FO: Mrs Twelly's Breast Cancer Awareness Socks

Pattern: Waterfall Lace Rib from Senational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy Cool Fire(pink,red,blue,lavender)
Needles: US1.5 Addi Yurbo 40" magic loop method
Size: US 8 medium
modifications: stockinette stitch heel
Start: October 6, 2008
Finish: October 24, 2008

FO: Red Scarf

I finished this scarf and mailed it off a few weeks ago. I hope the recipient likes it.



My cables go to the right instead of the left like in the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern. I've fallen in love with the pattern and I'm planning on making more of them.

Soapbox moment:
I voted yesterday at the Corpus Christi Council for the Deaf. Its a very nice facility and the staff were very helpful and courteous. After I voted, I left $5 in the tip jar at their cafe as a thank you for having their facility as an early voting place. I waited in line for about 20 minutes before I voted. (I wanted to vote this past weekend at 1/2 Price Books but the wait was over an hour.) I beamed when I clicked on Obama/Biden. I'm urging everyone to vote even if its for those other two. I've always believed you can complain as much as you want about this country if you vote. If you don't vote you haven't done the one most important thing to get your voice heard so don't complain. In other countries people fight even die for the right vote so EVERYONE GO VOTE!!!

Red Scarf Project and Christmas Knitting Update

Here's what I have so far:

1. Red Scarf Project: Irish Hiking Scarf 2. Twelly's Socks 3. Feathers Wimple 4. Mrs Twelly's Socks 5. Brotherly Love Socks 6. Brotherly Love Scarf

1. I'm using Vanna's Choice 100% acrylic yarn in Cranberry to knit the Red Scarf Project scarf. Its put out by Lion's Brand. I'm pleasantly surprised that this acrylic yarn is soooo soft. I'm buying more of it especially since I could win $1000 in a contest on the Vanna's Choice website(which goes live on October 10th). Lion's Brand is sponsoring a yarn contest at Michaels stores beginning October 12, 2008 where the grand prize will be $1,000 and an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to meet Vanna White and be part of the audience of Wheel of Fortune. The contest ends on February 1, 2009.

2. I'm knitting Twelly's Socks for my scrabble buddy in Dream in Color Smooshy Black Parade. The pattern is Charlene Schurch's Garter Rib.

3. I'm knitting the Wavy Feathers Wimple for a friend. The yarn is Fearless Fibers Laceweight %100 merino in Antique Rose. This seems like it'll be a quick knit. I'm using leftover orange sock as placement markers.

4. I'm knitting Mrs Twelly's Socks(my scrabble buddies wife) for breast cancer awareness month. She's recovering from breast cancer surgery. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy Cool Fire and pattern is Schurch's waterfall lace rib.

5. I'm modifying the Irish Hiking Scarf to make my older brother a pair of socks. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy November Muse.

6. I've fallen in love with the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern. Its easy and beautiful. I'm making this scarf for my lil brother. The yarn is Plymouth's Encore in Deep Forest.

Pink for October

Web sites will Go Pink during the month of October to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, get people talking about breast cancer, and raise money for research. But to be clear, raising money isn’t the primary purpose of this web event. The hope is that you turn your site pink (in whatever way works for your site), educate yourself about the multiple issues related to Breast Cancer, then take that knowledge and tell someone else what you’ve learned.

Go to the Pink for October website to sign up and download a button.

Banned Book Week

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.
Banned Books Week in the United States is September 27 - October 4, 2008. Banned Books Week is observed during the last week of September each year. It is the 27th anniversary of this annual American Library Association event which is is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Library Association, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers, National Association of College Stores, and is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. In honor of Banned Book Week, I'm going to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a book that has been on the Challenged book list

NFL Bye Weeks

Each NFL team plays 16 games out of 17 weeks in the NFL schedule. The game that they don't play is called their bye week, or "Open Date". It is important in fantasy football to make sure that your starters and backups do not have the same bye week since one of the primary reasons for drafting backup players to have coverage during the bye week of your starter.

