Still goin'

Let's see... if you look at yesterday's post, you'll see that I had fun crossing stuff off as I finished it, and I got a nice lot of stuff done. Today I'm sketching a bit at work, and tonight I'll be going out to buy patterns and do more sketches.

(Carrie asked me what I'm doing costumes for. I'm helping host a room party at a local sci-fi fantasy convention: CONvergence. See, that's us down there near the bottom: Wonka's Night Out. We're making the room look like the garden from the movie (well, within reason). So I'm making a Willy Wonka costume for Dan (though he'll need to shave, poor thing), an Oompa Loompa costume for Ryan (y'all remember the socks, right?), and two uh, vaguely Willy Wonka inspired costumes for Lyn and myself. ('Cuz there's a shameful lack of female costumes.) Oh, and I'm costuming 5 teddy bears like Willy Wonka to be given out as "Golden Ticket" prizes.)

I can understand nobody remembering I sew, though - it's not like I've done it in awhile. But the costume diary section of this blog will likely start on Tuesday, as I unveil (hopefully completed) sketches and fabric swatches.

Along with all the homework I got done last night, I also did some work on this:



Currently known by the rather inelegant and mundane name of "Grandma #2" (meaning the second gift for my only living grandmother). I continue on with making Christmas gifts, so I can taunt support other knitters come December. It is also occasionally known as "My-gods-I-hate-this-yarn-what-the-hell-was-I-thinking." Thankfully, my grandmother is a small woman (5 foot, maybe), so I'm probably about halfway done with it. Dont' know if I'm going to be in time to have an April FO, though.

For someone that doesn't knit scarves, I seem to be knitting an awful lot of them.

Gah

Things I absolutely must do before Monday afternoon:

• Go to the bank and deposit checks Deposit second work check Friday night or Saturday
  
• Write Walden response for English
  
• Read Frederick Douglass (90 more pages!) and write response for English
  
• Draft out compare/contrast paper for English
  
• 3 back assignments for Writing (or is it 4?) (It was really 5, but I had 2 completed already)
  
• First draft of 10-page analysis of Wells Fargo annual report for Writing
  
• PowerPoint presentations for Computer Applications
  
• Study Chapter 4 (again!) for Accounting
  
• Email Accounting prof re: ATEC 1350 cancelled, and next semester's Simulation class
  
• Give financial aid paperwork to office
  
• All costume sketches for Willy Wonka costumes
  
• Pattern and notion shopping for costumes
  
• Road trip to fabric mecca for fabric for costumes
  
• Clean sewing room
  
• Clean living room
  
• Move coffee table to sewing room and craft table to living room. (I know it sounds backward, but it'll work)
  
• Buy groceries
  
• Assemble soup and chicken caesar salad mix into work happy containers
  

I'm sorry, but Colleen's brain seems to be full right now. Please try back later when we may have room to accomodate you. Thank you for your patience. While you're waiting, consider reading about why letters are shaped the way they are.

Edited because I like crossing things off lists.

Story blurbs

So I don't lose them.

Torn - prequel

Piotr – no, Peter now, not Piotr, not here - stopped in the middle of the brightly lit street. The muttered curses of the pedestrians forced to change their path because of his unmoving bulk barely registered as he watched the young brunette pause at the entrance to one of the office buildings lining both sides of the street. It was she, of that there could be no question.

“Lae…”

The woman turned as if in answer to his call. From across the street he saw her look unerringly in his direction. He knew she recognized him, too, when she gave a small shudder before vanishing into the cool interior of the (blank) building. Behind his sunglasses, silver eyes flared once, then went quiet, as Peter turned to resume his walk, now with an added purpose.

His vision had not lied. She was here, and if she was, then the rest of them were not far behind. Unless Peter did something, she was fated to be His first victim, whatever the name and body He wore now. He felt the old familiar pain, brought on by seeing her, knowing her. He could attempt to save her. There was one way, but his mind shied away from the thought before he could pursue it. He could not save her. But he could be prepared. Now he knew what was coming.

---

Torn – 2

Alex looked down at the papers littering the desk with irritation. Obviously, someone knew what they were for, but she had no idea. If luck held, no one would ask her for any of the secrets buried somewhere in the stacks of invoices, requests, and details. It had been too long since her time as a secretary, and her skills were … the polite said “rusty.” What the impolite said, they said out of her hearing.

