K's socks are almost done! I'm down to the start of the toe on the second one. I should have pictures soon. K has always had excellent taste; his care packages in college were the BEST. Godiva truffles + useful things = heaven to a broke college student. I still have (and wear on one of the three cold days a year we have here in Florida) a periwinkle blue sweater he gave me one year. The colors he picked out for these socks continues his trend of good taste: the main color is Snowshoe and the contrast color is Jacquard, in KnitPick's City Tweed (heavy worsted).

I have some sooper-sekrit baby projects to work on as soon as I'm finished with his socks. A coworker in my department is due in August, and I have some really fun ideas for gifts. She sent me a link to the nursery set she & her husband picked out, and it's simple and gorgeous. I've been mentally listing yarn possibilities that will be excellent matches for the colors.

Since busy season is over, the house has become cleaner and cleaner. The grout in the kitchen floor is almost back to its intended color, and I scrubbed away some serious frustration in our bathroom tonight. For now, the husb needs to get onto his computer, so I am signing off for now.

march madness

...but not the basketball kind. I survived the 3/15 deadline in style! Now it's the time for the 1040 clients. A coworker's wife is nearly due with their first child, and I knit a cute pair of booties and a matching headband with interchangeable crocheted flowers. Thankfully, I'm almost done with J's pillow cover - I picked up the invisible zipper and some perfect wooden buttons to finish it up.

The yarn for my brother's socks has arrived, so it's sitting on the kitchen counter being an inspiration every morning and evening. I'm tempted to knit up a pair of socks for myself between J's pillow cover and my brother's socks, but... yeah. He's been waiting a few months for these, so I will start on his as soon as I get J's cover finished.

I've learned I am definitely not a dog person. Captain Jack is a cute bundle of energy, but I just don't have the patience for this stage. I really miss being able to sit quietly with the cats, petting them in between rounds on a project... the constant watching and frequent calls to the dog are wearing on me. I am so comfortable with our decision not to have children - if I'm having this hard of a time with a dog that I can crate when he's out of control, I can't imagine how difficult of a time I would have with a kid!!! [since you can't crate them and leave without getting Child Services called on you (with good reason, of course)] Especially a kid that could TALK. UGH. Definitely not my cup of tea.

With the dog now crated for the evening (he was in that frenzy that children get into - too tired and strung out so completely hyper and out of his head), I can finally sit and enjoy a glass of wine and some knitting. Maybe even some cuddle time with Skye without a ball of fur coming and jumping on top of her... poor kitties.

ArtFire

Tonight marks my first sale on my ArtFire shop!! My friend J.I. commissioned a pair of baby booties in green and white for a friend/relative's baby (can't remember right now which she said). I tried to find matching green buttons but was not able to find the right shade of green. Here are a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure.
I hope the recipients like them! I am sure they will...

The puppy is being a holy terror. Saturday, he nipped my upper arm, on the back where it's sensitive and delicate, and I have a nice bluey-purple bruise there. He got the outer edge of my right hand tonight; that will be fun tomorrow when I'm typing and writing all day at work.

This past Saturday, I ran in the OUC Half-Marathon and 5k. I have been training for the half-marathon for a couple of months, but the longest run I'd managed had been 8.7 miles. My knees ache and hurt a lot when I run, but I had hoped that lifting weights in addition to the running would help. Wellllll... it didn't. By mile 9, I was dying. Of course, mile 9 is where the hills started - bricked hills, at that. Did I mention that it was cold (relatively speaking) and raining? Yeah, it was. About 60 degrees (hey, I did say relatively speaking) and misting, at a minimum. EWWWWW. Not fun. Bradley brought Jack and they were waiting for me at the finish line - that was one of the best things I've ever seen :D For now, I'm done with running. I'm taking a break this week from exercising (other than chasing around the steeenkeeeng dog) and am allowing myself to have 'bad' foods if I want.

OK. I think that's all I have to say--- oh wait, regarding the socks for my dad: I'm working on shaping the gusset on the second sock. I am quietly and unobtrusively enforcing Papa-Puppy time so that they can bond and I can get some knitting time ;-)

Next week I should have the pictures of my dad's finished socks. I can't wait to show them off!

