I'm a Monkey!!!

Quick, name that tune. (no really, I am curious to see who knows their lyrics)

I finished my red monkey socks! Yeah!

I am really pleased with the way they turned out. I used Claudia Hand painted yarn in the lipstick colorway, and I think it may have surpassed the Dream in Color Smooshy as my favorite sock yarn. It is soft and cuddly and super fun to knit with. The yardage was perfect too.

At the end, I only had this much yarn left over. I think that is the least amount of yarn I have ever had left.

This weekend I will work on the wedding afghan and start my next pair of socks. They will by my 6th and final pair for SAM5. I don't think I will do SAM6, not because its not fun and motivating, but because I want to work on some other projects for a little while. I will go back to socks in a couple of months, after I have done a few other things.

In other news, I got a laptop. It is a green Dell and I love it. It is so nice to not have to be downstairs to be online. And it came with Vista, so I get to play the new and improved games.

If it is nice out this weekend I hope to get out somewhere to take some pictures of neat stuff. I have film that may be going bad, so I need to use it up. Yes, I said film. I miss using my film camera. Don't get me wrong, my digital point and shoot is great, but there is just something about a big (relatively) camera that just feels good. And my SLR is film. James can use the outing to get re-acquainted with his digital SLR (which he graciously used to take the above picture of my socks). I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Things

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.

New fun!

So having set aside the socks, I started working on what should turn out to be a shawl. Here is my test swatch.

When blocked, this should come out to about 12" wide and 7" tall. To make it into a shawl/wrap I will make it twice as wide and go until I run out of yarn. I have two skeins of baby alpaca from Shibui that I couldn't resist. My really grand plan is to make this and then find a nice summer dress to wear with it and then wear to Janet's wedding. The yarn is super soft and so pretty! I love the subtle variegation. Anyhoo. Off to bed. Maybe next time I'll write about something other than knitting. Maybe not.

Dissappointment

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.

Spring Socks

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.

This week wasn't the most exciting week. Hopefully I will make some progress on the great t-shirt project this weekend. Tomorrow is Easter dinner at J&W's. As usual I am bringing asparagus. Three bunches this year, I hope it is not too much, but I was told 13 adults and 6 kids, so I think it will be ok.

Random Thoughts

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.

New Socks

Here are the Circle of Friendship socks that were the Amazing Threads sock of the month for January. I forgot to use the re-enforcing thread on the second toe, but I think I will live. I can't really tell when wearing them. I went to pick up the Feb. socks, and found out that they have switched to every other month! I was pretty bummed, but I have other socks to knit. I will attempt toe up socks using Wendy's detailed toe up pattern. I have also started Janet & Charlie's wedding afghan. There was much cursing during the cast on, but things are going along swimmingly now. The size 17 needles are a little big to be comfortable to knit with, but on the other hand it makes the knitting go really quickly.

Not much going on in other news, back to work tomorrow. Things should be settled down a bit since inventory will finally be over.

Here is what the crabapple tree looked like a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was really beautiful. Enjoy.

Seriously, it's only Tuesday?

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!

What I did on my Winter Vacation (from blogging)

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.

Made a baby blanket for Adelaide Elizabeth Bonsignore (birthday tbd)

GOT NEW WINDOWS!!!! And about darn time too. We still haven't fixed up the walls and done the paint touch ups, but the house is warmer so who cares?

Put up and then (a few weeks later) took down the Christmas decorations. The kitties liked it under the tree.

Spent Christmas in KC with the in-laws. A good time was had by all. (Everyone says thanks again for the coffee cake Dad. We've integrated the tradition into another family.)

Re-started the Happy Forest socks. I decided the pattern I was using was too tedious and made them plain instead. I am now about half done with sock number two.

Joined the Amazing Threads sock of the month club. I will pick up my first packet tomorrow.

Joined the Sock a Moth 5 knit-a-long, which can be found here for anyone interested.

Re-arranged the living room. I like it.

Got a new cell phone and new provider (Dumped Verizon, went to T-Mobile pre-pay and should end up paying less than quarter the amount per year. Yeah!!)

And now for cute kitties in baskets.