A sound made her look up with a smile, prepared to help whatever soul was in need of the services that Lifeside, Inc could offer. A young man stared at her in shock from the doors. After a moment, he glided closer to the desk, curiosity showing through the fear.

Alex stifled a start herself, when she saw that glided was, in fact, the proper term for the way the young man was approaching her. Quickly, she shut down her Sight, only to have the man fade from view. Bringing it forward again, she saw that he was still there, looking at her quizzically. From inside the desk.

She kept smiling as she picked up the phone.

“Will, my love,” she said, “I think we have a ghost.”

...

Since mamacate so kindly linked to me, I feel I should be extra witty today, for all my new visitors. (Ha!)

...

I hate to say this, but ... I got nothing. I mean, I could talk to you all about finals, and financial reports, and cost accounting, but I love you all too much to do that to you.

This weekend I will be renovating my sewing room to make it the official "CONvergence party stuff room," as it is almost May, and we need to have someplace set aside for, well, stuff. The blog will get more interesting here, soon, as the costume diary stuff will start up again after finals. Whoops, I said I wasn't going to talk to you about finals.

I distract you with cuteness.

Knitting, homework, and why mom doesn't leave desk drawers open



Making the button for mamacate did remind me how much I like doing them, so I may start up a "button of the week." I'll make random buttons based on the witty things others find to say in their blogs (lacking sufficient wit myself to create button worthy quotes). So write those one-liners, and you, too, could see your words immortalized on a button!

Uh, yeah.

Happy Birthday

Level 5 ain't got nothing on me.

Because I didn't know the rules for the state I live in, I have to go to the DMV to renew my license today. This is not an "I-can-put-it-off" moment. If it isn't done today, I have to take the test over again. I won't tell you how long it took me to pass the test last time, because I don't want to panic any Minnesota drivers. Suffice to say, I don't feel like doing it again. So, I go to the DMV today. Between work and school. And I feel like crap. I probably look like crap. I mean, I know driver's license pictures are supposed to look horrible, but I deserve a fighting chance.

Let's see...good news. I have survived 29 years. That's quite the cause for celebration, really. And my weekend was good, if tiring. And I'm so close to being up-to-date on my homework that I can see a time in my future when my weekends are my own. And I started Grandma project #2, so I'm keeping my goal of working on Christmas stuff. And I lost half a pound last week. And there are Peeps at home. (Seriously, click the link. You can thank me later.)

So the good does outweigh the bad.

But please, no singing.

mamacate knits socks for sanity ...

... and so do I! After reading that, I just had to make a button. If knitting socks helps keep you sane, too, feel free to snag it. (No hotlinking, etc, etc)



Sanity in easy to tote containers:



Those are all in progress. Getting them all out and arranging them this morning made me feel incredibly guilty. I suppose I should actually finish some of them, soon-ish.

Tonight's plans include dinner at Red Lobster (which I have nicely fit into my diet), and a night of watching Revolutionary Girl Utena. Mine and Dan's foray into anime continues. (Oh. And "The Cat Returns?" Super good, and fun.)

This weekend, it's all homework, all the time. It's getting down to the wire on this semester, and everyday brings my level of procrastination closer and closer to the dreaded Level 5. We'll see. After the atrocious score I got on my last Accounting test, there may be no hope for an A in that one, but I remain optimistic. (Because not to lies on the path of despair.)

Then Monday, I celebrate my birthday with ... work and class. Blech.

(Hm. April's almost over, and no FO for this month. Maybe I can get the Oompa Loompa socks done.)

Some kniting, some knot

*wince* I don't know where these occasional puns come from, but I should probably keep them to myself. On to the knitting news:

Christmas in July
I'll announce my summer intentions first, so it doesn't get lost at the bottom of this post. I've declared this my summer of Christmas knitting. From next week (when classes are done) to mid-August (when classes start again) I'm going to work on my Christmas gift knitting. You can see the spiffy new list on my sidebar.

That represents the sum total of the knitting that needs to be done by Christmas. Some of it is ... ambitious, to say the least. But, I have three months of no classes, and I plan to take advantage of it.

So....does anyone want to join me? I don't think I'm prestigious enough of a knitblogger to start a trend, but I may whip up a spiffy button, or, uh... offer wrapping paper to the person who gets the most done? Mainly, I just want company. :)

(No, this doesn't mean that's the only things I'll be knitting. I'll be working on socks, of course, and whatever else I feel like. But my drive will be to get some gifts done.)

