Category: Knittastic!

Whoo hoo! I finished the Jaywalkers tonight! They are knit out of Trekking XXL in color #109. I used a US 000 needle, but I always have to go down 2 sizes, so most people would use a US 0 for this yarn.

My notes on these socks:
– The pattern is easy to memorize and not hard to stitch. However, the “slip two together” part sucks when you’re using yarn that is futzy and likes to split.
– 76 stitches on US 000 are a LOT of stitches.
– Trekking XXL yarn is fabulous (except for the splitting issue sometimes), but remember to use one end of the ball and for the second sock, use the other end of the ball. This is the 2nd time I have used Trekking XXL and it always seems like the second sock almost ends up with a “pattern” otherwise. One sock is heathery and blends the colors, the other sock has more distinct stripes.
– Use of Trekking XXL isn’t for the faint of heart. There is no pattern to the yarn. Your socks will never match. Accept it or use different yarn.

Now I’m going to work towards finishing my Rosie’s Yarn Cellar shawl. It is supposed to be a “cooler” week as far as the weather – highs in the upper 60s and lows in the 40s and 50s. If I get it done quickly, I might even get to wear it! I am definitely planning on wearing my new socks tomorrow!

2nd Jaywalker, almost done! (The photo would have been clearer if I had been holding the phone steady when I took it. The shutter button is in a strange place and I’m still trying to get used to it.)

It is really hard to get a photo of your own heel, you know? I had to shoot “blind” to get one that I really liked. I continued the pattern on the Jaywalker down the heel instead of working the heel in the pattern. I almost always wear open-backed shoes of some sort, so this was the best option for me. (View it larger if you want.)

Every time I look at the Jaywalker, I start to sing, “Jaywalkin” to the tune of “Jive Talkin” by the Bee Gees. It just works.

Yarn: Trekking XXL, Color #109 (I think)
Pattern: The Jaywalker from Magknits
Finished: Knitting – February, 2006; Kitchnered the toe – March, 2006

In a few minutes, I’m heading out to meet up with Amy (aka Amylovie) to interview her for the next podcast about the opening of her new store, Yarntopia! I’m so excited! I think this is actually the first time I’ve met a knitblogger in person after reading their blog – all the other knitbloggers I know I met in person first. Whee!

The latest episode of Pointy Sticks went live earlier today, and in my opinion, it is the best one yet. What are you waiting for? Check it out and let me know what you think!

By the way – for those of you thinking, “I don’t knit, why would I want to listen?” Well, it isn’t just about knitting! Oh no! There is music too. Good music. Everyone needs good music to listen to, right? Give it a chance – you’ll enjoy it. I’m sure of it.

*”Poke You in the Eye” song courtesy of the Flying Fish Sailors. They rock. Buy their CDs and listen to them often.

I guess a London photo would fit better with this post, but I adore this shot from our honeymoon of the Eiffel Tower.

Last Friday, I went to my LYS and looked through the Colinette books for some ideas of what I might want to knit with their yarn. At first, I thought about a sweater. But I kept thinking about the afghan kits that Colinette makes, and how it would be nice to have something that I can leave on display part of the time. I mean, I could hang a sweater up and call it art, but it just isn’t the same. In the end, I selected a nice pattern that was made with Colinette Prism and Colinette Mohair, and I selected the “Dusk” color as the one that matches our color scheme the most. (Those links might not work thanks to session IDs, but I thought I should try.)

Mike called me while I was there, and I made a point to brag to everyone that he was buying yarn for me. I didn’t realize that before he left home he hadn’t contacted any of his other friends in London about his trip other than Pixeldiva to make yarn shopping plans. How sweet is that? (Ok, sort of silly that he didn’t contact anyone else, but still sweet.)

When they got to the shop on Saturday, I got a phone call because they didn’t have any of the colors in stock – and they didn’t have 5 skeins of Prism in any color. Mike ordered it from Colinette directly and called them to confirm the order. It was still more than half the price that it is here in the US. It is being shipped to the hotel and should be there by tomorrow or Friday. Yeah! The Colinette is coming! The Colinette is coming!

He is coming along on his scarf, and racing against the clock so he can wear it there before he leaves. Not much use for a scarf in Houston right now – we are having lovely summer weather lately! Oh, if only our summers were only 80 degrees. 80 degrees! It is only March 8th and it is 80 degrees! We are going to be so screwed by the time June comes around.

Speaking of June – I actually found a June bug in my garage the other day! In MARCH! People! This is just insane! And really, I could have done without the June bug. I don’t mind most bugs, but those are the nastiest things. *shiver* I hate them so much, so I really don’t want to see them this early in the year. Did I mention that summer is going to suck?

On a separate note, I finally figured out why I couldn’t get rid of the gray stripe that was behind the sidebar before – it wasn’t part of the CSS, but rather an image! I just tweaked it in Photoshop, and it is all white and crisp and pretty and clean now! Yeah! That has really bugged me!