Working on Socks...

Ugh. So I'm still working on that shawl. I'm not sure I want to post pictures of it because it just depresses me that it's not done yet. With knitting there is usually a sense of relieved accomplishment as you do another row and get ever closer to the end. I'm not even halfway through the edging on the shawl and because of this I'm ignoring it which means it doesn't get done. Cruel cycle! Where is the army of knitting gnomes who work on my projects in my sleep? (And where are their cousins, the cleaning gnomes?)

Now socks? Socks are beautiful. Still a bit of a pain, but they progress so quickly.

See the progress? It's like it's knitting itself and I'm more than halfway done! (Shh... these were suppose to be done before Mei-Mei's birthday, but being winter socks they don't need to be done before winter comes... right?) I really enjoy the braid. Eventually I'll make the same socks for myself in purple.

To the right, you see that crazy ball of fun? I don't even know why the chartreuse and turquoise blue make me so happy. I got the Zauberball at my favorite yarn store, The Needle Lady. Alpha and I went camping for our anniversary (5 years represented by 5 days... and we didn't kill each other!) We stopped in Charlottesville on our way home. It was good. I call these my Appalachian socks partly because they reminded me of the view and partly to commemorate wonderful trip. Hopefully these will be done before the next anniversary. I have over half a year left... it shouldn't be hard.

P.S. I know I need to work on the shawl. I love the fiber. I love the design. I love it all except how long it takes to do the edging. I don't have enough down time at my job/church to work on it consistently. YAY! I love kids. Love them, love them, lovethem, luvdem.  

Why can't I have four hands? Then I could use two to exclusive work on knitting. Missed opportunity by evolution and/or God in my opinion.

Wow... summer gets busy!

Everyone is in and out over the summer! Mei-Mei went to germany for 2 weeks; momar and dad went to MormonMecca (read: Utah) for a cousin's wedding. Dad stayed out there for about a month. With all the trips of the family, it's pretty amazing that no one has gone crazy yet. The house has suffered abominably. Really. I am quite embarrassed and delighted that I have never, ever decided to post pictures of what it looks like here. In the interest of full disclosure... I haven't clean the basement in *coughcough* way too freaking long.

I went on a camping trip with Alpha. It was to commemorate our 5th year anniversary. We decided to further test our devotion to one another by eking out 5 days in beautiful not-quite wilderness. No one was hurt or maimed on the trip and I am very happy to congratulate myself on 5 years marriage. It's a wonderful accomplishment for someone who was never certain that maintaining a healthy relationship was even possible.

I went with every intention of working on knitting or spinning or even, you know, being productive, but sadly the allure of sleeping to all hours and cooking over a fire was too much to handle.

We did stop at The Needle Lady where I bought more yarn that I have no time to work with. Such is the way of things though.

Organizational woes

It’s time for another round of “WHAT WAS I THINKING! Oh, that’s right. I WASN”T!”

It’s a pretty fun game; you get to castigate yourself for all of the unthinking purchases you made over the last forever of your life.  This time, it is not my bitter friend and foe, squeaky acrylic, but cotton.

I got 5 colors of cotton in England.  I thought they were pretty and silky and I had plans to somehow make them fun socks.  (Don’t ask me how; I was without a brain at the time.)  I still think they are pretty and silky and since I paid for them with pounds, I am even more unwilling to let them vanish from my stash.  This is a huge problem because they become tangled messes with a mere touch.

Yes, I like tangles, but even I reach a point where my right hand knows not what my left hand does.  In this case... sinister Lefty (ha ha... all you who’ve taken Latin should laugh and then feel shame) wants to creep toward the scissors sitting so prettily in a blown glass vase.  Lefty hasn’t won yet, but it’s been a close battle.  Very close.

Out of the 10 skeins purchased,  the 5 colors all came with 2 skeins, I have duh-duh-da!  2 wound, unknotted balls.  This hard work was achieved while watching Legally Blonde by myself... and then with Momar and Mei-Mei because they missed it.

In all, this cotton reminds me of the silk I encountered at “The Needle Lady”.  A skein was purchased and then wound into a ball, but the attendant hid the center pull because this silk became nasty and knotty when pulled from the center.  This cotton is nasty whichever way, but in balls... it doesn’t get to tangle with itself.  Hopefully, it will be beautiful when it is knit or crocheted into something.  Right now, I am just left with inventive invectives against the puffy white plants that made this yarn happen.

 image courtesy of informedfarmers.com

 How I curse you! I curse and curse you!