http://www.pimpthatsnack.com/

That’s all.

Oohh! Wait! I lied. That’s not all:

Best. Music. Video. EVER. (ok, maybe not EVER, but certainly best in recent memory. Look, ma! No bling!)

Naked Ape’s Fashion Freak. (or here [top row center] if you don’t have Windoze media player)

Um… mostly work safe-ish. Probably not entirely child-appropriate, however. YMMV.

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In the gallery. O took the vast majority of them, but I probably took the worst of the worst. It’s crappy wildlife photography at its finest.

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I’ll see if I can’t do something about getting the critter pix up in the gallery later today, but in the mean time, two pics to whet your appetite:

The tiny bit of the OMG yummy merino fleece that Denise and I got (that staple length is 4-5″ (10-12.5cm or so):

and four samples of thigh-spun yarn that O made in the car on the way home:

Top to bottom: two ply, cabled, novelty three ply, and braided.

Too exhausted to think yet. Check back later for some stellar examples of my crap animal photography skillz.

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My Secret Pal loooooooves me, my Secret Pal loooooooves me, nyah nyah!

There were not one, but TWO boxes waiting for me when I got home today.
TWO! So lucky I am.

The first one was from my secret pal. Who, you must know, Kicks All Available Ass. Bigtime.
Check it out (enclicken to embiggen - it deserves to be full size)

Everything in the box was individually wrapped, which made it that much more fun to open, and inside? OMG. Verklempt, people. That’s what I am.
Top package? An OUNCE of QIVIUT. I kid you not.
Then? Two ounces of gorgeous hand-dyed alpaca.
And a fuzzy sheep pez dispenser/key chain!
Then! Chocolate brown yak! That doesn’t smell like yak!
And? It doesn’t stop there - next up?
GUANACO A bag of guanaco!
Then coffee! And Chocolate! and a lavender & bergamot Badger bedtim bar that smells so good I just want to take a bite out of it.

I? Have the best secret pal EVER. Seriously. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

And then there was the second box, which was from one of the wonderful people on the FiberTraditions list who was destashing her sock yarn supply. Woo! Who could pass that up? And Jen says sock yarn isn’t stash enhancement, so it’s ok. She divvied her stash up into paper bags, and sent it out random-like. I got two bags worth, which turned out to be two skeins of Lorna’s Laces in Ember, and two skeins of Socka Color in browns with sparkles! Both should be great knit up, and were WAY too good a deal to pass up.

And one more pic for you, just to round out your day:
Our ever so balanced breakfast from Saturday with the TechniViking (who has put his pics from the rainforest trip up in the gallery):

peace out

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What are your favorite colors?

Blues, greens, and purples. But I’m learning to love magenta, and orange, and red. Still not wild about yellow. Mind you, this is all subjective, ‘cos I’m colorblind (excuse me “Red Green Color Deficient”), so I’m probably totally talkin’ out my ass here.

Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks?

My very first-ever knitting project was the Mamluke socks from Folk Socks by Nancy Bush, and that was… dunno. A few years ago now. I’ve been knitting socks regularly for about two years now. Always have at least one pair in my bag.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn?

I have this silly fascination with self-striping yarns, and I do love a good multicolored yarn. My gut reaction to that question is ’solid!’, and yet, I think every, single skein of sock yarn I have except for two is multi colored. Silly me. Obviously I don’t know myself at all.

What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn?

Superwash wool, preferably merino. Maybe with a little bit of nylon thrown in for stability. Or not, really. A teensy bit of mohair can be ok too. But then again, anything superwash and soft. I claim to be picky, but as long as it’s soft, I’m really not.

Where do you usually knit socks?

In the car on the ferry, at the computer, while watching dvd’s, in the kitchen waiting for stuff to cook, wandering through the house, on my afternoon walks along the river at work. A better question would probably be where *don’t* I usually knit socks…

How do you usually carry/store small projects?

I put point protectors on the needles and throw them in my knitting bag along with the other two pairs of socks and generally one sweater. When I’m feeling really ambitious I’ll bust out with the zip loc bag to stuff them into, but generally they’re roaming loose, freely mingling with other yarns, and probably getting jiggy with my ipod.

What are your favorite sock knitting patterns?

Anything by Nancy Bush. The Sockbug patterns that I’ve tried so far have been great, Lucy Neatby’s techniques rock, and the Charlene Schurch book is a great resource too. I often make it up as I go along, if I’m doing something fairly simple pattern-wise, otherwise, I’ll pull something from one of the books or patterns and alter it to suit my mood.

What are your favorite sock knitting techniques?

Toe up, toe down, either way. I am not a big fan of the short row, and I can’t stand that zig-zag bind off on top of the toe technique - I’m all about the flat no-seam action. The new toe-up technique with heel flap and no stitches to pick up? HEAVEN. Absolute heaven.

What new techniques would you like to try?

Um… Er… Dunno. Ooh! Ooh! I know! Diamond knit socks!

Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting?

I swing both ways on that one, although I tend to prefer dpn’s. And always in sets of 5, not 4. Triangles freak me out…

What are some of your favorite yarns?

