Take Me Out to the Ball Game

As promised, here's a quick recap of Stitch 'n Pitch at PNC Park yesterday.

J and I arrived plenty early and made our way over to the Southwest Flight Deck to pick up our goodie bags. J didn't really want his (are you shocked?) so I got twice the goodies. I'll direct you over to Holly's blog for a better picture of the goods.

We settled in to our upgraded seats (one section up behind the Pirates' dugout) just in time for all the pregame festivities, including a chance to get a glimpse of a local celebrity:
No, I don't mean the Pirate Parrot (although he's pretty well known around these parts, too). I'm referring to that guy in the blue suit, David Newell, better known to most Western Pennsylvanians -- and most Americans of a certain age, for that matter -- as Mr. McFeely from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Our seats were fantastic for the game (a 7-0 shutout!), but not particularly conducive to knitting. Aside from the fact that I brought wool socks, I didn't want to sweat on the fabric and risk felting or just plain dirtiness/smelliness. I managed to get just a few rows done:
These will be my game-day socks for Steelers season, but the black and gold worked just fine for the Buccos, too. You can see from this picture just what a great view we had for the game, but you can also see just how sunny it was. Let me assure you, it was hot. I was sweaty and gross. I got right in the shower when we got home.

Here's a shot of the two of us during the seventh inning stretch, taken by a very friendly Pirate fan sitting behind us (obviously a talented photographer -- look at how nicely she framed the shot!):
(Note to self: must find a cute Pirates tank top or other cool clothing to complete game-day apparel.)

In knitting news, I did indeed start Seraphim last night and made pretty good progress. I won't show you a picture because there's not much to see at this point; I have roughly 66 rows still to knit before I start the lace charts (right now I'm just increasing by yarning over at the edges and around the center stitch on right-side rows). I'm using the new Gloss from Knit Picks for this, and I'm really enjoying it. The knitting goes much faster with fingering weight (as opposed to lace weight) yarn, for one thing, but the silk content also gives the yarn a beautiful sheen to it. I just know this'll be a gorgeous shawl when it's done.

This is going to be a big knitting week. Tomorrow evening I am going to try to meet up with Jen at Yarns by Design for their knit night (6-8 p.m.), and then Wednesday is knitting night at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. The usual crew will be there; will you?

Finis.

Pattern: Adamas Shawl by Miriam
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow in colorway Lost Lake
Needles: Addi Turbo 24" circular, US 5
Started/Finished: late June?/August 11
Mods: none

I am so pleased with the way this shawl turned out. This was my first attempt at lace almost a year ago, but I had to rip it out twice because I kept having issues with stitch count. As it turns out, the culprit was incorrect yarn overs, which I learned to do correctly for my mom's shawl. Once I restarted this shawl (sometime before I moved; I can't pinpoint an exact date) it was all smooth sailing.

This is a great pattern. Miriam is not only a very talented designer, she's also super friendly and helpful if you have problems. I have patterns for two more of her shawls, and I'll be starting Seraphim next, likely tonight (I wound my yarn for it last night).

Today was Stitch 'n Pitch at PNC Park and was it ever a perfect day. We upgraded our seats -- my parents had two tickets behind the Pirates' dugout -- so we had a great view, and we got all sorts of goodies. Plus, I think it was the first game I'd been to in a couple years where I got to see the Buccos actually win! And completing a sweep, no less! But more details on that tomorrow. Tonight, I have some more lace shots for you to admire (and please excuse the casual duds. They're what we wear around here when we come home all sweaty from the ball game and have to shower off.)

Play Ball!

We finally received our Stitch 'n Pitch tickets on Tuesday, which is a lucky thing for the Pirates, let me tell you. Little do they know that I was planning on calling them up first thing yesterday morning to harass them until they told me where my tickets were and what was taking them so gosh-darn long to cash my check!

(The funny thing is, yesterday afternoon I checked the mail and found an envelope from the Buccos. I couldn't imagine what else they were sending me. Would you believe they're doing a wedding expo along with a game later this month? Oy.)

Is anyone else planning on going to the game on Sunday for the Stitch 'n Pitch festivities? I will be pulling out my Lorna's Laces Bee Stripe (purchased on the trip to D.C. in April) to get started on my black and gold socks, the goal being to have them done in time for football season.

I am so close to being done with Adamas that it's killing me. I have five more rows to knit -- five more, people! I am going to try to get them done tonight. Blocking party this weekend!

Sorry no pictures. Not much to show you right now anyway. I promise something better over the weekend.

Seduced by cotton?

I made very little progress on Adamas this weekend (a measly seven rows), in part because it was an incredibly hectic weekend and I was barely at home, but also because (and I blame trek for this) I found myself compelled to knit one of these:

Pattern: Garterlac Dishcloth by Dave
Yarn: Sugar & Cream, one ball
Needles: US 7 straights
Started/Completed: August 5/August 6
Mods: none

I am not a huge fan of knitting with cotton, mostly because it's so tough on my hands, but this was a quick, nearly instant gratification project. This was my first foray into entrelac of any kind, which also helps explain the appeal. I found it to be very easy to pick up and I'm eager to try traditional (i.e., stockinette) entrelac.

My new, more realistic goal for Adamas is to finish it by the end of the week (doable, I think, as I have only 15 rows plus the bind off left) and have it blocked by the end of the weekend. I hope to have the FO to show you soon!

Oh, and before I leave you, check out the booty awaiting me at home this evening:


(In retrospect, the black couch probably wasn't the most ideal background for this shot, but too late now.) Here are three skeins of Essential (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon) for socks for my future FIL, six skeins of Shine (60% Pima cotton, 40% Modal), and five hanks of the new Gloss (70% merino, 30% silk). Must. Finish. Adamas.

Quick Update

Happy Friday morning. Lord, do I wish it were the weekend. Ever have one of those weeks that seem a day longer than usual? I'm having one of those.

Last night I finally got in a solid knitting night of the type I used to have when I lived alone (I love living with J, but darn it if he isn't cute and distracting!). He was busy working on his computer most of the evening, so I got about three hours of time in on Adamas. Somehow I managed to get in an entire pattern repeat, 10 whole rows! That means I have one more body chart repeat to get through, followed by the 12 edging rows and the bind off. I'm hoping to have time to get it done this weekend.

Why am I so anxious to finish the shawl? Well for one thing, I feel like I've been working on it forever -- those of you who've been reading this blog for a while will remember that I started this shawl twice before (as in, before I learned how to YO correctly). For another, my Sizzle pattern finally arrived yesterday afternoon, so I'm anxious to get started on that, hoping that by the time I finish it, it will have cooled off enough to actually wear it. Plus, I was reminded by all the commercials on TV last night that football season is coming up, so I'll need to get started on my Steelers socks.

If you're looking for something to do today/this weekend, go check out the Weekly Photo Scavenger Hunt, and please vote on your favorite photo once they've all been posted and the poll is up!

It must be the heat.

