Bad Blogger, No Cookie!

I finally have a spare moment to sit and reflect on the ultimate goodness that was my Sockapalooza package (among other things). I never imagined such wonders when I first signed up!

Firstly, I was amazed to discover that I now have one degree of separation with Miss V over at the podcast. Anyone who knows of my knitting obsession also knows of my blog and podcast stalking of Miss Lime and Miss Violet. Imagine my surprise when I opened my package and realized that my partner is none other than Adminnie. I was completely starstruck like I never have been in my life. I'm such a knitting dork!

Minnie was a great partner to have! She sent me some fabulous socks for which I simply must find the pattern, some lovely matching stitch markers, a skein of dharmafey's Rob Zombie sock yarn, and some delicious chocolate. I will try to get pictures up later today of everything (except the chocolate--it's long gone). Minnie was so kind to delay mailing my package until we got home from vacation, and everything was well worth the wait!

I was being fabulously good for a while about what's on my needles. I promised myself I would only work on UFOs (as if it were really possible). I'm now in total UFO rebellion--I'm working on a pair of socks in Perchance to Knit's Dianthus Pinks colorway, an entrelac scarf in some yarn a student gave me, the Invisibility Shawl from Charmed Knits (the latest version of the pink mohair shawl that was supposed to be a variation of Branching Out), and the DCA's Aran squares blanket.

I'm also trying really hard to resist the Point Five Cardigan in Knitter's Stash, because I have some yarn on hand that would be just perfect for it. I'm really just itching to start a sweater because it's gotten so chilly so early in SoCal this year and to top it off it rained this morning.

Then there's also the Secret of the Stole that starts in a mere two weeks. I already have yarn and beads for it, so everything else is going to get tossed aside in its favor when the first pattern section is released. The yarn may change though, because I managed to score some of Perchance to Knit's Harlot's Peacock boo-boo skeins earlier this week. It's what I really wanted to use from the beginning but I couldn't find any at the etsy shop or at the Loopy Ewe. I'll have to make up my mind when it gets here.

I also fell off the sock yarn wagon and picked up some Lorna's Laces in the Sand Ridge colorway from Amy's destash and 3 hanks of Socks That Rock when the resting colorways were announced. I've just been back to the site to see the new colors that went up this week, and I'm itching for Atomic 6, Grinchy, and Hard Rock.

I think it's time to start making a Christmas list and those new Harmony tips for the Options set are right at the top...

One for the DCA

I found this quiz at another blog, and I had to check it out. Apparently, I'm a descriptive word!

HoyaGirl -- [adjective]: Like in nature to a kangaroo 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Back to School

It's been quiet around here, because we're back in school. We finished our prep week, we had our back to school picnic, and we had our first week of school. I survived the open house last night, but I'm so tired I just want to sit around and knit. I can't wait to get used to being back at work so I'm not so exhausted by the early, long days in the classroom. I really am blessed to have finished so much work this summer, or I don't know what I would be doing!

Thankfully, I've had a bit of time to work on my knitting. I have the first sock for the other Morgana finished, I'm about 1/3 done with the foot on the second cuff-down sock, I made a little something special to add to the box, her stitch markers have arrived, and I'm waiting for the needles to come. Everything is coming together so nicely! Since I'm in Hogwarts mode, here are the answers to the latest questionnaire:

What type of pet do you choose as your companion at Hogwarts?
I have brought my cats to Hogwarts because they make great companions. My muggle family doesn't have an owl because they prefer to use something called electronic mail. Please don't tell Professor Flitwick that I have more than one cat here in the dormitory. I'm afraid he would have Mr. Filch take them away!

While shopping in Hogsmeade you stop by Honeydukes for some sweets. What treats do you purchase for yourself?
I would definitely buy chocolate frogs, and I am very partial to chocoballs for their resemblance to the muggle chocolate truffles I get at home.

