Gratitude and Missing Sock Mojo

Thanks everyone for your comments and emails on my last post. It occurred to me later that perhaps that wasn't the best title for a post in which I announce my impending divorce. Really, I am doing fine. Phoebe's comment (wish I could figure out how to link to a comment) involving the "frogging a project that just isn't working at all" metaphor really is spot on. I've always been one to stick with things even when it's clear something's not right (everyone together, now ... "Simple Knitted Bodice!"). I have learned the hard way, though, that some things that are broken cannot be fixed. And Tricia's comment as well was exactly right; once the first big hard step was taken, the subsequent steps have not been nearly as hard.

I am trying to respond personally to everyone's comments ... if you haven't heard from me, it's likely because you left your comment recently, or I can't find an email address for you. I am so grateful for your warm thoughts and support!

Meanwhile, I am Woefully Late in sending a sock to a friend. It was supposed to be with her last week, and I have not finished it. The Sox Boycott of 2007 didn't help, but frankly, I've also had more than my share of sock knitting problems with this project. Gauge issues. Bad yarn-pattern combo. And then another bad yarn-pattern combo. And now, we might be back to gauge problems. Or at least size problems. Sigh.

So, naturally, I want to work on anything else. But knitting my lovely red cables when someone is waiting induces much knitterly guilt. Maybe the procrastination doesn't count if I'm crocheting?

Sedge Stitch Washcloth (Ravelry link), pattern by Lion Brand. Inspired by brainylady.

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.

Sockapalootza!

My Sockapalooza box arrived today! My pal, who completely and totally spoiled me rotten, was Tania of knit1frog2.

Holy guacamole, people, look at the goodies!

Lovely sock yarn! Boatloads of Japanese treats (and my current favorite chocolate bar, how did she know)! The Post-It notes are so cute and perfect. Lately, for some reason, I've been obsessed with bird prints and bird motifs. For example, I just bought some of this Joel Dewberry fabric. If I didn't know better, I'd think that Tania had telepathic ability or some kind of direct line into my brain.

But, I know, you want to see the socks. How incredibly perfect are these?

They are Diagonal Rib Socks from Interweave Knits in Socks That Rock in Nodding Violets. So beautiful, that's all I can say. Tania did an amazing job knitting these ... just gorgeous work.

Coincidentally, the June Carter Swirl socks arrived at their destination today as well. I was thrilled to learn that my pal, Sarianna of May Contain Traces of Knits, likes them. Yay for swaps!

One Little Sock

Pathetically, this is all I have managed to finish lately. Starting things, that I am really good at. Finishing, not so much. These are socks for my niece, who was recently visiting from California with her twin sister, little brother, and Mom and Dad. (Her mom is my little sister.) Olga recently posted about the joys of the auntie gig. It's a nice job if you can get it; I only wish I got to enjoy it more!

Anyhow, Niecie M saw me pull out this yarn one afternoon when I was visiting with them at my mom's and was instantly entranced. She wanted socks from this yarn (Cider Moon Glacier in the highly girly Go-Go colorway). How could I refuse? Now I just need to make three more. Because I certainly can't make a pair for M and not her sweet sister T.

And here's a picture of the beautiful coasters I got from Ashley. I realized the other day that one reason I love them so much is that they remind me of the cover of one of my favoritest albums.

It's been so disgustingly hot here that I haven't touched my sewing machine in weeks, which makes me very sad. (My craft room is on the third floor of my old, un-air-conditioned house.) I've got my fingers crossed for a cold snap, along with some free time.

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The other day, Amy Karol of Angry Chicken wrote a very interesting post about reducing the presence of plastics in her home. I have made a little goal for myself of bringing no more plastic shopping bags into my house. I have several reusable bags from the grocery store, which I keep in the car. I usually carry a large bag, so small things can go into that. And, of course, I wouldn't be sorry to have an excuse to sew a bunch of cute totes as well. I'd like to be able to get rid of all my plastic dishes for the kids, but S recently has gone through a "breaking dishes and glasses when frustrated" stage (love you, autism!). I think he's about over it, but I'm not inclined to test it.

I recently saw this New York Times article about the environmental impact of buying bottled water and wanted to bring it to your attention. In general, bottled water is no healthier than tap water, is ridiculously more expensive, and results in millions of plastic bottles in landfills which take literally centuries to decompose. Having learned this, I've decided not to buy bottled water any more. Just a little food (or drink) for thought.

