Bad signs

It would appear that I have gone overboard in my sock yarn buying. We've all that this feeling, right? You see the amazing new colors offered by your favorite yarn pusher and you just can't resist. Okay, maybe not all of us suffer from this. I've seen the lengthy discussions on Ravelry amongst people who don't understand us compulsive buyers and don't feel the need to add to their stah. But I certainly do.

I get an email or see a posting that my favorite online store is going to have some new things in stock at a certain time and I sit here doing the F5 thing until my hand goes numb or the new stuff gets loaded (for those of you not afflicted with this sickness, that means hitting the F5 button to refresh the computer screen so that you can get that new loot before it's all gone!)

Well, a few weeks back, my dear enabler friend Purl and I joined Sundara's Seasons yarn club. The info for the sign up said that the club shipments would begin in June. Well, about a week later, I received some amazing yarn from Sundara. I called Purl and left her a message, essentially saying "I thought the club didn't start for months, but I just got beautiful loot!" A few minutes later, Purl called me back and gently said "um, Cin, that is the Petals limited edition yarn that you bought from her a month or so ago". Whoops. Am I getting old? Senility setting in? Certainly I can't be indulging in too much yarn?

The color purple

I love color. I pretty much like every color in the rainbow except the color purple. I abhor purple. Especially that Donny Osmond shade of purple-- you know, PURPLE. I respect the fact that lots of people like it. In fact, it is my daughter's favorite color. And lots of people hate my favorite color- orange.

My problem of late is this: every sock club I belong to (and there are a lot of them) and every kit that I have bought has been inundating me with purple yarn!!! Why oh why?? Some have been somewhat palatable. There was one that I got that was a lot of the icky purple, but was redeemed by bright green and pink running through it. Then there were three shipments from other clubs that were purple. Just now, I saw a spoiler picture for the latest shipment from my favorite sock club, and guess what? IT'S FRICKING PURPLE! I am about to be purple'd to death! I promise people, there are other colors out there! There are even other colors that are bright, happy, springtime colors!!! Please, can we just move past the purple-a-thon and choose some other hue?

Okay, one person has recently sent me something non-purple. Sheri at the Loopy Ewe put together a kit for us downtrodden souls that weren't lucky enough to make it into her sock club. It's called the Don't Be Blue kit. Sheri put together a really neat package- gorgeous blue yarn from Dream in Color, a neat accessory pouch, a great pattern, and bath kisses! I really love Dream in Color, and blue is one of my favorite colors, so this yarn really hit the spot with me!

I finished a Booga Bag over the weekend. I did it in Cascade 220, using a dark blue for 3/4 of the bag and then a small orange stripe and the top few inches is a lighter slate blue. I felted it yesterday and it is drying. I am pleased with it. I wish it had come out a little bigger, but it's cute. Once it is dry and I put the I-Cord handles on, I'll take pics and post them.

Frogs, frogs everywhere

I seriously think I should just give up knitting and become a yarn collector. I can't seem to get anything right these days. And just when I am actually happy with an item for a change, it all goes to hell. To wit: my Glee sweater from Zephyr style. I have been working on it for a while now, using Classic Elite Wool Bamboo in a really pretty dark brown. I was thrilled with it. My tension was remarkably uniform (for me!) and the stitches looked really pretty. I got to the part where I moved the arms off onto scrap yarn, and I decided to begin working in the round immediately in order to shorten the front opening a bit. Well, in so doing, I missed the part where the pattern directed me to cast on 12 (or was it 14) stitches before joining in the round. When I caught it, I was 7 or 8 rows in to working in the round. I tried to think of a way to ignore it, but the bordering on the front would have been all wonky, as I realized that those extra stitches are needed to accomodate the border. So I put in a life line just above where I started knitting in the round, and then ripped back. And somehow I fouled everything up. Aaaaarrgh!!! I think I must have picked up a few of the lifeline stitches on a different row. I think I'm going to have to pull the lifeline out and try to rip back a couple of rows and even it out and move on from there. But knowing me, with all of those live stitches, I will lose some, screw it all up, and have to start all over again. I should have known it was going too smoothly.