Why else would I be ordering more yarn? Yes, that's right, even though my last Knit Picks order hasn't fully been completed (my blocking wires seem to have finally left Leetsdale but aren't expected to be delivered until tomorrow), I placed yet another order today. (Shhh, don't tell J!) In my defense, everything I ordered was for a specific project: some Essential sock yarn for socks for J's stepfather; hanks of the new merino/silk blend sock yarn, Gloss, for my Seraphim; and some Shine Sport to finally make a Picovoli. And I ordered just enough to get the free shipping. See? I'm being economical!

Meanwhile, progress continues slowly on Adamas. Last night I finished a whopping six rows while watching Mad Hot Ballroom. Granted, I may have been a tad bit distracted by how cute the kids were, but I'm also at the point where the rows are so long that they each take me roughly 15 minutes to complete. (I'm starting to see the appeal in shawl patterns that start at the outside edge and work their way up and in.) I'm now two rows into my 12th pattern repeat, which means 28 more rows of the body to go. Since she's expressed so much interest, here's a little peek/progress shot just for Donna (foot again provided for scale):

We're still waiting for our Pirates tickets for Stitch 'n Pitch, and I'm starting to get a little nervous since it's coming up next weekend. The last time I looked they hadn't cashed my check yet. I'm giving them a few more days.

I am so looking forward to this weekend. We have dinner plans Friday night and I'm working Saturday, but other than that I am planning on being as much of a couch potato as I possibly can. I feel like I haven't had a real weekend in a month, and let me tell you, I could use the sleep, not to mention the knitting time. Perhaps I'll start some new socks ...

*Edited to add: Hooray, my blocking wires are here! Now I just need to finish the darn shawl so I can test 'em out and give you my full review.

Weekend Wrap-up

It was another busy weekend chez J/SJ, but at least this weekend had some knitting-related content to it. To start off with, when I got home from work on Saturday afternoon, I found a box on the front stoop that was finally what I was expecting:

Well, at least half of what I was expecting. This is the yarn for my Sizzle, which I'll be able to get started on once my e-check clears and I get the pattern (PayPal tells me that will be Wednesday). Unfortunately my package didn't contain my blocking wires. The Knit Picks site says that the wires were shipped separately, but on the same day as the yarn, and now they're inexplicably stopped in Leetsdale. I guess someone there had a shawl ready for blocking. No real emergency, since I'm still four body repeats, the edging chart, and a bind off away from blocking on Adamas.

Last night J's parents came over for dinner and to see the place with all the furniture in, and I was finally able to give J's mom her Mother's Day gift. As you can see, she was very excited to get them, so much so that she put them on right away.

How perfectly do these fit? And I was right about the cast on not being too tight on her skinny little legs.

As long as they were here, I took the opportunity to measure J's stepfather's feet for Socks to Be Named Later. He amused all of us when, upon being asked his color preferences for socks, he announced he really likes a nice heathered blue. (I might add that the man is a big Land's End fan, so I assume that's where he's learning his shades and hues.)

Finally last night, during Entourage, I finished Mata Hari #1:

Okay, I'm stretching the truth a little. This isn't officially done. I still need to weave in ends and sew up a poorly placed yarn over on the side of the heel. I cast on for the second sock during my lunch today, but tonight's knitting is all Adamas.

What's that they say about Fridays?

I am so glad that today is Friday; it's been a ridiculously busy week. I actually woke up yesterday convinced that it was Friday, only to be rudely awakened to the fact that it was only Thursday when I hit the shower and really woke up. I have to wake up moderately early tomorrow morning to go to work, but I am putting a ban on the alarm clock on Sunday morning. I need to sleep in.

As tired as I am, I found a reward for getting out of bed in my e-mail inbox this morning: my MimKnits patterns! I am simply itching to start one of the shawls, but I'm forcing myself to finish Adamas first (I'm through 10 repeats of the body chart -- four more to go! -- and the rows are starting to get really long). I also placed my order this morning for Knit and Tonic Wendy's Sizzle, for which I've already order yarn I hope will work from Knit Picks.

Last night I got home from work and saw a package on the front stoop. I got all excited, thinking that my Knit Picks shipment had arrived in record time. Unfortunately, it was not my yarn, but it was a very nice surprise: a professional series blender! J's uncle works for Waring, and this was what we'd requested as an engagement present. I'll have to get to the market this weekend to get smoothie ingredients to try it out.

Well, folks, I did it. I caved and signed up for Sock Wars. I have no doubt that I'll be "assassinated" very early on, which is just fine with me. I'll get just enough of a challenge to be exciting without having to knit socks for people all over the world (as the ultimate champion of the competition will have to). As I'm in a joining mood, I'm also contemplating joining Knit the Classics, which is basically a book club with a knitting element (all the members read the same book each month and complete a knitting project that goes along with the book at the same time). I'm especially tempted because the August selection is Lolita, which I've always wanted to read but never gotten around to. I'm a tad bit concerned I might be over-extending myself. Your thoughts?

I'm off to spend the rest of my lunch hour working on Mata Hari #1 (it's nearing completion). Have a great weekend, all!

In a galaxy far, far away ...

Have you heard about Sock Wars? I'm so there. (I'll probably be eliminated right away, but at least I'll get a pair of socks out of the deal!)

All back to normal

Tonight J and I had our first "official" dinner at home (we were out at a charity event last night), so I decided to finally break out my big, heavy Le Creuset pot that I got from my aunt and uncle in December to make a home-cooked meal.

I call this Country French Chicken, my own concoction with Coq au Vin as an inspiration. Very simple "recipe": I browned boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a little bit of olive oil with a couple cloves of garlic, then added two coarsely chopped Spanish onions, a small can of tomato paste, some red wine, chopped carrots and celery, two cans of diced tomatoes, and some haricots verts (known in this country as green beans). Just let it simmer for about 25-30 minutes, then served over some plain couscous. I thought it was a little lacking in flavor/seasoning, but J really liked it and practically cleaned his plate -- something he never, ever does. The best compliment, if you ask me!

Although there was not too much done over the weekend, for obvious reasons, there has been some knitting progress here at our house. My first Mata Hari has rounded the heel and is into the leg portion. Here's the obligatory progess shot:

The color's not quite right here; it looks more purple than the pale pink it actually is. The colorway of the yarn is called Strawberry Milkshake, and that's pretty much what it looks like.

At home, I've been making steady progress on my Adamas shawl; I'm now well into my ninth repeat of the body chart. I'm hoping to be able to put in some good blocks of time on it this week, and I put in a Knit Picks order yesterday for some lace blocking wires for when it's done.

Speaking of Adamas, I think that the Yarn Harlot may be copying me. Did you see today's post? Did you happen to notice what she's knitting? (second picture) She's not only knitting the same shawl, she's using the same yarn, Knit Picks Shadow! Don't you just hate it when famous knitters are always doing the same thing as you?

Of course, the Yarn Harlot isn't copying me, she's just as taken with Miriam's patterns as I am. Mim happens to be having a little sale on her patterns over on her blog. Today I purchased the patterns for her Seraphim and Mountain Peaks shawls and her Eleanora socks, and I can hardly wait to start them. If you haven't seen any of her patterns before, Mim is a really talented designer, and she's super friendly and helpful if you have problems or questions.

