TAH~DAH!!!!

TAHHH DAHHHH!! All done and on my feet. They sure make my ankles look big, or maybe it's the desk top LOL. My very first and third sock of my life. Now tonight I will start on the second of my pretty pair, my Regia Color pair, the pair that has the color name of Partie. And tonight we will start our second Partie together! Yeah baby!

Update: I got the ribbing done on the Partie sock, but decided to take a break to see if I was stupid. Go take the test, click on my results on the right. It's fun, but read carefully!

and this one is for comparison to the one I took this time yesterday. Yeah for having sock #2 of the boring blackness done! Next time I do a black pair their going to have some funky colored heels and toes. That's a promise.  

Here's the sock just awaiting it's toe shaping. Look at those nice shiney toes ready for 4th of July merriment! 

Here's the second black sock relaxing for a few after a hard afternoon of bleaching the kitchen down. You name it, it got bleached. Sometimes storms can be our friends, I'll take 75 over 95 anyday. 

Black sock number two is half done. So I'm thinking that over the holiday weekend I'm going to have the Sockapal-2-za pair done too. Then it's socks for MEEEEEeeeeeee! ha ha ha haaaaaa Now, would someone turn off the friggin' heat already??? I know I'm over weight but the whole "sweat it off" thing is not for me thank you very much. Geesh.

Tune in six months from now and I'll fill you eyes with complaints about how cold it is.

Oh and I didn't do my toes last night. Maybe tonight.

No photos today, just a little chit-chat.

Okay, I had this good post going and I lost it somehow! ARGH! ARGH! ARGH! (Which isn't the true sounds that came out of my mouth, that would make your ears burn. And I? Thankful that the kids are downstairs.)

I had gone over to Alisons 'Blue Blog' (link is at the right and her site is worthy of a look, she is a very talented lady and probably the fastest knitter I've ever seen) and checked out the progress on Sockapal-2-za and all I can say is DAMN! There are some beautiful socks being made by some very talented people! Mine look so boring compaired to some of them until I look at the pooling my sock has done. It still reminds me of a sunset over water and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I hope that my Pal will like them also, little ladders and holes and all. Though this sock is much better than that first black sock I did. (Remember it is only the second sock I ever made k? Hence the reason I am on the Beginner's list.)

I'm really looking forward to seeing what I will get from my pal. After reading all the updates I hope that saying I'm up for anything didn't make it too hard to decide. Talking of socks has brought me to thinking about my nails and that it's time for the blue polish to go away and to bring on the red for the 4th of July. Today is that day, and I can knit during drying times! Hey now that IS an idea. LOL ....well that's all folks, I'm off to do my nails. Have a great Tuesday.

The finished sock's profile. God I love this yarns coloring! 

Sock #1 is all grafted and waiting for a mate!  

Sock #1 of my sockapal-2-za pair is ready for grafting. 

Here's a close up and more realistic color picture of my sockapal-2-za pal's sock. Of course monitors vary so check cooking times... One of these days I'm going to remember to post photos in the oposite order.

This is the other side, it's doing an interesting pooling, not of individual colors so much as it's "warm" colors on one side and "cool" colors on the other.  

Regia Sock yarn for my secret Sockapal-2-za pal. This reminds me of a sunset over water and is just gorgeous to my eyes.  

Sticky the great and mighty hunter looking so cute! 

The finished cardigan, not the most flattering photo of me, it was late and the Pistons weren't doing well at the time. Enough said. Anyway, onward to socks and mitered squares! Yeah! I'm not that happy with the sweater, it's a little small, always was going to be, but I had hoped I'd get some weight off before I was done with it. Ah well, a pretty silver closure for right under the sisters and it should be ok. Of course a different shirt too. But like I said, it was late and that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

The kids are over at my in laws, they stayed the night last night so Karl and I went to see a movie, The Longest Yard. Oh I laughed my way through it, but then you have to understand that I also loved the original too. Karl and I like very few things the same when it comes to humor but Adam Sandler is one of the few things we both laugh at. He's picking the kids up on his way home tonight so I've got a whole day to myself. It's a wierd feeling.

My plans are to get dressed (finally), run to Ewe-nique Yarns and see what new sock yarn she got in that I might like for my Sockapal-2-za pal, then since I'm unemployeed and desperate for money and Borders and Kohl's don't want me I'm trying Joann's next. So maybe I'll go apply there today as well. I hate applying for jobs, seriously, but a necessary evil. Have a great Wednesday!

We're up to our elbows with....

sleeves!

A different shot.

Sleeves! Two of them! Actually I'm almost to the armpit and cap shapping but I thought I'd post a photo or two of how much I got done yesterday at MIL's for Father's Day dinner. I'm really tired of large projects so I'm desperate to get this sweater done. I hope it will be tonight. After that I'm going to work on socks and mitered squares. Of course the mitered squares will end up being a large project but a major stash buster.

I sliced my middle finger of my right hand Saturday. Probably could have used stitches but butterfly closures seem to be doing the trick. Hence why I haven't posted all weekend. Today is the first day it doesn't hurt to touch the tip of it, but the bandaid is making it hard to hit the correct keys! I cut it from the nail to the first joint on the pad. You know it's bad when you don't feel it right away and the funniest thing about it now is that I almost fainted! ME! I never was a fainter before but I had to actually lay down for 30 mintues. I'm just thankful I did it after my DH got home from work so he could bandage me up.