Finished Socks and Ashley's Awesomeness

Pattern: Swirl Socks by Sulafaye
Yarn: Cider Moon Glacier in June Carter
Needles: US 3 Knit Picks Classic Circulars

Sockapalooza socks are done! Hooray! Loved, loved, loved the pattern. Careful observers will note that my socks have fewer swirls than Sulafaye's ... this was no intentional attempt to knit the pattern differently, but rather the sad effect of my apparent inability to read and comprehend. Heh. The yarn ... well, you all know how I feel about Cider Moon Glacier. I am so relieved that I'll be able to send these off in a timely fashion, thus avoiding Blogland Swap-Slacker Ignominy.

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Ashley, doyenne of dogged, made me some absolutely beautiful quilted coasters, in return for which she is patiently awaiting some crocheted coasters from me. I took some lovely pictures of them, which would appear here, except that my frickin' camera is being cranky.

She also did me the honor of tagging me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. This completely made my day. To be recognized as rockin' by one of the rockin'est girl bloggers out there ... well, I was really touched!

In turn, I'm tagging these five Rockin' Girl Bloggers ... all of whom I feel very lucky to know, either in person, or through the Internets.

Preeti of Expressionist Knits is one of my two bestest friends on the planet. She moved to Cleveland about a year ago, and I was fortunate enough to meet her shortly thereafter. I could never, even if I had a bazillion years, tell you all the amazing things she has done for me in that time. Suffice it to say, I'd be in sad shape without her!

Ellen of Knit Sisters ... she's incredibly smart and incredibly funny. Many are the times that I have felt that I didn't have a laugh left in me, only to read her blog and find myself in giggles. Healing stuff, that humor. Plus, she once sent me the kindest, most encouraging email in response to a comment I left on her blog. I have never properly thanked you for that, Ellen ... it meant more than you can know!

Olga of Yo La Tejo was my very first blogfriend. She is brave, funny, smart, and talented, and she inspires me. Mwah mwah!

Cat of Everyday Life is another rockin' blogfriend. She is incredibly generous and kind. As the name of her blog might suggest, she inspires me to appreciate all the little graces and treasures of our day-to-day existence: a lovely vase of tulips, a perfect breakfast, a quiet evening with a book and a glass of wine. She reminds me to be grateful. Thanks, sweetie.

Finally, I'm going to tag Shannon of knitgrrl. If you've listened to the latest Knit Picks podcast or read the new issue of Vogue Knitting, you know how Shannon rocks. I had the distinct pleasure of taking a crewel class at her studio, Stitch Cleveland, recently and had the best time. She is super fun and welcoming. And I've decided she has the coolest job ever: Professional Crafty Enabler.

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Ashley also recently addressed the issue of responding to comments on her blog. Her post was very thoughtful, and she articulated her feelings about blog reading, commenting and responding -- feelings which I share -- far better than I could ever do.

I'm bringing this up because it seems like a good time to let you all know how much I appreciate your comments. The last several years have been difficult ones for me, isolating and lonely in many ways. The community I have found among crafty bloggers has made a huge difference to me. I am very, very grateful to be a part of this.

Also, some big changes are a-brewin' Chez Affiknitty and things are looking up. I'm not quite ready to talk about them with any level of specificity, but the important part for now is that I am becoming increasingly busy. I've not had the time to craft or blog nearly as much as I'd like and the time available for those things is probably not going to increase. So I'd like to say that if you leave a comment, and don't get a response, know that I appreciate it immensely (see preceding paragraph) and it's only lack of time that is preventing me from replying to you personally. Naturally, if I can help with information or similar, I'll do that.

Thanks for your patience, and for just hanging around my little corner of the 'nets. You all rock.

Explain the Silence

Hi everyone! Sorry for the extended silence, there. The confluence of many things going on Chez Affiknitty (including, but not limited to, out-of-town guests and Potter Day) has sapped my time for blogging, and even knitting, much. And sewing? Forget it.

I still intend to do the podcast/music/reading/Etsy seller recommendation roundups, but it may take a little time. In the meanwhile, I thought you might like to see pretty pictures of the yarn that the contest winners chose! Because we all love pretty pictures of yarn!