Finally, did you see those pretty new thumbnails, over there in the sidebar? J did those for me Sunday night. It had been a while -- the last time he updated them was sometime in March, I think. I appreciated it so much that I decided to buy him a ticket to Stitch 'n Pitch (we'll be there at PNC Park on 8/13).

Home Sweet Home!

Well, I am officially moved in to our house. The movers showed up promptly yesterday morning, started moving at 7:30 a.m., and were done by around 10 a.m. (which means I officially made it under the four hour minimum, hooray!). I was pretty much unpacked and settled by about 4:30 or so, in plenty of time to take a shower and go out to dinner with my parents and brother. J and I did a quick trip to the market on the way home and then passed out before 10:30. It was a long day, but highly successful, and truly much less stressful than I had thought it would be (especially after being woken up at 5:30 by a thunderstorm!).

Today we went back to my apartment to do a final cleaning, and now all that's left to be done is drop off the keys.

Now that the stash is settled, I'll probably be starting up some additional projects soon. I think my first priority is probably the mate to my original Pomatomus; I think I'll hold off on starting Forecast until it cools down a bit, since the stash lives on the third floor of the house and it gets really hot up there most days.

Is it Friday yet?

Nope, still Thursday. Oh well.

Last night I met up with Jen and Jenn at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble for our monthly knitting night. It was just the three of us for the second month in a row and although we were a tad disappointed that no other knitters showed up, we had a fantabulous time. I'll direct you over to Jen's blog for more details on the fun.

Believe it or not, I still have only two (yes, TWO) WIPs right now. My Mata Haris are coming along very slowly, since I've only been working on them a few rows at a time during lunch a few days at work (unfortunately, although I like driving to work, I am missing out on the bus knitting time I used to have). At home I've been making better progress on my Adamas shawl. Take a look:

I've included my freshly pedicured foot for scale here, but keep in mind it's all scrunched up. Want a detail shot of the lace? Sure you do!

Yep, looks a lot better than the last time I tried to knit this shawl. It's amazing what a proper yarn over can do.

This weekend is the final stage of the move: the furniture comes! The movers are supposed to be at the apartment between 7 and 8 on Saturday morning, so I'm hoping everything will be in and done by early afternoon. Then it's just a matter of putting everything away (but if you ask me, that's a heck of a lot easier than packing it up!) Perhaps if we're really productive, I'll finally break down and start a third project.

In the meantime, off to work on the shawl...

Stash Relocation and Other Adventures in Moving

Well, I am officially moved into J's place -- only now I can call it our place. Need proof? Here's the stash, resting comfortably in its new home:

This may not be exactly its final resting place, since the furniture has yet to be moved in (that's coming this weekend), but you get the general idea. I think that J has gotten used to having the stash around; notice he's made his own addition of golf balls (or perhaps that's just a not-so-subtle hint that he'd like some hand-knit golf club covers?)

Very little knitting was accomplished this weekend, what with all moving and sweating and showering four times in two days. I completed about a repeat and a half on my lace shawl, and I did manage to finish this little item up earlier this evening:

I think blue was the right choice. Can't wait to see little Finn in it!

I'll end this post with a short public service announcement/reminder: this Wednesday is knitting night at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. I'll find some interesting project to show and tell. Hope to see some new faces there (and of course some familiar faces as well)!

Block(ing) Party

Last night we had a little blocking party chez Knit/Wit, amid a flurry of packing, throwing stuff out, and watching Capote. (Pardon all the crap in the background. I'm moving, you know what it's like. This is one of the tidier spots in the apartment, believe it or not.) Here are my future MIL's socks and the baby sweater for Finn, after finally getting themselves a good bath and a good spot to lie out.

(See, I told you there'd be FO pictures!)
















Granted, the sweater isn't officially finished, but rest assured the buttons will be sewn on and it will be nicely wrapped up this weekend. We may actually hand deliver it to baby Finn in the next week, so I'll see if I can manage an action shot of him wearing it (weather permitting, of course. I'm not going to force a baby into a sweater in 90 degree heat with no air conditioning present.)

Now for the run-down on the socks (I know it's just what you've all been waiting for).
Pattern: Madder Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks (Nancy Bush)
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, in colorway Cool
Needles: US 1 Addi Turbo circs (with the assistance of a dpn for the heels) and dpns for the toes
Mods: none

These were a quick and enjoyable knit, and I really didn't have an issue with Second Sock Syndrome with this pair. The simple rib went really quickly on my two circs and was essentially mindless (we're ignoring, of course, the incident during the screening of Superman Returns, during which the purl stitches kept messing me up). I would definitely knit this pattern again, although I'd also like the try the other ribs in the book.

These socks are a little snug on me (don't worry, I did wash them after I tried them on!) but should fit my future MIL just fine, as she is an itty-bitty thing and doesn't have the largish mid-legs/calves that I do.

To update the other WIPs, my Mata Haris are coming along nicely, and I've completed two repeats of the main chart on my Adamas shawl. It occurred to me that I should probably also cast on for my second Pomatomus (i.e., the second one of the original pair, the one I said I'd do when I signed up for the Pomatomus KAL way back when) so that I can finally have that pair completed. Plus, I'd really like to get back to Forecast, but I may let that wait until the weather cools off a bit -- nothing like a lapful of wool on a hot, humid day in Western Pennsylvania, eh?

This weekend I am working and also hopefully moving in the rest of my stuff (at least the stuff I'm moving on my own) to J's. The "official" move -- of furniture and heavy stuff -- is next Saturday, but the plan is for me to be in and relatively settled by Sunday. It'll be interesting to see if we're able to fit all of our stuff in J's townhouse. (Lord help us when the wedding gifts start coming in!)

Anyone else interested in going to Stitch & Pitch? I think I can manage to convince J to come, for those who want to meet him, although he'll be sans stitching.

The votes are in

And the winner is (drumroll, please) .... BLUE! Seems most of you liked the monochromatic look. To be perfectly honest, I was torn between the blue and the gray, so I've let you make the tough decision for me. Thanks for voicing your opinions!

Unfortunately, last night I realized that I'd already moved my sewing basket to J's place, so I will have to wait until this weekend to sew on the button and take a final shot for all of you to see.

Last night, after registering for wedding gifts at William-Sonoma with J (who was such a good sport), I managed to finish up my future MIL's socks. (Yes, I will have to take a picture of those tonight and post them tomorrow.) Suddenly I found myself with only two WIPs! Shocking, I know. So now my cotton/lycra Mata Haris are my travel sock project and my Adamas shawl will be my home/couch project. Or at least until the entire stash is moved to J's and is at my fingertips ...

FO pictures tomorrow, I promise.

ALMOST Done

Pattern: Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys
Yarn: Lion Brand Baby Soft (sport weight)
Needles: Addi Turbo US 7 circs
Mods: I omitted the decorative stitches around the bottom of the sweater and the wrist of the sleeves. I also did paired decreases down the arm to create a more tapered sleeve.

This is almost done. It just needs to be blocked and (here's where you come in) it needs buttons. Here are the options (turns out I had more than I remembered):

Apologies for the fact that this photo is upside down; for some reason I can't get it to flip. So here are the choices, top to bottom: dark gray, dark blue, pearly white, pearly white with hole in back. Which one gets your vote?

