i feel right at home in this stunning monochrome

Gray: a dull neutral that I love. Even though the color of the Lion Brand Cotton Ease I'm using to knit Wicked is called taupe, in some light it seems gray.

I frogged the collar of my Wicked a couple of days ago and began anew. I felt like the cables in the previous work were a little too sloppy for me to live with, and after giving it a time-out, I decided -- like usual -- that if I don't love it, I should rip it.

(left) first collar, with the messy cables; (right) new collar, knit super tight.

Wicked is a wickedly easy knit, but I think I'll work in some bust shaping for my OUTgoing girls, and some waist shaping. At this point, I am planning to knit the pocket, but we'll see for sure as I get closer. I don't need any added bulk at the tummy, but I've heard that this particular pocket doesn't seem to add too much.


Grey's Anatomy is back on network TV tonight. To say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement. Since Carl's at work and the kids will be asleep, I can enjoy a live broadcast (usually, I rely heavily on my DVR's faithfulness) and a hot cup of chai tea. Oh, hopefully the show is so riveting, I really won't need to knit, but in case, I have another sock to work on, cast on JUST for the re-entry of Grey's:


That's right, it's sKNITches Syncopation in "Seriously?". This is described, on sKNITches.com, as "blue scrubs, lab coat, Meredith's grey, anatomy red." Isn't it perfect??

Oh, and my one finished Snicket sock is going in the mail today, being sent to The Plucky Knitter. She's going to try to color-match some new yarn for me! Thanks, Sarah; you're the best!!

Seven Randoms

The fabulous Hilary tagged me with a "Seven [Random] Facts About Me" meme. I really can't explain why I love reading these on other people's blogs and profiles, but I do, and so to reciprocate, I'll play too.

I am damn good at Goober's Lab on Webkinz. Webkinz are Beanie Baby-like toys that come with codes that give the new pet owner access to webkinz.com. The stuffed animal you hold in your hand becomes an animated virtual pet that you must feed and house (you can also dress it in -- among other things -- fruity hats and ball gowns) and to do this, you must earn KinzCash by playing games and answering trivia. Goober's Lab is a game similar to Bejeweled; this is a game I also have on my iPod, so I've had a lot of practice. (I feel like I must disclose that I have a four-year old with multiple Webkinz and she's not quite yet skilled in the ways of KinzCash acquisition without aid.)


I do not generally like knick-knacks; however, I am compelled to keep the complimentary shampoo and lotions that sit in the bathrooms of hotels that I've stayed in on extraordinary vacations.

The only other knick-knacky things I enjoy are antique hat pins. My collection isn't huge, and that's because authentically vintage hatpins are extremely hard to find.

I really like office supplies. The fact that companies have to police their supply closets is completely understandable to me. If I had it my way, I'd have a freshly sharpened Mirado Black Warrior pencil, its Pink Pearl eraser untouched, each and every time I wrote. And Post-Its flags? Those are little drops of organizing heaven...

...leading me to the different types of organizing types. Did you know there was such a thing? I suppose there are types for everything humans do, but I never really gave it much thought until my husband took a seminar in organizing. I have found out that I'm a "sorter", but I'm not exactly successful. Sorters go through a room, sorting the items out into different piles, like "to file", "to shred", or "to donate", "to store". I'm wonderful at that part. It's the next part that always trips me up: "the sorter is required at some point to determine the final status of the items."

I am not a big TV viewer. There are a handful of shows I watch without fail: "Grey's Anatomy", "Eli Stone", and "The Barefoot Contessa". When "Rome" was on HBO, I lived for the next episode. But I have one show that I can't keep from tuning in for; in fact, as I sit there watching, I'm asking myself, "Why? Why do you waste 30 minutes for this?"

And lastly, my strange human tricks attesting to my agility: I can make my tongue touch my nose, and should I ever have a very odd need, I am capable of biting my own toenails.

So, I'm tagging you ALL -- anyone over there, on the left, in the blogroll. You can participate if you'd like. Be assured that I'll be reading it. Especially now that I've finally taken the time to set up my Bloglines! Can you believe that I was just clicking my way to your blogs from my own??

The fine print:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

catching up

These might be my most favorite hand-knit socks to date. I adore the Snicket pattern (from the now-defunct MagKnits website) and The Plucky Knitter BFL/Alpaca yarn combination. There is so much great texture that it's hard to resist running my hands down the legs and across the instep.

Sadly, however, I have run out of yarn:

So these will sit, in a Yarntainer, for an unknown amount of time, waiting for a possible matching donor.

