SockTart

I just reformatted my computer. Actually, to be honest, I had just reinstalled WinXP…and realized afterward that I had considerably buggered up the process. It had to do with some pretty uninteresting problems with partition management.  Needless to say, I installed XP on the wrong partition (damn XP for singling out the BIG partition!), and wound up having to reformat everything.  Decided, while I was at it, to try installing Ubuntu Linux and all the extras that I’d originally been thinking of working with.

Right now I’m working on reinstalling WoW…in Linux.  We’ll see if it happens.  The process seems to have changed since I last tried.  Then again, a lot can change in about 6 months.  I’m hoping that this installs nicely so that I can be happy with this OS.  The only thing I *don’t* like is that Lexmark refuses to make linux drivers for their printers.  How much trouble can it be for them to extend themselves far enough to widen their support scope?  I mean…I know that most companies don’t support linux due to its configurability, but at least they could provide some as-is drivers and tell us “Use ‘em if you want to, but if you muck it up, don’t come crying to us.”

In other geeky news, we played Vampire: The Masquerade (tabletop RP) last night.  Old 2nd Ed / 3rd Ed rules.  None of this NEW World of Darkness crap.  Very fun.  Very very fun. Robin got an idea of the type of characters he was dealing with…a bunch of egghead occultists!  Where the gangrel forensic archaeologist is the “heavy”.  Hee….too cool.  We’ll probably be doing it again in another few weeks, when Robin has a chance to get some NPCs fleshed out and stuff.

All in all, not a bad way to begin a weekend.

Two words, sweetie:

Atkins Bento

Yep.  I’m trying to figure it out.  I need to start packing lunches and I need HELP!!!

Anyone else who does the Bento Thing and reads this is more than welcome to comment.  I have to keep up my studied aura of pretention, don’tchaknow

The Pembrokeshire Pathways socks came off the needles last night at 11:31pm, Mountain Daylight Time. The last finished pair of socks for my Summer of Socks KAL.

You can’t really see it in the picture, but there’s a TON of little tiny cables on that sock, as well as lots of lacy bits. I loved working with the yarn, but it became apparent towards the end that I might not have enough to finish. I have no idea how many yards I have left, but it doesn’t look like much. I’m wondering if the other skeins I bought in the black & white colourway will actually make socks for Robin.

Don’t get me wrong…the feel of the yarn is absolutely WONDERFUL. I loved the texture. I’m just unsure of the yardage.

The Pattern itself? A few difficulties were had in the heel section…Reducing by one stitch (k2tog near the beginning) helped on the heel flap. All the tiny cables weren’t necessarily difficult, but they were tedious, and meant that my cable needle going missing was a real concern. The toe was a little odd as well, since it reduces differently than a usual toe. I’m used to reducing by 2 stitches every 2 rows, not reducing by 4 stitches every few rows.

I may knit these again, depending on how the yarn talks to me (I’m starting to sound like my Dad…”I might carve this again, depending on how the stone talks to me”). If I do, I’ll remember to reduce 1 stitch on the heel flap & do the toes however I please.

The socks fit me, but they’re going to be a Yule present for a very special lady in the family who has sat on the sidelines while others got socks.

One thing I’m noticing…it’s EASY to find sock patterns for women. There’s a TON of lace and cable socks! What does everyone out there do for their menfolk? Seriously! Other than Jaywalkers and the minimalist cable sock that The Harlot posted recently? I’ve got menfolk to knit for, and I’m getting bored with rows and rows of stockinette…

So, as the 20th/21st is usually the time that the sun does it’s thing (Solstices & Equinoxes), I thought I’d round out the Summer of Socks ON the Equinox with the Pathways.

Tomorrow evening after work will see the knitting and binding off of the toes.  How exciting! (/sarcasm).  But yeah.  I love the design, but all those cables take forever.  Yeesh…

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!   May all your buckles be swashed, and your barnacles be scraped

In other news…I can’t believe that the Summer of Socks is almost over, and we’re just a couple of weeks away from Socktoberfest…where the heck does the time go?  And why does it feel like the Pembrokeshire Pathways Will. Not. End?  I feel like I’ve been knitting away at the foot for ages….yeesh!  I’m starting to worry about running out of yarn on this one….ook.

The Shamrock Elfines are doing a lot better.  I’m mish-mashing them with the Cabletini sock heels per Manda’s suggestion for toe-up-heel-flaps.  Good thing I read the directions….I can’t knit much more on the Elfines before I have to start in on the heel portion.  Instead of stopping an inch to an inch-and-a-half away from the heel, I need to stop 3 inches away.  So we’ll see how it goes.

