London knitting.

Although I’m still in London at the moment, I thought a quick update would be nice.  It’s really weird typing on a British keyboard; some of the keys are in different places.  Regardless, all my careful planning has paid off, and I suspect I will be nearly finished with the tangled yoke cardigan, which was born on the plane ride to London.  I’ve been KIP during the entire trip, and haven’t gotten any reactions (specifically) so far.  I’ve especially gotten a lot of knitting done during our rides on the tube, which is a miraculously awesome form of transportation.  DH and I have been vaguely talking about moving to London some day, though we would have to win the lottery to do so.  Oh, and I bought a perfect bag to hold my knitting (it has a sheep on it!).  London is cool.  :) 

I’ll be back for good tomorrow afternoon. 

Hi knitting community! I heart you too.

I run into an interesting phenomenon when I show people my sockapalooza socks or mention in passing something about “my sock pal.”  Non-knitters are fascinated by the concept, and it often takes me several minutes to describe how the whole system works, and what sort of things you should do to be a good sock pal (or whatever).  They ask me questions like, “But why would someone you don’t know do that for you?” or “That’s a lot of work to do for someone you don’t even know.  Are you sure someone else is really making socks for you?  What if they flake out?”  I then tell them about the system that’s in place in case someone does flake out, and the philosophy behind swapping, and the non-knitter says, “Oh, okay,” in that sort of knowing way, as if to say “let’s allow her to live in her fantasy world.”  Of course, this isn’t the case with every non-knitter I meet, quite the contrary.  But those who react in the above fashion intrigue me.  When I went to my LYS to pick up extra stuff for my sock pal, all I had to say to a knitter was “Oh, I’m buying this for my sock pal,” and not only does that person know exactly what I’m talking about, but they often tell their own stories about doing swaps, or wish me luck, or help me decide what to get for this person I’ve never met.

I’ve belonged to a community before, but never one that is this active, fierce, 0r (sorry) close-knit.  Being a gamer is similar, truthfully, but there are so many different games that it’s hard to feel like a part of something, sometimes.  But with knitting, it’s really quite impressive.  People on ravelry have friended me (and I them) who never would know me in real life because we run in different circles, and some of these friends also are my polar opposite in views, religion, and tastes.  But, I am a knitter, and so are they, so we are friends.  There’s something beautiful about that sort of unconditional support and acceptance.  It’s a basic human need that often never gets met.

I also like getting hand-knit socks. 

Some stuff that I’m working on.

I have been knitting, especially now that some of the novelty of Guitar Hero has worn off. I managed to finish one RPM sock, in the Yarn Pirate Booty Club color Rum Runner.

Not a color I ever would have picked, but I like it all the same. I’ve made a goal for myself: I must knit socks out of the sock club yarn before I buy any other sock yarn/start on any other sock projects for the month. So far, it’s working well.

I also started a lotus blossom tank from Interweave Knits Summer 06.  I’ve never worked with bamboo yarn before, and wanted to give it a try.  It isn’t very far along, so no real pictures to be had yet.  So far I like the bamboo, though it is really, really (really) splitty.   Hopefully pictures soon.  I’m hoping to get a lot of knitting done to and from Gencon, which is next week!!!

Short burst.

Here are some of the exciting things I’ve been doing (besides getting married).

1. Dancing around in my new socks from my Sockapalooza Pal! (thanks Tuabella!)

(top - Mad Weave socks, bottom - Vinnland)

Yes, my sock pal is so awesome that she made me two pairs. I must confess, I did actually figure out who she was, and even posted a comment on her blog, and she denied that she was my pal all the way to the bank. I’m very glad that I was correct, though, because I love both pairs heartily! I have to say, I’ve never had a pair made from Loet Gems, and I really like the cushiony feel. She also gave me some super cool stitch markers, and a FELTED BAG. Seriously, people, I think I finally understand what all the hype is about felting. Shit. It’s like….amazingly cool looking/feeling.  And it’s all stripey.  Of course, I don’t have the bag to photograph because I left it at work (because now I use it almost every day). Take my word for it, though, it’s awesome. I haven’t heard anything from my sock receiver yet, and I’m hoping they fit…

2. I got married, and it was good. Also, there were lots of gifts/money, and my new husband and I saw fit to dash to the store and get a flat screen TV and an XBox 36o and…

…Guitar Hero II. (you can see part of the cool note written to me by my sock pal under the guitar, it’s the blue paper with green flowers)

Now do you see why I didn’t update like I wanted to?  It isn’t my fault.  Really.  Guitar Hero is so damn addictive that I’ve been knitting less.  It’s hard to knit and play the guitar, you know.

Ok, I’m back, sort of.

Yeah, so I got married.  Now that’s done, I have a week before we go on the honeymoon, and I have lots and lots of posting to do.   I got my sockapalooza socks (they are teh awesome!!), have a few FOs to post, and maybe some wedding pictures.  For now, though, just posting so I don’t forget how.