Of course, since I am well adept at yarn stashing, I cast these on to brighten my mood.

Garter Rib socks in Scout's Swag 100% Superwash Merino -- "ZuluKnitty" colorway.

Garter Rib socks are slightly addictive to knit. I love that I can sit and knit with girlfriends without glancing down at a pattern every row. The pattern can also hide minor errors well. As much as I do adore the pattern, I wonder if a stockinette sock would have looked better with this particular colorful yarn.

hedgerow regulations

What can I say? I love the idea of these socks, but in actuality, my Hedgerows are a bit of a failure.


Most of you know my earlier mistake. Let me detail it.
The pattern reads:
Rows 1 & 2: *K1, P1, K2, P2*, repeat from * to end of round.
Rows 3 & 4: *K2, P1, K1, P2*, repeat from * to end of round.
How I read the pattern:
Row 1: *K1, P1, K2, P2*, repeat from * to end of round.
Row 2: *K2, P1, K1, P2*, repeat from * to end of round.

To have the pattern continue through the heel requires careful re-distribution of stitches and an addition of stockinette edging. I carefully read the pattern at this time, and followed it to the "t"; it was then that I realized I missed rows 2 & 4. Although disappointed, I didn't let this break me and I decided to go forward with my "mistake hedgerows" as I had knit them prior to this point.


My heartbreak is today, with a finished pair on my feet. They're much too loose. The heel turn doesn't sit on my heel properly, and I don't know if it is a result of the loose fit or if I've missed the mark with the sizing. And beyond all of this, I had to block the socks to get the stitch definition that was buried there in those rows of knits and purls. I don't dislike blocking entirely, but these will have to be blocked with each and every wash, I'm afraid.

Besides my VERY FIRST pair of handknit socks, these have taken me the longest from cast on to kitchener. Six months, in fact. Pitiful, in my book. If it weren't for Project Spectrum, and that today is the last day of "FIRE", they might not even be off the needles.

The ironic thing is, I have some new green yarn that is begging to be knit up as *the perfect* Hedgerows.

goin' down slow

The first of the Hedgerow socks is done. This sock has caused me much grief; I read the pattern incorrectly (without realizing it until later) and was having a huge problem getting the heel to match the leg... I'm only about 10% finished with the second sock. It's certainly not Second Sock Syndrome from which I suffer, but I am slowly, slowly knitting this. Pattern available here; yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Pale Pink".

This is the first of the Snicket Socks I am working. The texture is AMAZING. Pattern, yarn, I now pronounce you a marriage made in heaven. The pattern is available here; the yarn is The Plucky Knitter BFL/Suri Alpaca in "Bobbing for Apples".

We've been outside a lot lately. Spring fever abounds. Although so has the "regular" fever. This was Gavin last week, swinging and swinging from the big ash tree in the front yard. This week, he's got a cold. The Easter Bunny brought him croup and a 103˚F fever...

(And yes, I knit the hat, but couple of years back. It's the Seaman's Cap in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. He's got several of these, but in different color schemes.
I did NOT knit the sweater.)

Oh, and in case you haven't heard: The Plucky Knitter is starting a sock club. I think I'm a sucker for clubs... If you are, too, you can sign up here.

i'm so excited, and i just can't hide it

i'm in, i'm in!!

***ETA: this is the Scout's Swag Sock Club. It's a little different than the past rounds of Scout's Indie Swag Club, but in this version, there won't be any indie swag, just sock yarn.

And yes, it's too late to join this year's club... but i wish you luck for next year. ;-)

wait for all the dark clouds

bursting in a perfect sky...


I'm in love with these. They may not get much action until next fall, or even winter, but I'm positive that they will be oft used. For the next couple of years, I'll be standing outside my children's school selling scrip and on those chilly mornings, my fingerless gloves and coordinating hat will keep me oh-so-cozy.

The free pattern is available here. I knit my own gauntlets a little longer, adding cable repeat prior to beginning the thumb gusset. For complete symmetry, the right gauntlet cables are reversed so that it mirrors the left. How to do this is given as "advice" in the pattern itself. These are a fairly easy knit, and if you are just getting into cable work, I would highly recommend the pattern. They're also extremely fast to knit up. Although I took five days to have a finished pair, each mitt only took an evening.

These are knit in one of my favorite yarns, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. The color is Chocolate, again one of my favorites. In my opinion, Debbie Bliss yarns can do no wrong, especially the cashmerinos in her line. I'm a tight knitter, so these are done on size 8dpn.