Happy Halloween!
Yes, it's been a while since I touched it, but it's been way too hot here to work on such a big piece of knitting. The basket on top of the blanket holds my current socks-in-progress. (Not to be confused with the socks-in-progress that have stalled for some reason or another and are fermenting in a drawer elsewhere.)
I emptied out the contents of the basket onto the floor, and took some photos. I kind of feel like I'm airing my dirty laundry, but I'm hoping that I can shame myself into actually finishing something from this basket in the next week or two. Or three. Or four. Certainly by Christmas. St. Patrick's Day? OK, Easter, but that's it!
They're off to settle this question!
You are looking at two tons of pellets for the pellet stove. Yes, 2 tons, as in 4000 lbs! We're gonna be warm this winter! Well, at least one room of the house will be warm, but it's a big room, and that's where I do my knitting--can't have frozen fingers. The rest of the house will still be like walking into an icebox, and I'll be wearing two pair of socks and slippers to bed under lots of blankets with my 52-pound-hot-water-bottle-with-a-heartbeat (a.k.a. Emma) under the covers. But my knitting chair is right next to the pellet stove, and I'll be toasty warm while I'm knitting. Nothing else really matters, does it?
These shots are courtesy of a very kind knitter named Jennifer. I didn't get her blog or Ravelry name, but she had blond hair and was sitting in the second row. I wanted shots of the crowd, but was reluctant to climb over everyone else in my row. Jennifer kindly took my camera and and got some great shots. Thanks Jennifer!
...on the wall above my computer. In case you can't read the post-it note, it says "The yarn harlot?".
Why does the sock yarn get top billing (aside from the fact that I love it so much)? So I could segue into this picture of Emma:
She was "helping" me take the picture. Such a helper. What would I do without her? Tara just sat quietly by, chewing on a nylabone, wondering what all the fuss was about.
While you are visiting other blogs, go on over to Nichole's blog. She is having a contest, and the cause is near and dear to my heart - homeless pets. There are lots of ways to help homeless animals, and several ways to enter into her contest at the same time. I've cast on for a snuggle, but haven't gotten very far yet. Still quilting that baby blanket. Quilting, quilting, quilting. It's has to be done by Saturday, so I'm taking tomorrow off from work and will be quilting my fingers to the bone.
Now for some answers to questions:
Regarding Crocs, Covered In Yarn said "I love love love the little ballet slipper style, but I have an uber narrow foot. The regular crocs swallow me whole, are the ballet's the same way or do you think I may be able to swing them?"
Well, I'm not sure, as I have an average width size 8 1/2 foot, and crocs only come in whole sizes, so the ones I ordered are size 9. They do seem to be a little narrower than the "Cayman" and "Beach" style of crocs. All I can say is to try them for yourself. The advantage to http://www.zappos.com/ is that the shipping is free, both ways. I've sent shoes back before, and it was super-easy to do.
Regarding the Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket, silfert said, "Spectacular! I've never tried a pointed edging. Was it hard?"
It was really pretty easy to do, once the edge stitches were all picked up and ready to go. I didn't follow the instructions exactly - it said to work each of the four sides separately and seam the corners. I picked up all four sides at once and worked in the round, thus eliminating the need to seam each of the corners.
It's a shame you can't hear the eardrum-shattering bark that accompanies the "rug dance". Tara would never stoop so low as to ball up all of the kitchen throw rugs into a pile and then start barking. She will, of course, quietly observe this curious ritual from the doorway. After all, if meals are going to be served earlier than usual, she doesn't want to miss out.
Yes, less than 24 hours later, this package arrived. It contains two pair of Crocs - Mary Janes and Primas, both in black. 
On a related note, before I discovered the joy of knitting socks, I used to make quilts. I would hurry through the patchwork or applique so I could get to the fun part - the hand-quilting! Well, mom made a baby quilt, and she doesn't like hand quilting, so I offered to do the fun part. I always used these leather thimble-type things that slipped over the middle finger on my right hand. Without it, I couldn't push the needle through the layers of the quilt. I know, metal thimbles have been used for generations, but I could never get the hang of them. Too clunky, too tight, too loose...whatever.
So now I have a quilt to be quilted, and I no longer use leather. What to do?
How about that cushy first aid tape that sticks to itself? Yes! Cut off about 4 inches, wrap it around the top of your finger, and you're in business. I'm happy, mom is happy, and the cows are happy. Happy, happy, happy!
Now, to give credit where credit is due: I first saw this blanket on Jenn's blog. She made one for her son before he was born. Go take a look - she has an adorable baby boy. I had a great time with this pattern, even though there were some errors in the charts. It's from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits book. No worries though, as a fellow Raveler emailed me this link with errata for Debbie Bliss patterns. Gotta love Ravelry!
