Two Socks

And.....done.

My socks, made from Mallika 100% superwash Merino, by Yarn Ahoy. I know there are lots of shadows here...the front room has great sun in the morning, but it's often a bit intense and of course at a low angle, and this is the result. I'd tell you that I'll do better next time, but knowing my photographic skills, I'd say that this is about as good as it gets. Unless I start taking pics on the back deck again, and there is *no* way that's happening until at least March. Maybe April, even.


There was, however, another shadow, off to the left,

which had nothing at all to do with the socks, except that there was a slow determination, little by little,

inch by inch,

to ruin the shot.

It's okay.

She's just trying to get in on some of that solar heating action. Who can blame her, seeing as it's 11 degrees F today (-11 C)? There's enough sun for all of us.

Swoon

Sigh.....my current crush....uh, no, NOT Pat Buchanan, as hot as he *is*. No, it's Rachel Maddow, progressive talk radio host and my personal hero from Air America. I listened to her for years and loved her for her brains, but it was merely a platonic love. It wasn't until she got noticed for the sharp political wonk she is and started making visits to Countdown with Keith Olbermann (oooh, another platonic crush of mine) that I actually saw her and started my present swoon. Hotness, brains, just enough wonkiness to make her sufficiently hip yet not quite geeky, and a little pink lip gloss most assuredly forced upon her by MSNBC makeup... ahhh, it just doesn't get any better than that :).






And yes, my partner knows all about Rachel and suffers through my excited schoolgirl giggles every time the woman shows up on Countdown. And no, we will not talk about the thing *she* (my partner, not Ms. Maddow) has for Aishwarya Rai (except I will say that Bollywood movies are a lot more fun than people here think they are, and, well, Aishwarya Rai is really and truly HOT, as well as half a world away so I'm not worried :) ).

One Sock

Well, one and an eighth, maybe. I've been spending the last few weeks only knitting my Berry Sunburst Socks and so have been sparing you all the umpteenth pic of these socks knit up once again :). *But*, I've finally moved on to these, in beautiful Mallika sock yarn from Yarn Ahoy:

No, I'm not knitting on circs, just holding the toe stitches til I can see if I've judged my yardage allowance for each sock correctly. As beautiful as this yarn was in the skein (as you can see for yourself in the link above), it is even more gorgeous knit up! It's been a pleasure to work with...the yarn is 100% superwash Merino in a DK weight, thick and soft, and it runs so smoothly between my fingers. I'm knitting on 3's so it's also a quick knit, quite a treat for me lately! The socks above are for a customer, and I'm again using the WEBS sock calculator pattern because my customer liked the Berry Sunburst Socks knit that way.

I must confess, however, that while ordering the Mallika I just couldn't resist ordering some Yarn Ahoy goodies I'd been eyeing for myself:

Sweet! The colorway above is This Way and That (which Yarn Ahoy seems to be out of right now), and below is Berry Beautiful. Also 100% superwash Merino, these are fingering weight skeins and something about the feel of the strand makes me wonder if I should add a nylon reinforcement yarn to the heel and toe of any socks I make with the yarn. We will see. Those socks, unfortunately, are not even on the radar right now. What's next after my Mallika sock order is the Isabella for my partner, hopefully to wear by spring, the Moderne Log Cabin Blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting for the summer, and some yarn company knitting as well. Here's what I received from Schaefer Yarns for the last bit of knitting I did for them!

You can't tell here, because as hard as I tried I kept cutting off the tags in the pic, but the name of this yarn is Susan. It is 100% mercerized pima cotton, in the colorway Catherine the Great. It is probably the prettiest cotton I've ever seen. I'm mulling over possibilities for it now. This was kind of an impulse pick for me, and while I love the yarn, I do wish I'd had a project in mind before I'd chosen. I'm thinking cardigan for my two year old, but then again she rarely wears cardigans, and my efforts may go to waste. I once made a cardigan for myself in a pink ribbon cotton (ah yes, I hear my friends gasping in shock at the thought of *me* wearing pink!), and I loved it, but the question is, will she?