Then there is the issue of the Glutony socks. It is part of the 7 Deadly Spins club. Gorgeous, sproingy yarn in beautiful vivid colors. I was home sick the day it arrived, and I could not get started fast enough. I am about 1/2 way through the leg of sock one. I am not happy. It's beautiful stuff, but all of those color changes and I do not get along apparently. I have gaps in some areas where the colors changed. I have a thousand threads hanging and it is maddening. And then there is the issue of amount of yarn. The pattern was apparently written and tested for someone with small feet- a size 7. The pattern states that you should have "just enough yarn" if you follow the pattern. Well guess what? I have size 9 1/2 to 10 feet. So that "just enough" is going to be far short!!!!! So those are in time out right now.

My son's blanket has been coming along. It has been very, very, very slow going. All that seed stitch is like slogging through quicksand or something. But it sure looks nice. Then again, each row takes about 40 minutes to get through. It's great for mindless knitting, but I have to want to do a lot of mindless knitting to pick it up! Poor kid. He'll be 40 when it's finished. I am using mostly Lily Sugar and Cream cotton for the blanket. Purl expressed concern about colors bleeding when I showed it to her the other day. WHAT? That never occured to me. Yes, I am that much of a moron. I just thought that cotton that is labelled machine wash would be colorfast. OH CRAP. All that work... all that time... my son loving the results thus far.... what do I do now??????? Any and all suggestions and input would be welcome!

So, I sit here today feeling defeated in the knitting department. But I am good at collecting yarn! Maybe I'll take that up as a hobby. Oh, wait, I already have!

SITMT package!

I have had such a great time emailing with my Sock it To Me Twice Pal. Today, I got my final package from her. My pal blogs at http://knitmetotheendoftime.blogspot.com/, and let me tell you, she spoiled me ROTTEN. And she really must have done her homework on me. She picked up on things that I don't even remember blogging about!

So, without further ado, let me show you the splendor of the package:

First up, the socks! Can you tell how perfect they are? Knitting like this is what I strive for someday. I am never satisfied with my knitting because I look at it and see uneven stitches, little bobbles and errors. Let me tell you, these are the opposite. Every stitch is beautiful. And the pattern and color suit me to a "t"!

Here is a closeup picture, because you need to be able to see the detail and appreciate the beautiful work!

I got some super yummy soaps that had the entire package smelling heavenly, and candies that my children begged for! Don't worry-- I share!

I couldn't get a good picture of the patterns on these dishcloths. Let's get one thing straight-- I stink at photography. Like you needed that caveat! I'm sure you long since determined that. At any rate, as if the amazing socks weren't enough, my pal somehow ferreted out that I am a Peanuts freak. The yellow dishcloth features Woodstock, while the blue one is Snoopy himself!!! Truly incredible!

And gorgeous yarn to play with! I have been lusting after Cherry Tree Hill yarn for myself ever since making socks for my husband with it! Also included? FOUR skeins of Sean the Sheep in beautiful greens!

And finally, lots of things that just made me smile! Sock shaped point protectors, a little sweater shaped zipper pull, a great notebook and pencil!

Thank you so much pal, for being a wonderful spoiler! I hope you will come down to Houston sometime where it is nice and warm and let me spoil you!

I'm a bad blogger

It has been a long time since I have blogged. I have been knitting, but I simply haven't had any blog-inspiration. I suppose I could blog and tell my reader(s) the mundane, boring facts of my day-to-day life, but I will spare you that sublime torture! Do you really care what time I woke up and/or what order I brushed my teeth and drank coffee in? Didn't think so. :-)

I am currently working on a couple of pairs of socks, still forging ahead on my son's blanket, and I am working on a Glee sweater. I'm doing Glee in Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo. It is amazing. I haven't quite gotten to the portion where you move the sleeves off to scrap yarn and start knitting in the round, but I'm getting close. The yarn is perfect for this sweater. It has great drape and sheen and will be perfect for Houston Spring! Now to make more headway on it.

We are supposed to have all hell break loose with severe weather this afternoon. Typical Houston! Before the skies open up, I managed to have a fun lunch with two dear, special friends. One of them, Purl, is an attorney who has been knitting for years. The other, JS, is an attorney who I worked with for many years. We have both long since moved on from the firm where we worked together, and we each have a client involved in a lot of benzene (toxic tort) litigation. That has given us a chance to entertain each other through endless hours of depositions, travel to BFE Texas for hearings and whatnot. In the course of that, JS has begun knitting. What can I say? It's catchy! I wanted Purl and JS to meet, so we got together today. I'm sure there will be more get togethers and lots of trouble in our future!