A potion you are preparing needs an ingredient available only at muggle shops. You don't want to stand out in your wizards robes, so you resort to traditional muggle clothing. Describe your outfit in detail.
Because I was raised by muggles, I am an expert at blending in with them. Since it is still summer and warm where I live, I would most likely be wearing a pair of blue jeans shorts, a t-shirt (so named because of its shape and I usually choose purple, pink, or another pastel color), and some sandals. During the winter, I like to wear relaxed-fit blue jeans and jewel-toned sweaters. I do dress more formally to attend my classes at school.

What is your favorite subject to study at Hogwarts and why?
I do enjoy Potions class the most because it is so mathematical and scientific. I like classes that demand precision!

Likewise, what subject is your least favorite and why?
I have no use for Muggle Studies. I don't see the point of taking a class about muggles when I was raised by them and live in their world during all my school holidays.

Back to the potion you were shopping for ingredients for, what type of potion are you making, what color is it, what are the ingredients, and precisely what does the potion do?
My potion ingredient is a light caramel-colored toffee nut flavoring syrup, and it is unfortunately not yet available at Honeydukes or in Diagon Alley. I am able to buy it at the famous muggle coffee shop Starbucks and at some other common locations. The syrup is a last-minute addition to another muggle potion known as an americano. After brewing deep, dark brown espresso coffee and adding hot
water, I add one ounce, no more and no less, to the hot drink along with one half cup of hot milk. It makes a delightfully flavored, light pastel brown potion that cheers me and enlivens me. On occasion, I will splurge and also add whipped cream.

In other knitting areas, I have ripped back the meadow flowers shawl to make a variation of the Branching Out stole pattern over at knitty.com. I wasn't into the triangle shape anymore, and I really want to use up all the bright pink yarn I have laying around. I also picked up some laceweight over laughingratstudio on Etsy and some beads at Michael's to do the Secret of the Stole KAL at yahoo groups that starts next month. While I was in Michael's, I also grabbed some clear beads that I need for the Hanami stole. I keep promising myself I can start Hanami as soon as the other UFOs are out of the way. Who knows when that will be!

Time to head back to work on Morgana's sock. I really think she's going to like it!

I'll Huffle, and I'll Puff

The yarn for Morgana Too's socks arrived today from WEBS. It's Dale Baby Ull in the classic Hufflepuff colors of black and yellow. The stitch markers I ordered also arrived, and they are lovely. I wish I had a Ravenclaw set of my own, but I'll just have to wait until the end of the swap! I got a notice that the needles I ordered will be delayed for a few days, but that's okay since it's a while before we ship our packages. Now I just have to go get started on the socks. I'm using a pattern from More Sensational Socks, but that's all I have to say about that!

Bemoaning My Fate

Summer is drawing to a close. I return to work on Monday for our week of classroom prep before the students return after Labor Day. I don't want to go back. I like living in my jammies. I don't want to lose all my knitting time. Rant over.

I am looking forward to teaching math again and to having only 3 or 4 lessons per day in my two sections instead of the 8 or 9 I had in last year's two sections. It will seem like cake in many ways. It's also better knowing we have our own pastor again for our chapel so we can be separated out from the younger kids. The older kids have different issues and deserve to have some special time on their own.

On the knitting front, I finished Mom's chevron scarf (but it needs to be blocked), the DCA's sailor rib socks, and the Rockin' Sock Club Solstice Slip socks, and Maude (it needs to be blocked too). I've started the Roo's seeded ribbing socks, and they'll be my traveling knitting for a while. I am also hooked on the idea of making Aran stitch pattern squares (inspired by an episode of Knitty Gritty) and sewing them together for a lap blanket for the DCA. The Aran squares are much more entertaining than the mitered squares I had started and quickly tired of. I'm using up some Wintuk acrylic someone donated to the stash, because it will be just perfect for a small afghan that will see lots of love and abuse. I have six skeins each of crimson and cream, so it will be just perfect for my favorite OU alum.