We then went to a park with our dear friends Meg and Russ and they're adorable kids. After a few hours we decided that everyone was rather hungry so we went to their house and had a BBQ. It was probably the most pleasant day I've had in a long time, or so it feels. Alas, the sleeves went with me but I only got one row done, BUT, Meg had some of her mom's knitting books there and I got to at least look at knitting. I have a project all planned for Meg but, like Kirsti says, it's a top secret project. (Hope you don't mind me using that term Kirsti, it's so useful!) It will be unvield in early October since it's Meg's birthday present. It's going to be hard for me to not talk about it because it's the most perfect thing for her and I'm excited. But I can't take the chance that she's going to be nice enough to visit my bald sheep and read about it.

So after a wonderful productive Father's day I'm rested and working on my Mt. Washmore and my sleeves. Long live knitting and death to laundry!

This is my "Born to Knit" bag from I believe Knitty.com. It was my mother's day gift and I have to tell you, I really enjoy the expressions on peoples faces when they check it out, usually twice. Off to the right on the floor and not in any photos are a few bags from various LYSs that have various projects in them. My recent sock yarn purchase, hiding, and my two shawls. The shawls are too delicate and fine to be trusted in the basket, so in their purchase bags they live.

This is where I keep my stash and other stuff. The basket on top is my WIPs basket and the vase is where I keep all my straight needles. The ugly green thing under it on the next shelf is an old plastic covered tin thing from my grandmother that I keep my crochet hooks, DPNs, and odds and ends in. I have a weather station (my other obsession) and books I'm reading on top. Yes, Knits End is there on the corner, good book! I have magazines and patterns on the second shelf but as you can see they try to wiggle out. The bottom shelf is all the stuff I'm not sure what in the world it will become, it's mostly left overs.

This is the yarn I'm using and the two sleeves that are well started. I LOVE this Plymouth Encore yarn. I find it so easy to work with and it makes such a nice light weight fabric. You also get a close up of "my" chair. The big comfy red chair that puts everyone to sleep no matter who you are. If you are even slightly tired you will get lathargic in this chair and find it terribly hard to get up. That's why it's my chair because if I let guests sit in it they never leave. Now don't get me wrong, I do love guests but sometimes I also like to see their backsides as they leave out the door after being here all day. And if you are pregnant I will let you sit in the chair because you usually need sleep, especially in the last trimester and the chair is an all natural, totally safe sleeping pill. LOL

This is the cardigan I am making. It goes to the knee and has been a pleasure to do, though it's taking a LONG damn time! Good think I'm ambitious or it'd have never gotten this far! I don't think I'm going to do the tie like they show here. I'm thinking of maybe some fancy silver hook and eye type closures or some frog closures. Or maybe some pretty ribbon. I guess I will decide when I try the thing on and see what needs to be "pulled" together.

The excitement is taking over!

My cardigan fronts are blocked! I have been working on this cardigan for over a year. It's from Classic Elite Yarns, 9042 Wings. It is knee length, and I'm a big gal, so it's taken me a long time to get here. The back is already blocked and waiting. Today I will cast on the sleeves and start them. I get so excited when I get close to finishing something, and yes, I LOVE to finish stuff after enjoying the process of making it. It gives me permission to move on to something else! I'm not using Classic Elite Yarns though, it was discontinued if I remember correctly, so I'm using Plymouth Yarn, Encore, color 555.

When I'm done with this cardigan it might be too hot to work on anything else but socks and mitered squares. We are being blessed with an extremely cool day (62 F). Now I don't want it to stay THIS cool, but after days of 90F + temperatures it sure is a nice break. And the perfect chance to work on my sweater.

I like the sounds of that! MY sweater! Mine, mine, mine. LOL So I'm off now to cast on my sleeves before we have to leave to get to my mom's house on time to take her out for her birthday dinner.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM/NANA! We love you!

My newest yarn purchase. The back row will be geisha socks and anklets for me and my daughter. The tan is for my swatches for TKGA level one Master Knitter swatches.

Well, I went on one last trip to my LYS (Ewe-nique Yarns in Brighton Mi. (810) 229-5579) without the boys, at least until the fall. Miranda came with me of course and I don't know what it is but everytime we go there she's crawling all over me and I have a hard time enjoying my touchy feelies.

The lavender and yellow are going to be geisha socks and the green will just be footies from Spun Magazine. http://www.spunmag.com/article/050605socks What ever is left over will become something for Miranda's tiny toes. Please wish me luck with the tan, my goal is to try and complete level one by the end of the summer before classes start up again. So I'm off to work on the second black sock so I can start a geisha!

Pink flip flops, purple fuzz and blue toenails. Does this peak your interest in the new photos on my Picture Trail....? see post below for link.

I got my sockapal-2-za information today

and I figured that the person who got assigned to me would check out my site to see what I'm like. Well, as you can see this is brand spanking new as of today! But when I said anything goes, I meant it, don't let the black sock fool you into thinking I'm too conservative. The black was suposed to be for my FIL but I made it too short so it's mine now. My big feet and I will love whatever comes our way!

This is my very first sock completed! Since I don't have any blogging knowledge and I'm still learning how to add stuff and rearrange things here is my picture trail if you'd like to see more of my completed works. http://www.picturetrail.com/kittyprints4

Any help with adding stuff, for example, progress bars, works completed and knit alongs would be greatly appreciated!

This is my very first sock! It's for me and I have the second one about an inch done.

Sticky the great and mighty hunter! Everyone has to have a photo of their cat, even me!