I will post pictures of WIP's soon. I promise!

SITMT package!

I got a wonderful treat package in the mail on Saturday! My Sock it to Me Twice pal sent some great things. I wish I had my camera to take a picture, but my husband is in Europe for a couple of days and took the camera with him. As if ancient cities are more important to depict than knitting bounty! Ha!

Anyway, back to the package. My pal did her homework, that is for sure! She sent me a skein of OnLine sock yarn in Orange with blue and bright green running through it... all of my favorite colors! Also included were pretty glass stitch markers in a Chinese silk pouch! And yummy maple candies from Canada. I got to eat one of those before my children proclaimed them the "best candies ever" and scarfed them down. :-) I am going to have to come to some sort of trade agreement with you, Pal, after the swap is over because I need to buy a lot of those for the kids!! Thank you so much for the awesome package! I love everything.

I had a lot of fun yesterday celebrating the wonderful Purl's birthday. I gave her some yarny goodness and we knitted and ate and drank wine... Purl was a great sport sharing her special day with me and my crazy kids. My daughter proclaimed Purl her best friend after Purl put forth so much effort going along with the kids!

Happy Monday all.

You Make My Day Award

My amazing upstream pal from SP11 named me as one of the blogs that makes her day. I was very touched by her award! Now I must, in turn, tag the people who do the same for me. These are the bloggers/friends that I have to check in on every day. They keep me sane, they make me smile, and they make my day!

Purl- My dear friend. She is incredibly smart and well read and has great shares great insight on her blog. Besides, we like the same things. Of course she makes my day!!

Becky- A long time friend of mine from college. We have shared a ton over the years, including many interests and family similarities. She is responsible for me knitting, and I love to check in on her and see what she is up to. Becky does beautiful work and I learn a lot from her.


Woolgirl and The Adventures of Woolgirl and Abby- Woolgirl is the most dangerous yarn pusher out there! I lust after the gajillions of skeins of gorgeous yarns that she stocks. Just peeking at the offerings puts a smile on my face without fail. And Woolgirl's blog is full of great contests, info and fun. Woolgirl makes my day, my week, my month...

Lynne- Lynne is such a kind, sweet person. And her F.O.'s are works of art. She inspires me.

Twisted Knitter- A fellow Houstonian who happens to work in a LYS near me. She shares some great yarn finds , free patterns, and lots of gorgeous work, all of which make me smile!

So, now for the rules:

Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about Blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!

First post of 2008

It's been a fairly quiet beginning to the new year. No complaints here! In knitting news, I finished my Dad's mistake-rib scarf and gave it to him on New Years Eve. He loved it. So did my hubby. Hmm. I think I see another one in my future!

I'm working furiously to finish my 2007 Block-of-the-Month afghan. It's through my LYS, the Hen House. I did such a good job of keeping up with it until our trip in October. Then I began focusing on Christmas gifts and the afghan took a back seat. The result is that I had the final 4 blocks to do to finish the thing. I signed up for the 2008 afghan as well, and the first square will be ready to work in a week. So I better get the 2007 one finished! I have completed 2 of the squares and did one repeat on the 3rd last night, so I think I should get it done in time. I am excited about the 2008 afghan (I am doing the "pastels" version) because it seems to use more pronounced and exciting stitches/patterns.

Otherwise, I've got some socks in the works. I am working on the foot of sock number 1 for my hubby. His are a sport weight yarn by Mountain Colors, but I don't know the colorway. It's predominantly dark green with brown and blue. Very handsome. I'm enjoying working on them.

I've succumbed to yarn and club mania. Aside from the occasional splurge at Woolgirl , I have joined the 2008 Socks that Rock club, the Yarn Pirate Booty club, the second installment of the Woolgirl sock club (I did the first one and loved it more than words can say!), and the Seven Deadly Spins club that is a Woolgirl/ Liisu collaboration. I think I will be busy. And I will definitely have some beautiful yarn in my stash!

