It's Sock Madness's fault

Well, by dint of ignoring everything else I was supposed to be doing, including getting back into a proper blogging routine, I managed to make it through both Round 1 and Round 2 of Sock Madness in time to move up. I'm now in the gap just before the start of Round 3 and finally catching up on other things again. Since last year I almost made it through Round 3 I feel a dreadful despairing urge to make it through Round 3 this year. This could be very tricky. Although I would already be out if I had been in the "For Whom The Ball Rolls" division (whew, there's a bunch of speedy knitters in that group) so I'm counting myself lucky.

So what have I been doing since I last posted? Well, strictly speaking since before the last post. Round one of Sock Madness this year was a pattern that I designed and submitted for the contest last summer/early fall.

Tropical Mer-tini in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Beach Glass

Tropical Mer-tini (Ravelry link) is based on the Drunkard's path quilt block. To make it extra wiggy for Sock Madness I developed a way to do a heel flap heel as an afterthought heel. The pattern will eventually be available outside of Sock Madness participants but I want to add a second size option and also see if I can make the heel prettier. And include improvements from the feedback I have gotten from the lovely folks who knitted it up and then let me know what they thought. This has been a very fun learning experience and I have really enjoyed it. Although, I have to say, I was worried I wouldn't make it through the first round since I was trying to make sure I was available to answer any questions, I wasn't concentrating as much on my competition pair as I would have been if they had not been my pattern.

Tropical Mer-tini in Celtic Memory Yarns Merino-Tencel in Irish Mist

I still need to come up with a nice greenish martini to pose with these socks. Possibly I will have time for that once Sock Madness finishes. Or I get knocked out of competition.

Round 2's socks were Tokena (Ravelry link) by Tricia/Zemy. I found them very hard going. Mainly because they were my first Fair Isle style color work knitting. And partly from poor choices I made about which yarns I used (I should have gone for the ones that were closest in size) and how I worked.

Tokena in All Things Heather sock in Raspberry and Apple Laine Apple Pie in Silver

But I got them finished in the alloted time and I have found a home for them (although I wish I had done a better job on them since I am sending them to a very sweet fellow raveler) so really, it is all good. I think I have enough left of the yarn to knit a second pair for myself if I use the Raspberry (how could I have not bought that yarn?) as the contrast color and another shade for the main color. I'm thinking maybe black? Thoughts?

I've also been slowly working on my Cluaranach and my two Clapotis and a pair of socks for a friend's birthday (I'm late with those too) and trying to develop some more designs. But I'm going to save all that for another post. Within a week I hope.

Good Grief

I have been appallingly neglectful of the blog. I do apologize. It's partly that things weren't blog-able for a while there. And partly that moving only some of your stuff is so much more complicated than moving all of it. And partly that I just didn't think I had much to say I guess.

Anyway, I did Christmas knitting. Some of which was actually finished in time to give on Christmas but not in time for the last post. Like this pair of socks for my mum (of which I apparently do not have a FOto. I'll try to get one when I see her next):

Simple Stockinette Socks - Berroco Sox in Humberside

And some of which ended up being birthday knitting for my daughter. Thank goodness her birthday is in the early part of the year and thus after Christmas.

She had mittens on her list as the highest priority for knitting. So I made some basic mittens for her:

Simple Mittens - Union Center Knits Whatnot Sport in Stormy Sea

And then I had signed up in October I think for the Loopy Ewe Swap 3 on Ravelry. So I made Anne Hanson's Boing! for that:

Boing! - Malabrigo Lace in Loro Barranquero

I also was busy working on a second sock for a Sock Madness 3 design I did. More on that later. Sock Madness 3 is ongoing now and I still haven't finished the Round One socks so I need to get cracking! Back in .75 socks.

Still not dead

Not a lot bloggable in the fiber sphere though. We are now in our rental house in Houston Texas which is driving my DH up a wall because since it is a rental he can't fix any of the many issues with it. He picked it so you'd think he'd have come to terms with it by the time I got here but apparently not. We'll be here through the summer so I think I better get knitting on some shawls for air conditioned places soon. But first I have to get through the holiday and birthday knitting. My family is all clumped at the end of the year which makes for an expensive and/or time-consuming December and January. Not that I have gotten anything done yet for anyone (except Mum - shhh don't tell). I'm sort of hoping that Santa will give me an extra week (who am I kidding, I'd need an extra month for my list) in my stocking and when I pull it out everyone else in the whole world will go into suspended animation while I get all my Christmas and Birthday knitting done and wrapped and under the tree (or in other rooms in case of birthday stuff) before the magic wears off. Must remember to stock up the larder just in case Santa can manage this one.

I have managed to get the stash mostly unpacked. Public Service Announcement: I don't recommend moving the week before Thanksgiving folks. Especially not if you are a knitter or any other kind of crafter.

testing a theory

I thought I would test a theory. My apologies if you thought there was a real post. There will be later today (I hope!) but not just yet.

