The Monkey socks are done:
Whoo-hoo! Unfortunately, I can’t count them for the Summer of Socks, because I started them in May. However, I have cast on another pair of socks already. More on that later.
Month: June 2007
Step One
I know that I’ve mentioned to a few close friends and family members, as well as the vet, that we have decided to train Doozer to use the toilet. It’s not so much that cleaning out the box is a hassle (it is, but I’ll do it) as it is that Doozer is very clumsy in there–stepping in his business and tracking it into my bed. Doozer seems to be a very bright cat and is always very interested in all the goings-on in the toilet, so we figured he’d be a good candidate for this process. I’ve adapted it slightly, but I think it will still work.
Step one: wherein the toilet is filled with cat litter (and the cat is intrigued):
He declared that this was a fantastic idea:
Finished a Pair!
I finished my first pair of socks for the Summer of Socks yesterday.
Cute, huh? These are plain vanilla baby socks in Artyarns supermerino with a size 3 needle. I am particularly proud of these socks. See those heels? I turned them all by myself–without referring to a book or a pattern or any kind of instruction at all. None except what I could remember from my previous experience. And see those toes? I totally get the Kitchener stitch now. Awesome. Here they are in action:
Nothing beats wool socks in 90+°F weather.
I Just Can’t Even
I was working on a really long off-topic post about this whole Dick Cheney thing, but I found it entirely too upsetting and decided to look at wool instead.
Have a great day, people!
Monkey Sock Parade
There are 435 Ravelry members working on the Monkey socks right now. 296 members have the Monkey socks in their queue. Check out all the Flickr photos of Monkey socks (there are more than 6,000). And mine are just about done (yay!).
Here is the second Monkey on Sunday, enjoying its morning coffee. I’ve now turned the heel and am working on the gusset. More photos later.
Master’s Monday 2
In our defense, we would like to point out that we got our invitation to Ravelry this weekend.
Obviously, we would have done more of the third seed stitch swatch reknit, but Ravelry demanded I worship at the altar of its awesomeness consumed time which we would have otherwise been spent knitting. What were we supposed to do? More next week. We promise.
OMG
Ravelry is probably the best thing to happen to the knitting (and crochet) community since the invention of the blog. Talk about making the world bigger! Not only can you keep a notebook of your entire knitting (or crochet) life–including what’s in your stash, what needles (or hooks) you have, what you’re knitting right now, what you want to knit eventually, etc.–but you can also make connections with other knitters (or crocheters) out there in cyberspace. You can see what others are working on, what’s in their stash, read their blogs, etc. Or, you can find a pattern, or see what yarns are popular, or find a knit-(or crochet)-along or local fiber festival.
This is huge, people. Ginormous, even. It’s like joining your local guild/social knitting group, but members are all over the world. It’s awesome. I can’t even form a coherent thought about this because I am so blown away by how seriously amazing this is. I can’t wait for it to be out of beta so everyone can join. I mean, wow.
In other knitting news, I will turn the 2nd Monkey’s heel today
and finish my first sock for Summer of Socks.
I know, I know. It’s kind of a cheat to knit a baby sock, but c’mon! Babies need socks, too!
I Might Pee Myself
I got my invite to Ravelry today. Will blog later.
Extreme Knitting
Check out this lady in the UK. She is going for the world record in needle size, knitting with needles that are 4 metres long (that’s a little over 13 feet long for you yanks).
Extreme knitting is an art that uses between 20 to 40 strands of wool in one stitch. The result can be seen very quickly and Ingrid can create a sofa throw in about 12 hours.
She also uses strands of recycled material tied together to create colourful rugs and is holding workshops to share her talent.
Sounds like fun, but not very portable! Also, I’m pretty sure this guy beats her for largest needle size (click on “work” and follow the links under “big projects”. You’ll see what I mean.).
Summer of Socks
Hooray! The Summer of Socks has begun! Last night, I was thinking that I would have to go out and get some sock yarn (darn) because the Monkeys do not count since I have been working on them for a while. So, I started rooting around in my stash to see what I had in the way of sock yarn and came up with this:
Not too bad, right? I’ve got some really nice stuff in there. See the Fleece Artist I practically forgot about? Shocking, I know. Now, what I DO need is a few extra sock needles because I only have the one and I am using it to knit the second Monkey. Which, by the way, is trudging along. I’ve done almost four of the pattern repeats on the leg. The pattern calls for six, so I’m a little more than halfway down the leg. Then it’s a quick stockinette heel flap, a turn, and… Well, I have a ways to go. I have been itching to start a new sock, though, and now I know it’s because of all that killer sock yarn in my stash.
Anyhow, I ordered the extra sock needles from Knit Picks last night. I do have a US 3, so I will have something to work on until my teeny tiny little teeny tiny needles arrive. Worsted weight socks=awesome. Ooh, I can’t wait! It’s going to be so much fun!
Knitting Interrupted 
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