making these...
The orange socks are for my MIL for Christmas, the bag is for SIL for Christmas, and the green/purples socks are for me to wear. Next I make Jacobean socks out of Noro and try to get the lace pattern on my February Lady sweater right for two repeats in a row. I want the sweater done by Christmas so I can start the afghan in January.
In other news, we put up the Christmas tree today. I will now try the bread recipe that Liz linked to on Thursday.
Thing one: Dr. Horrible's Sing a long Blog. Made by Joss Whedon (he who created Buffy, Angel and Firefly among other awesomeness) during the writer's strike. Good stuff here. Love it! I can't wait to see his next project. I think it may be arriving on Fox sometime in the next year. It involves Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy) and I can't really remember any details right now, but it sounded intriguing last time I read something about it.
Thing two: www.stuffonmycat.com. This site cracks me up nearly daily.
Now go, laugh, enjoy! Support creativity in all it's happy forms! (While I find creative ciminals fascinating, it is a morbid fascination and not something I endorse anyone pursuing as a hobby.)
You'd think that not writing a darned thing for two months would mean I've been extremely busy having a wild and interesting summer, right? Not so much. Really I'm just kinda lazy and the chatty comes in spurts. Anyhoo, what have I really been up to you ask? Well, July was uneventful. In August we went to Milwaukee and Chicago for a wedding and a vacation. The wedding was nice, the bride was gorgeous and the groom was very tall. (He's like 6'-7" or something). My sources tell me that the afghan was a hit with the happy couple. No picture as I have not quite figured out how to photograph the color red. I suppose I should start thinking about the next cousin getting married gift. Liz, let me know if you really don't want an afghan and I won't make you one. Otherwise, let me know your preferred color(s). While we were waiting for the in-laws to collect us at the hotel I was working on a new sock and Karen said that she wants a pair of socks. So I when we got home, I ordered some yarn and started making her socks. I know have more projects going than ever before. Two relatively easy scarves and two pairs of socks. It's kinda nice; if I get bored with one, I can do something else for a while. I hope they all still get finished in a somewhat timely manner. (by Thanksgiving would be great)
Chicago was great. They had a really cool glass exhibit complete with glass blowing demos at the Science and Industry Museum. As James said, they blew the guys at the Renaissance Festival out of the water. It was very cool. Also we saw the U-505 U-boat. I think that was James' favorite part of the whole trip. We went to Buddy Guy's Legends for dinner and awesome music. I wish we had a really great blues (or rock for that matter) scene/club here. If you know of bands or a good place to hang out to maybe see good local stuff, let me know. I love that stuff. I would go to Buddy Guy's all the time if I could. The other great restaurant that we ate at was Frontera. It would appear from the dates at the top that the menu changes monthly, but since there wasn't a single bite of anything other than great in the whole meal, I would bet that all of their menus are worth going for. Again, I would go there more if it was closer. The art museum was a bit disappointing for a couple of reasons. First, they were undergoing construction of a new wing as well as renovations of existing galleries. This meant that much of the impressionist work that we were hoping to see was not on view. We did see Sunday in the Park (Seurat) and a couple of Degas', but not at all the extensive collection the guidebook from the hotel lobby said they have. Second, their print selection is awful. They had maybe 30 prints available, but none of the things we were hoping for. Only one each for Degas and O'Keeffe, and these not the best from the collection. We were thinking that they would have something more along the lines of Milwaukee's print collection, which is quite extensive and has contributed greatly to the decoration of the walls of our home.
Well, I am getting sleepy, so I think I will go find a new book to read.
Well, I see it's been a while since I posted. Since the great Monkey post of May, I have finished knitting another pair of socks and an afghan. I have started a scarf that will be donated, most likely to the Goodwill and continued a lace wrap for myself. Knitting update over.
This weekend was really fun. On the fourth, we went to the Minnesota Zoo and saw their new "Russia's Grizzly Coast" exhibit. It was really pretty good. We mostly saw the sea otters. I think it was a bit warm for the bears, and the leopards are still getting used to the habitat and trying their best to stay hidden. Although a keeper told us where to stand to see one of them in their hididng place. It was pretty neat. We had dinner at the 'rents and then stopped at Fox's to return canoe straps and a paddle. By the time we were driving home, all the suburbs were starting up their fireworks. So we saw bits of fireworks displays all the way home in the dusk. That was very cool. I think fireworks look better at dusk than in pitch black. Something about dusk just seems to make lights stand out more than in total darkness. I can't explain it, but it is neat.
On Saturday we went to the Lyndale Rose Garden. We managed to hit it just right, as pretty much all of the roses were in full bloom and hardly any had started to wilt. It was warm, but not too bad. A nice day to be outside. Once we got home from grocery shopping I continued to enjoy the great outdoors in my hammock. Today was vegging and laundry. All in all an excellent weekend.
Well, I did it. I finished the April socks. And here they are.
I actually managed to finish them on the 29th. I secretly like the sock on the right better. I like the stripe placement better. You can't see the pattern very well, but I like it and may one day make it for myself, however the next pair I make will be Monkey Socks by Cookie A. I am pretty confident that these will fit Sharon, and hey, with the weather we've been having she may even get to wear them yet this spring.
Other happy news: I just found out that my cousin Liz is getting married! Congratulations Liz and Scott! I thought it was strange when I got married and the family was down to only one Elizabeth S, does this mean that we'll have two Elizabeths but no S?
Even more happy news: On Monday I will be able to take a shower upstairs! Yes folks, it only took 41/2 months to repair the tile damage from having the window replaced.
Oh and also we took a TON of clothes to Goodwill today. We both have so much more closet space! I need bottoms for summer and maybe one or two tops, but luckily dresses and shirts aren't really what I am shrinking out of. They just fit a little better. And most of my dresses have a fair amount of adjustability to them.