Shades of Monty Python and the Holy Grail...

Like the "Dead Body That Claims It Isn't" in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I'm not dead yet. Indeed, I am feeling much better although possibly I shouldn't say that in order to avoid getting conked on the head in 7 more lines. I am touched that Lynne worried enough to ask though. Thanks Lynne!

I have however, been awfully busy with not fun stuff. The busy-making-est of which is getting ready to move temporarily. The FoUI (Fount of Useless Information aka DH) has been rented out on a job (he works for a consulting company) that requires that we move to Texas for a while and then to Australia (or so they promised or I'd have never fallen for it) for a while. When they were talking him into it in July it was 4 to 6 months in Texas followed by a year in Australia but once they had him hooked it became a year in Texas first. So I have been trying to get ready for that since that means a bigger more complicated move.

A person living in a normal household would perhaps not find that as daunting a prospect. Unfortunately I do not live in a normal household. Just as well, perhaps, since I'm not exactly normal either.

I have been trying to get the stashes (yarn, fiber, fabric, bead, etc) organized as well as get rid of lots and lots and lots of stuff that we never got around to dealing with in the last decade or so. And all the stuff we kept (for sentimental, or legal, or privacy, or "no one else would take it" reasons) from the clearing out of DH's parent's house when it was sold several years ago. I'm only about 1/3 of the way done but I've used up half my time so I really need to get better at that.

What knitting I was able to squeeze in since last posting is stealth knitting (developing a sock pattern for Sock Madness 3 if they decide they like it anyway) so I don't even have that for today.

I will however, sometime in the next few weeks maybe have knitting and definitely have some destash stuff to do.

And I do have some WIP photos but I'm saving those for another day because I only get the DH on weekends now (he's already in Texas working) and only some of them at that so I want to get back to him and make sure he's still working on the great long honey-do list for this weekend.

Doesn't everyone plan vacation around yarn shops?

Or is that just me? We got the oddest look from the Canadian customs officer...

But first, we have to back up a bit to the domestic vacation. AKA a weekend in Oregon. I went to Black Sheep Gathering for the first time this year. I highly recommend it. I had such fun. I took three classes with Judith MacKenzie McCuin. I love taking classes from Judith but I learned something about taking classes this time as well as learning from the classes. I learned that I need assimilation time. When I took classes while at home, I had time in the evenings to practice what I had learned and review it mentally. But when I was in a hotel with family that wanted mommy time I didn't get to play and review. So next time, one class per day max.

I had lots of fun at BSG in the shopping arena too. I bought fiber every second time I went by the Tactile Fiber Arts booth I think (and I went by a lot). I also bought two fleeces. Both second prize winners in their classes.

A lovely slightly variegated grey Romney.

And a gorgeous black Wensleydale.

I needed to buy fleeces about as much as I dunno, a polar bear needs to buy snow? But they are sooooo pretty. Of course, now I have to wash fleece. And not so much in the time to do it department but that is a story for a different post. The Romney is from Fox Hollow Farm and Fiber right there in Eugene Oregon, and the Wensleydale is from Black Pines Sheep in Colorado.

I learned how to make the kind of sock yarn Judith likes (and why she likes it) and that I can indeed spin finer than I think I can. I learned how to spin really really fine too. And then I came home and had barely a week at home before we went off on another vacation and lots of stuff to do before we could go. So I didn't get a chance to spin (or even finish putting my wheel back together properly after its dismantling to get it into the car - GASP!!!) for weeks. I must remember next time to also allow two full weeks of limited obligations at home so I can practice what I have learned.

Our second vacation was a real actual week long one to visit my SIL in New York State. We flew into Rochester and since we were there it only made sense to take the child and hubby to see Niagara Falls.

That blue head on the left might be the FoUI.

And once you're at Niagara Falls, you might as well go to Canada. And once you're in Canada you might as well go to Toronto, and once you're in Toronto there's a yarnaholic's tonne of yarn shops. (I feel like a mouse with a pancake.) Sadly I had to pick only one but I picked a good one. Lettuce Knit is in the coolest neighborhood! Possibly many cities have multiple neighborhoods like that but I'm from the suburban sprawl of California and we don't have anything that vibrant around here. I was probably too effusive in my praise because the offspring felt compelled to announce that we were not moving to Canada.

When we were going into Canada the customs officer got rather an odd expression on his face when my DH answered the "why are you coming to Canada" question with "to buy yarn". I can see why he'd be suspicious of us, we already answered the "how long" question with "a few hours" which has gotta make people wonder. Although as near as we could tell hundreds (maybe thousands) of Canadians were going to America for the day. We found that a bit puzzling particularly since it was Canada Day. Which would have been a great excuse for why we were visiting, if we had known before we got to the customs officer.