In Sock Swap news, I have ordered Morgana Too's yarn, needles, and stitch markers. The pattern is already selected, so I just have to wait for the yarn to arrive so I can get started. I'll be throwing Roo's socks aside as soon as everything is here because I need to concentrate on the sock swap until I'm finished with my Hufflepuff creation. Even my new Rockin' Sock Club shipment will be ignored!

The boys are out of town camping, soI'm headed back to the couch for my final movie and knitting marathon of the summer. Maybe the Roo will join me with her knitting too before we go out to a girly-girl tea this afternoon. Bring on those Aran squares!

Hogwarts Sock Swap Contest #2

It's the Six Degrees of Draco Malfoy! Go see the Swap blog for details of the contest.

Here is my chain relating the Dursleys to Draco:

1. The Dursleys let Harry live with them when his parents died.
2. Harry is the son of James Potter.
3. James was the best friend of Sirius Black.
4. Sirius hated and regularly teased Severus Snape.
5. Snape is the head of Slytherin house and, as such, is responsible for Draco Malfoy.

Someone noted in the comments on the Swap blog that the example there was only 5 degrees instead of six. So, to cover my bases, here's the same list with an extra step just in case!

1. The Dursleys let Harry live with them when his parents died.
2. Harry is the son of Lily Evans Potter (the sister of Petunia Evans Dursley).
3. Lily was married to James Potter.
4. James was the best friend of Sirius Black.
5. Sirius hated and regularly teased Severus Snape.
6. Snape is the head of Slytherin house and, as such, is responsible for Draco Malfoy.

Traveling Objects

We went to visit the DCA's grandmother in Delaware yesterday. When we first started out, it reminded us of a National Lampoon's Vacation movie--it could have been called "The Griswolds Go to Delaware". It's quite a challenge to get 7 people into a mini-van by 6:30 a.m.! We had the DCA's parents, the four of us, and our niece, TM, from NC. (The DCA's sister brought her up to visit until we head home tomorrow.) We were expecting to have whiny, fussy kids with us, but they were troopers and didn't give us any trouble all day.

I finished my mom's chevron scarf in the car on the way over. I still need to weave in the ends and block it to death, but the majority of the work is done. I had the DCA's red sock with me to work on during the rest of the day, and I finished it in the car on the way home just as the last vestiges of sunlight faded from the sky. I started working on the Roo's bubble gum sock last night after we got home.

The sock got to see many cool places like Thrasher's fries, Fisher's popcorn, the Atlantic Ocean in Ocean City, and three states along the way during the trip. It is by far the most-traveled sock I have ever knit.

Tomorrow we head home, so the next post will be from there. Maybe I'll have another sock done!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

We had a great time in Florida. Disney World was great as always, and it wasn't too crowded until we went to the Magic Kingdom on Friday. Lots of people must start their weekends early, and it must be the most popular of the parks, because it was the most crowded of all the parks we went to. Seeing my brother and his family made up for it though. Pictures of our escapades will have to wait until we're home--I don't want to try to download pictures anywhere but there. The DCA might try from his parents' home this weekend, but that's his bag not mine.

We've spent most of the last weekend in NC with my parents, and it is super hot here. We get temperatures in the 90s and 100s at home in CA, but the humidity is giving us heat indexes in the 110s, and that's a little more than we want to deal with. Yesterday, we just stayed in the house and relaxed after a bit of traveling around on Tuesday. Today we have some things we want to do, but the heat might just keep us home.

The knitting front is slow and unproductive. I ripped back the Nagini sock completely. I just don't like toe-up socks, and I felt like I was slogging along. I am going to attempt Nagini again, but I'm going to change it to a cuff-down sock and work it on US size 2 needles with fewer stitches or on US size 0 or US size 1 needles according to the pattern instructions. My US size 1 Addi circs are really more like a 1.5 and the sock was just too loose.