Yes, I am let down. By myself? I think so. I started the sock of the month socks from March unsure of the colorway, but Wonder Cousin saved me by saying how much she liked the colors. I asked her if she would like the socks, and she said "Sure!" So on I went to knit socks. Two weeks later I was halfway down the first foot and got her to try them on at Soup Night. "Eli, I can't get it on." So that night I ripped it out and started over. Double checked my gauge. I am still worried that they won't fit, even though my gauge is now theoretically correct. I have the leg of the first sock done, but won't continue until I know she can get it onto her leg. I am supremely bummed that I will not have socks for April on SAM5. Maybe on SAM6 I will be able to get a pair done all six months. Poodles.
Here they are! The Easter socks. I really like the toe-up construction. These are socks of firsts: my first toe-up, first short row heel, first stretchy bind off, and the first time that I made the leg bigger than the foot. Oh and also the first time I have done something other than a 2x2 rib (I did 3x1). I think they will be very comfy. I am very happy that I finshed them in time to wear for Easter. So last week I had a lot of trouble getting up in the morning. More than usual even. Drat that daylight savings time. But the neat thing was, driving east as the sun rose, I got to see gorgeous sunrises nearly every day. The sun was that wonderful color that only really the sun can be, and only at sunrise. Red and orange and gold and... such a perfectly wonderful color that it is hard to describe. And even if it could be captured, it could never be perfectly captured. I don't think for instance, that I would like a dress that color. I think by the time it was fabric it wouldn't be quite right. Even in silk it wouldn't be quite right, though much closer. Anyway, were would I wear silk the color of the sun at sunrise in March.
No progress on the bathroom this week, but my Easter socks are coming along. I don't think that I will have any trouble finishing them by Sunday. Then I can work on the afghan some and start on the March sock of the month. It seems like a neat pattern, but I am reserving judgement on the yarn.
Yesterday we moved the treadmill out of the laundry room and into the living room. It isn't pretty there behind the recliners, and I can't put mine all the way back anymore, but it sure is more pleasant to use. I am thinking of using the wall behind it as a place for some sort of art project. James said he would like to have a picture there, but I am not sure about having something in a frame right there. I would be afraid of knocking in to it. I am feeling somewhat inspired by the art experiment that Margaret sent to Liz. We'll see what comes of it. It is nice to own a home and know that I am not forfeiting my damage deposit by painting whatever I feel like on the walls.
I have also started modifying t-shirts to fit me better. I will take some pictures next time I work on them. So far so good. I have re-shaped two (they have curves in all the right places) and just need to hem the sleeves and bottoms. I have almost a dozen more to go I think. I don't want to stop wearing them, but some are so big that they aren't remotely comfortable. I have a few, mostly recovered from the storage of childhood items at the parent's, that I will convert into a quilt or some other type of art project. Most likely a quilt. It is something I have been thinking of doing for a while, especially with those that people have signed. I don't want the writing to fade or come out in the wash. One day I may start all of the projects in my head. Finishing is a different dream. I like what Liz did with her t-shirt quilt; putting it on a fleece blanket as a backer, but I may do something more two-sided, some sort of mega block design. I haven't decided. And anyway, it will probably be quite a while before I get started. Plenty of time to figure it out.
Here is the toe of my second toe-up sock as seen as a hat for my LilKinz cow. So far so good.
This weekend (in addition to finishing my first toe up sock) we did our taxes and worked on the bathroom wall a little. Back in December when the windows were put in, a couple of tiles in the upstairs bathroom were chipped, and the window no longer connected with the tiles. So we decided not to use that shower until we fixed the tiles so that water would not get into the wall and agravate our current moisture issues in that room. Well, we took out the bad tiles and purchsed what we think are all of the supplies that we will need to complete the repair. We made this progress over the last two weekends. The next step will be patching the holes in the wall that the tiles goes on. Then cutting and putting up the tile, grouting and sealing the grout. I think we may be able to shower upstairs again by June. Uff Da. Also, Oy vey. Thank goodness there is a shower downstairs as well.
I picked up some pretty cool sock yarn and the leap year sale at amazing threads. Now I just need to figure out what pattern I want to use. I think that I will do the toe up thing again (it is pretty easy now that I have the hang of it, and I like the short row heel also). Then I will find a stitch pattern that I like to use in the top of the foot and the leg.
This week is already moving slower than dirt. (what does that even mean? Slower than molasses moving uphill in January makes more sense, but is so wordy.) Anyway, here are my happy smooshy green socks (Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn, Happy Forest colorway)
They are done and they fit better than the last pair. They are very soft and comfy. The feet are long enough so the toes don't stretch out. I am figuring out how to modify the sizes to fit me better. The pair I am on now is going to be too tight in the leg, but that's ok, maybe I'll save them for next year in the hopes that losing another 40 lbs or so will make my legs skinny enough to fit them. Maybe when I try toe-up socks I will get the size more accurate.
Not much doin' here. Cold like winter should be (below 0 daily). On Saturday James and I are going with Dad to see Battleship Potemkin at Orchestra Hall. It is a Russian silent film with a score by Shostakovitch. It should be fun. I have always wanted to see a silent film in a theatre with live music. Not something one can do too often these days.
Oh, Baby Bonsignore arrived yesterday (early am after too much labor according to the Docs. Another 15 minutes and she would have come via C-section). Over 8 lbs and 22 inches. Not a tiny little girl. Congratulations M&C!
Got a Nintendo Wii. Barrels of fun. Mario is as frustrating as ever, but the little wrist strap keeps the remote from going through the TV.
