Update Schmupdate

Took me a sec to figure out the spelling of "schmupdate", but I got it!

Sorry I haven't updated with pics of pretty socks, or, well, just about anything else. I spent last week in Florida visiting the parents one last time before starting work(!!!!). I just finished my first "week" - if a week can be considered as 8 hours, spread out over 2 days! It's nice, though, since I'm an "english aide" at the private prep school my hubby teaches at. I can see him during the day if I want, I know most of the faculty there already since he's been there for 9 years, and it's great to hear the kids talking literature most of the time! And what I really like is the writing center tends to attract the more artsy/litgeek kids, so I can relate a little better to them! Next week I work one full day and two half days, and then I'll be on my regular schedule of 2 full days a week. Luckily, Hurricane's been ok with me leaving so far, and my in-laws are watching her, so I don't have to leave her with strangers. I'm a lucky gal.

So, um, I promised socks, huh? Well, here ya go! Basic stockinette on 2 circs (have I said lately how much I LURVE socks on 2 circs? LURVE!), CO 64 stitches, eye of partridge heel, blahblahblah. Knit from Icicle yarn in Apple Crisp from Cider Moon. I love this yarn. So much so that, um, I tripped and bought more. THREE more. I have enough sock yarn to knit nothing but socks for the rest of my life - some day I'll flash the stash!



Here's a closeup of the eye of partridge heel:



Not the best pic, sorry! I was getting terrible shadowing on the bottom of the pic and had to crop it like crazy.

So, here's the stash enhancement. From left to right is Taos, June Carter, and Pandora Rose. Like the Apple Crisp, the photos just don't do these yarns justice. I just can't decide which to knit first!



In spinning news, I have donated 9 batts to Cara for Spin Out 2007. Raffle tickets are $10 each for some amazing prizes, and it benefits Heifer International! Go bid! Here's the batts I donated - they're mostly merino blends, verrrrry gorgeous! I stole this pic from Cara because mine had my fugly couch in the background...



And in other news, here's a little toot of my own horn (or would this be ANOTHER toot? Am I getting too tooty?) I was just contacted by someone from Lime n' Violet's Daily Chum Pages because my Etsy shop will be a featured Etsy Site of the Day some time this week! So cool! I love gettin' love from the Lime n' Violet girls! Yippee!! Guess that means my shop update should be today instead of next week!

So that's all I've got right now! There was vacation knitting - a sock for Hurricane in some adorable stripey Trekking XXL in pinks, about five inches of Durrow for the DH for Xmas (I'm knitting it in the Kathmandu Aran Tweed, in a lovely tweedy grey - any excuse to knit with this yarn!), and more on the ribbed bottom of Eunny's Tangled Yoke Cardi from IK - just one more decrease repeat and I can start the main body. Here's a parting shot:

I know, I know...

I was supposed to have a picture of the completed Icicle sock, but I am sick and feeling poopy and didn't feel like getting the sock on, and finding good light, and actually bending over to take the pic (besides, bending over with the way my nose is running? Let's just say I wouldn't want boogers on my new sock!) So I didn't take the pic yet. Maybe over the weekend. Maybe I'll even have TWO socks to show you - not that I'm all that far along with the second sock, but a simple stockinette sock is just what my aching head, tired eyes, and dripping nose needs.

So, why am I taking time out of laying on the couch moaning to myself to blog? I wanted to give 2 thumbs up to Annie Modesitt and her latest book, "Romantic Hand Knits". I got the chance to peruse it at the bookstore, and while I'm not lining up to knit any skirts anytime soon, and while there were a few nose-wrinkle worthy patterns, I was THRILLED to see that so many of them went to 50" bust measurements OR HIGHER. That just ROCKS! To acknowledge that we "well-endowed" women like to dress a little sexy sometimes is just great! Thank you Annie!

I think I have a new favorite...

Sock yarn, that is. I just finished my first sock on 2 circs. The Icicle sock yarn from Cider Moon in the Apple Crisp colorway. I'll take pics tomorrow, since it's too late and the gorgeous colorway deserves decent lighting. But I don't know if it's just that knitting it on 2 circs has the fit absolutely perfect, or the fact that it's just a plain vanilla stockinette sock (which I've knit before, so I don't think it's that), or what, but this sock fits the best - no slouching, no stretching, just perfection! Pics tomorrow!

Stuff n' nonsense

Ok, so I guess I'm "back". So for the both of you, thanks for sticking by me! Other blogs have covered the conundrum of being away so long you might as well stay away, so I won't go into it here. I have been busy, and when I haven't been busy, I haven't wanted to blog. But here goes nothing!