I finished the first Red Rover sock and left it in NoVA at the DCA's parents' house on Sunday morning before we left to drive down here. I just haven't been able to get into knitting the second one because I want the first one to look at. It's a good thing we're headed back to NoVA tomorrow so I can find my inspiration! (It also doesn't help that every time I walk by my suitcase the Rockin' Sock Club kit screams my name and begs to be started. I'm having a hard time ignoring it.)

I've been trying to devote my time to knitting my mom's Chevron Scarf. It helps with the desire to play with Socks That Rock, and I like to see how much it's growing. I think I'm a little over halfway done at this point, so she should have it in plenty of time for the cooler weather this winter. I wish I could have gotten it done so I could leave it here, but it will have to be shipped back later. She likes the colors she chose now that's she's seen them in person, and she also likes how the scarf is turning out.

I think I may have found some stitch markers for my Hogwarts swap partner, and I also have found my yarn. Now I just need to place orders for them so I can start her socks! Needles are proving a bit more problematic since she likes wooden ones. I don't want to send plain old bamboo, but I don't know much about wooden needles since I prefer aluminum. I have a few good leads though--I'm just looking for some reviews or some blogs to see what people think about a few of the brands that are out there.

The next post will be from the road in NoVA!

Travel Plans

First things first: I finished the Fawkes socks. I know I don't have a picture up yet, but that's because we've packed the camera for our trip. The FO eye candy will have to wait until we return.

Secondly, I have a vacation plan! I started the Nagini socks today using the Scout's Indie Swag Glampyre yarn. I think the snakeskin cable pattern might be hard to see in the variegated yarn, but it just seemed to be the right choice. Here is the rest of what I'm packing for tonight's departure:

• Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Red Rover colorway. These are to do the Sailor's Ribbing Socks from More Sensational Socks for the DCA.
• Cherry Tree Hill yarn in the Sugar Maple colorway. This skein is to make a pair of Welt Fantastic socks from Sensational Socks for the Moose.
• Seacoast yarn in the Bubblegum colorway. This skein is for the Roo's Seeded Ribbing socks from More Sensational Socks.
• The June Rockin' Sock Club pattern and yarn.
• The Chevron Scarf for Mom.

This should be more than enough to keep me busy, but I did tell the DCA that I could always make an emergency yarn acquisition at the LYS near his parents' home. I hope it doesn't come to that, because I have no idea where new yarn would fit in the suitcase!

Lastly, the next post will be from the road! Mouse House, here we come!

Flying Along

I've finished Fawkes #1, and I'm about to go cast on for #2. I can't wait to finish this pair so I can start Nagini. Then my set of Harry Potter socks will be complete!

In other knitting news, this blog will be a little more quiet starting on Friday. We're about to head out on "obligation" (a vacation to visit family), and I don't know how often I'll be able to check in to update my knitting progress. I hope to get lots of sock knitting done on all the planes, trains, and automobiles while we're gone.

I have started thinking about what to pack for the trip. The DCA says I'm not allowed to take an extra suitcase to hold the ongoing projects and yarn (he knows me so well!), so I need to plan well for things to fit in my suitcase alone. I will probably just be taking sock projects because they're small, lightweight, and perfect for the expected heat and humidity. Tomorrow, I'll be winding up the yarn from the Loopy Ewe shipment so I can take it along on the trip. I figure one pair of socks for each of us will probably provide enough entertainment. I may also pack the chevron scarf, just in case I need something extra to do.

I'll post the detailed plan once it's more concrete. Now, back to Fawkes!

Crash and Burn

I made great progress on Fawkes yesterday during the wedding. I put it down last night while I read the new book (it's a great read, but I still have a few unresolved questions). I worked on it some more this morning, and then I tried it on after church. It was too small. Sigh. I frogged it all, and gave up on it until I finished the book this afternoon. I've started it over on US size 2 needles instead of size 1. I hope it helps!

I've also decided to shorten the ribbed cuff to 12 rows instead of 14 and to work it in twisted rib (k1 tbl, p1) instead. I also inserted a plain row of knit stitches before starting the pattern. It just looks neater somehow with the phoenix stitch.

