Guilty as charged. I had a chunk of time today I could have been working on the Hemlock bind off, and I didn’t. This thing should have been done weeks ago but I just haven’t been able get it done. It’s not hard. It’s not painful. It’s not scary. And yet, it’s still not done.

It’s not just knitterly procrastination though – I also completely avoided backing up stuff from my work laptop and swapping the hard drives out like I was supposed to. I just didn’t feel like it.

I know that means I have to get this stuff attended to tomorrow and that does kind of bothers me. While I was avoiding it though? I didn’t care at all. It’s not like I was blowing stuff off for anything all that exciting, it was more of a general Eff You to anything I “should” be doing.

Instead I finished the mid month dishcloth for January (new one starts tomorrow and I wanted to be ready to go) and cast on a matching Tribble with the leftovers. The tribble would have been done by now but a certain male person in the house wanted to go out for dinner when he got home from work. It should be finished before bed though.

It’s a tough pattern to see thru the variegation (The mid month guidelines said any color, so i grabbed from stash. If I were to do it again, I would go solid) but it was a nice easy knit. I love the 2 monthly dishcloth KALs and am really glad I started back up again.

On a completely different note, and in an attempt to divert your my attention from the list of stuff on tomorrow’s list, I’ll share the January installment of the Rockin’ Sock Club. If you’re in the club and you haven’t received your package yet, look away!

This shipment has a really great beaded pattern in it, along with the beads, a key chain, a pin and the traditional NSK sticker. I don’t know when I will get to those socks, but I think I would like to try them eventually

I don’t know how well you can pick up the colors in this skein, but it really is quite pretty. The various shades of blue (it’s aptly titled My Blue Heaven) and green make for a deep and delicious combination.

Tomorrow I hope to have better progress to report, both on the bind off and my laptop. For tonight though, I’m going to embrace the procrastination, and finish up my Tribble.

I’d like to preface this post by saying that this may very well come across as a spoiled brat type of posting. I can accept that, I suppose, but I will challenge it by asking this – since I have only been exposed to mail delivery in one way for many many years, does it really qualify as spoiled to be disappointed in the new (less efficient!) way? I will also say now there will be a picture of my March Rockin’ Socks Club March colorway, so if you don’t want to see it, run away now.

I guess I should explain myself. I grew up on Long Island, in NY. My mail was always delivered to the mailbox that was at the front door – attached to our house. If something didn’t fit in the mailbox, it was left between the screen door and the front door, or a note was left that the package was left with a neighbor, or could be picked up at the post office. (I’m not even discussing the speed at which said mail is delivered – that’s a completely different rant.) When we moved here about 18 months ago, I had my eyes opened to another version of mail delivery – the kind where no matter what size the mail is, it will be shoved by any means necessary into a finite sized box at my curbside. This means if the item is too large and the mailbox doesn’t stay closed, and it’s raining, oh well, looks like everything is getting wet! It also means if you have items that are sent in a hard cardboard protective folder to prevent bending, but the item is jammed into a box with eleventy hundred other things, your “please don’t bend” items are getting bent. I understand the mail carriers here don’t get out of the trucks to deliver the mail, and that is why the mail is curbside. I can’t understand why they think it is ok to cram things in! I can’t tell you how many magazines are destroyed because pages are shred apart. How many of my RSC patterns/pictures have been creased and mutilated – not because the BMFA folks packaged it poorly, but because my mail person(s) have no qualms about bending something that is obviously resisting said bending.

Anyway, in spite of my mail persons best efforts, I received some goodies in the mail yesterday! Once again, my RSC pattern was bent and creased, but my March yarn survived.

I’m not sold so much on the colors (although i think they are prettier in person then shown here, click to see bigger) for me, but I do know someone who would probably love them… The pattern this month is gorgeous though and even if it isn’t in this colorway, I will be knitting up a pair (at least). You’ll have to forgive the lack of image for the pattern, I’m sure you can find it on Ravelry since mine is all crinkly.

