Still no socks. I have made and unmade 4 inches of swatch with the pink and yellow lace weight. With no decision made except that I need to use size 3 needles. Well that though decision is over right!?

Nothing to do with knitting but, we went to Disney on Ice last night, that was a completely bizarre show. It started with a London Theme, featuring Peter Pan then 101 Dalmations. Peter Pan was a fairly abridged complete version followed by a weirdly short version of the 101 with almost no story or conflict but featuring 30 or so skaters who danced out with rigs on that had 1 fake "puppiy" dangling off each of the sides of a single actual skating "puppy" which were just hillarious. What was more hillarious was one real puppy with 2 fake puppies on each side (for a total of 5) spinning in circles on the ice. Then we had intermission after which we jump to a drasitcally shorted Little Mermaid, with a giant blow up Urusula that was very funny. The whole thing was over so quick you hardly knew you were watching Little Mermaid before it turned to Lilo and Stitch. That part of the show was way too long and oddly uninteresting. By the end of the night the I felt as if I had endured some Disney induced Schizophrenic episode. The good news is, the kids enjoyed it quite a lot. Although DD kept saying, "This isn't like the story, they cut out...." and complaining that her hands were sticky from the WAY overpriced cotton candy. DS watched the whole show and finished with the comment, "My favorite part was the end when Micky mouse came out." Wow, the show was like an hour and 20 minutes and he enjoyed like 2 minutes of it best.

Maybe in the next 24 hours I will actually knit and actual item that will reach completion.

Both socks are finished! But in my enthusiasm I wore them before I took pictures of them. Duh! So after they are washed again I will have DH take some pics of them on my feet (no more weired ankleless shots taken from above). I have started and restared, only 6 times, the Lorna's Laces Camoflauge socks for DH. I started with a knit/purl tumbling blocks pattern, which I didn't like with the camo colors. Then I got terrible pooling problems. Next was a broken rib stitch, followed by a herringbone k/p pattern, and a large chevron pattern then small chevron. Now it is just a lump of rolled up yarn with a lot of pent up anger directed at it. At least it is wonderfully soft to knit and reknit with. This was simply an unproductive knitting day.

Operation to infiltrate computer room and upload pictures: Complete. I finally made it into the computer room so here is the picture of the finished sock. It was way harder to take a picture of a sock on my foot than I ever would have thought. Now I know why Cookie always takes pictures of her socks on a fake leg. (Is this my cue to knit up a fake leg to model socks on? It wouldn't be much different than stuffing a sock knitted to fit my foot would it?) It certainly would be easier to get the right angle and focus and it would certainly never need to shave before taking a picture (or regret not having shaven before taking the picture. Don't look too closely now, or you'll see why!) The colors look very nice, I love the colors.






But if you look down here, you'll see how the socks just don't quite match. Well, you may say, "They are unique and don't need to match." Or you may say, "They are nearly matched isn't that good enough? " "NO!!!" I say. It isn't good enough, lest you forget that I am obsessive! It really bugs me that it doesn't match. It just DOESN'T and every time I wear these socks I will secretly feel a little dirty just KNOWING that these socks do not quite match. Kind of like if I were a man secretly wearing women's underwear, even if nobody sees or nobody knows, I just know deep down inside it isn't quite right....

I have finished the first sock in Trekking. It looks terrific. I have started the second one, though I am only about 3 inches up from the toe. Had a bad night. Slammed the dog's tail in the car door. Spent lots of time and money at emergency vet getting it fixed. I think maybe I should make a tail cover for the dog. The last 3 inches of the tail are shaved off bald.

So I think this is the fist and last pair of Trekking socks I am going to make. It was SO hard to find the starting spot for my second sock in the ball of yarn. I had to wind past about 20 yds of yarn to find the best matching spot. Even then though it is still different. You'll see the difference when I get those photos posted. It really isn't the nicest or softest yarns out there either. Despite the fantastic colors after knitting with some Lorna's lace sock yarn, the Trekking feels like burlap. Well. Maybe I can get into the computer room and get some pics uploaded.

Well I finally made a decision. I grabbed up the Trekking and started some socks. I am using the Sock It To Me Chevron sock pattern but with my own basic toe up sock pattern. So mostly I am just using the chevron part of the pattern. I hate having patterns on my socks the bottom side of my foot it just drives me nuts when I am walking so I am only putting the chevrons on the top of the foot and the ankle. Still though, the same basic idea. Pics to follow later. Once again I am banished to the laptop so I can't upload pics. Lots to be said about that...

