Cockelshells

September Socktopia brought us Nursery rhymes as themes. I choose to use "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary". I've always loved this rhyme. I have a very clear picture in my head of the drawing from a book. Somehow, I decided that the drawing was the outside of my Grandma's house. My Grandma was not a gardener. (at least not the kind of gardener that would grow a garden like in the rhyme) But, for some reason, it still reminds me of my Grandma, and I've picked it for my theme choice.
In case you are unfamiliar with this rhyme, here it is:
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle-shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
Now, lots of people think that this rhyme is in reference to Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary), and her anti-protestant, torturing ways. I suppose it could be true, just like the "Ring around the Rosy" rhyme may be referring to the plague. I'm sure I don't know if this is so, after all- they could just be rhymes. What I do know, is that nursery rhymes have staying power. They are reprinted endlessly, and it is like kids are born knowing them. They spark imagination, storytelling and creativity. And for some reason, "Mary, Mary" is one of my favorites.
So with out further ado, here are my socks:

stats:
Pattern: Embossed Leaves from Interweave Knits, Favorite Socks
Yarn: Crystal Palace Maizey Solid, Pink
Needles: Knit Picks Fixed Circulars, size 0
Notes: I shortened the length by 8 rows to make them fit my Mom's wee size 6 feet, aside from that, no mods. I chose the Embossed Leaves pattern because of the striking resemblance to Cockleshells.


The color is pretty good too! I really enjoyed working with Maizey. I was unsure if I'd like the feeling of it, as it is mostly Corn Fiber (82%), but I was pleasantly surprised. It is soft, the elastic content keeps it springy, and it has a subtle shine. Overall, a very nice knitting experience.

I must diet.

Absolutely must. Not food wise. No that's not true. I should do that too. But most definitely in a yarn way. I cannot control myself, as evidenced by my Monday binge.
It all started innocently enough, as I was "just going to Saybrook to pick up some contrast yarn for the cactus sweater." Already finished with the body, it would be a shame to not keep working on the sweater. But, my contrast yarn was too thick. "I'll see what they have on sale" (insert big laugh right there)
Well, of course Noro was the best choice, and I put three skeins in my arms.

This is when I should have walked away. Instead, I went back to the patterns to find DH. The patterns are beside the Sock yarn. Well, you can guess what happened next.

That, my friends is Filitura Di Crossa, Maxime. Pretty, squishy, and right in my arms. Then, just to round out my insanity, I bought a chibi. I am forever losing yarn needles, and it was time to buy some more.
Is this where it ends? Oh no my friend.
Next DH and I went to Sit n Knit. "I'll look around" "I'm not really looking for anything".
Somehow, two skeins of Lacey lamb ended up in a bag in my backseat! Seriously! 1600 yards of Lace weight just jumped into my car after it stole my Credit card and payed for itself.

Completely puzzled by this, I went online to see if others were experiencing "Yarn on Credit violence". No other reports were coming up. "I'm safe," I thought, it won't happen again.
Then, yesterday, a box arrived! What the heck?! From Knitpicks?! Oh yes indeedy. I got this:

That my friends is the Yarn for Lesley's Christmas present, and yarn for swatching for sweaters that I am not going to start for at least 4 months!
Oh, and two skeins of sock yarn!

and some needles!
I've got to change my passwords. (the yarn knows it....)
In a fit of rage, I decided to scare the yarn into behaving by poking holes in my Booga Bag. Don't tell the yarn that the holes are supposed to be there.

It took me a day to knit, a day to felt, and a day to dry. Then it took two weeks to poke some damn holes and feed the strap through. Feel free to roll your eyes generously.
I also finished up sock #1 for my September Socktopia Socks. I hope to have the pair done over the weekend. We'll see. I might have a fighting chance if the yarn doesn't attack.

At least I got some knitting done.

