I was telling Darling Husband Carl last night that I hadn’t posted many pictures of the boys lately. Then for some reason, they decided to be all camera shy this morning. Here is Simon not posing for me.
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Lovely shot of the top of his head. He is not his gorgeous self lately anyways, he managed to run his nose into something and it’s all banged up. I had Oscar helping me show off my first completed Rum Runner this morning.
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I don’t think he really appreciated being used as a sock prop. They are really flat socks, it was the only way I could think of making them stand up. Please keep in mind it was about 5:30 a.m. I took a flat picture too.
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I managed to completely miss the sneak up last night at the Loopy Ewe. She had Yarntini, it was all gone by this morning. It’s a little sad, but I’m not upset or mad at anyone else who got some. It just wasn’t my time to have it. I wonder if I would be so philosophical about it if I didn’t have that Wollmeise in my stash and new Zen String on it’s way.
Well another weekend is in the books and I feel like I got very little knitting accomplished. It just feels like these socks just won’t grow. Having said that, I’m almost finished with sock number one. It has only been a week so I guess that’s not too bad. Here is where I’m at with Rum Runner #1.
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Here is a close up of the pattern. It is the beaded rib stitch from Charlene Schurch “Sensational Knitted Socks”.
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Sorry the photo seems a little blurry. My camera doesn’t excel at the super close up shot. I got an email tonight that my next Zen String sock club yarn has been sent. Since I am close to finishing my first Rum Runner, I am starting to think about what socks I want to make next. I’m pretty sure the next pair will be something for me. I was having a small problem with ladders, uneven stitches where you switch needles, but I was reading the posts on the Summer of Socks flickr site and I figured out you have to hold the back needle while you are knitting on the other one. The ladders are all gone now. I think I will make my next pair on the two circular needles as well. I’m leaning towards the Wollmeise, but I will have to wait and see what my Zen String is.
Congrats to Big Orange Tony Stewart for winning his second Brickyard 400. It’s hard not to root for Tony being that he drives a bright orange car and all.
Last night through a series of circumstances, I was given an opportunity to go and see my favorite NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. He was doing an appearance downtown for his sponsor Budweiser. I may never recover. The concentration of Rednecks and Lady Rednecks in one location was overwhelming. There were hairdos that I have never seen before and hope to never see again. My favorite overall was the guy with the blonde dreadlocks. My escort for the evening, Mike B. graciously posed so I could take a photo of dreadlock dude getting his Bud on.
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The Bud girls were in the house, posing for photos and writing down fan questions for Junior. They had nice shiny red jumpsuits to wear and Bud girl wranglers to keep any of the Rednecks from getting too friendly.
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As soon as they were done writing down the questions, the Bud girls disappeared. Mysterious.
Another big attraction of the evening was the photo with Dale Jr., sort of. What happened was people stood in front of a screen with their Bud and had their photo taken. Then via the magic of photoshop, they were sitting having a Bud with Dale Jr. himself. The line to do this was huge!!!! Even when Dale Jr. was onstage talking, the line stretched along the side of the room. Here is a photo of someone having their picture taken.
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And this is the guy doing the computer magic, he and I laughed that I was the only one taking his picture last night.
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Sorry about the dark photos, it’s probably a good thing it was pretty dark in there. If I had seen some of these people in bright light, I would still be recovering from the shock of it all.
They had a band play and the combo of the music and the Bud got the crowd moving.
Love was in the air.
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Then finally, Dale Jr. and his interviewer Marty Smith hit the stage. Thank goodness Mike B. is tall and was able to shoot over the crowd.
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I found it very interesting that while Dale Jr. was talking, a majority of the crowd decided not to listen or pay attention to him at all. They were too busy chatting, drinking, partying it up to hear what the boy was saying. It’s too bad they missed it, Junior is funny and smart and he’s no b-s, he tells it like it is. The best Junior line of the night was talking about his new iPhone, “Dang, that iPhone is sumthin’ else, I’ll tell you what.” Some of the crowd were a little confused and seemed to think we were at a concert. Check out the chick on the dudes shoulders, it really wasn’t THAT big a crowd.
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I am really thankful to RNR’s friend Eileen who originally won the tickets and then when she couldn’t go offered them to him to pass along to me. I am also thankful to my escort/bodyguard for the night Mike B. I would have been seriously afraid to be in that crowd by myself. It was a jaw dropping, fun sight filled evening.
