A Light at the End of the Tunnel, or...

this is now so boring I will die if I have to do one more pattern repeat! I have a love/hate thing going with my Kiri shawl. I love the color, the yarn and the pattern, but I'm SO very bored now. I did 14 repeats of the pattern, which is all I can stand. I know it's not going to block as big as I'd like, and I don't really like triangle shawls as much as stoles. But having come this far, I am determined to finish. I've done the first 2 rows of the border, so just 10 more rows to go and I can block it and be done with it! Since it now takes about 30 minutes or so to do each row, I've got a few hours of work left. I'll post a pic when it's blocking. What I really want to do is start working on something else. Anything else.

Score!

Sadly, a LYS near the college is closing after several years of operation. I feel bad for the woman who put so much effort into her store, only to see it fail in the end. That said, at 60% off all yarn, I can set aside my grief. Check out my new sock yarn! Good thing I waited too long and all the laceweight was picked over!

That picture thing

O.K., I'm ready to post some actual pictures of actual knitting. But first, a pic of Cooper, our very old yellow lab. I remember when she was a puppy and running and jumping, and chewing the legs of the dining room table, and eating my shoes (she had a fetish for black pumps and destroyed three pair). Now she's slowed down and is content to sit and sleep and get loves and cookies. A more loved dog you'll never find, unless you count our other dog, Jake, who eats paper and is also very old. She loves her bandana!

So, here's a picture of my in-progress birch leaf socks, and one of a sock I finished on a knitting retreat with my pals. We had such a great time in Bodega Bay! The socks are for my sister for Christmas, and since she wouldn't know a blog from a yarn over, I'm pretty sure she won't see the picture.

Why Is It...

that some people just feel the need to suck the fun out of everything? My blog, my rant. I'm forming a knitting group on campus, for friendship and charity knitting. I sent an email to everyone letting them know about the group and asking them to contact me if they want to join. Several people joined, some just wrote back to say they think it's a good idea. So I'm getting a nice warm, fuzzy feeling that this is going to be really fun. Then one woman, just one, sent an email telling me to stop spamming her. Wow. Took the wind right out of my sails. Now, I dislike spam as much as the next person, but since this is a club for members of the American River College campus, and I did make it clear in the title that the message was about knitting, I didn't see it as spam. Dave is very practical; he says just forget it and think about the nice things most people said, but for some reason her comment is the one I keep thinking about. Oh well. Pictures of actual finished knitting pieces coming as soon as Dave shows me, again, how to add them.

My Giant Feet

The SP 6 hostesses have added another question to their questionnaire. My feet are size 8 1/2. About 9 inches long. I like socks with lace, socks with cables, plain socks, soft socks, funky socks, you name it. I love knitting socks, too, so I hope my SP target likes socks, too. Although why I think I might be able to actually finish a pair of socks for her is beyond me.

SP 6 Questionnaire, part 3

21. Are you a sock knitter? Yes!!!
22. How did you learn to knit? I took lessons at a LYS and I've learned tons from friends.
23. How old is your oldest UFO? About 1.5 years, which is how long I've been knitting. It's a very warm sweater and it's almost done.
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? I like Pepi le pew, dogs, dragonflies, Winnie the Pooh. Wallace and Grommit.
25. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, because the whole family is together.
26. Is there anything that you collect? Antique tea things, dust bunnies, ufos.
27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Interweave, Knitters, Vogue
28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? There's a new sock book by Nancy Bush coming out soon. I dream of finding a copy of A. Starmore's Pacific Coast Highway at a garage sale for a dollar.
29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another?? There are several from Heirloom Knitting (Angela, Lavender something, lots of others) and I like the Peacock Feathers from Fiddlesticks.

SP Questionnaire, part 2

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? I tend to lean toward the greeen family, although I love lavender and blues. I don't care for orange.
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have one husband, 2 dogs, and as of yesterday, the 2 most adorable pet rats you've ever seen. I know some people thinks rats are icky, but honestly, they make the best pets. So sweet and affectionate.
12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) I am basically very happy with my life right now. I would like to travel more, make more friends, learn new things. I love my job, so wouldn't change that. I'd like to be able to look back on my life and say I did good things for others.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Right now I'm on a lace and socks kick, which shows no sign of easing, so I'm loving Zephyr, Cherry Tree Hill and Nature's Palette sock yarns.
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I don't like mohair, unless it's mixed with silk (like Douceuer SP et Soir and Kid Silk Haze), and I'm not crazy for acrylics.
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Socks and lace. I've got 4 pair of socks going, and 2 lace projects.
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Sounding a bit repetitive here. Socks. I also like lace stoles.
17. What are you knitting right now? Gothic Lace socks: Hand Jive pattern; Birch Leaf socks from A gathering of Lace; some self-striping yarn socks; and a pair of purple anklets for my mom. I'm also working on a kiri shawl and a lace scarf. I've signed up for the Mysteryshawl2 knit along and the Frost Flowers and Leaves knit along.
18. What do you think about ponchos? I like capelets and shrugs better.
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? I use the needle that's best for the project. I knit my socks on 2 addi turbo circulars.
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I have all types in my collection. I like the Bryspun for lace, if I can fit the project on straight needles.

SP 6 Questionnaire, part 1

Here are my answers for SP 6 . I don't think I'm really as boring as these answers make it seem!
1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I think I am a yarn snob. I like merino wools and wool/silk blends like Zephyr. I do use wool/nylon blends for socks, and I'm not a PRICE yarn snob. I like Knitpicks's natural fiber yarns.
2. Do you spin? Crochet? I don't spin or crochet.
3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) No allergies, except my very terrible housework allergy. Very debilitating.
4. I have been knitting for about a year and a half.
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Not yet, but I could make one.
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)I like herbal scents, patchouli, lavendar, grapefruit. Not crazy about flowery scents, or the "apple pie" type scents.
7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes. I love caramel especially.
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I make my own bead stitch markers, but that's about it. I really am seriously addicted to knitting.
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) My computer plays MP3s. I have wide-ranging tastes, from Norah Jones to the Dixie Chicks, Dave Matthews to Elvis Costello, Simon and Garfunkle to Tom Petty to REM. I don't like rap and hip-hop.

My First Post

Since I did not do a very good job with my previous blog, I decided to start from scratch and vow to do better this time.