We all know by now that my least favorite part of my job is Tech. I sit for 8, 10,10,and 8 hours, over 4 days in the dark. I watch people walk around and say the same things over and over. I listen to the same music over and over. The only way tech is not mind numbingly boring is when it's horrifyingly stressful. Rarely is it anything else. One or the other every time.
This time it was drool enducingly boring. I could have been in a coma and no one would have known. But, since I anticipated the possibility of extreme and excruciating boredom, I was prepared. DH helped me wind up one of my Farmhouse Sweater Skeins, and I brought the "Cactus Blossom" sweater along to work on. It is in the round, with a K2P2 hem, and simple geometric fair isle on the cuffs and yoke. Perfect knitting for in the dark.
By Saturday night I was here:

The body is done, at least according to the pattern. I think I want some more length. I am going to add some if I have the yarn after I finish the sleeves. I want this sweater to be my big, ubber-warm, Saturday sweater. A little long would be great.
So on Sunday I cast on for sleeve #1. When I got to the Fair isle part I realized pretty quickly that the "tiny" difference in yarn weight was a HUGE problem. I was making bullet proof sleeve cuffs. Great if I really was Wonder Woman, not so great for my Secret Identity. But I kept knitting. If I didn't I would be REALLY bored.
< Insert puiblic service announcement>
Knitters, please remember that when preparing for long bouts of uninterrupted knitting time, one should always be sure to pack all supplies. this includes a back up project. No matter how prepared you are, things go wrong, and the only way to keep your fragile sanity is to have another project at the ready.

So, the night ends, I have the FI chart done, (that I know I'm going to rip out) and I have a need for new yarn. shucks.
I went to Saybrook and bought three skeins of Noro. I really liked the colors in my old yarn, so I took a swatch to try and find something that was about the same. The noro was best.
Yes. I bought more than just the Noro, but that is a story for tomorrow.
Anyway, I ripped back the bullet proof sleeve, and restarted the FI chart with the new yarn. Success!


One sleeve down. Now, when I cast on for sleeve #2 tonight, should I start a new skein of Noro so I am at the same place in the color progression as sleeve #1? Or should I except the randomness of life, and let the colors change as they will? (I would be starting with light green, and it will fade into orange.)
hmmm.

Migrains suck.

That is all.

You know that I couldn't stop there, didn't you? Well, you should have. even with a migraine, I'm a talker.
I finished up the leg on the Cockleshell socks last night. It is a super easy pattern to memorize, but I don't think it is quite easy enough to do in the dark. The corn yarn, while amazingly drapy and soft, is a tad splitty - a'la cotton. Splitty and dark don't go well together. I'm going to (hopefully) wind and swatch for my Cactus sweater tonight. It has very long amounts of knitting in the round. Perfect for backstage.
I hope I can shake this headache before SnB.

Welcome to September

No back to school for me, but, instead, back to work. poo. I work all summer, but we really Gear up in the fall. Right now we are working on a brand new play, and it is hellish. rewrites, picky-ness, crabby director. blech. we all need naps.
I suppose nothing can be easy.
Do you remember when fall and "back to school" meant buying new clothes? I always got at least one outfit. I had to go through my closet and try stuff on. If it didn't fit anymore, it was handed down to my cousin. I wish I still got a back to school wardrobe. I always looked forward to wearing my new outfit on the first day, but rarely was it "cool" out. I always - or was always encouraged to -buy "fall clothes" so I was dressed too warmly for the first day. My school didn't have air conditioning, so, well you can imagine. Now, I love the summer and hate the cold. except when I want to wear my fall clothes. I'm impatient.
This September also is bringing about a new Socktopia Challenge. Our themes are all nursery rhymes!
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Eany Meeny Miny Moe
The Farmer in the Dell
Jack and Jill went up a hill…
Mary Mary, Quite Contrary
I picked my favorite - Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. I've always loved this rhyme. I have a very clear picture in my head of the drawing from a book. Somehow, I decided that the drawing was the outside of my Grandma's house. My Grandma was not a gardener. (at least not the kind of gardener that would grow a garden like in the rhyme) But, for some reason, it still reminds me of my Grandma, and I've picked it for my theme choice.
I decided to use my "maizy" yarn, and the "Embossed Leaves" pattern form IK Favorite Socks. I plan to give them to my Mom for her birthday.

