These are finished waving laces socks on Emily's feet. It's hard to see the stitch pattern but you can get a sense of the openness and the color. She is very happy with them and so am I. For some reason I had a very difficult time with this pattern even though it is not really hard. I think part of it was that I am not used to charts. I only used 2 repeats of the pattern instead of the 31/2 called for. Emily does not like tall socks so I made it short. I would make the pattern again.

I am waiting patiently for the tour de france to start but I need a pair of socks to work on so it is back to the opal. I have the ribbing done on one sock and am starting the leg. It is mindless knitting and feels right just about now.

Well, I had planned to post a photo of the finished waving laces socks but Emily has them on her feet at work. She promised to roll up her pant legs all day and show them off but I am having trouble believing her (she works at an auto parts store and they aren't known for their sense of humor). I was so glad to finally finish them. The second sock went along so much easier than the first. It took only a few days (darn that work day that always gets in the way). Now I am excited about the tour de france kal. I cast on the socks to try out the yarn. It is worsted weight and I wasn't sure how it would work. I did the first little bit and it seems to be ok. Harder to work with though. Now I will put it away until the start of the tour. I can go back to working on my opal socks with the self patterning yarn. I ripped out the half I had done because I didn't like the way it was coming out and will start on slightly smaller needles.
The weather is about perfect this weekend so I am going to get the rest of the weekend chores done and sit outside with my socks and knit.
Happy Sunday!
PS I almost forgot--I won a drawing on Sheepish Annie's blog. I sponsored her efforts in a relay to raise money for cancer research and I won one of the prizes. It is a gift certificate to a very cool store. The prize is just gravy, the real thrill is helping someone raise money for research. There are cancers running through both my husband's and my family and every bit of money that helps find cures is appreciated. Thanks Anne!

This is the project I have chosen for the Tour de France kal. It is a pair of hiking socks for my husband. Connection, you ask? Well, mountains are for hiking and the race winds through the mountains, n'est pas? Peter Kevin doesn't want the snowflake pattern on the socks (snowflakes are not for hiking socks) so I chose a brown and white mixed wool/acrylic yarn. I think it will probably stripe. It's a little thicker than what I am used to for socks and I hope that the thickness makes the pattern go quicker. I even got new metal knitpick dpns. Yay! No more broken needles in the middle of a project. This is my first kal and I am excited.

At work things are crazy. Our departments are changing and I am juggling almost 100 clients (with treatment plans due every 4 months and phone calls and forms to fill out and services to find and.....) you get the picture. We had 2 doctors leave and two are out on paternity leave so that leaves 2 to cover everyone. There are 2 new psychiatrists starting in the next couple of weeks. While that is good, it means that my 3rd clinic will once again be open for business. I love my job and don't mind being busy but some days it is difficult to sit down and just breathe because everyone needs something at the same time. But then someone says "thank you. I really needed you and you were there" and somehow it is all right. I don't know what I pictured myself doing as a child but being a social worker wasn't it. I am glad stumbled into it.

Today, June 19, 2007, ends an era of my life. My youngest child graduated from high school tonight and my chest gets tight thinking about it. While I am glad I will never have to utter the words "I don't care if you think the assignment is stupid, just do it" again, I will miss the concerts, plays and general school events. It has been a long time coming and the pride I feel at the sight of my Katiebaby sitting on the field (under a very threatening sky) was overwhelming. I am so proud of the young women my girls have become. My family is my life and it is indeed wonderful. Now, she is off for an all night graduation party sponsored by the school at a local college rec center and though she will come home afterward, she is not the child she was. In her place is a young adult with wonderful values and skills to share with the world. Look out world, here comes Kate!

Kate, Emily and I are signing up for the Tour de France knit along. It sounds like fun. I think I will find a pattern for my yellow/orange sock yarn and challenge myself to finish during the tour. Kate is thinking about making a beret and we found an easy pattern for her to try. Em is thinking about a wip that she wants to challenge herself to finish. The cool part is while it is competitive, it is mostly competing with yourself. Let the bontemps roule!

I learned today that I can knit in the car, sometimes. I am a notoriously bad traveler. I get carsick reading maps. I am ok if I am the driver but I am an awful passenger. Today, Father's Day, we took Peter Kevin to Smithville Inn for brunch. It was a lovely day, hot and sunny with a nice breeze. Hot enough to make our ice cream melt all over but not so hot we couldn't walk around. Kate and Emily had fun riding the carousel. You can't see it but Kate is on an emu. It was a small carousel but very beautiful. During the ride down I worked on sock 2 of the waving laces pattern and didn't get sick once. Some kind of miracle was occuring. I usually can't knit too much on the train to work. Maybe the ride is too bumpy. I know I have a lot of trouble keeping the stitches on the needles while on the train. I do it anyway because people always ask what I am doing and I can spread the knitting gospel.
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there (and mothers who fill in for absent fathers).
PS Thanks Bells for showing me how to set up the links!

Do you see this? Do you know what it is? It is sock no. 1 of the waving laces pattern. It took forever and I didn't make it as long in the leg as the pattern calls for because Emily doesn't like tall socks. Its sibling sock is in the starter stages. I cast on earlier and have finished the cuff and am ready to start the leg pattern. This was the first time I used the kitchener stitch toe and I really like the way it looks when it is done. I finished the sock at night and was trying to get the colors right because they are so pretty. I think these are pretty close but I had to put the sock on top of my clock radio right under the bed lamp to get enough light! From now on, photos get taken during the daylight hours. The important thing is that Em likes her sock.

Tomorrow we are going to the Smithville Inn for brunch for Dad's Day. Peter Kevin likes the place and it is his day. He and I went there last October for our 25th anniversary. It is a restored Inn and shops. You can buy local wines and foods and other crafty goodies. I am looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it is supposed to be in the 90's tomorrow. I'll take my camera and try to get some photos of the beautiful grounds.