My Sockapalooza haul

At long, loooong last, may I finally present to you, the lovely socks I received quite a long time ago from my excellent Sockapalooza pal, Angela.



Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, colorway Cool
Pattern: Landlocked Socks from I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can (seems this may not be available any longer?)

They fit great, very soft and comfortable, and a yarn that is among my favorites.
There were several other goodies in the package, including a beautiful bracelet that I failed to photograph, but have already worn many times.

Thanks again, Angela!

shakespeare socks

my sockapalooza socks had their first outing this weekend, thanks to a cold spell here in the northeast (at least my part of the northeast).

the socks arrived packed away with a sweatshirt as part of my "just in case" plan...it wasn't long before they were in use.



the socks committed a fashion faux pas, but since they are german, they were excused.



the socks thoroughly enjoyed othello...



they are incredibly warm and comfy (i can't wait for winter!)

schöne socken

my sockapalooza socks have arrived and they are absolutely beautiful! tanja, these socks are perfect! they fit like a glove and are amazingly vibrant. can you believe she dyed these herself? they are one of my most favorite color combinations too!



the socks are 100% merino and the pattern is out of a german sock book. i love them, i love them, i love them! they are going to be perfect once the buffalo winter sets in. :)

thank you tanja!

and off they go...

friday finished fotos

well here they are...i am so excited. i absolutely love them and i hope my pal does too!



here are the specs...

pattern: hedera by cookie a. , from knitty spring '06
yarn: cherry tree hill super solid in slate
needles: addi turbo us2 (after the frogapalooza )
mods: other than knitting it on two circs there were none. the pattern was great (as always with cookie).



these were great to knit, having never used cth before i was psyched. i will definitely be picking up more of this. the process was really awesome, from pattern and yarn selection, even through all the drama, these were a joy to knit. and i've loved my first sockapalooza experience so far, browsing the pligg, getting to look at all the great socks everyone else is working on. i can't wait for august 2nd!



and thankfully there was sun today so the pics are pretty true to the color too! now i just need to find some goodies to send my pal!

but not today, the sun is still shining and shhhh (it's my birthday and i am playing hooky from work), so i am off to have some fun!

The Honeymoon Phase

The deciduous forests of New York's Allegheny Mountains, late afternoon. The sun peeks through the dense leaves of the trees, leaving twinkling, jagged shaped disco lights on the huge glacial deposited rocks covered in soft green moss.
The woods are silent as a handsome man, early 30s, speeds to a stop on his mountain bike.
(Pause)
A woman speeds to a stop beside him. They are both silent for a moment.

Man: The woods are beautiful today.
Woman: Yes. It reminds me of my [Socakapalooza] sock.
Man: *sigh* Yeah, me too. *rolls eyes, speeds away*

I've been thinking about you all the time, baby. All I need to do is snap some pictures so I can share you with the world.


(side note: I'm not a hack- its just that great minds think alike)

Knitting in Denial: A Play in Two Acts

by stephanie

Act One
Scene One

Curtain rises on a lone yarn cake, spotlight slowly reveals a beautiful hank of Cherry Tree Hill, color slate.

Enter the knitter. Working diligently on her socks. Light upbeat music faintly in background.

Knitter: The plan, knit a gorgeous pair of hand knit socks. The pattern, hedera

Knitter: Oh cth how I love the way you slide effortlessly across my needles.

Stage lights dim. Low, foreboding music begins to rise.

Knitter: How about we try you on, you've been a bit snug, but I know that your beautiful lace will expand. Let's just play it safe, you know my pal's feet are a little bigger than mine.

Music crescendos. Lights dim lower. Knitter slumps further into the overstuffed couch.

Knitter: Hmmm...where did that sweater I was working on go?

Act One
Scene Two

Knitter sits happily on overstuffed couch, legs crossed, ipod playing.

Knitter: Oh ivy, how soft and fluffy you are. You set my mind at ease. Even though your gauge is off, my expert knitty math keeps me confident that you will become a wonderful work-appropriate knit cardigan.

Stage lights dim, low foreboding music begins to rise.

Knitter: Hmmm...something doesn't feel right.


Knitter: (sniffling) You have GOT to be kidding me. Goddamn Goldilocks...sock to small, sleeve to big. Argh.

Act Two
Scene One

Curtain rises on the knitter, cross-legged on the overstuffed couch, knitting in hand.

Knitter: (taking deep breath) Alrighty then...goodbye beautiful.

Knitter begins to not-so-carefully rip out the sock.


Knitter: Alrighty, a fresh start. Let's add in an extra repeat, that should give us almost an inch to the sock and plenty of room for my pal's well deserving foot.

Knitter: Well, since we don't want a repeat of last week, lets give her a try on and see.

Stage lights dim, low foreboding music begins to rise.

Knitter: F*@#, f*@#, f*@#.


End scene.

Inertia

I've been meaning to post. Really I have.
It's just that procrastination has its own inertia. Once you stop posting, its damned hard to start again.

I'm nearly finished with my Sockapalooza socks. I was planning to post about them, but I really wanted to include pictures. You know how that goes...I cast on and I wanted to wait until there was enough of the leg to see the stitch pattern. Then I thought I might as well wait until I turn the heel, and then i might as well wait until I finishe the first sock. Well, here I am near the toe of the second sock, so I might as well finish them and do glamour shots of the suckers. I really love them, but I'll save the story and the details for the F.O. post.

Come to think of it, the sock knitting had inertia too. The first sock went fairly slowly, but with this second one, the further I got, the more I wanted to knit, the more progress I saw, the more I kept going. Did I mention that I love them?

sigh...

why is it that i am not at all surprised i am the last one of us to post?

oh well...

i do, however have pretty pictures to show - i suppose that's my excuse. at least it sounds like a good one for now.

so while i haven't started my pal's socks just yet, i have the yarn and pattern (its a start right? right?)




pretty, eh?



it's cherry tree hill in slate, neither pic is the true color its a bit in between both. its actually a bit bluer than i expected. but gorgeous none the less. i've never used cth before, i'm excited!

unlike sarah, i'm usually pretty project monogamous, but wouldn't you know, now that i've actually got deadline knitting to work on i've got 2 other projects on the needles.

guess its time to make it three...

My name is Sarah, and I'm a knitting masochist

I am the kind of knitter that has 1000 projects planned.

I have 100 UFOs. I have a healthy stash, and plans for every last scrap.


Hell, I'm the kind of knitter still working on last year's Christmas gifts in May. Every year I swear that I will never again commit to any sort of deadline knitting.

Yeah, right.


I'm the kind of knitter with a problem. I have a knitting problem and it has grown beyond my control.


That is why, when Chris and Stephanie gently nudged me to sign up for my second Sockapalooza, I told them, "Probably not. I'm way behind right now."

That is also why, when they asked, "Are you sure?"

I said, "Oh, what the hell. I'll do it!"


Now, don't get me wrong, folks. I'm not the sort of person who would ever-EVER- flake on a sock pal. I love to figure out what my pal might like the most. I love to match pattern to yarn. I love the mystery of what I might receive.

So the juggling act begins. I got a strong early start, so hopefully I'll put this baby to bed with plenty of time to spare. Then I can get back to my 3 year old UFOs.