While I am not doing such a good job of yarn-dieting, I am off to a good start of really dieting. I have been very unhappy with my weight for a couple of years, and that misery has led to even MORE weight. It's a vicious cycle with me. I'm emotional so I eat, I eat because I'm emotional. You know-- Wow, what a great day-- I should eat to celebrate! Aye-- what a bad day-- I should eat to drown my sorrows. I'm stressed... eat! My friend Purl and I decided over the holidays that we would dedicate ourselves to addressing our respective desires to lose weight by joining Weight Watchers. I like the program, but have had a difficult time making it to meetings in the past. Purl and I joined the Weight Watchers online program, and it eliminates that issue. Instead of going to meetings, Purl and I will support each other (like we wouldn't anyway?!) through the program. Today is the one week mark, and I haven't blown it yet, and haven't fallen off the program at all. If you have any interest in watching the progress or lending support, you can visit our blog Weighsting Away, where Purl and I are confessing our ups and downs on the program. Hopefully there will be more downs than ups!

Christmas sweatshop

Remind me next year that I MUST either (1) start earlier on my holiday knitting, or (2) take on fewer things!!! The past two or three weeks I have been working in a sweatshop!!! This year I made the two chevrons, one for my MIL (hers went out almost 2 weeks ago in the mail) and one for my mom (hers was finished yesterday), socks for my mom (finished today!), a secret something that I am not at liberty to divulge yet, and a scarf for my dad. Dad's scarf is going to be a New Year's present. We exchange gifts with my parents tonight, and I still have a couple of feet to go on his scarf. It's not happening.

My mom's socks ended up being one of the biggest pains in the butt in all knitdom for me. First, I couldn't decide on a pattern. I first cast on for her socks back in late October. I wasn't feeling any pattern I tried. I finally settled on a plain old sock. Then came the pooling. I decided to just bear with it, and kinda liked it in the end. Until I got a little in to sock #2. That one decided to stripe instead!! There is no way anyone could mistake the two for a "pair" of socks. Bring on sock number THREE! I figured whatever happened with sock 3 would be the pair. It striped, which was good, because I prefer the stripe. But then the second skein of yarn that I had to buy to make a third sock was different. It didn't have as deep a brown as the first skein. I had a ping-pong ball sized bit of the first skein left, so I worked it in to the third sock. I think it came out alright. The yarn is wonderful to work with. I used Zen String Serendipity Sport weight in Parfait. The chevron was done with the same yarn in fingering weight, and I honestly don't remember what the other skein was... but they were great to use.

Here are the socks and the chevron:

And here are the mis-matched socks, number 1 & 2!!!

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope all of your deadline knitting is done and finds an appreciative recipient!!!

Hello SITMT pal

Hi there, SITMT pal! I saw your comment on my previous post, and wanted to let you know that I haven't gotten any email from you in the past week. I'm sorry you are having email issues-- I know how annoying those can be. Thanks for thinking about me and for saying "hi" on the blog! I hope everything is going well with you other than the email!

A Tale of Two Chevrons

I finished the first of two Chevrons that I am doing as Christmas gifts. It was beginning to feel a little like an albatross! This is my first experience with deadline knitting. Last Christmas, I was only 4 or 5 months into my career as a knit-a-holic, and I didn't dare make anything as a gift. Well, actually, I did make a super-chunky scarf for my brother. But I couldn't even think about making anything for anyone else. This year, I have some confidence and felt like I could pull off the chevrons. I just wasn't counting on the stress factor that would result from taking on two of them the first week of December! Anyway, I finished the first one. It's for my mother-in-law. I did it with a JojoLand 100% cashmere yarn and Koigu Kersti in Squashblossom. It is soft and decadent. I hope she enjoys it. Here it is:

So now I am on to my Mom's. I have made a little progress, but not a ton. Mom's is being done with two different Zen String Serendipity Sport colorways. Here it is:

Mom's is being made to match socks that I am also knitting for her. The first one is done:

My chevron, which I began back in September or October is never going to get finished! I made great progress on it during our Hawaii trip. But I have just about reached chevron overload. I will need a long break before finishing my own!

All the moaning aside, I am so lucky to have these two women in my life, and I really am thrilled to be able to make something special for them.

