Why I Hate Customs

So on the 13th of November, I got an email from Michelle saying that my yarn and other goodies had shipped. It arrived today. I have to admit after day 10 I was getting a bit worried. I even went on the Canadian post website in hopes of tracking the package. No such luck.

Then there was a post on the Sweet Sheep Sock Club blog about customs. Apparently, I had forgotten that Canada is indeed another country and item bought there must go through customs. I was still a bit worried though. Luckily, everything arrived today. What is everything you may ask...Well.... I got three skeins of sock yarn. Two of which (Fall Leaves and Suzanne see bottom of photo) are Mama E's. I like the feel of the sock yarn we got through the club so much I had to buy more. I also got (see the larger skein at the top of the photo) a Sweet Georgia yarn called Jet Set.

On Sunday I had "soaked" all my socks with a packet of Aqua Soak. Luckily for me I had also ordered some soak in "a scent for celebration." This scent is super yummy and reminds me a bit of cranberries. I can't wait to try it out. Just in case you were wondering I got all this great stuff from Michelle (who always writes a nice card in all my packages) here. Now if only I had all the time in the world to knit socks.

The Day After Thanksgiving

So over the past few days 11 people have been staying in a house with 3 bedrooms. Thanks goodness for the office and the knitting room. But people staying everywhere equals a lack of quiet knitting time and 11 people wanting handknitted items. So far the only person to win out is my 7 year old (almost 8) cousin Tessa. This is her in what I have decided to call the Shirley Temple hat (cause its got ringlets). Its a simple pattern and quite cute. Get a skein of Rowan babysoft. If your child has a small head cast on 72 stitches (for a larger one try 81). Work in St st for 6 inches. Start to decrease (SSK k7 continue across the round, next round k across, 3rd round SSK k6 and continue as set until SSK across the whole row). Finish the hat with curly fringe from Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein. I did three of varying length. Mainly because I was too tired after completing the first one, and they got increasingly shorter (I was also playing Uker at the time and they did not have the fullest of my attention).
I've also become an ambassador of knitting. Tessa started a scarf for her rabbit (its a toy) out of Cascade 220. I've even also taught Peresie to knit and purl (she started a bookmark, no patience with that one). Emily, my brothers fiance who is becoming an occupational therapist, has told me to exercise my hands after knitting to prevent arthritis. This is something I am definitely going to do because my throwing wrist was killing me after the ringlets.
Next on the knitting list: Finish Allies's afghan and socks for Peresie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving. I'm off to watch football and knit socks (imagine that). Have a good one!

Pirates and deserted islands

This is my swatch for the sweet sheep sock yarn. I'm thinking that I'm going to do this pattern from knitty. I like the idea of the stranded pattern when using a yarn inspired by a sunset. Of course, I didn't swatch in that pattern. I'll probably cast the socks on this weekend. Until then, I need to work on my socks that rock and the jaywalker revised. Peresie wants the socks that I promised last Christmas, so I'm going to cast on my other All Things Heather and get started on that (she'll be here for Thanksgiving). I'm also going to cast on the We call them pirates hat (It's a skull skullcap) for my 10 year old cousin who'll be visiting also. Overall, a very pirates/deserted island week for me.

Sweet Sheep Sock club (say that 5 times fast)

Yesterday I got this. No, not the counter top (although it is spiffy). My yarn from the Sweet Sheep Sock Club came. I'm a mixed bag on this one. I like the yarn itself. It's soft and seems to be a little smaller than Socks That Rock Lightweight. I'm not crazy about the colors. I like the blues but I'm not crazy about the peaches. I'm going to wind a ball of it tonight and swatch with it. I'm not a swatcher, but after reading the blog comments from people (Yes, there are people who have already begun swatching) I'm thinking swatching is a must on this one. I'm also torn between what sock pattern to use. So many choices... I'm going to swatch in a couple of different stitch patterns and see how they look. This might be a perfect ripple pattern sock. Time will have to tell. I'll have the swatch for your viewing pleasures tomorrow night (hopefully).

Waiting

I can not wait for my sweet sheep sock club yarn to arrive. I am really impatient and the fact that we did not get mail on Saturday or today makes me mad. I had to go to work today, so everyone else should have to also. I started my Jaywalker socks and got this far.
Yes, I didn't even finish the ribbing. Sunday is usually the day when I get all my knitting done (as I watch the Steelers and the Bills) but I had to study instead. I hate the Praxis tests. I hate that I have to spend 120 dollars (that could be spent on yarn) to tell me that I can teach. PA and NC were okay with me teaching without this stupid test, but MS of all places has a problem with it. Blah. At least after Saturday, I'll have more time for knitting.

