Forward Progress

Well, I seem to have gotten the stupid out of my system, at least for now. And though I loved Jenna's suggestion of doing something completely inane, in the end, turns out all I really needed was two nights of 8-hour sleep.

And last night I made it to Knit Happens for late night. What a turnout-- I guess everyone is settling into fall knitting now? There were tons of people there, including the new-to-DC Elspeth. I finished the front of Jemima -- seeing Holly in her finished one was certainly good motivation.

I forgot a dinner engagement and had to cut out early, which was a bummer, because I was starting to get into a groove on the restarted Bayerische socks. There's not much, but so far so good:

And I'll take it. I'm accepting that these socks won't get finished by the end of October, even with yet another wedding-trip this weekend. This time to Omaha, so there will be some plane knitting. On the upside, I think I'm really going to enjoy knitting them -- and isn't that what Socktoberfest is all about?

Two Steps Back

Sometimes, I go through a phase where I make dumb mistakes on a number of things. This weekend seemed to be one of those phases. I forgot the garlic in dinner (yes, it makes a difference) and threw a dry-clean-only sweater into the washer (should be salvageable). Yesterday was really just a day when I needed to stay home and limit my activity, to limit the number of mistakes I made. So I pulled out the knitting.

You know where this is going, right?

Mistakes. I got to the END of Jemima's front, and went to bind off, and picked up the pattern. Hmm. The stitch counts don't match. Turns out that instead of making the front, I just made the back again. Oops. Insert lifeline, rip back 30 rows. Oops. Lifeline ended up crooked (I do that a LOT -- it should be easier!). Oops. Get all the stitches in the same row on the needle, figure out which row I'm on. Decide maybe I should put Jemima down for a while and work on something else.

I pick up Bayerische -- I'd completed the ribbing on the cuff and was ready to start the pattern. The ridiculously detailed four-chart cable pattern.

Yeah, I didn't even make it a single row before I completely messed it up.

And then I tried to fix it, and I made it worse. Oops. Rip.

Back to Jemima's front -- second time around.

I did about 10 rows, up until it has to split for the placket. Then I figured I should just call it quits for the night. I'll give it another go tonight, when hopefully all the stupid is out of my system.

I know, it could be worse. And there are a few people out there having worse days than me.

There are a couple of bright spots in all of this.

First, the funniest thing I've ever heard from radio is available THIS WEEK ONLY as a free download. It's the "Fiasco!" episode of This American Life. When they aired it, people complained that they were laughing so hard they almost ran off the road. I can't wait to have it on my iPod for regular re-listenings.

And second, it's fall. The leaves are rustling on the ground. I love me some autumn.

Randomness

I am doing a cheesy meme because I have no knitting to show. I've done only about a dozen rows on Jemima in the last week. Why?

Sick. A nasty cold took up residence in me on the way to Nashville. You know what sucks? Being sick on a fun trip. I didn't leave the hotel except to go to the wedding. My date for the weekend was essentially a bottle of Nyquil. HOTT.

I'm back among the living now, but still kinda run-down. I don't yet have the energy to watch TV and knit at the same time, and I've been going to bed crazy early every night. Maybe some knitting this weekend. Until then....

1. FIRST NAME?
Ann.

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My aunt.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY?
At a wedding on Saturday. It was a super-sappy ceremony, plus I was doped up on cold meds. Not a good combination.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I used to. Lately I take notes and I'm all "who wrote that? That's not legible!" Computers have been the downfall of my penmanship.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT?
Black pepper turkey.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Of course!

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL?
No.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Depends. What's in it for me?

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Hmm. I love Honey Nut Cheerios but hardly ever get them. I eat oatmeal every day, so that's probably my favorite.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No. I'm a kick-em-off girl.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Mint chocolate chip.

14. SHOE SIZE?
US 9.

15. RED OR PINK?
Crimson.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I wear my heart on my sleeve.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My mom.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
??

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Jeans, black sweater, black shoes.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE?
Oatmeal.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The copy machine. And some annoying rattle that's developed in the vent over my head.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Cerulean blue. Or burnt sienna.

23. FAVORITE SMELL?
Lavender.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My dad.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO?
Eyes.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from?
Yes?

27. FAVORITE DRINK?
A toughie--either peppermint tea or a strong Cosmo.

28. FAVORITE SPORT?
Swimming.

29. EYE COLOR?
Green.

30. HAT SIZE?
Small.

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes. I go through contacts and glasses phases. I'm in a glasses phase right now.

32. FAVORITE FOOD?
I like almost all foods. Can't ever pass up a good pad thai. Or BBQ shrimp. But my favorite food probably is pecan pancakes with maple syrup. Comfort food.

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy!

35. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Winter!

36. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both!

37. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Creme brulee. Or a good gelato. Or both.

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING?
"Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer. I'm reading it slowly. It's the third time I've checked it out from the library because I can't seem to finish it before it's due. But it's really good, so I keep checking it out.

41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Black foam.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV?
Some Dirty Harry movie. JT was watching it and I got sucked in. Tivo has saved Ugly Betty and Grey's for me at a later time.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS?
A soft, steady rain. Or waves crashing.

44. ROLLING STONEs OR BEATLES?
Rolling Stones.

45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME?
Honolulu (4825 miles from home.)

46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT?
Trivia recall.

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Kansas City

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Stolen from Pinku. (And everyone else in blogland.)

TGIF

A quick post, with just a few quick line-items.

* Phildar! In English! They're awfully late to the big U.S. knitting party, but better late than never! (I just wish some of their Automne designs grabbed me.) [Props to Silvia for the news.]