I also got some other stuff in the mail that faired better than the pattern did. Thanks to Sheepishone (ravelry link here) I scored some sKnitches Syncopation Self-Striping in the “Serioulsy?” colorway (say that 3 times fast!). I love the description of this yarn – click to see bigger and you’ll see how accurate it is!

blue scrubs, lab coat, Meredith’s grey, anatomy red

It was my 1st purchase from sKNITches, and it was fast, friendly, and won’t be my last! I have NO Idea what pattern I will work this up in, but they will become my Thursday night Grey’s socks no doubt.

Speaking of socks, it seems like forever ago I took a class with Cristi on toe up socks. I learned a lot, but never actually made a grown up pair. (I made a practice pair of baby sized toe ups right after the class to embed what I had learned). I had started a toe in some pretty Trekking, and somehow lost track of it until a few days ago.

I picked them up, knit away on the foot for a bit, and I am almost ready to think about what I might want to do on the leg.

Those increases look pretty severe, but the sock fits so nicely on my foot – weird since my foot shape is nothing like that, but I’m not worrying about it. I just hope I can remember what I did on sock one when the time comes to work on sock two – a problem I wouldn’t have had I used a 2 at a time method. Maybe the next pair…

I’m also still slowly but surely plugging away on Hypotenuse. 2 full repeats down, 14 to go (as of this posting, not as of that picture – it was still shy a few rows of a repeat there)! It’s great TV knitting, and I love the way the alpaca silk feels.

Pi is still in progress, but I have a boo boo to fix (yes, another one. I was cocky and was knitting on it at the Charlotte Purls meeting on Saturday, sitting outside int he gorgeous sunny day chatting with Aimee and Monica (blogless), and I was humbled. I will fix it, just not yet.

There was one other thing besides the bills and a ruined magazine in my mail box yesterday – a set of Pattern Tamers! I’ve been wanting a set of these for awhile, and when Scout got them back in stock, I knew I found the perfect way to spend the balance on my gift certificate – I ordered a set in the rulers ribbon, and I love them! (as an aside, if you click the pic for the full size, you can see the taco salad recipe we use. We substitute ground turkey for the beef, and I use a lot of salsa as a condiment with it, but otherwise, it really is THAT easy.)

My mini vacation days are whooshing by, mainly because I’ve been trying to get some much done (I have to run out in a few to do some more too). Tomorrow we go to the accountant for taxes (joy. We usually do our own thankyouturbotax, but with closing on the house in October and all, we want to make sure we are covering our butts.) and I have one of two plans for dinner (still trying to confirm one so I can either postpone the other or confirm that, if that makes any sense at all) and then Friday – I AM DOING NOTHING. NOTHING!! No really, I am going no where, I am seeing no one. I am sleeping late (for me, 7 is late, but I will take it) No laundry, no errands, no responsibilities AT ALL (except letting the tile guys in to fix the grout that cracked some as the house is settling). I plan to shower only to put new PJs on, and really just be a lump, knitting and catching up on the shows I planned to catch up on already by now.

Because I was reminded I hadn’t posted an update lately on my girl, I thought I would share this pic snapped yesterday morning – complete with evidence of her Carolina clay stained feet. She was following the sun around the house, napping in it most of the day.

She is still having her issues walking, sitting and standing for any real length of time, but she is still as happy and loving as always. We give her Omega supplements, and I bought an entire closeout of her favorite treats (click on agile for details) for hip and joint health (ask Aimee – she was with me when I bought all 18 bags! REALLY. Trinity loves them, they are good for her, and they were being discontinued at the store I bought them from – what would you have done?)

I have to get out and drop off my paperwork to the new job, and a few other errands, and if this headache goes away, I will head down to BAM for knitting tonight (could be my last Wednesday night for a bit so I am going to do my best to be there). Happy Wednesday!