The best part of that whole excursion to Canada? I got some yarn I've been just missing getting other places for over a year. 2 skeins of Dream In Color Fatty in Beach Fog.

Now if only I could remember why I wanted them...

In New York we did quite a few touristy things. We went to Corning to the Glass Museum and make our own blown glass ornaments. I find that whole thing alarmingly cool. Alarmingly because I need a new hobby (particularly one that requires large expensive things like kilns) like that aforementioned polar bear needs more snow. But it was a lot of fun and look at the pretties:

Mine is the blue and purple stripy one, my DH made the blue and yellow one.

And then on our way to arrange to take an evening boat ride around one of the lakes, we went to the neatest yarn shop. Finger Lakes Fibers is a great shop. Lots of interesting yarns. Lots of local yarns. Seats for the non yarnies. And they carry Brooklyn Handspun (which I had yet to succeed at getting a skein of) and they had one that called my name.

Soft Spun Plus in Hydrangea

I think I will succumb to temptation and use this to make the Hydrangea socks in The Eclectic Sole. Finger Lakes Fibers does a local fiber tour which includes a visit to Schaefer but I missed it by a week. They are also doing one to Ireland which is kinda tempting except I think I am going to be busy even if it weren't already too late.

That's enough for today this is already awful long.

Like a Bad Penny

I just keep coming back. I've been up to a lot since last posting. Most of it not bloggable until now. Besides, vacationing and knitting for others and panicking about possible moves has taken up so much time lately that by the time I remember I need to do a blog post, it's so late I really need to get sleep more than I need to post a blog entry. Particularly since blog entries created when I am that tired tend to be pretty undecipherable.

I shall split the events since my last post up into several entries so as to not have too long of a post here. Now the question is, chronological or not? Eh, linear time is usually a good thing so chronological it is. Catch up time:

My first not-bloggable knitting was shown all wrapped up last post. I participated in the Loopy Ewe Swap 2 on Ravelry. I had never done a swap before and I was interested to try. I was assigned a very sweet lady to knit for, Marissa (HPMomma on Ravelry), and as I always do when starting a project, agonized for ages over yarn and pattern choice. The fact that it was going to someone I didn't know well just made me dither more.

In the end I knit socks for her:
Pattern: WendyKnits' Alana Socks bought at The Loopy Ewe
Yarn: Creatively Dyed's Luxury Sock yarn in Campfire Embers (that might be the Loopy Ewe's name rather than Creatively Dyed's) bought at The Loopy Ewe

It took forever to find the right pattern for this yarn. It's so beautifully dyed that large areas of plain stockinette really show it off best. So I felt bad that I had knit so plain a sock but the yarn really glows in it. The photo I have of the socks does not do this yarn justice. This was my first hemmed cuff sock too so I learned a new trick from this swap as well. That's always fun.

And boy did I get spoiled (and I should have posted about this right away when it arrived but I had a bad month for having time for blogging there for a while) by Beth (Plexippa on Ravelry), my upstream partner!
So much goodness in that box! And see the little Loopys on the box side? So cute! I'm stunned by how perfectly she got everything I love. I mean, gift cards for coffee and ice cream? Perfect! The fan lollypop also perfect (although I ended up having to give it to my daughter - something I did mentally kicking and screaming I might add). And the other goodies were also so exactly what I'd have grabbed gleefully for myself if I had known they existed. Soak labels for hand knits (doh! I just realized I should have used one of those for a later project facepalm), and Green Tea scented Knitter's Hand Repair Soap (which my hands could use repairing and it's the loveliest scent but I've only just convinced myself I'm allowed to use it LOL) and the loveliest leaf bead stitch markers. Not to mention that gorgeous bump of Tempted Roving (Yummy! It's next on the big wheel) in my favorite colors and at 80/20 merino silk so lovely feeling! And the best for last, the most amazing mitts!

Look closer at those gorgeous mitts she knitted for me!

Anne Hanson's (Knitspot) Orchid Lace Mitts! A pattern I have been planning to knit for myself for ages. Knit in The Sanguine Gryphon's Eidos in Euthydemus (purple is like totally my favorite color like evah!) and a fantastic fit besides! I have been a big fan of both Anne's patterns and The Sanguine Gryphon's colors and yarns for a long time so I was overjoyed. Really I go all squee (and I'm really not a squee-er under normal circs) every time I see these mitts. I've had them sitting out so I can see them and pet them ever since they arrived. I finally had to put them away this week since we have a guest so I had to vacate my studio/office. They are so lovely and elegant I am going to have to lose some weight and buy a sexy little black dress to wear with these next fall when the FoUI and I go out on dinner dates.

More soon. There's still Black Sheep Gathering, more stealth knitting that doesn't need to be stealthy anymore, vacation that may yet lead to yet another new hobby, a new spinning wheel and more maybe moving madness to come. I said it was a busy last few weeks...