It's been so long...

Sorry all, I can't believe how long it's been since I was here last, I'm such a bad blogger. Well, the truth is life keeps happening here at CJKnits...life with a capital "L", 3 boys and... all the baggage that goes with that. I've got a gazillion UFO'S on my hands, not enough sock needles, although, I discussed that already didn't I? One of the things this LIFE thing involves is the fact that my trusty, just out of warranty Dell bit the dust...not sure what's going on with it... the IT guys where I work got it running, I've already made mention of staying on the IT guys good side haven't I? (I'm not doing a very good job of that either as I still have not made them brownies, so now I'm not only a bad blogger I'm an ingrate.) Needless to say, once we got the laptop running blogging wasn't my first priority as there is a ton of info on my laptop that I can not afford to lose. Just as B got the laptop running again we got another error message, needing to do my online banking I gave up went to Best Buy and bought the least expensive laptop they had available and told the boys HANDS OFF!!! I think I may have been more emphatic than that but maybe not. So here I sit w/a new laptop that I have not loaded any camera software into, back to posts w/out pictures for a while and I need to rewrite all my original sock patterns and a myriad of other laptop housekeeping to be done, I have already done the crying part, I'm now on the s*** this is a pain in the a** part. I swore I would not swear on this blog after all who knows who could be sneaking in reading a knitting blog when a parent's back is turned, I've already, quite inadvertently, taught my kids most of the swear words I know, no need to teach someone elses ; ). So here I am with stories to tell, no pictures to tell it with and memories of a great Fiber Arts Festival....NO not Rhinebeck, I could barely handle the sensory overload of a just the right size fiber fest....I can not even imagine the over-the-topness that is Rhinebeck. I think that now that I may have gotten my blog groove back I will save the story of my fiber fest for when I can actually show pictures of the great yarn I bought, only 2 skeins of sock yarn, can you believe it? I bought sweater yarn and shawl yarn and scarf yarn and fingerless glove yarn and the absolute best... did I mention it's the best "Mary Poppins" carpet bag any one craftswoman (sorry to leave out craftsmen, but this definitely a woman's bag) could ever want. It was love at first sight, it was the bag I've been searching for and did not even realize it... this bag can hold enough of my stash that I can on occasion leave my favorite yarn store without purchasing anything and considering I stop by my favorite yarn store at least twice a week you can see how my budget might be positively affected... I think for right now we can ignore the two books, scarf kit and sundry yarns I have on hold....I suppose we should also ignore the fact that I have been waiting w/absolutely no patience (no, really) for the new stained wood (I would put a link here but have no idea what it is) dpns that have been back ordered for nearly forever by my reckoning, and I only plan on getting one (ok maybe two sets) in my favorite sock needle sizes, maybe not all at once but hey Christmas is coming and what could be better than a gift certificate from one's favorite yarn store? The correct answer as y'all (we had a Texan in the office for a week, we got y'alled constantly, I feel silly saying it but typing it has a certain something don't you think? L, our Texan was amazed that I feel silly saying y'all but I managed to fit wrangling into a conversation w/out even trying.) know is NO there is no better gift than a gift card to one's favorite yarn store, except possibly if the gift card purchaser walks into said yarn store and notices your favorite shade of mohair is on sale and purchases all of it...just because they thought you might like it....to quote Crazy Aunt Purl I'm just saying is all. Not that I expect that kind of synchronicity in my life but...hey... you never know. With that being said it is time for me to find my needles and fiber fest yarn and knit myself stress free .... I'm working on a wrap... hope to have pictures soon. Later, CJ....oh and K, the emotional turmoil of the past several weeks has once again delayed the completion of your sweater, however, if I like the way my wrap comes out maybe I'll start all over and make you one also, deal? Love you, C and just so you don't feel alone I gave G one sock for her birthday...maybe she'll have a pair for Christmas...who knows.

Perfect knitting weather...

