Second Wind

For those of you dear souls who actually read all of my posts, this is really a continuation of the Marathon post below. Otherwise, jump in! There's actual knitting content here.

First though, we have to take care of some coffee swap business. Holly wants to know:

As the cold of winter approaches, do you change the projects you work on? Do you work on gifts for others or do you continue working on projects for yourself?

You mean other than socks?! I'm supposed to be doing some lace and other holiday knitting, but there are November/early December birthdays that require some knitting too. I'm not working on anything for me right now, and the goal is to not knit for myself until after the holiday knits AND my Pay it Forward knits are complete. As this was my first calendar year of knitting, I did find myself picking non-wool, smaller items in the heat of summer, save socks of course.

No, I haven't finished the Jaywalker yet, but thanks for asking. It seemed like a good plan at the time to knit my child-footed mother inlaw's socks on #0s, but - DUH? - little needles mean little stitches, which all adds up to taking forever to knit one friggin' sock. I do love the pattern, so that helps, but after whipping out the Knight's pair in no time, this is a humbling reminder that even short woman socks can take a long time.

So how 'bout those finished Fred socks? They're lovely, the really are. (And yes, the Knight wanted them that short.)

Details:

Pattern - Beaded Rib from Sensational Socks.

Changes - I'm in love with the magic cast-on from Cat Bordhi, so that's what I used. Yes, toe-up, with a short-row heel.

Needles - Size #2 circs, my Harmonys.

Yarn - Alabama Fiber's custom, Fred's Yarn

And now, those pesky, tiny Jaywalkers. They're being done in KnitPicks' Felici, in Hummingbird. I am in love with this pattern. It might replace the Monkey as my favorite sock pattern, but you know I'm fickle. I'm almost done with the foot decreases now, and with a not quite size five ladies shoe as my goal and a 2" toe, I really think I can finish them tonight. That is of course, if I quit blogging and return to knitting, but a girl's gotta' eat, right? I can blog and eat, but I can't knit and eat, so cut me some slack, will ya'?

The other thing that slows me down on these socks is about every ten rows or so, I have to stop and admire 'em. If I didn't know that I'd get to see them nearly every time they're worn, I don't know if I could give them up. Soft yarn, pretty stripes... Yeah, that's why they call it yarn porn. I do have more Felici for the Knight - in the Firefighter colorway! - but I'm thinking I need another colorway for me too. I might not get around to knitting them in the next decade, but when I do, I'll love the way this yarn and this pattern groove together!

I'm doing beach laundry and missing the sound of the waves breaking. So to console myself, I offer this:

It's the view off the front porch on a clear day. I miss you, OBX. The good news is, we'll be back. My aunt and I spent 40 minutes on the phone today, talking about the beach. They're headed down tomorrow for a couple of days.

Last, but hardly least, I offer some evidence of non-knitting crafting. I've mentioned before that a group of us gathers monthly to scrap and stamp. Last night, they got all organized and we had both a scrapping "take away" and a stamping workshop. I know some of you enjoy those crafts too, so here's what we did:

Creative Memories door journal box:

Stampin' Ups gift tags and card:

Please note all of the purple. Gah! It's growing on me. Especially when paired with a green, I'm starting to like it. Not that I had a choice; these colors were pre-selected for the mini workshop.

Well, dinner's done, so that means I should wrap it up here and return to the sock. Thanks for reading!

Smack!!

That's me hitting myself in the head. As I rushed out of town Friday, I left Cass's 333 Contest in limbo. Of course, y'all are all reading her wacky, funny blog anyway, but...

Then, there's the coffee swap. I actually *DO* have some coffee here at the beach, thanks much. It's in a bottle, in the refrigerator, with Starbucks on the label, but that counts right?? There's a topic of the week, and you know I'm a team player and a contest junkie, so:

When did you first start drinking coffee? What age were you? Was it about the caffeine, or do you love the taste and smell? Tell us how your passion began!

