Much Sighing

Life has not been pleasant around here recently. Much angsting over DH's ex-wife wanting money we don't have, taking over bank accounts, generally making life Not Happy in the household.

Even my knitting has suffered; no knitting mojo. I am barely managing to do simple knit stitches and wasn't even excited about the color of this Month's Rockin' Sock Club shipment (and I usually really like green). I totally blew the next tier of entrelac socks and wound up with a little poofy pyramid thingy instead of a nice orderly entrelac square.

Court date is Wednesday to sort things out for now, but knowing that this will go on ad infinitum according to her whims makes me not feel like Wednesday is the end of the tunnel, but rather the start of a long road.

So, apologies for a dull, boring, and semi-sad post, but that's just it for today.

Entrelac Knit-along!

The Eunny Jang Entrelac Socks Knit-along has begun! Kadootje (D), GromKnit (M), and I are doing it; tonight was cast-on night. Unfortunately, M couldn't join us tonight, so we had a bifurcated cast-on night, with D and I at Madonna's and M at home. Not to worry; we'll be together next week for the base triangles!

Maybe it was because Friday the Thirteenth fell on a Thursday this month, but we wondered if these socks were dooooomed from the start... First I cast on only 8 stitches (this was immediately after we had agreed we'd cast on 12), then I cut my sock yarn along with my reinforcement yarn (Duh-oh!!) and had to Russian join the two pieces together (yes, I should have just backed it out since I had only increased 2 or 4 stitches, but damn...) Somewhere in there, D wound up with both socks' working yarn in the middle of the needle points, so she had to move ‘em and do a little shuffle… Oh, did I mention we’re doing two at once on one circular needle??? Yes, we're sick and twisted...

Here's the picture from the magazine. No shots of ours yet; they still look like twisted caterpillars impaled on needles right now.

I Know, I've Been Bad

I guess I'm sort of missing the point of a blog, huh? It's just... well, it's just that Ravelry is more fun! Oh, and I've been busy doing that thing that funds my yarning. Well, there's been some knitting, too. Like thus - my Serendipities are done! They fit most wonderfully, and the pattern, while not difficult, is very elegant and goes very well with the yarn.



So here they are!

And now, DH is calling me to dinner - yes, he cooked for me! I love that man!

Hi! Remember Me?

Yes, I know. It's been a while. So. How ya been? Weather's nicer now, isn't it?

Stitches West made me do it. The ultimate fiber conference-convention-learning emporium is held right in our little corner of the world. Once a year, Stitches takes over the Santa Clara Convention Center and the Hyatt Hotel (formerly the Westin, formerly the Doubletree) for four days. Four days of lip-smacking fibery goodness. Hundreds of vendors of all things knit/crochet/spin and every peripheral thingy there is. Heaven. Nirvana. Pick your bliss-word.

The after-glow hit on Monday and Tuesday, today was just withdrawal. Work? You expect me to work? How can I work knowing that I didn't get that extra skein of handpainted merino? That I was silly enough to walk away from the Jordana Paige bag (again)?

I didn't do too bad. Current situation being what it is, I couldn't go overboard, but I actually spent far less than I thought I would, and tried to buy more intelligently than at past Stitches.

Thursday was a hoot. The Monday knitters (ChickenKnittle, LMKnits, Gromnits), ChickWithSticks, and I all had Thursday afternoon classes, so we congregated afterwards and stopped into the Ravelry party going on in full swing. Jess and Casey are so awesome to have come up with such a great site; I almost went stalky on them, gushing over it. I wiped up my drool and our little gang went to Tomatina's for dinner. Bright and early Friday morning, I was back, this time with Kadootje. A few more people there than Thursday night, but still manageable.

Avoided Stitches on Saturday like the plague (it's sooooo crowded on Saturdays), then had two classes on Sunday, meeting up with ChickenKnittle for lunch and not hearing our names called for the big prizes. But she won a Ravelry prize - a hat kit!

So, here's the haul. I'll try to describe...

So the freebies first... There's a sample of TOFUtsies sock yarn (wool/soy/cotton/chitin) and the current Knit 'N Style magazine, from SWTC. There are 3 tiny skeins of Malabrigo lace weight (I told the guy I already had gotten 1 sample and he told me to take another... then when I told another guy later on that I already had 2 samples, he told me to take a third! Guess they really didn't want to cart them all home.) I picked up a NSK (Notorious Sock Knitter) sticker to replace the one that fell out of my car window.