Yep

So remember when I did that one post, where I said that I post a lot more in my head? Yeah, well, most of this post has been rattling around up there for the better part of three weeks. Anyhoo.
I finally got into Ravelry which is exciting. It is a knitting/crocheting community with all kinds of nifty features like a place to keep track of all of the different needles you have (I only entered what I could remember off the top of my head, I really have so much more) and your yarn stash, and you can keep track of and show off projects, and make a queue of projects that you want to start. It is all very exciting. If you are on, I am Goodwitch.
In other knitting news, I finished my shawl, and I like it pretty well. It isn't exactly the half an afghan that I was looking for, but that might have something to do with it being a triangle. I thought about making it bigger, but I was getting sick of working on it so I stopped when the pattern did.

I have since started a blanket for baby Bonsignore and a pair of green socks for me.

Next, my yard in the fall! A couple of weeks ago, James mowed the leaves (yes, he mowes them) so that he could put down the fall fertilizer. But overnight the back maple did this!

I was also very happy with the way my mums came out this year. The color here is about right, maybe a little on the light side.

The orange and red looked great, the purple ones looked a bit out of place but still pretty, and what could I really expect when I planted them over a three year time and could never seem to remember what colors I had planted before. I could've taken a picture before now, but really, me, do something when I first think of it? That's crazy talk. I must wait until at least the third time that I think to myself "Hey, I should do..." Hence the infrequent blog postings.

Well, on to another day. I'll be thinking about telling y'all what happens. Maybe in a few weeks I'll get around to letting you know how that went.

Nifty

So here are the finished socks. I completed the second one Monday night and wore them on Tuesday. They are soft and warm and comfy. I am waiting for a new set of needles to arrive so I can start my second set next week.

Also on Tuesday we saw The Black Crowes at the State. It was a great show! They are not supporting an album right now (although a new one is due out next spring/summer) so they could do what they wanted. I find the best concerts are when no album is being supported or when the album is a greatest hits, so they can do more from the back catalog. They jammed quite bit, which was very cool. Rich (lead guitar) had broken his ankle the day before and so was playing from a chair, but if it affected the concert, it was only to make it shorter. Last time we saw them they played for almost three hours, but this show was right at two hours, and the encore was only one song. We also got cool shirts. Usually I make sure to take enough cash for a shirt, but this time I didn't plan on getting one as I got one last time. But when I saw them, I decided a second one was a good idea. I can't really describe it, it reminds me of an old west style "Dr. Jonas Smith's all natural remedy for everything" kind of ad. Pretty nifty stuff.

Look, a sock!

So here is my very first hand knit sock. Yippee! I finished it last Sunday, and am just over halfway done with the second. I have already ordered (and received) yarn for the next pair from The Loopy Ewe. It is Dream in Color smooshy sock yarn in Happy Forest. I am pretty excited, but I would like to make some forward progress on my shawl and make a tote bag or two to sell at the craft fair that my friend at work is going to and offered to sell stuff for me at. And I need to start and finish a baby blanket before Christmas so I can take it to KC with us. Although that is going to be entirely garter stitch on large needles with chunky yarn, so it really shouldn't take all that long to do.
Yesterday I finished the LYS shop hop, and it was fun. It is nice to know what the other stores carry and where they are, just in case I want a change of pace from Amazing Threads. It was built as a kind of treasure hunt, so each of the seven stores were giving out goodies. I got several useful things, but I am most excited about the bent tip tapestry needles. (they have a name, I just don't remember it right now) They are great for weaving in ends; the bent tip makes going under the backs of stitches much easier. I also won a door prize from Amazing Threads. It is a neat little bag with a chain stitch flower design. I am not sure what I will use it for, but is is pretty. Since I visited all 7 shops and got all the stamps, I am entered to win the grand prize/one of seven first prizes. They are all knitting/fiber arts tool kits, which sounds cool. While on the middle leg (I did it in three parts: two stores Friday, three Saturday with Mom and the last two Saturday after I dropped her off) I met Jill, who also frequents Amazing Threads, is in the sock of the month club there, seems super knowledgeable, and is nice to boot! So, a pretty good day. Today I am following up by working on my sock. I'll let you know when it is finished. And if I actually remember to do it (and can figure out how to light them more evenly) I'll post my new yarn acquisitions and shawl progress in photo form!

Sock!