Aren't they cute so far?

a very knitty weekend.

I had a very knitty weekend. Very knitty, indeed.
Labor Day is an odd holiday. Lots of stores throw out the welcome mat, and have a big ole' sale. Others close up shop, and reopen after spending time with their families for the last gasp of summer. I don't mind either, really. But, I do have one issue. If you choose to close your business, please, for the love of all that is good, CHANGE YOUR ANSWERING MACHINE MESSAGE. It's not hard. A few button clicks, and say, "xxx store will be closed on Monday in observance of Labor Day. we will be open for regular business hours on Tuesday." How freakin' hard is that?! Needless to say, I did not go yarn shopping this weekend. I did, however, knit like a crazy person.

First, I wove the ends in, and ran the ribbon in my "Unmentionables" and my matching top.


I wore them last night. Cute, no? I'll try to get a modeled picture...
Then I knit up a "Red Scarf Project" scarf.

I know it's not red. But, it is definitely a boy appropriate color.
Stats:
Yarn: Schaffhauser Woole, La Fileuse
needles: KP options, 10.5
pattern: Dude, it's a 2x2 rib scarf. No pattern.
Notes: Yard sale yarn! I used about 2 balls, maybe 2.5. It was hard to tell. I know one ball was a partial, and the one other could have been too. My German is a little rusty, but I think this yarn is superwash. I think I'll put a "hand wash only" tag on it though, just in case.
then, I went, hmm. I need another project. I knew i would finish the scarf up at SnB on Sunday, and would be sadly with out something to knit. That is not a good thing at SnB. So, I grabbed a skein of SWS, in Natural Plum, and quickly read the instructions for the "Booga Bag". For those not "in the know", the booga bag is a felted bag hat it seems like everyone, but me, has made. (Kinda like clapotis) anyway, I quickly read the instructions, grabbed a skein and headed out the door.
The great thing, and also the bad thing, about self striping yarns is the "need" to get to the next color. well, that and the overwhelming urge to make the colors stripe correctly. "Costumechick, where are you going with this?"
well, dear reader, I ended up knitting the whole stinking bag on Sunday night.

Now I am on the 6 miles, I mean feet, of I-cord for the straps. I should be felting tonight!
Now what to do next? Well, I suppose it will be my SOckapalooza socks. It is the beginning of the month, and it almost tech time. Yay! Knitting in the dark!

The speed with which we work

Did you ever notice that when you want time to fly by, it never does? or when you pay attention to how much you have knitted, the piece never seems to grow? I know it's like the "watched pot" thing, but sheesh! I have been knitting away on my PJ top, and it was not growing at all. Suddenly, it has exploded in length. I'm not complaining, mind you, just saying. Hopefully, the momentum will stay around, and the top will finish up relatively quickly.
Ravelry is totally a giant time suck. I've been spending far more time over there than I should be. But, it's all cool. If someone knows better, please tell me, but I think I can upload a butt-load more pictures in the next two days, then my "% allowed per month" should reset in September. I'm only at 30% for this month, so I should be able to go upload crazy tomorrow.
Lastly, I need to give a shout out to Poops! She is an illustrious member of the knitty board, and RAKed me today! She sent me a skein of Koigu Kpm in a lovely Burgundy color!

I've only used this yarn once, and it was for a gift. I'm very excited to make something for me out of it! Thanks again!

Unmentionables

I could be very Victorian, and not discuss my pettipants at all.
I'm not Victorian in the least.
(Well, not in attitude anyway. I love the clothes.)

Specs:
Pattern: Unmentionables from Knitty.com
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, in "blush"
Needles: KP interchangables, size 6 & Susan Bates DPN's, size 7
Notes: Super easy knit, great for TV watching and beach going. The edging took a lot longer than I thought. I didn't modify the pattern at all, but I didn't use nearly the amount of yarn the pattern called for. I came out with an extra 2.5 skeins of yarn. I'm not complaining, as I have enough to make a pj top to match my pettipants! You will notice that I have not run the cord through the eyelets yet. I am waiting until I have the companion top finished. I want to make sure they match. Call me crazy.
Just to prove there is a lot of lace edging...