Sweater Update

By now I should really know better than to predict when I'll finish a project, because inevitably I wind up making little or no progress at all after making such a prediction. Here is Finn's baby sweater, and as you can see, it's not finished. In fact, this is the sweater after only about a half-hour's worth of knitting time since I finished the first sleeve. I only managed to pick it up at about 10 p.m. last night, after I spent all weekend working, moving stuff to J's place, and visiting with my parents. I am hoping to spend some sustained time on it this evening, once my bathroom is clean and laundry is done (don't I have just the most exciting Monday night planned?!).

Now here is where I need your advice, dear Readers. I am unsure what buttons to use once this is done (if ever it is). I have two options that I've narrowed it down to (and my apologies for not having taken pictures; if there's enough demand for it I'll take a shot of both with the sweater this evening): one is a pearlized white button, the other is a somewhat pearly dark blue. Both are very plain, round, four-hole buttons, very similar to each other, in fact. Because of the stitch pattern on the yoke of the sweater, I wanted to keep the buttons relatively simple so that the sweater as a whole doesn't get too fussy. Your thoughts? White or blue -- or something else entirely?

Oh, and by the way, I'm doing the sleeves using the magic loop method, my first time using it, and I can't say I absolutely love it. Maybe it has to do with the cord of my Addis, which I normally love for being so sturdy, but here seems to fight with me when I try to "bend" it to work the loop.

New Knitty

It's up and, okay, so maybe it's not that exciting. But you know me, I'm nuts for the socks. And oh drool, must immediately knit up Cookie's latest design!

Just one question, though: what exactly does one do with knitted angel wings?

I took the day off of work yesterday and did a lot of knitting on Finn's baby sweater. The body and one sleeve are done. I should be able to finish the rest of the knitting by the end of the weekend, and then I'll need your opinion on buttons. Pictures to come!

More Pomatomi

Here' s another set:

Now before you go and start thinking, "Man, that SJ is one fast knitter, she already finished another pair of Pomatomi!" let me stop you right there. These two socks may appear to be a pair, but except for the fact that they're the same yarn, they're really not. These two were my prototype socks for my pattern reversal work. The one on the left was the original; the one on the right was knit using the mods I published in my last post. For some unknown reason, the sock on the left is also significantly longer and taller (well, the leg is longer) than the one on the right. Like my artistic posing to hide this fact? I never really intended this to be a functional pair, and with one sock visibly shorter than the other I'm not sure that it will ever be one.

Since I finished these up a few days ago I've been working pretty much exclusively on a pair of socks for my future mother-in-law. I'm doing the Madder Ribbed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks, in a really pretty Lorna's Laces colorway with shades of blue (she specifically requested something that would look good with jeans). I thought I had finished one of the socks:

But, alas, this picture is also misleading. Shortly after I finished weaving in the ends I realized that I had completely screwed up the toe (due to my apparent inability to correctly read directions!), so this morning I snipped off the end of the toe and frogged back to the beginning of the toe decreases. Now I think I've read the directions correctly, so we are a go for socks that will be long enough!

Still on the needles: baby sweater for baby Finn, Adamas shawl, and toe-up Mata Haris

Currently reading: The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World (are you surprised?)

Oh, and by the way, according to Jenn, I am now officially Queen of the Popos. Thanks, Jenn, I've always dreamed of being Sock Royalty!

SUMOTAMOP (That's Pomatomus Reversed)

Drumroll, please! Here is the long-awaited Pomatomus Reversal!


Before you begin, you will need to:
1) Print out a copy of the pattern.
2) Get some graph paper.
3) Reverse the two charts for the pattern. The order of the rows will be the same, but you will essentially be knitting from the last stitch to the first stitch in each row. (If you have trouble keeping track of the stitches, an easy way to do this is to print out an extra copy of the two charts, hold the chart up to a window with the printed side facing away from you, and trace the chart as it shows through the paper.)

The following are the modifications I made to the pattern to reverse it. So as not to reproduce the entire pattern (and thereby probably infringe on its copyright!), I am only outlining the parts of the pattern that need to be changed from the original. You will want to keep a copy of the pattern with you so you will know when to plug in the modifications.

Every effort has been made to make sure that these mods are correct (I've test knit the reversed sock twice), but if you do find an error, please let me know so I can correct it. Also, please feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment if you have questions!

Note: All the symbols in the charts are the same as for the original EXCEPT for the symbol that stands for K2tog tbl. In the reversed pattern, this symbol will stand for K2tog (as normal; not through back loop).

DIRECTIONS
Cuff
CO 72 sts and divide as directed.
Round 1: [K1 tbl, P1] to end.
Repeat this round 9 times more.

Leg
Set-up Round: [(K1 tbl, P1) five times, K2tog, YO] to end of round
Work Rounds 2-22 of Chart A.

After each chart has been worked, rearrange stitches as follows:
Move last stitch from each needle to the beginning of the next needle.

You will begin Row 1 of Chart A at the second stitch, since you have already knit the new first stitch you just transferred from needle 3.

Work Chart A a total of 3 times, rearranging stitches after Row 22 each time.

Heel Flap
Transfer 12 stitches from needle 2 to needle 1. You will have 36 stitches on needle 1, which will be worked back and forth for the heel flap. Hold the remaining 36 stitches on one or two other needles.
Row 1: (K1 tbl, P1) across to end
Row 2: Sl 1, (P1 tbl, K1) across to last stitch, P1 tbl
Row 3: Sl 1, P1, (K1 tbl, P1) across to end (*you may need to reorient the K sts for them to twist correctly)
Row 4: Sl 1, (P1 tbl, K1) across to last stitch, P1 tbl
Repeat rows 3 and 4 twelve times more.

Turn Heel
Follow directions as given in pattern.

Gussets
Follow directions as given, except for patterning on instep stitches. Instead, work Row 1 of reversed Chart B. Note that on this first repeat of the chart, you will K2 tog at the end of the row; on subsequent repeats of this chart, you will K3 tog.

Foot/Toe
Follow directions as given in pattern.

Photographic Evidence

Here, as promised, pictures!

First things first:

Pattern: Pomatomus (winter '05 Knitty) by Cookie A.
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in colorway Jay Pond
Needles: US 2 (really more like 1.5) Inox dpns
Recipient: my mom
Mods: My own reversal of the pattern for one sock, to create a mirror-image pair.

These were my mom's Mother's Day present, which I hope she won't mind getting so late! (At least she's in a better situation than my future MIL, whose feet I have yet to even measure for her socks.) I am still not 100 percent pleased with the pattern reversal, but I am working on another prototype sock with an additional modification that looks like it's coming out more the way I wanted it to. I'll know in about another pattern repeat if it's working, and if I does I'll be posting the mods on this here blog shortly.

Here's a closeup shot of the socks so you can see how the pattern has been reversed:

Next up -- sing along with me, now! -- Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, good-bye!

