Sock Status and Knitting in Public

Just to inform, a representive group from Sisters of the Wool KNITTED IN PUBLIC yesterday. Well, we knitted at the bookstore where we normally meet, but since it was Saturday, more people saw us. Although if you check Jeri's blog, you will see just how much attention they paid us. Jeri wandered the store in a barely whipped together sweater with lots of strings and only one sleeve and absolutely NO ONE so much as looked at her. Amazing!!! Our new meeting place at the bookstore instead of Starbucks is costing me a fortune. I can resist almost anything but yarn and books. I keep the book and yarn purchasing down by avoiding bookstores and LYS at all costs. I skipped all the excellent LYS sales the last couple of weeks, but succombed to Patternworks half priced Koigu, well, only bits and pieces in colors I had so that I can make a Koigu coat, someday, hope someday soon.

For those of you who keep asking about my CookieAs, here is a status report...

Baudelaire, As you can see, close to the finish. Done in STR midweight, Rare Gems on Addi 1s. I ran out of yarn before finishing the top motifs and ribbing.

Here is the predicament, with possible choices for finishing. I tried another midweight I had in Fred Flintstone, which had some red in it. Once caked, the red looked much more orange. I "feathered" it in with alternating rows of the last of my main color, but am not very fond of it. Darling G (go check out her alien invasion) from Sisters of the Wool volunteered her Rare Gems leftovers (thank goodness she has tiny feet) which I think will look better, but is certainly rustier than my main color. Here's hoping no one ever sees my ribbing.
And here are the Monkeys, in a lovely Rare Gems colorway in STR lightweight. Jeri the marvelous mathematician worked out an 8 stitch enlargement chart so they would fit over my arches. It seems I will run out of yarn lacking both the toes and the ribbing. I did a provisional cast-on, so will have to go back to knit ribbing and toes in a different color, which at this point, I have no clue as to what it will be. These are done to the pattern in leg length, 6 repeats, so I really don't know why I always run out of yarn so soon.
And here is a close-up! I used Addi 1s in hopes of using the least yarn possible.
And here are Ann Budd's Flame Wave Socks from IK Favorite Socks. Done in Elann Esprit Olive. Since I bought 3 balls, I don't even have to think about yardage and finishing them, which is such a relief. And I LOVE these socks. Addi 1s.

My theory is that the leg should be the same length as the foot for proportion. And before you ask, the sock blockers are the genuine man in the moon Blue Moon model made by Chappy Woman.

Besides being a bit ADD when it comes to socks, I have a strange version of Second Sock Syndrome. The first sock knits up like a dream, no problems, no mistakes, smooth sailing. On the second sock I start getting distracted. I get off on the counts, drop stitches, frog, frog, frog or reknit twenty rows down with a crochet hook because something bothers me. May I say that one of the qualities of STR is that it frogs like a dream, over and over and over without showing abuse! Just what I need for second socks.

Here is a very clever row counter that Turtlegirl has designed. And she is so generous, she tells you how to make one of your very own. Quite an elegant solution. I'm planning to make a few. Thank you Turtlegirl.

http://turtlegirl76.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-make-pattern-row-counter.html

Ughhhh. Guess what I had on my doorstep yesterday morning? A possum, in fact a dead possum. I waited for quite a while since possums are known for playing dead, but no such luck. He was truly and completely dead. Several of my neighbors called to ask if I had seen what was in front of my house. I called animal control and they don't pick up on the week-end. In fact, they won't even pick up on private property, only if you leave it in a bag at the street. Next week, of course. So, armed with rubber gloves, two very large plastic bags and a newspaper, I had to take care of the situation before I could leave to "knit in public". Plus I had to wash down the spot since a bit of possum juice was really drawing the flies. My neighbors all cheered my bravery and competence. I just felt sorry for the little guy, a young and quite fat little possum, who didn't deserve his fate. I LIKE possums. The only North American marsupial, least likely animal on the planet to have rabies, they eat all sorts of things you are glad not to have in the garden, and we have lived together peacefully for quite a while. Now they can put up a good fight with a cat or a dog if cornered, but my cats never leave the house, so not my problem. Pretty sure someone poisoned it. In fact, pretty sure it was my new strange neighbors to the west, probably trying to kill the feral cats in the neighborhood. It had yellow powder all over its stomach. Sigh, sometimes I have quite had enough with being so competent. I exude competence. Which means no one volunteers to take care of me. I end up taking care of them. And disposing of poor little possums. I will spare my gentle readers any photos of this.

Today's Yarn Pron is Handmaiden silks...SeaSilk in BlackBerry and Midnight and a silk bouclé in Paris and ????? The SeaSilk is from Nancy at Colorsongyarn and it is in 150 gr instead of 100gr so 50% more yarn at only a slightly higher price. One skein will make a nice shawl.

With the next post, I will start flashing UFOs, perhaps to shame myself into finishing a few instead of knitting still more socks.