I almost called this post...

...'Late Night Musings', then I realized NOBODY will ever read this blog if I right BS like tat. I have a bad ego, I take myself wayy to seriously.

Just counted up the projects - I have 5....6....8 projects on the needles right now. Oops, that's a bit much. What's going on...check my page at to see where stuff is that, I'm slackermom.

Speaking of my beloved website, I decided I'm i love with knitting socks (go figure, everyone else was NOT wrong....it was me...doubting the magic that is sock knitting. The joy of turning a heel, of 'figuring out' the pattern, how a sock works..it's fascinating. I'm so excited to knit a few more pairs so I can master basic sock design (I'm thinking of getting Stephanie's book so I can start with her basic sock recipe.

So - I have one sock on the needles, with my first pair complete, not horrible, and sadly, ripped back and shortened to 8.5" to accommodate the recipient's freakishly small feet. Sorry Lu...but it's true. If you're reading this blog one day and ask yourself if thats you I'm talking about. Yes. It is. Teeny feet.

The rest of the projects - new sock, soaker #4, intarsia longies (Meredith saw these in progress, and said "who made that?"- I said I designed them and knit them, and she said, "that's sooooo coool" - I'm thrilled Meredith is thinking I'm cool. Having a kid in junior high is tough on the ego, it's nice to have the small ones to worship you for a while. I also have grey longies to sell, a garter blankie in Paton's fuzzy bulky stuff but since I read that acrylic isn't sleep-safe and is actually kind of scary vis-a-vis wee sleeping babies, I'm thinking of chucking it and stocking up on wool when I'm in chicago next week. I've also got slippers for Meredith (frogged due to sizing issues....meaning I totally arsed it up), a jonna for me (gauge issues - way too tight), Ice Queen (stalled, I hate the yarn with this project, am struggling to admit defeat). I think that's it.

I want to make some mittens, and knee socks, and a cardigan or cute pullover for me. I want to make a poncho for Meredith, a hat for a friend, socks for Dan, and Meredy's curtains. Plus maybe some lace curtains for the bedroom and a shawl for Phyllis. i must write a post on her, she touched me so much she deserves her own post.

Yawn. Katja will be getting up soon, I'd best be off. She has a wee cold, and is struggling to sleep - I raised the mattress in the crib and the humidifier is on, but she's stuffy and crabby and....ugh.

By tomorrow night I want the soaker done for sure, and at least the waistband on the grey longies. Minimum, the soaker is coming with me all day because it's so mindless. Hope to get to the gusset on the longies - that would be sweet, legs Saturday and finishing and cuffs Sunday. And another soaker.


Totally doable.

I know nothing about knitting

You know, here I was, cruising along, I'm on Ravelry, I have a bit of a blog (not much to speak of), I've got two sets of socks going, one on two circs, one on bamboo DPN's, I've got to rip the first set back so I can modify the pattern to fit a friend's foot a bit better...in short, I am a Knitter. Not making garter stitch scarves, nope not me. In fact, I am now making a blanket that is my Own Pattern. And I think it is going to be quite lovely. I'm not even minding the miles of garter stitch, it's very satisfying.


I went to the library today (Max had ANOTHER day off school....I'm positive I didn't have this kind of time at home with my mom when I was 12) to pick up a few books on patterns, get some ideas for the edging of this blanket, and for the stash that is, if I do say so myself, getting quite nicely stocked, thank you. I even have sock yarn. And laceweight. Even thick/thin and tweed.


Then I got to the knitting aisle (with my baby in her handknit pants and hat (really need to photograph this one) and pored over a few books. I opened, then quickly shut, a latvian knitting book...the charts...omg...two colours...I was momentarily stunned at my incompetence. I've done a bit of intarsia, but frankly it looked like ass - ok it was not that horrible but it was a pain in the ass, that's for sure - I didn't really enjoy it. I felt so bad and incompetent and my stash seemed so inadequate.


Then, to make matter worse, I found the Mason Dixon knitting book. How is it possible that I am a Knitter, I read the Yarn Harlot religiously (I'm even reading the archives and have one of her books, and I read Stitch 'n' Bitch and Domiknitrx. I had heard of Mason Dixon knitting when I saw a few patterns on Ravelry. But Mason Dixon sounded weird, like it would be old fashioned - I don't know, Mason Dixon seems like a historical reference for me, and I don't like it, likely because I don't know the significance. I'm kind of wondering, 'why didn't they tell me? why didn't I know how great this is?'

Anyway, needless to say, I had no idea it was so cool, fascinating, funny, and useful. And that I just found it on the shelf, I didn't have to put it on hold or anything. Check it out

These things amuse me. And I need amusing, I've got to leave Monday for Flin Flon 3 day hearing, which screws up my schedule with the big kids, and really disappointed both of them. I hate disappointing them, but this case is a great opportunity. And here I am blogging about it instead of working on it, or the other 10 really pressing matters on my desk. Ok I feel guitly now. Back to work. I'm on the midnight shift since Katja is so busy during the day that pretty much nothing gets done.

Katja has been so goofy lately, as she grows up her sense of humour really comes out. She just does the funniest things, hopefully the photos gave you an idea as to what our days are like.

The telephone in the closeup is my office line.

The nanny starts next Friday.

brutal

The stupid internets are running slow tonight. I find this blogging thing rather tedious as it is, what with the uploading of photos, etc. I'm always glad I blogged, but when I'm busy I avoid it.

So - I made myself some great warm wool house socks, because I can't find my other slipper. The beautiful shearling slippers that were purchased on the day of Katja's birth, about 14 hours before she was born, whilst I was in hard labour. The slippers I yelled at Dan to come and rescue when my water broke. I love those slippers.

And one is missing. It seriously pisses me off.

So I'm making these warm socks, I take pics, and I'm bragging to everyone on Ravelry how fast I made them. That was about a week ago. I'm wearing them now, as a matter of fact. Except my feet are cold. There are massive holes in the soles of both. I guess this wasn't the right yarn fo the job.

So I made max some socks out of patons and a stash wool, he loves them. They are so warm he takes them off because his feet are too hot. Dan wants some. I finish the first sock for Dan, and Max comes to me asking for a bigger pair, but felted. So now I am going to have two pairs of mens' 8 socks, but only one man to wear them. So I guess I'll be wearing big socks this winter. And now Meredy wants a pair. and I found a nice pattern for another warm sock.

I never really 'got' socks and why people were obsessed with them. But now I get it. They're pretty fast. They're beautiful, they're impressive, and the needles are so little. Love 'em.

I am making two socks. One thick, with a lovely combination of patons and a sturdy grey wool from the stash. One is with a self-patterning sock yarn from Rams. I'm just swatching now. Or rather I WAS swatching, now I'm blogging and my swatch is lying in a heap on teh floor, hopelessly tangled up with my second slipper for Dan. Craptacular. I'm walking away from the situation.