Other stuff:
Status: Somewhat Cowl -- TOAD, as soon as I have the heart to rip and rewind the three skeins I had done. *sob* This goes on the back burner, because I'm trying to lose weight anyway, so any knitting for me needs to be accesories until I figure out what size I'm going to be.

Status: Mountain Peaks Shawl -- A great deal less today than yesterday. One half repeat of Chart 1 gone, because I couldn't figure out how I had dropped one stitch and picked up three. Thank god for lifelines. I was going to show you a picture, but it appears to still be on the camera.

Status: Socks, Various -- Theraputic, as always. I'll finish a real pair again one of these days.

Somewhat Frustrated

PSA: This is a knitting rant.

Trust me to screw up a simple pattern. The Somewhat Cowl is frustrating me to no end. First, I'm 10" into the raglan seam. That's okay - I'm approaching long enough to stop increasing. BUT - here are my numbers so far:

Fronts: one half, 39 stitches; second half, 43 stitches
Sleeves: one sleeve 86 stithces; second sleeve, 88 stitches
Back: 111 stitches

Let's examine these numbers, shall we? For one thing, apparently symetry is beyond me. Should I try to fix this? (Increase as normal on both fronts/sleeves, then decrease on the one with more stitches until they're even?) Second, despite the fact that I cast on an even number of stitches, and increase 2 every other row, I have an odd number of stitches in the back. Whaaaa? Then, according to my measurements, I need approximately 88 stitches per sleeve and 135 or so in the back. Unfortunately, I've already reached 88 on the sleeves, and I need about 10 more rows on the back. Should I just keep going, and decrease the sleeves when I'm knitting them?

Gah! I don't want to rip back all 10 inches, even with the drastic problems. I just don't know if I would have the heart to reknit it.

Procrastination

There is an art to procrastinating. There are several levels of procrastination, each with its own risks and rewards. Let's just use homework as an example (no reason):

Level 1: "Eh, I take less time on my homework than everyone else. I don't need to start yet. No worries."

• If you are in level 1 procrastination, you're just fine. This isn't really procrastination at all, just increased time management.

Level 2: "Well, I'll need to work steadily, but I'm well within my comfort zone."

• This is mild procrastination. Still nothing to worry about, and seasoned procrastinators will call you weak and snub you if you start getting anxious at this level. If you are new to procrastinating, try getting to level 2 several times before trying for level 3.

Level 3: "Okay, I'll have to really move my ass on this now, and I can just squeak by."

• This is true procrastination. This is when procrastinators with a weak stomach throw in the towel and just do it. You don't lose any points for giving in on level 3,but you'll never experience the rush that late levels give you. This is a good level to attempt if you have some experience procrastinating, but still feel mild levels of anxiety when you "fall behind."

Level 4: "You know, I may have left this too long."

• True procrastinators know this level as the one where you start to get the little quiver in your stomach and truly start to worry. There's an art to letting things slide this far and no farther. It's a very small window between level 4 and level 5, and the truly artful procrastinator knows how to judge level 4 to the minute.

Level 5: "Oh, shit." (More elegant procrastinators refer to this as "bargaining.")

• This level is commonly seen as overreaching procrastinators misjudge the true length of time they can spend in level 4. The truly experienced often skirt the edge of level 5, trusting the adrenaline to keep them going. This is where things might creep into your mind like "if I prop the textbook up on the medicine cabinet, I can read three sentences while I brush my teeth," or: "if I take this route to work, I can count on at least two red lights. That's good for another paragraph."
  
  Those that love and support procrastinators tend to worry when their loved ones reach this level, incorrectly assuming that the procrastinator is suffering some harm. It may just be that your procrastinator is an adrenaline junkie, addicted to the manic high that comes with a level 5 win. Though the odds are against it, a sucess at level 5 brings the greatest sense of accomplishment.
  
  (Incidentally, this is often seen among knitters right around Christmas time, and procrastinating costumers have reported level 5 the night before Renn Fest opens.)

Threes

From Jennifer, by way of Nada...

"The mission was to do a Wikipedia search of my birth date without the year and list three events, three births, and three deaths."

I find this especially intriguing, since triads are so important to the Celts. Three categories, three items in each category. There may be a poem in this, but for now, I'll just give you the list:

Three events:

• 1184 BC - Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse (traditional). How cool is that?
  