Unfortunately, it's also perfect napping weather and I admit the nap won out. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. Actually, the weather all week is perfect knitting weather, not really great summer weather, however. It's going to be raining and around 70 at least thru Wed and rain thru Thurs., I'm sure my favorite yarn store is going to be busy. Not only is it mid August and people are definitely thinking fall knitting projects but the weather is distinctly fall like and my yarn store is running a sock boot camp featuring Tofutsies from Southwest Trading Co. . Well, I'm off to knit as I already napped. I'm thinking socks, I'm thinking Tofutsies. Later, CJ. Sorry, K, I know I should be thinking you and thinking sweater, just not there yet, soon... well, at least by Christmas. C

Yeah IT guy....

I took the obvious route today and asked one of the IT guys where I work with if he had any ideas on how to solve my PDA connectivity issue (noticed I used the word like I knew what it meant) and he gave me a couple pointers. Thank you Brian, it worked, I'm thanking him here because I'm going to e-mail him this blog, I only want to tell this tale once and what IT guy wouldn't want to be immortalized on a knitting blog. I'd insert his picture here if I had one and give him 15 sec of knitting blog fame, he's probably just as happy that I don't have one. Anyway, back to the subject at hand Brian's advice worked, got all set up with the PDA and then it took me two hours to get my laptop back on line...how wrong is that I ask you... right, very wrong. As I said yesterday I do not know what's going on, I know I couldn't have pissed off the computer gods, after all, I'm not even sure I know who they are. I am in awe of all of this techno mumbo jumbo and I greatly respect those that can live and breathe techno mumbo jumbo (snarky comments made when my computer at work isn't, not withstanding) so there you have it, obviously, I have in some fashion crossed the low tech (knitting fates) high tech(computer gods) threshold and am now an equal opportunity, see what cosmic force you can piss off today kind of person, I can't wait 'til tomorrow.... there's the weather being, the garden gnomes and I'm not sure but something has to be in charge of vehicles... I just hope I can fly under the radar for a few days, I'm having a hard enough time getting my family fed lately last thing I need is for the kitchen witch to be on my back. That being said I'm going to go knit, maybe have a snack and be as unobtrusive as possible. Later all...CJ

Man, am I cranky....

Ask me how much knitting I got done tonight...go ahead ask...what afraid....you should be because the answer is ZERO, NADA, that's right NONE! Why you ask, as you very well should... well, I'll tell you, it all started innocently enough when I was thinking of upgrading my Palm, I have a Zire 31, Palm doesn't even make them anymore. I was thinking of doing a little upgrade but when I discovered I could go Wi-Fi for just a bit more money, well, I was all over that, how hard could it be? I'll tell you how hard...pretty damn hard... got the software loaded fine... all my applications on my new Palm T/X (they warned me this might be a problem, nope, went fine) but could I actually access my homes wireless network (yes, it is secure... never know when someone up the street might want to hack into my system and take over my blog) no, I could not... I realize that in getting cocky I have often angered the knitting fates , but, and I'm not sure which fates or gods are in charge of all this computer stuff, but, I NEVER get cocky w/computer stuff and I do mean never. I know what happens when you get cocky, I've seen IT personnel crash and burn and it is not pretty. So I spent the better part of an hour on the phone and Internet trying to solve my problem. Two very helpful IT types could do nothing so I need to make another phone call, not that I'll be doing that any time soon, read before tomorrow evening but I will prevail, after all I do have a life other than configuring computer type stuff... I want to knit and I'm sure when I get a hold of the next IT type and I explain how much of my knitting time this is biting into he/she will get my problem solved in no time flat. What, what was that you said you don't think he/she will take my knitting issues seriously...sssiiiiigggghhhh. Well, you're probably right. The only answer for it then is to knit while I'm waiting for IT to solve the problem, that should work don't you think? Good that solved, I need to go rest my eyes after all this computer stuff, I need a break, maybe a good book in bed will do the trick. Later all, CJ. Oh and K, I'll get to your sweater right after I solve this PDA business, well, maybe not right after but soon after, hmm, maybe not soon after but sometime, yes, sometime after I solve this PDA thing and complete a myriad of other pressing tasks like vacuuming under the beds and things of that nature. Love you, C