Say adios to Trellis! Yes, that is my trash can. Frankly I didn't even think it was worth it to throw this sweater in the frog pond. The yarn is acrylic baby yarn I got on sale at JoAnn's; maybe if it was wool I'd feel differently. Somehow I managed to build up an incredible resentment of this sweater, and throwing it away -- really throwing it away -- just felt so good. This sweater might look really cute once it's knit up, but the actual process of knitting it was a big pain in the you-know-what. If you ask me, a knit item for a baby or little kid shouldn't be so complicated. I'm using the rest of this yarn for a baby sweater I like much better.

Done. And done.

I finished two things last night, both of which were long in coming. The first was my mother's Pomatomuses (whenever I say "Pomatomus" to J, he responds with "Polamalu"), which I actually finished knitting at lunch but, finding myself without a tapestry needle, had to wait until I got home to kitchener the toes and weave in the ends. I didn't take a picture this morning because they were still blocking on a towel that, coincidentally, is nearly the same color as the main color of the yarn. So I'll wait until they're dry and I can set them up in a pretty location for their photo shoot. This was the first pair with the semi-successful pattern reversal, which I'm semi-excited to show you. I cast on for another experimental sock last night, so I can try out my final tinkering of the pattern in my attempt to get the reversed pattern to pop in the same way as the original. Look for the pattern mods to be posted here some time next week.

Last night I also finished reading Marley & Me, and yes, I bawled like a baby. It's a good thing I was reading right before bed, and when J wasn't around, because let me tell you, I was seriously scary-looking with my bright red, puffy eyes. It was not pretty. But oh, what a good book! If you love dogs, you'll love it, just make sure you're alone and have plenty of tissues on hand (and no place to go for at least a couple hours afterward) when you finish it.

Remember my plan to finish up that baby sweater by the end of the weekend? Yeah, so not happening. I got to the placing of the markers for the fronts, sleeves, and back, and I haven't picked it up since. Let's revise that completion date to at least the end of next weekend, shall we?

Finally, I stopped by Pittsburgh Knit and Bead after work on Wednesday, just to see if there was anything at all left. I think this may be their last week in business, and the discount was up to 55% off. There was pathetically little selection left in the way of yarn (unless you're into eyelash, ribbon, or other novelty yarn, which I'm not particularly) and the needle selection had been decimated. I did score two more pairs of Addi 12" circs (US 1's -- for socks), plus five balls of Karabella Aurora 8 in a lovely color called Kangaroo Taupe (or something like that), two balls of chunky 100% wool for felting in black and bubblegum pink, and a massive skein (1,300+ yards!) of bright red laceweight merino. All of this for about $46! I just couldn't pass it up. I don't have specific projects for any of the yarn yet, but I know I'll use it for something. Any suggestions?

Pictures in the next post, I promise! I have to clear out the camera from all the silly pictures J and I took at the bar last weekend when we were out celebrating the engagement.

Happy weekend knitting, all!

Winning the Lace Race

Pattern: Leaf Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark for Fiber Trends
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Lace, approximately 1.25 skeins
Needles: US 5 Addi Turbo circs
Dimensions: approximately 60" wide and 32" deep
Mods: None

I finished in time! (Boo hiss to all of you who thought I wouldn't make it!) I finished the knitting Friday afternoon, blocked it (what a PITA that was!) before J and I went out to celebrate Friday night, and finished snipping all the ends and wrapped it Saturday afternoon, just in time to present it to my mom at dinner on Saturday night. It turned out to be a big hit; she just LOVED it, and kept telling me how impressed she was with it.

In spite of the blocking (most definitely my least favorite part of this project), I now find myself completely addicted to knitting lace. I am all set to rip and restart my Adamas Shawl, which I started and set aside months ago.

Before I can pick up the shawl again, however, I have a baby sweater to finish! Remember how I was knitting Trellis for the baby due in July? Well, since then there have been two developments. The first (and most important) is that little Finn made his appearance about a month early last week! The second is that I have decided that I will not be finishing Trellis. Frankly, I think the pattern might be a little too fussy/girly for baby Finn, not to mention the fact that the idea of having to seam that little sweater just horrifies me. So last night I started to make another Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater (Carole Barenys), which I know will be a fast knit (and no seaming, hooray!). Assuming I can find myself some decent knitting time this week, my goal is to have it finished by the end of next weekend so I can send it on to Finn. Yes, I know he won't be wearing it any time soon, but I'm just that anxious to get it out of my WIP pile!

A reminder to all the Pittsburgh-area knitters: this Wednesday is knitting at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. I'll be bringing my Pomatomus reversal, for anyone who may be interested in seeing it.

...but enough about the ring

Thank you all for your congratulations and your compliments on the ring. (Apologizes for the fuzziness of the picture, by the way. I was holding my hand up against J's chest--because he was wearing a black shirt, the only dark background we could find at the time--and I had to have my father actually take the picture, on account of my still being too shaky to take it on my own. I guess in the end both J and I were still too excited to really hold still.)

There is still a lot of excitement about The Engagement, and it still hasn't fully sunk in, but I know that soon enough the planning will start for the wedding and I'll miss this initial stage of shock/disbelief/joy/excitement/etc. Just trying to enjoy it while it lasts.

(And now, we return to our regular knitting content, already in progress.)

All this week I have been knitting furiously on that lace item you got a peek at last week. I think I mentioned that it's a shawl, but I don't think I did a good enough job of explaining beyond that, so here's full disclosure. This is the pattern (Leaf Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark for Fibertrends) and yarn (Misti Alpaca Lace) that I purchased at Rosie's Yarn Cellar on our trip to Philadelphia a few weeks ago. After a few false starts, this has turned into my first successful piece of lace knitting, and I've decided that it will be a birthday gift for my mother, who turns 29 again (okay, maybe she's 39 now that she's got an engaged daughter) this weekend. I feel pretty confident in posting this because I'm just about 100 percent sure she won't be reading my blog. (Remember my mom? "What exactly is a blog?") As of this afternoon, I have just a little more than 10.5 repeats done of the body lace chart. I am doing the small version of the shawl (13 pattern repeats), so that means that I have until Sunday to complete just under 2.5 body pattern repeats, do all the edging rows, bind off, and block. Think it'll happen? I know she really won't mind if I need an extra day or two to finish it, but I'd really like to have it done. Then I'd be able to get back to her Mother's Day Pomotomuses. Not to mention that I haven't even measured my future MIL's feet for her Mother's Day socks. Yeah, I'm a bit behind.

Here's a little peek at the progress so far, with my best attempt to spread out the lace one-handed so you can see the design:

I am just loving this pattern, and I plan to knit up one for myself. I may do mine in fingering weight yarn instead of lace weight, if I can find a nice colorway that won't interfere with the lace pattern. The Misti Alpaca is delightful, and you can't beat the price. I just wish it didn't shed so much!

Remember how a while ago I mentioned that I was reversing the Pomatomus pattern? Well do you think I've forgotten about that. I did reverse it, but I'm still tinkering with the stitches a bit to try to get a better mirror image. Once I'm satisfied, Cookie (the designer) has given me permission to post the modifications needed for the reversal to this here blog. So keep an eye out for it. I'm hoping it'll be up in the next couple of weeks.

I'm off to my shawl knitting. Must. Finish. By. Sunday.

If a picture says a thousand words....