The trip to Disney was incredible! Hurricane's head practically exploded when she realized where she was - especially since just 2 days before, we were in the Disney Store in the mall, and she saw an ad on their TV for Disney, and said she wanted to go to Mickey's house. She must figure we have a hell of a great turnaround time, since 2 days later we hopped on a plane! Staying in a house off the property was a great way to go, because we never had to worry about her getting wakened up during a nap (the few times she actually napped) and we had access to the pool whenever we were around long enough to use it. Even though we were there for a full 2 weeks, it still felt like there wasn't enough time! But for a kid who only liked throwing things into a pool to have someone else dive after it, by the end of the 2 weeks, she was jumping off the steps into people's arms! Her daddy and I are both scuba divers, so it's great to think our little girl will be a water junkie like we are (and, needless to say, we're looking for a house with a pool when we move! Hey, we can dream, right?!) Here's a few gratuitous cute kid in Disney shots (I took, no lie, 965 pictures - the new camera worked like a dream!):


Facepaint at Disney! Unicorn Princess!


Hurricane with Snow White at the Princess Breakfast in Epcot.


Drumming with Daddy at Animal Kingdom (hottest. day. ever.)


By Cinderella's castle (she wanted to live there "Forever").


With Mary Poppins. How cool is this? Mary Poppins came along to her autograph area, and Ella was the first person there, so she asked if Ella would like to go on the carousel with her, and Ella (freaking the entire way - she wasn't too sure of the characters at Disney) said "yes" and went with her on the carousel! Too cool!

There's been mad knitting at chez Black Cat, as well. I started (or I should say REstarted) the ill-fated Jaywalkers on the Disney trip, figuring they'd be great plane knitting, car knitting, etc. Well, first I broke one of my favorite Crystal Palace DPNs in my carryon bag. Then I got about an inch or so into the pattern, and lost ANOTHER DPN in the car. Seriously, IN the car - I had it in this little well in the back of the minivan we were renting, and I went to pick it up by running it along the sidewall of the car, and it slipped into the crack in the car above the speaker - bye bye DPN. Luckily, I had a size 2 Knitpicks circ in my knitting pouch, and for whatever reason, I'd packed my DPN needle roll, so I had extra size 2s (albeit 8 inch ones, which suck for socks!) So I was able to keep knitting, but for awhile there, it seemed like I was doomed to never finish these stupid socks. But guess what? They're done! Knit in Pippikneesocks handpainted sock yarn in "Hester", the larger size on size 2 DPNs. Loverly!





And then Colleen taught me how to knit a sock on 2 circs, and this is what I had by the end of the day (2 circs ROCK!)



That's Icicle sock yarn from Cider Moon in the Apple Crisp colorway. I've knit with Lorna's Laces, Trekking, STR, and I'm sure a couple of others, and this has to be hands down my favorite sock yarn so far. The Lorna's Laces is great, Pippi has an incredible eye for color, the STR is great, but not as impressive as I thought, and Trekking has awesome colors but isn't the softest stuff to knit. Cider Moon's Icicle? Incredible! And I love knitting a sock on 2 circs! I mean, that's just a few hours of knitting there, folks. That's it. I turned the heel the next morning, finished Jaywalker that day, cast on for a kitty pi, perused the knew IK (is everyone else in love with almost every pattern in the issue? I've already cast on for Eunny's Tangled Yoke Cardigan in some Rowanspun DK in Catkin that I had set aside for an EZ sweater. People, I actually SWATCHED!) and am already through the heel gusset and well on my way to finishing the foot. I love my DPNs, especially my Knitpicks ones, but I think they're going to be relegated to the bottom of the knitting bag for now!

I've also finished the DH's winter hat (don't laugh! I started it in March, and it got warm quickly, so it got set aside - until I needed the size 2 circ it was on!) Here he is! Isn't he cute? (sorry he's a little blurry, Hurricane decided to tackle me at the same time!)



I also finished a Henry Rollins doll from SNB Nation for a good friend's birthday. I ended up needlefelting his hair on, because the double knitting? Was sucking all the life out of my very soul. Ugh.



And here's the Luna Moth Shawl I'm knitting (in Callista - nice stuff!) for Carrie's impromptu KAL.


I'm not as far along as I'd like, I'm only 2 repeats out of 6 through, but it's a nice pattern! Easy-peasy!

And here's a hat for Hurricane (I added a couple of stripes in alpaca I spun up) and a scarf for me knit with 2 handspun yarns from theredbuttontree. I love her handspun - merino and angora bulky goodness!





I THINK that's it! Phew! If not, that's cool, it'll be blog fodder for another day! I'm sure I've bored y'all to tears, anyway!