I'm not certain what I'm doing up at this unholy (to me) hour, but I'm awake enough to be excited. I'm going to Maryland. Specifically, to the MD Sheep & Wool Festival!

Chris is my traveling companion, and this is our 3rd year attending.

Matt is so very kind and handsome, and is driving me to Chris', who will drive us both to the airport.

Again, let me state that I am excited (and being off work may have something to do with it).

Okay, I purposefully misspelled squee just to make a clever. (One "u" or two, what the big whoop?) It's not the first time I've done this, and probably not the last.

'Cause a sock for the Nintendo Wii® would be ridiculous, right?

Now that I've cleared my knitting past, I can post something a bit more up to date. True, these projects aren't exactly today, but they're recent enough for me.

Looking back, there have been some significant knits that, although completed and enjoyed by their recipients, I never blogged. These projects were all knit in 2007, most in the later part of the year, ta' boot. But still, that's no excuse.

(Long and picture heavy post.)

There may be a plethora of lyric versions for this anthem of the great white north, but I have just two socks named for it. (Although each is a bit different by accident.)

I finished my first pair of socks for the year! Never mind that I made the first sock back in June.

Okay, so the title doesn't invoke excitement or make one want to read this post, but I promise that the pictures are worth it (for knitters, at least). Come see what my washing entails.

I know that should read "and the hole in which I fell down", but who wants to read all that. So, pbtthhhh to that and let's move on.

A little planning goes a long way. And it can be thrown out the proverbial window in a moment's notice.

There is controversy, confusion, and upheaval for me around Socktoberfest and what socks I should knit. How will this end?

Before we get all immersed in Socktoberfest, let me clear the air a bit with some finished socks. Yes, that's right. F.O.s!

Spurred on by Socktoberfest and encouraged by my gargoyle buddy, I was compelled today to wear handknit socks.

Never mind that it is supposed to be 91° today. (Did I mention that fall is only an idea, a state of mind, in TX?)

I'm wearing my Mega Boots socks and lovin' it! (Thank goodness for office A/C.)

In Texas, we don’t really say goodbye to the heat of summer so much as the idea of pool parties, water restrictions, and constantly staying in the air-conditioned indoors. The concept of fall in all its leaf-raking, crisp-morning notions wakes us up out of our hammock-napping haze and gets us to enjoy the slight change of weather. (Shorter sunlight hours = lesser heat-of-the-day moments.)

The onset of fall also nudges my inner knitter out of it’s a-row-here-a-row-there stupor and gets my wool-juices flowing. (That is not what I meant!)

A couple of my projects just aren't cutting it. Frogging these WIPs is a step in owning my knitting, showing it who's boss, and being The Knitter. (Like the Decider, but less... stupid.)

This post is a continuation of my WIP and SIP articles, where I'm regaining control over my knitting.

Yeah, that's right. SIPs - Socks In Progress! Makes sense, no?

You read the first part of my WIP story here. Now you can read about that special category which becomes an obsession with most knitters - Socks!

You must WIP it!

Yes, I am mis-using and abusing this wonderful song so that I can tell you about my WIPs (works in progress). Learn how I will whip them into shape, shape 'em up, knit straight, go forward, move ahead, try to detect it (dropped stitches?), it's not too late, to whip my WIPs!

Whip it good.

The relay "baton" (actually a box) came and went earlier this week. I don't know how ahead we are, but I'm sure that I beat my own record.

What relay was this? Did Nanc actually run* somewhere?

Nope. It was the Dish Rag Tag that I participated in, and woo-boy - this is gonna be a close heat!

* Did you see a bear? Yeah, neither did I.

Not that anyone is coming around much since the posts have dried up. (Apparently there's been either a mental or a time drought in these parts.)

But just in case you did stop by for a looksie or this was picked up in your Bloglines, know that there is no knitting content. None. Only a lackluster explanation of why there is no knitting. (Sad, really. Pathetic.)

Read on only if you want to pity me or listen to my whimpers (or, more likely, kick me in the caboose and tell me to get real).

Did I leave you to believe my next post would be anytime soon? Ha!

