Ravelry Revelry and a Contest

Check out this very easy to enter contest, if you enter, let her know you got there from here please =)

I got into Raverly late Saturday night. I was going to hold off posting about it until I actually got some things in there to post, but I'm still taking October off from doing anything I don't want to do, so until I get totally in the MOOD to catalog stuff and take loads of pics, it's a pretty bland place to visit. I have enjoyed joining a few of the groups, though, and browsing through the other groups. There's some funny stuff in there. Oh, yeah, I'm Aprilknitta in there. (I couldn't think of anything witty, so I went with that)

I did start my 5th pair of Socktoberfest socks, but I really don't enjoy the yarn so much, so I sorta lost my love for knitting it. Also, the pattern I chose (to remain nameless) has something wrong with it, because the numbers aren't working out. So not loving the pattern AND the yarn makes it doubly yuck. I ought to start another pair and call THEM my 5th pair, just to get it in under the Socktoberfest thing. That would technically make 6 pairs finished or started for Socktoberfest. We'll see.... Like I said before, this is the month I decided to take a vacation from everything I didn't want to do, so, who knows. If it strikes me, I'll do it, otherwise....NOPE =)

hasta la pasta peeps!

It's WINDsday

It's a very blustery day TOday. I halfway expect to see Piglet blow by with Pooh in pursuit. (I think it's nice to be a Windsday on a Wednesday) I hope Owl's tree is nowhere near here.

I haven't knit in 3 days, the migraine was a real doozy. On Monday I took 2 Excedrin M's in the morning and my head got WORSE. Which really means I would have been moaning and crying if I hadn't taken the Excedrin. I took 2 more a full 14 hours too early, which puts it at early evening on Monday. (since you are only directed to take 2 for every 24 hours) After that the headache was JUST bearable for the remainder of the evening. It had to be. Because DH had rented Transformers and I was supposed to watch it. (hahaha) I liked it, btw. I really like that Shia kid, he's a cutie =) I'm SURE he'd protest the 'kid' thing, but, that's ok. He'll call himself a kid when he looks back from the perspective I have at 38. (when DOES that change happen, I really should have written it down when I noticed that High School graduates started looking like babies to me - instead of peers) wow this paragraph is so incongruent

So this is the update on my next pair of socks. =) They are going to be a very loud shade of puple in the Knit Picks Peruvian sock stuff. I can't quite recall the NAME of it at the moment, but I'm sure it'll come to me. It's one of the least expensive choices they have, which probably explains why I purchase several skeins. Now, I don't love the colors so much, but DD6yr is a great fan of loud colors (she descended from a very great lover of color in her Cajun Great Grandma who had a pink and green house and painted the inside bright blue, pink, orange and green) So I'm going to attempt loud purple knee highs for DD6. Maybe a twisted rib stitch or something. Who knows? =) I really oughta at least attempt to follow a pattern one of the times. I'm still sorta in the mood for st st, though, it's a good brain medicine. (like sleep)

Well, before I go off on another odd tangent, I think I'll post, spare you my wandering thoughts this time. lol I'll go write them down somewhere else where they don't bother anyone. (wow, that sounded SO much like Eeyore! I'm not down or anything, just feeling excessively rambly)

Hopefully I get started on those socks today. Okay, here I go again, want to know what's REALLY holding me back? I don't know the number of stitches to start with for knee highs for such a tiny person. So I actually have to figure it out instead of just blindly knitting. Since I'm feeling very much like NOT thinking this month, it's an obstacle. I'll get over it, I know. OKAY, so I confessed, and now I feel better. lol

Mostly Matchin'

And then there were four. FOUR PAIRS OF SOCKS AH HA HA (cue thunder and lightning) These ended up being pretty well matched, not as perfect as the last pair, but that fine by me.

