Lame

I've got nothing.

The Talking to Socks is continuing to grow.

However, as it's just plain stockinette stitch, there is nothing to report there.
The recipient is out of town, so I can't get him to try it on. I was considering getting Hubby to try it on, for a ballpark fit, but then Hubby might try to claim it and that would be bad.

I've decided to just roll with it and knit it anyway. If the foot is to small, what the heck, it's just a sock, I can rip back and re-do it.

The alternatives would be

• Stopping the first sock and starting the second sock. But my other size ones are tied up in a stealth project.
• Casting on for another project. But I'm kind of liking the project monogamy at the moment.

So I leave you with...nothing. Of course, I could have also not blogged today, and saved us all the time, but I was worried you'd miss me.

I Stand Corrected

Did I mention my Eyelet and Feather Socks pattern was accepted for the new 101 One Skein Wonders book?

Yeah, I thought so.

I have since found out that a shawl P designed and fingerless mitts "Giggles" designed were also accepted. (Giggles doesn't have a blog.)

This means Knitting Centrall totally owns that book with three out of the 101 patterns being from our staff. We are so fraking tallented, we should make a book that is just our patterns. But we're all too busy.

Not So Big After All
After going on and on about how big the sock I'm making for The Guy in the Art Department is, I decided to give some perspective.

So I got one of my little, bitty socks and one of Hubby's socks and I held them all up together.

And I noticed the sock for TGitAD was the same size as one of Hubby's socks.

Huh.

In response to my question, Hubby says he wears a size 10 or 10.5 shoe. Which is only a wee bit smaller than the size 11 TGitAD wears.

Oops.

Turns out this sock isn't so much bigger than socks I've knit in the past. Turns out I need to calm down a little. Probably shows how long it's been since I made Hubby socks that I've got the size all squewed in my head.

Summer of Socks 09
A little bird also told me that because of the "no stress" theme for this years Summer of Socks, WIPs do count toward your total. So these socks totally count.

Last year only socks knit between June 21 and uh, sometime in September, counted because there were contests and stuff.

Done: Brainless Bamboo Shawl

I finished the shawl last night!

I used one skein of Southwest Trading Company Bamboo yarn and size US11 needles.
I just increased at the beginning of each row until I ran out of yarn, then I cast off.

Simple. One might even say brainless.

I was concerned a regular bind off would be too tight, so I did that one were you knit two together, pass the one stitch back, k2tog, etc. Well, it still ended up a bit tight. I'm thinking about redoing the bind off, but I've also realized it makes the top curve nicely, so I might leave it.

It ended up about 33 inches across cast off edge and 25 inches long. I was hoping/expecting it to be bigger, but this actually seems a good size for my 5'1" self.

The wing span is a wee bit small to be able to tie it in th front, which was disappointing. Then I remembered that I own all these nice pins that I never wear since I don't like impaling my clothing (I'm afraid it will make a hole). So I pinned it shut and that seemed to work out well.

Actually, the poor shawl was one of those projects that I finished then thought, "Bleh. Why did I make this?" But I'm starting to come around.

I wore it to work today and got compliments, which always helps. And it fits nicely and is warmer than you would expect, which is good for wearing over sun dresses in air conditioned offices.

Yeah, that's about all I can think of to say about this really simple shawl.

Speaking of socks
Not that we were...My Cat's Pajamas Socks, I mean Eyelet and Feather Socks, were accepted for the new One Skien Wonders Sock Yarn book!
I think it's going to be published next year. The e-mail said I'd hear from them again in February.

We will not discuss the fact that the Eyelet and Feather Scarf wasn't accepted.
But it is interesting that I was like, "Oh, I'll just throw the socks in for the heck of it, since the pattern is all written up."
Now I'm really glad I did.

That's Baru attacking me in the picture. Always got to be in the camera frame.

Still Talking to Socks

Can I just start by saying I love Hubby's size 9 feet?

Boy, howdy, knitting socks was not top of mind when I was husband shopping (actually, I didn't know how to knit at the time), but it really worked out well!

Anyway, the socks for The Guy in the Art Department are starting to show progress (not that I have an updated picture for you).

I wasn't able to work on them during my trip. For the flight I had them on my long US1 needles and there was turbulence in both directions. I was concerned about impaling myself so I went with the Brainless Bamboo Shawl instead. Then at the conference I was to busy to knit anything.

I was able to work on them over the weekend when we were at the in-law's.

As I mentioned, I'm going toe-up so I can use every scrap of yarn (we only had the two skeins in this color, so when I run out I'll have to stop), but I'm using a free pattern from, um, Skacel as guide. The pattern is for cuff-down and says for a size 11 shoe to work the foot for 23 cm from the picked up stitches. The entire foot length will be 29 cm.

Well, in my wisdom, I held up my tape measure and scoffed because how could a foot be that big?

Anyone who has knit for size 11 feet before it probably pissing themselves laughing by now.

Because of this, over the weekend I stopped when the sock was, oh, 6 or 7 inches long, around 19 cm, since I didn't want to knit too much.

