Alongs, Those Cats

If the fox in sox counted his sox, how many sox would the fox rox?

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Lynda is hosting Count Your Socks, which will give us all a chance to simply show off all our socks or win a fabulous prize for having knit the most pairs of socks during the year. Why I am participating? Simply for the fun of it (and to see whose house I need to run a sock raid on, of course). I’m starting with 17 pair – nothing compared to Theresa’s amazing 39 pair!

“Why are there more socks on the floor than usual?! And wow, most of them are clean. Now that’s a change.”
“I wonder how many socks there are?”
“You are growing sleepy. When you wake up, you will remember only that there were more socks than you’ve ever seen in your life.”
Knitting, Those Cats

Chaotic Dance of the Jaywalker

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Some more photos from yesterday. In the comments, some have noted that their cats don’t get to play with knitting projects. Neither does Chaos, usually. However, when I bring out some bit of knitting to photograph, things just seem to gett out of hand quickly…

Sorry about this shot, Chaos… (It shows off the spot on his tummy that doesn’t have any guard hair. I think this spot is supposed to be white, based on the stray hairs nearby.) Anyway, I’ll let him take his bow:
Randonymity

The most alarming commercial of the year…

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Alarming non-knitting content ahead. Not even any cats. You have been warned.

If you watched the Tour de France, you saw this already… The Kinetic commercial of mountain bicycling champion and Tour de France commentor Bob Roll cycling naked has got to be one of the most alarming and yet strangely fascinating commercials of all time. It’s a spoof on Annie Leibovitz’s photo of Lance Armstrong cycling nude.

It’s quite possible that I need to get out more.

Alongs, Knitting, Those Cats

My Stashalong begins

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Thanks, everyone for your kind words on my Falling Leaves socks!

To start my Stashalong, I’m going to knit… Jaywalkers. Hey, I feel kinda left out – I’ve seen so many gorgeous Jaywalkers that I want my very own pair.

I started out winding some well-aged yarn from my stash. With help, of course…


“What’s this nifty new toy on my favorite chair?”
“Is this edible? Hmm, let me just find out…”

After the help was dismissed to the bathroom for a few minutes, I ended up with two lovely balls of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Black Purl. This yarn was purchased in 2001. Told you it was well-aged! 🙂

The really funny thing was me discovering that I have nearly the same shade in Koigu KPPPM (color P305) and in Koigu Kersti. Hopefully no one doubts my need to be in Stashalong. Anyway! I started my Black Purl Jaywalkers during a two-hour staff meeting this afternoon and made good progress, as assessed by Chaos:

“Tastes like… sheep. Mmmm…. sheep.”
Knitting, Those Cats

The leaves have fallen

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At long last, I’ve finished the Koigu Falling Leaves socks, making them my first finished objects of 2006… notwithstanding that they were started October 9, 2005. Moving right along, here’s a photo of them nearing completion earlier today – can’t you just feel the excitement?

Here’s the rest of the cat, if you were curious (and even if you weren’t):

“Huh? You woke me up for what?!?!?”

I meant to follow this pattern as written and do the short row toes and heels. In fact, I tried the short row toe from the pattern, but I didn’t get very far into it before the cursing started up (are you having a flashback yet, Ana?!) and I decided I would just use my regular old toe and heel. Whew. Much happier.

I also decided to do the lace pattern the opposite direction on one sock, but you have to get pretty darn close to my feet to detect that they’re the socks are mirror images lacewise.

Top view
Side view (featuring my regular old heel)

I do all my socks toe-up because those are womens size elevens you’re looking at… running out of yarn is a constant worry for me and toe-ups let me maximize the yarn. Good thing I don’t like tall socks, because this is all the yarn I had left:

Tomorrow I’ll reveal what my first Stashalong project will be.

Knitting, Randonymity

Listing to port or starboard

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I’ve read a lot of knitting resolutions over the past few days, which got me thinking about what my knitting resolutions might be. Pumpkinmama’s list finally inspired me to stop thinking and start listing.

Top 5 for 2005
1. New technique
Tragically, I’m pretty sure I didn’t learn any new techniques in 2005. For 2006, I’d like to finally grasp knitting in ends (the video link is partway down the page) and learn Norwegian purling.

2. Favorite finished objects
The perfect purple Anne socks I knitted for Jeanne’s birthday

and the amazingly irregularly shaped felted tote bag I knitted for my sister-in-law’s birthday.

“Mmmm… button. Love biting buttons off of things…”

3. Favorite knitalong
I didn’t participate in a single knitalong in 2005. For 2006, I am part of Stashalong (January 1 – March 31).

4. Favorite shop
Actually, I don’t have a favorite shop at the moment. I’m fond of Elann.com and WEBS, but try to avoid them. See #1 in the next list for why.

5. Favorite tools
My ReadUpon
My gadget bag

My circular needle case

Resolutions for 2006
1. Knit from stash.
Hence participating in Stashalong. I have a ridiculous amount of stash. I could knit entirely from stash for several years.

2. Find a new knitting group that meets weekly.
2005 saw the implosion of our weekly knitting group and I’ve missed that camaraderie. I have a blast knitting with Jeanne every other week, but have discovered that I need a weekly knitting group to stay grounded.

3. Go to at least one knitting retreat.
2005 was the first year since I started knitting that I haven’t gone to several knitting retreats and that was another thing I really missed. Anyone have suggestions?! I’m particularly interested in events in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest (especially Sante Fe or Taos), or something on a train. I should also return to the Camp Miller Knitting Retreat, which was the first retreat I ever went to and which led to me meeting most of the knitting friends I now have.

