Friday, February 24, 2006

I JUST NEED A NAP . . .

I heard today that the Yarn Harlot has over 4000 loyal followers - this, on the News & Information Radio station, fer gawds sake! The News People have actually discovered KNITTERS?? We've become so Mainstream that we're actually NEWS?? And the Knitting Olympics?? I'm so ready!! I can knit standing up. I can knit lying down. I can knit while watching tv. I can even knit & read a book if the pages stay open . . . Can I be in the Knitting Olympics??? I haven't tried driving the car while knitting yet & I'm sure knitting during sex would be hazardous to someone's health . . .

And as for Knitting in Public . . while knitting a sock at Starbucks one day, a lady drags her male companion over to me & screams, 'Look, look, she's crocheting in public!!' I smiled & said I was knitting a sock. She says to Companion, 'she's crocheting a sock!' He looked at me & I looked at him - poor man, I do hope she does other useful things with her mouth & brain . . .

The pink & green socks have white toes. They're not quite right but then, I don't think anything would be quite right with this colorway. I should bite the bullet & just buy another ball of the stuff & make them all pink & green. I thought this ball of yarn had such possibilities when I bought it but I can't find anything that matches the dirty pink or snotty green . . The grey & white figured stripe is actually pale tan & off white - they don't match anything either! I wonder if washing will change any of the colors??? I have no idea why I dislike these socks so much!
I should just knit the BoyToy another pair of blue/white speckled socks with red toes. I KNOW they'll work out just fine & he'll love them.

Much as I like knitting, its also time to get the Spinning Wheel going again. I'll be so happy when spring is finally here & I can go outside on those warm afternoons & spin for an hour or two. I have some very yummy silk & wool blends to spin up. They're custom dyed & sitting in bags, like jewels, waiting to be spun up into yarns of many colors. I really must learn to post pictures!!!

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Hi there world, its me, Sharon . . .


Spent a day wrapped in afghans with soup & the Home & Garden channel when I wasn't doing data entry for one of my clients . . . one of the wonderful things about being self-employed with a home office. You can do laundry, simmer soup, be sick & work all at the same. In pyjamas or sweats or thong if that's what you like to wear. Not so great if clients drop in but, what the hey . . . Made it thru the day!

I've run out of pink & green yarn for my Old Lady Socks. Now where do you find dusty rose, snotty green or that funny shade of pinky beige or off-white for a solid toe??? Its amazing how bad these socks look with almost everything I have in solids. Wouldn't you know??? Just because these are 'SOLD'. Grrrrr . . . well, I guess they're getting white toes. They don't look too bad . . serves me right, next time I get yarn for socks I'll make sure I have 'toe' yarn too!!
I almost believe that snotty mustardy tan color my buddy Gail buys would work on these too.
My next socks will be pink & turquoise & black & green in lovely jewel colors. Or maybe some frankensocks, Gail's term for socks made up of leftovers from all the socks we knit!! I do need to knit a pair for the competition at the Fibre Fest at the end of March. But the next ones will be bright, colorful & to MY taste!!

And I have another sale!! These will be handspun, in an alpaca/wool blend combined with a commercial fine mohair yarn. I bought the mohair for $.25 a ball about 20 years ago in a discount bin!! I am finally using up the last of it!!! These will be big, thick & warm!!

Gawd I gotta work . . . .

Monday, February 20, 2006


As the Sock Turns . . . . .

This Blogging thing is more trouble than I expected! Tucking in little bits of code to attach neat buttons, adding links - hey, this isn't easy!! And then I have to think up interesting things to amuse the jaded passerby!

I ended up putting the good old-fashioned flap & gusset heel on my pink & green socks. Since they're short socks, I don't want them to slip into the lady's shoes when she wears them so I extended the flap an extra inch & carried on as usual. I've grown used to the Queen Kahuna heel - backwards - now but its wider when done from the top than it is when done from the toe up. Not sure how that happens but I think I'll make fewer gusset increases on the next pair to compensate. Actually, I'm going to do one heel with Jan's heel & one a la the Queen to see which one I prefer. Jan's heel is certainly easier to do!!!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my Ginny's sweater is marching right along from the neck down. I'm almost to the arms - it snowed lightly this morning so I need that damn sweater ASAP!! I need more hours in the day to knit!!!

