Hearts Afire or I Love These Socks!

I almost always think that the latest pair of socks I make is my favorite.  And I do, certainly, have favorites. Last year’s Lizzie is definitely a fave, and the Popsicle socks I completed recently.

And these, which I finished maybe three (?) weeks ago but forgot to blog about – Hearts Afire, by a designer on Ravelry. Perhaps I should have chosen a more solid yarn, but I love the yarn, I love the pattern, I have no complaints.

Hearts Afire

 The yarn is Araucania Ranco Multy.  I love this yarn, with its rustic feeling and nice colors.  I have a couple more skeins (maybe four?) in my stash, which is great! The stitch definition is nice and I just like it in general.

 The pattern is well written and very pretty. It is written toe-up and I prefer top-down so I changed the pattern in that way and added two pattern repeats down the heel.  If it weren’t for such a well-written pattern I would not have been able to figure it out.  So, props!

 Hearts Afire

The weather has been iffy here lately – warm one day, cold the next, and it hailed yesterday! It’s been pretty chilly at night but I heard it’s supposed to get warmer… which I hate. But I have central air now, so this summer should be quite pleasant!

We had Easter at my house this year, and that marked the first social event I have had since I moved in.  (I think my friends were over when I first bought the place, but I remember a distinct lack of furniture… so that didn’t count.) Basically I was forced into major cleaning mode, and that kind of boiled down to shoving things in closets and a major clean-up… which ultimately resulted in a clean and fairly organized house! 

I don’t know what to think about that!

So, various and assorted things are coming up that I am looking forward to – this weekend a bead show in Oakland, my friend Julie is coming to visit from Biloxi at the end of the month, and the Maker’s Faire is in about a month.  I also have some irritating real-life things to take care of, like the broken toilet and taking my car in for scheduled maintenance.  I also had to pay taxes this year, and that really pissed me off.  Not to mention, I still have dental work to complete! yaargh.

Basically I should be more solvent by the end of the third fiscal quarter 2009. *sigh*

Here is a meme for your reading/stealing pleasure:

Sunday Stealing: Green Meme

1. What is your current obsession? Having/not having money.  And turnips on Animal Crossing. (Who has Animal Crossing for the Wii? Let’s be friends! So I can steal your fruit!)

2. What’s a good coffee place? My kitchen.  I brew coffee just the way I like it – strong enough to knock your socks off, then doctor it up into delicious honey latte territory.  I used to be big into Starbucks, but have totally lost interest; it’s not strong enough for me.

3. Who was the last person that you hugged? My grandma at Easter, I think.

4. Do you nap a lot? I nap whenever I get the chance.  I napped yesterday afternoon (knocked out by a combination of a headache, overall tiredness, and a tetnus shot), but as a result was awake until almost 1 a.m. Napping is best done on the weekends. 

5. Tonight, what’s for dinner? Some form of macaroni and cheese, and probably chicken.  Maybe a vegetable. (maybe.)

6. What was the last thing that you bought? I bought a bunch of books on Tuesday, but today I bought a ham/cheese/egg/english muffin at the downstairs bistro, because I was in need of protein.

7. What is your favorite weather? I hate most weather.  I love rainy weather – the type where you stay inside and listen to the rain and are cozy inside. Thunderstorms – love ’em.  But I hate being cold, being hot, being neither hot nor cold… I am not easy to please.  Probably 74 degrees and no humidity would be perfect weather for me.

8. Tell us something about one blogger who you think will play this week? What?

9. If you were given a free house that was fully furnished, where in the world would you like it to be? Either San Antonio, TX or Boston, Mass.

10. Name three things that you could not live without. My glasses, my (quality of life changing birth control) pills, and comfortable shoes.

11. What would you like in your hands right now? My pillow which means I could be at home and sleeeeeeping.

12. What’s one of your guilty pleasures? I like Mandy Moore.

13. What would you change or eliminate about yourself? I wish I had more (any) patience.

14. As a child, what type of career did you want? I still don’t know.  In high school I wanted to be a geologist, but once I started down that path in college I realized I didn’t really like science. I APPRECIATE science, but not enough to do it as a career.

15. What are you missing right now? Money.

16. What are you currently reading? Liberty & Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark Levin. 

17. What do you fear the most? I really kinda worry that our country is headed towards socialism.

18. What’s the best movie that you’ve seen recently? Death Race.

19. What’s your favorite book from the past year? From the past year? I don’t know if I can choose. I really enjoyed the last two Jim Butcher books (the latest from each of his two series), and am currently HIGHLY enjoying Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!

20. Is there a comfort food from your childhood that you still enjoy? Sure, meatloaf or whatever. I like food.

***

I finished a pair of socks for my sister last night and I started a pair of socks for me out of the new Cookie A book.  So, at least I will have blog fodder later in the week. Or next week. Or whenever.

Six Months (Lame)

Popsicle Socks

It took me six months to knit the above socks.  But the important thing is that I finished them. 

Pattern: Popsicle
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy
Mods: None (I KNOW, right? That is so unlike me.)

It’s a good pattern; the socks fit great, and I really quite like the fabric that DiC Smooshy makes.  I’m glad I have a hojillion skeins of that stuff left in my stash. 😉

The neat thing about this pattern is how the design kind of slides right off the foot:

Popsicle Socks

I’m actually pretty close to finishing my Hearts Afire socks, less than one repeat and a toe to go.  What is this, finishing season for me? 😛

DSC02471But, seriously, that pink sock is getting pretty close to being done.  I hope to get it mostly done tonight, while watching my Monday night television (Big Bang Theory, anyone?).  I also finished one of Abby’s Monkey socks, but I haven’t started the second one yet – once I finish the Heart’s Afire socks I will cast on the second Monkey.  Doesn’t that yarn knit up nice in the Monkey pattern, though?  I think it’s Perchance to Knit in Navy Rainbow or something. The pink is Araucania Ranco Multy, which I REALLY like. 

I should really do a new sock yarn review thing, since the old one was on the old blog.

Anyway, so that is what I am currently working on.  Up next, besides socks, I am going to break out the Malabrigo Sock Yarn and work on some fingerless mitts for a Texas friend.  It should be pretty awesome. (Especially since I accidentally bought two of the same colorways that look totally different. :P)

WIPs and an FO

What I’ve been working on:

Navy Rainbow Monkey Socks
Abby’s Navy Rainbow Monkey Socks
Yarn: Perchance to Knit sock yarn in Navy Rainbow

Carribbean Chocolate Socks
Turquoise/Brown Simple Ribbed Socks
Yarn: PacaPeds Sock Yarn in Caribbean Chocolate (alpaca!)

Hearts Afire
Hearts Afire (pattern available on Ravelry)
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Multy

Skull Hat
Sam’s Replacement Skull Hat
Yarn: Berroco Comfort (black) and Bernat Glow In the Dark
Notes: The glow in the dark yarn was a pain.

I still have a bunch of other wips too…

Today I’m working on the Hearts Afire because it’s really captured my attention and because I have the day off – and I’ll knit what I want to!

I’m meeting Malvina for a Chinese Buffet lunch in a bit, and I’m going to pick up a pizza for dinner, because: DAY OFF!