Between Ravelry and Flickr, taking pictures of my stash (to upload to Ravelry via Flickr), somewhat surprise guests, and not a lot of wanna-be-on-the-computer time, this doesn’t make for very frequent posts. In fact, if it weren’t for my boredom at werk, I doubt that I’d be posting at all.

Chris (aka Skittermagoo) and I flew up to MD a little early. I have family to visit and she had friends.

The following is our account of those days.

Okay, so I was back from Maryland earlier this week. But give me a break. I've been busy, I've been sick, and I'm celebrating a birthday. Things are getting crazy around here.

And, oh! The things I have to show you...

No need for me to paste the lyrics here, right? Y'all know this song well enough without my prodding.

There’s a countdown going on here. As of this Sunday (4/22), there are only 12 more days before the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (MSWF). And only 9 days before C. and I fly out to Baltimore.

read more...

Sock that is. Tiny and cute and such a happy lil’ thing. I made mine and sent it. (Although I admit, a little belatedly.)

No, really. We (knitters) had a decent turn out in our section, the Stars won, and I saw a lot of knitting going on. Well, at least a fair amount of yarn and needles; who knows how many stitches got made. Keep reading for more of my account.

I've been working on a pair of socks for my mother. (yeah, "aww" and "sweet" -- I know, I know.) I've just started the second sock, but thought I'd share some progress pics with y'all.

Matt's Den socks are all about taking it to the limit. The yardage limit, my commitment limits, and just past the age limit.

Knitting bees not your thing? Do you like a little action with your knits and purls? Do you need a cold environment to show off your rarely-worn winter knits in North Texas?

Then hurry up and get your tickets to Slap Stitch and watch some Dallas Stars hockey!

Will you be my Valentine? Gung Hei Faat Choi and Happy (Chinese) New Year too all y'all pigs out there! Hip hip, hooray for previous presidents! Woohoo -- gluttony today, then guilt tomorrow!

But most of all.... happy Knit Force 9 slumber party! [squee]

I finished another pair of socks, plus I've taken inventory of my sock stash. It's all good!

Eating our dinner in the den/TV room isn't all that new and wonderful, we do this all the time. But yesterday our den got a bit of an upgrade, which makes it special.

Yes, we do have a dining room and table, but we've gotten into the bad habit of watching TV while eating. Maybe this will change some day.

This is no fairytale, happily-ever-after story of love lost and found. No lessons learned, no changing of ways or ideas. No informative story or dark fable to be found here.

Nope, just what I bought at a yarn sale.

Well, the yarn is; Sirdar Breeze, that is. And my contribution to it was pretty much a breeze: simply knit a few (four) squares. But I know that Good Girl Purl had a bit more in store for her part.

Ah, these are the good times. The bright winter sun stretches long into my back. The shadows make art of everything.

Perhaps I should save this for the "Weird Things About Me" meme, but I've just got to say it: I'm stubborn. Horribly stubborn. Like 'I will always win at chicken' stubborn, despite what injuries may occur. (I don't believe that I'm stubborn when it comes to reasoning and logic and getting along with other people, but I could be fooling myself.)

I am stubborn about my knitting, though. Like when I should just stop knitting and look for a solution or a different project, instead I carry on.

It's good to have friends. Even better to have knit friends that will help you cut your knitting with sharp, pointy scissors.

So this is the story of my Melody shawl...

Wow - the new year came and went pretty darn quick. And it's not like I've been super busy with parties like some of you. We've just... been. You know, here and there, existing -- doing "stuff."

But I did finally get to washing and blocking my final FOs from last year.

What is the one thing almost every knitter responds with when asked in a meme "what would you rather be doing" or "if you could be anywhere, where would you be?" That's right. "Snuggled up in a comfy chair in front of a fire (in a fireplace) knitting." Would you invite a friend over if you could?

Hmm, this almost sounds like it could be a drink. But it's not. Nope. It's a finished object (FO), specifically a pair of socks!

That's what it was like knitting this quickie project last week. I put the knitting metal (needles) together to get this petal (flower bib) in no time flat. (That kind of makes sense, right?)

(fěch-ĭng) - adjective: very attractive, charming, captivating. a fetching new hairstyle

No new hairstyle, captivated or not. But a nice pair of wrist warmers!