I took photos of several of my most recent socks. I've downloaded them from the camera, and I will probably post them tomorrow after they've been edited. Keep an eye out for them!

Fawkes Is Flying!

(Edited on July 22, 2007 to add the picture of the finished socks.)

I finished Bellatrix yesterday during the children's piano lessons. Because I need to keep busy while I wait for the mail carrier to deliver my copy of HP7 this afternoon (my book was delivered to my P.O. yesterday afternoon), I immediately cast on for Fawkes using my Scout's Indie Swag Kung Hei Fat Choi as soon as I kitchenered Bellatrix's last toe. It also helped to pass the time while I was hosting a wedding rehearsal at church last night. (Among my many other activities, I act as liaison between the wedding party and the church for any wedding which takes place on our campus. This afternoon, I get to hang at the church and keep working on Fawkes!)

So far I have only made a few changes to the pattern. Instead of doing "sl 1, k2 tog, psso" in row 5 of the chart, I'm using "sl 1, ssk, psso" because it bettter mirrors the k3 tog in row 11. I'm all about symmetry--it's that math teacher thing. So far it looks like four pattern repeats is going to give me a fairly short sock, so I'm thinking about doing five repeats instead. Six would be ideal, but that may be too many for the amount of yarn I have. I'm also going to center the offset column of purl stitches from where each round begins and ends over the heel before I begin the flap. I am considering doing an eye of partridge flap instead of the one in the pattern to keep with the whole bird theme. I may play with it when I get there to see how it looks.

I received my first shipment of the Harry Potter Sock Yarn Club on Thursday. It's called "Another Weasley" and is a great mix of autumnal colors that call to mind Molly, Arthur, the twins, Ronald, and Ginny. I can't wait to try it out even if it's not a regular colorway I would pick.

It's time to get off the computer now, so I can avoid any spoilers for the book ending. I'm also avoiding the TV news by watching movies I've saved on the DVR. I may drop in tomorrow to update the Fawkes progress, but it's probably not likely since I'll be deeply immersed in the wizarding world later.

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts...

If you haven't received your acceptance letter from Professor McGonagall yet, you need to stop by the Hogwarts Sock Swap blog and notify the Deputy Headmistress that you would like to be included. Specific instructions for second year students and for first years like me can be found here. Signups began on July 14th, so you need to hurry before the swap begins on August 1st!

Here is my homework set by the Deputy Headmistress. I'm sorry that it's not on parchment, but I didn't have a piece quite long enough.

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?
In the words of the Sorting Hat: "Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind," I am a Ravenclaw.

2. Shoe size?
U.S. Ladies 9

3. Foot Length?
My foot is 10 3/8" (26.4 cm) long from my heel to my big toe.

4. Foot Circumference?
The circumference around the ball of my foot is 9" (22.9 cm). The circumference around the middle of my calf is 11 3/8" (28.9 cm).

5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
I don’t know my needle brands because I received them from a friend of mine who was sorting her mother’s things before an estate sale. My favorites are mostly aluminum and really old, so they might be Susan Bates or something similar.
a. U.S. size 1, 6”
b. U.S. size 2, 6”
c. U.S. size 3, 6”

6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
I would love to try some of the Knit Picks DPNs. I usually knit with U.S. size 1 (2.25mm) needles. I could REALLY use a set of U.S. size 0, though, because I don't have any. I prefer 6” needles.

7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?
Go Ravenclaw! I prefer the film colors of blue and silver, but that’s only because they match my wizarding robes better than blue and bronze. A purist, however, would stick with the book colors, so surprise me!

8. Allergies? Do you have any? Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals?
I am allergic to tobacco, so until Madam Pomfrey finds a cure, I would prefer a smoke-free pal. I have two cats here in my Ravenclaw tower dormitory room, so my pal’s socks will be near the two felines but not in close personal contact with them.

