A Beginning to the End

First...

Today ends Secret Pal 8. I've had such a wonderful time getting to know my pals and my participants. I'm SO looking forward to staying in touch with Stephanie. I can't wait to see baby pictures! As sad as I am to see this round end, I'm looking forward to Secret Pal 9. We've opened signups today over on the blog. Run quick and signup! It's going to be a blast!

Second...

I finished my first Scales Skin Sock this morning. I love everything about it. The pattern, the yarn, and the fit. I would have shown it to you on my foot but my legs are hairy.

I think this picture shows the detail better than any of the others I've posted. I've already cast on for the second and can't wait until the pair is finished so I can wear them.

Third...

I received my final package from Jennifer in the mail today. Her timing couldn't have been any more perfect. :-)

That's 2 balls of Sockotta, Twisted Citrus lotion and soap by Sunrise Soap Co, and a handmade dishcloth/washcloth and card. Since using the cotton yarn on the Scales Skin Sock I'm really looking forward to working with the Sockotta soon. I think I'll make matching socks for me and the girls. I'm off to shower now with my new soap. I'm so glad I was lazy today. Thanks so much Jennifer!

The D Word

Fear not my dear Polly! :-) I'm not loving using DPN's for my Pomatomus. BUT, it was the only way I could make gauge. PLUS, I have to say that this is the first sock pattern that has felt odd to me being worked Magic Loop style. Don't know why, but it just did. I bought this tonight while I was at the LYS since there seems to be a national shortage of 40" size 1 Addi Turbos.

And I can pretty much promise you that I'm only straying for this one pair.

I also picked this up at the LYS tonight...

Medium Fiber Trends socks blockers and 3 hanks of Fleece Artist Merino. Yes, I still have a serious addiction to Fleece Artist.

I really need to make it a point to get over to the LYS more often. Everyone there is always so awesome. Lisa was working tonight and I just love her to pieces. She's always as sweet as can be and I so enjoy chatting with her. I admire how Sue has chosen staff that reflect her personality so well.

Something New

Wanna guess what it is?


Why, it's Pomatomus! Finally. Or not. Depends on who you are I guess. I've been talking about doing a pair of these for months now. I had tried making Little Hank into a pair. Remember? He didn't play well with the pattern though. So I decided I needed to stick to the yarn I had originally bought for them. Gaia by Savvyminx Yarns. This yarn is to dye (tee hee) for. Butter soft. Go get you some.

Scales Skin Socks

This is the current SixSockKAL sock. I showed a picture of it the other day. It's coming along nicely. I chose to cast on 60 stitches and I think I should have cast on a few more. It's not tight through the leg, but it is tight over my heel. I normally decrease every round of the gusset instead of every other round to keep my socks from getting baggy in the ankle so I'm use to them going on a little snug but this is really snug. And I've decreased every other round this time. It's not impossible to get on so I definitely won't be frogging. Especially after knitting 7" of leg. The yarn is Country Sock by Filatura Lanarota in color 16. It is 45% cotton, 40% superwash wool, and 15% nylon and it is quite nice to work with. I'm also thinking that since cotton tends to stretch it will be better that it's a little more snug. I'm hoping anyway.

Seeing Red

Dan had a football scrimmage yesterday in Ogdensburg. Well, actually the JV team had a scrimmage. Dan wasn't allowed to play yesterday since he missed the first day of practice because his father thought it was more important to spend an extra day in Syracuse doing nothing than getting him back home for practice. Yes, I'm quite bitter. Dan's worked so hard all summer. He has a starting position for the opening day game this coming weekend for defense and is in the top three for offense too. No other freshman has ever been given a starting position. My little man is amazing. I'm so proud.

Anyway, even though we knew Dan wouldn't be playing we still wanted to be there so we drove 2 hours (one way) to watch the scrimmage. Dan was given the honor of operating the camcorder for coach. I have to say that I am in love with the coach. He's been fantastic with Dan. He's very encouraging and seems to have gone out of his way to make Dan feel special. With all that goes on with my crazy ex, it really means a lot that he has reached out to my baby.