Woolgirl bounty

Since I finally charged the camera, I can now show you the amazing things that have come in from Woolgirl in the last few weeks. First off, I am now a member of the Woolly Woolgirl Club. Amazingly, Jen made me a member of a club just when I was about to begin a Woolgirl fan club! Ha ha. Upon your 7th purchase from Woolgirl, Jen in all of her generosity, sends one of these amazing packages to welcome you to the club:

If that wasn't enough, Jen held a contest on her blog over Thanksgiving. I won! Jen sent me gorgeous Das Schneescaf yarn, great stitch markers, and the cutest calender from Thomas Joseph. I can't show the calender because it is on display in my office. But here is the yarn:

And then, the piece de resistance... the Peanuts Christmas kit!!! Anyone who knows me knows that I am a complete freak for all things Snoopy and/or Peanuts. When Jen announced that these kits were hitting the store in very limited supply, I began to have panic attacks about not getting one! It's a terrible picture, I apologize. But there is the cutest Peanuts project bag, 2 skeins of Charlie Brown Christmas yarn from White Oak Studio, 2 packets of Peanuts hot coccoa (who knew such a thing existed!?) and a cute stitch marker. I was lucky enough to score one, and here it is:

I love Woolgirl!

You know you're a knitter when...

You are stuck in heinous traffic and contemplate whipping out the project you are working on! This morning, my 35-40 minute commute took over an hour. As I was at a stand-still on the freeway, I spied my knitting bag which was still in the passenger seat from last night's gathering with the Wine Harlot posse (aka Purl and Lisa). I was seriously tempted to pull out my Woolgirl Sock Club sock and start working on it. Then the attorney in me decided that I would have absolutely no defense if I got in a wreck. Somehow I managed to rationalize myself into leaving my poor, lonely sock in the bag. It was a boring drive in, and I know I could've made some progress on that beautiful sock!!!! No fair!

Cables Untangled

Today, Purl and I took the most fantastic class. It was a class by Melissa Leapman, the author of "Cables Untangled". Melissa was in Houston for a series of classes and Purl and I took the first one, which was an intro to cables. If you ever have a chance to take a class by her, don't hesitate... DO IT! She is a phenomenal teacher, and shares so much information that you actually do feel empowered to do these crazy things. Not only did I get a great foundation in how to do cabling, but she also touched on fair isle and gave us a quick primer on that technique. By the end of the class, we were knitting cables with two colors. It was amazing. I wish I had signed up for more of her classes while she is here in Houston. Had I known just how much I would get out of her class, I would definitely have set aside the time to do more. We had to sign up a couple of months ago for the class, and I just had no idea how great it would be. You live and you learn, right?

The only problem with my newfound excitement over cables is that I am absolutely dying to go play around and work with them. Unfortunately, I have too much deadline knitting to do for the holidays and I can't spare even a second for play knitting right now. I have 1/2 of a chevron scarf to do by next weekend (to get it in the mail in time!) and another one to finish 3/4 of before the 25th. Plus socks and other assorted small items. What on earth was I thinking????? I think I may start on Christmas 2008 gifts on Dec. 26th this year!

Contest winning and knitting stuff

I guess I had Irish luck on my side this Thanksgiving. Jen at Woolgirl (my favorite shop in the whole world) held a contest on her blog for Thanksgiving. The contest was to leave a comment with a favorite turkey day side dish and even the recipe if possible. I entered, and my name was drawn! You have to experience a package from Jen to truly understand how exciting this win is. Apparently, I have some really cute Irish stitch markers from Zephyr and a Thomas Joseph 2008 calendar coming my way, along with some (sharp intake of breath...) YARN! Woo hoo!! I am quite excited.

I have gone sock and chevron mad over the past few days. I am almost finished with sock number one for my hubby. I've also made great progress on the pair for my mom. Mom will be getting a chevron to match. One of the yarns in the chevron is the same I'm using for her socks. (Zen String parfait). Then I decided to do another (my third for those keeping track!) chevron scarf, this one for my mother in law. I'm using sport weight yarn for hers, as she lives in Michigan where it is COLD. Here in Houston, a heavy wool scarf doesn't get much use, so fingering weight works great. I am pleased with how hers is coming along too. I can't post pictures right now because these items are supposed to be a Christmas surprise. But I will take photos of each and post after they have been opened. Hopefully, I will manage to get all of the gifts done. I would love to do a pair of socks for a couple of other people, but I don't want to push my luck! I do have yarn tucked aside in case I manage to get to them though. :-)

Well, I'm wasting good knitting time sitting here typing. The yarn is calling me.

