Sugar Bunny Boulevard

Moments

The past several days and weeks have been full of small moments when I think "take a picture!" but I've been too busy to blog about it much.  Some things have a story, some don't - some I'll come back to again in the future if I can.  So I'm giving you a little collage of moments.  And the list of squares received from last week on Wednesday Thursday and Friday. 

I'm trying to make this quick so I can get to the Y this morning.  We went to the Y twice last week plus I did some yard work on Saturday that definitely qualified as a workout, resulting in a 3lb weight loss last week.  I'm inching closer but still haven't reached a mini-goal of getting under 200lbs.  I still have a little more than a month before the seaming party and I would be very happy to have those few pounds off before facing a ton of people at the seaming party.  I'm also getting a hair cut tomorrow.  It'll be pretty major because I haven't had a salon appointment in many years.  I usually cut my hair myself but decided it's okay to splurge a little when what I really want is an extreme makover.  ha

As always, click any picture to see the full size version.

Last week on Wednesday Thursday and Friday we received a lot of packages!  In all of those packages we received 266 squares, 2 yarn needles and a bit more seaming yarn.  There's a PayPal button in the sidebar now if anybody would like to donate for seaming supplies.  Thank You to everybody for knitting squares and everything you've done to help out.  I appreciate it VERY MUCH and am excitedly anticipating a lot of mail this week!!

The squares and yarn needles and seaming yarn from Wed-Thu-Friday last week came from the following people:

• Betsy - Covington, LA
• Kelley - Wonder Lake, IL
• Kandis - Harrisburg, OR
• Anita - Great Barrington, MA
• Cheri - Jacksonville, FL
• Steph  Cincinnati, OH
• Ruth Ann - Moore, OK
• Linda - Kitchener, Ontario, CANADA
• Cheryl - Des Moines, IA
• Paige - Indianapolis, IN
• Knitting Artists of Northern Virginia - Leesburg, VA
• Carolyn - Garden Grove, CA
• Eleanor - Wayland, NY
• Amy - Apple Valley, MN
• Nauda - Melrose, MA
• "Night Ships" knitting group (Ellen, MaryS, Marion, MaryU, Pat, Carol and Nancy) - Ann Arbor, MI
• Barbara - Mashpee, MA
• Sherry - West Roxbury, MA
• Susan - Miami, FL
• Theresa - Eugene, OR
• Anne - Woodbridge, VA
• Lauren - Atlantic Beach, FL
• Leah for Emmanuel Presbyterian Church - Bedford, TX

This batch of mail had so many many MANY sweet thoughtful personal notes to me - thank you every one of you for your thoughtfulness, your wishes for a successful seaming event, and for your time spent on making squares, packing them up, sending them off, and writing dear little notes and letters to include with them.  It's your encouragement and the vision of the seaming event that make it possible for me to see this project through to completion because I'm telling you.... it's big y'all.  It's pretty darn big!!  :)

I might have to take you on a little movie tour of what the den looks like right now!  I'll think about that. 

So have a wonderful week - it'll be a busy one for us.  Kids are starting school.  Benny starts 2-a-days in football today.  We have visitors coming soon soon SOON!  I'm teaching classes (big one on Entrelac tomorrow night) and dyeing yarn.... watch for some pictures soon - but it's so unfair - I'm dyeing for TWIST!  And I don't know if Shelly will be taking phone orders!  But get this - I'm dyeing Panda Cotton sock yarn (bamboo/cotton/nylon blend) by Crystal Pallace.  Yes - you heard that right.  The Procion dyes have been ordered and I'm dyeing cotton.  I've also made another order for my wool base yarn to sell on the blog.  So it's all good and it's all crazy and you get the periodic reports and photos right here!

Take good care of every little thing!  XOXOXOX

A Match Made In Heaven

Pattern and Yarn sitting in a tree...... K I S S I N G

Oh I am in love.  In Love.  IN LOVE!!  Y'all, it's a good thing these socks weren't made for my foot or I might completely flake on the Sockapalooza thing and keep them.  But have no fear.  There's a skein of Lisa Souza Jonquil with Loksins written all over it just waiting for me to get these finished!!*  Sock #1 took four days.  Let's hope its twin has an equally quick and painless delivery!!

*When I was nearly finished with this sock earlier today Emeline wanted to try it on.  I said Emeline, I don't want you to try this sock on.  How about if I make you some socks of your own??  She looked at me like she never thought such a thing was possible!  She said, "I would like to have a sock!"  I suggested maybe I could even make two.  Stay tuned for Emeline's yarn selection process.  It's sure to be a special day. :)

In the mean time.... the mail came today.  Just as I was finishing this sock.  I had about two rows left on the toe and I heard the mail carrier walk across the porch, lift the squeaky hinge on the mail box.... then a slight thump.  A package?  Are we expecting a package?  Another surprise from super square knitter Lana for the afghan project?  I got up from my chair and checked.  Hm.  A small package.  From Chicago.  From Elisabeth in Chicago.  Huh.  I don't know an Elisabeth in Chicago.  Maybe she's a friend of Christine or Nancy or Amy?  I was stumped.

You'd think maybe the writing on the outside might have given me a clue.

