Gratuitous puppy¹ pick:

Unfortunately, that face means she either needs food or to go out.

- M

¹Er, this particular puppy is actually 11 years old. But lately, especially when frolicking with the 9 month old lab next door, she doesn’t seem to act like it.

May I just say - wow!

I just received my first yarn shipment from the Three Irish Girls’ Sock Yarnista sock club.

It is called Lady Slipper. And I was afraid it would be too “girly” for me, but it’s a perfect mix of soft and rad.

I don’t have the photographic technology to show how gorgeous it is. Yum.

- M

Have you ever had one of those projects that you just love knitting and can’t wait to share with the world?

Of course you have!

This will be sock number 1 of Spring Forward from Knitty, using the “Happy Forrest” colorway of Dream in Color Smooshy. The pattern, for some reason I don’t know, is just a wonderful knit and the yarn is, you guessed it, a dream.

Love.

- M

These are my “one-eared” memory socks, in honor of Van Gogh and to remember the time I used to be so obsessed with him and his paintings:

The colorway is called Van Gogh and it is yummy from Miss Babs. I can not say enough about how beautiful this yarn is, or how nice it was to work with.

Details. Have there been any discussions about how difficult it is to take pictures of your own feet? Because seriously. It took me 40 minutes to get some and the results were either too dark or blurry or…bleh.

Also, I’m working on Sheldon and it is making me totally angry. I’m finding the pattern to be really fiddly and the amount of sewing involved is too much for me. (Any sewing is too much for me.) I don’t want to hate a turtle this much. Turtles are my friends.

So until he learns to behave himself I’m putting him away. And sticking with socks. Socks are good.

- M

My little surprise couldn’t wait. I decided to make use of some left over blank CDs for photo transportation in order to reveal what I now have included in my fiber life: crochet!

That is my swatch, featuring single, double, triple, half-double, and scallop stitches. Or, if you will, my decorative headpiece:

Gah, look at me. I’m prancing. In a crown. A pink, crocheted crown. What has my world come to?

Thus far, my crocheting has only produced one F.O., and it is purely to make my knitting more successful. I made a yarn cake holder:

I’m going to be a bad knitting blogger and just assume everyone can get to Ravelry to see the details. It is my subtle way of forcing the use of Ravelry (or slowly alienating my audience).

More crocheting, or at least knitting, will happen, now that I’m all moved in. Next up? Astonishing amounts of tiny crocheted creatures, mostly with which to decorate my office.

Also, today is my first day of wearing hand-knit socks. At first, I was unsure, but now it is every bit as glorious as I’ve been told it would be.

- M

For those of you still hanging on, never fear. I will post again one day. I moved from Cincinnati (ish) to Traverse City, MI. That killed my time to knit. Then today I began my grown-up job.

However, I have no internet access at home (and won’t until the 19th) and no wireless at work. So in order to take pictures of my knitting and post them, I’d have to go the library or something on a non-work day.

So hang in there. I will resume commenting soon and posting a bit after that.

Just to keep you moderately interested, I have acquired a new skill and put it into practice. Oh yes indeed. Stay tuned to find out what. I’m sure you all can’t stand the antici……pation.

Make your momma sigh.

- M

Monday morning I had my master’s defense and I passed. Oh sweet, sweet relief. July 7th I start my new job. I told myself if I reached both those goals, then I could get my next tattoo. And yesterday, that is what I did.

It is an olive tree on the outside of my leg with a dove on the front of my shoulder. It’s my first time getting color and I love it. The dove is full color but most of the color on the tree will lighten/fade/soften as it heals, which is what I was going for.

I’m not even going to bother pretending it didn’t hurt. Around and over my ankle bone. Across my Achilles tendon. And on my shin. Yeah. Last night I couldn’t even put much weight on that leg, but today it feels amazingly better.

The outline is on and I’m getting ready to experience some serious hurt.

Ouch.

Outline done. Time for shading.

Dove time. Honestly, I barely felt it. Comparatively, it was nothing.

Dove of war.

I pledge my allegiance.

Finished dove.

Finished tree.

Tattoos five and six. With my fav pooch in the background.

Maddi is 11 today. Happy Birthday Maddi! What did I get her? A trip to the vet.

- M

After a very long time, I have finally finished my “first” socks:

Those are the sock blockers I made out of some placemats. Details on how to make yours here. I hope to make some funkier ones soon. I had the idea to decoupage some with yarn labels.

The socks took so long because I had several “must finish” items between starting them and now. Including the socks for my dad. So technically these are my first pair started, my second pair finished.

Specs:
Pattern - Railroad Rib Socks (Ravelry link)
Size - Size 9 (men’s) feet
Yarn - Araucania Ranco Multi in 306
Needles - Harmony and Boye DPNs, Size 1

I wish I could be bothered to shave my legs more often so I could show some skin. Good thing I’m getting a rockin’ tattoo on my lower leg soon - that’s all the reason I need.

- M

My “Clap for Kate” is finally, finally done.

It felt like it took forever, yet I really enjoyed it. The straight rows got to me and I put it down for a long time, but eventually I finished. It was also hard to get a good picture of so much solid red. A variegated color breaks it up much better.

I made it for the chair of my MA committee and I think I just lost the steam along the way. The pattern is so beautiful though and in a smoother, less “grippy” yarn, it would be nothing but a joy.

Specs:
Pattern - Clapotis (Ravelry link)
Size - Huge (8 balls)
Yarn - Elsebeth Lavold Classic Al (50% alpaca, 50% wool) in Aged Wine (022)
Needles - Addi Turbos in Size 8

Now to buy some Blue Moon Fiber Arts Twisited in Lagoon for some clap of my very own.

- M

For yarn goodness that goes to a good cause, there is currently a Malabrigo raffle happening to benefit breast cancer research. Go to the Ravelry group or her blog to see all the details. If you donate money, you can be entered to win some amazing prizes. And even if you don’t win, you’ll help the search for a cure. If you let her know you donated and that you found the information from me, I’ll get an extra entry too. I love these raffles. It feels good to help out anyway and then the potential bonus of yarn is fun. When I don’t win, then, it doesn’t matter, because good things still came from it.

And I just wanted to take a few moments (while still having no F.O.s because of how amazingly long they all currently take) to pimp a new sock club that is beginning. Three Irish Girls now has the Sock Yarnista club. I’d been in search of a sock club for a while now that was both affordable and quality. This club is both and then some.

There are a lot of things that are amazing about this club:

• Monthly billing is an option, which makes it so much easier to justify.
• You have the option of picking your next shipment from a variegated or a semi-solid colorway, or letting them surprise you.
• Each shipment comes with a pattern.
• The colorways are exclusive, but members can buy more of the colorway at a later point for larger projects.
• There are a variety of sock yarn types and weights, so that will get people like me out of the “superwash merino fingering” rut.
• Sometimes extra goodies will be added, which is never, ever a bad thing.

Plus I talked with one of the owners and she said that she also has feet as big as mine and therefore the yardage is always going to be plenty adequate for nice long cuffs. That is the number one thing I end up looking for, even before it being superwash. I’d rather handwash socks that are big enough then have to buy extra skeins just to fit my feet.

Sign-ups are open now with the first shipment heading out in July. The company has a great reputation and has had clubs before, just not for sock yarn. So if you are looking for a reason to join a sock club (and, seriously, who isn’t?) this just might be the perfect one.

Oh yarn…you’ll be the death of me. The sweet, sweet death.

- M

Also, my friend who drew my icon of me knitting now has his comic site up. Click on my icon or head over to Rescue Archaeology to see his awesome comics.