Wendy Knits

And here I thought I was so clever, coming up with a contest that would be hard. You either all know how to find stuff really really well, or you hang on to my every word.

I’m thinking it’s the former, not the latter.

My Dark Secret

You know how I’m always bleating about how much I adore my Pony Pearl dpns? I have a confession to make:

I like Brittany birch dpns better.

I’m knitting a pair of socks out of sportweight sock yarn for my dad, and when I attempted to start them with size 2.75mm Pony Pearls, I found the tips were too blunt to use easily. Apparently the only Pony Pearls I like are the 2.0mm size, because in that fine size the bluntness of the tips is not an issue.

Double duh.

I’ve got Brittany Birch dpns in the 7.5″ length. That’s a little longer than I like for socks. They also come in a 5″ length, and I’m thinking I’m going to buy some of those. My Pony Pearls are 6″, but I think 5″ length is do-able. They’ll fit a lot better in my purse, too.

I feel so much better now that’s out in the open!

Marina

My progress is slowing, because I’ve got that pesky working-for-a-living getting in the way of my knitting time.

But there’s something that I’ve noticed.

Lookie here:

Does this remind you of something I’ve knitted recently? I’ll give you a hint:

Lucy is being helpful here, sorting the colors.

In the “How Cute Is This?” Department

Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Kate has bunnies!

They are beyond cute.

The Mice That Ate My Condo

Boy, do we ever have mousies! 71 in the mail yesterday, from Elizabeth in Fairview, NC, Julie in Coronia, CA, Anne in Lincoln, NE, Debi in Plantation, FL, AJ in Milwaukee, WI, and Marta in Golden, CO. Thank you all! And thank you for the assorted tissue paper — Lucy is in hog heaven. Thanks too for the extra catnip — I’ve got some empty mousies to stuff (I’m trying to share some duties and not overload our mouse-stuffers!) and this will be a great help.

She is getting to be one spoiled little kitty. AJ thoughtfully enclosed a wonderful felted ball that she made. It even has a bell in it.

It was only after she wore herself out chasing it that Lucy consented to pose with her new toy. She’s a little hopped up on catnip scented tissue paper, too.

And I’ll close this entry with a great mailing label I saw today on one of the mouse packages!

I am not playing favorites here, but this was too cute not to share!

A friendly “Meow!” to all of Mommy’s online knitting friends.

It’s a tough life being a little kitty.

Thank-you, Lucy, for a glimpse into the frustrations of being a kitty. Yeah, you have a tough life.

And thanks very much to Suzanne in Meriden, CT, from whom I received a big bag o’ mousies yesterday!

I returned home yesterday to Marina, which I missed and thought longingly of all day. I wish I could take her to knit on the metro, but somehow I don’t think my fellow commuters would appreciate me juggling my big box of yarn, chart, and WIP on the train. So at home she stays.

Sigh.

But here’s a progress pic for you.

The Forlorn, Abandoned Sock

Because I cannot take Marina on the train with me, I’ve dug out the sock I was working on before I abandoned it to take Max on the train as commuter knitting. This is the first sock of a pair for my dad, and I’m nearing completion of this sock — see?

Just gotta finish him up and knit his mate.

September Contest!

Woo-hoo! September contest will be announced on Monday. It’s a hard one, but with a very nice prize. Watch this space!

Useless Fact du Jour

I can still make Ian laugh by imitating Conan O’Brien saying “monkeypox!” even though I’ve done it at least 500 times.

Let me tell you . . . it’s a damned good imitation!

I’m glad to see that there are at least a couple Last of the Summer Wine fans out there.

Questions from yesterday –

Where did I get the box that’s holding my yarn? It was answered in my comments, but for those of you who didn’t see it, it’s an “accessory box,” ordered from Home Storage USA. It’s made from canvas and is just right for storing 25 gram balls of shetland wool. I arrange them in the same order they are listed on the chart color key — makes it a lot easier to find the right color.

Am I using center pull balls and how did I wind them?

Yes, and I wound them using a swift and ball-winder.

What did I use for the color “Blue grass?” It’s Jamieson & Smith color number FC39.

Lucy has been a big help so far on this project.

You can see that she is monitoring my progress on the ribbing very closely. And thanks to her supervision, I finished it! All twenty-nine blasted rounds of it.

So I’m into the body pattern. And wondering why I ever bother to knit anything but fair isles.

Mouse-a-thon!

More mousies in the mail! Thanks to Gail in Raymond, ME, Lise in Middletown, NJ, Suellen in Reseda, CA, and Tamara in Leander TX. Thank you all!