9. Are you an international participant (outside US)? Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?
I am a resident of the continental U.S., but I’m willing to have an international pal. According to Professor Dumbledore, it’s all about International Magical Cooperation!

(The DCA thinks I'm a total geek for writing in character. It must be why the hat sorted me to Ravenclaw.)

Bellatrix Is Not Lestrange!

I love Bellatrix--it's so easy to do! I finished my Grasshoppers last night and cast on immediately for the Bellatrix pattern using my Scout's Indie Swag Punk Pink. They are turning out so well in the leg!

(Edited on July 22, 2007 to add the picture of the finished socks.)

I have fought and fought with this skein of yarn trying to find exactly the right pattern to use with it. It pooled terribly, it made fat spirals, and it made beautiful stipes and then pooled later in the gusset. Nothing has worked until now.

The yarn overs in the pattern are breaking up the pooling by allowing the tiniest of stripes to cross each pool, and the loosened stitches are providing the perfect contrast on their own. I hope it continues to be this wonderful as I approach the heel and move into the gusset later today.

I have changed the pattern just a smidge though. It does not affect the pattern at all, just the way I'm choosing to work it. Instead of placing yarnovers between stitches, which meant I had a lot of adjustments to make to them later, I wrapped the yarn extra times around the needle when making a single stitch. Here's what I mean: instead of "yo, k1, yo 2 times, k1, etc." I did "k1 wrapping the needle twice, k1 wrapping the needle three times, etc." It just works better for me in the long run, and it creates exactly the same effect intended in the pattern.

I think this pattern must have been designed just for this yarn. I adore my new evil socks!

Sock Ideas!

I am completely obsessed with knitting socks. They are my "go everywhere" project because they are so portable. Due to my complete and utter addiction to all things sock, I started listening to DharmaFey's Socks in the City podcast. It's full of lots of great sock patterns and sources for indie dyers.

In one of her most recent episodes, she mentioned the Harry Potter patterns available at Socktopia, and I couldn't resist downloading all three. Bellatrix, Fawkes, and Nagini are all designed to keep us busy while waiting for Book 7 to arrive. I think I'll be knitting Bellatrix in the Punk Pink yarn from the first round of Scout's Indie Swag, and Fawkes will be in the Kung Hei Fat Choi yarn from the same club. I'm still musing over Nagini, but the Indie Swag Glampyre colorway is definitely in the running. If you love Harry and socks, you should check out the site. You just might be Dobby the house-elf in disguise!

In fact, I'm so entranced by Harry and sock knitting, that I have signed up to join the Harry Potter Sock Swap. I'll be a first year, so I'll have to watch out for those prefects patrolling the corridors. Just in case you didn't know, I, Morgana Bagman (my groovy Hogwarts name), have been sorted!


I'm a Ravenclaw!

I'm really not surprised--I get sorted here all the time!

It's time to go finish up my last Grasshopper, because I can't wait to start working on some great Harry socks!

Confidential to My SockPal

In case you drop by, I have a message just for you! You said you were rushing to finish up my socks, and I want to let you know you can take your time!

We are headed out soon on our family vacation, and we will actually be gone during the "mailing week" for Sockapalooza. We will be back home on the 15th after our bi-annual trip to the right coast, if you would like to hold off on mailing it until we're back. I would rather that you hang on to it for an extra couple of days (and have oodles of extra time!) than to have it sit in the P.O. with all our held mail.

Just thought you should know! I can't wait to see it!

Sockapalooza Sigh...

I thought I planned it all perfectly.

I bought a skein of Socks That Rock Titania and the Titania's Revenge pattern by Cookie A. It seemed like the perfect combination for a Shakespeare professor who loves A Midsummer Night's Dream. I tried the pattern--I did! I knit one sock, and I was happy with it. I wasn't so happy later when it became obvious I was going to run out of yarn halfway through the foot of the second sock. I got gauge, so I'm confused as to why I was running short on yarn. I ripped it back and re-started them in a few different designs before settling on Carolina, Queen of Naples.