Last night passed by before I had the chance to post the pictures and details on stuff. I don’t really know where the night went, but I did get a decent nights sleep out of it. About the only thing I managed to do to last night wasn’t even on my list. I was browsing through my bloglines (note to self – check out Google Reader once and for all, bloglines outages and weird updates are really getting on my nerves) when I saw this on L & V’s Daily Chum (aptly named BTW!). In a moment of “This starts Oct 5th and who cares if I am moving in October and I have only knit a little bit of lace ever in my life”, I joined. Then I joined the associated Ravelry group as well. This will either keep me sane thru the stress of packing/closing/moving, or drive me permanently over the edge Care to join me?

Anyway, I’ve had a chance to thumb thru both books i got the other day – Getting Started Knitting Socks, by Ann Budd, and The Secret Language of Knitters by Mary Beth Temple.

I can certainly understand why Ann titled it “Getting Started” but please don’t let the title fool you – there is something here for every sock knitter! I am reading it through rather than jumping to the sections of interest and I am finding it well written, easy to follow, and complete with wonderful color pictures and diagrams. I really like Ann’s style of informal yet very informational writing, and this book is no exception. I know I will pick up more than one good habit from this book.

The Secret Language of Knitters is an A – Z reference for knitting terms. To keep you from feeling like you are reading a dictionary, in between definitions, Mary Beth shares little stories and thoughts and while I am only up to C, it has been a fun read. I will be using some copies of this book as part of a few swaps I am in.

And what’s that resting on Ann’s book? That is a wonderful hand-woven bookmark, made especially for me by my wonderful Angel Dishcloth swapper Cheri. (Cheri doesn’t have a blog sadly. She is a super sweet lady though, and I am very fortunate to have been the recipient of her talents!)

Want a closer look at what she sent me?

This kind woman, who already sent out her gift to her assigned swapper, took the time to knit me a beautiful purple cloth, AND weave me a pretty bookmark AND make me a pair of earrings with sweet little angels on them! Told you I was lucky!

Next up, the August Socks that Rock package. This month we received a skein of Lightweight, in the “Flower Power” colorway . WOW. It’s SO pretty! The individual colors, which I would probably have never thought to put together, blend really nicely with each other! The pattern, Summer of Love Lace, looks to be another winner from BMFA. They even included 2 temporary tattoos this month.

Click for big to get a better look at the yummy colors!

As much as I would love to drop everything and cast on with this delicious new arrival, I am forcing myself to remain monogamous until this Baby Cardi is done.

I haven’t done much on it in the past 2 days but I should get a fair amount of time with it this weekend. I know once it is done, I will have a hard time deciding what to cast on next because there are quite a few things clamoring for my attention. My Ravelry queue has 7 things in it, and that doesn’t have everything listed in it as far as the “want to’s”. *sigh* Why are there not enough hours in the day?

And finally, I am meeting Stacey in a few hours over at Charlotte Yarn, so I need to get moving. I can’t wait to see the shop that gets such rave reviews from local knitters and to hang out with Stacey for a few hours (and maybe Cristi if she is working today?) Then tonight, we are off to a friends for a “fantasy football” draft party. I will bring the cardi since it is at the very easy social knitting stage, and while I love to watch football, I have no interest in the fantasy leagues. The boys can do their draft, I will hang out, knit, and enjoy the company.

Happy weekend!

A picture is worth a thousand words, yes?

So does that properly convey the “DUH!” ?

Friday morning, bright and early, I left my house headed in the general direction of Raleigh. My mission? To arrive at Mary’s by 11 (ish) so we could then head to RDU to pick up Rebecca for a weekend of fun. Everything was going according to plan, complete with missing traffic by leaving a bit earlier. Until I was about 75 miles into my trip and I realized the digital camera was on the kitchen counter, right where I had left it after putting the freshly charged batteries in. UG!!! I knew they would have their cameras, but I still stopped on the way and picked up a throw away. Maybe sometime before 2008 I will get the film developed? *sigh* (hopefully they will post their pics before then as well )