If you think you’ve wandered into the wrong blog, I did knit more on the Rum Runner socks yesterday. I’m almost to the heel on sock #1.
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After knitting two socks in the Dream in Color which is more like sportweight, the Yarn Pirate which is fingering weight seems to go so much slower. I’m sure I will find some quality knitting time this weekend watching all the NASCAR events on tv. I’ve seen plenty enough of it in person.
Filed under: Fashion
I’ve got a pretty severe case of fall clothes acquistionitis. I’m pretty sure it was triggered by the rainy, gloomy weather we are having today. Also by the black cashmere hoodie that I’ve had on my mind for a couple of weeks now. So I’m working out exactly what I must have for Fall and where I will be purchasing these items. It’s sad, but I don’t think I can wait until the new Anthropologie store opens at the mall. This happens to me every year, it pretty much coincides with the State Fair, 13 days people!!!!! I’m thinking the cashmere hoodie, wide leg pants (maybe a couple of pair) and some shiny patent accessories. Oh, and I’m going to try again with the wrap dress. Due to my body shape, last year’s attempts were disaster. I can’t help but think there must be a way for me to work a wrap dress. The rum runner socks look the same as yesterday, just longer. Now if you will excuse me, I’ll get back to browsing the new fall items online.
Happy Wednesday everyone! I’m really tired today, not quite sure why. Maybe I’ll have another cup of coffee to get me going. First, let me update you on the boys trip to the vet yesterday. Everyone survived intact. The doctor says they are both in excellent health. Simon has not gained any weight since last year, which is surprising. Oscar was very scared and hissy, but he didn’t try to bite anyone. It only took two of them to give him his shots. They don’t have to have their teeth cleaned, so they can relax until next year. Also, their kitty pop up tents I bought for them at Target were a big hit. I liked it that they could see out.
After many false starts, the Rum Runner socks are finally moving along. Mike B. was questioning about the pattern being all around the foot, so I took some photos that I hope will help explain. Here is a photo of the top of the sock where the pattern is.
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This is photo is of the bottom of the sock that you would be walking on. You want this part to be smooth on your foot. Pattern here would not be comfortable.
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Same thing with the toe and the heel. I actually think I like the part without pattern a little better. I really like how the colors look.
I was thinking of all the non-sock projects that I’m either working on, or want to make. I’ve got the Icarus Shawl, Darling Husband Carl wants an blanket for his Fortress of Solitude, I would like to make some scarves for the Red Scarf Project 2008, dishcloths, baby bibs, the list goes on and on. I can tell that the State Fair is coming, two weeks from today people!!!!! I’m going to make a point to see the alpacas this year. What do you want to see?
It has taken me six tries to get the Rum Runner socks started. I really, really should not try to start new socks with a new cast on after 8 p.m. I am so not a night person. I think that finally I have got it it going, the toe is done and I’m working on the ribbing. In one of my failed attempts I had the pattern going all the way around the foot. Doh!! Not too comfortable to try to walk on. So here is how it looks for now.
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The only other thing that is going on in my world today is that Darling Husband Carl is taking the boys to visit the vet this morning. I am a little worried about how this is going to go. He is taking them by himself, which will be a challenge. Last year it took 3 people to give Oscar one shot. Think happy thoughts for my stressed out hubby and kitties today.
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Now I understand what the big deal was about the Wollmeise. My skein came on Friday, and I’ve been staring at it ever since. It is some beautiful yarn. The colors are so rich and intense, just really, really wow. It seems nice and firm, I know it is going to knit up into some beautiful socks. So check it out
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Here are close up pictures of the two ends so you can see how beautiful the colors are.
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The colorway is Red Hot Chili. Love it!!!
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Now on to the weekend project, finishing up BigSkyMind.
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They were knit with Dream In Color Smooshy Sock Yarn in Happy Forest and Summer Sky (I think those were the color names, there were only numbers on the tags, 150 and 170) The puffy cloud yarn was (well darn, I can’t find the tag anywhere I think it was Tahki Stacy Charles some blend fluffy yarn, sorry). I knit them toe up on size 1 DPN’s. I did a short row heel, but if I were ever to make them again, I would do a gusset and heel flap so they would be easier to get on and off. D and I made the pattern up as we went along and the grass and clouds are completely random. The two socks are not alike. I really appreciate all the nice comments I’ve been getting on them on my Flickr page. They really did turn out pretty swell.