• 1916 - Easter Uprising begins: The Irish Republican Brotherhood led by nationalist Patrick Pearse start a rebellion in Ireland.See? Celts. Triads. It's all coming together.
  
• 2005 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI. This is something I'd really rather not have associated with my day of birth. Ah, well.

Three births:

• 1533 - William I of Orange (d. 1584)
  
• 1942 - Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, and director
  
• 1952 - Jean-Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer

Three deaths:

• 1342 - Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285)
  
• 1731 - Daniel Defoe, English writer (b. 1660)
  
• 1942 - Lucy Maude Montgomery, Canadian author (b. 1874)

Oooooh

Lifted from the Yarn Harlot's tour page:

...more to come, the following cities will likely (Kelli-the-wonder-publicist claims she may not be held at knitting needle-point in the event of a failure to make them happen...) be on the list for summer 2006. No word on Canadian cities yet.

Nashville, TN
Chicago area, Illinois
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
Seattle, Washington
Portland, Oregon
Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas
Phoenix, Arizona
Denver, Colorado

How cool would that be?

Oh, the Somewhat Cowl? I rescued it. Yay! (Nope, I still don't know what I did. And I Did Not tink those rows. I faked it. It looks good from the outside, so I'm calling it "fixed" and leaving it at that.)

Sacred Text

I'm thinking. And I'm thinking really, really hard about some deep, metaphysical "stuff." The problem is, that's not a post I can rip off on lunch break at work. The other problem is that this has pretty much erased any other thoughts I had for this post, so you're stuck with this:

I'm thinking. When I have more time to think, I'll attempt to write a decent essay. The gist of it is "what constitutes a sacred text?" And it's brought on, of course, by the Gospel of Judas making it back into my radar screen. And by this book, which I almost couldn't put down when I saw it at Borders. Gods, I have to get back into topics that interest me this summer. I feel so ... sparse. Like my brain is rattling around in my head with nothing to feed on.

Oh, yes, and I was there:



I finished my Access exam in record time, and made it out to (most of) the Chris Moore book signing. Minnesota knitters, did you see me there? I was the redhead with (of course) the black and white striped sock hanging from my wrist.

(PS - I just realized that (completely accidentally) this is a post where I'm talking about sacred text, and I went on to talk about getting a book signed. *snicker* Man, my unconscious can keep me amused for hours...)

Little Bites

The knitting goddess hates me. I've lost my knitting mojo. Or something. This past week I've frogged the beginnings of two different pairs of socks because I didn't like the look of them. (Self-striping yarn, straight stockinette stitch legs - how do you mess that up?) I also had to rip an inch back of my Somewhat Cowl. Then, I reknit the inch, making the same mistake. I don't even know what it is I'm doing, I just know it's wrong. I keep ending up with this random loop. Looks like I'm shortrowing, but I'm not. So the Somewhat Cowl is in time-out in my bag until I can stand to look at it again. I'm terrified to touch the Oompa Loompa socks because they're fine as they are now, but gods know what will happen when I lay my hands on them...
I've thought about returning to crochet for a bit to give my knitting brain a rest, but I can't find a tank that I want to knit that doesn't look ... well, frumpy. The Joie de Vivre dress has some possibilities, cut off at the waist for a tank ... and not made in shocking pink, of course.

Time keeps on slippin'...

You know, I hate to admit this, but I may, just may have overextended myself this semester. Between the end of the quarter at work, the end of the semester at school, my apparent inability to learn anything at all in my accounting class, and CONvergence approaching rapidly ... Well. Hopefully this summer I can get my ass together, because I don't really have much choice other than doing it all again next year. And my house is only getting cleaned once a year. Anyone can tell you that I am an indifferent housekeeper at best, but it's even starting to bug me. This summer, I promise. Somehow ...

On the advice of Joey, who suggested Studio Ghibli, and this guy, who suggests anything by Hayao Miyazaki, I've started my foray into anime. I picked up The Cat Returns. Because, well, because it looks fun. And it's about cats. And, really? That's all I need. We'll see how I like it. For a spontaneous buy, it should be okay. I'll get into series later.

Gah. More work to do. *sigh* Though I normally hate summer, this one can't come soon enough!

(Oh, and Joe? I've been calling Joey for years. It's gonna take me awhile to get over it, k?)

