Well, knitting is a process, right? It's not all about the finished objects, is it? I keep telling myself that as I re-knit the sock I had 2/3 done. When I examined it last night, I was not real thrilled with the neatness of where I picked up the gusset. So, I ripped out the whole thing and started again. I am making the smaller size, unusual for me, but the larger size (co 72 sts) seemed too big. I have wide feet but this was too big for me. So, now I am just finishing the ribbing and ready to get started on the pattern. But there is good news, too. I just got my copy of On the Road Knitting by Nancy Bush. Amazon said they didn't have it so I had to buy a used copy and thankfully it is in good shape. Now I have a world of new socks to ogle and plan for. Yay for yarn dreams!

As I was reading some blogs at work on Friday, I came across Yarnation. The Duchess, who writes the blog, was describing how her husband reads to her while she knits and how pleasurable this is. I thought that was really nice and suggested to Peter Kevin that he could read to me and I cannot quite capture in words his response. He did, however, suggest that we could go to the bookstore and purchase Harry Potter on cd and I could listen to the cds while I knit. Now, that is one of my favorite ways to knit, listening to a good book but I felt it was very self-indulgent and said so. He said "Let me spoil you today". So, Kate and I went to the bookstore and purchased the new Harry Potter book read by a wonderful man named Jim Dale. He is amazing and has won several awards for his over 200 voices created for the HP books. So, it took forever to load them onto my mp3 player (the technologists in my family said load them to the computer first but I didn't listen) so they would be portable. During this time, very little housework got done, except laundry (clean underwear is a necessity) but I did manage to do some knitting( imagine that). I am loving the book. I never thought I would like to be read to but since I cannot read on the train(I get sick) I have become addicted to recorded books. Thank goodness there are hundreds available for download at netlibrary.


This is the hourglass lace sock pattern that I started on Friday night. Every new pattern I try teaches me something. What I learned this time is that I take a long time to learn a pattern and become comfortable with it. There is a lot of frogging in the beginning but usually I have success if I persevere. This is nice and stretchy and should fit my rather wide feet nicely without stretching the pattern all out of wack. I like it and I like working with the white yarn. It is so pretty and soft when knit up.
The sky is quite threatening right now. They are predicting heavy downpours today and I am looking forward to a quiet day indoors with Harry and the sock. I am going to put dinner in the crockpot very soon so even that will be taken care of. Now, if I could just get someone to do the little bit of ironing there is to do, the day would be perfect.
Have a peaceful day everyone.

Yay! The yarn I ordered for Olivia came today and now I can put together a box of New Jersey goodness to send her way. I was getting it ready when my husband reminded me that we aren't allowed to take boxes that are already closed up to the post office. They have to be open and they will close them there. They have to see the contents. How weird is that? I believe in national security but we are becoming a bunch of paranoid weenies.

I chose a sock pattern for my prize yarn. I am trying hourglass eyelet pattern from Magknits. I say trying because I have ripped it out twice because my stitch count seems to be off. I, of course, will keep trying until I get it. Kate is wearing her orange and red monkeys today and they look fabulous on her feet. I'd photograph them if she stood still long enough.

A good knitting weekend coming up. The weather is supposed to be rainy and yucky. Oh darn...

This was waiting for me when I got home from work today. Well, actually, it was in an envelope but I forgot to photograph it before opening it and the good stuff was all inside anyway. It is my prize from the drawing on the first rest day of the Tdf kal. There is some very soft white yarn for some socks for me (yay) and some point protectors shaped like little yellow socks. These are very cute and will come in handy when using the knitpicks dpns (the yarn tends to slip off of them when I put them down). Thank you Meg and Debbie! I have to finish thesefirst. They are the monkey socks for Kate that I put down to take part in the tdf kal. I have one more repeat of the pattern and then the toe decreases. That shouldn't take too long, (I hope!). After they are done, I can start a pair of socks for me. Maybe the waving laces pattern (from 25 favorite socks), I really like the way it came out the first time I tried it.

In other knitting news, Olivia and I are involved in a swap and let me tell you how hard it is to find yarn that is local to New Jersey. I finally found some lovely yarn but it is from Pennsylvania. Since it is within a day's drive, I figure it qualifies as local. My family is having a good time suggesting local items to put into the box. Unfortunately, it is high summer here and I have to be careful not to put anything meltable in there. Sending yarn to Australia seems a little strange, 'cause don't you all have lots of sheeps there? Anyway, I am waiting for my order to arrive and then I will pack it up and ship it out. I love sending packages. It feels like Christmas.