Is anyone interested in Audio books??
I'm listening to the Firm in the livingroom & Anne McCaffreys DragonDrums on my computer desktop. I dearly love my audios!! I joined Audible.com & get two new ones each month for less than the cost of one in the Book Stores!!
If anyone is interested, go to Audible.com & say rwanda sent you - we both get goodies.


Sunday, February 19, 2006

Sunday Morning in the Swamp

Another day, another dollar!! You can tell its tax season around here - the clients are calling on Sunday morning just to get ahead of everyone else for the week! I'm still in my pjs & the cell phone is already ringing - geeze folks, can't I finish breakfast first???? The joys of operating out of your very own home office . . . .

I've actually been knitting on a pair of socks in the middle of all this chaos. Yes, even in the depths of tax season, I still knit socks . . . these ones are two shades of lime green with dusty pink & a figured grey/white stripe every few solid green or pink stripes. Haven't figured out what to use for the toes yet - I do love putting a contrasting solid toe on my socks, its become a trademark!!!

And, I'm also trying to knit myself a sweater!
But - it takes a long time & a lotta yarn to cover my "Goddess" sized self. There was a time when I didn't knit for myself at all because it just took too much time & I had problems fitting myself. But, thanx to people like Jill Vosberg at 'Just One More Row' & Medrith Glover who design for large bodies, I've got lots of nice patterns to knit with clear directions & a guaranteed fit. So, I have 'Drifting Dreams' on the needles in a hot pink varregated yarn & Medriths 'Ginny's' Sweater on large needles with all the odds & ends in pinks & purples on the go. I also have Dawn French's two sweater books but mostly they're unconstructed, baggy items - especially in the second book. The first book offers a couple of lovely jackets which are worth what I paid but the second book isn't worth buying unless you just want the color graphics to plot on patterns you already own . . . . . Buy from Medrith or Jill instead!!

I keep glancing at my spinning wheels. But so far, no dice. When the weather gets a little warmer, I'll get outside in the warm afternoons & get back to spinning . . . . I miss it. The cat misses it too since she gets to wander in the yard as I spend the afternoon spinning my life away . . . . .


Friday, February 17, 2006

Oh what a day!!

Promised the ex I would look in on his big dog this morning on my way to the doctor. The hound is a good natured bull mastif who prefers to hang out in the house. If he's left out in the yard, he eats his way thru the fencing. Left in the house for any length of time, he eats his way thru vinyl, plastic, wood & shoes. Other than that, the ex loves the silly beast . . . . I admit he's company but I hate dogs that chew!!! After getting slobbered on, rubbed & followed everywhere, I managed to escape to the doc. I dunno, I think I should encourage my ex to get a fluffy frufru dog - more his speed!

One thing about going to the ex's house, I get to work out on all of his exercise equipment. I ended up getting a good one on the leg rower - I'm trying to build up my leg muscles again after being off my feet for the last 6 months with tendonitis.

I managed to get some knitting time in at the doctor's office. My wild green & pink shortie socks are getting a traditional heel instead of some of the novelty ones I've been trying out lately. I have to make sure the elderly lady who gets these doesn't have them crawling into her shoes when she wears them!

Someday, when I figure out how to get photos from the camera to the computer, I'll post photos of some of them.





Thursday, February 16, 2006

Technology has me by the short & curlies . . .

Let the Blog Begin . . .

Here I am creating another blog so I can join a WebRing. I must be out of my mind. I spent a whole day working on another Blog so I could join & after three posts & multiple tries, I found I cannot post the code that links me to the WebRing. Can you believe that???

This Blog will become one with the Fluffy Knitters WebRing. Yes, Virginia, I am a fluffy.

Just a note about me - I'm a middle aged fiber addict who has to work to support her habit. I spin, I knit, I crochet & I can even tat, but mostly, I knit socks.
I like socks. They're small, portable & quick to make. Even the most conservative dresser can wear wild socks under a working wardrobe for a little excitement . . . they're more comfortable than thong panties or push-up bras & if you really must, you can knit them out of silk. Just a little luxury that anyone can afford!!


Sharon, knitting in Surrey