Here is my progress so far on my first ever hand knit sock. I am pretty excited about it. I am taking a three week class, and this is what we learned to do in the first class. I only got about three quarters of the ribbing done in class and did the rest as homework. Tomorrow I will learn how to do heels, and at the last class we do toe shaping. I just realized that I took the picture with the sock upside down (which is how I am knitting it) the ribbing at the bottom of the photo is actually the top of the sock. Anyway, I really like the yarn, which is Trekking XXL in the raspberry dream colorway. I already have great plans to buy some more yarns from the Loopy Ewe in October to do future socks with. Hopefully the rest is as enjoyable as the start. I like being able to knit at work without having to haul something big and bulky around. At the same time, I am waiting at least until sock 1 is done and sock 2 is started before buying any more yarn, just in case I find out suddenly that I don't like to knit socks as much as I think I do. If this works though, Loopy Ewe gift certificates will be lovely gifts for years to come. (hint, hint)

Still Kickin'

I have a cold and it sucks and I took a half day at work to come home and sleep. That was nice. I have discovered that I am a knitter. I like to knit, I find it relaxing and fulfilling to make something that I could just as easily buy. I have just started on a shawl to wear around the house when I am cold (which is often when I am healthy, not so much this week). I a making it out of the prodigious amount of yarn that I have leftover from the afghan that I finished last year. Very exciting stuff, first project on circulars and all. I'm kinda sad that being sick usually means being dizzy or easily made dizzy, which does not lend itself to knitting. So I only got three or four rows done yesterday, and nothin' today. Hopefully tomorrow will be better on the head functioning properly front.
I have also found that making my own knit goods can cost quite a bit more than buying them. Which boils down to...I will purchase some sweaters from LLBean and save the knitting money for the baby and two weddings that other people are having next year and that I would like to knit gifts for. And I will take a class on how to knit socks. I am really looking forward to this, it sounds like a lot of fun. I have been reading knitting blogs lately, and there are lots of folks who knit socks because they are small, a nice break between larger projects and easy to take with.

Work has been busy with State Fair prep. If you go the the Fair, look for the MN Bound log cabin, thems my peeps. I'll be working there the 3-9 shifts of AUG 29 & 30, and the morning (9-3) of labor day if you want to say hi.

The River Challenge was fun, Tiring, and hippies should not necessarily be allowed to make the menu (Not a fan of Sunday's lunch), but fun. I got blisters in places (the palm of my right hand) that have never been blistered before. And REALLY big boats that don't slow down when they see 200 canoes and kayaks are jerks. But they were really only prevelant in the last stage. Good times, and I know that I can steer a canoe at least as well as James, if not better. We are both looking forward to the BWCA trip in a couple of weeks, It'll be nice to be in the woods rather than at work.

Harry Potter (no spoilers)

I read HP7 straight through, no real break, about 11 hours. Oh I cried in the last quarter. I felt awful still today. I have never had a book that affected me so. I feel profoundly emotionally raw. And I'm not just mourning for the characters that died (but how it hurt. No, not that one, please) but also for the ones that lived, like I've lost a dear friend. I have never in all my life felt so sad at the end of a book, series or not. I think that is a testament to the power of the writing and the grip of the story. Maybe I am too easily lost in a fictional world, maybe I need to get a life, but the end of Harry Potter is much harder to deal with than I expected it would be. At the same time, I am satisfied with the ending. JKR did what had to be done. It all makes sense. There are no loose ends. The only thing I wonder, and maybe I just missed it, is that she said there would be someone who comes to magic late in life, that the magic didn't show in until adulthood, and I didn't see that.

In other news of the weekend, while waiting for HP7 to get here from Amazon, we went to REI and got our very own paddles and tent. The tent is an REI Taj 3, and I am very excited. They let us set it up in the store so we could see how it went together and how roomy it is. It goes together super easily, and is definetly roomy enough for us and all our stuff. It even has an attic, a stretchy peice of netting across the top, under the netting "skylight" which will be handy for small, easily lost things. It also has several pockets on the inside, and two doors, each with it's own vestibule. I also got what I think will be a great pair of canoeing shoes from L.L.Bean. I think they will work out really well. I am not worried about the traction, even though the lady at REI said "you're not wearing those to the Boundary Waters are you?" They should dry quickly, be comfy both while in the boat and portaging, and they're cute. I might get another pair just 'cause I like 'em. And they come in red (I got the blue ones).