This is my top so far.

Doesn't look like, but I've got big plans!

New and Exciting Adventures

So I am now part of a new and exciting adventure. well, actually 2 new and exciting adventures.
1. My Ravelry invite came today!! I've started loading projects and yarn, and omg. SO much stuff to do! and play with! I really need to get that laptop so I can work on this at home. I am not going to be able to load my stash and projects into Ravelry on my down time at work. Good excuse to get the computer, no?
My name is Costumechick over there too. Stop by and say "hi"!
2. I joined the "Secret of the Stole" yahoo group. It's another mystery stole! This one starts in October. Plenty of time to finish off the MS3. The host is limiting membership, so sign up early if you want to join the Lacy fun! The only thing we know so far is the start date, and that the stole is in lace weight! Yay!
In other news, I finished up the Unmentionables. I have cast on for the shirt - 3 times. You know how it is when you're winging it! I think I've got it down now! I am going to post pictures tomorrow, but for now you just get to imagine.
close your eyes...
wait!
Don't close your eyes! How are you supposed to read with your eyes closed?
close your eyes, most of the way....
Imagine this: co 68 stitches for the front. knit in 2x2 rib for 3 rows. do an eyelet row. knit 3 more rows of 2x2 rib. switch to stockinette. knit until piece is 3". Cut yarn. repeat for back. Now, knit across back, cast on 6 sts, knit across front, co 6 st. join. work in the round until as long as I want. (No more than until I have only 1/2 skein of yarn left) Knit edging as for Unmentionables. Tada! The eyelets will have cord run through, then up and over the shoulders - making straps. The whole business will tie in front.
Ok. Open your eyes again.
Will it work? I hope so! I'm only on the 2x2 rib in the back. Cross your fingers!
I've gotten a bunch of requests- including two e-mails- for my WLAE socks. I've never done such a thing. I'm going to work on this, but I want some opinions. Is it better for me to write out the whole pattern, or just publish the stranding chart with a stitchcount? I just used my plain ole' sock and instered the colorwork. How would everyone feel about this?

I need to get out more

This is fun. I've bolded the states I've been too, and italisized the states I've lived in. hmm. I need to fix that Hawaii thing!

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

Walk like an Egyptiiiaaaannnn

The Bangles
Walk Like An Egyptian
(L. Sternberg)
Vicki, Michael, Susanna

All the old paintings on the tombs
They do the sand dance don't you know
If they move too quick (oh whey oh)
They're falling down like a domino

All the bazaar men by the Nile
They got the money on a bet
Gold crocodiles (oh whey oh)
They snap their teeth on your cigarette

Foreign types with the hookah pipes say
Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh
Walk like an Egyptian

Blonde waitresses take their trays
They spin around and they cross the floor
They've got the moves (oh whey oh)
You drop your drink then they bring you more

All the school kids so sick of books
They like the punk and the metal band
When the buzzer rings (oh whey oh)
They're walking like an Egyptian

All the kids in the marketplace say
Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh
Walk like an Egyptian

Slide your feet up the street bend your back
Shift your arm then you pull it back
Life is hard you know (oh whey oh)
So strike a pose on a Cadillac

If you want to find all the cops
They're hanging out in the donut shop
They sing and dance (oh whey oh)
Spin the clubs cruise down the block

All the Japanese with their yen
The party boys call the Kremlin
And the Chinese know (oh whey oh)
They walk the line like Egyptian

All the cops in the donut shop say
Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh
Walk like an Egyptian
Walk like an Egyptian

Gotta love the 80's!
Why am I posting the lyrics to a song that is going to be stuck in every one's heads for the next 6 hours?(!) Because, I finished my "Walk Like an Egyptian" socks! These were ceated for Socktopia, August edition, and I'm super thrilled with them. SO much fun to knit, and I love the yarn, too!