Why does the NFL have bye weeks any way? I'm asking this question because RB Willie Parker(eye candy pic) sprained his knee in the PIT-PHI game last week and will miss PIT's game this week with Ravens. It's my RB back up's bye week so I've had to go looking for a RB free agent. My league on NFL.com requires 2 starting RBs. I decided to pick up at least for this week and may be next week Chris Perry CIN RB to fill the hole in my roster. I dropped DET's WR Roy Williams to get Perry. I also dropped WR Anthony Gonzalez for WR Hank Baskett. I'm 3-0 in that league and ranked #1 in my division. I've had to do less juggling in my yahoo league. I'm 2-1 and ranked #3 in the one. I lost last week by 2 points. You're right Eileen. FF can get crazy.

Change You CAN Believe In

This is why I'm voting for Sen. Obama....

Red Scarf Project

Guess what! Its that time of year again. The Orphan Foundation of America is accepting scarves for their Red Scarf Project. The submission period for the next Red Scarf initiative is set for September 1 through October 31, 2008. Scarves should be sent to:

Orphan Foundation of America
The Red Scarf Project
21351 Gentry Drive
Sterling, VA 20166

Last year I made My So Called Scarf and sent a gift card to Starbucks. This year in keeping with my cable fascination, I'm making the Irish Hiking Scarf. I loved how Ally's turned out. I also want to include a gift card from either Barnes and Noble, Borders, Target, Walmart or Starbucks. Please leave me a comment about which gift card should I buy.

Eagles vs Cowboys

What a wild and crazy game! I was mindlessly knitting gauge swatches and watching all the action. I was disappointed that the Eagles lost(41-37) but enjoyed the game. I was rooting for Eagles not only because I'm a fan, but also because I needed DeSean Jackson(wr) and David Akers(k) to have really good games so I could win my fantasy football game. I needed 15 points just to tie. Despite DeSean totally messing up a touchdown by celebrating too soon, he gave me 11 points. Akers gave me 14 points so I won my game by 10 points.

Fantasy Football has been a lot more fun that I thought it would be. Not only is it making me pay more attention to the league as a whole rather than just my favorite teams but it makes watching all the games fun. There's alot of research involved in picking which players to start or to bench. I consulted a buddy who helped me pick which players to have on my draft list before the season began. He's been right most of the time. This past week I wanted to bench Drew Brees because I didn't think that he'd do well against the Redskins, but I was talked
(text messaged) out of it...... I was right. I would have been better off if I had played Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers. Oh well, I'm increasing my football knowledge. I'm 2-0 in both my leagues so far. Week 3 is going to be a tough week for me. Both of my opponents has Donovan McNabb, my Eagles quarterback. I'm going to hope Brees has just as good or a better game than McNabb. I cannot root against him because I have Eagles players on my teams. I need for them to catch his passes and touchdowns and kick those field goals and 3 pointers.

Carefree Holiday or Not KAL

Dr Laura is hosting Carefree Holiday or Not KAL. You can knit anything socks, scarves, hats, etc. To be entered in to the prize drawings, you must knit a minimum of 100 yards. If your knit item is 600 yards of yarn then you'll be entered 6x into the drawing. Here's the rules:

• 1. KAL starts on October 1, 2008 and ends November 30, 2008. All finished projects must be posted by Midnight, November 30th to qualify for the final drawing. Items started before October 1 do not qualify for the KAL.
• 2. You will receive one entry for every 100 yards used in your item. Please use a minimum of 100 yards. You may knit a set if items. (For example, a pair of baby socks uses 50 yds of yarn. You will need to knit 2 pairs to qualify for one entry.)
• 3. Must post photo of project in progress to blog.
• 4. Must post photo of finished project to blog. Please post how many yards of yarn needed for project. (need this info so you can be given the correct number of entries for your project.) If a set of items is required ( see rule #2), please show all items in ONE post for credit.
• 5. Limit of one prize per person. We want to spread the wealth. The winner of the sign-up drawing will be exempt from this rule and will be allowed to win one more prize.
• 6. Special Prize for projects knit with Crystal Palace Yarn. Winner will be decided by blog participants who will vote for their favorite project at the end of the KAL.
• 7. Winners will be selected by Susan of CPY, using a random number generator.
• 8. Have fun! This is a Carefree, Stress-free, Holiday or Not KAL. It doesn't even have to be gift knitting. We won't tell.
• Remember to post your name as listed in the sidebar so you can receive credit for your project.