I finished the pair today, and the first one is blocking as I write this. I don't normally block socks, but I feel it's kind of necessary for the exchange. It's going to take a couple of days since I only have one sock blocker, but it will be worth it in the end.

(Edited on July 22, 2007 to add the picture of the finished socks.)

I know I must have chosen the right color for my pal. I checked her blog yesterday to see what she's been up to, and guess what she bought? Yep, that's right! She has bought her very own skein of STR Titania in the last 2 weeks or so. Sigh. I really hope she doesn't mind having two pairs from the same yarn! She is considering Monkey, so I might be safe as long as Carolina is out of the running.

Maybe she won't cast on at all, I'll send her the Titania pattern, and she can knit it herself! Wouldn't that just be perfect??? She knits much more than I do, so I just know she can get it to all work out!

Where to Begin?

Yes, I'm still here (thanks for asking, Sock Pal!), and I'm still knitting away.

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I posted. The end of May was insane because school was winding down. The first half of June was also intense because I took my class on a three-day trip to camp on Catalina Island right before the last week of school when grades, awards, and end-of-year office items were due.

After all the craziness was over, I just wanted to knit. I was even ignoring my daily blog reading in favor of my sticks and string. It's taken me this long to actually want to blog again.

It's easier to write bullets for this update, so here's what I've been doing.

(Edited and corrected on July 22, 2007 to include sock pictures and other FOs.)

Finished items:

1. Clapotis - it's my second one, and it was knit from Briar Rose Fibers Wistful in a pretty rose and olive colorway.
2. A matching Dream Swatch Head Wrap designed by Wendy.
3. Lisa Souza Mardi Gras socks in the Child's First Sock pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. I ripped the first sock I had done with this yarn because of gauge issues with the second sock.

4. The Rockin' Sock Club Inside Out Monsoon socks.

5. Black Bunny Fibers Fairy Wings socks in the omnipresent Monkey pattern.

6. Black Bunny Fibers Senior Citizen socks in plain old stockinette for the DCA.

7. And, last but not least, my Sockapalooza 4 socks.

On the needles now:

1. Maude (again) in Koigu. this time it's turning out beautifully. It helps to use the correct needles!
2. Chevron Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. This one is done in Socks That Rock Mudslide and In the Navy, and it's for my mom. I told her she should try knitting it, but she said purling affects her blood pressure, so I'm doing it myself to save her the trouble.
3. Rockin' Sock Club Kneehigh to a Grasshopper socks in the Silkie Socks That Rock Walkin' on the Wild Tide. One down, one to go with this pair. I took a break from these to work on my SockPal's pair.

In the immediate queue:

1. A sweater for me using my pretty purple alpaca in my stash. I'm considering Notre Dame de Grace from the most recent IK. I have a couple of other ideas in case it doesn't work out.
2. Hanami Stole from Pink Lemon Twist with the Black Bunny Fibers Laceweight I bought especially for this project.
3. Rockin' Sock Club Firebird Socks - I'm absolutely itching to do this pair!

Extremely extravagant purchases:

1. Harry Potter Sock Club from Sunshine Yarns.
2. Enough Cherry Tree Hill, Claudia Hand Painted, Lorna's Laces, and Seacoast from The Loopy Ewe for 6 more pairs of socks. (This isn't as bad as it seems because I was spending the gift certificate to buy yarn for the patterns in Favorite Socks--both of which were birthday presents. The DCA rocks!)
3. The Yarn Harlot's latest and More Sensational Knitted Socks--I picked these up yesterday because I don't want to wait until Christmas to get them.

That's all the latest. I'll try to be a bit better about updates, but with an upcoming vacation, I make no promises!

Birthday MeMe

I stole another meme from Heather’s blog. I just couldn’t resist.

Here's what to do if you want to play along. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birth date (omitting the year). Then share (at least) 3 events, two births, and one holiday that share your special day.

Here are my favorite June 5th observances. It was too hard to stick to the minimums.

