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.....

Multitask Swap Spoils

Look what came in the mail on Thursday:





I tried to figure out who was my spoiler and I was completely and totally wrong. It wasn't AllyB, LapdogCreations, or even my spoilee. It was Ponyknit who went to NYC last week to see Kenny Chesney on the Today Show. Go to her blog and look at the pics. Ponyknit sent me the cutesy cutest things for our swap.

1. Zona Blue Design's Superwash sock in the Desert Moon colorway..... its smooshy!



2. Gingersnaps so I can continue my addiction

3. A highlighter, 2 specialty pencils(they'll get much use at work), and a puzzle eraser(I haven't taken it apart yet)

4. Laura Ashley notecards, a mini pen and pad set and spiral postits..... all will get much use

5. Butterfly bath fizzers... just thing I need after working my 32

6. a multicolored slinky..... thats going help relieve my stress



7. a Critter ball....... I've already named her MRSA...... It took me 30 minutes before I put it down so I could take pictures.... I need to find out where Ponyknit got MRSA so I can buy some for my littlest nephew



8. Beautiful Butterfly stitchmarkers that Ponyknit made herself.... look and see how pretty they are :-)



Thank you so much Ponyknit... you made my day :-)

Summer Knitting Goals 2008

Skeins Her Way is having a contest and is asking for summer goals. I tried make reasonable goals and include some of my WIPS....

1. Participate in the Summer of Socks

2. Knit myself a pair of socks: Muscari Socks from knitty.com

3. Get started knitting my Christmas sock gifts for my brother's family
a. My oldest nephew's socks(US size 14 feet)
b. My SIL socks

4. Finish the Adamas Shawl for my aunt...it's now a Christmas gift

5. Finish the Mystic Light Shawl for my SIL

6. Knit myself another pair of socks: Nancy Bush's Conwy Socks

FO: PICHOLINE SOCKS













I finished my Dad's Father's Day Gift, aka the Picholine Socks. My Dad is going thru a rough time right now healthwise so I wanted to make him a pair of socks that were extra special. The picholine is a type of olive. Olives symbolize peace, health and hope. The Picholine Socks are my way of giving him health and hope.

pattern: My own... a simple k3p3 ribbing
yarn: Fearless Fibers' superwash sock yarn in Contemplation colorway
needles: US1
gauge: 9spi
size: 12 wide
start: June 2
finish: June 13

One last thing:

The yarn I'm giving away in my blogiversary contest/drawing is Dream in Color Smooshy in Visual Purple colorway. I bought a skein of it for myself too.

Quickie Sock Update: Picholine Sock #1 Done

I'm done with my Dad's first sock. The contrasting yarn that looks like fringe is there to help me count how many rows I have. The top down sock design is very basic. The cuff is k1p1. The leg and foot pattern is k3p3. I wanted something that would be quick to knit. The yarn is Fearless Fibers superwash sock in the Contemplation colorway. Its olive green with gray and a few shades of blue thrown in. Well I need to get dressed for work now. I hope everyone who's off has a good weekend. Take care :-)

FO: ANURA SOCKS

YAY!!!! I've finished the Anura Socks. They're my last pair socks I committed to knitting in Pay It Forward. They are for Frogalot, a very giving and terrific person. I hope she likes them.








pattern: Lace Rib from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks
yarn: Fearless Fibers' Superwash Sock in the Spellbound colorway
needles: US 1 Addi turo circs(2)
gauge: 9 spi
size: US 7 1/2
modifications: I used a stockinette stitch heel flap
start: May 21, 2008
finish: June 2, 2008

FO: Pay It Forward




At last my PIF commitment is over. I'll be mailing the socks plus a sock blocker keychain next when I finish my Dad's Father's Day present aka Picholine Socks. I have 10 days to knit US size 12 wide mens socks. I'm rewatching BSG, Battlestar Galactica(reimaging series), as I do it.









Those of you who have been long time readers of my blog may have noticed the ticker below my header. I'm putting together a little something to thank my readers and celebrate my 1st blog anniversary. My blogiversary is June 25th. Check back in the coming weeks for more details.