My Holiday or Not knitting plans are:

1. Kinetic Scarf(from knitty.com) for my dad I'm thinking about using Plymouth Encore Blues

2. Irish Hiking Scarf for my lil brother Plymouth Encore Green

3. Harvest Socks(from the Socknitters files) for my older brother Dream in Color Smooshy November Muse

4. Monkey Socks for my SIL Either Dream in Color Smooshy Midnight Derby or Ruby River

5. Garter Rib Socks for Nephew #3 CTH Supersock Navy

6. Thuja Socks for Nephew #2 CTH Supersock Navy

7. Pink Socks for my Scrabble buddy's wife Dream in Color Smooshy Cool Fire

8. Deep Forest Socks for my uncle I'm thinking about Fearless Fibers Deepest Forest

9. Illumination Scarf for aunt #1 Lane Borgosesia Cashwool Ecru.... If you ever have Grace of Lovin Comfort Knits you have to have to buy her this yarn.... its a wool blend that soft like cashmere and shiny like silk but with out the cashmere/silk price

10. Illumination Scarf for aunt #2 Lane Borgosesia Cashwool Ecru

11. Maelstrom Socks for myself if I can find Dream in Color Butter Peeps I'll use it

Come on over and knit with us :)

FO: Peach Cream Kuchon Socks

I finished the Peach Cream Kuchon over the weekend at work while watching season 1 of Mad Men. It was slow because of the hurricane Ike scare. I like the finished socks and pattern. I won't be buying more skeins of the yarn. It's splitty.





Pattern: Waving Lace by Evelyn Clark from Favorite Socks
Yarn: J Knits supersock Me! in Georgia
Needles: US 1 24" circs
Method: 2 socks on 2 circs at the same time
Modifications: I made the scalloped edge cuff and only did 1 and 1/2 pattern repeats for the leg. The cuff plus leg are about a total of 3 inches long.
Start: September 1, 2008
Finish: September 13, 2008

Music Meme

I saw this meme on Nichole's blog and had to do it too. I'm giving away my age. Time goes by quick. I can remember in high school us voting on the Class Song and it was a tie between Party All the Time and That's What Friends Are For. The latter song won when we had the run off. I've embeded a video for my all time favorites.

The rules:
A) Go to musicoutfitters.com
B) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year
C) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline or italicize your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember (or don’t care about)

Top 100 Hits of 1986/Top 100 Songs of 1986

1. That's What Friends Are For, Dionne Warwick, Elton John, and Gladys Knight
2. Say You, Say Me, Lionel Richie
3. I Miss You, Klymaxx
4. On My Own , Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald
5. Broken Wings, Mr. Mister
6. How Will I Know, Whitney Houston
7. Party All The Time, Eddie Murphy
8. Burning Heart, Survivor
9. Kyrie, Mr. Mister
10. Addicted To Love, Robert Palmer
11. Greatest Love Of All, Whitney Houston
12. Secret Lovers, Atlantic Starr
13. Friends And Lovers, Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring <--- Robin Thicke's mom
14. Glory Of Love, Peter Cetera
15. West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys
16. There'll Be Sad Songs, Billy Ocean
17. Alive And Kicking, Simple Minds
18. Never, Heart
19. Kiss, Prince and The Revolution
20. Higher Love, Steve Winwood
21. Stuck With You, Huey Lewis and The News
22. Holding Back The Years, Simply Red one of my all time favorites



23. Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel
24. Sara, Starship
25. Human, Human League
26. I Can't Wait, Nu Shooz
27. Take My Breath Away, Berlin
28. Rock Me Amadeus, Falco
29. Papa Don't Preach, Madonna
30. You Give Love A Bad Name, Bon Jovi
31. When The Going Gets Tough, Billy Ocean
32. When I Think Of You, Janet Jackson
33. These Dreams, Heart
34. Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone), Glass Tiger
35. Live To Tell, Madonna
36. Mad About You, Belinda Carlisle
37. Something About You, Level 42
38. Venus, Bananarama <--- recently featured in an episode of Saving Grace
39. Dancing On The Ceiling, Lionel Richie
40. Conga, Miami Sound Machine
41. True Colors, Cyndi Lauper
42. Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins
43. What Have You Done For Me Lately, Janet Jackson
44. No One Is To Blame, Howard Jones
45. Let's Go All The Way, Sly Fox
46. I Didn't Mean To Turn You On, Robert Palmer
47. Words Get In The Way, Miami Sound Machine
48. Manic Monday, Bangles
49. Walk Of Life, Dire Straits
50. Amanda, Boston
51. Two Of Hearts, Stacey Q
52. Crush On You, Jets
53. If You Leave, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
54. Invisible Touch, Genesis
55. The Sweetest Taboo, Sade
56. What You Need, INXS
57. Talk To Me, Stevie Nicks
58. Nasty, Janet Jackson
59. Take Me Home Tonight, Eddie Money
60. We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off, Jermaine Stewart
61. All Cried Out, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam With Full Force
62. Your Love, Outfield
63. I'm Your Man, Wham!
64. Perfect Way, Scritti Politti
65. Living In America, James Brown
66. R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A., John Cougar Mellencamp
67. Who's Johnny, El Debarge
68. Word Up, Cameo my brother played this album all the time I hate this song
69. Why Can't This Be Love, Van Halen
70. Silent Running, Mike + The Mechanics
71. Typical Male, Tina Turner
72. Small Town, John Cougar Mellencamp
73. Tarzan Boy, Baltimora
74. All I Need Is A Miracle, Mike + The Mechanics
75. Sweet Freedom, Michael McDonald
76. True Blue, Madonna
77. Rumors, Timex Social Club
78. Life In A Northern Town, Dream Academy
79. Bad Boy, Miami Sound Machine
80. Sleeping Bag, ZZ Top
81. Tonight She Comes, Cars
82. Love Touch, Rod Stewart
83. A Love Bizarre, Sheila E...... I wanted to be Sheila E
84. Throwing It All Away, Genesis
85. Baby Love, Regina
86. Election Day, Arcadia
87. Nikita, Elton John
88. Take Me Home, Phil Collins
89. Walk This Way, Run-D.M.C. revived Aerosmith's career
90. Sweet Love, Anita Baker.... one of my all time favorites



91. Your Wildest Dreams, Moody Blues
92. Spies Like Us, Paul McCartney
93. Object Of My Desire, Starpoint
94. Dreamtime, Daryl Hall
95. Tender Love, Force M.D.'s
96. King For A Day, Thompson Twins
97. Love Will Conquer All, Lionel Richie
98. A Different Corner, George Michael
99. I'll Be Over You, Toto I still know all the words to this song
100. Go Home, Stevie Wonder

House Challenge Season 5

I'm taking a break from reading and posting on the Ravelry group, Sarah Palin Must Be STOPPED, to post another non knitting related but interests me entry on my blog. If you're a not a fan of Gov. Palin, go to ravelry group and get in on the bitching. If you are a fan of Gov. Palin, skip it... you don't want to become a troll. lol



Dr. Scott of Polite Dissent is having his annual House Challenge for season 5 of the tv show. Here's what you have to do:

Make a list of ten conditions or diseases you think will show up on House. Be as specific as possible: no categories (like “cancer” or “autoimmune disease”), and no overly broad descriptions (“liver failure” or “cardiac arrest”, for instance). The list you make will last the remainder of the season — no addition, subtractions, or swaps. Put your list in the comments section.

Each week, your list will be compared against the show. Scoring is as follows:

1 point for a brief mention or one-liner.
3 points if the team actually tests for the condition.
3 points if your diagnosis is featured in a clinic scene.
5 points if the team treats the condition (or supposed condition).
12 points if it’s actually the correct final answer (or one of the answers) of the episode.
Please note: If your diagnosis is close, but not specific enough (for example “meningitis” when the team tests for “viral meningitis”) you will earn 1/3 the points.

Scores will be collated each week and a running total will be kept. Scores will be posted late night the day of the show, or by noon the next day. After the final episode of the season, a winner will be crowned!