Stat:
Pattern: my own, baby!
Yarn: Regia Silk (yellow), and Lang Jawoll (Brown).
Needles: Knit Picks, classic circs, size 0
Notes: With themes revolving around great 1980's songs, my choice was a hard one this time! I looked to my stash for inspiration. I bought the Regia Silk during a Super Bowl sale this year, and was drawn to it. I wanted to knit either the "Walk Like an Egyptian" theme, or the "Eye of the Tiger" theme. Now "Eye of the Tiger" is the theme song from Rocky III - one of my all time favorite movies. I considered using the yarn to knit a "boxing shoe", a`la the "Italian Stallion - Rocky Balboa". I decided against it. How many people in Socktopia are really that big of fans of "Rocky III"? Who wold know why I made a boxing shoe? Also, it would be kinda weird to wear a shoe inside a shoe anyway. So instead, I decided to go with "Walk Like an Egyptian". I created some little stranded color work dudes, doing the "walk Like an Egyptian" dance, and went to town. I really like these socks. The yarn is so scrummy! Can I just wear silk all the time? oh, and Pheobe, from SnB, pointed out that I can assign the little sock dudes names of the people I don't like, and walk all over them when ever I want. :)

I am still firmly in my Stranded color work kick. I thought maybe the threat of all those ends in these socks would dissuade me from continuing on the "stranded color work road of doom". Not so. I'm already dreaming of more....

Swan Lake

I blocked my beautiful MS3, "Swan Lake", last night. I love blocking. Sure, it may take forever, but it is so worth it. OMG. The lace opens up, the yarn looks so delicate. Drool.

I got my Assistant, Lesley, to model for me. I had big plans to get some shots of my handiwork, but it is, of course raining. I couldn't wait, so I took some pics anyway. I'm sure if you want to see better pictures than mine, you can surf the MS3 ring and find some. Blasted rain.
so, without further ado....


Lesley is a card, as you can tell. She was doing her best "America's Next Top Model" impression. I think you get the idea.
The stats:
Pattern: "Swan Lake", aka MS3 by Melanie of Pinklemontwist.blogspot
Yarn: WEBS, Valley Yarn Alpaca Silk Lace weight, about 1/3 skein
Needles: KP options, size 4
Started: Friday, June 29
Finished: Sunday, August 19
Dimensions: 76" x 20"

Notes: I LOVE the wing. You cannot believe how cool it looks in person. The wing just drapes around the shoulder like, well, I don't know what. Costumers love Bias, and this is why. The wing is just meant to flow over the shoulder. Also, It looks awesome hanging straight down, and not flung over. The "row of Yo's" that everyone is worried about is not even an issue when you see it on. Seriously, It's almost like a shoulder seam in sweater, you don't even notice it, and if you do, it's not unexpected. I know that sounds weird, but you have to trust me, once it is around a body, the "seam" is a non-issue. Let me say again how much I love the WEBS Alpaca Silk lace weight. and my KP. Nothing about this project put me off. Big happy faces all around.
Finally, the picture of Lesley doing her "school photo day" pose.

hee!
Next non-rainy day, I'm taking better pictures.

I finished her up!

I finished the MS3, "Swan Lake Stole" on Sunday. The final 10 rows were l o n g. I was getting a tad antsy, waiting for the end. Finally, I got to the final three rows, and they flew by! There is beads along the whole row in each of the last three. That means, plenty of stuff to do while chugging through the sameness. I can't wait to block it tonight, and get some action shots tomorrow!

The end

The end is drawing near for the MS3. The last clue came out today, and is prepped and ready to be knit. I should have a finished and blocking picture for you early next week!
No new knitting excitement to speak of, really. I am on leg #2 of the August SOcktopia socks. I should be able to finish them up in pretty short order as well.
The edging on the "Unmentionables" is trying to kill me. I am FINALLY on leg #2. I can really start to move on the edging when I reach that "zen place" where my fingers are moving, but I'm not really paying attention. I must find that place for an evening or two next week if I am going to ever finish them.
So what, you may ask, am I even posting for?
Well, I went shopping!
I KNOW, Right?!