Here they are for their internet debut, the Tour de France kal hiking socks! Yay! They are finished and Peter Kevin says "they feel like socks". I take that to mean they are comfortable. The photo is a little blurry and I tried to crop it but let's just say today is not a good technology day and leave it at that.

I took the pattern measurements from Interweave knits 25 favorite socks and then modified it to make my husband happy. He really didn't like the idea of snowflakes (or any other design) on his socks. He does like the stripes and the feel of the wool. I used yarnart crazy color number 102 and size 3 dpns to get the size I needed. I think they should be taller but he likes them like this. I have some nice plain brown that I want to use to make another pair. It felt strange making socks this thick after all of the nice, thin, sock yarn. It feels even stranger going back to the orange monkeys that are in the process of being knitted now.

I am so glad the work day is over. Mondays are my tough day. I help a psychiatrist run a medication clinic in the morning for individuals with mental retardation who have mental illness and then a quick lunch and a clinic with a different doctor for individuals with "only" mental health problems. There is very little down time and it is exhausting by the time it's over. On Tuesdays, I have one afternoon clinic (during the school year, I supervise social work interns) and on Wed and Thurs, I run groups for our social rehabilitation program. Thurs afternoons and Fridays are paperwork and meeting days (we all LOVE meetings).

The temperature outside has dropped into the 70's and it makes me want to cast on a sweater for me. But I know the weather tomorrow is supposed to be back into the 90's and I won't want to pick it up and knit it. (sigh). It will have to wait for the fall.

I had hoped to have a finished pair of socks to show for today but that is not the case. Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days that we have had this summer and Peter Kevin and I went for a drive to Lancaster, PA for the day. Lancaster is the home of a large community of Amish folks and it is some of the most beautiful farmland in the country. As we were drivingI realized that I forgot to bring the camera and of course, saw terrific photo opportunities all day. We like to drive there because there is a farm market with the best apple/cherry cider and we love it. They also have other food items that are not in our regular stores and every few months we treat ourselves to a drive to shop and look at antiques and quilts and lovely hand made items.
Now for the reason the sock is not finished. First, I made a Christmas gift this weekend while my daughter is away at her anime convention. I wish I could post a photo because it is great but she reads this and I am determined to hang on until Christmas. I am not good with the whole waiting thing. I like to give gifts and want to give it to her NOW but I am really trying. The second reason is that after 25 years of marriage, my darling husband still likes to hold my hand and I cannot knit with one hand so I put the knitting down and held his hand while he drove. I know, I know but I like holding his hand. I had to rip out three rows of the sock when I discovered I had made a mistake I could not figure out (hard to do in stockinette stitch) and I am in the process of finishing the last bit before the toe decreases. Hopefully today will be the day and I can post a finished product tonight.
Today is just as lovely as yesterday but the chores are screaming at me. Someone has to do the laundry(I already went shopping) and the house needs a sprucing up if not a full on cleaning. I straightened and lightly dusted and cleaned the floors. Isn't that enough? Can I knit now?

So, I took the spirit animal test and found out I am a grizzly bear (y'all better watch out!) but I have been unable to post the results of the "test" on the blog. There's something wrong with the html and since I don't understand, I can't post the photo, just the text. Oh, well. I should be working anyway and not taking silly tests online.

"Your spirit animal is the Grizzly Bear. No other spirit animal matches it's size and strength. This creature is among the noblest and most respectable, and you are truly fortunate. It is both fearsome and awesome to behold. It will serve you well, and shows that you have a deeper understanding than most. It is quite rare indeed to have a Grizzly as a spirit animal!

***Wondering how this animal was chosen for you? These questions were carefully thought out to see how important you hold certain virtues such as: humanism, self-knowledge, rationalism, the love of freedom and other somewhat Hellenic ideals. Some of the questions were very subtle. Your score was then matched with an animal of corresponding nobility. However, you shouldn't think this was a right/wrong sort of test, but more of an idealistic values test. It's ok to not hold these values, you'll just get an animal spirit of lower stature if you do!*** "

I am knitting away on the hiking sock. I was at a seminar yesterday and got to tell the women around me all about the kal and what I was doing. It was cool because I think they were really interested. At least, they asked a lot of questions.

I think the antibiotics are working although it's hard to tell. In the past, I have been fooled into thinking things were getting better when the little germs were working their way down into my skin so we will wait to make a judgement.

I must do some work now. They do pay me afterall.