We watched the teams throw each other around for the entire 3 hours and then hung with Dan while he grabbed a bite to eat at the tailgate party. When the bus pulled up we said our goodbyes and love yous and headed for the van. I hopped in and pulled the visor down to check my hair (hey, we were up by the lake and it was very windy) and couldn't believe what I saw. My face was red. I mean Santa Claus coat red. Fire engine red. Little red corvette red.

It still hurts today.

No, I won't be posting pictures.

I really look that ridiculous.

RED.

Hot Damn! It's Hot Socks!

So I was reading through the blogs of my wonderful co-hostesses and found that Patty had joined the Hot Socks Swap. Go ahead, take a look. Sounds like fun, no? I wasted no time getting signed up.

1)What do you prefer - solid, variegated or self striping? Variegated.

2)Favourite colours? Blues, purples, and pinks.

3)Are you a beginner, intermediate or experienced sock knitter? Experienced.

4)Tea, Coffee, or hot chocolate - what's your favourite? If coffee, what do you use to make it? I love Darjeeling teas.

5)Do you have a fibre preference? (i.e. Are you a yarn snob like me?) I love natural fibers. I don't like acrylic on my feet at all.

Well, what are you waiting for??? Go sign up! :-)

Butterflies Flutter By

We brought home some caterpillars from Aunt Noreen's last week in various stages of development. One was still nibbling on some milk weed. One had hung himself from the top of the cup and had built his cocoon by the end of the evening. And the third was already in his cocoon before we brought him home. This is what happened this afternoon...

One of our caterpillars hatched into a beautiful Monarch butterfly! Isn't he gorgeous? We brought him outside and he headed for the tomatoes...

He hung there for a couple hours while his wings dried out. He seemed pretty healthy. I hope he has a safe journey. I can't wait for the other two to hatch!

She Did It, She Did It!!!

I've been found. By my wonderful, amazing, sweet, incredible SP8 spoilee. I've been spoiling Stephanie for the past few months and she has found me. Stephanie and her husband are in the process of adopting a baby from Colombia and even through the stress of the adoption she's still managed to do things for others. Stop by her blog and say hello. I'm sure you'll be as enchanted with her as I am. :-)

I Did It, I Did It!!!

I finally plopped my butt down long enough today to start looking through the blogs of all the participants in our SP group. After what seemed like forever and a numb rear, I was about ready to give up. But then I saw this post. Hey, that's my card and CD!!! I was so psyched!

So, a HUGE thank you goes out to Jennifer for all the wonderful goodies! I hope she's had as great a time this round as I have. :-)

It's Been a Year Already???

Yup, it certainly has. I was thinking about it this morning and I have to say that I've more than accomplished everything I set out to do last year. I've made some wonderful friends that I'm so thankful for. ;-) I joined Secret Pal 6 and had such a great time. Not only did I go on to participate in SP7 & SP8, but I also hostessed as well. What an experience that is. I'm really looking forward to doing it again for SP9. I've kept up with the blog a lot better than I honestly thought I would too. I have a tendency to start things and not finish (remember the list of WIP's a few posts ago???) and I was afraid I might do the same with the blog. But I haven't and that feels really good. It also makes me look even that much more forward to the following year. :-)

Since it is my blogaversary, I figure it's only fitting to have a little drawing. :-) Stop by and say hi between now and Friday at noon. I'll throw your name into a hat and draw a winner some time Friday night.

Now, wanna see my blogaversary present to me?

It's the new SixSoxKAL and it's really fun. I've never done a hemmed cuff before and I really like it. I just might start using it more often. I love the picot edging. I'm working it from a ball of this...

