It's a bird, it's a plane, no...

It's a FINISHED OBJECT! One present down for Christmas this year. These socks are a surprise for my sister, whom I tricked into picking the yarn while helping me decide on the colors for the Momsocks, and I cleverly got her to give me her foot measurements without her suspecting a thing. In trying to do something interesting between the two socks I knit one from the inside of the skein and the other from the outside, resulting in not quite matching socks. No pattern to speak of, just your standard 2x2 ribbed socks on #1 needles.
My next project is a pair of Knucks for my FIL (I'm pretty much grounded from any personal knitting for a while, at least until I have a more significant lead on Christmas). And I would have a pretty decent start on these stupid gloves if I didn't so completely suck at casting on. How is it that in 25 years of knitting I still haven't learned a way that really is stretchy and attractive? But that is a gripe for another post. Off to pack* some more.

*By "pack" I mean tape together another box, then stand in my kitchen looking at it and curse quietly.

Oddly compelling

Lest you think I've been wasting all my packing time by creating quilted breakfast food for the monkey...



The chocolate cake is really the coolest thing I've done so far.

Fluff

Instead of getting any meaningful packing done or even posting anything with substance, the monkey and I have been playing kitchen and sewing together. He loves to sit on my lap while I'm at the machine and only touches when it's not moving. Better than actually feeding my family: quilted breakfast.

Weeeee!!!!!!

So what did you do this weekend?

Oww.

Because I don't have enough going on in my life right now, today the universe conspired with a 16 year old driver and I got hit by a car while riding my bike to the gym.
Stupid freaking cages.*
I ended up on her hood (then flying back onto the ground) while my poor bike ended up under her tire. We (the bike and I) were lucky; I so far only have some scratching and bruises, and the bike is looking pretty awesome with her new bad-ass black front tire (the front tire frame was taco'd) and a tune up since everything was out of wack from being hit.
I declined a trip to the hospital; we were up there with the Monkey last week and I'm sure they are getting tired of me. I'll re-evaluate the knee tomorrow.

*Be the first to name that literary reference and I've got a prize for you, no jokes.

Knit Sock Kit Swap

I received the best package in the mail from Jenny, my Knit Sock Kit Swapper the other day! I am hugely spoiled. She sent me a great embroidered polka dot bag that already contains my sock-in-progress (retiring my crappy ziplock bag), a matching needle holder containing an addi turbo needle (my first!), stitch markers, stitch holders, a cute measuring tape so I can be cool like the girls at the SnB, delicious candy that you can see from the picture has already been sampled significantly, and a booklet about Magic Loop. And best of all, she sent me two skeins of Regia Stretch in the extremely awesome Camouflage color. Holy smokes, it is even cooler than everyone says it is. Browns, greens and blacks; my favorite colors all wrapped up in one fantastic elastic yarn. Thank you so much Jenny!
One more dyeing of the sock yarn for my secret partner and my box will be ready to mail. I hope she loves it as much as I adore my present.

Adultery

I am slowly staggering along on the Project That Would Not End, and I admit that I am beginning to have feelings of...infidelity. I'm tired of knitting away on a project that does not change in any easily perceived way. The socks I'm working on are getting a lot more attention than the shawl, absolutely due to the actual progress the sock makes. Meanwhile, the shawl hangs there, looking not unlike the string bags I carry my groceries home in. It's impossible to really even show someone who is interested, I usually end with "it's hard to tell, but someday it will be really beautiful!"
Yeah.
So my cheating heart is looking around seeing all these beautiful shawls (I obviously really want to work on a lace shawl, I just want one that will someday be finished. And isn't such a mindbender trying to figure how one pattern transitions into the next when you finish a row) and I admit to having feelings for a number of other patterns. Mims Adamas shawl pattern is right here, literally hanging on the wall in front of my desk. It is especially tempting because I recently bought a giant cone of Zephyr in white, and it whispers so seductively.
"I'm such a dream to knit with. You could dye me any color-you have dozens of packs of Kool-aid. You could knit right off the cone. Over 5000 yards, I'm anything you want me to be!"
Please just let me finish this thing. It has been a long time in the works.

Rain, plus more jam

It rained again last night and now everything is so fresh and cool; a beautiful 68°. Apparently the ideal temperature for me. It has been a busy week in my little world, in preparation for moving I had to clean out the bedrooms in the inlaw's house that we are moving in to. The only kid living at home with them for two years has been our drummer Sean, who behaves like a gas and expands to fit the space provided. Since there are two free bedrooms and three bathrooms available for his use, he has expanded to use all of this space to one degree or another. Between his crap and the ginormous collection of polo shirts acquired at trade shows, the closets were no small task. I feel honest fear about the time when I will claim one of the bathrooms as ours and clean it out. But I was then able to bring in a few big rubbermaid boxes, filled with Christmas decorations and baby clothes, giving me a warm glow of accomplishment that I so don't deserve. Yep, three boxes, I'm practically moved already.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Cherry Nectarine jam, and it's subsequent disappearance, the Monkey and I made another batch yesterday. Soooooo delicious! I maintained a little more creative control during the blender portion of thejamss construction, so it is a little more chunky this time (the Monkey prefers to blend everything into oblivion). Hopefully I will have the good sense to stash these jars instead of handing them out to family again