Since the last contest ended, I've been compiling and researching diseases/conditions I thought would be "good" on House. Ones that could show up on the show. I made a big mistake last year in that I picked diseases that could only be the final solution. I was trying the diseased ball out of the park. This year I've picked a few of those, but I also some "we think its this but we'll be proven wrong." Here's my picks:

1. Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis
2. Histoplasmosis
3. disseminated Tb also known as miliary Tb
4. Anisakidosis also known as anisakiasis
5. Wegener's Granulomatosis
6. Sarcoidosis
7. Scleroderma
8. TTP thrombic thrombocytopenic purpura
9. Toxic Shock Syndrome
10. Addison's disease

If you care to you can, click on each disease/condition to learn about it. The info is from the NIH or the CDC.

Fantasy Football

Well, I've gone and done it. I've joined not 1 but 2 fantasy football leagues on Ravelry. This post is for my buddies who want to know who's on my fantasy football teams.

On NFL.com , my team name is Wildfire. My players:

Quarterbacks:
Drew Brees , NO
Aaron Rodgers, GB

Running backs:
Frank Gore, SF
Rudi Johnson, DET
Willie Parker, PIT

Wide receivers:
Chris Chambers, SD
Santonio Holmes, PIT
Roy Williams, DET
Anthony Gonzalez, IND

Tight Ends:
Jeremy Shockey, NO
Dustin Keller, NYJ

Kicker:
Josh Scobee, JAC

Defense:
Green Bay Packers
New York Giants

On Yahoo Sports, my team's Wildfire. I'm original lol

Quarterbacks:
Drew Brees, NO
Eli Manning, NYG

Running backs:
Reggie Bush, NO
Ryan Grant, GB
Rudi Johnson, DET

Wide receivers:
DeSean Jackson, PHI
Greg Jennings, GB
Bryant Johnson, SF
Vincent Jackson, SD

Tight Ends:
Todd Heap, BAL
Zack Miller, OAK

Kicker:
David Akers, PHI

Defense:
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts

Don't you wish you had my teams?

Purple Rules!!

Look at what I got from my swap pal in the Purple Rules Summer Swap:



2 Lorna's Laces Sherperd Sock in Mixed Berries colorway
2 Knitpicks Memories in the Red Hat colorway
2 Sweetarts........ I ate the one of them already....... They're one of my favorite candies
Purple Flowery pouch with surprises inside



The surprises:
Aveeno daily moisturizer lotion.... how did she know that's my lotion?
Point protectors
Clover US 2 dpns...... I want to make a pair of socks with dpns
Stitchmarkers that spell out my name (Cheryl)

Thank you so much AnnaRenee :-)

Startitis

Over the past last week Ive started 5 new projects. I usually done have more than 2 to 3 projects going at once. I won't even mention the ones hibernating.



From the top left and making a circle:

1. Peach Cream Kuchen Socks: I'm knitting them for the September Solid Socks kal over on Ravelry. The J Knits superwash me sock yarn(Georgia) is a little splitty, but sooo soft. I'm knitting 2 socks on 2 circs for the first time. I found a nice tutorial online at Fyberduck. I'm using 1 skein of yarn in a center pull ball. Once I figured out how to keep the yarn from tangling(Use a ziploc or hefty bag with a cut in the bottom and another toward the top to thread the yarn through) it's easy. I'll let you know how it goes with the heel flaps and gusset.

2. Naive Socks: I knit 65 rounds and discovered I have a mistake in the 45-50 rounds. I added and extra round so the cable look wonky now. I'm tinking back to my mistake to fix it.

3. Giboshi Hat: I'm using leftover yarn to make a cable hat for Nichole's Chemo hat project. Its a left twist cable. I'm thinking of changing the ribbing on the cuff.

4. Petite Berrylicious: This is prototype Monkey sock( my 4th pair of them) that could be my niece's Christmas socks. I'm making a child's size 4-5. I'll send the sock off and see if it fits her. Hopefully, it'll be a little big on her. I adjusted pattern so I could cast on and use 48 stitches.

5. Struts Her Stuff: I first casted on as was making the Baby Cable Rib from SKS, but I changed my mind. I'm thinking of using the Ann Budd's 8 sts per inch pattern and make the staggered baby cables. I like how it looks better. If my SIL likes the Monkey sock I made for her daughter , I may just frog them and make a pair of Monkeys too.