I opened the package expecting afghan squares!  What a delightful surprise to find a nice post card explaining that she was my Sockapalooza pal, describing the socks - telling me the pattern and yarn used (but not color).  Wow!  I've been so focused on the afghan project and finishing the socks that I'm knitting for my sock pal that I had completely forgotten that someone somewhere was knitting socks for ME!!  hehe  And then - *gulp* - reality set in.  I haven't finished the socks I'm knitting yet.  *sigh*  So.  This is as far as we get.  I haven't opened the package.  I have not seen the socks.  Nor whatever surprises await in the other little packages that Elisabeth has included for me.  She even knit an afghan square!  My outgoing package is past due.  My Hogwarts sock swap package hasn't been sent yet either.  Nor my package to Marisol for the last Special Swap.  So this package will wait and those three packages (plus at least one or two others, I hope) will be in the mail before I can open this.

My dear sweet sock knitter Elisabeth in Chicago, I don't have your email!  I have no idea if you've got a blog!  I won't be checking Alison's list because I don't want to spoil the surprise for myself.  Thank you so much for the lovely package - I can't wait to open it!  :) 

I'm going to cast on for sock #2.  Wish me some fast knitting!! 

Holey Matrimony

PATTERN - YARN Nuptuals

Over the weekend Miss Pattern and Mr Yarn were joined in Holey Matrimony at a small black tie candle light ceremony.

Miss Loksins! Pattern was printed on white paper, wore a full length transparent sheet protector, and carried a single yellow rose.  Miss Loksins! Pattern was most recently from New York City but has Icelandic heritage, hence her name "Loksins!", translating to "Finally!"  An appropriate selection for the Sockapalooza participant that has been busy with too many other things and is Finally getting her act together to knit for her pal.  It has been reported that the lace-wing pattern flies off the needles - let's hope that the same is true with this union of Loksins! Pattern with Handpainted Yarn.

Mr Handpainted Yarn was dressed in a handsome semi-solid wool/silk blend called Brick, complete with a dapper black tie. 

The couple was seen swatching until the wee hours of the morning and are expected to settle down this week to make beautiful socks together.  They hope to include an appearance at the opening of the new Wichita yarn shop, TWIST, during their honeymoon.

The Socks. They are FINISHED.

Whew I am so glad.  I'm always so glad when I finish a pair of socks.  Seems like I'm always up against a deadline with them.  Not always but it's certainly not unusual. 

I have to start by saying:  Sock Pal, if you're looking - time to close the browser window.  I'm gonna show a picture.  Go.  Now.  Come back when your package has arrived.  :)

To give my SockapalOOOza Pal time to leave, I'll show this cute picture of Emeline.  You know how she LOVES to read.  I've mentioned before that she reads my sock pattern books.  Yesterday I got a big ol' box of knitting books from Amazon!  WooHoo!  Wendy!  Nancy Bush!  Yarn Harlot!  Yippee!!  I'm in knitting book Heaven - really.  It's just crazy.  And imagine my surprise when Emeline will NOT put down... no... not a colorful Nancy Bush sock knitting book... No... not the Wendy Knits book with lovely photos of Wendy and Christine and someone else who I'm guessing could be L-B but I really don't know.  Noooo... Emeline will not let this book leave her hands:

There aren't even any pictures in there!  It's very funny to me.  I haven't even had time to do anything but quickly flip through these books because I was working fast and furious on SOCKS.

Okay, Sock Pal gone?  People, I did something so stupid.  I was doing a really great job of commenting on my pal's blog and emailed her every once in a while.  Blah blah blah.  Tuesday morning (the sock exchange mailing deadline for those who don't know) I wrote her and said, Oh I'm so sorry I'm not quite finished but I'll be sending your socks later this week.  She wrote back and was so sweet and said it's okay, blah blah blah.  I wrote back one more time and said *something* (don't even remember what) and signed the email (Laura) and sent it off.  Signed it.  Sent it off.  Of course I realized my fatal error about one milisecond after hitting SEND.  CARP.  FUG.  I ruined it.  I revealed my identity.  I wrote back real quick one more time and in her reply she said Oh, too bad for you there aren't any other Lauras who weren't finished yet!! (names on the list were highlighted in red when the person finished)  heh  So I blew it.  Oh well.  I won't tell who she is until she gets the socks.  They should be in the mail tomorrow.

And here's the sock porn.  I never say the word porn on my blog.  People intentionally misspell it all the time so that..... what.... they won't get unwanted hits on their blog?  Won't show up in Google searches?  Won't get spam comments?  I've never had a spam comment even one time.  I've also never said "porn" on my blog even one time.  Not sure the reason why people do this.  Let's test fate and say it one more time:  sock porn.

Pattern:  72 stitches, long-tail cast-on, Basic Cable socks, Eye of Partridge heel (Sensational Knitted Socks pg 52), Round Toe (Sensational Knitted Socks pg 86-87), kitchener 10 stitches for toe instead of drawing thread through stitches and pulling closed.
Yarn:  Knitpicks Dye-Your-Own; my colorway "Spice" created especially for this swap
Needles:  Addi Turbo US1 (2.5mm I think) 40" - Magic Loop method, one at a time.

So life goes on now that the special socks are finished for my pal.  Back to some yarn dyeing.  I've been thinking of doing some pink and purple.  Earlier today I got an email from someone who said they'd love me to do some pink and purple.  Any other suggestions?  Should I make pink and purple stripe?  Variegated?  Striped patterning?  Gimme some ideas please.  I've been having fun coming up with stuff that (to my surprise) you love (like Dogs Steal Yarn and Spice) but maybe I need to be asking if there's anything your heart desires and I just don't realize it?  I'd love to hear some suggestions.  And no, it wouldn't commit you to buying it.  :)

By the way, there's still one skein of Spice available in my shop.  Have a nice evening!