After seeing Anna’s Panta yesterday, I decided I need one. Every picture of a Panta that I’ve seen has been gorgeous, and I’m still very aware of the fabulous, wildly colorful yarns that I saw at the shop yesterday. This could be a good 1 ball project, and since I’m still stuck at home for the most part….. I’m justifying buying more.

Here’s a link to the main page on Craftster, and here’s a link to the page with one of the pattern translations.

I poured over the Sensational Sock book yesterday and this morning, and I think I’ve resolved on one. I’m a little nervous to start a toe up sock, so I’m going with a simpler stitch pattern on a cuff down sock. I know I like the look/fit of a cuff down sock. The toe up thing throws an “unknown” into the mix that I’m not in the mood for.

And I swatched.

Which isn’t that unusual for me, but I also washed and blocked the swatch. That I never do. Why do socks make me so nervous? It’s ridiculous. I know how to knit them.

Since we’re talking about washing the swatch… This yarn (oh, and here’s a link to what the yarn looks like knit up) has aloe vera and jojoba oil in it. Sounds weird, and it was certainly not a selling point for me, so I didn’t think much on it. Knitting the swatch felt pretty normal. Then I washed it, and the wool swatch morfed into this super soft fabric that I’m dying to get on my feet.

Seriously.

Want to know why? Well, let’s just say that I am genetically pre-disposed to calloused feet*. They’ve even cracked and bled at times. Now, I usually keep on top of things and when they start to get rough, I exfoliate with this fantastic pumice on a stick that found it’s way into my Christmas stocking a couple years ago (thanks Santa/Nate), and I slather on the best cream for fragrant-sensitive dry skin EVER for a few nights before bed, then I’m good for months.

*my mom lays out sheets of newspaper on the floor, gets comfortable, and takes an electric Black & Decker sander to her feet.

Not. Kidding.

I’m thinking that a moisturizing sock sounds like a good thing.

She splurges and buys herself gifties at the LYS.

For me, Olivia.

I got some gorgeous sock yarn. Mmmmmm. I’m excited to use it. The Sockotta looks fun, and wasn’t expensive at all. The other stuff, Austermann’s Step, is closer to Koigu level in price, but the colors are divine, and when Carol the owner of the shop pulled out a pamphlet to show me how they knit up, I knew I had to have one. Or two, as it turned out.

Heehee. Sock knitting for me, here I come!

And to entertain the kids, since we’re going to be stuck in the house much of the week…. we went to Sports Authority yesterday and came home with hula hoops

and table tennis.

They don’t look sick, do they? No, they don’t. Nor do they act sick when we’re at home. But as soon as we go anywhere, two of the three get tired, cranky, watery eyes, and the one coughs her head off, and the other one throws up. BUT, if we’re home, boring mom to death, we’re running around yelling, jumping, and playing.

We saw the doctor today, and he prescribed medication for the coughing child, and said we still can’t go anywhere near our new nephew that was born 10 days ago and has moved to a brand new house a few miles away from us that we haven’t seen.

I can’t stand it.

So I’ve given up on having a fun and eventful winter vacation, and I’m settling in with sock yarn and a fabulous book.

And I found out that my LYS is putting together a hat contest. Yeah, I’m so there!