Denise, from work, and I drove up to the farmhouse sale yesterday. We split a "fill a bag". Each of us got a mess of yarn - totalling somewhere in the $700 worth range. This is what I got:

5 skeins of buppy cottony goodness

3 skeins of grey summer spun. I needed a bit more for a sweater.

2 skeins of fat sheep for a contast design on a sweater yoke

10 skeins of super soft 2 ply

10 skeins of rayon/wool fingering weight yarn. I see lace....
Then, we went to Saybrook Yarn. Dude, Denise has never been! So we HAD to go! Could I resist a bag sale? No I couldn't:

1 bag of Cascade Sierra. mmm cottony

3 skeins of Heirloom Argyle sock yarn. These will most likely turn into DH socks.
Drool, drool, drool, my payola! (Dead Kennedys reference)
Anyway, we finished our adventure with lunch at The Paperback Cafe, and headed back to town. I didn't spend too much time at work, because it was time for SnB!
We've been having really big groups recently, so I thought I'd snap a picture.
A whole day full of yarn and adventure. Now I just need to actually knit it all up!

you wouldn't think

You wouldn't think I'd be persuaded by yarn sales. "you have enough yarn, don't you?" umm. no. Evidently, not nearly enough.
An online yarn store was going out of business, so I took advantage.

I bought three more pairs worth of sock yarn. (kinds I haven't tried, so I can count it as research, right?)Two colors of Reynolds Sea Wool, and one colorway of Panda Cotton. The panda cotton is called "chocolate almond" - how could I resist that name? I also picked up some more lace weight yarn. Karabella Lace weight Mohair. I love half off sales. :)
I'm still working on the lace edging on the petti-pants. When will it end?! I do like doing it, but I think the leg is growing. Seriously. The needle is not getting any more empty! Conspiracy I tell you.
I didn't get much knitting done last night. I am kind of disappointed about it, too. We went to IKEA after work - well, that explains it right there, doesn't it? anyway, we were out to buy our bed.
You wouldn't think I would be dumb enought to assume I could just "go uy my bed", would you? The computer said they have them in stock, but they are nowhere to be found in the warehouse. ok.....? They have a "missing pallet". Could we just call tomorrow and see if they have them? No problem. We only live 10 minutes away. After leaving, DH and I got to discussing this. People regularly drive to this IKEA from Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Why did the wearhouse person assume we could come back tomorrow? What if we had checked the inventory, rented/borrowed a truck, drove an hour, then found out they "lost a pallet"? I would have been so pissed off! She didn't even ask us if we minded waiting for a few minutes so she could find a supervisor or stock person to look for the missing items. We would have waited for a little bit. ugh. I really like this bed! So I called today. I told the real person I eventually got to speak with about the problem. She told me, "the computer says we have them." I know. But they weren't there last night. Can someone go and check they are in the bin, before I come there to buy it? hold on...
"i can't get anyone in bedding"
"well, I just need someone to look in the WAREHOUSE, not the bedding department"
"I'll try again."
"No one is picking up in bedding."
ok. fine. I will just come over and look myself.
I decided to look at getting it online instead. I wouldn't have it until next week, but, at this rate, at least I won't murder someone in the process.
click click click.
Ok, let's checkout. ok must enter shipping info before I can see how much delivery charge we are talking about. click click click.
WAIT, WHAAT! MY ORDER IS CONFIRMED?! How the Hell did that happen?! I didn't enter any credit card info. I was just trying to see how much the shipping is!
"you will receive a confirmation e-mail within 12 hours. you must cancel orders with in 24 hours for a refund"
open email! OPEN! "System Error has occurred" "computer will self destruct in 3 seconds." (ok that was an exaggeration)
Shut down the computer, start her back up.
open e-mail. "system was not shut down properly, doing absurdly long scanny thing"
ok. IKEA confirmation e-mail in inbox. (at this point I am kinda hoping they farted it up, and I get it for free) "no credit card info was provided. A representative will contact you with in 12 hours to confirm order."
great. now I get to be the jack ass that says, "what?! $60 to ship it! No way! I'll just go buy it at the store!"
(sigh)
I need to go pet some yarn.

what a weekend

WOW! I had a very full weekend! Both of knitting, and of other randomish things.

