which is wise of her. We do, however, have a large number of casserole dishes in various sizes and we were happy last weekend to discover and use our muffin tins.)

No package has arrived at my door yet, so poor Auntie Em will have to wait another day for her new needle sizer. My poor mother, however, has to deal with us calling every day to ask if it has arrived. (Packages sent to my apartment can sometimes be claimed by the Post Office and take a day or more to then receive once they notify you. Or they can be left randomly. Hard to tell which will happen when, so now anything important goes to bother my mother first. I think she secretly likes to see us all rush home to get the package.)

Has anyone heard the weather report for Saturday? Showers with a high of 60 degrees. Cold for a wedding to which I will be wearing a sleeveless dress (thankfully or not so thankfully depending on my mood not a bridesmaid dress. Here's hoping that they are truly ugly. I am imagining orange poof or pink poof or something truly poofy and that they would never ever wear again. ) My mother asked me not to knit at the ceremony, which lead to a discussion about how one day in the future I hope to make my wedding knit welcome. Yarn Harlot did with hers....

The Harlot of Yarn is used as a measurement around here between me and Auntie Em. When I read this blog entry, I knew I was in trouble. There, knit up on one of the most popular knitting blogs around is the scarf that I hate and Auntie Em adores. In fact Auntie Em had bought the pattern and the ribbon to do it a month or so before and just had to do it now that Yarn Harlot had. Well, in my mind, it is still as hideous as the day I first saw it. But I am happy that Auntie Em did it. And I accept that every I hate she loves. Makes her real easy to shop for.

A post a day

I really want to post more often, so I decided to try and post every day. Who knows, this could become a very boring blog once that happens.

The sock is going along well. It grew maybe half an inch today. I measured my foot and it is about 9 and a half inches. The sock is about 5 inches. So I have 2 and a half inches until I can start the decreases.

I hope my shipment from Knitpicks comes soon. I want to find my camera and document every step of making my socks for my secret pal. I am so excited to start working on it. Secret Sock Pal, I hope these socks become everything you want.

Last night while watching Heroes I worked on Cables and Os. I just started the cable row when I got way too into the show and decided it was time to stop.

Tonight I might not knit at all, I am just too tired.

Song of the Day that is stuck in my head: "What is this feeling?" from Wicked.

Quick Update...

I failed to have the sock done by Saturday. In fact, I have been knitting on it in every spare moment and I am still in the middle of the foot. However I am enjoying it more and more. Not enough to do the sister sock right away but enough to maybe do the sister sock one day.

Saturday I wound the yarn for the next sock that I am impatient to start and made way too many jokes about the poor sock being at the "Dead Muppet" stage. Auntie Em was thinking I was going to bind off there and just leave it dead and unstuffed forever to always show off the Muppet qualities. Well, Ha! As of last night the only Muppet it could look like is the ones from the song Manamana that say "Do do doo doo do." The Yarn ball was also hitting the black hole stage where it was collapsing on itself and part of the outside fell off and sadly I was home at this point, which means my mom started winding it. A hour or so in the Neurologist's office and she wound a ball for me and was well on her way to convincing little old ladies that knitting socks is a waste of time. Just wait until she has a pair on her feet..... *insert evil laughter here*

I also finally placed my next order with Knitpicks. I am trying out my Sockapalooza 4 Sock Pal's Sock on Two Circular Needles and I needed the yarn as well. I can't wait to get it started, this pattern looks really exciting and should teach me a lot. (Like provincial cast on and doing a toe-up sock among other things) Plus getting a Knitpicks box is super exciting (I originally typed Knitpick boy - now that really sounds exciting) and I even ordered more plastic sleeves for my binder so everything can be happily organized. I like when it at least pretends to be organized. I think I will one day have to get a case for everything else that keeps getting out of control, knitting stuff wise. Any recommendations? I have some circular needles, a bunch of random straights and some DPNs. Should I get one huge case or a smaller DPN one or what? Anyone see any blue ones out there?

The hands they are a tingling.....