Firstly, I'd hardly call it a passion. That's the cold, hard truth. Tea is a passion, but I'm learning to like coffee. LIKE. Just enough to think it's fun to be in a swap.

My start with coffee had me gagging and spitting. Not pretty. That's pretty much how I reacted until one of the other female firefighters ground some for me. I don't recall the first flavor - hazelnut? - but once I learned that I didn't loathe ALL coffee, I very slowly began testing the waters. So for the sake of the contest, let's say I was in my 20s before I was able to actually swallow a sip of coffee.

I've always loved the smell of coffee though.

And no, Mugsy isn't sure about the waves. He likes the little ones that lap at the shore best, thanks.

Maybe knitting content will happen in the next post.

FFBE Final Question and More Again

Have you noticed that it's feast or famine with my posts? Hope that doesn't bother anyone. It's a matter of time, and it's a rainy, boring day in the working world.

How was your experience in the exchange? Did you enjoy the folks you met? Did you just love the bag you received? Please share any thoughts, criticism, and things you loved!

Well, I just sent out my pal's package yesterday and haven't received mine yet, so there's little to report. My upstream pal has been in touch and has asked questions so I know she's reading up on me, which will lead to a great bag, I'm sure! My downstream pal has been a royal pain in my rear, trying to solicit information about her bag from mutual friends... Oh yeah. Wait. That's YOU, isn't it Miss Question-asker? SNOL!! Seriously though, I had great fun spoiling you, although I do think YOU have more fun when you have a co-host, so I'll be mindful of that next time I decide at the last minute to be less than helpful.

I will of course, go on and on when my package does arrive. But you already knew that, didn't you?

And since I keep forgetting, I really need my SNOL button out in plain sight!

Also, if you're like me (forgetful), you need a reminder that the Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap is open for registration. Get that questionnaire posted though!

Y'all Call Cleatis...

He ain't never seen nuthin' like this. (And yes folks, we have a family friend named Cleat, and he most certainly would be interested in knowing that I'm suddenly into coffee. I'm also sure that Cleat thinks that any of that fancy stuff is stupid; Folgers is ritzy by his standards.)

I'm looking forward to Anne and Holly's coffee swap. (Even my mother inlaw glanced at the computer screen and remarked, "You're doing coffee now?!") Um, yeah. But please, pal o' mine, please don't try to broaden my horizons too much!

Sign-ups begin October 24th. (Anne's birthday, just so you know.)




So, here we go with the questionnaire:

I happen to love lengthy questionnaires, and obviously, my friends the hostesses do too, but if you don't, there will be another post sooner or later, so it won't hurt my feelings if you don't read along!

Coffee

What are your favorite kinds of coffee? (Brands, Roasts, anything at all you'd like to share!)

Iced. Mochas. If it's hot, I need it to not taste like coffee so much. If it's cold, add milk and a touch of Splenda or a flavoring syrup, and I'm good. Seriously? Starbucks peppermint mocha was my first clue that I didn't hate coffee. For summer, it's been McDonald's Iced Coffee. Large, plain or hazelnut.

Do you prefer whole bean or ground coffee?

Now, don't laugh, but whole bean is good. I actually own a grinder, although I use it for flax seed.

This time of year, there are often Holiday Blends available, and many flavored coffees - do you drink flavored coffee? Do you enjoy special blends?

See above. If it's hot coffee, it has to be flavored. I don't like vanilla, but my mother inlaw does. I like chocolates, mints and nuts.


How do you take your coffee? Cream and Sugar? Straight up? Decaf?

Lots of cream or milk - I'm not choosy. Splenda over sugar if I have the choice, and you can hold the decaf. I like caffeine.

Do you prefer drinking from a nice thick mug, or a matched cup and saucer?

I love the *IDEA* of a dainty cup and saucer, and I enjoy using a fine china cup when I get the chance. However, for day to day life, I'm a honkin' big mug kind of girl. (Here's the truth; if I'm acting like a lady, seated somewhere, bring on the cup and saucer. But if I have to TAKE my hot beverage somewhere, like to my desk, the living room, etc., it needs to be a mug, not quite filled, and there's still a chance I'll slosh.)