The yarn is Regia something or other with a cotton blend and no idea the name of the color. I've had this yarn for at least a year and a half. I thought I was going to use it right away because it was so pretty, so I put it into a ball and then the ball band was lost. (I think) I didn't really try to look for it because, I can't..... (be bothered) =)

Nice stuff though, I'll definitely be looking for more Regia something or other in a cotton blend. It's very comfy and squishy stuff. I like the squishy very much.

The picture is a TINY bit more purple than the actual color, it's bit more pink than that, but I couldn't get the color to be accurate, and having a migraine today makes me less apt to be so picky.

DRAT! I should have totally told my husband to get me a latte at Starbucks. Wonder if it's too late?

BYE for now - progress on the next pair to come VERY soon. Tune in next time for the continuing adventures of Soctoberfest!

Quick Update

One more sock done! This is sock one of my
4th pair. The colors are somewhere between the two pics. The second pic is pretty close to accurate, just not quite so dark. The first one taken in direct sun is a bit TOO bright, but you get the general idea.

After this pair is done, I think I'm going to work on some knee highs for my daughter who asked me today, "Why are you making so many socks for yourself?" lol

Of course I don't have to justify knitting for me, but I told her I'd make her some school socks next. I have some way too bright for me sock yarn that she loves (it's the French Cajun in her)

The only challenge is finding the right gauge. I may do some cable thing or other, or maybe a clock up the side - who knows? It's just a pity that they have to wear solid socks to school when I have SO many little balls of yarn in different colors. They'd be the perfect size to make her socks to match mine in all these different colorways.

As a side point, check out my Ravelry status:

• You signed up on September 24, 2007
• You are #35649 on the list.
• 4729 people are ahead of you in line.
• 10018 people are behind you in line.
• 67% of the list has been invited so far

Down from 18,000 ahead of me, I could be in sooner than I thought. That should slow down my sock output by a little bit =) Actually, I'm starting to feel like slowing down soon. It had to wear off eventually.

Believe it or not

Not just one finished sock, but TWO count 'em, TWO finished socks!

And just feast your eyes on the matchy matchiness of these things!

I think I have developed a new obsession. Self striping yarn.

This pair brings my total to 3 pairs of Socktoberfest socks.

I started sock one on Friday afternoon and finished it on Sunday, and I started sock two immediately after finishing sock one on Sunday and finished it today, Tuesday. That's a record for me. 2 socks in 4 days. I think I have seriously toned the muscles in my fore arms (nothing else is getting any exercise, but I'll have really fit fingers and fore arms)

I discovered that Friday is the worst day to post, even if you have a pair of socks to show off. rats

Sleep, Breathe and Knit

Oh yeah, and sometimes I eat a bit =) But the former 3 seem to be all I do lately. The sleeping is real nice. After having such a hard time sleeping for so long, it's such a relief to be able to relax into sleep.

The knitting is nice, too. I didn't realize I could finish a pair of socks that fast. I really like these. They look a little similar, but different. They are very comfy and that's what's important.

You can I've cast on for pair number 3. There were only 10 stitches on the needles in this picture, but now, I'm very well along into the first cuff.

I would like the start my second sock some where close to the same spot as these since it's a self striping yarn. One of the Knit Picks variety. I don't recall the name or even the color. I've had it in a ball waiting to be knit for like a year and a half, at least. Too long. It's a little rough on the hands now that I've gotten used to the bamboo stuff, but these yarns always soften up greatly once washed. (as you all know, so why did I bother to say so? hmmm?)

Well.... we'll see how I keep up the pace. I would like to at least start pair number four this month. That'll be a serious record for me. I don't think I've knit 4 pairs in 6 months before! The weird thing is, you'd think I'd be getting tired of making socks, but it seems to be the reverse. I won't be able to keep up this pace forever, but I can see me making lots more that I have been.

Yaay for Socktoberfest!

ps - I accidentally posted this on my old blog, too. OOPS

One Down, One Started

Here they are! As you can see by the toe, I had to move on to the second ball of yarn which made things even more interesting.

