Sock it to me, baby

As I went rummaging for my camera, I remembered that I didn't update after stitch and bitch last week. We had our most members evah!, which rocked, and I was also on the belini-wagon



The dark green tweedy yarn in the background is Kilcarra donegal tweed, and is being knitted into a cobblestone by Nikki

On the way out the door that night, we were all in a bit of a giggly mood, and the sight of this van outside reduced several of us to hysterics, and required cameras to be whipped out.


Sure, it's childish and all that, but it's still funny on soooo many levels!

Yoga happened on Monday (just to get back to this week) and I woke up the yesterday and rejoiced that I had the foresight to have taken a soak in the bath after class. My hip extensors were not happy.
Class was great though. Nice and slow for a first night, but that didn't mean "not strenuous" by any stretch of the imagination. I'm liking it a lot though. Hazel is quiet and unassuming and can bend herself like a pretzel while the rest of us are working on not falling over in basic standing poses.

Current knitting is sock. Volcano sock.
MY volcano sock. For MY tootsies



I've not been knitting much at all in the last week or so, but I'm hoping to be on to sock two by the weekend.

Which is when we should next have post. I hate when Royal mail goes on strike. It always seems to be perfectly timed with my expecting something knitting-related in the post.

I'm hoping that my kilcarra shade card will have arrived at my parents place by the time I get there on Friday, as I'm eager to order yarn and get Pooks cobblestone started. He's basically getting that, a DS and a couple of books for Christmas. I will not be finishing the damn thing on the train 2 days before Christmas though. Nope.

....I'll be trying to get the ribbing done on a sock so that I can wrap it before the train stops...

Barter doesn't count, right?

Some of you may remember my incessant whining about the shawl from hell. Some others of you may have guessed that the mystery photos yesterday were of said shawl.

Yup, I blocked the bitch.



It's done and dusted, and I'm delighted that I can now fold it carefully before abandoning it to the back of the wardrobe. Having finally completed it, I don't think I could possibly bear to let my bridesmaid wear it. I'd run the risk of ripping it off her shoulders and stomping it to death while holding a glass of post-ceremony champagne.

The shawl itself is quite nice, really, and I stuck with it til it was done. The chances of me ever wanting to see it again unless I am very, very (very) drunk are slim to non-existant though. That said, I reserve the right to drag it out of its confinement and reblock it before thrusting it on my poor bridesmaid a week before the wedding, if my new plan B doesn't happen.

My plans for the wedding shawls/stoles/wraps have changed again. This too means that I've broken my yarn diet, but only to the tune of USD$20, which ain't so bad. I have ordered some black laceweight, and I plan on having one shawl made out of it by (hopefully!) Halloween. Depending on how long it takes to arrive, of course.

This should really be called "The Disclaimer Post".

Having finally decided that no, I wasn't just going to suck it up and keep battling on with the demon yarn, I was left with 3 balls, bands intact, of yarn that I never want to feel next to my skin again.

...and here's where the magic happened...


Was turned into


Ain't it great?
I brought the yarn to my LYS (who stocks it) and traded it in for sock yarn!
The photo isn't great - I can't seem to get purples to come out purple instead of blue. These will eventually be turned into stripey knee socks. I do love my stripey knee socks!

Yesterday was International Talk Like A Pirate day, and was one of the quieter SnB's that we've had, in terms of volume, as there seemed to be a large amount of poring over piratey charts done. There was still cake though, don't worry.
I managed to get my supersized washcloth done and finished yesterday and all!



Not the most fantabulous thing I've ever cast off, but Mister is delighted with it, and broke into some appreciative yarr-ing.

All in all, this means that since Monday, I've finished 2 projects, and my WIP's are back to three - one of which is the blocking of the scarf of longness.

The next thing that I really need to start working on is Christmas knitting. I need to get a hat and mittens to match my scarf done so that my extremities don't freeze off in New York. Frozen fingers are unable to squidge new yarn. This is not an option. Himself also needs gloves and a new hat for the trip, as he has grown his hair and the hat I made for him last Christmas no longer fits.

Who else? My parents are the obvious ones, as they'll appreciate the goodies. Both got scarves last year, and will probably get socks this year.

I am paranoid that I've left it too late, and will have to start pulling all nighters with lots of tea, tiger balm and season 2 of Rome come November.

...and this week was sounding so productive for a minute...