Solid Socks KAL

My next sock kal is the Solid Socks (and semi solids too) year long kal over on Ravelry. Its an informal sock kal that has you knit a pair of socks with your choice of pattern in a preselected color. We're not picky about the shades of preselected color.

Colors for 2008-2009

September: Oranges
October : Browns (to include tans/honey etc)
November : Golds/yellows
December : Reds and greens
January : Burgundy/wine and black/greycolors
February : Pinks/Peaches
March : Greens
April : Purples
May : Pastels
June : Naturals/Whites
July : Blues, Reds or White
August: Brights and only solids

For September I'm knitting Evelyn Clark's Waving Lace Socks from Favorite Socks in J Knits Superwash Me sock yarn in Georgia. It reminds of me of a dessert one of my ex coworkers would make and that's what I named the socks,Peach Cream Kuchen.



Come on over and join us :-)

I'm having fun!!!

I was listening to Your Health on NPR and they had a segment on meditation and how it lowers your blood pressure. Meditation produces a relaxation response. Knitting does that for me! My blood pressure has gone down since I started knitting...... especially sock knitting. The socks that are lowering my blood pressure now are the Karner Blues.



I bought the cable needle necklace that is featured on Darcy's blog. Darcy has great instructional videos on how to use the cable needle necklace. I'm using it to knit the 2x2 and 3x3 cables in the Naive sock pattern. I've trying to knit the 1x1 cables without the cable needle. I'm able to do so except for the one at the beginning of the round. Those stitches are too tight to use the cableneedleless cable technique. Go checkout Darcy's blog and leave a comment.

Summer of Socks

My final tally from the Summer of Socks is 6 plus 1 in progress.



1. My 1st Jaywalkers
2. Monkey See Monkey Do Monkey Socks
3. Crimson Purls aka Berrylicious Monkey Socks
4. Acai Berry Monkey Socks
5. Excalibur Garter Rib Socks
6. Swagger Thuja Socks
7. Karner Blues Naive Sock..... Socks #1 in progress

It was a great kal and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Swagger Socks

My Christmas knitting has started! I'm knitting my older brother's family socks for Christmas. ..... all 7 of them. These are some BIG socks! lol Lebron James (size 15 shoe) could wear these socks.



FO: Nephew #1 Socks
pattern: Thuja Socks from knitty.com by Bobby Ziegler
yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids in Navy (get use to seeing this yarn I have 3 more pairs to make with it)
size: US mens 14 wide
needles: US 1 Addi turbo 2 24'' circs
modifications: fingering weight yarn
start: August 8, 2008 Olympics opening Ceremonies
finish: August 22, 2008 at 610pm CST 2 days left of the Olympics

Excalibur Socks

I finished my uncle's last week. I think he'll like them. Charlene Schurch's garter rib is an easy unisex pattern that looks good with any yarn.


Pattern: Garter Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch Yarn: Fearless Fibers' Superwash sock yarn in Contemplation Needles: US 1 addi turbo 24" 2 circ method Gauge: 9 spi Modifications: Heel flap is 32 rows instead of 40. Round heel Start: July 23, 2008 Finish: August 7, 2008

One last thing, I'm on Team 7 of the Dishrag Tag. I have my US 7 Addi turbo ready for my turn. Good luck to everyone participating!!

FO: Acai Berry Socks

I'm getting behind on posting for this blog. If you looked at my Ravely projects, you know I'm knitting. My feeble excuse is that I've been having female problems......... hot flashes, migraines, fatigue, etc. My hormones are out of wack. I have a doctor's appointment in a week..... I'm going to walk into his office and just beg him to fix me! I've self diagnosed myself and I think I have either PCOS(95% positive this is it) or I'm going through early onset menopause because I've never had kids. I haven't ovulated since February. I know I haven't been ovulating because I'm one of the "lucky" who has pain(mittelschmerz) when I do. Please bear with me........




I named the socks after the main ingredient(Acai berry) of a beverage I tried called Purple. This is my 3rd pair of Monkey socks. I've knit this pair for my mom's other sister who's birthday is coming up.