Work time!  Say it again with me….YARRRRn!

Watching this show on BBC Canada.  The premise is a sound one.  We have LOST the art of homemaking and entertaining.  Laurie of Crazy Aunt Purl  has been updating her home and doing quite a bit of cleaning.  Actually, she seems to be doing what could be called “Martha Lite”, but is just plain common sense cleaning & organizing.  Cleaning & Organizing shows are all over the TV and the web…but it really comes down to the following questions:

1. Do you display common sense?
2. Is your house too large/small for the stuff you have packed into it?

Really, that’s what it comes down to.  Watching this TV show, I’m seeing a couple of “hopeless housewives” (I wish I had the kind of income it takes to make a career of being a homemaker) being coached on how to, frankly, be good little post-WW2 housewives.  While I don’t agree with all your linens needing to be white to make a good impression, I could understand that in your guest room.  You want your guests to be sure that you know how to take care of a home (and therefore them)?  White linens.  UNSTAINED white linens.  With a high thread count, thankyouverymuch.

You aren’t going to find that in my home, I’m afraid.  I don’t have that kind of cash.

But some of the tips and advice are useful.  I have to admit that even I winced when I saw the hopeless ones putting together cocktail party fare, and just sticking all the hors d’oeuvres on paper and styrofoam plates.  Eeek!

Someday I will have a few lovely display pieces that I can put hors d’oeuvres onto.  Of course, there’s a huge difference between the kind of casual dinner parties that we have, and a standard “cocktail party”.  A REAL live cocktail party means that your friends aren’t allowed anywhere near your kitchen…and we have enough maritimers in our circle of friends that this is practically impossible.

So yeah.  I’m enjoying the show.  And it’s reminded me that we have been remiss in getting our own home organizing projects done.  Definitely need to finish the rec room, then probably start on the living room or my studio…

In knittery-news, I’ve turned the heel & completed the gusset on the Pembrokeshire Pathways, and will hopefully have those done this weekend.  If I can do a full pair of socks in about a week?  Sweetness

Y’know…knitting might not be rocket science, but there is still some awesome brilliance that often shows up where least expected.

I downloaded the Cabletini socks pattern from the Loopy Ewe blog site, and printed it out to inspect it. If I don’t mistake my guess, Manda is right and this could be a solution for my heel-woes. Particularly since I’m finding that the short-rowed heels don’t just cause little holes in the ankles, but don’t always fit across the heel as well as a nice, stretchy, heel flap.

This may solve my problems. Thanks, Manda!

And thanks to Wendy for creating the pattern. Toe-up heelflappy goodness, w00t!

(as an aside, I’m almost finished the pathways socks. I’m working on…guess it…the Heel Flap. Pretty good progress for 2 socks, Magic-looped, in less than a week. Sweet!)

It’s Pink!  It’s Green!  It’s Yellow!  Man, it’s BRIGHT!

Yep.  I updated the look of the site.  New template.  I had Colin The Awesome Server Admin do a little updating to the back end of the website, and it b0rked a few things.  I’m not going to worry about that.  The comments should now thread & stuff.  It’s all good.

I would have just updated everything myself, but the connection kept timing out.  And it’s good that Colin did the deed, since things *did* b0rk, and I’d rather not be freaking out at the thought I’d done something horribly wrong, when really I haven’t.

Say it with me again…”It’s all good.”

Just a quick one, because I don’t want to lose the link…

I’d love to take part in this….but I just don’t have the time.  It’s too close to End Of Year, which means knitting projects out the wazoo.  I decided to “take it easy” this year…so I’m not going to want to go anywhere near something like this.

Grr!

Why couldn’t something like this have started in, oh, say…March? (sigh)

So I finally made a decision.

I wound my Artyarns Ultramerino 4 (colourway 127) into a couple of balls, and then cast on….the Elfine socks. After getting both toes started, and a couple of rounds done…I decided I really didn’t want to do a pair of toe-up socks. I admit it…I’m actually quite loving the Heel Flap method.

I ripped that back and started the Pathways. I’d heard about them through the Lime & Violet podcast, so I figured I’d give them a try. After an evening of working the cuff, I’m now on the third repeat of the leg pattern. Squee!

In other news, The Cat has gone mad. She wouldn’t leave me alone yesterday when I was winding the yarn (ooOoo! String! Gimme!), then insisted on being a pest when I was trying to get the pattern started…she’s been picking the carpets and all sorts of other Annoying Kitty Cat Things.

I love my cat. I hate when she’s in a snit. And she’s in some sort of snit. Geesh.