Events:

1851 - Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery serial, Uncle Tom's Cabin or, Life Among the Lowly starts a ten-month run in the National Era abolitionist newspaper.

1968 - U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California by Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. Kennedy dies the next day.

1977 - The Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale.

1989 - The Unknown Rebel halts the progress of a column of advancing tanks for over half an hour after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Births:

1646 - Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, Italian mathematician and first woman to receive a Ph.D. (d. 1684). I’m a math teacher—go figure.

1718 - Thomas Chippendale, English furniture maker (d. 1779)

1878 - Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary (d. 1923)

1895 - William Boyd, American actor (d. 1972). This guy is better known as Hopalong Cassidy.

1971 - Mark Wahlberg, American singer and actor. Yep—Marky Mark and I are exactly the same age.

1977 - Liza Weil, American actress. I’m a huge Gilmore Girls fan, and so much of her Paris character reminds me of my high school self.

1979 - Pete Wentz, American musician (Fall Out Boy). This one is for my students who adore him. I have no idea who he is.

Holiday:

Constitution Day in Denmark. My father was once offered an assignment in Denmark when I was younger, and I always thought we should have taken it so I could celebrate my birthday as a national holiday. I was a little self-centered then (and still am on occasion).

Another Knitting MeMe

I saw this over at Knitting in Pink, so here's mine. I added my own comments in blue when appropriate.

Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan (lap blanket in progress for the DCA)
American/English knitting
Baby items
Bobbles
Buttonholes
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Cardigan (only for babies so far)
Charity knitting (for Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society)
Continental knitting
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers (hasn't everyone done Fetching?)
Darning
Designing knitted garments (only some socks)
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Drop stitch patterns
Dying with plant colors
Dying yarn
Entrelac (I tried it once just to see if I could)
Fair Isle knitting
Freeform knitting
Fulling/felting
Garter stitch
Gloves
Graffiti knitting
Hair accessories
Hat
Holiday related knitting
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
I-cord
Intarsia
Jewelry
Kitchener stitch
Knitting a gift
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Knitting and purling backwards
Knitting art
Knitting for a living (don't I wish!)
Knitting for pets
Knitting for preemies
Knitting in public (almost every day!)
Knitting items for a wedding
Knitting on a loom (so I could show the Roo)
Knitting smocking
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting to make money (donated items to craft sale for missions at church)
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously (don't like it)
Knitting with alpaca (only in a blend)
Knitting with bamboo yarn (sock yarn in the stash)
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Knitting with beads (Hanami pattern in the queue)
Knitting with camel yarn
Knitting with cashmere (only in a blend)
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with cotton
Knitting with dog/cat hair (every time the cat is in my lap)
Knitting with dpns
Knitting with linen (Mason-Dixon dish towels!)
Knitting with metal wire
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Knitting with silk (only in a blend)
Knitting with soy yarn
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with synthetic yarn (Hey! I was a kid then!)
Knitting with wool
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Lace patterns (but not true lace with patterning on both sides)
Long Tail CO
Machine knitting
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Participating in a KAL
Pillows
Publishing a knitting book
Purses/bags
Rug (Mason-Dixon strikes again!)
Scarf
Shawl
Short rows
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Slip stitch patterns

Slippers

Socks: top-down

Socks: toe-up

Steeks

Stockinette stitch

Stuffed toys (bear in progress)
Swatching
Sweater
Teaching a child to knit (both Roo and Moose and two kids from school)
Teaching a male how to knit (the Moose)
Textured knitting
Thrummed knitting
Toy/doll clothing (Cabbage Patch Kid sweater and a Phrygian cap for an American Girl doll)
Tubular CO
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Writing a pattern

What have you learned to do that has marked a definite change in your knitting life?
I loved learning to knit socks. They make a great project that I can take anywhere, and they are also a great conversation starter.

I had no idea I knew how to do so many knitting techniques. One of my friends said I needed to try the Master Knitters program and now I think she's right!