Well the dreaded Monkey Socks (mentioned in This Post ) from the pattern by Cookie A. are done and, I have to say, they hurt my hands but I kinda love them! Now I am wondering how this pattern would look in hand spun alpaca and that's NOT A GOOD THING!, because I live in Florida now. Sore hands and hot but pretty feet?
Suri / Huacaya alpaca blend hand spun
Meanwhile, I have already started on some socks for my daughter's 17th birthday and she desperately wanted socks made with Opal brand's imported-from-Germany Harry Potter series. The color pattern she wanted was named 'Tonks' after the character in the Potter series who is the only female auror. So I had to go crawling back to Devil Girl (mentioned in the previous post) to get this yarn which may not even be available here in the U.S. Devil Girl just got back from a wicked yarn-buying binge in Germany.
Harry Potter themed yarn from Germany
That's just the kind of super-cool Mom I am. The, humpf, boyfriend, tried to get in on the action and ordered Harry Potter Dark Mark socks (pattern available on Ravelry.com) but I just laughed cruelly at this silly, little boy! In the list of people who are all hinting around for hand-knit socks and may or may not get some, the daughter's boyfriend appears just above serial killers and well below my best friend in Maryland's NEW best friend.
He, Scott, might get a pair of socks eventually but I plan to use Imagination's hand painted alpaca-wool blend in the 'Wicked Witch' colorway for him. He's a 'friend of Dorothy', which I am totally fine with, but he did STEAL my BF! He'll probably LOVE the Wicked Witch theme though. They are kind of Fabulous.
But, look what I am starting my daughter's Harry Potter socks on:
knit in the round with square sock needles!
Square sock needles! My friend Roseann, the UberKnitter sent me these square sock needles and they are super comfortable. I never would have imagined that going square could make your knitting needles feel better in your hands but they do. She also sent me a sample of Tofutti sock yarn. I know she isn't a big fan of it, but I kind of like it. Thanks Roseann!
Tofutti, soy silk sock yarn
Well, I was feeling very sorry for myself because for the first time in millions of years, I was not at the MD Sheep & Wool Festival. Apparently my kids are expected to avoid long road trips and actually attend high school here in Florida. How ridiculous is that?
Luckily, my amazingly wonderful friend Toni sent me not one but TWO MDS&WF t-shirts! I'm feeling very grateful now and I love the design winner from this year's MDS&WF! So funny.
MD Sheep & Wool Festival tshirt 2009
child's MD Sheep & Wool Festival tshirt 2009
I did cruise over to the blogs of two fiber friends who I knew would be at the Festival, Roseann, and her friend Patrick. I looked at their stashes from MDS&WF just to torture myself and it worked. I felt desperately jealous.
But, I do have new knitting friends here in Florida and they are introducing me to some pretty fun stuff. My cell phone now has a custom 'ring tone' and it plays the Knitta Please rap song. My favorite line from which is,
'You really call this your softest fleece? Knitta Please!'
You can download the entire song from the link below but - BE WARNED! - it does have some bad words in it like when it says,
'Don't take no #$%p from the Crochet B$#%es.' OK, it is a little juvenile but it makes me laugh.
Knitta Please rap:
Scroll a little over halfway down the page and look for the link to the mp3 file on the right side.
It was due to my desire to find the song online that I came across the Knitta Please terrorist knitting group and their nefarious plan to cover public property with knitting, without the proper permit, or even so much as a Mother May I?. Here is a bus they covered in Mexico City. Who says knitting is for old ladies?
bus covered with knitting in Mexico City
Soon people like me will be way too old and uncool to be allowed into knitting groups. I might have to pierce something or at least get a tatoo. Does a skin cancer removal scar count as facial art? Probably not.
In between all too infrequent knitting jags, I am writing a thrice weekly online column for the Miami Examiner about 'Alternative Religions.' The newspaper, as a media outlet, is pretty much dead so I figure that I might as well get paid to write about my obsessions from now on.
It is really not my wish to shock or offend so, if you are a fundamentalist Christian, Jew or Muslim, you will want to avoid my new blog. If you want to read my alternative religion blog, you can find it here:
Kate's Miami Examiner Blog
It's turning out to be a lot more work than I thought to come up with at least 3 columns a week so all my fiber arts crafts have suffered, but I did manage to finally, finish hand spinning the teal colored Merino roving I bought last year at the MD Sheep & Wool Festival.
No, that was not a typo! It only took me 1 whole year to get around to it. The good news is that I am now free to move on to the Huacaya / Suri alpaca blend roving that I bought at the Florida Alpaca
Breeders Show mentioned in this post.Florida Alpaca Breeders Show
This is spinning up perfectly! The combination of Suri and Huacaya gives it the strength of silk but with a halo of fluffier huacaya all around the core. I can't wait to finish this skein up! And, it's giving me a chance to use my Kiwi wheel's lace whorl again. Now that I'm in Florida, I may just keep the lace whorl on the wheel for good.
To all my pals at the MD Sheep & Wool Festival, I really miss you but I'll be back when the brats graduate from high school (Goddess willing.)
Below: Random Youtube video of a Rock Band's video with animated knitting background. I just HAD to share this one!
Machine Knit, Music Video
I think You do a great job. Thanks
Made my life easier..thanks
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