Although I haven't let this go for as long as I normally do, I did promise to show you pictures of what I picked up at Kid 'N Ewe.

Gratuitous pictures of yarn prØn follows:

How quickly the month of NOROvember came and went. I had grand plans for this month to knit a whole sweater (baby sweater, but still). Alas and alack, I didn't even cast on for this until yesterday, the last of NOROvember.

Okay, the title may be a bit of a stumper at first, but it boils down to the fact that despite all the glorious knitting that was going on in last night's episode, 'Gilmore Girls' has jumped the shark. Actually, it did this a while ago (imho), but others disagree.

But I digress. This is not what I came here to talk about. (Obviously I still watch the show in the dear hope that the writers find their sweet spot again. They haven't.) Last night's episode featured knitting. A LOT of knitting! And that's what I'm gonna blather on about...

Sweet cheese and corn tamales, Mabel! Kid 'n Ewe was a whole lotta fun!

The wise and oft silly Stalker Angie came up with a knitters version of East Bound and Down from Smokey & The Bandit.

Couldn't you just imagine that convoy? Kid 'N Ewe 'n knitters, too - here we come!

This past month has sped by at an alarming rate, and I'm not quite sure if I remember all of it. There were ups and downs, changes in logic, and gob-smacked moments. I'm happy for where we have ended up, but- my-lands -that was a bumpy ride!

So we finish up SOCKtoBEER with not a single completed pair of socks, and look forward to better knitting juju in NOROvember.

sorry for the delay posting this...

What a great event! I met gaggles of fun Texan knitters, ate and drank merrily, and enriched my yarn stash! Hoo-boy-howdy, that Stalker Angie can throw some good shindig, y'all.

There is a lot of schtufph (I can never just say "stuff", sorry but I find it more amusing this way) going on here. My weekends and nights are starting to fill up with plans and projects quicker than I can shake a niddy-noddy at. (Just 'cause I like saying that, too.)

I'm sure that we will share more information as it becomes not so terrifying and gob-smacking and in the 'read more' section I talk about all the knit-related schtufph going on, but real quick-like I wanted to let y'all know that we, the Bonez and myself (plus cats), have bought a house. (Not that the cats were involved in the house-hunting, decision making, or funding, but - you know.) Crazy, no?!

Anyhoo, continue on for knit schtufph.

I love this time of year. The weather doesn't really cool down much here so I don't get that "crisp fall air" thing, but I do enjoy the back-to-school vibe and I do luv me some Halloweeniness. Add some beers and an Oompa band (i.e., Oktoberfest) to the mix, and I'm yours.

But this? This here is Socktoberfest 'round these parts (i.e., my home and circle of friends). Thanks to Lolly, you can be treated to read about my sock knittin' history.

Exciting, no?

Wha? What kind of title is "ketchup" anyhoo? Well, let me blather on explain.

Despite the lack of blogging and sharing knits as they happen, I've been keeping quiet. Really, nothing crazy or fancy or whatnot is going on. Simply, I haven't been knit-blogging about much. But I have been knitting. Some.

In an effort to show what I have knit and finished (FOs - hurrah!), what I'm currently knitting, and what I hope/plan/want to be knitting soon - I decided to post this here catch-up post.

The term "catch-up" reminds me of "catsup" which is another term for "ketchup." And my joking dad used to play with the words and intermingle them. (I'm sure he also referred to "catch-up" as "catsup" during my youth, the silly man that he is.)

So read on for my catsup catch-up.

Howdy, y'all! Guess what? (guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat!) The results are in from the fair judges and.... {drum roll please}
my socks took 2nd place!

Wo0t!

While down at Fair Park this weekend dropping off the socks, we decided to spend a little time and enjoy the scenery. Although there wasn't a lot of walking to be had, I'm going to ask to have it count as part of my Trek Along.

Please note: I truly had intentions of taking a good and long hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire wearing my Trekking socks. Unfortunately, those vacation plans were cancelled, and I find myself still in Texas and incredibly warm. All outside excursions are limited to travel to/from car, mailbox, and other air conditioned buildings. Occasionally mowing the lawn. The heat has also affected my knitting production (like many others), and neither Matt's nor my Trekking socks are done. Yet.