Heather from The A.D.D. Knitter chose Peas and Carrots.

And Karen from Yearns for Yarn chose Istanbul. (I have some of this myself.) I should not leave you with the impression that my photography skills have radically improved; these pictures are Gail and Jacki's and they are used with permission.

If you're still visiting here, thanks for hanging in with me through the unexplained absences. Hopefully soon, there will be finished socks and lots of links!

Thanks & Winners

Thanks everyone for the fabulous recommendations! I'll be summarizing them for easy reference over the next four posts. So, really, we all get pressies! Yay!

Were I a woman of affluence, you'd all be getting free yarn. But, sadly, I must rely on the random number generator. Heather of The A.D.D. Knitter and Karen of Yearns for Yarn are the lucky knitters!

Winners should head on over here and pick out a skein of Glacier, then email me with your choice and your snail mail address.

Meanwhile, the first June Carter swirl sock is done!

You all are so sweet and encouraging to suggest that I could finish that other Cherry Bomb sock in the time remaining to me. But, seriously, I have two problems: one, I am a very slow knitter.

And, two, I am constitutionally incapable of remaining monogamous to my projects.

Panic and Forgetfulness (and a Contest!)

The panic portion of this post relates to, of course, Sockapalooza. As much as I love the Rib and Cables pattern, the idea of finishing one and a quarter fingering-weight socks in the next two weeks strikes a little fear in my heart. I really think I ought to put mine in the mail a little early if possible, because my sockpal lives outside the U.S.

Would it be lame to switch to DK socks? Would your opinion be influenced if you knew the DK socks in question looked like this?


The yarn is Cider Moon Glacier, my favorite yarn EVAH, and the colorway is June Carter. The pattern is Sulafaye's, a link to which appears in the previous post. These will have a picot cuff. My sockpal likes picot cuffs. Hmmm... I want to be a good swapper and get my package to her on time. I could never live with the ignominy and shame attached to being a Swap Finker.

Moving on to the forgetfulness portion of the post, I completely forgot my Blogiversary! This past week, I've been blogging for two whole years. Yay! Let's have a contest!

Leave me a comment sometime between now and midnight on Thursday. Because I want pressies for my blogiversary, I want you to give me one of these things in your comment:

1. A summer reading recommendation!
2. The name of the last CD/music download you bought and loved to bits!
3. The name of your favorite Etsy seller!
4. Your favorite non-knitting podcast and why!
5. Any combination of the above!

Through the magic of the Random Number Generator, I will select two people to receive a skein of Cider Moon Glacier in the colorway of their choice. Winners to be revealed on Friday!

Swaps!

'Tis the season for swapping! I'm doing Sockapalooza 4 and am really excited about it. Summer is such a great time for sock knitting, so the timing is perfect. And the Knit Pligg is such a cool way to keep track of what everyone else is knitting. I really love the "random post" option.

I have my sock pal's information, and I am still in the planning phase. I need some guidance, though! My pal prefers cables or knit-and-purl patterns to lace and I think I can safely say that my color options are wide open. Should I make her...

...the Sundara Bird of Paradise socks (look at these lovelies by Amy of Two Sharp Sticks) ...

...or a pair of Rib and Cables (my favorite pattern, finished ones here and here)?

If I do the Rib and Cables, I am still undecided about yarn. I think I'll use some recently acquired Cider Moon: either Cherry Bomb or Asbury Park. What do you think?

In other swap news...

Late last week, I received my package from my Sound Swap pal ... Margene! I had to giggle when I saw the box sitting on my porch, because I had left a comment on her blog that I hoped she was making a mix for me! She sent the yummiest and prettiest mint meltaways, a very cute needle gauge (I can never find mine, so an extra is perfect!) and a fabulous music mix. I've been listening to it nonstop. Here's the awesome playlist!