...then I probably don't need to say much. :-)

Curses! Foiled again!

Last night I was all set to post when I happened to look out the window -- just in time to see a huge bolt of lightening. Eesh. So, instead of risking frying my hard drive, I decided to do this:

This used to be an Old Navy sweater that I'd bought a couple years ago and then wore maybe twice. It was totally an impulse buy--it was a cheery color (it's actually more of a soft pink than it appears in the photo) and really soft--but unfortately it was a tad big and was rather unflattering. I think I only wore it as a cardigan when I was really desperate and just wanted something to keep me warm. While I was cleaning out my closet in preparation for warm weather, I decided that this yarn was too cozy to just throw away, so it went in the To Be Recycled pile. It's not the nicest fiber (90% acrylic, 10% wool), but, as I said, it's soft and it'll do well for baby garments, I think. The yarn above is from the back, collar and two sleeves. I think the front sections are unless because of the button bands. By the way, here's what the sweater looked like originially:

See what I mean? This thing isn't even flattering on the couch. I don't know what I was thinking.

Once I finished winding the sweater yarn, I decided to make the evening Fun With the Ball Winder Night and tackled my sock yarn. The result of a good hour of winding? Every single skein of sock yarn in my stash is now in a center-pull yarn cake. The proof:

This would be the "affordable" sock yarn drawer (Knit Picks Essential, Regia, and a ball of some German sock yarn whose name I can't read). The "luxury" sock yarn drawer is below this one; it contains the Lorna's and the Koigu.

Knitting on my mom's Pomatomuses (I think I'll call 'em Popos from now on) is going slowly. Why, you ask? Well, I guess this is the point where I have to make a confession: I am addicted to knitting lace. After ripping out my shawl twice, and becoming fully convinced that I would never master lace, I remembered that there was an article on lace knitting in the latest Interweave Knits. I whipped it out, looked up the article, and discovered the one ridiculously simple thing I was doing that was messing me up over and over again: I was yarning over wrong. Hello? Did anyone else know that there's a specific way to yarn over for lace? (And if you did, why didn't you tell me?!) I restarted the pattern, and after only a few rows it became very apparent that the YOs--the correct YOs--made the lace. Ever since, I've been hooked, and I've been spending most of my knitting time this week on the shawl. Here's the obligatory progress shot (and the obligatory statement that lace looks like crap until it's blocked):

Right now I'm almost through six repeats of either 13 (small) or 18 (large). I am thinking the small size will be sufficient, although I specifically bought more than enough yarn for the large. Once it's blocked, the small size should be big enough to throw over my shoulders. Besides, the rows are already taking me about 10 minutes each, and I can't imagine how long they'd take once I got up to 18 repeats.

Scenes from the Spot That Loves You Back

[Note: This post was written yesterday, but due to an unfortunate Blogger bug did not have any pictures.]

Here, as promised, is a summary (I'll try to keep it brief) of the weekend in Philadelphia. Lots of pictures ahead!

Amazing, my office closed early on Friday, at 2:30, so J and I were able to get on the road by 3 p.m. We were able to beat rush hour traffic on the way to the Turnpike, which is what would have really slowed us down, and we encountered very little traffic on the Turnpike itself. We stopped once to use the facilities and fill up on gas, and we arrived at our friends' place in Warrington, Pa., by 7:40. (Yes, that's right, we made it there in four-and-a-half hours. What can I say, J has a bit of a lead foot. No worries, no speeding tickets were issued.) We had a late-ish dinner at a Chinese/Japanese place down the road from their house and then passed out. Well, at least J did. Although I was tired, for some reason I decided to start feeling nervous about the audition at that moment and didn't fall asleep until after midnight.

We were up before 6 a.m., showed and dressed, and got on the train into the city, where we arrived in plenty of time for my Jeopardy! audition. J wandered around the city for the two hours I was in there, and amazingly didn't get lost (it was his first time ever in Philadelphia, so he didn't know his way around at all). The audition itself went well, I think. It's really hard to tell because they didn't give any sort of feedback. There were about 20 people in my group, and we took another 50-question written test before playing a mock game in groups of three. They told us that they were calling us up to play in random order (this is after they graded our tests, mind you), and don't you know I was the last one called up? I had fun, knew the answers to most of the questions, and got a free Jeopardy! pen for my troubles. On the way out, one of the other people trying out with me told me that he didn't want to be up against me in an actual game. I'm choosing to take that as a compliment. So if they want me to be on the show, they'll call me, but that could be any time in the next year, or not at all. I figure, hey, I had fun, I got a pen, so if they call, they call.

I hadn't eaten anything at this point, so while we waited for our hosts to meet up with us I got a cup of coffee from a stand in Reading Terminal Market (where we saw real live Amish people!). We went for an early lunch at Marathon Grill, then headed down to Old City to see the famous historic landmarks.

As you would expect on a beautiful holiday weekend day, Old City was mobbed. J had wanted to see the Liberty Bell (which, if you don't know, is now in its own building with a museum or something inside as well), but the line was huge and we didn't feel like waiting, so we walked around the back of the pavilion where we could see the bell through the glass, albeit not very close up. Here's my mom's Pomatomus with the bell in the background (if you look closely you'll see it):

From there we turned around and took a look at Independence Hall, site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which we also didn't go into. Sock took a good look:

We then decided to get away from the hordes of Asian tourists (just what is it about the Japanese and Independence Mall?) and walk down to Front Street at Penn's Landing. There was some sort of music festival going on at Penn's Landing, and admission was $60 a person, so needless to say we did not hang around. We soon hailed a cab over to West Philly, to visit Penn's campus, my old stomping grounds. One of our hosts thought Penn was kind of a dump, so I took them through the most scenic route through campus: starting at 34th and Walnut, up Locust through the green, ending at the bridge over to Superblock. We paused by the compass so Ben on the Bench could admire the Pomatomus:

(Ben says: A penny saved is a penny to be spent on wool!)

And don't worry, fellow Penn grads, the sock did not actually come into contact with Ben and will be washed thoroughly anyway before it goes to my mom.

We did just a brief loop through the main part of campus -- we didn't even make it up to the western edge where I used to live -- and stopped for some ice cream before hailing a cab back to the Rittenhouse Square area.

Our first stop in Rittenhouse -- yes, I dragged J and our (non-knitting) hosts -- was Rosie's Yarn Cellar, my former LYS. They had renovated a bit since my last visit, but it was still as cozy and welcoming as I remembered. I successfully resisted the lure of the wall of Koigu and instead settled on a shawl pattern and some Misti Alpaca Lace to knit it up (I started it once I got home, see below). It was hard to tell if J was impressed by my restraint in spending less than $25 in a yarn store, especially after what I spent in D.C.; he seemed pretty comfortable in a chair with a fan blowing on him and was impervious to the wool, silk, and alpaca all around him. He did, however, admire the softness and silkiness of the yarn I purchased, if he was puzzled by my eagerness to try lace after my last lace misadventure.

