Major Knitter

Now You See It - Now You Don't

Thanks for all your encouragement for the sock.  I didn't give you anything to compare it to - so you really didn't have an idea of exactly how big the sock was.  Think elephant sock.  Really.

So I ripped out the first attempt and cast on - this time only 60 sts and it appears to be in the range of just about any human being in my household.  Maybe I'll have to go see another movie to catch up to where I was.  I know.  I'll go see Water for Elephants.  That seems appropriate.  

Oh well. Easy come.  Easy go.

You'll Be Seeing Less of Me

I've decided that it's time to fight the middle-age rut.  It's time to put my knitting needles down for a bit and focus a bit more on a healthier habit.  If I spent a fraction of my knitting time on diet and exercise, I think I'd be a much more well-balanced individual.  

So I hope to get back into my fighting shape - ooh rah - and have been watching my diet and exercise program vigorously.  It's already paying off.  I feel better.  I'm losing weight.  I'm slowly building some muscle - and boy are my hamstrings tight!!!  I'm also throwing in a bit of yoga at a wonderful new yoga studio in town.  I just love those stretches.  I always feel so invigorated after either a workout or a yoga session... so why don't I do this more often?

Well now I will.  How about you?  Are you on a health kick?  Want to join me?  Let's keep our bodies in motion and see if we can walk/swim/run/bike a little bit each day.  My goal is to work back up to a 3-mile-run in 30 minutes or less.  I can do it.  Can you?

Please excuse me now.  The treadmill is calling my name.  

On Stranger Tides

Sunday night Secundogeniture and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - On Stranger Tides (in 3D) and I brought a brand new pair of men's socks to knit in the dark.

I managed to finish the K2, P2 cuff before the lights went out, and then proceeded to knit some basic stockinette socks in the dark.

Details:

• 1 skein Crazy Zauberball - NR:1153 1660om - Lot 520768
• US size 1 Turbo Addis
• 1 pair 3D glasses (whatever happened to the red/blue paper thingees of my youth?

I only dropped 1 stitch, which I realized during the movie, so I excused myself to the hallway (and light), fixed my mistake and returned to see swashbuckling and thievery in 3D.  What I failed to realize is that I cast on too many sts even for a man's socks.  The leg on this sock is 9" in diameter - which I think is a lot, even for a man.  Drat.  I was so pleased with my knitting in the dark progress.

 

Autopilot

Fast as can be, these socks were knit this week in autopilot stockinette.

They were knit in less than a week using Knit Picks Simple Stripes from my original sock yarn stash.  I bought this yarn when Knit Picks first opened shop and never used it.  I thought this bright cheery yarn would be the perfect thing to brighten up a rainy week.

Gone Fishin'

May and June are always the busiest times of the year (except this year when March and April were insanely busy).  So today was a special treat because we got to go fishing this morning.

It was nice to get outside and enjoy some time with nature.  Secundogeniture even reeled in a large mouth bass.  I only captured images on my camera... no fish.

May Berries

It's May and many of the berries are beginning to hit their peak.  We just love berries in our house and a big bowl like this one is almost always in the refrigerator.

Yummy.

OK - this picture was really posted to distract you from the fact that I don't have any new knitting to show.  I'm working on another pair of socks, but nothing terribly exciting to share.  Hang in there.  There will be knitting pictures, soon.

Finito!

I finished the socks and presented them to Joyce at tonight's Scout Program Kick-Off.  Her husband snapped a picture and sent it to me via cell phone.

Joyce - I hope these will keep you warm on your campouts.  Thanks again to Joyce and Bill for helping our Venturing Crew get up and running.  We had SO much fun at the pistol range.

Wilma on Wednesday - Underfoot

Sorry - it's that hectic, busy, which-way-am-I-going time of year.  I have lots of knitting going on, but not lots of blogging to share.  So today, I'll share a picture of Wilma sleeping at my feet under the desk.

She woke up just as I tried to take a picture.  But she's so cute.  Oops - she's already asleep again.  Let me see if I can snap a picture.

She opened her eyes as soon as she heard the camera's beep.  Well, you get the idea.  My little girly girl is always underfoot - and I mean that quite literally.  

Awwww.

Commitment To Community

Last night was our Boy Scout Council's Commitment to Community Distinguished Citizen Reception for our local towns and I was thrilled and humbled to be one of the honorees along with two other adults and three amazing Eagle Scout honorees.  I forgot to get a group shot of all the honorees - so I can really only share my photos (I forgot to get those darned waivers from the others).  

Here I am being presented with the honor by Aaron Hollander, one of the committee members from my Troop as well as one of the event organizers.  The other adult honorees included Rick Phillips and Green Village Initiative.  The three Eagle Scouts - Trevor H; Stephen O; and Jacob S -  were the highlight of the night's dinner as they demonstrated to us how amazing our youth are.  Each one has a resume that would impress most adults.  They will continue to be leaders outside of Scouting and take what they have learned in Boy Scouts wherever they go.

The dinner raised funds to continue benefitting the character building and leadership development programs of the Connecticut Yankee Council, Boy Scouts of America.

Joyce's Socks

This weekend we had our District Spring Camporee at Camp Pomperaug.  It was a wonderful event with a huge Trade-o-ree (a fantastic Scout memorabilia trade show).  I took my stockinette socks for walk around knitting and got many inquiries about who the socks were for (with the inquirees secretly hoping I would say their names).  When my friend Joyce asked me, I simply replied "These are for you."

Of course, Joyce and her husband do so much for Scouting.  In fact just last month, they took our newly formed Venturing Crew under their wing and showed us some of the fun exciting things they do.  We had a blast.  In fact, it was so much fun, I was already thinking that I should make Joyce some socks.  So I was thrilled when she asked about them today!

Here's Joyce posing with her nearly finished socks.  I'm already at the toe shaping, so they'll be done tomorrow and Joyce will soon be camping with her very own pair of handknits socks.

Now if I could only remember who was next in the queue.