Je vais, tu vas, nous allons

I go, you go, we go ...

“And that road rolls out like a welcome mat
I don't know where it goes but it beats where we're at
We always said someday, somehow
We're gonna get away, gonna blow this town”
~Lonestar, “What About Now”

It’s Spring, I’m sure of it. There’s sunlight, and rain, and bugs. There are only two things about spring that affect me with anything other than despair (okay, so I’m a winter person). The first I regard with suspicion and a deep sadness over my body’s treachery. Despite my lifelong goal of convincing my body it doesn’t need sunlight to thrive, it persists in being happy when basking in the glow of a spring morning. (For some reason, I’m particularly fond of morning sunlight, even though I loathe mornings with a fervor that equals my disgust with sunlight). After high school, I was regularly heard to say “ah, the sun’s up. Time to go to bed.” I would enjoy the morning air, then go to bed for the day. You know, I kind of liked that arrangement.

The other sign that spring is here is wanderlust. Suddenly, I’m filled with the urge to Go Somewhere. Somewhere that isn’t “here,” that has no association to what I do, day after day, slodging through life. Somewhere exotic. These days, Somewhere Exotic can be 20 minutes down the road. I consider Stillwater exotic, for heaven’s sake. I’d go giddy if I ever managed to cross state lines. Mention leaving the Midwest and I’m likely to faint. You don’t want to see what happens if you mention going overseas.

This wanderlust usually takes the form of driving. I love to fly, and it’s certainly faster, but sometimes what you really want is to pile a bunch of people into a car, crank the radio up and the windows down, and just go. It’s a damn good thing that I don’t take the highway to work. Highways are dangerous when I have wanderlust. I tend to look at the highway and think “if I stayed on 94 and didn’t take my exit, it’d take me to Chicago. I wouldn’t even need a map.”

"'It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,’ he used to say. ‘You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.'"
~LoTR

I have memories of very impulsive road trips that this spring wanderlust has brought about. Driving to DC every weekend for a month (10 hours each way). Deciding that I need to see my dad, and driving there from whatever state I was living in, with a case of soda and my CDs, on no sleep. Telling a boyfriend at 6 in the morning that I was taking him to dinner and getting lost in the Smoky Mountains looking for where I vaguely remembered Gatlinburg to be. Taking a girl up to Duluth on what was destined to be not-a-date (ah, a bittersweet memory, that one).

But memories give way to reality, and I recall that I have a job, and school, and a mate I love, and responsibilities, and bills, and … too many chains to keep me here. Some pleasant and some otherwise, but all necessary. It’s good to feel connected, but I still miss the days that I could get a wild idea, jump into my car, and just go.

A tale of three romances

Dear Kingdom Hearts 2,

I love you, I really do. I love you so much that you've replace Xenosaga as my desktop wallpaper. I get to stare at your lovely image everytime I click the Show Desktop icon. I love how much time we're spending together. But, I'm starting to feel like you're manipulating me. Do you really think it's fair to wait until it's time for me to go to flash me a little cutscene? And drawing out your love in such small doses so that I must come back for more is just downright cruel. I'm starting to think our relationship is like a drug - I know I'm addicted, but I just can't stop until we ride this thing out to the end.

Flustered and tired,
Colleen

P.S. We're still on for tonight, right?

**********************

Dear Knitting,

I know it's impossibly cruel to address you all collectively like this, but I must beg your forgiveness. I know that I tease you with our on-agan, off-again relationship, but I just can't help myself. Somewhat Cowl, I understand your frustration when I pick you up to only do one row, then let KH2 distract me until I put you down. Mountain Peaks, I see you glaring at me, and I will spend some quality time with you soon, I promise. You know I hate to have anything else on my mind when we're together. And, lonely socks - I still love each and every one of you with all my heart, it's just that the spark has gone out of our relationship. It's just the same old thing, no newness. I promise to return to you, just as soon as I get done with this one other little thing ....

Guilty and repenting,
Colleen

P.S. Oompa Loompa sock: just because you're the only thing that's getting worked on doesn't give you the right to be smug. If you continue taunting the other projects, maybe I'll just have to put something else in my bag to take to school.

********************

Dear Borders,

I don't really think you understand what my life has been like lately, and I need a little consideration from you. Sneaking the release date of Yarn Harlot's new book into my list of recommendations was just cruel. But to prey upon my secret weakness for trash is downright sadistic. I've told you and told you that we'll be able to spend more time together once school is over, and I really need your patience until then.