The second sock is pooling similar yet different. I don't know if my gauge changed or if this part of the skein is just different. It doesn't really matter. They are the same yarn, so they'll match well enough!

I think I could have made the heel flap a bit longer, but it'll do, I'll just remember that for the next pair I cast on.

If I can get these finished in the next few days I could feasibly have 3 or 4 pairs for Socktoberfest. 4 is probably too high of a bar to set, but 3 should be doable. Of course as long as they are STARTED or FINISHED in October, they totally count. So there could be 4 after all. We shall see, my lovelies, we shall see.

I REALLY love the bamboo stuff. It's a little bit heavy, like cotton, but in a good way and it feels SO cool to the touch. I think I'm going to be getting lots of bamboo sock yarn in the future. Hopefully the choices will become more varied at my LYS's. Of course I can always resort to online yarn shopping. I wonder if Knit Picks will ever stock bamboo stuff? (if they don't already, I haven't been in there in SO long - avoiding yarn purchases lately for some reason? OH yeah, because I had stopped knitting for so long - duh)

I've been knitting outside lately b/c the kids are riding their bikes every afternoon. DD6yr old actually needed no help learning to ride a two wheeler. The training wheels were so high off the ground that they only engaged when she started to tip, so she was balancing without them most of the time. When I took them off, she took off first thing, no problem, she could already do it. Color me proud =) We have a light homework night, so I'll be knitting in a few minutes!

OH yeah, I forgot to tell y'all, when I was knitting sock one, I totally forgot to turn the heel and just picked up the stitches and started trucking. I was SEVERAL rounds in when I realized that my sock didn't resemble a sock AT ALL and had to rip back. I just laughed at myself. I can tell I'm in a hurry to get these things knit! I should have taken a pic, but it was dark, and I wanted to carry on knitting, so I didn't do the horrible flash pic thing because they are always awful when I do that.

Anyway, cheer me on, I have a couple balls of some self striping stuff patiently waiting and the Strawberry Swirl that should be off probation soon. (I'm still a little ticked at it for turning out so small last time, but I'm getting over it) I can do it! 4 pairs for Socktoberfest, 4 pairs for Socktoberfest, 4 pairs for Socktoberfest. (are you chanting yet?)

I Was Wrong

What was I wrong about? Oh SO many things, but specifically THIS time, I'm talking about pooling. I guess I should never try to make predictions as to how a sock may or may not turn out. In addition to that, I should also never get comfortable with, or attached to any specific sort of pooling, because invariably it will change. I'm feeling metaphorical today so humor me. (is it bizarre that I automatically first type the Brit/Canadian spelling of things like humour? I've subliminally influenced myself)

So... pooling is like life. You look at a ball of yarn and say, "Oh that's pretty, those colors are very exciting." and you expect them to go a certain way. When you start knitting, things don't turn out the way you had originally envisioned them, so you adjust your expectations and get used to what you have. Then there's another hiccup, a shift, and the colors start to play off of each other differently. "This isn't what I started with, but I rather like it. I hope it stays this way for a while."

Then here comes the heel flap and the colors get dicey. All jumbley and fractured, different but pretty. Somehow you think that after you turn the heel, pick up the gusset stitches and then begin your decreases back to the original amount of stitches, that your sock pooling will again return to it's former ways. Wrong again. The shift was permanent and there are two distinct pools of color now that don't ever quite mix the same again and the swirling seems to be going in the other direction. It's the sort of confusing pooling that makes me want to keep knitting past my toes to see what sort of patterns will emerge. But alas, I have not got clown feet, and I'm quickly reaching the end of this ball of yarn (because of a knot) and starting on the next ball in this sock may JUST be too much for my life ='s yarn metaphor. However it would be fitting of my life this year. A couple of breaks and the pooling just doesn't swirl the same. So the moral of this story is. Go with the flow, because we can't control life any more than we can predict pooling in our socks.

