I meant to post this sooner, but I was busy working!
I got this package in the mail the other day from my secret sockpal, and it's super awesome! Sweets, fabric, authentic New Zealand goodies, and most importantly: beautiful handknit socks (and in my favorite color, too!) yay! I should say, I've been a little obsessed with New Zealand since I watched Heavenly Creatures.
Awesome! Thanks Susan, the socks fit perfectly. They'll be wonderful when the weather starts cooling down. I had to take them right off because unfortunately my air conditioner broke again and I didn't want to get them all sweaty! (It broke on almost the same day last year!)A big 'thank you' is in order to Alison for organizing such a huge swap!
They've been finished, sent, received, enjoyed (I think) and finally documented.
Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt (IK Winter '05 and also Favorite Socks) Supplies: Yarn: Rowan Cash Soft 4ply in Cream. Needles: size US2. Mods and whatnot: I did a few extra repeats of the pattern on the leg, to use up yarn (I bought 3 balls, and only used 1 ball per sock.) I also opted to use a short row heel instead of the heel flap used in the pattern. This is just a personal preference, I think it feels nicer against the foot with shoes on, and I think it looks neater too. I did use the star decreases on the toe and I thought that looked really nice.
These socks are so soft and luxurious in Cashsoft 4ply. Seriously. I had a hard time letting go! I enjoyed knitting these so much that I started another pair for myself on the trip down to the Outer Banks last week. Pictures to come!
My sock pal contacted me! How exciting. Now I'm so curious! I'd love blog-stalk the person I'm knitting for, but she doesn't have a blog. I guess I could e-mail her cryptic messages to get a little thrill, but I can't think of anything cryptic or thrilling to say.. Anyhoo, here's what I'm making for her. I was wrestling with 3 different patterns - Monkey & Hedera from Knitty, but after seeing alison's Embossed Leaves socks, I made up my mind:
In Rowan Cashsoft 4ply. Yes very soft. Yes I want to keep them.
Mods so far: PGR short row heel. I'll probably do the toe as stated in the pattern to finish off the leaf pattern. I'm also making them quite a bit longer than the pattern states, simply because I bought an extra ball of the Cashsoft 4ply, and I have no use for it once these socks are finished. I'll send the leftovers to my pal, in case she needs it for any repairs!
I'm also knitting something else. Well I'm always knitting something else. But this is something I just started:
Familiar? Yea, I'm not the happiest kid at camp right now!
You see, Jon left his socks on the coffee table in the family room for some reason. My laptop was a little warm and melted a candle, which created a pool of hot wax, which got all over one of his socks. I tried to salvage the sock but it was a lost cause. So I'm making him a new one. He better keep them in a drawer this time!
Well I'm gonna go. I'm kinda spazzy today so this post is riddled with grammar & spelling errors and I'm getting tired of correcting them. Please try to overlook them.
I just came back from mailing some packages and dropping Devan off at the bus stop. Would you like to see my packaging?
and a shot of some of the tags I pressed last night (no ink, wood type. One of my favorite things in the world):
I just checked the mail and luckily my yarn has arrived. I'm trying to settle on a nice lace pattern now. Hopefully I'll have made up my mind and started by the end of the week and can show you a picture.
In my last post I said I'd be back tomorrow. I lied. I was busy. My brother and my Mom came to visit for the weekend. On Saturday we took the train into the city, and from there we took the subway to Coney Island. We ate hot dogs at Nathan's and walked around on the boardwalk for awhile. It was a really nice day, but a little too chilly for the beach. I will say though, I LOVE sitting and listening to the waves. Someday I need to live near the ocean. It's one of my favorite things, listening to the waves break. Why I only do it once or twice a year is a complete mystery to me. Life's too short to not regularly do the things you enjoy doing.
And here's a picture of Devan (and part of my thumb, whoops!) by the gigantic tulips near the boardwalk.
After our long afternoon in the city, we went out to this nice restaurant, Attilio's Kitchen. It was so cute inside, and the food was pretty good. We couldn't stay long, but it wasn't a problem.
After dinner we came back to our house and watched a movie, and then I was pooped so I went to bed. Sunday we went out to breakfast for Mother's Day, and then my family had to leave.
Now everything's normal and boring again. I put another card up at my etsy shop. I'm kind of 'meh' about this one. I've also been working on packaging, to get everything just right before I send out the orders. I planned to use my gocco for a couple small things, and my last 4 bulbs were duds so I'm not sure what to do while I await the arrival of my new bulbs from Japan. Maybe I'll just send them out without the extra embellishments. I don't know.
I bought some yarn. That's always fun. It's Opal Tiger stripes.
I've been working on jaywalker socks. I haven't had batteries to take a picture. No, they're not for my sock pal, they're for me! I'm also working on another pair of socks for me:
I'm still waiting for my yarn to arrive for my sockapalooza socks, but it's coming from England so I thought I'd keep myself busy with socks for myself.
These yellow socks are from Debbie Bliss Living Simple or Simple Living, I can't remember the title. I've used Baby Cashmerino and I'm using PGR short row heeels and toes, and I've made the leg quite a bit longer than the pattern says to.
People on the sockapalooza blog are going nuts because they haven't heard from their pals and whatnot. I usually don't send a ton of messages unless my pal's prefs or sizing confuses me.
That said, my pal was very, very clear about what she wants and doesn't want, and I'm starting to feel bad, like I wasn't clear enough about what I like. So this is for you, mysterious sock pal:
I'm sorry if I was so broad that you're having trouble picking a pattern or yarn or anything else. I just look at this exchange as a chance to get something new, that I might not have ever tried for myself. After all this isn't 'commission the socks of your dreamsapalooza' But here are a few notes about what I like:
Some favorite sock yarn brands: Cherry Tree Hill & Lorna's Laces. I tend to do short row heels & toes for my socks, but I'm open to any patterns. My favorite color is pink, but I also love aqua & brown together, and I'm also really into orange right now. (But again, I'm up for anything)
One thing I don't like is socks with crazy embellishments. I like simple, understated, comfortable, classy things. If you have any questions, send me a message -and thanks for knittin' me some socks!
1. I don't like Entourage
2. I'm psyched about the sock exchange. I've decided I'll make these. Maybe out of Rowan Cashsoft 4ply or a beige-y Koigu solid.
3. I don't think Carlos Mencia is funny at all.
4. I want to work on my press right now but a. it's late b. i have nowhere to put drying stationary c. i'm kinda tired.
5. I've had terrible allergy/cold problems for over a week.
6. I want to have another baby and I'm jealous of everyone with babies, even though I have 1 child.
7. Grey's Anatomy is getting stupid and I don't like the episode that aired tonight (the 2 hr special where addison goes to LA)
8. I have a dentist appt. at 9 am tomorrow. BLAH.
9. I miss my Ohio people.
10. Devan's finally feeling better!
-(8-08) LIKING:
baking, my bed, sleeping in my bed, indian food, my birthday, Ricky Gervais, tenament museums, linen, Air (the french band), Hugh Laurie, Intervention, babies, Iron & Wine, Clive Owen, buttered toast & strawberry jam, letterpress, Yeats,
Robin's egg blue, Fabrizio Moretti, 30 Rock, mini-pigs, hotel chevalier, steak, Paul Rudd, spring cleaning, tea, young Paul Newman, pigs, Quebec, Foreign Films, ginger ale, Rohinton Minstry, Montclair NJ,
modern simple quilts, sewing animals, summer, hating infertility, white on white, paper, cute french & japanese things, stamps and ink