Secret Pal 11 Revealed

My SP 11 pal revealed herself to me. She is a Texan living in Georgia. Barely a week went by that I didn't get a funny card in the mail. Sometimes they included a comic or bookmark or something little for the kids, others they were simply hysterical greetings. Either way, I knew that my pal was thinking of me and that she put a lot of effort into this exchange. A glance at her blog tells me that we have a lot in common. I am taking a brief break from Thanksgiving cooking right now, but can't wait to read more of her blog later.

Thank you so much Christy for the gifts and thoughts. You truly spoiled me rotten.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who read this. (anyone who doesn't read my blog doesn't deserve such wishes! ha ha ha)

Sock it to me Twice Questionnaire

1. How long have you been knitting? Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced?

I have been knitting for about 15 months. I consider myself on the intermediate side of things.

2. How long have you been knitting socks?

I started this summer, in June. So about 6 months.

3. What are your favorite fibers to work with?

Natural fibers. I love squishy, sport weight sock yarns, nice merino wools, cotton, silk, bamboo....

4. What is your favorite color?

It's a toss up between orange and navy. I really love color in general. The only color I really don't care for is purple.

5. What are your current WIPs (works in progress)?

2 chevron scarves, socks, a sweater and a blanket for my son

6. Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.).

I love Zen String, Miss Babs and Sereknitty sport weight sock yarns. They all have such amazing colors and are so soft and sproingy! And what in the world is softer than Malabrigo worsted? I also love the Araucania yarns and Queensland yarns-- epecially the Queensland Kathmandhu. Again, it's the colors! I am a freak for all things Woolgirl. She has the most amazing yarns.

7. What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from.

Anything acrylic. It gives me the heebie jeebies.

8. What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?)

Yes to all. Married for 15 years in early November. Two kids (9 and 4) and 3 pets (1 old cat, 1 shih tzu dog and a nutso kitten)

9. Name some of your hobbies.

The obvious one- knitting, reading, bubble baths, sailing, drinking wine with friends, watching movies, cooking

10. Name some of your favorite movies?

Monty Python's Holy Grail, The Great White Hype, Ocean's 11, A Room with A View, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

11. Do you like to read?

Definitely!

12. Do you collect anything?

Teapots, Homer Laughlin Wells Art glaze dishes in green, Baccarat crystal figurines, YARN!

13. Do you own an iPod or mp3 player?

Yup!

14. What are your favorite type of knitting needles?

My favorites are Lantern Moon wooden needles, but I tend to use Addi circs the most, which doesn't make any sense to me as I put it in writing!


15. What knitting notion could you not live without?

The freebie tape measure that my LYS gives to first time customers!

16. Who are some of your favorite designers?

Diane Soucy and her Knitting Pure and Simple patterns

17. Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.)

I am a magazine junky. The only knitting mag I get is IK. Otherwise, lots of cooking and fashion mags-- Bon Appetite, Cooks Illustrated, Cooking Light, In Style, Allure, Lucky and then the one incredibly guilty pleasure (I am embarrased to admit it)-- Us Weekly!

18. When is your birthday?

July 22

19. Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)?

Yes.

20. Do you have a Ravelry ID?

Cinben

21. If you had a sheep, what would you name it?

Fred

My Clappy is a Goner

In my never-ending world of frogging, I have a new victim-- my Clappy. I am on the 8th repeat in the third section (where you begin the drops) and have completely screwed things up somehow. And truth be told, I wasn't feeling the love for the thing anyway. I have been using Malabrigo worsted in Amorosa. It's gorgeous stuff, and beautiful to work with. However, I have been finding the semi-solid color a bit monotonous. And it is HEAVY. Then there is the issue of the yarn sticking, making the drops practically impossible. Each time I had to drop a stitch, I would literally have to rip the stitch all the way down by hand. I have decided that the current screwup debacle is a sign that I should just frog the thing and use the yarn for something more suited for it. I will probably do a sweater, as the yarn is just gorgeous. So now I'm on the hunt for more Clappy yarn. I'll probably just go the traditional route and use Loran's Lion and Lamb... we'll see.