1. "Fur Peace" -- Jorma Kaukonen
2. "Favorite" -- Neko Case
3. "Visions of Johanna" -- Bob Dylan
4. "Pocatello" -- Larry McMurtry
5. "River's Gonna Run" -- Sam Bush
6. "Love & Happiness for You" -- Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler (As a Dire Straits fan, I was excited to see this cut!)
7. "Latitude" -- Matt Flinner
8. "Walking the Dog" -- Dan Zanes
9. "Soul Kitchen" -- Patti Smith
10. "I Must Belong Somewhere" -- Bright Eyes
11. "V-Necked Sweater" -- Greyboy Allstars
12. "Up Against the Wall" -- Peter Bjorn & John
13. "Strange Fruit" -- India Arie
14. "5 Shots of Whiskey" -- Hank Williams III (Don't worry, Margene. I love me some twang from time to time. And who better than the Royal Family of Twang and Hard Livin'?)
15. "Ride the River" -- Eric Clapton & JJ Cale
16. "The Fox" -- Nickel Creek
17. "Come Home" -- Willie Nelson & Rickie Lee Jones

Thanks, Margene! I love it! And thank you as well to Jennie, for organizing such a great swap. I put my package in the mail on Friday and it should be arriving at its destination today or tomorrow. I hope my swapee likes it ... I think it's a good mix!

Celebrating Chez Affiknitty

Thank you all so much for all your kind thoughts and comments about my last post. I fully intend to answer each one of you ... if you don't get a response from me, it's because I can't find an email address for you.

But, in the meantime, I thought I'd share some news.

I passed the Bar Exam!

I feel a little like I did this.



And now I think I will celebrate by spending the morning playing with this.

I'm a Cider Moon Groupie

I resisted the urge to call myself a Cider Moonie. The trunk show was fabulous! The place was packed! And there were a lot of people there, too!

Gail and Jacki (like most Ohioans, some of the nicest people EVER) took a lot of photos, which you can see here on their blog. Also Preeti has some great pictures of the event and the yarn. Me, I had camnesia. But I did manage to get a picture of everyone at lunch.

L to R: Jeanne, Deanna, me, Joyce, Preeti, Ludmilla, Carol, Debbi.

Here's what I walked away with!

1. Close-up of Cherry on Top, 2. Cider Moon Glacier DK in Cherry on Top, 3. Cider Moon Glacier DK in Avocado, 4. Cider Moon Icicle Fingering Weight in Pistachio

One picture of each, and just because I am so in love with it, a close-up of Cherry on Top. Pink, cream and brown are very good. Aqua, cream and brown are very, very good. Pink AND aqua and cream and brown make me want to weep with happiness. I couldn't stand it. I had to cast it on.

But, wait! There's more Cider Moon goodness! An FO!

Pattern: Campfire Socks, available gratis on the Cider Moon website
Yarn: Glacier DK in Mardi Gras by, well, you know
Needles: 3.25mm circulars for Magic Loop
Thoughts: OK. I see the whole Mardi Gras gold-purple-green thing. But this yarn is So Much Prettier than the reality of the French Quarter on the day before Ash Wednesday. The green in particular is so deep and lovely, ranging from pine to the most beautiful olive. This is the softest, squishiest yarn ever. And I made the socks from way less than one skein ... see how much yarn was left? Yay!

It was so much fun to see everyone, and to meet Gail and Jacki. If you too love Cider Moon, you should visit and join the Flickr group! It's hosted by Katie, who has some seriously nice socks in the pool. Check it out!

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A non sequitur by way of a query: Someone who has commented here recently posted instructions on how to do drop-down menus on your Blogger sidebar, and because I am clearly suffering from CRS* I don't know who! Can you identify yourself and remind me how to do it, please? I am eternally grateful.

* Can't Remember Shit.

Attention Cleveland-Area Knitters!

Following up about the Cider Moon trunk show...

There will be a group of us meeting at Soft n' Sassy in Broadview Heights at 11 am. (Click the link for directions.)

This looks to be a lot of fun. Gail and Jacki will have roving and spinning demos, prizes, and, of course, their beautiful yarns! Hope you can come!

Extremely Belated Harlotty Post

Here it is, the requisite photo of the Harlot, in her luminous Bohus, at a podium. As you might have guessed, this particular podium is in an eastern suburb of Cleveland and the photo is a few weeks old. This is basically the only photo I have of the august occassion, because I was suffering from camnesia. (Thanks, Margene, for introducing me to that very useful word!)

The parade of superlatives about Ms. Pearl-McPhee and her talk on Taking Knitters Seriously has been making the rounds of the blogs and the podcasts. Really, I can't add anything, except a very enthusiastic "What they said!" She was delightful and it was so much fun to be in such a big group of My People.