"Oh, what a beautiful day for the fair," said the brightly colored pair of socks. "I wonder what we'll see."

If it sounds like I might have lost IT and am a bit more loony that usual, well you might be right. But it won't stop those socks from telling their story. Nothing will stop the socks.

Was it sun sickness? Heat exhaustion? Solar flares? What caused me to go bonkers and buy more yarn? Heck, I even admitted to Bonez the other day that "Boy, I sure have a lot of yarn."

Some of the thoughts that were going through my mind at the time: Do I have *enough*? Is there ever "enough?" How will I knit it all? Man, I've gotta get it all knit up! Especially if I wanna buy some of that SeaSilk. Of course, I was under a large pile of yarn trying to reorganize and pack up my stash so that it didn't completely consume the house.

Last Sunday (yeah, I'm *that* behind with my posts), a couple 200 knitters showed up to watch the Rangers play ball and get their knit on. (The knitters, not the Texas Rangers. Although I would've liked to see them try to knit. But I'm odd like that.)

Was it a coincidence, a fluke? Was some evil scrapbooking villain controlling our collective yarn minds? Does 'America's favorite past time' hold the secret to yarn-overs and cabling?

While all really... well, STOOPID questions; No. It was the fabulous Stitch n' Pitch day at the Texas Rangers game!

Yep, you heard me right. And it was fun, ta' boot!

Ha. I asked Bonez to move a couple o' pix from the camera to our site so that I could blather on about my knitting... again. He kindly did so and had saved the pics under the title you see above. Heck, who was I to argue. I couldn't come up with anything better, so there it is. A nondescript yet correct title. Wo0t.

(Thanks, sug'. I lurve u.)

Okay, really this is about me knitting. It's a lot slower than it was when I was unemployed, er... "between contracts", but I still crank out knitted objects, albeit slowly.

I have neither fell off the face of our earth, nor become so famous and wealthy that I can vacation in my own, secluded retreat (be it island or cabin) without internet access. Although I can still dream. (About the later.)

Nope. Just stuff. Not a lot to report or show, but at least this keeps me honest.

There was a bit of drama with my Dye-O-Rama yarn. See, I thought that I had mastered the Kool-Aid and could move up to Wilton's icing dyes. Oh, how wrong I was...

Also, I receive my yarn and it's terribly... exciting!

A few clowns short of a circus.

Mad as a monkey on a trike.

A kangaroo loose in the top paddock.

And other euphemisms for being slightly crazy. (I especially like the third one from the bottom: Knitting with only one needle. How apropos!)

I've got another pair of socks knitted up, but there's something a little off about them. Hmmmm....

Not too long ago, Purling Pirate counted and figured out how many pairs of socks she could make from her sock stash. Heck, she's even got a counter on her site to keep her honest. (And, oh-my! how it's grown lately!)

At one point, I thought that I had scooped her lead (especially after my haul from MSWF). But no. Not even close, really.

First, let me give a big ol' shout out to the Squid and wish him a happy first birthday! There was party and cake and tons of gifties for the big boy. And for a moment, all was right with the world.

Not only do I have a belated 'Thank you' to offer up, but hidden deep in the dark recesses of my shame is an even more belated (belated-er?) 'Thanks'. And really, it's all getting a little cluttered in my psyche so I'm thanking them all in one fell swoop.

Prepare to be swooped!

And I've got the ball cap to prove it!

Chris, Petra (aka Good Girl Purl), and I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this past weekend. We had a hoot, many laughs, and lots of wool. Come check it out!

I band-wagoned (this can be used as a verb, yes?) and joined the Dye-O-Rama swap. As part of this and to help my pal figure a good color and scheme for me, I've got a meme for y'all. No, you don't HAVE to read it. No one's forcing you, right?

Phew! I finally got them done, and just in the nick of time. I knit up half the foot, the toe, and sealed it all with a Kitchener stitch late last night!

Please say 'Hello' to my leetle sock friends...

Yeah, I was nerdy like this is school, too. I didn't cheat, only took credit for what I did well, and went for the extra credit. So I have no one to blame, but myself for this.

It was one of those mixed up days, where the sun didn't know what was going on. It was sunny enough to make you squint, but not enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. I wanted an omelet, but it just wasn't in the cards.