In Chevron news, I am close to 1/2 way on my own Chevron. While we were traveling, my mother oogled my scarf and asked me to make her one. That was all I needed to hear to prompt me to make a purchase from Woolgirl while on vacation in Maui!!! Is there a 12-step program for Woolgirl addiction? If so, I need to join. I ended up buying Zen String Parfait and a Miss Babs that looks something like this (although not exactly this one). I began working on it and LOVE it. My mom is going to go bezerk when she sees it. I actually like it better than mine!

I'm still looking for the perfect sock pattern for my mom's socks. It's difficult for me because I only do socks on circs, and it seems that patterns are somewhat limited for circs. And for the life of me, I can't figure out how to translate a dpn pattern to circs.

In other news, my dear, dear, dear friend Purl passed the Texas Bar!!!! WOO HOO!! Way to go Purl! I'm so happy for you. I know first hand how relieved you are, and I really couldn't be more excited about the news. Purl called me in Maui to tell me the news, and I started screaming to everyone at the hotel pool that my friend had passed the Bar! I'm not sure that the elderly couple from Florida really cared (sorry, Purl!), but I was truly being a spazz. My mom, dad, hubby and I all had a celebratory drink in Purl's honor. I think the elderly Florida couple had a drink in order to drown me out. :-)

Purl has also been kind enough to babysit our kitten Rainy during our vacation. Rainy has spent countless hours with Purl and her hubby, generally terrorizing them! He has found his favorite spot on earth in their dishwasher, has developed a fondness for Socks that Rock, gone AWOL (inducing panic in the babysitters!) while hiding on a bookshelf, committed to leaping out from behind doors in an attempt to scare said babysitters...

This morning we had a real treat. We met my college friends Becky and Dean and finally met their new daughter Paisley. Becky was a pledge sister of mine and was my closest friend in college. Dean was her boyfriend throughout college, and put up with more than his fair share of antics, trouble and turmoil with me and Becky! Becky is responsible for my knitting today. About 14 months ago, I mentioned to her while we were visiting them in Dallas that I really wanted to learn to knit. She hooked me up with the person who taught me to knit and purl. This morning, Becky, Dean and Paisley met us for breakfast while driving through Houston. It was amazing to see Paisley. She is the most precious little girl. Like our Sarah, Paisley is from Hunan, China. While the girls are 3 years apart in age, they share the same birthday of October 28. Paisley is obviously a happy girl. And so observant-- she never stopped soaking it all in. What a cute family the three of them make! It was a great morning!!!

I guess that wraps things up for now. More to come later, with pictures of Chevron progress!

Knitting and travel

For my few readers, sorry it's been so long since my last post. As most of you know, my family (hubby, kids and parents) are on vacation. We are having a great time in Maui, Hawaii. This is very special for me, as I vacationed here with my parents and brother many times when I was in junior high school through college. It has been a long time since I have been back, and I can't believe that I am getting to do it with my hubby and kids (none of them have been here before) and with my parents, who are a lot of fun to travel with.

I had lofty ambitions of knitting a ton of socks while sittting on the beach. And on the long airplane ride. I also planned to finish my chevron scarf. Let's just say that a little bit of progress has been made on the scarf, and not much on ANY socks! Oops. I did cast on with some gorgeous Zen Strings yarn that I got from Woolgirl just before our departure. I bought it for my mom in a colorway of her choosing. I got a few repeats into the pattern, and it just wasn't working for me, so I frogged it. I think I have found a pattern from More Sensational Socks that will work much better. We'll see!

Anywho, I just wanted to make a quick post and say aloha to my devoted reader(s)! See you soon.

Sock it to me Twice Swap

I've joined another swap. This one is the Sock it To Me Twice swap. I think it will be a lot of fun. Participation is limited, so I think there will be more interaction amongst the participants. The only thing that scares me is the act of knitting socks for another knitter. I have yet to do a pair that I am completely happy with. So doing a pair to give to a knitter is enough to make me start shaking! But it gives me an excuse to buy more yarn from Woolgirl! of course, my husband would say that I never seem to need an excuse! :-)