I believe I'm using the one that's second from the left. I picked these up for $3.95 per ball from someone who posted on the knitswap list. Very nice yarn to work with. I expected it to be splitty but it's not. I wish I could remember who I got them from because I'd love to get some more now.

Here's To You, Mrs. Bidwell

Dear Shelby,

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a wonderful hostess. You've made this round of SP a blast once again.

I raise my Jreck's Cheeseburger Sub to you!

Your friend,

Kerry

Finito

Here's my take on Crusoe...

Here's a closeup of the stitch detail:

Just wait until I show them off on the new sock blockers I ordered. :-)

Belated Birthday

I was so busy that I forgot to post. I wanted to wish my wondeful hubby a very happy 30th birthday. We've been through a lot in the past year with the court battle for Dan and Darcie and he's been behind me 100% of the way. He's supportive and loving and I just don't know where we'd all be without him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

This picture was taken in March last year. Both Bran and Dailaesse look a little older now. ;-)

It's a Star! It's a Meteor! Nope, It's Just a Plane.

So Friday night I was talking to my Aunt Noreen. She's my dad's cousin (not sure why she's "Aunt Noreen" but I've called her that for as long as I can remember and it works so I'm not messing with it) and is an amazing lady. She will be 71 this September and has the energy of most 30 year olds. Anyway, she was having some trouble with her car and we were heading her way to grocery shop some time over the weekend so I told her we'd stop in so Bran could check her car for her. Bran and I were trying to decide when to go while I was on the phone. I asked if he wanted to go Saturday or Sunday. He said it didn't make any difference to him and that we could go both days if I wanted. He was being silly when he said this but Aunt Noreen didn't know that. So she said...

"Why don't you come down tomorrow and plan on staying out in the camper for the night?"

What a wonderful idea! She has a great camper and when she's not using it she leaves it setup in the backyard of her 58 acre tree farm. I checked with Princess Dailaesse to see if she was in or not and she couldn't wait to go.

I had a ton of stuff to do Saturday so I didn't leave until a little past 7pm. Bran followed me down since he had gotten a call earlier in the day to drive limo early Sunday morning. He stopped for marshmallows on his way. We got there and sat out by the fire and roasted marshmallows and told stories. It was so nice. Dailaesse played on the swing set and ran around until I thought she was going to flop. She decided she needed a drink and something to eat so we went in for some milk and crackers and cheese. We went back out for a little bit longer before Bran left and sat and watched the sky for the meteor shower that was suppose to be happening. I got so excited when I saw my first meteor. I pointed it out to Bran and Aunt Noreen. Bran then pointed out that it was a plane. I asked Aunt Noreen not to tell my cousin Scott since I still haven't lived down the salad spinner incident (will save that one for another day) from 6 years ago. Everyone had a pretty good laugh. I swear I never saw the red light flashing on the side of it. Bran left and Aunt Noreen and I took Dailaesse into the camper for bed. She layed her little her little head down and told stories and played with her flashlight. For about 5 minutes. Then she flopped.

Yesterday was spent walking and playing and eating. I don't know how Aunt Noreen does it, but everything she cooks is delicious. I hated to leave (which was why we didn't until almost 4pm) but we'll stop down to get her tonight on our way to get groceries (which we never did) and take her to dinner. I can't wait to see her tonight. She only lives about 45 minutes away but I wish she was across the street so I could see her every day.

Chub Club

While I was sitting on my arse awhile back reading through some blogs I came across one that really caught my eye. The blog owner had put a challenge out for people wanting to lose to weight. Now I know that this isn't out of the ordinary but what was out of the ordinary was how she was motivating people to lose weight. Everyone who joined had to send her money. I can't remember how much it was but I want to say that it was well over $100. This money would be held until a specified date at which time all participants would weigh in. The person to lose the most body mass would be the winner and all the money collected from all the participants would be their prize for winning. My immediate thought was that cash is a great incentive to lose weight. Think of all the yarn you could buy! My next thought was that a little public humiliation couldn't hurt either. Honestly, if I have to report in to someone each week I'm going to be damn sure that I'm working really hard to lose so I don't look like a slacker. So, I was all ready to sign up until I read that the money was due a week before I read the post and that signups were closed. Bummer. I've been trying really hard to lose weight since before Christmas. And I have. I've lost 19 pounds and I'm quite proud of it. But I'm stuck now. I need some new motivation. Which brought me back to cash and public humilation. Which prompted me to start this. Go on, check it out. What are you weighting for???

