Yesterday was a dark and dreary autumnal day. The result of that is that by the time I got home, it was too dark to decently photograph Valtos. I tried, but without the flash it was an almost black blob and with the flash it was a dark green blob.

I’ll photograph it today, hopefully with better results. I’m off work for a doctor’s appointment but hopefully I’ll be home when there’s enough light to get a good picture. Though it’s dark and rainy outside.

Speaking of Valtos, I made it to the armholes on the back. I ought to be able to make some good progress today.

Izzy is afraid that you all think that she spends her entire life glommed on the couch. So here she is in an action shot!

Well, for her that’s an action shot.

Got home late yesterday so no photo update of Valtos. Yeah, I know you’re disappointed, but it’ll be all the more exciting tomorrow, eh?

Well, I only knit about 6 rows on Valtos last night. But I KIPped on my sock-in-progress at the doctor’s office. One of the receptionists asked about the finer points of sock knitting. She said she used to knit. There was a familiar glint in her eye, so hopefully she went home and dug out her needles!

Geane was asking me about the travelling stitches on the wrong side of Valtos. Nope, there are no particular instructions for doing this in the pattern. You just have to be durn sure you have your stitches travelling in the right direction when you’re on the wrong side. It helps to peek at the right side while you’re doing your wrong side twists.

The pattern repeat for Valtos is big — 38 stitches (I think) and 40 rows, so it’s not a pattern I can easily memorize — I have to look at the chart at the beginning of every row. Still, it’s a fun pattern that I’m enjoying knitting.

And speaking of fun . . . Here’s a blog I stumbled across recently — check out The Blue Blog. Be sure to look at her finished work galleries too!

When I came in to work this morning, this photo had been left on my desk. It was taken in August at an awards ceremony. Left to right are the head of our agency Deputy Assistant Secretary Don Todd, my boss Kay Oshel, Assistant Secretary of Labor Victoria Lipnic, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, me, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Wilson.

A lousy photo of everyone, except the Secretary of Labor who looks perfect as usual.

Izzy would like to show you the yarn we are going to use to knit socks for my father:

This is Regia 6-ply, same as what I’m using for Dave’s socks. I won’t have to make these socks quite as large — thankfully. On Dave’s socks I’ve got maybe 5 inches left to do on the leg.

And the obligatory Valtos update photo is here. I’m working along on the back. I’m about 15 rows from starting the armhole shaping.

This is what’s been going on in the Washington DC area. Not good.

As you can see, Izzy is just plain tuckered out from her weekend.

Hope you all had a good weekend — we did.

Went to the Big Fat Greek Festival at St. Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in Northern Virginia on Saturday. Lots of great food!

And watched one of my favorite rock and roll movies Saturday night — “Still Crazy.”

Oh and I did some knitting too. I finished the front of Valtos — photo here.

Got started on the back — past the ribbing and into the pattern. Pix tomorrow.

I’ve turned the heel on the second sock on The Neverending Socks — the socks for my brother Dave. I should be able to finish the damn sock this week.

Yesterday was a lovely day — not too hot, nice breeze. It was a nice day in Toronto, too, I understand, as Amy, our beloved editor of Knitty, did the CIBC Run for the Cure. Read all about it on Amy’s blog.