More travelling!

This time, we are travelling with friends up to a cabin in the North Carolina mountains. The weather is supposed to be a little cool but nothing really frigid - low 60s during the day and 40s at night. Perfect knitting weather! We will also be close to my alma mater, so I am excited to stop by and see the campus again. It's been seven years since I've been there, but it looks like the campus hasn't changed much.

When I visited my family last week, I was able to pick up a Knit Kit and was SO glad I had it. No hassle at the airport, and I had everything I needed for the plane and once I got there. When they first came out in pink and beige, I was very excited about the idea but not enthused about the colors at ALL. I was so happy to see the black kits come out and am very glad I was able to buy one of them.

I bought most of the yarn tonight for the next commission, but I'm having a hard time finding the colors the buyer wants for the last set of booties. I am going to check online and order tonight so the yarn is here when I get back from the trip. I'll have plenty to work on on the trip - the first two sets of booties plus my father's socks. The drive is gonna be a long one so I should have plenty of time in the car to knit. Bradley is gonna love driving my Mini in the mountains! Although thinking about it, considering how much alcohol is going with us, I might need to take some bulky weight yarn so I can KUI on a scarf or two!

sock obsession

I love socks. LOVE. I love the speed, the portability, the tempest in a teacup-ness of socks. I can learn new knitting techniques on a small scale; try outrageous patterns or colors -- or BOTH! -- in one little item. One of my favorite designers is Hunter Hammersen, and you can find her sock designs at http://www.violentlydomestic.com/. I am drooling over several of her patterns while I work on the socks for my father... I really like the Bines pattern, although I'd probably make them a little taller than her pictures. I have some lovely green variegated sock yarn that would be perfect for those. The Popped socks totally catch my eye - the sinuous curves of the pattern make me want to use a green yarn, something close to a Slytherin color. The Propitiate socks actually remind me of the beach, and I have a lovely blue cotton yarn that would be good for those. My next dilemma is finding a pair of brown work shoes that I can wear socks with; my dress shoes are too snug to wear socks with - only hose.

As far as the socks for my father - I've turned the heel and am working on the foot. I think I've gotten the foot long enough to start the toe decreases, but I am hoping to get Bradley to try it on so I can be sure. His foot is wider than my father's but about the same length. Hopefully I can take some pictures while he has it on (as long as he doesn't run as soon as I pull out my camera).

A coworker has commissioned two baby headbands; they are going to be adorable. I have to learn how to crochet for the flowers that will be attached to them, but no worries; crochet can't steal me away from my true love of knitting.

Monday Bluesday

I love living in Florida, but sometimes the heat just kills me! Today was so muggy and hot, and I know it's only going to get worse in July and August. Thank goodness for a shiny new air conditioning unit. With all the rain we've had lately, all the hard work on the pool has evaporated - the water is murky and green again. Bradley ordered an automatic chlorine feeder that will go in the pipes between the filter and the pool; that will solve a LOT of our problems. He thinks he's found the slow leak - the pipes at the filter in the bottom of the deep end don't seem to be lined up. Of course, since the water has never been stabilized enough to get in, we can't get down there to see what the real deal is.

In my knitting world, I had a hard time not posting last week about the adorable little hats I was knitting for my friend Jen. She and her husband are having a baby soon, and I wanted to make some little cotton hats for the new one. Even though it's blazing hot outside, the air conditioning indoors could easily chill a little head! I made a blue one and a lime-green one, one out of 100% cotton and the other out of an acrylic-cotton blend - super convenient for new parents since they can both go in the regular laundry.

My family reunion is coming up in just a couple of weeks, which means I really have to get on the stick and fix the cuff on my sister's sock. I need to package up my niece's socks, too. The gathering is up in northwest Georgia, and we'll be driving (buying a pair of plane tickets plus renting a car would triple or maybe even quadruple the cost of gas). Nine hours in the car [one way!!!] will give me LOTS of time to get some knitting done. I think I'll be finished with my Undulating Rib socks by then, so I may take the yarn and start on the Sonnet I have planned.

Well - that's all I have time for tonight. Off to knit for just a couple more minutes, and then bedtime.