It is too hot. And worse than that it’s heavily overcast at the moment, so it feels like the air is pressing down, rather flattening me right into the ground. It’s muggy. It’s just gross out there.

I have SO much I need to be getting done today, but it’s just too damn hot to want to do anything but hide in the basement where it’s dark and cool.

And for all you folk in the really really really stupid-hot parts of the country? Yeah. I know. I’m weak and I know it. I embrace that about myself.

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Now hush. All y’all.

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I just had 14 or so inches of my hair cut off. Locks of Love got most of it, the rest was just cleanup and, god forbid, a tiny bit of style.

No pictures for you!

Neener neener.

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Well, kinda.

I have made exactly fuck-all in the way of progress on ANYTHING in the last week. Pathetic, really. The big YAY, however, comes from my finally figuring out the damn reverse band heel thing I’ve been trying to remember how to do. It was something that Angela showed me when she was down here last time, and I’m pretty sure I have written directions for it *somewhere*, but damned if I could find them. After knitting and ripping the heel extension on the STR Fire On The Mountain super plain sock no less than 14 (truly embarassing) times, I have finally prevailed against the tyrrany of my crap memory and figured out how to make it work without looking like roadkill. So yay! I’m half way up the slip stitch heel now, and it’s coming along swimmingly.

I did, kinda, managed to make a whopping 4 rows of progress on the purple Trekking sock, but since that took a stupid long time and really doesn’t feel like progress, I shant count it as such.

This afternoon, though, I will be doing the swatch for my self-designed-from-crazy-Japanese-stitch-pattern-books sweater. That should be quick and simple. I think I need quick and simple today. Attention span? What? Ooh! Shiny!

And did I mention that my back is all borked again? And by ‘back’ I mean my sacroilliac joint, which has pulled itself apart again. AGAIN. Crap.

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So sayeth Aidan in reference to one of the two truly obscene(ly hysterical) presents Critterboy got at his birthday party yesterday. This being the object in question.

The other being… yes… The Oozinator. That goo it shoots? They call it “bio-ooze”. I kid you not. And yeah, it looks EXACTLY like what you’d expect something called bio-ooze to look like. ‘Bout the same texture too. And yes, the instructions say to ‘pump until white, gooey ooze shoots out’. Shocking that it’s being (been?) pulled off the market, no?

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By Wednesday before BSG I was going to:

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.)

How’d I do you ask? Weeeellll…… So so.

#1 – The EDC is done, but needs seaming. I was walking around at BSG knitting the button bands. But! It’s done! And I have two out of eight of the buttons. Sheila is making the rest of them for me, which I will pick up at OFFF in September (really, it’s not like I’m going to be wearing it between now and then). I’ll finish sewing it together when it’s not 85 degrees. It’s too warm to touch right now with how sick I am of that ocean of charcoal grey (I do love the sweater and that color, mind you).

#2 – Yes! That one I managed. Barely.

#3 – One Trekking sock done, and one of the Sockotta socks done, so… kinda.

#4 – Yes! I finished this. Although it’s still not quite as big as I’d like it to end up, so I may, at some point, add some sort of pointy border to it. We’ll see when I get that far just how sick I am of the whole project.

#5 – Go me! No yarn actually purchased for myself during that week. I did pick up two skeins of Trekking for a friend who doesn’t have ready access to the stuff, but since it was a)sock yarn and b)didn’t go into my stash, it TOTALLY doesn’t count.

So now the grand list looks more like this:

1. Sockotta socks for O, my ownish pattern, in my bag at all times (one done, second one not cast on yet)
2. blue Trekking socks, river rapids pattern, in my bag at all times (one done, second one not cast on yet)
3. purple Trekkings, river rapids pattern, in my bag at all times (first one just turned the heel, about to pick up gusset stitches)
4. charcoal Peace Fleece, Everyday cardi, in my bag DONE (except for seams and buttons)
5. wisteria Shine worsted, that foo-foo Adrienne Vittadini cardi, in my bag (the tiniest amount of progress EVER – this one is totally non-intuitive and seems to take forever to knit)
6. fire on the mountain STR, bosnian toe-up socks, on the couch in the craft pit (progress made! Almost to the heel on the first one)
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) (partly seamed, awating 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.) FROGGED
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) Rock Star swatches done
15. Oregon Shawl in sunset merino laceweight from knitpicks FROGGED
16. my revised Summer Into Fall shawl in Lisa Souza Laceweight merino (OMFG soft and yummy – LOVING that yarn) pattern re-written, tiny amount of progress made

The next 7 days are going to be crazy busy for me, so, giving myself two weeks here, by the 14th, I’ma try to have accomplished:

1. finish Sockotta socks
2. Finish at least one of the purple Trekking socks
3. Finish the embroidery on the lavender baby sweater
4. Get through at least one chart (of 11) in the no longer summer into fall shawl (fall into winter?)
and 5. finish the swatching for my ‘base-jumping-of-knitting’ sweater

So there. Now you know. I’m sure you were all just waiting and waiting and wondering…

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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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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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