Winter and Holidays - PLEASE be descriptive! Your pal will need this information to be sure to put together a package you will enjoy!

What is your favorite part of Winter?

The cold part? Right now, I'm looking forward to wearing my sweaters, jeans, knitted socks, etc. I also love nothing more than a pretty, fresh snow first thing in the morning, or under the moonlight.

Do you celebrate a holiday in December, and if so, which holiday?

Christmas, in the rather traditional fashion. However, I have friends with a vast range of beliefs and practices, and I like to learn about different traditions and such.

If you celebrate Christmas, do you put up a tree?

You bet! It's the extent of my decorating most years.

Would you enjoy items related to the holiday, or would you prefer a Winter themed package?

Either, but please, no angels. I'm an open-minded Christian, but I'm not a big fan of angels as decorations.

Do you collect anything?

Dog ornaments, specifically jack russell or heck, even still a basset hound. I also like stars, pewter or brass ornaments, and the Knight has almost enough fire department ornaments for his own tree.

I also love holiday dishes. Anything with red, green and gold fits in with my dining room plans. I have a wild notion that mismatched holiday/winter tea cups and saucers would be fun so that I can start the tradition of a holiday tea.


Are there any holiday or winter-themed items (Snowmen, Angels, Snoflakes, Santas, etc) that you collect?

Stars. I love stars. I'm not sure how holiday themed they are, but they're easier to find around Christmas...

Do you wear scarves? Mittens? Hats?

Scarves and hats. Can't drive in mittens, can't hold onto a dog leash too well in mittens...

What is your favorite holiday or winter treat?

Pumpkin or peppermint anything. ANYTHING.

Please share a favorite Winter or Holiday memory.

Food. Family. Laughter. There's the year my mother inlaw and my brother inlaw's now former mother inlaw got into the wine and wandered around in the snow. I have an assortment of memories with various parts of my family, but they all involve food, family and laughter.

Winter? Playing in the snow. Good times. Fred loved to snort snow.


Yarn and Crafting

Do you Knit or Crochet?

Knit. I can't even do a great single chain in crochet.

For how long?

11 months and counting... Let's just say a year, okay?

Do you like wooden, metal, or plastic needles\hooks?

Depends on the project. I'm loving my Knitpick Harmonys right now, and I think I have just about every need in metal, so let's say wood/bamboo.

Circular or straight?

Circs, almost exclusively. I don't use straights for much other than dishcloths, but there are some pretty wooden ones out there! DPNs are good too, but I think I have at least one of every size of those.


What sort of projects do you enjoy making?

Socks. Felted bags. Socks. Anything new. Socks. Lace. Socks.

What are your favorite types of yarn to work with?

Unless I'm felting, I like wee little yarns. For socks, Tofutsies are my favorites, but I love trying new yarns too. I'm getting interested in lace, so that's a whole, new ballgame. I especially enjoy wool-alternatives or blends.

Do you spin or dye?

As a child, I spun in circles and my family called it "Going to the Baldwin Sister's." Fans of The Waltons will know what they meant.

So the short answer is no. And I never will, because my friends humor me and spoil me with their own efforts.


Do you do other crafts such as scrapbooking or needlepoint or anything else?

I used to, before I became consumed by knitting. Scrapbooks and stamping are the only things still on my radar.

General

When is your birthday?

July 1

Do you have any children? (Furry kind count!)

Just one very rotten Jack Russell Terror. I doubt that will change before the end of this swap, but if it does, you won't be able to miss it. (And that would be another dog, not a baby. There will be no human additions to our household.)

Oh - and Flipper. Poor Flip. I forget to feed him, I forget to mention him, and yet he lives and seems happy enough.

What are your favorite colors?

You know, I hesitate to answer that question because even the colors I say I don't like show up in the right combinations, in the right projects. Green, red, blue, brown and pink are always safe.

Do you have any allergies?

Not yarn or coffee related.