Flushy Push Marshallow! *

Yesterday a co-worker told me I had a puffy face. Then my sister said that I looked funny in the picture I posted yesterday. And you know what, I do. And it's because I have a puffy face.

My people don't like to sugar-coat.

I have an engorged lymph node behind my left ear (an active germinal center as I learned in my Immunology class today) that is obviously causing me to retain water. In my face. Pretty. I'm hoping it's not going to morph into an oogie snot-fest because, dammit I'm too busy to be sick right now. There's my lab meeting tomorrow morning that I've not quite prepared yet, a paper to fabricate from out of my bottom, a Bon Jovi concert to go to, my Birthday party to plan..... no time for oogies. Or a puffy face. But definitely time for socks.

Mmmmm, socks....

Pattern: My own, didn't write it down, had to employ sock-archeology to finish up the second one. The stitch pattern is a herringbone. It wanders a little in the first sock (on the right) but it perfect in the second, apparently I was paying more attention second time round.

Yarn & Needles: Trekking XXL 110, size ZEROs because I am insane.

What with two pairs of socks flying off the needles in the past two days I'm down to a rather paltry number of in progress projects. I've more or less decided not to buy any more yarn this year (I know, just a tad late to that party) and am itching to use up all the not so wonderful sock yarn in my stash. But first I should get a wriggle on with my Dad's Notting Hill Vest if it's ever going to be done by Christmas, and now I have my yarn winder balling up 478 yards of worsted wool shouldn't be so much of a problem. More cables, Vicar!

*Homestar Runner, in case you were wondering.

Gluttony

Sometimes the best revenge is knowing that the person who started the rumor is fat.

Or maybe it's getting a ball winder as an early birthday present..... from yourself.

That she's ugly.

Or that your new Le Creuset 5.5 quart dish is the most beautiful thing in the world.

That she smells kind of funny.

Or that your newly finished pair of socks, um, don't? I'm starting to run dry here...

That boys are terrified of her.

Or that you managed to resurrect your first ever handknit garment from the pile of never-worn-doom by a good wet block.

And knowing that none of the above applies to you!

Thank you to Annie for kitchenering the last toe of my socks for me :)

Don't beat up on the elf

I have to say I've not been as excited for a party for a very long time. I worked really hard on this costume and got a lot of compliments. I rocked the Legolas.

Then someone broke my bow and my heart. Someone else started a terrible rumor about me that was so far off base that if it wasn't so fucking awful it'd be funny. I have not cried so hard for a very long time. People can be cruel, people can be incredibly stupid.

My costume however, was awesome. Tomorrow I'll feel better.

The Madness of Misplacedpom

There's no knitting. I may have done the toe of a sock only to realise that it was wishful thinking that I'd knitted the foot long enough for said toe to begin.

Instead I've been chained, chained!! to my sewing machine for at least 7 hours that I can remember. There may have been wine involved- not advisable while operating a turbo charged sewing machine in an attempt to add a straight hem to stretchy fabric. Don't let me fool you, I'm no seamstress but it's the annual Halloween party this Friday and goddamn it I am making my costume!* It's this reasoning that had me running around my apartment in leggings with a skirt pinned around my waist, and glue gunning my fingers together at 1.30am while attempting to stick carefully snipped paper flights to my garden cane arrows.

I really am this insane.

Just as a hint, take a look here and here. Even though I say so myself, my costume is turning out freaking awesomely (at least compared to my starting materials of a shirt five dress sizes to big for me, a pile of fabric and a couple of garden canes.) I'll post pictures when I'm done.

Now to track down a drill bit small enough to make my bow.....

*Last year's home made costume can be found here.

Reykjavik, or Transatlantic Monkeys

So yesterday I was in Iceland. No shit. It seems a bit hard to believe sat here at my lab bench doing not a lot, but yesterday I was in Reykjavik. And Ireland. And the UK. A word to the wise, never fly transatlantic with flyglobespan as they are a bunch of lying bastards who sell flights masquerading as direct that are in fact guided tours of the Northern Hemisphere. Up down up down up down all the way to the USA.

That said Reykjavik was incredibly beautiful (from the air and airport) and is now on my list of must visit cities.

And, you see that second sock, the one still admittedly on the needles? It was knit in its entirety on illegally smuggled on board needles (they explicitly said no knitting needles on the sign entering Liverpool's security but since these are plastic I guess they didn't show up on x-ray) on just the return flight. And I re-read Perotta's Little Children. It was a long ass flight.

Not quite the finished pair I promised but also a lot of knitting in a short space of time.

Away Message

I'll be in the UK for the next couple of days so you can safely expect a finished pair of socks on my return See y'all later.

George

Soldier. Story teller. Granddad.

May you finally rest in peace.

Naughty NYC Knitter

I didn't go to Spin Out. Nor did I go to the Sit n' Knit held on the same day. Bad Knitter. Instead I spent the weekend further compounding the damage I did to myself on Thursday night while living it up in the Meatpacking District by attending an Australian bar or two in an alternative (Jeebus the line is long at Zum Schneider) Oktober fest. Fun! Also I finally managed to see the movie "Once". I know it's been out about a bejillion years already but if you haven't seen it, please do. It's tender and heart warming and set to an amazing sound track. It helps if you go to the theater with a cute, tall German, but that's all I'm going to say about that.

I did get around to blocking the back of my Dad's vest and I'm a little perplexed by the dimensions, it just seems a bit narrow in the shoulders.


Hardly the most glamorous knitwear photo ever but I was running late this morning. Also, I might be running out of yarn :( I figured that if little old me needs a 21" long sweater knitting a 25" one for my rather rotund father was probably not going to work. Hence the addition of half a chart repeat before the armhole decreases (didn't quite manage to figure out how to fudge that one on the front yet) and the gobbling up of more yarn than anticipated. The cascade Eco+ does go on forever, this is a 24" wide piece of fabric, but I just don't think I'm going to be able to eek out the neck and arm hole ribbing with the left overs. Bah.