Socks That Rock, Lisa Souza merino Sock!, Trekking XXL, Opal, Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, Bearfoot, etc.

What yarn do you totally covet?

I absolutely can’t resist Socks That Rock, and I’m really curious about the new sock yarns with aloe in them and the aromatherapy ones that smell like lavender.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object?

The only one I can think of is the Heartland Knits Diamond Patch Socks.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)?

2mm - 2.5mm, 15-17cm metal dpns. I’d love to lay hands on some more of the 15cm Regia sock needles, but haven’t had any luck in finding them.

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be?

Um…. me? personally? I’d probably be one of those random skeins in the ‘missing labels’ bin - unknown fiber blend, indeterminate color, but softish, and surprisingly nice to work with and long wearing.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack?

Mmm, chocolate. Lindor truffle balls, ’snob chocolate’ (Cocoa West, Teuscher, Neuhaus, etc), interesting tea, dried fruit (no mango!), etc.

What’s your favorite animal?

Cats. The bigger the better.

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages?

Three cats {Hugo (Bengal, 10ish), Darwin (pixie-bob, 10ish), and Brutus (no-neck thug w/orange stripes, 12ish)}, a guinea pig (Trogdorge!, 8monthsish), two turtles (sliders of some variety), and 6 chickens {Sunshine (auracana/polish mix), Nugget (MilleFleur bantam/polish mix), Lizzie (Silver Lace Wyandotte?), and the as-yet-unnamed three little ones (two wyandottes and one Buff Brahma)}

If you were a color what color would you be?

Murky, complex, swampy green

Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s)..

Big, soft, grey hoodie with Totoro eyes and mouth on it. It’s brand new, so it hasn’t broken in yet, and still looks just like this.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature?

Oy. These questions are killers. The huge old trees in the pacific nw rainforests all dripping with moss. Especially the ones that are growing out of old, knocked down bigger trees. Pretty amazing stuff that.

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read.

I totally can’t pull that kind of stuff out of my brain on command. Sorry.

Do you have a wishlist?

Just the one on Amazon.

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today?

Not that I can think of at this point.

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Jeezum crow. So many posts, so little time. Who’da thunk it?

So! Progress has been made! And I have no pictures to show for it in this post! Go me!

The Everyday Cardi - back and both fronts DONE! Sleeves will be cast on this morning, definitely on track on this one for being finished by Wednesday.

One Trekking sock DONE! Woot! The first blue one is done, the first purple one is almost to the heel (3 rows to go?)

And the first cable-sided O sock is done! Finished that one on the way back from the rain forest yesterday. While trying very very very very very hard not to throw up in the back seat of TechniViking’s truck (which I will forever refer to now as ‘The Vomit Comet’ - unoriginal, yes, but terribly apt).

So yay! Progress. Trekking pictorial to come.

And, uh, yeah. My forbidden sock yarn arrived. Although it wasn’t *really* forbidden since a)I ordered it before I went on my yarn diet, and b)Jen says that sock yarn doesn’t count towards stash, so it’s all good. Go check it out - Scroll down to the June 11th entry. It’s yummeh! And even prettier in person. And yeah, I know fuck all about green, so just shut it. It’s gorgeous, even the boys say so.

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Just a little over an hour away from home (maybe 2 hours or so from Seattle?) is a wonderful series of day-hikes in a place called Staircase. It’s just outside Hoodsport (like y’all know where that is…).

Anyway, this is where we spent the day. So close to home, and yet a world away. Just what the doctor ordered.

enclicken to go to the gallery and see all the pics

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Turns out that the hen’s name is Lizzy. Tony apparently got in touch with someone at Country Village and found out for me. And she’s a very very very sweet chicken. Follows us around the yard (already!) and talks to us. She’s perfectly willing to be touched and picked up and held. And best of all? She’s QUIET. Unlike the other little bastards.

Anyone want some chickens? We can hook you up…

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Apparently it’s Take Your Chicken To Work day.

See?

It was here when I got here. Behind my desk. I think I’m taking it home with me. And yeah, it’s stinky. And needs a name. But at least it’s quiet.

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006270608,00.html

In garter stitch squares no less.

Oh. The horror.

And in other news - I still hate Bainbridge Island passionately, and Trekking sock 1 is done! Woot! Go me.

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I got an email from Lara this morning, giving me some grief about the number of socks I currently have on the needles (I thought it was nine, in counting I think it’s closer to 7, but I could just be missing something), and in my response I started listing out EVERYTHING I’ve got on the needles at the moment. And lordy. It’s not pretty. It’s really time to conquer some of the WIPs. So. Here’s the list (or, sadly, as much of the list as I can think of off the top of my head):