Sock Update

These two skeins of yarn have been used to start a pair of socks and the first sock of each pair has been knit. They are patiently waiting for me to start sock two so that they can realize their destinies and become a pair... yes, a pair of socks. I do believe the way to solve the whole second sock syndrome thing is by making sure I don't start another first sock unless I have at least one second sock on needles to work on also. After all, its not as if I don't have enough sock needles. Although, I could become quite philosophical and ask is it possible to have to many sock needles. Could one, perhaps, not have enough and some night when the urge strikes to start another pair of socks, it would have to be night, otherwise, you'd just go to your favorite or my favorite yarn store to pick up more needles, is it possible that you wouldn't have any needles to do this, to start a new pair of socks because we all know it wouldn't be a lack of sock yarn, especially in my house, where my husband has again made negative comments about my stash, then what would one do? (Do you think that sentence could be any longer or more parenthetical) I, in retrospect, realize that I would simply knit a sock in progress onto any one of many circular needles and use the now sockless dpns to start my new sock, perhaps out of this yarn...
If I'm going to stick to my plan, I will need to start sock two of a pair before I can start sock one of this yarn. After all, I already have sock one of these two pairs on needles. I'm sure you noticed that the blue sock is much smaller than the other sock (whose color in this photo is hard to describe as I know it is a beautiful variegated and here it looks, sorta, well, hmm..... you tell me) anyway, back to the point I'm trying to make if you just wouldn't let me keep getting off topic we could just get through this blog and be done by now... so where was I... oh yes, that's right, the lone toe of my blue sock, I'm having a time figuring out what its sockly destiny is (I made up another new word, spell check doesn't like this one at all)... I've been doing a lot of YO patterns (funny spell check doesn't react to YO at all) and I'm kinda leaning toward a twisted stitch pattern, problem is in all my knitting life I have never attempted cables or twisted stitches, I know, I know hard to believe what's even harder to believe is that I've allowed myself to be intimidated by them, good God what's up with that? I'm raising three of the smartest, mouthiest, know it alls on the planet second only to their father in being right all the time (yes, they are boys...sigh... I hear they're easier than girls esp when teen aged but come on) none of this intimidates me, even the always right husband, I even have an always right Italian father and he doesn't intimidate me so how can a little itsy bitsy thing (another couple words spell check doesn't like, but I know I didn't make them up) like a cable or a simple twisted stitch pattern have me in a tizzy, no idea maybe I'm just too linear for twisted and cabled stitches, this will have to change as I like the look of both kinds of patterns. So here we are me blogging about socks instead of doing what I should be doing or would like to be doing which is just knitting them and your reading this instead of doing what you should be doing or would like to be doing (if what you should be doing is any kind of work don't worry about it, it'll still need to be done when your done) if what you'd like to be doing is knitting something then lets get to and pick up some needles and knit away, if you are some other kind of fiber artist reading this then go do what you do, even if I'll never understand the whole crochet thing, although, I am being drawn to the whole spinning thing which could open a huge can of worms as I already don't have the kind of time I'd like to have to knit, imagine what would happen to my stash if I started to spin the stuff I knit with, did you notice my husband shudder and look around to see why he suddenly got a chill up his spine? On that happy note I will leave you to knit (take that anyway you'd like) Later.... CJ oh and K, I'm sorry my whole sock program just doesn't really work with the sweater program... I'll figure something out, honest, or maybe I'll just continue to feel really guilty... who knows. Love you, C

Progress....