Finish What You Start

I know I'm not alone in this and I know my list of UFO's isn't as bad as it could be but...

These beauties were set aside to finish a pair of socks for Bran. Which I did finish but now have to repair. (No, I still haven't gotten around to that yet.) Anywho, these are Glad Ragg socks and were the sock for the SixSoxKAL several (ok, many) months ago. The pattern can now be found in the new Friendly Socks book.

This was set aside for the simple fact that I absolutely hate working with acrylic. I don't think I've done more than 5 rows on it since I posted a picture of it last. It will eventually become a wrap sweater for Dailaesse.

This sweater was started as a quick alternative to the white monster above. All I have to do is finish the last sleeve and assemble it. It is the Baby Bees pattern and I love how it's worked up. Very cute. I can't wait to take Dailaesse to choose the buttons for it. Unless I decide to put a zipper in it. That's still a little up in the air.

Then there's the Crusoe socks. I've completed the first and have just started the heel flap on the second. None of the above projects will be touched until I finish these babies. They are a special gift for a special friend and have to be done within the next week or so. With knitting time being so limited in the summer I know I shouldn't be starting anything else but Pomatomus and the Embossed Leaves socks from the IK magazine are taunting me.

And don't think that's the end of the WIP's either. There's also a vest that was started so long ago that it's buried so far in the back of the craft closet that it'll take me a year to get to it. And once I do it won't fit anymore because I was a lot smaller when I started it. Don't worry though, it's keeping a sweater I started for Darcie when she was 3 company along with an afghan I started for Dan when he was 5. That's right, the afghan is 10 years old.

Damn, I'm starting to feel really guilty.

We're Having A Heat Wave

Too. Hot. To. Knit.

Seriously. I've even planted my arse directly in front of the living room air conditioner and my hands are still sweaty and sticky. Yuck. My thermometer is in the SHADE and reads 101 degrees plus it's humid. Every pore on my skin was sweating while I spent 2 hours vacumming the pool for the kids to swim in for an hour, complain that it's too hot to be outside and then go in. Next year we're hiring a pool boy.

I finished the first Crusoe sock the other night and cast on for the second.

I decided to carry the pattern down the foot and am really glad that I did. I love the way the yarn finally decided to play nice with a pattern. It's suppose to be down into the high 40's by the end of the week. God I hope so. If it is I'll be finishing the pair then. If it stays like this it won't be done until December.

What a Croc

I have to tell you that I've never been one to follow fashion trends. I wear New Balance sneakers I've had for the past 4 years. The only reason I have these is because Bran threatened to burn my last pair of Nikes. I had worn them for at least 10 years. They had no holes and were so comfortable. Broken in just the way I like them. I will admit that they didn't smell pretty. And since they were 10+ years old they weren't the most fashionable. I still own and wear underwear that I bought before I had Dan 15 years ago. My current bathing suit was bought the year I was pregnant for him. For some reason, I just don't feel the need to be stylish. I mean, I like to look good, but I think most days I look just fine in my jeans/shorts and a tee.