1. Sockotta socks for O, my ownish pattern, in my bag at all times
2. blue Trekking socks, river rapids pattern, in my bag at all times
3. purple Trekkings, river rapids pattern, in my bag at all times
4. charcoal Peace Fleece, Everyday cardi, in my bag
5. wisteria Shine worsted, that foo-foo Adrienne Vittadini cardi, in my bag
6. fire on the mountain STR, bosnian toe-up socks, on the couch in the craft pit
7. Lorna’s Laces, uh… some damn pattern from some damn bookin some damn colorway that’s not on their site, on the couch in the craft pit
8. blue lorna’s laces baby socks from IK, on top of the tv in the craft pit
9. lavender cotton baby sweater from some Melanie Falick book (?), in the craft pit (just awaiting seams and embroidery)
10. Mission Falls cotton Bloomfield Bolero (omfg can you say ends to weave in??? wtf was I thinking?? and no, it hasn’t progressed much past that entry…)
11. pacific Lisa Souza Sock! potomatowhateverthefuck socks from Knitty (hating the pattern, not loving the yarn in this application, but that may be due to the fact that I’m hating the pattern, ‘cos mostly I LOVE Lisa Souza everything.)
12. another pair of STR socks, totally can’t remember the pattern, or the yarn color for that matter, guess I should find them in the craft pit socks
13. Must Have Cardi in shaba green Peace Fleece for Melissa/Peace Weavers (shop sample)
14. swatches for Rock Star (4 yarns so far) and my base-jumping-of-knitting sweater (sport weight peace fleece)
15. Oregon Shawl in sunset merino laceweight from knitpicks
16. my revised Summer Into Fall shawl in Lisa Souza Laceweight merino (OMFG soft and yummy - LOVING that yarn)
17. um…. I know there’s something else. I’m pretty sure I’m missing some socks. I’m vaguely recalling that they’re green. Christ. That’s bad.

So… yeah. And that doesn’t include the fact that there is fiber on all 4 wheels (the Matchless has baby camel/silk, the Rose has Winderwood biffle, the Joy has that ORANGE! and MAGENTA! targhee from Dicentra, and the sad Reeves has some merino on it), and three quilts in progress.

Wow. When you list it all out it really seems vastly more fucked up that it seems when you’re just walking past it every day… The four things in my knitting bag are pretty standard. I have a damn long commute and a very short attention span, but the rest of it? That’s just lame. I need to get offa my arse and finish some shit.

So! By next wednesday I will:

1. finish the grey Everyday Cardi. That’s going to BSG with me to get Shiela buttons.

2. at least get the lavender baby sweater partly seamed and ready for embroidery

3. finish one each of the two pairs of Trekking socks

4. finish redrafting the pattern for the Summer Into Fall redux shawl so I can pick it up again.

and 5. have not purchased any more yarn. (the stuff I ordered last week doesn’t count, even though it will arrive between now and next wednesday. so there.)

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So… The Trekking Jaywalkers. Not. Going. To. Happen. They got frogged AGAIN. See?:

I took them back to the bottom of the cuff, and will be reknitting them, yet again, in the same pattern as the other Trekking socks, which can be seen trekking all over the inside of my car - seen here trekking on the dashboard with their trekking partner and a rogue Sockotta interloper:

and here, lounging on the steering wheel after the long, strenuous trek across the dash (c’mon! that’s a LOT of dash!)

And just to spice things up - some wildlife! As seen on the wall below the open window in the living room:

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So says my dear friend Wade, when faced with my latest project of designing my first sweater, using charted patterns from Japanese books.

I’m amused that what seems like a perfectly legitimate way to spend my weekend is proof to Wade that I’m insane.

You’d think he would have realized that one by now.

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Were last night.

Critterboy called me into the bathroom to look at something. I *assumed* he was going to point out some ginormous hairy spider in the shower, ‘cos we all know showers occasionally breed giant hairy spiders, and he seems to find it endlessly amusing to point them out to me when he finds them in the house. But no.

I walk in there, all braced for spidery ickiness (I am the queen of spider sissies, just so y’all know), and I was faced with… MOTHS. HUNDREDS OF MOTHS. I’m still shaken by the horror of it all.

Seriously. Now, we have a funky vent in our shower. It’s an old house, and there’s a wall vent in the wall at the end of the shower that vents directly outside, with not much in the way of screen action to keep bugs and whatnot on the outside of the house, so we get the occasional moth or crane fly or what have you coming in through the vent. But this was different. These didn’t look like outside moths. These looked like wool moths. (or maybe book/cereal moths).

There was MUCH frantic action, including him turning the fan on to suck some of them outside, and then grabbing the vacuum and sucking up all the others, and me running for the wool. All the closets, the stash, everything. What did we find in the rest of the house? Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing in the sweaters, nothing in the stash, nothing in the bookshelves, nothing in the kitchen cabinets. Nothing. Nothing other than the stuff that was supposed to be there.

It was the most bizarre thing. Hundreds of moths in the shower. They weren’t there when I got home two hours earlier. And we haven’t seen one since he suckered them all up with the vacuum.
Welcome to the Twilight Zone…

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Blah, blah, photos!, blah, blah…

Getting the ball rolling we have Booger’s socks, ON Booger’s feets:

And then! Pictures! From the garden!
Poppies poppies poppies.

And some poison hemlock which had invaded our yard (which is proving difficult to eradicate):

There you go. Now you can’t say I never give you photos.

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