Did I have a yarntastic weekend again? Yes I did. Tina and I went to the opening of Purlessence in Sunnyvale. The new store was very nice and full of the rarely spotted young knitters. There was a lot of Sock Candy and other yummy yarns. We then took a quick trip around the block (well practically it was more like 6 blocks?) to the amazing Yarn Place . Where I picked up some really super awesome beautirific Lace Weight Yarn "Graceful" in a color way that looks like a beautiful summer sunset, called Sherbert ( F03617) and a beautiful color that looks like dusk in the forest "Summer Cafe: with beautiful smokey blue and green colors. I also got 10 skeins of a 70/30 wool acrylic blend black and green tweed. I plan to make a nice cabled sweater for my appreciative son. I also picked up a cone of mystery yarn. It is bright fuschia with white shiny hairs laced through it. It was a mere $5 I couldn't pass on it. I have knit up a swatch and it is pretty fine. 32 sts x 45 rows per 4" and when I washed it and blocked it it had the distinct aroma or animal hair, probably the white haris are angora or mohair I will try to machine was it later and see if it felts so I can figure out what the rest of the pink yarn is made from. After I washed it it was very nice and soft. The only problem left is the yardage guessing game. It makes it hard to decide what to make.

Yesterday I finished the heart baby sweater I redesigned it came out very cute. I like the cardigan look much more than the pull over. I even remebered to sew some ears onto the purple sweater. What next?? I can't decide. I really want to start on something with the new lace weight but I also would like to start on some new socks. I am stting here next to the ball of Trekking and the Lorna's Lace Camo I bought and I can't decide which thing to do first. I am itching to make some socks and I found this wonderful website that is just loaded with socks called Boogie Knits where I spent 20 minutes looking at sock links. Quite enjoyable.

Well, I just totally realized that I didn't take a picture of the little baby socks I made for the shower I am going to today. So here they are already stuck to the present. I have finally remember to add the ears to the sweater. it looks cute.

I have finished the body part of the baby sweater, now I am working on one sleeve. Then I will begin the raglan part of the sweater. Progress is slow and I feel like I am really running out of time! (read here as PANIC!!! ) I have been so busy I haven't had time to just sit down and get it done. I think I can accomplish more knitting when it is not soccer season. It just takes up too many valuable knitting hours... can you imagine the conversation... "sorry kids, you can't play soccer any more because it just doesn't leave mommy enough time to knit..." That would go over well.

Well the Fran's baby sweater is done. It took me a total of about 3 hours to complete. You can see where the seed stitch is. I made the ties out of crocheted strands of yarn, rather than I-cord. It was just a little simpler and thinner, the Homespun becomes a very thick i-cord in just 3 stitches. It was modeled by my daughter's teddy bear, she really likes her dolls trying on my knitwear. The bears ears make the hood look oddly misshapen. It still needs to be blocked.

Now I am back to work on the redesigned pink layette set for Baby shower 10-21. I am still thinking about those socks.

Here is the completed "Aqua" baby layette set. Modeled below by my daughter's "Cabby Patch Kid" The arms on the doll are pretty short so the sleeves hang off. It has since been blocked so it looks a little smoother. The doll was eager to put on the clothes before they had been blocked.

Yesterday I picked up two skiens of Lorna's Laces "Lorna's Sox" in Camouflage (which you can guess is a brown, green, and black mix) which I have not decided who I am making socks for yet. I may make some for Hubby or my son. I know my son would appreciate it quite a lot more than my husband would, but his feet keep on growing without stopping and soon the socks will be too small. The good news is the small feet only need small socks which work up very quickly.

I have begun working on Fran's Hooded Baby Sweater and I am about 3/4 done. I have about 2 more rows on the bottom and the hood left to finish. It worked up in about 2 hours, so I should be compltely done, sewing it up and weaving in ends and all in about another hour, mkaing it a 3 hour sweater. Super speedy!! I didn't work seed stitch all over. I only worked it at the bottom 6 rows and 2 rows in from each finished edge (not a the seam edges).

I have also made a heart and mini cable cardigan pattern based on a pattern from "Knitted Layettes for Little Darlings" I have changed it from a drop sleeved pullover to a raglan cardi. I am going to use the orignal hat pattern and make socks instead of the booties using a heart k/p based pattern that I have run up the center of the back of the sweater. It will be pink and I hope that I will have the time to finish it before the shower on the 20th. I have only cast on. I had to go buy a new size 3 circular needle because I have size 2 in like 6 lenghts and 4 in interchangables but not ONE single size 3 circular (except dpns and a whole sweater on dpns is not cool!!!)

Now I guess since I didn't make a plan for practice today I better go and get my stuff ready for soccer practice!