Our hosts bid us adieu after we left Rosie's (they both had evening plans, and had to catch the train home to change), and J and I headed over to my old apartment building to visit Julia, who happens to live in my old apartment! We relaxed in the air conditioning for about an hour and a half (J dozed on her sofa while the two of us caught up), and then the three of us went out to dinner at Pietro's, where I had my favorite Rigatoni alla Vodka, sans pancetta. Mmm.

J and I caught the train back to the 'burbs shortly after dinner, got "home" at about 9:15, watched most of Fever Pitch on TV, and passed out at about 11 p.m. We were up by about 8 the next morning and had lunch before getting back on the road. We made great time again and were back in the 'Burgh in plenty of time to go to barbeque Sunday night. The rest of the holiday weekend was scorching hot but fairly uneventful. I spent Monday doing some work (grr) and doing my grocery shopping while J played golf with my dad. And that was the weekend.

Yesterday evening I met up with Jen and Lori at Knit One, where I picked up another skein of Cascade 220 for Forecast (no, I haven't started yet, but I'm swatching so much to get gauge -- or not -- that I was worried I'd be short on yarn) and some Regia sock yarn, so that J and I will have semi-matching socks (see picture below). Jen found one skein of some gorgeous hand-dyed merino sock yarn that looked somewhat like Koigu, and Lori cast on for a piece of Trellis, which made me feel guilty for having not yet started the second sleeve of mine. We then went to dinner. The plan had been to go to an Indian restaurant up the street from Knit One, but we discovered that it had closed and been replaced with a Thai place. After surveying our options, we decided to give it a try, and Jen enjoyed (I think) her first Pad Thai.

I've decided to close this post with a brief rundown of what I'm currently knitting and, since this blog is allegedly also about books, what I'm currently reading. Perhaps I'll do this regularly to close my posts; we'll have to see just how monotonous/boring it becomes. So here goes....

Currently Knitting: Pomatomus #1 (for mom); toe-up Mata Hari in cotton/lycra (for me); Trellis - one sleeve, collar, and sewing up to go (for baby due in July); Leaf Lace Shawl in Misti Alpaca Lace (for me)

Currently Reading: Marley & Me by John Grogan

Blogger sucks, or, Why this isn't a post about the trip to Philadelphia

I had some major issues with Blogger last night, which is why today you may be wondering where my post about the weekend in Philly is. I had everything all ready: the text was all written, the links were put in, the places for the photos were set out. And then I tried to upload a picture. Repeatly. I got the "Done" button, but when I clicked on it, nothing happened. It was as though I had never uploaded the picture. I tried repeatedly to get my photos up over the course of about four hours, but it was always the same, icky-poo. No photos. So, no post. I will try again tonight. Keep your fingers crossed that it'll work, because I'm starting to take out my frustration on my knitting (and as I'm knitting lace and socks with bamboo dpns, that could get ugly).

Full Recounting to Come

I promise I will post a full run-down of the weekend in Philadelphia (with pictures!) soon, likely tomorrow evening. The weekend was just too full for me to get to a computer.

Tonight is a trip to Knit One and dinner at the Indian Oven with Jen and Lori, i.e., much yarn and curry goodness. Mmm, can't wait.

All together now: Awwww!

Remember this hat? Its intended recipient was born last month, and although it's quite a few months before football season starts again, he's already sporting his black and gold:



Isn't he adorable? And oh so stylish, too. Next on baby's agenda: learn to appreciate natural fibers.

You know you're seriously obsessed when...

...you dream about knitting -- or, more specifically, making a mistake in your knitting and having to frog. Last night I had a dream that I was finally working on Forecast (unfortunately I did not happen to notice what size needles I was using to knit it or if I happened to be getting gauge) and that I kept forgetting to work the cables and had to keep frogging back and starting over. Then my alarm clock went off. Very weird. Must have been influenced by having to tink back about three rows on my reverse Pomatomus the other night.

Speaking of which, le voila, fresh off the needles (I'm cheating a bit here because I haven't even woven in the ends yet):















Aside from the obvious difference in fiber and color, you'll notice that the left sock has a shorter leg than the right sock. That's because I was an idiot and didn't read the very beginning of the pattern (i.e., before the chart) when I started and was thinking I needed to do 20 rows of ribbing. It was supposed to be 10 rows. But by the time I discovered my mistake, I was too anxious to get on to the patterning to rib back, and I figured I'd just tell eveyone it was a planned mod. And now of course I've ruined that plan because I've just told you the truth. Oh well, we all make mistakes. At least I cast on the correct number of stitches, and as you can see, the pattern reversal was successful. I still have some minor tweaking to do in the pattern rewrite, for which I'll have to knit another sock, but I'll be sure to share that info with all the Pomatomus knitters out there when I'm satisfied.

My travel knitting sock (at right) is almost done, but alas, I think it may be too small. I think I'm becoming a tighter knitter, because I'm using the size needles the pattern calls for (US 1) but I think I'd really need a US 2 to make them the correct size. I am going to finish it anyway and hope that a little bath makes the wool relax a bit. They'll be snug, but just maybe they'll work. In this case I think I must have had some amazing foresight, because when I ordered all that sock yarn from Knit Picks a while back I ordered three balls of each color. So even if I can't manage to make this one work, I've still got a pair's worth of yarn left over.

I still haven't started Forecast, in part because I haven't decided what to do in terms of needles. I've been wondering if I should knit another swatch with US 9 needles. I'm still mystified regarding what is going on with gauge. I am using Cascase 220; the pattern calls for Cascade Tweed. Can the two yarns really be that different in terms of gauge? Moreover, why is is that I'm getting the exact same stitch count with two different sized needles? Grrr, the maths. This is my least favorite part of knitting -- next to the fact that I can't do it all day and/or for money.

On the agenda this evening is to start the first Pomatomus for my mom. I'm hoping to get a decent amount done before we hit the road on Friday, even though I know I'll have many good hours of car knitting, If I'm really on top of things, I think it might even be possible to finish the pair by the end of the holiday weekend (you know, so my mom can have her wool socks right when the weather starts getting seasonal again). I also want to have something pretty to pull out of my purse to show the Jeopardy! people. Maybe I'll even show them how I reversed the pattern and they'll be so awed by my creativity and intelligence that they'll want to put me on the air right away so I can win lots of yarn money. Okay, maybe not. But at least I can show it off at Rosie's where I bought my first sock pattern and sock yarn, way back when.

Finally, a little shot I forgot to post last time. The answer: this is the adorable herb growing on top of SJ's bookshelf.


Question: What is parsley, Alex?

Today's Featured Dessert: Yarn Cake

The Lorna's Laces I ordered finally came on Friday, and here's how I spent my Saturday afternoon while watching the Preakness:

Here you see (left to right) the colorways Cool for J's mom's socks, Jay Pond for my mom's socks, and Uptown pour moi. These looked gorgeous in the hanks, and even prettier in these lovely cakes. I can't wait to get started. I still want to finish the "prototype" of the Pomatomus reversal before I start my mom's socks, and I still have to talk to J's mom to find out what pattern she wants, but at least I'll be ready to go once those two issues are settled.