All in all, a Saturday well spent. Today, we went and tried a frozen custard place in Excelsior called Adele's. Pretty good all around. I enjoyed my chili cheese dog and James liked his BBQ pork sandwich and vanilla shake. The custard wasn't quite as good as the shake for some reason, and we agreed that Liberty frozen custard in MPLS has a better plain vanilla cone. He found one more custard place not far from here that we will try next weekend.

Thanks to Liz, I have learned how to change the background of my blog and I am happy and ready to be more adventurous in the future. Not much time to write now. Be sure to check out the links for the Mississippi River Challenge over on the right if you haven't already. More later, tell me what you think of the color choices. I am thinking of trying a background photo in the near future, but not this weekend, busy finding out if Harry lives or not.

Progress?

So this is where I left off re-finishing my desk, probably about 8 years ago. Yes, I am slow in finishing projects. I think its genetic. Anyway, the back and sides were also partially done. After about 4 hours of work yesterday, I think the sides, back and the left side of the inside may be ready for sanding. I hope on Wednesday to finish the inside and base, and get a start on the details between the drawers, and the trim (which is not pictured as it is currently detached from the desk) That is where the dremel will come in I think. Thanks again to the in-laws for that.

In other news this week, I finally found the Splendid Table podcast, which has apparently been going for quite a while, but I was to silly to spend the 6 seconds to find. I love Lynne Rossetto-Kasper. Her voice is so pleasant to listen to, and she knows so much about so many kinds of food! And she's local! And being local means that if she can get it at the grocery store, so can I. I have found podcasts to be one of the best things ever, as I frequently forget or am not home to listen to the shows when they are broadcast on the weekends. Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me! and This American Life are great ways to spend the commute. A weekends worth of podcasts plus a couple of episodes of Fresh Air get me through the whole week of driving. Thank goodness for NPR. (And also MPR, which while only one of these shows is produced here, still makes it possible for me to actually here them all on the radio when I remember.)

Last weekend we had a nice time with James' parents, who came up and stayed with us. On Saturday we went to the MIA and looked at their collection of Chinese artifacts, most of which were donated by the Dayton family. We also looked at their Impressionist galleries. We skipped most of the rest because it is just so much to see.
On Sunday we went to Picasso and American Art at the Walker. It was a really interesting exhibit. And big. They had about 140 pieces on view. I discovered that I actually do like Jackson Pollack and Jasper Johns. It is hard to tell if you really like an artist's work from one or two pieces in a book somewhere. But they had about 10 of each and I liked them all, though of course some more than others. There is a Jasper Johns in the regular galleries too, but I don't like it as well as the ones they had in the Picasso show.
Last night we had dinner at Saji-ya for James' birthday. I had a sushi platter for the first time ever. I really like sushi, but I am usually a little nervous about making a meal of it because I find the texture of certain fish really disgusting. Apparently yellow-fin tuna is not one I like, as it was the only thing on my plate that I didn't enjoy.
I really need to get going on re-finishing my desk, but I am worried that the humid weather will make things difficult, like getting the stain or sealant or whatever I decide to use to dry. Hopefully the humidity won't affect the stripping process too much, I would like to start in on that this weekend at the latest. I figure if I go at it for two solid days I should at the very least be able to get it stripped. There are some pretty fussy details so that's why I am giving two days for stripping. If I do manage to get it stripped this weekend, maybe I can finish it Wednesday, as I don't have to work on the Fourth of July.

Almost 30!

Not much news to report. I'm looking forward to the birthday fest on Saturday. Right now I am re-reading the Harry Potter books in anticipation of book 7 coming out July 21. I know I still have an month and a half, but I just couldn't wait to get started on the refresher that I do before every new release. I sped through 1-3 as usual, but book 4 is feeling longer than I remember, so I sill take a break to read Killing Pablo before I tackle book 5. I will probably take another short break between 5 & 6, which will hopefully end me up with just enough time to catch up on National Geographics before Amazon delivers book 7. Yes, I pre-ordered it a month ago. In other exciting news, the new Buffy comic (#4) comes out today. I will get it either today or tomorrow. I love the Buffy. I am nerd hear me roar.