Frustrated (and tempted),
Colleen

P.S. I think I can sneak some time in with you today before I go home. KH2 will never notice.

Forward Thinking

Dear class schedulers,
I know that you're very busy trying to figure out how to make my life more convoluted and insane, so I'll be brief.

I was dismayed to find out a year ago that Working Adults are apparently not interested in pursuing a Liberal Arts degree. This is the only reason I can think of that every school in my state would fail to offer Sociology as a possible degree to acheive at night, leaving me with the option of majoring in Accounting, Business, or Hospitality. Since that time, I have come to realize that I am being punished for not going to college when I was 18 and living at home. Though I do not agree, I accept.

However, since Accounting is essentially a continuing education degree (and marketed as such), I expect that I should be able to hold a job at the same time as getting my degree. Now, I checked to make sure that I could take all of my courses at night, thereby not being fired. Imagine my dismay, then, when I noticed that there is ONE class that I absolutely must take to complete my degree that is only offered on Tuesday mornings. I will give you the benefit of the doubt, and assume that this was not done out of spite on your part; but I really must ask - what are you thinking?

Along the same lines, I would personally suspect that this mythical "day course" would be available in the fall and spring both, since it's listed as such in your catalogue. I presume, then, that my inability to register for this course in the fall (should I be willing to give up my job) is just an oversight on your part?

I know that failing to go to college with the rest of my graduating high school class was a sin, and I am a terrible, irresponsible, immoral person for thinking that a marriage and a career were acceptable uses of my time, but don't you think I've suffered enough?

Please excuse me, I must go explain to my employer why I will be jobless and penniless come Spring Semester.


Next semester looks like this:

• Accounting Simulation I
  
• Intermediate Computer Applications
  
• Human Relations and Effective Teams
  
• Principles of Microeconomics
  

Don't you just wish you were me?

All knitting, all the time

The nice part about watching Dan play a video game is that I get to be very productive. (Okay, that's the last I'll mention KH2 for now, promise.)

On to the knitting:

FO: Blue Camo



I'm doing fairly well with my goal of finishing one project a month this year, even if they are small ones. Here's my finished pair of Fuzzy Feet, christened "Blue Camo." They are already attracting cat hair because I wore them all weekend before taking this picture.

The felting process went well, though I learned that I need to felt things a touch smaller than I think. These felt about right, but ended up just a hair bigger than I would have liked. Also, I think I'll make the cuff longer on my next pair. It's disconcerting to have these hitting me right at the anklebone.

(Hey, Ps - do these count for 200Sox?)

Specs:
Begun: March 8, 2006
Completed: April 1, 2006
Yarn: Lion Wool, Ocean Blues
Pattern: Fuzzy Feet

KAL #1: Somewhat Cowl

Also to be known as my KH2 project, since it's what I knit while Dan is playing. Mindless knitting at its finest.



I'm really liking the progress on this so far, with just a few rough spots. I do wish that I didn't have to make the largest size, though, and not just for vanity reasons - I'd be so much farther if I were making it for a smaller person!

The yarn, while lovely to the touch, is a bit hard on my hands due to the complete nonelasticity of the cotton. I knit on it until I felt the strain in my hands and shoulders, then was forced to put it down in favor of other projects. Also, I'm having some issues with tension that are making me cranky. Hopefully blocking fixes them.

KAL #2: Mountain Peaks



Much less progress on the Mountain Peaks shawl, since I can't multitask when I'm doing lace. It's a pity, because I really like this pattern, but I'm reluctant to sacrifice the time from ... that other thing that I promised not to mention.

I'm loving the lace, though. And when it's done I'll have to find some way to photograph it so you can see the very subtle varigations in the yarn.

TOAD: Easter Basket socks

Goodbye, Easter Basket socks. They were causing me trouble, since I originally didn't know that I wanted to make them short summer socks, so I ended up with too much ribbing in relation to the pattern stitch, and I had made the ribbing big in anticipation of it having to stretch around my calf. Once I ripped it out, my duty reasserted itself, and I cast on for the other Oompa Loompa sock. So the yarn went back in the stash for the time being.

Don't you just love all these knitting acronyms?

Flashing

(This is just my sock yarn. I do not have sufficient fortitude to put all of my stash in one place so I can take a picture of it. Sorry!)