SPS (I suck!)

I've been remiss. But then, I've been sick.
Of course, I now have a new haircut to show off today.
This is me trying to finish a 50,000 word book in four more days.
Yeah, I know.
Me too.

This is a lighter pic of me in the office (see, TWO this Sunday!).

And here's a question for all of your knitty types:
those little sweater stones...do they work? My Rogue Hoodie is getting all pilled along the cuffs and inside of the sleeves. Stone or little rotary reverse-fan looking-thing?
Your call. It's all a mystery to me.

And what have I been wearing today? My Harry Potter Sock Swap Socks (THANK YOU CASSANDRA GRUBBLY-PLANK!) and my Rogue Hoodie.
Why?

BECAUSE IT WAS COLD!

It's 49° out there right now, at 10pm!

I LOVE THIS!!!!

Fantastic short-row heel tutorial

as promised: a short-row heel tutorial at cosmicpluto knits!

What time is it???

If you look at the date stamp on this you'll wonder if I'm out of my mind, up again at 2:29am.

The simple answer is, "I have no idea."

I am normally a Very Good sleeper (ask my husband).
I rarely have insomnia. I need (NEED) eight hours.
And yet...here I am.

I even swore off Diet Coke today after lunch. I had a glass (or was that two) of wine tonight and well over the recommended eight glasses of water. Tonight, to relax, I knitted more on the Victorian Lace Sock (from Six_Sox) and achieved the start of the toe decreases. I'm actually quite happy about that since I'm not loving this sock and will put it away (Second Sock Syndrome rears its ugly head) until I have fewer things that I want to do.

I have the Mystery Stole (not such a mystery now), Hogwarts Sock Swap Two, and my sister's Squid Hat, and another pair of Horcrux socks for Jan, and...o the weaving, the spinning, the spinning/knitting Jessica's hoodie (and o dear Lord, I have to think of a design to put on kangaroo pocket!!!). And with all that to tempt me, you should be musing to yourself, "mmmm, I wonder why she's not watching reruns of 'Bewitched' and knitting on the MS3?" And you would be right to ask that. It's where I WANT to be.

But I'm in pain.
Real nasty pain.

It's been like this for three weeks, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what's up. My neck and shoulders are like unto rock. My lower back is doing some weird occasional nerve pinchy thingy, and because my neck and shoulders are going, they're tightening the whatever to my wrists.
And they hurt.

A
Lot.

Trust me. I'm sitting here ergonomically. I've adjusted a number of times. There is no explanation. I'm not stressed (any more than normal). I've not been under the same writing schedule that I was under. I'm simply baffled.

Tomorrow, the hunt for an acupuncturist begins. If I can carry a tank of needles with me and put them in my own wrist when I need to knit (like now) that would be great! I wonder if they can do that...

Of Naps and Nighttime Knitting

I should get more sleep.

My husband will crack up when he sees this because, when he's home, I generally get eight hours (without which, you really don't want to be around me...really). When he's gone, though, I putter. I am able to putter my circuitous way around the house, putting up pictures, making things right, gradually going through drawers and filling boxes with Things To Go Elsewhere--not that they ever GET there...
If he were here it would only make him nervous. So. I save the putter for his trips.

But then, while puttering, I'll glance at a clock and see that it's nearly eleven p.m. and I've not knitted or woven or spun or...anything. And I get rather jittery and my hands start to twitch. And I stop whatever I'm doing pretty much mid-stream, and sit and knit. Or weave. Or something.

I've found that without question I sleep better after knitting etc. at night. I imagine it's something about the Alpha Waves or some such thing, but whatever it is, it works for me. Right now I'm in catch-up-sleep mode, Andrew having just returned, and I should take a nap. But instead, I'll probably finish warping the loom for the Huck Lace table runner.

So goeth the nap.

The runner had better be worth it!

OffTN: Syd's Horcrux Sox
OTN: Victorian Lace Sox, MS#3, Pomotomus (I'm so polygamous with my knitting...must be the influence of HBO's Big Love--Andrew will be glad it stops at knitting).

Oh, and speaking of Big Love, if you have HBO watch I Have Tourettes but Tourettes Doesn't Have Me.

Warped

Where have I been?
Warping.

I'll have pics here later, but for now, know this: I'm an idiot.

No really. I found out from Syne Mitchell of Weavecast that I took on a ridiculously difficult first project. This surprised me not at all. I had some linen on cones just sitting around so I thought I should use it. I warped with that

Then I wove four placemats--plain tabby, then twill (1/3 and 2/2) and had a ball.













I had no one to tell me that I was insane to start with linen. Probably why it came out just fine. If I don't know it's impossible I won't know I can't do it. I started the same way with knitting. It Is My Way.

And I think the placemats came out pretty well, all things considered. I would NEVER have chosen that color on my own, but like I said...I had cones lying around, so...

Now (again, becasue I'm an idiot) I'm warping 22 epi crochet cotton into a double sleyed Huck Lace table runner.

Um.
We'll see.

But that's where I've been. I've actually had to organize my nights, and I try to weave only when Andrew's out of town because it's (a) not silent and (b) not something I can do on the couch and, you know, I kinda like being near him.

On the knitting side of my life I'm fixing the length of my "Springtime in Paris" socks from the Six Sox KAL. I love these socks. I love that they're Tofutsies yarn. I hate that they're too big. So the night I started Harry Potter x7, I did a little experiment and tried pulling the toe out to see if just stretching the sock would make it fit better.

It did.

So now I've inserted dpns, ripped out the toe of one of the socks down to the dpn, and am reknitting the toe. I'm already excited.

I've also started on my Pomotomous sock again. I think the beast will last forever.

I've also GOT to work more on MS#3. Sigh.

Oh, and then there's the day job. And soon there will be homeschooling too.

And the Philosopher Podcast that's taken me forever to edit. Because I laughed too much. A good reason to edit, but also a good time.

Soon.

Off to that day job.

Why I'm no further with the mystery shawl. . .

Horcrux socks, part two (for Syd)
HeatherViaPhone

Harry Potter Socks!

From my sock swap buddie!
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Victorian sock progress

Just a little more. . .
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Love the Sock!

victorian sock with flap.
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HOGWARTS SOCK SWAP--SECOND YEAR!!

It feels so good to graduate! And so many things at once! SAWP, Hogwarts. It's all magic.

And now!
The New Gig!

But first--the homework:

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire—Second Years

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?
Ravenclaw

2. Shoe size? Foot length? Foot circumference?
Shoe 10
Foot length 10
Circumference 9-1/4"

3. List your three favorite sock yarns.
a. Socks That Rock
b. Socks That Rock
c. Tofutsies

4. Would you like to try a new brand of sock yarn? If so, which brand?
Absolutely, I'm actually not that picky, but I do live in AZ where it's HOT during the summer and in the 40s-50s during the winter (down into freezing at night)

5. Do you prefer variegated or solid sock yarn?
I'm easy. Now that I'm getting into lace socks I find that my variegated looks lame.

6. What colors would you like to add to your sock yarn stash? I'm generally a bluesy/purpley/green kinda gal, but the only thing I can't handle is orange.

7. What kind of sock patterns do you gravitate toward? Lace? Ribbed? Fair Isle?
Lace lately. I need to get back into Fair Isle. For my person, I'm into ribbed and lace (they seem to fit better on me)

8. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, animals, etc.)
Yes and yes (cats).

9. Will your socks be exposed to cigarette smoke or animals as you knit them?
No and no (though I love cats in person).

10. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?
Heck yeah! We are the world!

victorian lace socks. such as they are. . .
HeatherViaPhone