Anyway, it’s been about 5 months since I’ve seen Rebecca (and about 3 weeks since I have seen Mary), and I was soooo looking forward to hanging out with my friends, doing silly things and just being with people who really know me. There’s a safety in that, a comfort that soothes me, knowing that I can just BE, with no expectations or pretenses, or need to explain the quiet that came over me a few times during the weekend when I was thinking about my mom, or feeling sad. Being with them kept the funk at bay except for one or two brief moments, which I fully appreciate as normal. Being with them also reminded me that despite the distance and the fact we don’t see each other every week any more, these women are amazing friends who I am very very fortunate to have in my life. (Yea I know, mushy. Allow me a bit of sap today. And while I am at it, I want to say thanks for the comments posted and the emails sent about Mother’s Day. I really do appreciate the virtual hugs and warmth your words of encouragement and empathy provided!)

We had a whirlwind weekend that was over way too soon, but full of shopping and knitting and eating and drinking and laughing and all the good things I needed to refresh my spirit. I’m already looking forward to the next time we can all be in one place

I arrived home late afternoon, to big hugs from my honey followed by a “You got a package from the Crack House“. (no really! That’s what he calls it!) Oh yea! I maybe neglected to mention the other day that I finally used my gift certificate from a swap with Jen, and when coupled with a discount coupon we got thru the RSC, I ended up adopting 3 (THREE!!) new skeins of STR.

Back row: Fire on the Mountain (L) and Farmhouse (R)
Front: Barney Rubble

I have been toying with each of these colors for awhile, and with hte gift certificate and the coupon burning a hole in my pocket, I knew I had to give in to temptation. And the stunning colors certainly were a lift to open this evening. (close up shots: FOTM, F, & BR)

In our shopping excursions, we stopped by a LYS of Mary’s. The same one I went to last time and didn’t buy anything. Except this time I did.

More on that as it grows… for right now, just know it is K1Ctoo Ty Dy in Blueberry Field, and that is is very snuggly soft. It calls for 20 st per 4 ” on 7s, and I had to go to 8s, but it’s a pleasure to knit with.

I also had a blast from the past sort of reunion on Thursday night but it’s a long story, so I will save it for one night during the week. All in all, despite the rough few days BEFORE today, it’s been a great weekend. I know it will never be “pain free” and that every Mother’s Day will hold it’s own challenges, and I also know that with the love and support of amazing friends and family, I will be ok.

And now, it’s time for some quality time with my honey and my knitting.

I couldn’t find a template that I liked enough to use, so I started messing around with some old ideas I had. This is far from what I wanted but it will serve it’s purpose until I can actually A) figure out off the things WP2 doesn’t like about my old theme, or B) design a new one from scratch that has all the things I want or C) find someone who knows exactly what I want, and is willing to design it for me (at little to no cost!!). Safe bet is that B will prevail, but even more likely is that won’t happen quickly.

Anyway, this is it for now. Again, if you are already reading this on the YeaIKnit domain, disregard – you are already there It’s no where near as “home” as my old theme was, but it’s better than nothing! And who knows, it may grow on me… If you have a sec would you please take a look around and let me know what you think? I am VERY open to suggestions!

I received my Rockin’ Socks Club delivery for April as I mentioned and since the sun is out, I snapped a few shots to share. I’m not sure it really does the yarn justice though, and besides you really MUST feel this stuff to believe it. I will add the pics later on tonight (added below) as we are headed out the door to a friend’s “so sorry you are leaving the job, we’re gonna miss the hell outta you!” party in a few and I am getting errors on the upload of the pics to the blog (I know that the problem is I just don’t have time now to fix it) I PROMISE, I will get to it tonight (got to it! )

You can’t see all 13 skeins (I don’t think), but here is what is in the basket:

Back Row Left to Right:
Sandstone, Medium Weight
Marbles, Medium Weight
Rare Gens, Medium Weight
Carbon Dating, Light Weight
Carbon, Light Weight
Pink Granite, Medium Weight