Five skeins of Newton's Yarn Country's merino/cashmere blend in autumn colors (lower right). Lush, absolutely lush. Some dyed roving (center top) that I will not spin, but will knit with, right from the roving (how cool is that?). Some Leggero from Yarn Place that I had bought for ChickenKnittle and LMKnits, but hadn't gotten any for me - remedied! Picked up some wide beads to go with the Leggero.

My favorite purchases, though... Signature Needle Arts, size 4, 10", stiletto tip, spiral top (upper right). They're like works of art that you can really knit with. Very well balanced in your hand. The favorite yarn purchase? Pigeonroof Knits' hand-dyed superwash merino (lower left). Krista has quite a beautiful eye for color; these are the most unusual colorways I've seen. In the picture I caked the blue/green, but the gold/eggplant is still in its skein; I've since caked it and it's just as pretty that way, too. Yeah, I know, I needed more sock yarn...

And I'm making progress on Serendipity; almost done turning the heel of the second sock. Decided I'm going to knit the instep plain and shrink the stitches down to a more manageable number (i.e., 'way less than 72!).

I really do need to get some real work done tomorrow...

I (Heart) Hubbie

Valentine's Day was quite lovely (as it always is). I was under strict orders to be ready by 6:00 -which included not just showered and spiffied up, presentable to the outside world, BUT also relaxed and ready for an enjoyable evening. Ah, my hubbie knows me so well...

So at 4:30, I'm rushing to finish my billable hours so I can shower and sit for at least a half-hour before he gets home. Almost worked... was ready about 15 minutes before he came home. Um... about the 'relaxed' part? Well, I hadn't quite finished knitting his present, so while I was trying to act relaxed, I was wondering how much time I really had before we left!

Fortunately, he had to take a shower, so I knit like the wind, trying to get the last 8 rows of Harlot's Unoriginal Hat done in time to stuff it in a bag and bring it along. No such luck; he's a fast shower-er and I'm a slow knitter. We needed to leave when I had 2 - only 2! - rows left to go! (And sinking ends, etc., but let's not quibble.)

We wound up at one of our favorite restaurants, Crimson, in Los Gatos, where Diane Rose (owner and chef extraordinaire) was presiding over the dining room this year instead of the kitchen. It's been a tradition for a couple of years to have dinner with G & K; lo and behold, there they were! And these two humungous flower arrangements were waiting for us on the table - so big, we couldn't see each couple on the other side! And something we laughed about all night long? We were the only foursome in the place. Think about it... Valentine's Day? Romantical evening with your hunny-bunny? Snuggly-wuggly kissy-face couples all around? And there we are, the four of us, having a rolicking good time!

Yeah, it was fun. And I finished the hat in about 10 minutes once we got back home. It even fit him.

Knitting progress - Slow, but am making my way through the Serendipity heel. My, but it's taking a long time! I'm used to doing short-row heels with an 8- or 10-stitch w&t on each side... this one is 15! (15 wrapped on each side, 12 in the middle.) Damn!

Also managed to do an inch or so on D's pass-around sock. Have decided I really hate purling in the round. Oh, and I'm almost finished with my Stitches homework. Whew!

I Need to Check My Meds

Knitting up a new set of toe-up socks tonight, DH and I plopped on the couch and turned on the face magnet. A quiet night on the cable dial, so I tuned to the USA Network and the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Just in time to see a beautiful Weimaraner trot around the ring.

She won best in the sporting group. I promptly cried. I do not know why I cried. She was a very pretty dog, she ruled the ring. Not enough criteria to make me cry.

DH went up to bed, I swapped the new socks for Serendipity and watched the other best in group doggies strut their stuff, feeling sorry for the poor poodles forced to endure those ridiculous haircuts, and laughing at the Komondor - which looks a lot like some extra super bulky yarn made into dreadlocks.

Then came Best in Show. Uno, the beagle, won. It was the first time - ever - a beagle had won Best in Show. I didn't cry.

I sobbed.

*sigh* Better check my meds tomorrow; something may be a bit off...

Blog readers, meet Uno, WKC Best in Show 2008. Isn't he cute? Snoopy won!

Counting Down

All hail XRX... the Stitches Countdown begins! Ten days until the first classes (1:30 on Thursday, Feb. 21), ten days and a couple of hours before the stampede to the Ravelry, BMFA, and FoxyKnits booths! (Oh, and any vendor selling alpaca... I'm such a sucker for that stuff...)

Let's not talk about the homework for the classes... or the [giftie] I still need to finish for Valentine's Day... or my SIL's socks... or CG's new and improved socks (may as well admit she knows what she's getting)... or writing up the pattern for the cable class at Bobbin's Nest...

Instead, let's focus on the biggest whirlwind of a petting zoo that is Stitches!
10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6...