On Friday -hey, it's summer. might as well be the weekend! - I put together my yarn wall. Impetus being, of course, the fact that I haven't done anything further to finish moving in since the last parental visit in June. DH helped me put it together, then we cleaned like bunnies before he had to go to work.

Cool, no? It is actually supposed to be a closet organizer. This brand, Closet Maid is from Target, and was on sale. Can't beat that! I also found them today at Lowe's, in more color choices, but way more expensive - for the exact same thing! ALL of my yarn isn't in it. Just the overflow from the other storage baskets for now. DH said it "has room to grow". I like the sound of that.
The rest of Friday was spent working on clue 6 of the MS3, and watching Friday Night Smack-Down. Well, until parents show up.
Where is dear brother, Mark?
"Oh, he is coming up tomorrow with Mr. Yoder"
umm. ok. A little splaining: Paul (Mr.) Yoder is a year younger than me. It is hard to call him Mr. anything. He is also a diesel mechanic, and a firefighter. He is along to help Service the fire engine before setting off for PA in it.
"oh", I said. They are driving up in the morning? (odd, my parents wouldn't wait and come then, but whatever.)
"no. Yoder's dad is flying them up in his plane".
dude. I kid you not.
we then went and ate some late dinner.
Saturday:
after figuring out where the airplane might be landing in New Haven, and giving my parents directions to the airport, I thought DH and I would be called upon to see the firetruck. We got up earlier than one really should on a Saturday. we waited and waited. I knitted and knitted. Finally, parents call. They are finished with the test drive, and are headed to meet us at the theatre. Cool. we meet up, get breakfast, then head back. This is when I get to ride on the firetruck!

Jealous, aren't you?!
I didn't ride on the side, i only got my picture knitting on the side. I rode in the cab. But, my brother now not only owns a firetruck, but is in possession of a firetruck. The hardest part was finding insurance for it. My Dad could get it really easily, but a 19 year old is hard to insure. I wonder why an insurance company would not want to cover a 19 year old with a firetruck? hmm....
Well, after all that, I was tired. SO, I went home to knit. GUESS WHAT?!
This was waiting for me!

My SOckapalooza Socks!

The are made of Fleece Artist wool, and are the monkey pattern! I LOVE THEM! Also included was a cookie cutter of a buffalo, filled with chocolate, a vintage recreation card of downtown buffalo, and another chocolate treat that looks like buffalo wings! SO awesome! (oh, my pal is from Buffalo!) Thanks!
then after that, I...knit. Surprised? Me neither. I finished up one WLAE sock, and got a big chunk of MS3 finished.
After DH was finished with work, we went to see Rush Hour 3. another great "cerebral" movie. I highly recommend it!
Sunday:
As promised, I went to SnB. I finished up clue #6 on the MS3.

and then, when I got home, I worked on the Unmentionables.

The edging is not a fast project. I took this picture about a half hour into the process. 5 hours later, I still have 45 repeats left - on the FIRST LEG!. At least it's pretty!
Phew. What a weekend!

*butt shaky dance*

When you get good news, do you do a little dance? I bet you do. Almost everyone seems to do it. A celebration dance, if you will. I did one today! I read my replies to yesterday's blog post. Did you?
I'll wait.
Did you see?!
My Sockapalooza pal has mailed my socks!!!! WEE!!!! I cannot wait to model pictures!
The butt shaky dance is my personal celebration dance. It makes me happy, and it has a song that goes along with it.

I'm still working on the same projects. I am still unpacking. I still have not built the yarn wall. DH said he would do it today. (crossing fingers)
I've had a very uneventful day.
So, I'll leave you with another blogthing quiz:

You Passed 8th Grade US History

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade History?