Middle Row Left to Right:
(Rockin’ Socks Club color) Monsoon, Medium Weight
(Rockin’ Socks Club color) Titania, Light Weight
(Rockin’ Socks Club color) Pease Blossom, Light Weight
(Rockin’ Socks Club color) Mustang Sally, Light Weight
(Rockin’ Socks Club BONUS color) Rare Gems, Light Weight
(Rockin’ Socks Club color) Fair Grounds, Medium Weight

Across the front:
(Rockin’ Socks Club color) Walking on the Wild Tide, Silkie STR

Hanging across front of basket
Emergency Sock Yarn mini skeins of all Rockin Sock Club Colors

Happy Sunday!

Sometimes, we let life get us so wound up in stuff we lose sight of what’s important. I know I had sort of promised myself to try and cut back on work hours and find some sense of balance, and instead, the exact opposite happened. Hours increased, and my “me” time vanished. I haven’t posted in forever, and I all but lost touch with the people that matter to me – off and online. (I AM sorry, and I DO plan to get caught up soon. No details on the hows or whys, just know I have stuff up my sleeve)

Anyway, I got home from one of my marathon work days to a box on the table amidst the rest of the mail. I was going to ignore it, like the rest of the pile around it until I had some time to sort thru it, but since I haven’t ordered anything, and wasn’t expecting anything, my curiosity was up. Look what I found inside!

Now if my blog silence didn’t give you an indication of how busy I have been, maybe think about this… I HAD NO IDEA the 1st package for the 2007 STR club was on it’s way to me. None!

The Monsoon colorway is really REALLY pretty and while I have no idea when I will get to it, for right now, just petting it and looking at the colors makes me happy.

I did get something else in the mail a week or so ago that I absolutely love. Amy over at Good to be Girl made these awesome stitchmarkers and even though my knitting has been less than progressive of late, I had to have them.

I do have some of life’s gems to deal with today like laundry and food shopping and the like, but you can be sure that even if it is only for an hour, I am picking up the needles today, and spending some much needed time with my knitting. A very special thank you to Tina and Kaci at BMFA and GTBG Amy for unknowingly sending me a much needed knitty kick in the butt.

Happy Sunday!

No pictures of the baby cardi today, but tomorrow for sure. I will be finishing up the bottom tonight and at the very least, starting the 1st sleeve. Thanks to a good mail day though, this will not be a pictureless post.

1st up, I now have PROOF POSITVE the USPS is trying to steal my yarn :winky:

The contraband that prompted them to inspect my package?

I was going to buy a skein of Dani’s awesome Tiger Stripe for a swap (yes, really! I have not strayed form the SOS once!) but a wonderful non-knitting or blogging friend saw the picture and decided to buy it for me – in exchange for me making her a pair of socks. DONE!

I have received yarns from Dani in the past and I know she wraps them in tissue paper – this yarn came in no tissue paper! My little black sheep and stitchmarkers and yarn were intact but it makes me mad that the PO snooped and ruined her packaging! No matter, it’s still gorgeous and now mine all mine (The tape measure and lolly pop and smarties were in celebration of Dani’s 1000th skein of yarn sold thru Sunshine Yarns – well deserved success indeed!)

But there was even more goodness in my mail today!

YAY! It’s the July shipment from the Socks That Rock Club!!

This month’s shipment is the lightweight STR. The picture does it no justice! It’s another grey dreary rainy humid day here, and the light was just not cooperating with me. Hopefully some of the other people who got their packages today will post better pictures because it really is quite pretty! It’s called Peaseblossom and I’m looking forward to playing with it sometime soon.

And finally, this is especially for Laurie

See crappy weather/lighting excuse above and forgive the bad photo

We’ve been having lots of fun with the whole Snakes on a Plane thing around here for awhile, but after reading Laurie’s post yesterday, today’s Maxim arrives complete with the perfect cover!

Random S.O.A.P. links 1, 2 & 3

And with that, I wish you a good weekend!