4. Knit more.
In 2005, I completed the fewest knitting projects since I started knitting – 17. Of course, 17 is my lucky number, so maybe it was ok. 🙂

5. Start knitting for the community again. It’s the right thing to do.

ArtsyMama just tagged me and since the tag fits the list o’ five thing I have going here… Here’s my list of five weird things about myself:

1. I am phobic about garbage disposals, power lawnmowers, and power saws – basically anything with spinning sharp blades that could cut off fingers.

2. I have celiac disease and follow a gluten-free diet. I’m also lactose intolerant, but hey, at least I can take pills and still eat small amounts of dairy.

3. I’ve been divorced since 1991. Being divorced isn’t particularly weird, but people are always surprised to find this out.

4. I’ve done the internet dating thing off and on since 1999 – more off than on. During the memorable but emotionally exhausting summer of 1999, I went on about 25 coffee dates in a six week period.

5. Charles de Lint is my favorite author of all time. I think the weird thing here is that so few people seem to know about de Lint. Or maybe the weird thing is that I want to be a Crow Girl. 🙂 I recommend starting with Someplace To Be Flying if you’re interested in finding out more about de Lint. That link takes you to an excerpt from the beginning of the book, so you can check it out risk free.

I tag Pink Rocket, Mama_Tulip, Jeanne, Ana, Eileen, Theresa, Carrie K, Hickmama, Kellie N, and “me” from Bermuda. (Yeah, so that’s more than five. What’s your point??!)

The “rules” are to list five weird things about yourself, then tag five other people. The tag includes telling them about said tag in their comments.

If I missed tagging you and you really want to share some weirdness about yourself with the world, feel free! Drop me a note in comments and I’ll add you to the list above.

Welcome to 2006. May this year be better than the last.

Randonymity, Those Cats

And what to my wondering eyes did appear, but… snow!

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This was the scene on my street when I woke up this morning; a few more inches have fallen since.

I haven’t received my “The City of Minneapolis has declared a Snow Emergency and anywhere you’re even thinking about parking is now illegal” email yet, but I bet it’s on its way.

I’m knitting away on my Koigu Falling Leaves socks – I have about 2/3 of the 2nd sock left to knit. (What baby sweater? Huh? Ends? What are you talking about?)

No knitting pictures today because I wanted to show off my new slippers. One of my lifelong desires has been to own a pair of novelty slippers. As lifelong desires go, it’s pretty lame, true. But I had never come across the perfect pair of novelty slippers for me. There were some Siberian Husky slippers at Target once… only in kids’ sizes. An ex-boyfriend had some bear paw slippers (ala Homer Simpson), but they just really weren’t my thing. Then last week, I discovered… black cat slippers.

Oh yeah. Notice how the tails are shaped very similarly to the Chaotic Kitty’s crooked stubby tail?

“What the…?”

Happy feet! The soles on these slippers are about an inch thick and super cushy.

So far Chaos hasn’t attacked my feet while I’m walking, which I think shows admirable restraint, what with the tails and all.

Perhaps because he was much more focused on playing fetch with his tail-free red sparkly mouse.

“I’m a predator. Get over it.”

Knitting, Those Cats

Big sigh

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Last night I knitted with Jeanne again. More accurately, Jeanne knitted,


and I wove in ends on the sweater for my coworker Maranda’s baby (known to be a boy). The baby who was probably born days ago, but Maranda’s (male) boss told her to just give a call and let us know sometime after she was home… We figure we’ll hear back at about the time the baby starts preschool.

Jeanne kindly pointed out that the sweater I’m insisting is sized for a one-year old probably won’t fit an average child until he’s two. Huh. Well then. Why am I bothering to weave in the ends now?! I have years to do it!

When I weave in ends, I apparently emit deep sighs with annoying regularity. Sometimes I catch myself. Last night I caught Jeanne sighing, too, as the sweater she’s working on isn’t one she would necessarily have picked to knit (it’s a special request from her mom) and in revenge, the sweater is fighting Jeanne knit over purl.

Mr. Intensity (aka “Fang Boy”) hasn’t much to say for himself today. Just that he’s keeping an eye on you… and you… and you, too.

Those Cats

A girl and her cat, a cat and his… sweatpants

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For the past several months, Chaos had an unusual interest in a pair of green sweatpants. This was not an exclusive relationship, however; he occasionally focused on a grey Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) sweatshirt. I have no pictures because he was usually quite secretive about this behavior. When he wasn’t secretive about it, I was generally gawking at him and trying to figure it out.

Friends pointed out that although it was certainly more simple to have a pair of sweatpants around than a second cat, maybe Chaos needed some company – company more interesting and interactive than sweatpants. However, since the sweatpants have remained on the shelf for the past several weeks, maybe the sweatpants thing was just one of those phases kids go through. (Don’t get me started on phases. His Sweatpants Phase was much better than, say, his Jackson Pollock phase. That was messy.)

What did this relationship consist of? Primarily of him dragging the sweatpants or sweatshirt off the shelf and often into another room. It isn’t easy for a cat to drag a large item of clothing around with his mouth, no matter that said cat is a muscular 15 pounds. I never wear the grey MPR sweatshirt, but when I put on the green sweatpants recently, I discovered that it’s not easy to be sweatpants that have been dragged around by a cat – my poor sweatpants are covered with numerous fang holes.

The Evidence
The Culprit
“Mmmmm… warm laundry…”

“Wait – are those sweatpants I see?!”

Art journaling, reading, knitting, and cat parenting. It's a wild life.