Can you believe it? I know I can't. I actually have one of the SockapalOOOza socks done!

Sure, sure - one sock doesn't make a pair, and my pal would probably not be too happy with a do-it-yourself kit. I understand, but stop raining on my parade, man. Just enjoy the sock that is.

While Matt was tweaking the formatting and coding the special new photo bar, I was knitting. Not surprising, eh? I completed one pair of socks and started my SockapalOOOza socks.

Come on inside and see what's going on.

This is about the first stages of SockapalOOOza. Not to be confused with this site's stages of redesign and build. But there are some similarities between the two.

The following may or may not be an inspirational story to you. This is my story from this past weekend. All events are factual, or at least true from my point of view and exaggeration was kept to a minimum. No hand knits were harmed in these events, or in the retelling of this story.

This weekend I took the basic motorcycle course (and passed - wo0t!). This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time and had put off for no good reasons. I finally said "Enough" and went for it. No regrets.

I've decided to "come clean" with you - the internets. I feel that it is time for me to shed this coat of deceit and bask in the glory of honesty, at least for one moment in time. I don't know if you will praise me for my bravery or despise me for my weakness. But this step is for me, not you. (So get over yourselves.)

Before Benny and family arrived for the great-fun-yet-too-short visit, I decided that Benny needed a robot. I mean, what if he took fancy to Matt's robot Bruce and wanted, no... NEEDED to take him home? In order to plan for such an event (and 'cause they're fun to knit), I quickly (relatively) knitted a new 'bot.

It's been a bit quiet around these parts, but know that this is only an illusion. A lot's been going on, just nothing all that blog-worthy. My knitting time (and knitting abilities) have been sporadic lately, which leaves a kind of funny taste in ones mouth. Like something is amiss.

So as not to bore y'all to death, there are fotos in the 'Read More' section, but only of single, unfinished-pairs of socks. Sad, no?

If there seemed to be a weird delay between when Matt posted about his love for me in the form of a configurator-a-tron and now, well it's just that. Weird. That, or procrastination. Whatever it is, it is not for lack of returned love.

Click 'Read More' to learn about Matt's new robot.

So, it's not quite Valentine's Day as I write this, but I have to be tricky about these things. You see, until she sees it here, she won't know...

There's a little bit of back story here. Nanc has been working on knitting a robot for me, based on a book that she got from jess hutch crafts.

The trick with it is picking out colors. It's hard to tell what makes a robot look sweet, and what colors are lame. So, for Valentine's for my dw, I humbly present the robot configurator-a-tron.

Small print: I put this together in my free time. It should work in most modern browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari, Mozilla). I can't say for sure it will work for you. Hey --- besides, it's not for you anyway! [grin].

Happy Valentine's Day, Nanc
Love, Bonez.

What's that all about? Sockapaloooza, of course! Have YOU signed up yet?
Sockapaloooza III: The Wrath of Sock!
Sockapalooza 3D: Return of the Gusset
(Hee - play with the name a little. It's kind of fun!)

Updated with more sock news! Check the 'Read More' section.

Okay, not truly infinity. But at times, it felt like it.

Yes! The Dr. Who scarf is complete! Done. Finito. Nada mas. And I'm not even saying that like the knitting part is done, but seamin'* and blockin' still has to happen. I mean that it is ALL DONE... (well, except for mailing it off to my bro).

* Lilyan and Aubyn? That was especially for you!

During this holiday break, I thought it might be a good idea to catch up on some of my stories that never did make it out in blogland. This one is from our Thanksgiving trip to Baltimore. You may remember some of our adventures from here and here.

You know that saying, "cold hands, warm heart?" So what is the opposite of that? Warm hands, cold heart? No heart? Freakishly-hot, furnance heart? Without insinuating that Matty Bonez is heartless or even the slightest bit mean, he does have warm hands. Or at least he does now.

There's been a bit of knitting this past week. And in case you didn't know, there's some difference in tempuratures between Dallas and Baltimore. Yes, indeed. Learn something new every day, eh?

Well, it seems to be all socks all the time around here. I have a lot of sock-irons in the knitting-fire, or so it seems. And ya' know... I'm good with that. (Despite having non-sock projects crying for attention!)