It has been a while since I posted. On Satuday I made some good progress on Cables and Os and declared it to be an at home project, with socks traveling with me. However, socks are getting me down. I just am not loving Grumperina's Jaywalkers. So many other people love them but in truth I was getting really annoyed at the knit throught the fronts and backs and i think they may be too big for my feet anyway. I have long and very narrow feet. I only made it through 5 and 1/2 inches on the leg and decided that was it, and began the heel. I put all the heel stitches on one needle but it looks huge. Oh well. I am determined to finish at least one of these socks but my new goal is to have it done by Friday night or Saturday so on Sat I can use Maria's ball winder to make balls of the yarn for the next socks.

Medically, I think I am doing ok. No headaches/migraines since last week although I do have some tingling in my arms and legs today. Not a good sign seeing how the last few migraines caused tingling and tingling can also be a sign of a migraine coming. I hope if I do have to have one I get one today and not tomorrow dealing with the patient.

I rearranged my room this weekend and I am really liking it. It feels so different to me, except that now there is less room for my yarn pile and it is kinda stuffed in between the bed and the wall. If it gets too big I might worry about it attacking me in my sleep. That would be bad. Plus the cat might notice it then. And the big crochet blanket that was on the bottom of the pile is now under my bed. I don't plan on working on it anytime soon thanks to dreaded baby blanket but maybe once my memory of how painful crocheting is goes away....

I keep promising pictures and one day I will follow through. My big problem now is remember where I put the camera and hoping it didn't make it into big pile of yarn as well. I might never see it again. Just wish me luck on finishing the sock. I hope that is a reasonable goal, I nearly killed myself with last's weeks goal of finishing the ribbing by Sat morning (but I did complete it).

Extra! Extra! Knitters break blogger....

Its official. 1,000 members is too big for a blog. You can read all about it here and learn what is happening instead of kicking blogger when it is down. Yes, that does seem like more fun, but really?

Wow, talk about large knitting: Yarn Harlot is working on something that is big and pink and everyone is talking about this.

The good news is that my migraines may be catching a train out of here.... not sure when. Today my Neurologist decided to put me on another med which should help. We will see. My mom made a comment on how they should just take me off all meds and start over. Yeah, lets not do that and say we did......

Knitting has been very slow. Not a lot done the last few days with so many headaches and then I would make mistakes on the ribbing and not take it out but obsess on how it looks....I did relax a bit by working on some easier projects like doing a bit of Tempting I reknit. Not enough to make it really look any better but just helping a little.

Hopefully tomorrow I will knit a bunch and maybe tonight but tomorrow is slowly getting busier. Work, then short knitting meeting and then a trip to Lady Grace to find proper undergarments to go under the dress we bought last weekend. EEEKKK. I always get the urge to yell "no touching" really loudly when I go in that store, but the little old ladies that fit you would just drag me back to the dressing room anyway. I just never love when people I don't know touch me. Or even when people I do know touch me. I like to maintain my bubble around me at all times and I will back that bubble up with needles of... not steel but nickle coated. They are sharp however and not a force to be reckoned with. Thats right, I will poke you with them, and they will hurt. maybe.

Spring = Time for knitting?

So I had a good knitting/crocheting week last week. On friday night I finished the Honeymoon tank which is still waiting for its moment to shine on camera. And it is all done: every end is woven in and the straps are grafted. I rewarded myself by starting on Cables and Os from No Sheep for You. Man I love it. I showed everyone that would look and even some people who wouldn't my gauge swatch since I was so proud of my first cables. The socks are moving slowly.

I received my sock pal from Sockapalooza 4 and I am pondering what to make her. I saw this cool pattern today. Those might be fun to work with, and to do a pair for myself as well. I have a bunch of time but knowing how slow I make socks I want to get started ASAP. I even like that the pattern uses Knitpicks Essential which has some pretty colors.

I have been busy the last few days so not a lot of knitting is going on but tonight I should catch up with the return of Veronica Mars. Or, that might be a bad thing since tonight "Veronica and Piz share a moment" and I might be screaming at the television and throwing whatever knitting I have. Yeah, I take my Veronica Mars seriously. Maybe tonight is a great time to work on one of those mindless projects waiting to be worked on when I can be bored out of my mind... yeah but there is going to be some great television in the next few days... Bones, maybe a new Criminal Minds and a new CSI that is rumored to have Lady Heather's return. Oh and the weather is nice. If my headaches went away everything would be going well.