I also stopped by Pittsburgh Knit & Bead on the way home from work yesterday; if you haven't heard, they're going out of business, and everything in the store is on sale. This week everything was 30% off, and I figured that if I waited too much longer too much would be gone. Their yarn selection is nothing wonderful (I never thought it was, to be honest), but I was going in with an eye for Addis. Here is my haul from yesterday:

Two pairs of Addi Turbo 16" circs (US 0), two pairs of Inox 16" circs (US 1), one set of bamboo dpns (US 1), and four balls of Fortissima Socka (75% superwash wool, 25% polyamide) in black and charcoal gray. The yarn is, as you may have guessed, for socks for J, who prefers "plain" colors in his socks. Perhaps these he will actually wear outside of the house.

J and I had a very nice weekend. We went out to see The Da Vinci Code Friday night. The theater was packed, let me tell you. I loved the movie, but J was apparently bored and slept through about an hour and a half of it. I had just finished rereading the book earlier in the week, and although there were some minor changes to the plotline and some omissions of unnecessary story elements, I thought they did a great job bringing it to the screen. If you liked the book, I highly recommend seeing it. That is, of course, unless you're like J and will be bored by already knowing what's going to happen.

This morning we had breakfast at Panera and then spent some time at Barnes & Noble, where I picked up the Yarn Harlot's newest book, as well as this book (which you just have to look at, if only for the cover picture). I'm excited to start reading both -- perhaps on our road trip to Philadelphia next weekend. Have I mentioned the trip and why we're going? I have an audition with Jeopardy! I took the online contestant test a month or two ago, expecting nothing, and then was shocked when I got an e-mail inviting me to come audition in person. I don't necessarily expect anything to come of it, but it can't hurt. Plus I'll get show J around campus and my old neighborhood in Center City.

Playing Hooky, and a Conundrum

Yes, it is the third Wednesday of the month, and yes, I am at home rather than at knitting meet-up at Barnes & Noble. It's already been a very busy week at work, my eyes are tired, and I wasn't thrilled by the idea of trying to drive in the dark. Plus, I thought I'd get a load of laundry done while I'm home. Unfortunately one of my neighbors, whom I will hereby dub the Lazy Launderer, had the same idea. This person decides to do laundry but isn't very punctual about changing machines. His or her first load sat in the washer for at least half an hour before s/he decided to transfer it to the dryer -- and of course put in a second load at the same time. I have a strong suspicion that it is the same Lazy Launderer who, a couple weeks ago, had a wet load of clothes sitting in washer for a good two hours. I wouldn't care so much except that in the load of laundry I need to do are my towels, which I do need to shower tomorrow morning.

The laundry issue is not the aforementioned conundrum, however. Remember how I was going to knit a sweater, like, last week? Although the Mother's Day socks have moved ahead of in the queue, I've been swatching since my Addis arrived from Knit Picks. Therein lies the problem. First I did a swatch on the US 7s that the pattern called for. Didn't make gauge (I got 18 stitches over four inches instead of 16 stitches). So I pulled out a pair of US 8s and did another swatch -- and got the same exact stitch count! Frankly, this doesn't make any sense to my math-impaired brain. I understand gauge enough to know that if I have more stitches than I should in my swatch, the width of my garment will be less than the pattern specifies. But we're talking an extra half a stitch per inch. Plus, the swatches were pretty stretchy, so I would think the ease would help hide the off-gauge-ness. Here's the dilemma: considering the identical stitch count in both swatches, do I use the US 7s, which are my preferred Addi Turbos, or the US 8 Susan Bates circs, which are less preferred? Any input is very welcome!

I ordered some Lorna's Laces for the Mother's Day socks earlier in the week and I hope it'll be here by Friday or Saturday. In preparation, I'm working on my reversal of the pattern for Pomatomus (which, by the way, I recently discovered is actually the genus name of the Bluefish). The leg portion worked fine, and now I'm encountering just a little bit of difficulty with the transition from gussets to instep patterning. I'm not yet ready to show you the full finished product, but here's a little peek:

This picture doesn't capture the true color of the yarn -- it's the Morning Glory colorway of Knit Picks Sock Garden, and the shade are royal purple, deep bluish purple, and bright yellow.

Finally, a note to my readers -- where did you all go? I haven't received a comment in a week, and I'm starting to wonder if I said something to offend everyone. Sorry if I did (and, hey, could you let me know what it was that ticked you off so I won't say it again?). I'm not really finishing for comments here, but darn it if I did get a little used to getting at least a couple to each post. I guess the semi-popularity went to my head. A bit, a bit.

Obsession has reached a new level

If you've been reading my blog, you will probably know to what obsession I'm referring. I'll get into specifics in a bit. First, here's this (alluded to in my last post):

Pattern: Gentleman's Fancy Socks, from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential
Needles: US 1 circs (leg and foot) and dpns (heel and toe)
Mods: I did a doubled cast on to make the leg a little stretchier (J doesn't like his socks to be tight around the leg) and also omitted one pattern repeat in the leg because I was worried about running out of yarn. That turned out to be a good move, as I had just enough yarn. There's just a tiny bit left that I can keep for repairs.

So far the verdict is positive on these. J fell asleep in them last night and this morning reported that his feet were nice and toasty. Maybe not what he wanted for this time of year, but come next winter I'm sure they'll be appreciated.

I had several exciting surprises in the mail yesterday. My shipment from Knit Picks finally came, with my Addis for Forecast, another skein of the Essential in the burgundy of J's socks (so I can make a matching one for myself to go with the original attempt), and two skeins of Sock Garden (I think?) in the Morning Glory colorway to replace the two I traded for more Merino Style for Blanche. I also had this lovely package waiting for me:

Doesn't this just look luscious? This is the hand-dyed colon/lycra sock yarn I purchased from the Greenwood Fiberworks Etsy shop. The colorway is called something like Strawberry Milkshake, and trust me, it looks good enough to lick (although that might leave some unwanted fuzzy things on my tongue). It came with a very friendly, handwritten note from Carolyn, thanking me for my purchase and offering me a nice little discount on my next purchase as a thank you. My favorite thing about the packaging was that the yarn was neatly wrapped up in tissue paper (which you can see I mangled in my excitement), sealed with a little sticker reading "Thank Ewe." This woman knows her business, and she clearly knows knitters! I have yet to do anything with this yarn, but I love it already and I know I'll be a repeat customer!

Now, on to my favorite obsession. You guessed it, it's SOCKS. I decided to give both my mother and J's mom the same thing for Mother's Day: a hand-knit pair of socks, made to their specifications in terms of pattern, fiber, and color. I just measured my mom's foot a little bit ago, and showed her some patterns and let her feel some sock yarn. She went right for the good stuff, so it looks like she'll be getting a pair of Pomatomuses in Lorna's. While we were discussing this, my father just casually happened to mentioned that he wouldn't mind a pair of socks either, so I'll be adding another pair of Gentleman's Plain Winter Socks to my list of socks to knit.

In the meantime, I'm nearly done with the leg of my Child's First Sock, which looks nice but strangely doesn't seem to look like the picture in the book (is it possible I'm doing my YOs incorrectly?). I've also finished up the first sleeve of Trellis, and completed a swatch in preparation for Forecast. My WIP list will definitely be undergoing some shuffling this week in terms of priorities.