* I'm off to Nashville for the weekend, for a friend's wedding and some Meat-and-Threes. Anyone want to lay odds that I can convince the 6 guys in our traveling party to make a detour to a yarn shop? (Anyone who's been to Angel Hair or others in Nashville -- how highly would you recommend them? Worth me snagging the group's van for an hour and running away on my own??)

* My plane knitting: Bayerische. For ME, for Socktoberfest. And Jemima, for when I get tired of twisthing and cabling on teeny tiny needles.

* I've missed the last two late nights! I miss the irregulars. Maybe next week, I hope?

Of Stripes and Checks

It wasn't much of a fun weekend -- that will come in a few days, when we head to Nashville for a friend's wedding. Rather, it was a very productive weekend -- lots of accomplishing tasks that I'd been putting off for a while. But I managed to sprinkle some fun in too--JT took me to see Cabaret on Sunday -- that was great! I'd never seen it.

And I finally got to put this to use:

This is my grandmother's checkerboard cake pan. I have fond memories of making checkerboard cake with her when I was a kid. When I was visiting my grandparents in August, I asked if I could have the pan -- they're downsizing in preparation for a move. Grandma dug through the cupboard and found it intact, and sent it home with me. Grandma, here's showing you that it's not going to waste:

Checkerboard cake! Made for Knit'n'Nosh on Friday night. I made a maple icing that wasn't too good, but it was thin enough that it didn't detract from the rest of the cake. The cake itself was delicious! (Recipe from the Fanny Farmer Baking Book).

And, in between doing chores at home and helping friends paint their new palatial apartment, I did take a few knitting breaks. It helped that there were good football games on. You know I love the football knitting.

So I finally finished these:

Crazity Stripity Socks
Pattern: Used Wendy's Generic Toe-Up for toes and heels, then a 4x2 rib on cuff and top of foot
Yarn: Vesper Sock Yarn, Strange Little Mama colorway
Needles: US1 Addi Turbos, done on 2 circs
Size: To fit a woman's 11W. (72 stitches around)
Comments: This was my first foray into self-striping yarn. If I'd been thinking about it, I would have cast on for the first one at the beginning of a color repeat and not in the middle -- it was hard to get the stripes to line up. They don't match perfectly, but they're close enough. I was glad I had enough yarn.

In fact, I had enough left over to make a secondary gift for this friend, who just found out some happy news:

She's expecting.

What a happy little sock family! Just perfect for Socktoberfest!

Sockerrrific

Turned the heel last night on the crazity stripity sock, but all other knitting time was sacrificed for uninterrupted viewing of Lost. (Holy cow, that was a good episode!) So, in lieu of actual knitting progress, I'll answer Lolly's Socktober questionnaire.

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

I started making socks in the fall of 2004. I can totally credit the Irregulars at Knit Happens for making me see that handknit socks were beautiful, fairly quick, and--most importantly--not too complicated. I don't remember how I learned exactly, other than I used DPNs and had to rip out and restart a LOT because I kept twisting on the join.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

The first pair I ever made were these basic socks in Lorna's Laces Ravenswood. They were top-down with a 2x2 rib cuff. I gave them to my aunt. I asked her recently if she ever wore them and she said, "Well, sometimes. But they're wool, and my feet get too hot." So they're holding up well... but they rarely get worn!

What would you have done differently?

I wish I hadn't been so intimidated by socks on two circs. It took a lot of prodding from Holly before I understood it was easier on my klutzy fingers than dpns. I also seemed to accidentally knit thinks inside-out on dpns.

Also, I probably would have either used cotton for my aunt or kept the socks for myself, knowing about her hot feet.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

Oh goodness, so many!

I really loved the Tess supersock yarn that I used for Elfine's Socks. I think that was the first solid yarn that I used for socks. I loved the way the stitches popped out. I have another hank of it that I think will become Bayerische socks for me. I also still am a fan of Lorna's laces, though recently ordered some J.Knits yarn and it feels like butter. And I really like the colors of the Claudia's Handpainted Yarn on the Child's French Sock and the Ellen's Half-Pint Farm. And Koigu!

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I'm a two-circs convert.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

I think I like to wear a flap heel better, but I think short-row heels look better. I want to experiment with other kinds of heels in the coming year.

How many pairs have you made?

Eight, counting the crazy striped ones I'm almost finished with. Not too many in comparison to some socktoberists, but six of those pairs have been this year -- definitely the year of the sock for me!

My own question: Which socks do you reach for first?

Without a doubt, it's these Go With The Flow socks that are made out of Koigu. Something about the pattern and the way it works with the yarn makes them extra comfy. And I totally love the autumnal colors - just right for this time of year!

Surprise Sightings

Shhh. If you're very quiet, you might be able to see two extremely elusive species.

Species number one: a colorful personality, but this specimen only appears very rarely.

Rainbow over Old Town Alexandria

Species number two: Thought to be extinct, now seen only by luck (cannot be hunted with reliable results)

Gas well under $2/gallon: $1.74 just west of Fredericksburg, Va.
(Do you know how mad I was I already had a full tank? It's $2.30 by my house!)

Believe it or not, I didn't set off for such a sight-filled adventure. But while the rest of the world (at least my little DC-centered one) was all at Crafty Bastards this past weekend, JT and I up and headed south on Sunday, so that on Monday I could persuade these folks that they want to admit me and give me lots of scholarship money. (All good vibes welcome!) Charlottesville was tres cute, and I really fell in love with the campus. In fact, it reminded me an awful lot of my undergrad days -- very green, very leafy campus with cute shops all around.

And, since my husband rocks, he drove there and back, enabling lots and lots of knitting time. Thanks to him, I can present to you the finished back of Jemima. She's in need of a good solid blocking.

And, also a finished stripey sock, and a good beginning on the second one! Hooray for car trips.

I'm so happy to be a part of Socktoberfest!