Then on Tuesday I saw TGitAD and showed him my progress. He pet the sock, which is an instinct you have to appreciate in a non-knitter. (For the record, Hubby will both pet and nuzzle yarn for his projects.) Then TGitAD plunked his foot up on the little red chair outside my cube and I measured it.

30 cm. gulp.

Now, that was the shoe and not the foot inside, but obviusly the pattern was not lying to me. (Unlike my coworkers all week with their alligators, missing innertubes, and public speaking assignments. sniff!)

I got back to work. The sock is now 23 cm, which is about 9 inches. I had him make a fist and wrapped the sock around it, and I think I can safely work the heel. I'm going short row to make it easy on myself. I informed him that after I work the heel a little of the leg he'll have to try it on to make sure it fits properly.

I'm also going to throw in a lifeline at this point so if it is too small I'll be able to rip back easily.

Of course, I'm making careful notes about row count, etc., so the second sock will just fly along.

Alchemy Juniper
In case you're wondering...this is the first time I'm using this new yarn. I would agree with all the positve chatter you've been hearing online.
However, I have found it a bit splitty. Especially when I first started, but I wonder whether I'm working against the ply and the motion of casting on opened the twist up a bit. It's been fine since then. I've felt or saw the one or two I have split and been able to fix them, so it's no big deal.

Summer of Socks 09
And, for anyone keeping count, these won't count for Sos09 since I started them before June 21.

Dateline: Orlando

I would not be surprised if I have a previous blog post with this same title.

After all, this was not my first trip to Florida.

It was my first trip to the Ritz Carlton, which I think only opened in 2008. Sadly, unless we hit the lottery, it might be my last. Still, it was a lovely stay, especially on the company's penny!

A Room...
I had two "executive size" beds, which were around the size of a full. I'm one of those bad hotel guests who sleeps in a different bed each night if I'm there for multiple nights.

Hey, I figure I got them, might as well use them.

There were the nice touches you would expect, like turn down service with chocolates. The first night it was two dark chocolates, which I don't really eat. But the second night was one dark one milk. The third night I was in the room when the lady came. She asked if I needed anything and I said, "Milk chocolate?" and she gave me a little stack. Sweet!

Also, I liked that coffee/tea maker was in a little chest, so it was all attractive and subtle until you needed it. Of course, I might be easily impressed.

Speaking of impressed, hello, what a lovely bathroom! (There are pictures in my Flickr stream.) It was all marble. There was a tub on one side, a separate stand up shower on the other, and the toilet was behind another door for privacy. (Not that it mattered since I was alone.)

And a robe and slippers to use during your stay. Since it was a business trip, I didn't get to spend much time in my lovely room.

With a View of Critters
Still, I was very excited to see I had a balcony with this lovely view of the courtyard, lake, and golf course beyond.

In my time at the hotel I saw a bunny; two little lizards; a froggy; a small, long legged white bird with a long, curved orange beak; and a fat, long-necked, black bird that might have been a wild turkey.

A co-worker told me an alligator lives in the lake on the golf course, but I didn't see it. Considering everyone seemed to be spending the week yanking my chain, the alligator story was probably a lie. (insert sinister music here.)

Every morning I swiped breakfast off the show floor and ran back to my room to eat on my balcony.

The first morning I heard, "I guess the balconies aren't private," from above. Turned out the Deadline Setter's room was a floor above and one room over from mine. Despite the fact that we had both gone back to our rooms for a quite start to a busy day, we ended up calling back and forth to each other.

No one complained, so I guess we were ok. Makes me wonder whether the company had to pay extra for them to let me in. hehehe

And a River
As it was a business trip, there wasn't really time for fun (or knitting!) but we did our best.

The first night the Other Associate Editor, the Guy in the Art Department, his helper, and I went down to the Lazy River on the grounds of the Marriott next door. But there was a massive thunder and lightening storm, so we couldn't swim.

Actually, when the storm let up, around 10 p.m., we dove in anyway. But a hotel worker/lifeguard lady appeared out of nowhere and kicked us out.

The second night we succeeded in a few laps before we had to go in for a staff meeting.

That inner tube? $7! For as much as it cost to stay there, they couldn't lend us an inner tube?

Well, we got our money's worth because the Deadline Setter actually bought it, then handed it over to me when she left. So, ha!

The Guy in the Art Department brought it home in the truck with all our equipment. It's on her desk now, but she hasn't been in the office to find it. hehehe.

Swamped

The problem with blogging during my lunch hour at work is that when I get really busy, I don't feel like I should be goofing off blogging.

Good grief, I did a better job of blogging last week when I was on my business trip and didn't even have internet acess!

Yeah, if all those posts seemed a little short for me it's because I pre-loaded them on Saturday. hehehe. Apparenlty Boss Man was like "WTH?!" when he saw the one on Tuesday because he knows I don't have a laptop and I was supposed to be working (which I was).

So after traveling for the week, then being up at the in-law's for the weekend for Father's Day, I've just fallen behind.

I will try to muster something up tonight. Otherwise, maybe you will never hear about Florida.

In the mean time, admire my adorable, tired puppies. My in-law's have a BIG yard, very convenient for running high energy puppies into the ground. :-)

That is Samson, above, stopping to smell the flowers. Baru, right, is up to no good, probably getting ready to pounce on Samson.