PS - I WAS totally attached to the swirling pooling on the leg, but I'm starting to think maybe these socks were meant to stripe like a zebra.

Cool Little Diversion

Get your own

So, I can't think of a title

Well Tuesday WAS better than Monday, mostly because I slept through half of it =) You see I'm in that in between place where you feel like you are coming down with something. Something that you never quite come down with, but you don't quite get better either. It's annoying, but manageable. It would be MORE manageable if I would STOP waking up at 4 and 5 am and not being able to go back to sleep. (Another reason I slept half of Tuesday and every other morning thereafter) I mean....WHAT GIVES?! It IS better than the sort of thing I was doing before, not sleeping at ALL, but it still messes with my days.

At least the TV shows this week have been good. Did anyone else see Pushing Daisies? It's SO twisted but we were laughing our butts off and still laughing about it a couple of hours later. Anyway, the reason I mention TV shows is... I got on a roll during Journey Man and then Grey's Anatomy and I was able to finish it today! yaay me an FO! whooo hoooo!

You'll have to forgive me for not modeling these woolly things in 90 degree heat (with legs that need a bit of maintenance with a razor - you REALLY didn't want to know that, did you?) I tried putting one on and I just said, "NOPE, I'll be taking these pictures in the grass."

I'll be glad when/if Fall ever shows up here. It's SO not fair for it to still be in the 90's!

In spite of the heat, I cast on for my second pair of Soctoberfest socks today. I'm using a bamboo yarn, mainly because of the heat and I've been wanting a pair of bamboo socks since I was told they help keep your feet from being achy.
(I'll let you know if that's truth or fiction someday)

There is a bit of a complication though, but I don't really think I can do anything about it. You see one of these sides is not like the other. The sock faintly stripes in a very light turquoise and lavender.

AND the other side is solid blue.

Now I'm sure when this yarn was dyed, it wasn't meant to do this. It's weird and there is no real hope for there to be a shift in the colors. The needles I'm using are just the right size for this project, so I don't want to change that. If I make the sock bigger, I think it'll be too big for me.

I'm not really thinking of frogging because it feels like a really nice fabric.

So I guess I'm going to have a pair of socks that is one color coming and a different one going.

I can deal with that, I'm JUST weird enough to pull it off.


On a completely different note. Have you ever had something you desperately wanted to blog about but couldn't? It's not a comfortable feeling for me. It's nothing scary or anything, I just can't do it here, and for some reason, journaling in my regular journal just doesn't give me that unloaded feeling that blogging does.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there for some reason.

Wanna see a bunny rabbit? He was in my flower garden a few weeks ago. How cute is that little face?

AY YI YI

WHAT a day! (Monday) Right off the bat the car wouldn't start. Jumped off with help of hubby and away we went. Then it was back home after taking DD to school. A little later I made appointments for 2 out of 3 of my kiddos with the pediatrician. DS1 has a very long lasting cough and some other issues I needed to talk to him about. DD had earaches in both ears. So.. when the time came, I jumped back in the car and OF COURSE it wouldn't start again, and this time it wouldn't even jump off. SO I had to quickly rearrange all the car seats because I had to go to two different schools to pick the kids up for their appointments. Thank GOODNESS I was planning to be SO early, or I would have totally blown it. Did I mention that it is STILL SO HOT here? UG! So I'm all sweaty and wet at the school waiting FOREVER for them to bring me my child. We were only about 10 minutes late for the appointment, even though I started nearly an hour ahead of that time.

It's the first day of Socktoberfest and I didn't get to knit a stitch, yet. There may still be hope, but I may be too worn out, too. Did I also mention that the kids were doing that seriously trying my patience thing. Fighting screaming whining. ACK

OK! Well now... I'm going to go chill (if I can ever get this little person here to go to bed - STILL trying my patience)

Goodnight

Tuesdays are always better than Mondays, right?