I saw many, many wonderful people that day, including Linda and Annie, Diana, Jeanne, Anne, Maureen, Debbie, and others whose names have sadly escaped the sieve that is my brain. A couple of people said they visited Affiknitty but were lurkers. Please, I beg you, speak up! I want to be able to talk to you!

But, now for the real purpose of this post ... to all you Cleveland-area knitters. Gail and Jacki from Cider Moon are having a trunk show this Saturday at Soft 'n Sassy in Broadview Heights. Is anyone else planning on going? Please email me or leave a comment! I would like to plan my visit to see as many of my fellow fiber-lovers as possible!

Also, thank you so much everyone for the nice comments about my embroidery projects. I think I'll not start Blue-Grey Girl again. It's just a learning project anyway and, as Asa said, I might feel better about it when it's done. I swear there will be knitting on this blog again!

From Sweden, With Love

On a day when the holiday spirit was sorely lacking around Chez Affiknitty, I received this lovely package from Cat. It was loaded with red yarn (Opal sock yarn and the most beautiful wool, enough for a shawl), tea, and even candy for the boys. As you can see, it didn't take J long to get his hands on those candy canes.

But his next words were, "I want the chocolate. I want the whole bag." Yep, that's my boy.

The best part, really, was the nice card and the fact that she thought of my little guys too. This blog is about knitting, and I'll never really want to write at length about intensely personal matters. But I will say that this year has been a little hard for me, for various and sundry reasons. I've not-so-fondly referred to it as "Two Thousand Sucks." But over the last year and a half, the knitblogging community has been very good to me. Cat is one of those special people. You know, it's not the fact that she sent awesome yarn and candy. What makes me so grateful is that I know I have a friend, perhaps very far away in miles, but very close in spirit. It really is the thought that counts. Thanks, Cat.

I know some people frown on these posts, the ones in which bloggers thank other bloggers publicly for gifts. But here's why I'm posting this. I want you all to know how much a small kindness can mean to someone. And also, if you're reading this blog, you undoubtedly have a Cat as well...a friend you've never "met" but who always leaves a cheering comment for you on your blog or on a message board, sends you email, is there for a chat, who will always be excited about your latest FO, or who understands your passion for wool like no one else. I hope this post reminds you of that person and you think of him or her gratefully.

And just because I'm feeling a little sentimental, here's a little holiday music for you. I am extremely picky about holiday music and most of it that you hear on the radio frankly annoys me. (No barking dogs or meowing cats! No Christmas Shoes! No novelty songs in general!) What can I say, I'm a music snob and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But about halfway down this list is my favorite holiday song, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," sung by Ella Fitzgerald. If you ask me, that's a song worth enjoying any time of year.

Land Ahoy!

Last night, Henry the Navigator spent the night at my house. I tried to snap a photo of his face, but my bleepin' camera would not cooperate. The picture simply disappeared. (You can see it here.) Fortunately, I got photos of the bounty within the box! One of the cool things that I was not able to document was the chart inside the box where each recipient logged their names. It was fun to see where the box had been. Early in the swap, Henry stayed with Kari from Minnesota, for whom I made socks in Sockapaloooza!

My Yarn Aboard Pal was Purl from Knitted and Purled. Let me tell you, she totally rocked that box. There were comestibles of the highly intriguing variety. That's right, that's a lavender chocolate bar and lavender Earl Grey tea. Yum. I love that sort of thing. (I could really use relaxing scented treats these days. Anxiety is a houseguest that doesn't want to leave.) And pecan pralines? What could beat chocolate, pecans and caramel? Not much.

And then, of course, there was the yarn. There were two skeins of Knit Picks Memories in the Fly Fishing colorway, a shade I've been angling for. (The groans are audible, but I couldn't resist.)

And there was a skein of the yummiest Fleece Artist, which I have been dying to try, in the most gorgeous saturated greens. Perfect. Not pictured is a fantastic inKnitiative sock pattern which covered the bottom of the box.

Thanks, Purl! You were so amazingly generous! Henry is now on his way to his next destination, restocked with goodies of the audible, edible, and knittable varieties. I am looking forward to seeing how my Pal likes the box. And thanks, Amanda. You are the swap hostess with the mostest, that's for sure.