So, with the BigSkyMind socks in the books, it’s on to the next project. My BFF Georgianne and I had brunch this morning and I decided as a belated birthday gift, I would make her some socks. ADD moment: I totally forgot to take her picture, again. I have to be the spaciest girl in the world! It has been a long time since I knit anything for her, so I hauled all my fingering weight sock yarn with me to brunch (yes, it was a big bag, why do you ask???) and of all her choices she picked Rum Runner, my newest Yarn Pirate yarn. We are doing a pretty simple rib pattern and I’m going to be knitting these socks on two circular needles. This is my first time trying this technique, but I think I’m going to like it. That is what the Summer of Socks reallly is all about for me, expanding my universe of sock knitting. Here is what the Rum Runner looks like wound up.
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Don’t you love all my fancy cables in the background???
Now if you will excuse me, I’ve got a Magic Cast On to master.
Filed under: Yarn Pr0n
If you are in the Yarn Pirate Booty Club and you have not received your package yet, stop reading this post and turn away. There are going to be spoiler pictures involved and if I could wait, I know you can too. So much as I anticipated, my package was waiting for me when I got home last night.
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So of course I tore into it with much haste. First thing, my official Yarn Pirate Button.
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If I was a more giving person, I would let D have it for his Anarchist Man Bag, but I’m not quite ready to give it up just yet. Second out of the box:
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This was the booty or swag in the package. Very cool soap present from Georgia. I know it was an independent craftsperson, but don’t know any more details. UPDATE: It is from the Good Soapworks of Athens, thanks for the heads up Georgia. It is a limited edition. I do know it smells really good. Then the piece de resistance:
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If you can’t read the tag, the color is called “Rum Runner”. This is not a color I would have chosen, at all, but having said that, I really like it a lot. It soft and pretty. So here are the contents of my package:
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My yarn assistant Simon wanted to check everything out and make sure it was okay for me.
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So I’m happy with my booty, my loot if you will. Today maybe the day my Wollmeise comes. There were some people who were pretty unhappy they didn’t get to order any Wollmeise from The Loopy Ewe. I didn’t realize it was such a hot commodity. If I had any entrepreneurial spirit at all, I would get into the sock yarn business. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, I’m going to be working on finishing BigSkyMind 2, I’m almost to the heel now. And then thinking about what to make next.
Filed under: Knitting
I think that today will be the day that I get my package from the Yarn Pirate Booty Club. I’ve seen online comments from people who have already received theirs and I JUST CAN’T WAIT! You all know that waiting is not my strong suit. I’m trying to decide what socks to make next. I know that I’m going to make them on two circular needles, toe up using the magic cast on from Knitty. I was practicing it last Sunday when I wasn’t sure D’s sock would fit. Good thing I did, it took me about 3 tries to get it figured out. I just don’t know what yarn I’m going to use and what pattern if any I’m going to make. I’m waiting unitl my Yarn Pirate sock club yarn comes to make a yarn decision. I also was able to order some Wollmeise from The Loopy Ewe. It should be arriving in the next day or so. Then I’ll think about a pattern, or not. In the meantime, let’s look at the BigSkyMind socks.
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I’m very, very happy with the way they came out. We went with the picot edging. Here is a close up of the edging.
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Don’t you love the puffy clouds? 3D baby!
And the very happy sock model, D himself.
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Bonus points if you can name the song and the artist that the title of this post comes from.
I have lots on my mind today, very random things so here we go. I am almost to the top edge of D’s BigSkyMind sock. I am now deciding what kind of edging/ribbing to use. I’m leaning toward a picot edging. Any suggestions knitters out there?
Topic #2. As you may or may not know, I am a big NASCAR fan. Dale Jr. is my driver. Being the dedicated fan that I am, I have a #8 license plate on the front of my beloved MINI Pearl. Well, after this season, Dale Jr. will no longer be driving the red #8. I don’t know what to do, should I change it to his new number? Should I change to something completely different? What should I put on? I don’t want to leave it bare. Should I be “old skool” and leave it? I have given this some thought and I don’t know what to do.
Topic #3. Calling all geeks, I have several very cute videos that I have recorded with my camera. How do I get them out of my camera and into my iBook? They are awesome, and if I can ever get them out of my camera, I will put them on YouTube and link it here. I have a Sony camera by the way, don’t know if that makes a difference. What I really need to know is what Apple program to use?
See very random, hopefully pictures of something for you tomorrow.