Pattern: Monkey Socks by Cookie A
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy Visual Purple
Needles: US 2 Addi turbo 40" circ magic loop method
Gauge: 7.5 spi Don't ask me how my gauge went down????? I'm a tight knitter.....
Modifications: Round heel using Heel by the Numbers file available at the Socknitters group.
Start: July 17, 2008
Finish: July 23, 2008

In about 12 hours I'll get to start on my OlympicSox2008(Ravelympics2008) socks. I've joined 2 kals to help get me motivated. I'm knitting US mens' size 13-14 wide socks for my nephew's big feet. I'm using Bobby Ziegler's Thujas. In the OlympicSox2008, my events are the Marathon and Water Sports(Swimming). I'm able to do that because the socks a big and will take me awhile to do them and they're blue. Wish me luck :-) And I hope all of you finish your Olympic knitting projects. Take care and thanks for stopping by.

Crimson Purls aka Berrylicious Socks

One of the things I enjoy about the Summer of Socks competition is seeing what everyone is knitting. Haveyouanywool posted a pair of gorgeous Flickers(pattern by CookieA) that I have to knit! I've already bought the pattern. I'm waiting to buy the yarn until the last week of the Olympics. I don't want to get distracted from knitting nephew's socks that I'm knitting for the Ravelympics.

The other pair of socks I'm waiting to knit and buy the yarn for is the Monkeys in the Dream in Color Smooshy Ruby River. I knit a pair of them for my aunt and LOVE how they look. The socks are soo pretty!! The Berrylicious socks are for my aunt who made a special request for a pair of socks she could wear around house. I'm mail them to her for her birthday in September.



Pattern: Monkey Socks by Cookie A
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy Ruby River
Needles: US 2 Addi turbo 40" circ magic loop method
Gauge: 8 spi
Modifications: I omitted the set rows for the heel flap. I made the heel flap only 28 rows(14 PU sts) long.
Start: July 10, 2008
Finish: July 17, 2008

Monkey See Monkey Do Socks

When the Summer of Socks kal/competition started, it seemed everyone was knitting and raving about Cookie A's Monkey socks. I decided I had to knit a pair myself to see what all the fuss was about. I love love this pattern. It's an easy pattern to knit and I had the pattern repeat memorized after the 2nd repeat.



Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy Midnight Derby
Needles: US 2 Addi turbo circ magic loop method
Gauge: 8 spi
Modifications: I used Ozlorna's large Monkey spreadsheet.(You can send her a message on Ravelry and she'll email you the spreadsheet.) I casted on 80 sts instead of 64 because of my big feet and leg swelling I sometimes have. I used Techknitter's wonderful SYTK left leaning decrease. My left leaning decreases are purrrtty now instead of sloppy looking.
Start: June 30, 2008
Finish: July 10, 2008

You'll see more Monkeys from me soon. One last thing, my Anura Socks picture is now featured on the Sensational Knitted Socks Lace Rib pattern page on Ravelry. Yay!!!!

Fraternal Jaywalkers

I haven't been posting on here because I have been compulsively knitting socks. I'm trying and succeeding at knitting a pair of socks every 2 weeks for the Summer of Socks 2008 competition on Ravelry. I know I won't win the most socks knit, but maybe I can win one of the biweekly prizes. I'm trying to get my sock knitting time down to less than 2 weeks in preparation for the Summer Olympics. I'm participating in the Ravelympics in which I'll attempt to knit a pair of US mens size 14 wide socks for my nephew in about 2 weeks and work an extra day at work each week. Its an endurance/time limit challenge for myself.

Well anyway here's the Jaywalkers I had to knit after seeing so many of them on Britknitter(Brittany knitter)'s blog.



Pattern: Jaywalkers by Grumperina
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Dusk colorway
Needles: US 1
Gauge: 9 spi
Start: June 21, 2008 I had to look on Ravelry for the date
Finish: June 29, 2008

In the next couple of days I'll post other socks I've knitted. I don't this post to be too long.

Life = Risks

" Energy and persistence conquer all things. "
~ Benjamin Franklin



If you're going through hell, keep going. "
~ Sir Winston Churchill

It was slow at work last weekend and I got to thinking about my life...... and I'm disappointed with myself because I've become complacent. In the last few years, I haven't done most of things I've wanted to do.... get my RN license, move away from Corpus Christi, go to France, further my education, start exercising on a regular basis, etc. My life has ground to halt because I've lost my focus. I've decided no more of that!!! I made a list of goals I want to accomplish in the next 6 months. I'm not publishing here(some of you know why). The goals center round beginning a new chapter of my life. The video above inspires me to work hard and meet my goals.