It may appear that from the lack of posting and perhaps because of my latest project that I haven't been knitting. Or worse, fell off the earth! (Eep.) But those assumptions would be wrong.

Not only am I firmly ensconced on this here planet, but I have indeed been knitting. But low, not on the project I *should* be knitting. Oh, woe.

Phew. Another week (plus some) has gone by and where am I on my progress? Well, I've made an effort. That's gotta count for somethin', eh?

more inches - yay!

less yarn (trust me)

And for those Walter fans out there, here's a couple treats for you: like father, like son and kittens + yarn = trouble. Enjoy!

Interweb friends, I have a confession to make. It seems that I have been holding out on showing you sock fotos. I know - shocking! I guess I was waiting for one thing or another before I did the whole photo shoot and post. But wait no more!

This is a foto-laden post, so be careful. I wouldn't want anyone to hurt themselves.

knitted

to knit

This is the start of... the decline of civilization? ... my madness? ... a project that ends in tears and disapointment? ... nope, my holiday knitting! (Boy, do I hope that all those other guesses are just plain wrong.)

To encourage myself ('cause man - I've got some tight deadlines) and to show y'all that I AM knitting, I will be posting my progress each week. This will be shown using two images, section knitted and yarn remaining, and the progress amount (inches referred to in the title). I'm playing by the KISS rules.

And just so you know... The yarn is KnitPicks Wool of the Andes on size US#7 needles (straight). 60 stitches/garter stitch (knit 'em all!).

I don't believe the recipient much/ever reads our site, but if he does he can only be happy by what he sees. And if you know who and what I'm talking about, please don't alert him to this or reading our blog. Thanks.

Well actually, there was a whole lotta fun, but the afternoon was about little things. Namely, wee tiny sweaters!

Part of this healthy breakfast!

Can you say "YUM?" Just imagine... (but don't close your eyes, 'cause then you couldn't read this next bit)... warm toasted English muffins, a light schmear of butter (yes, REAL butter!), it's nooks and crannies filled with 'Purple Raspberry and Peach' or 'Cantaloupe and Apricot' jams. The burst of flavor! The contrast of crunchy muffin and liquid sweet! As your teeth sink into the warm jam... er, ...

Sorry. I think that if I kept going we'd get the wrong kind of crowds here, and nobody wants that. Sticky jam indeed!

These two tasty jams were homemade by Miriam, my Secret Pal (5) and gifted to lil' ol' me some time ago. Yeah, I need to post about it, but I'm too busy sinking teeth into jam! They are OMG-tasty. And really quite beautiful - the colors.

Damn. And now I'm hungry. You don't suppose... naw, I'd end up trying to lick tasty jam goodness off the keyboard, and that's never the impression you wanna make at work!

Rip! And I think that Schopenhauer was right.

Man, I lurve me some Pal Joey. This is one of those good films/musicals which my father and I share a joy of. As I sat ripping unfinished objects (UFOs) last night, I kept singing this Rita Hayworth song in my head.

Weep... Netflix doesn't have "Pal Joey" to rent! And I'm sure that I've thrown out my Rita Hayworth music tape ('member those?!). Well, damn.

Although a picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words, I'm not gonna press my luck. I've got three pix for y'all!

Rrripppp! Until we meet again.

You commenters were right. Ripping the purse was the right thing to do. So here, my friends, is the remains of the bag. I knit-picked (ha!) at it most of today to figure out all those end and wound the balls. NOW I'll let it sit and ponder it's existence before I rework the pattern.

Also in news today: 'Beef & Lentils" - not tasty. Ucky, in fact. This will become fodder for the humor of our future. They will use the term "Beef & Lentils" in a way that our children's children (and yours, too) will know that it wasn't good.

In an effort to save money and time (mostly time) and to use my kitchen gadgets on a regular basis, I've decided to try a new crock-pot/slow cooker recipe once a week. The tasty bits will make it into our online recipe collection. The losers will be publicly mocked. (I was really hoping to slide past any losers. Oh, well.) This doesn't seem to be a good start.

Beef & Lentils. What was I thinking?!

For the love of all that good and holey*, WHY?!

Let me state for the record that I am not a pattern-reader. Oh sure, I know how to read a pattern