And Another Thing About These Socks

The NZH sox ["New Zealand Helen"] are even more remarkable because when I signed up for Sockapaloooza, I included NO PREFERENCES. "I'd never had or made handknit sox," I said, "so I'm open to anything." I figured that would make it easy for my sockpal.

I mean really. Can you imagine anything more stressful? Particularly given that Helen and I were in the newbies group, so it wasn't like she had years of sock-making experience to draw on ("Ah, yes, indecisive Canadians always like pattern X....") So these are extra-excellent sox, having been created without a safety net.

And it's been raining ALL weekend in Toronto, so I'm wearing them a lot. With slippers -- can't let them touch the floors!

Antipodean Ssssssssox

Feast your eyes on these beauties:

My Sockapaloooza socks have arrived, and they are gorgeous...they fit perfectly, I love the pattern, and the colours are wonderful: lots of variations on purple and orange and green and pink. They're the handiwork of the uber-busy Helen, who lives 14,688 km (that's 9,127 miles) from Toronto in Dunedin, New Zealand. Helen is at school and is a new Mum to the darling Sam and she knits...I think sleep must be scarce around her house. Helen, I love these socks: thank you so much!!

Plus, Helen sent me a gift! Check it out: a beautiful skein of Touch 2-ply laceweight in purples and blues and turquoises...these are colours I'm always stroking in yarn shops, and I'm looking forward to making something light and glamorous out of it.

Believe it or not, I've been doing some knitting myself, but mostly secret stuff...gifts for small people, etc. I'm also a little stalled on CeCe -- I'm at the point where I need to start the sleeves, but I don't have the right size DPNs. Maybe I'll take a break and wind this nice skein into a ball....

Disgracefully Infrequent Blogging.

Okay, it's the MIDDLE of the night and long past the hound's bedtime, but here's a quick update. I darted out to B.C. for an excellent week chez M & D [see above] and have been back for a few days, communing with Stuart, foraging for meals, assessing the state of the Home Business.

In sox news, my lovely sock pal Bertha received her sox!! I'm soooo pleased that she likes them -- it's tough, making sox for someone you've never met! She's clearly a lovely person, and going through a few transitions in her life -- all of them good, but change is always tough -- so I really wanted her to be happy with them.

My own Pal let me know that my sox are still in progress, which is just fine with me -- she's going to school AND has a baby! That's a heap of things to keep a woman busy. Don't sweat it, sock pal: take your time!

Must get Stuart to bed...more [soon] on the finished Picovoli and the CeCe in progress.

In Praise of the Last Minute

Needle at rest, with inquisitive snout:


A PAIR of Sockapaloooza socks!

Started: ages ago...sometime post-Olympics.
Finished: 20 minutes ago.





Post-canine inspection, sox hit the showers:
Pre-wash, they're snug but not outrageously so, and my feet are about the same size as my Pal's...the Eucalan dunk ought to soften them up so they're just right. I really like them, and they were so fun to make. I understand the knitting world's sock mania a little better after this exchange!

Bianca Elizabeth

Well, I wish I had a picture of the little snack pack, but her Dad has been camping out at the hospital instead of darting home to email pictures to North America. Remember this? That bump has become baby B, who arrived on April 28 at 11:14AM, French time. Sooooo looking forward to seeing pictures. And I'm so happy for my little sister, who will be a loving and cool mother -- just like ours. Remember Lindz: Two Graham Crackers!

In the meantime, here's a gratuitous dog shot. Again: isn't he darling?

In stitchin' news, I'm one repeat + 2" ribbing from finishing my Sockapaloooza sox and am working on the waist shaping on the Picovoli and have just completed the opening ribbing on CeCe.

Must put the hound to bed.

Beach Bum

The Companion Animal and I headed for the beach today and had a splendid time chasing/throwing a stick and romping in the sand. He showed no interest in swimming but liked the boardwalk and inspected some geese from a distance. Later, in the park, we saw a hulking Goldendoodle -- twice as big as Stuart. I told S. that he wasn't to get quite that big, please.

New project a-hatching: Bonne Marie's CeCe: stylish, pretty, knit in ONE piece...I love it. Plus, I have a bunch of Rowan Calmer stashed away that was going to be a T-shirt, but I already have a Picovoli on the needles (in lamb's pride cotton fleece, "columbine" blue) for easy knittin' T-shirt wearin' summer lying about, so the Calmer will be commandeered for La Ce.

0.6 Socks to Go

Note to sock pal: I'll be washing and blocking these sox before they wing their way to you!

Thanks to the BBC's fabulous production of Bleak House, I'm making good mileage on sock #2, and enjoying it as much as #1. Mind you, yesterday the third DVD was NOT in -- was OVERDUE in fact -- and the hipsters at my local indy video store didn't seem to understand that I REALLY NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS. Last night I rented Shopgirl -- love Steve Martin, usually, but I thought it was tedious. You can only shoot Claire Danes looking wistful/quirky from so many angles before the audience clues in that it's filllllller. I have another Sherlock Holmes in reserve, but I'm hoping that the last BH disc is back to the store soon. I want to finish up this sock! I'm off to Kamloops on May 2, so I need to get my package in the mail on May 1.

Also, puppy-as-sock-display-unit is acceptable, I think, because yesterday Stuart had his first bath (first one here at my house, anyway) and he is the cleanest fuzzball on the block. He didn't particularly care for the experience, but didn't struggle or try to make a break for it. No, he confined himself to reproachful looks, especially during the blow-dry. As you can see, he is Not. Pleased. But there were rawhide rewards at the end, and he slept the rest of the day -- after a muddy hour in the park and his ordeal at the home salon, he had to retreat and recharge. This morning he chewed the edge of my tax return, but that might not be a comment on the indignities of the bath.

And check out the final results:

He's five months old today. Isn't he handsome?