Dashing Are Done

Because I am a Cleveland sports fan, I am going to limit my comments on last night's game to a muted "Yay!" Certainly, no predictions are to be found here. Ellen, if I tell you what kind of sock yarn I want, I might as well hand the Pennant to Terry Francona myself. Yes, we're a superstitious and pessimistic lot, we Cleveland sports fans. Far, far too many times have we seen our teams snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to start gloating now.

I will add that victory last night was practically assured, since both Jeanne and I have forsworn all Sox-knitting on game days.

So, instead, an FO.

Pattern: Dashing by Cheryl Niamath, size Smaller
Yarn: Less than one skein of Cascade 220 Heathers, color number 4011
Needles: 3.75mm Inox 40-inch circulars for Magic Loop
Modifications: I knit only 15 rounds between the last cable round and the thumb opening and only 15 rounds between the thumb opening and the bind-off.

I love this pattern. I loved Fetching, but I love Dashing ever so much more. Now all I need is a Gretel to go with them. Hats are definitely ALCS-approved knitting.

Did You See That Game?!

Yes indeedy folks, I'm feeling a little better after Saturday night. That eleventh inning? Well, the only word for it is ... staggering.

Note that the Dashing are not yet done. I'm working on them tonight. Friday night, I knit Sox. Tribe loses. Saturday night, I refrain from knitting Sox. Tribe wins. I think it's clear what this means, and I don't want any scientists I might know questioning my logic or conclusions.

The game is on, and the Stella is cold, and Dashing #2 is on the needles. Goodtimes, my friends, goodtimes.

p.s. Ever wondered how to score a baseball game? Wonder no more.

Baseball Game? What Baseball Game?

I am not talking about last night's game. I am moving forward. I am thinking happy thoughts. Here are some things that are making me happy.

1. A friend gave me a copy of Andrew Bird's CD Armchair Apocrypha and I love it so much I cannot stand it. Here is the video for the song "Imitosis", which is fantastic but not even my favorite cut on the album.



2. I can tell that I am entering the sentimental stage of the PMS cycle when I start to get choked up by what other people are buying at the supermarket. Today, a woman who was easily in her eighties was ahead of me in line. She was wearing clamdiggers and socks and her hair was dyed that shade of orangey-red that just screams "chemically altered!" Here's a partial list of what she was buying. Hot dogs and buns. Potato chips. Jujubes. Approximately three-quarters of a cup of chicken salad from the deli. Klondike bars. Lean Cuisine French bread pizzas. There was something about her groceries that made me both happy and a little sad at the same time.

3. Naturally, I am elated about the new Radiohead album. It is so very amazing.

4. This news makes me very happy. I like to see people bounce back from adversity. Mr. Vice President, you were meant for way bigger things than the Oval Office. Like saving the planet.

5. It is finally fall! It has actually been chilly, especially in the mornings! I've been wishing I had my very own pair of lovely fingerless gloves. So, last night, I started these.

The pattern, as you might recognize, is Dashing. I plan to finish the pair tonight. Being a little superstitious, I may avoid all Sox on game days.

I'll Take That Bet

It's almost game time, folks. My Tribe are taking on the Bosox for the American League Pennant. As if I weren't already emotionally invested enough in the outcome of this series, now I have sock yarn riding on the outcome.

Ellen, being the ultimate good sport, is participating in this little friendly bet without a comparable level of enthusiasm for the Sox. I thought about giving away her favorite team with a link, but she lives in Boston, and I don't want anything bad to happen to her.

Gotta go get my plain vanilla knitting and a Stella. It's time to play ball.

Another Recommendation

Plain stockinette, toe-up socks are highly recommended knitting when your team is playing in a nail-biter.


I have a feeling I'll be making quick work of these in the next week. Just another reason October is for socks. But not Red Sox.

Ever Have One of Those Days?

One of those where the accretion of annoyances and things-gone-wrong, both little and big, make you think you must be wearing a "Kick Me" sign that is visible to the entire cosmos?*

Well, when that happens, I highly recommend, after yanking that sign off your back and flinging it back in the face of the cosmos with elan, looking at all your pretty new yarn.

Yarntini Hand Dyed Sock Yarn in Vintage

Yarn Nerd 900 MHz Merino Superwash in Teal Semi-Solid (for a swap)

Yarn Pirate Superwash Merino in Loopy Groupie

Madeline Tosh Hand-Dyed Sock in Jade

* The new job is actually going well, thank you all for asking! Nevertheless...