FO: Devil's leftover socks

Pattern: my own, simple toe-up socks worked in k5/p1 rib, short-row heel
Yarn: leftovers from the Rainbow Socks, Lang Jawoll Aktion
Needles: well, theoretically US 1.5/2.5 mm, but I lost one needle partway through and substituted a US 1/2.25 mm. Didn't make any difference.
Gauge: 11 sts/12 rows per inch in pattern, unstretched.
Comments: These are finally done! It's been a long time coming. I made these extra long in the foot so they'll actually fit her the next time it's cold enough to force her to put on socks (like in December).

Some may notice that the stripe repeat is disrupted in one of the sock legs (which one?). That's because I finished the first one and ran out of yarn on the second leg, so I had to cannabilize the first to make them match. I totally guesstimated how far to rip back, but it came out pretty close:

Note small amount of yarn left after binding off.

I use the work two, put back on left needle, ktbl bind off method for toe-up socks, and realized this morning that I'm not particularly consistent about the orientation of the stitches (twisted vs. untwisted) when I'm doing it. I wonder if it makes any difference in the appearance? Perhaps there's a tutorial post in there somewhere.

These socks are my first contribution to the Sock a Month knitalong, which I just joined a few weeks ago (although it started in January). Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with at least one pair a month!

36 months of Devil

Today is a banner day for you kiddo - you turn three years old today! This is the first birthday you've actually really been aware of. I blame the long string of birthday parties last summer when you first got it into your head that this birthday thing might be a pretty good gig. Since then, you've been off-and-on obsessed by the entire concept and periodically would run down the list of birthdays that had to occur before we got to yours (Mama's birthday, then Boo's, then Daddy's birthday and then Devil's birthday!) But yesterday it finally arrived.

Since you have not had the benefit (misfortune?) of my blogging since your early days, lets do a quick photographic rundown:

First there was this,

And then at one year, this:

By two you had discovered the joys of talking and were happily going on and on in a more-or-less intelligible fashion, although linear thought was not one of your strengths.

Now you are becoming your own person with a vengance, and it's both thrilling and slightly sad to watch. You love books and animals almost without measure, which thrills your parents (who are both somewhat bookish and animal-friendly themselves).

You've suddenly discovered the pleasures of your own company, and are not shy about indicating when you are channeling Ms. Garbo and would like us all to just bugger off for a bit please (although thankfully you don't use that exact phrasing).

You like to serenade us in the car with your own interpretations of popular children's songs. We knew you liked singing when you busted out with a punk rock version of "Frere Jacques" at about 26 months, but your freeform interpretations of "The Wheels on the Bus" are not to be missed.

In short sweetie pie, you are an absolute delight, even when you are being a royal pain in the ass. You are sweet and giving and funny and wonderful. I see myself in your not-insignificant grumpiness when we get you out of bed in the morning, and your Daddy in your insistence on everything being in its proper place (and the tendancy to eat the same thing for breakfast. Every. Single. Day.)

I love you more then I ever knew was possible.

Mama

Signs of spring, part II

When I was younger, spring meant crocuses, and blooming forsythia in front of my building, and playing outside.

When I was a little older, and spending my days here, spring meant putting the docks in really cold water, and spending Spring Break with 80 of my nearest and dearest as the crew team went south to train, and not drinking* for many moons until the spring season was over.

But then I went off to grad school just at the end of Ivey's tenure, and spring began meaning this. And then I went to Arizona, and landed in a lab containing a number of gambling-obessesed college sports fans (so obsessed that at one point we were having pools on Irish horse racing. Not to mention the 2000 Presidential election). Now that we have scattered to many places of academic biomedical research, we do our NCAA pool online. My record in this pool has been characterized by winning the 2000 electoral college pool (I was the only one who had Gore for the win), and eking out wins in March Madness two years in a row (although I had to put in two separate brackets each year to manage that). Ironman greatly enjoys this time of year, because he gets a big kick out of hearing me say "Dude, my bracket is fucked!" every evening for two weeks.

So far (after one day) I'm in last place. Hunh. Guess I'll have to make some sacrifices to the appropriate gods to pull out the win this year.

* Not that I drank alcohol in college...

I got something

But it's not knitting...

Speedy police-evading sheep (courtesy of the Yahoo Spin List).

My question is this: what was that animal on anyway? Cause my tri run leg could use some help. And is the owner ever going to be brave enough to claim it?

I got nothing

OK, that's not entirely accurate, but I don't have anything of note to show you. I have two almost finished socks, which, unfortunately, are not of the same pair. I have a Summertime Tunic that looks mostly the same as last time, only most of a hank of Premiere longer. I have a baby blanket that is trapped in intarsia hell, and probably needs a time out, but if I do that it won't be done by Devil's birthday. Oh hell, who am I kidding - it's not going to be done anyway...

It's springtime here in Houston, which makes for longer days and really nice weather for working out. I've entered a couple of races, so I've been trying to get in some consistent training in preparation. Running is going OK, swimming is fine - if I get in the pool twice a week I'm happy - but cycling has really been taking a hit. The problem is that cycling is time intensive; ideally I'd be riding at least three times a week, but that means at least an hour and a half out of the day, if not longer. Finding that time is tough with the kiddos around. Until the last few weeks, I've been bonding with my trainer, but since the time change, it's possible to ride after work. Tonight Ironman took the kids home and I went for a ride.

The only downside is that the number of clueless folk on wheels dramatically increases this time of year, not only because of the weather, but because of an impending physical challenge that a lot of people (upwards of 15,000) participate in every year. It makes for fun times out on the bike path - tonight I had the honor of being in the front row for a lovely bike-on-bike collision at a T intersection on the bike path. Thankfully everyone was going pretty slowly and no one was hurt, but harsh words were thrown and things got a bit testy (kind of like the Rav MCY thread). But I rode on home, thankful to have been paying attention, and glad that the bluebonnets are blooming and it's really spring.

Of course, the downside to that, is that summer is just around the corner...