Cranky Pants and My First Sock

Well I had on my cranky pants last week.  Hub decided to help me change my mood so over the weekend he took me to Milk and Cookies, bought me my favorite candies from Jacques Torres, and accompanied me on a knitting related wild goose chase.  He was even disappointed when I walked out of The Point empty handed.  By the end of the weekend I felt much better.  That Hub is a good guy.

Even though the bulletproof poncho is languishing and this blog is still without pictures, good things are on the horizon.  Rhinebeck is almost here and I have made major progress on my first sock.  I am knitting it out of red Valley Yarns Huntington.  For the “pattern” I am using the sock cheat sheet from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s Knitting Rules.  Last week it was moving along well and then I realized that I had made a mistake on the leg and that it was going to be too big.  It got ripped out at 7:00am in a McDonald’s parking lot. 

Right now I am getting ready to start the heel flap.  Because my numbers are different than in the book, I am a little concerned about figuring out how to turn the heel.  However, after doing all those Fuzzy Feet, I should be able figure it out eventually.

Amazon Package, Crazy Hair and KIPing

The package from Amazon turned out to be a book from a very nice friend.  No it was not a knitting book.  I have not gotten a new knitting book since I picked up the most recent Yarn Harlot book at the signing.  The library has not added anything interesting to their collection recently.  I am seriously jonesing for a new knitting book.  But you know I just do not need one.  Anyway, to make matters worse, the local bookstore appears to have hired someone who knows about knitting and crochet because that section has suddenly improved enormously.  I was in there last week and there were at least six books that needed to be added to my collection.  Normally there is nothing I want.  I nearly fell over with joy.  Hub had to drag me out of there.  

I got my hair cut shorter.  My hair is just wavy enough so it is not straight but not wavy enough to actually be curly.  In the past I kept it long to pull out the wave and make it more manageable.  However, now in these more enlightened times my hair dresser and I are trying to work with what my Mamma (and Poppa) gave me.  Until I get a bit more skilled with managing this new style, I have super fluffy hair.  A friend kindly said to me,   “Oh, wow, uh, your hair is very, uh, full.”  Which I think can be interpreted best as “OMG you look like a bobble head.”  I also learned that if I have a lot of product in my hair and fall asleep on the couch, when I wake up my hair will stand straight up.  Back in my Goth wannabe days this would have been very useful information.  Now, not so much.        

Yesterday and today I got to do one of my favorite things – KIP (on the pattern whose name shall not be mentioned, oh, you know, Fuzzy Feet).  Every once in a while I will be over on Ravelry and come across some comment or thread about someone reluctant to KIP because people will look at them or something.   The only people who ever look at me when I am knitting on the train or wherever, are either interested in it or completely bored.  This is one of the benefits of living in an urban area-in order to draw attention to yourself you need to do something totally outrageous and knitting just does not cut it as outrageous.

Yarn Harlot and Conquering the Fear of Fuzzy Feet

Yarn Harlot book signing

Originally uploaded by fairgirl

 

The day of the Yarn Harlot book signing did not begin well for me. I thought I lost my cell phone. It had actually fallen under my car seat but it was on vibrate and it took awhile for me to hear the low hum. Some things that put a pit in your stomach are amusing a few days later. Well, not this.

The day turned around once my friend and I headed off to the book signing. He is not a knitter but we both enjoyed Stephanie’s talk. She really connects with the audience. I hope that one day she begins publishing fiction.

Being surrounded by lots of sock knitters energized me. I went home and picked up the fuzzy feet again. That first slipper is looking good. My desire to knit socks has been reignited. Suddenly visions of knitting socks are dancing in my head and sock patterns are powerfully attractive.

Yet Another Knitting Blog

I admit it, I am not one to jump on bandwagons.  Indeed, I am not one to usually act without thinking things through.  So this leaves me as the last knitter in the free world with access to a computer to start a blog.  When I went to see the the Yarn Harlot last year and she asked how many people had blogs I was stunned by the number.  Apparently I was one of the few blogless knitters there.  This piqued my interest but did not make me reconsider my blogless state.  No, it was Ravelry that finally  pushed me into considering a blog.  Why?  Because it made me finally open a Flickr account and learn to do all sorts of computer type things I had never done before.  A blog seemed a short technological step and still I did not take the plunge.  Then my good friend Vin came up with the blog name.  Still no blog from me. 

What finally pushed me into starting this blog was Superbowl Sunday.  Ever since the Buffalo Bills broke my heart, I have had no time for football.  Also, as I know of at least three yarn stores having sales and/or events on Superbowl Sunday, game day seems to have become some sort of underground knitting holiday.   As I sat waiting for commercials and eating cupcakes, finally I fired up the computer and set up an account.  Lest, anyone think my technological skills have progressed too far, I cannot get Flickr to cooperate to add a picture.  Well at least I started!