I think I'll wander around Ravelry to see what others have made. Any suggestions? Total yardage is 1410. Please leave a comment and let me know the great ideas you would have for this yarn!

Tagged, again

Got tagged by CostumeChick for another meme...thanks, CostumeChick!

This is a name-seven-quirks/habits/facts-about-yourself meme. After you're done, you tag seven more people. You can't tag who tagged you, and you can't just tag whoever is reading. Ok, here we go...


1) I waitressed in high school. It was one of the most fun jobs I've ever had. Maybe even the most fun.

2) I actually thought I would have a psychotic break when my dad passed away. To this day, I still can't believe I didn't.

3) I skipped the fifth grade. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life, and I'm still not over it.

4) I had five siblings. One of my brothers passed away from a heart attack at the age of 43. I am 43 right now.

5) I walk and exercise regularly. I am driven by the facts that I'm in my forties with a two year old, my family medical history is not the best (see #4), and my father passed away at the age of 64, when I was just barely out of college (he was an older parent just like me).

6) I am powerless over chocolate. Oddly, considering my focus on healthy living, I only realized this in the past year, when I saw that same crazed look in my daughter's eyes when in the presence of chocolate.

7) I met my partner at work. I chased her. A lot. Which is weird because it's the first time I'd ever done that, and weirder still because it was my first relationship with a woman. I must have been really sure, I guess.

That was fun, and painful. I tag JennM (just in case you needed another!), Knelley, the Original Test Dummy, and Sarah.

Me, defined

mad-knitter --

[adjective]: Like in nature to a kangaroo

'How" will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Yea, I can live with that. I kind of like kangaroos. Tough, but soft and a bit unusual. I like it.

Kos and Colbert

In ambivalent anticipation of both Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart coming back to air on January 7 (although I love them both, I can't stand that they are going forward without their writers - strikes don't work unless there is suffering and that suffering spurs negotiation), I offer you two of my favorite people in the world, The Daily Kos' Markos Moulitsas and Stephen Colbert, together on the same stage.




Let's hope the writers are able to return to work ASAP. Otherwise, the shows can't possibly be what they were, and I'll surely lose more and more respect for Jon and Stephen. I really can't believe they are doing this.

I Got Tagged

I tore myself away from the New Year's Day Dirty Jobs marathon (and an Intervention marathon yesterday...how much better can it get???) to check on my friends' blogs, and I see that I was tagged days ago! Sorry all, it's been a hectic holiday week, but I'm here now :). Yankee Lagniappe tagged me for knitter's resolutions for 2008. And I think knitting accomplishments for 2007 too? I'll start there, cause I'm not really a New Year's resolution type of gal.

Knitting Accomplishments for 2007

1) Joined the local SnB, and I knew immediately that this is where I belonged. Thanks to all my SnB friends for making my 2007, a trying year at times, a bit brighter!

2) Visited WEBS for the first time with a long-time online friend whom I met in person for the first time that day! It was so much fun, a trip I will never forget.

3) Tried spinning with a drop spindle. A bit challenging, mildly rewarding thus far, and in the end something that gets pushed aside for other knitting projects most of the time, but something I will come back to when my life settles down a bit (though I am afraid that won't be til my ten year olds hit college!).

4) Visited my first sheep and wool festival with a great bunch of friends. Yarn is hip and cool and trendy and all, but I know it was my friends who made this day the wonderful experience that it was :).

5) Sold my first knitted items. *That* was quite a heady experience. So neat. I'm grateful to those who would this year welcome my little projects into their homes and their lives. Thank you!

6) Completed a project with a short row/wrap and turn combo. Challenging, but darn it, I was committed! And happy with the completed project.

Is that it? I don't know. I didn't set out to do too much this year, and frankly, some days just making it through the day was something to celebrate, so I guess those 6 things are quite enough.

Knitting Resolutions for 2008?

I don't know, I just don't do this kind of stuff. How's this...I resolve to go to SnB, to be there for my friends, and to keep knitting. Those are things I am happy to accomplish in 2008.

Thanks for the tag, Yankee! I tag anyone who is reading this and who is interested in thinking about such things.