See this picture. It was in the Commercial Appeal (Memphis's Main/Only Newspaper). Now look at the tall smiling girl in the background. That's me. Yes, I know I look odd. I was doing some crazy grammar thing at a workshop (in all seriousness the workshop rocked, if you teach grammar you should check out Grammar With a Giggle).
In knitting news, I ripped out my Jayalker cuff. The Lana Grossa Sock yarn (Meilenweit Fantasy) was just too busy. Even Nikki and Mom thought so. Plus it was to loose and the size of the socks seemed off. Instead, I'm thinking of some knitpicks yarn (same yarn as the Satan socks, different colors) . Even though the Satan socks were evil, I'm thinking the striping pattern will look nice in the Jaywalker sock. I'm going to cut down the number of stitches cast on to 56 though. I'll post progress tomorrow.

Old Miss

Remember how I said I lost the month of October. This is one of those activities it was lost to. This is me knitting away at an Old Miss Football game. Had I known how much the tickets were, I might have been more appreciative (that's why I love my EB).

I wore the socks today to school. They did not pass the test. Felting beyond anything that I have ever seen before in my life with a huge amount of fuzziness. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought they were angora by the end of the day. As much as I love that yarn, I'm going to have to let it go. Maybe I'll try the sock weight next and see if it makes any difference, although the all knowing mom says its how it was spun...hmmm...

I started a pair of jaywalker socks from magknits today and I'm waiting extremely impatiently for my sweet sheep sock yarn. I'm hoping it'll arrive tomorrow. Reality of the mail in Mississippi says more like Monday. Meanwhile I'll watch season 4 of Scrubs and knit.

Fastest socks in the West

I can't believe how fast these socks knit up. I must have had a sweat shop of elves in the back working on them while I was sleeping or something. The color is more true in the first picture rather than the second. Now for all the gory details. I started and finished the first sock on Saturday. Second sock syndrome didn't hit me hard, so the second sock was begun on Sunday. Due to a cat whom shall not be named stealing a needle (size 4, 5 inch length Bryspun), the second sock was not completed until today (all was done but the toes shaping and kitchener). The sock yarn was a sportweight from All Things Heather bought here. The color is Raspberry Truffle and is a handpainted superwash merrino 280 yards. The general pattern I used is from Sensational knits Socks (pg.34). I chose an openwork rib pattern and casted on 48 stitches. I used the kitchener method in the Yarn Harlot's book Knitting Rules! It's the easiest way of doing Kitchener I've ever seen (I hate the version that was in an interweave although it did address how to kitchenered non stockinette pieces).
Well I'm off to wear my new socks around the house and then to school tomorrow. I'll tell you how the 6th graders feel about them.
L

Humberto

This is my cat, Humberto El Gatto Meow . Do not be deceived by his appearance. He is a sneaky thief. You can not leave a ball of yarn or a needle of any kind around the house without him finding it. And he will find it. It doesn't even matter if you put the object in a room with a closed door, he can open doors. Here he is ready to steal an alpaca scarf I was working on. Being of the sneaky thief sort, he's looking an innocent for the camera, but when you turn your back on him, this is what he will really look like: Sometime over the course of Monday, he stole one of my double pointed needles. Of course I need that needle to finish the socks I am working on. The socks that I want to knit on right now. Humberto and I are about to have words. These words will not be sweet or nice. In the mean time, I'm making due with 4 out of my 5 bryspun 5 inch double points. Sadness.

Visualize this

I'm going to have to post a picture of the socks I knit this weekend (OK.. Well I finished one and started the second) later because my camera is without batteries. But see if you can visualize this. I knit the socks using the pick and brown All Things Heather Yarn pictured above. I used a pattern from Sensational Socks. It's kind of a lacy ribby looking thing. Since this is the first time that I've used double points and knitted a sock in the more traditional way, I'm super proud of it. I have to say that I liked knitting socks this way. The first sock seemed to go so fast (I knit it all on Saturday) , but today's is going a bit slower. I am past turning the heel and picking up stitches though.
While I was knitting this morning, my grandma called. She asked what new and exciting things I'm up to and I told her all about the sock clubs I've joined. This led to a conversation about how things never change. You see my grandma remembers in the 50s, all the young women knitting socks and wearing handknit socks. One of the first projects I can remember seeing my mom knit is socks (she's more of a spinner kind of gal). It's interesting to be doing something so intertwined with the past.
L

October

Someone has stolen the month of October from me! No, I've just been really, really busy with moving cool people
like my friend Nikki. And my other friend Hannah had her birthday so I finished the Satan socks (I had to rush them out of the house before they led my other sock yarn to the dark side, so no pictures). I also went and saw Lion King in Nashville. And have even found time to go to work. But I'm back, and since xmas is comming soon I will hopefully have cool knitted things to post about. Until I start all those cool things, I'll just leave you with this picture of Nikki.
Later!
L