The rest of my family likes to be stylin'. They follow all the trends and get sucked into the latest crazes. Like the Croc craze currently spreading through our sleepy little town. At first I refused to buy them. I thought they looked cheap and hideous. And they're flimsy. But then Dailaesse caught Croc fever and I just couldn't resist any longer. Since Darcie had also been wanting them I set out in search of a pair for each of the girls about 2 weeks ago. The one store here in town that carries them didn't have them in their sizes. I went to Lake Placid. Same deal. I got online. After spending 3 hours searching online stores I found the pair of turquoise Darcie wanted so I ordered 'em up along with a pair of Sea Blue for Dailaesse. I also ordered Off Road's for Dan in red and black for Bran. And these...


for me. I hate getting sucked in but I so love these shoes.

Little Hank Grows Up

The last time I was at Sue's I bought a gorgeous hank of Fleece Artist Merino. I have to be quite honest and tell you I think the poor little hank may have been a return. I believe this to be the case because it was the only hank of this colorway, it was wound oddly and it's definitely not one of the new colorways. Can you imagine anyone returning a hank of Fleece Artist? Must have been some sort of deranged lunatic. I felt so bad for the poor little thing that I just had to bring it home with me.

When I got home with the little skein I tucked it into a special spot in a nice clear plastic bin with lots of other Fleece Artist. It's sat there since I brought it home. Everytime I open the bin to add more yarn or take some out I see that little hank. I can only imagine what sort of terrible life it had before coming to live with me. I felt it's pain and I knew it was desperate to become something spectacular. So last week I took it out and wound it into a ball. The little hank immediately perked up.

I cast on for a pair of Pomatomus. I got through 2 pattern repeats on the leg and could tell that as happy as the little hank was to know it was loved, it still wasn't as happy as it could have been. (Am now back to working these socks in the yarn I originally bought for them.) So I ripped out the start of the sock (I wished I had taken pictures but really, it was so sad that it would have depressed you.) and decided to cast on for a pair of Diamond Lace Socks. Little Hank was much happier about becoming a pair of these because it really got to show off. Unfortunatley, the pattern didn't. (BTW Sandie, you really did a wonderful job designing these socks. I love the pattern and will be working it in a color that will allow it to do the showing off instead. I'm thinking a nearly solid Lorna's Laces.) So I ripped that sock out and went back to the drawing board and came up with this...

the Crusoe pattern from Knitty. As you can see, I've made a change already opting to begin with a little 2x2 rib before starting the slip stitch pattern. I also don't think I'll carry the pattern down the foot. Will let you know about that for sure when I get there though.

Knittin' Country

We had a local radio station that played country music a few years back. They called it Kickin' Country. I was immediately reminded of it when I received this from my secret pal the other day...

Thank you so very much Jennifer!!! I absolutely love it! I have to admit that when I saw the title I was thinking that it was going to be a bunch of really old country songs. Not that I don't like the really old country songs, but I do listen to the newer stuff more often. This mix is just perfect. Lots of new stuff with a few songs from the 90's thrown in. You really out did yourself! Now, if I find out that you don't listen to country I'm going to be even more impressed. LOL

I know lots of you are waiting to hear how things went for Dan and Darcie too. I have to first say that I can't wait until the judge that we have for our county is no longer on the bench. The man is a complete asshole. In fact, calling him a man is too good for him. BUT, the law guardian finally got off her fat ass and sided with the kids for once. This is the first time in 10 years that she has gone to bat for them. So, the visitation time has been cut in half which the kids are just thrilled about. They aren't the least bit happy that they still have to go but they are glad that it's not so often. The law guardian has promised to keep tabs on the ex's counseling status and we meet back with the judge in October to review the situation. I believe that for the next year or so we'll be going in every 3 months for a status check which is wonderful. The only sad part about it is that I really think it's too late for the kids to benefit from it. They've both said that they don't care if he gets help or not. They hate him and want nothing to do with him. The law guardian told Dan that he only has to go for another year so he's flying high. Poor Darcie is stuck though. I'm hoping that if he gets some counseling though that it will make a huge difference in the time she does have to spend there. All in all, I think it was a huge win for the kids. I haven't seen them so happy in a very long time.

Thank you all so very much for your well wishes and prayers. They certainly did the trick!