Well, I managed to finish a pair of socks and have a single sock off the needles that leaves just two first socks on needles. I wish I could say that those two socks one blue, one variegated; yellow, green, blue, are my only projects on needles but, well.... we know better don't we? I'm waiting on two sets of metal dpn's in the mail, another regia and knit picks. If you looked at the set you probably noticed that using US needle sizes there are two size one and two size two needles, I can state unequivocally that in this particular instance I have to agree with our friends in Canada... metric is just plain better on this one. In fact, the Yarn Harlot just had a post on this very subject the other day. Now, don't get me wrong I'm not going to start quoting temps in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit south of the Great Lakes but yarn is universal, as is knitting and as I stated before the language should be universal so I think I'll expand on that and say the tools we knit with should be universal, also. Which, by the way, has gotten me completely off the subject, which is that I have two new sets of sock needles on the way. One set will be knitting up my brand new Brooks Farm variegated, this yarn is gorgeous soft and sheeny (yes, I made up a word, and yes, I'm ok with it, maybe I didn't make a word up it spellchecked, go figure). It dawned on me, when I was at my favorite yarn store the other day, that I prefer yarns w/sheen to a matte finish yarn. I've been actively knitting for over 10 yrs and I just get it now, go figure. I am willing to bet if I asked some of my knitting friends if this is news to them they'd all laugh at me. The real question I have though is whether I can knit my second sock of the pink/grey variegated on the metal dpns, the first sock was knit on bamboo. It is my belief that my gauge will be different on metal needles, however, this is a sock we are talking about so it's not as if anyone's going to be checking to see if my socks are identical, unlike sleeves or mittens which are definitely a more public medium, so to speak. So, I must ask myself if these socks are not identical can I live with it, and if I can not live with it what would be the big deal of re knitting the first sock on metal needles, I'm not really happy with it anyway, it's more an anklet than a sock and I wanted a sock so I'd be adding inches anyway, better to wait until after I knit the second sock on my new needles than add the length now. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And with that conundrum (look it up) rolling around in my head I will attempt to go to sleep. Later all... CJ Oh and K, with these kind of weighty sock questions on my mind I'm afraid well, your sweater doesn't stand a chance, sorry.

Too many singles....

Socks, that is, I keep ordering more sock yarn and I found my metal Regia dpns online, sorry can't find Regia's website, go figure. I love the metal dpns and am waiting for the smaller set US1 to knit my Brooks Farm hand dyed superwash, I also need to wait for the yarn to speak to me. I started these socks with sock yarn from Summer of Socks sponsor Cynthia's Skeins, when I was on her website she said this yarn did not photograph well, she was right... I can't begin to tell you how vibrant her blues are. I am knitting this on my new Regia 2.50mm, I couldn't find Regia's website but I ordered the needles here. Now, I love these needles, the matte finish not too slippery and they're metal so I don't feel like I'm going to snap one in half every time I do something fiddly. So, let's get back to the yarn speaking to me, no I'm not loosing my mind, well maybe I am but not so you'd know. I start my sock and then find a pattern, all of my patterns are my own courtesy of numerous stitconaries, Barbara Walker comes to mind as do a few others. The problem is I'm getting so I can't knit plain socks anymore, I try to find a pattern to match yarn texture, colorway and weight. You'll just have to wait and see what I've found for this yarn. Herein lies the problem, once I've mastered the pattern and I love what I've I done I don't just finish the second sock ohhh no that would be way to easy... no it's on to the next yarn, the next pattern, the next needles, good thing I'm not being judged on finished pairs. Here are all the pictures of my single socks, wait a minute only two, make that three first socks on the needles and 1 second sock on needles. If I'm counting right that's only 1,2 ... 4 socks and one of those socks is an official second sock so I'm doing better than I thought. I will not be looking in any nooks, crannies or for that matter knitting bags to see if I might have any more socks started, as I said before I'm not crazy. Here's to second sock syndrome, and the wisdom I showed, not sure where it came from, not joining the most socks contest for Summer of Socks, I'm sure you noticed where she underlined PAIRS, well, what's up with that anyway. I know I'm just being crabby because I'm not knitting pairs well. Maybe I should start a self help group for SSS. I think I'll go work on that now right after I start, I mean finish knitting a sock.... CJ