And the winner is

I counted all the entries and using

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

39

Timestamp: 2008-07-02 00:23:55 UTC

The winner is Bean!!!!! Congradulations!!! Please send your name and address to clwdaisy@yahoo.com or to my Ravelry ID: wildflower38.

Everyone left me some great sock stories! I enjoyed reading them all. I did run into a slight problem with my email account. Some of the messages were "bounced." (My Scrabulous email games were bounced too.) I have moderated comments set up and I wasn't getting an email for some of the entries. I accidently rejected/deleted one for the last entries then found 15 messages from people.

The rejected/deleted comment was by JackieCasts:
I'm knitting my second pair of socks. This time I'm doing Magic Loop (first time was DPNs). This sock and I just fought and fought and fought. I can't tell you how frustrated I was. Once I stepped back and tried to read my knitting and calmed down, everything was fine. Moving right along with no problems!


I contacted Blogger about it and I had all the comments/messages when I generated the winning number. I want to thank everyone for stopping by and telling me a sock story.

What I did while waiting for the Summer of Socks to begin and Blogiversary Contest Begins

Anyone who's ever stopped by and read my little knitting blog knows that I love socks. I started knitting because I wanted to knit socks. Every now and then I knit something other than socks..... things like this hat



Velox Hat aka Fountain Hat by Katie Himmleberg from Spring 2008 Interweave Knits in ShiBuiKnits sock yarn in Blossom colorway.... or this cell phone bag



Can you hear me now? phone bag by Kathy North from Designs by KN in Cascade Cotton Rich DK on purple..... it's so soft... now when I do a dishcloth swap I'm using this yarn..... or even a water bottle koozie



Drink Up bottle koozie by Anita Moore of YarnDemonAdventures. I made it for my downstream pal in the Multitasking 9-5 swap over on Ravelry. I spoiled Britknitter... go check out her blog to see what I gave her. Nichole my hostess paired us up well. (Thanks Nichole) Britknitter is a sock knitter who loves Jaywalkers. She's knitted at least 7 pairs of them. All of which are lovely. She made me want to knit a pair Jaywalkers too.



I'm knitting the Jaywalkers with a Cherry tree Hill supersock in Dusk colorway..... was the 1st sock yarn I ever stashed. It's a mixture of purples. blues, greens, and reds(mauve). I need a little more yardage than what's in the skein(420 yds) so I'm using some leftover yarn I have in the same colorway to knit the heels and toes. The Jaywalkers are my 1st pair of socks for the Summer of Socks KAL competition over on Ravelry. I had planned on knitting the Muscari Socks first but I changed my mind at the least moment. I'll knit them in July.

I'm digressing from the real purpose of this post. I've been blogging for a year now. I started this blog because I wanted to participate in the Dog Days of Summer dishcloth swap and having a blog was a requirement. I'm holding a contest/drawing to thank and show my appreciation of my readers. One lucky reader will win:



Melissa Morgan-Oakes' 2 at time SOCKS: The Secret of Knitting Two at Once on One Circular Needle

US1 40" Addi Turbo Circ....

The Yarn Harlot's Things I Learned from Knitting.... whether I wanted to or not

Dream in Color Smooshy in Visual Purple colorway

Sock Blocker keychain

So you're probably wondering what you dear reader has to do to get entered into the drawing. There are 3 ways:

1. Leave me a message telling me a short sock story.... the 1st pair you knitted or what pair gave you second sock syndrome or the time you knit a pair and they didn't fit or when you tried to knit a pair of socks and got so frustrated you ripped them up, etc. (All those things have happened to me.)

2. Post a link to the socks(or ripped up yarn) you're talking about in your story.

3. Blog about this drawing on your blog and link it back to me.

The drawing will end at 2359(11:59 pm) CST June 30th. If you leave an anonymous comment, please leave me your Ravelry ID so I can find you. Thank you so much everyone and keep knitting.....