It’s a gorgeous day, and I’m feeling a little depressed for absolutely no reason. Gotta be hormones. And the fact that my husband is always either working or at the girls’ softball games.

I’m trying to think of something fun to do that isn’t cleaning my house, however I know if I buckle down and clean my house, I’ll be in a better mood and more likely to enjoy the weekend.

Here are pictures of my pretty sock. I tried to overexpose, but that doesn’t seem to work on my camera anymore.

It’s actually a little snug. Not too snug, it feels good but I’m a bit concerned about wear. Carol says that as long as it’s snug around the foot and not heel to toe, I’ll be ok. I’m thinking about adding a couple stitches on the bottom as we approach the heel and gusset. (Do toe up socks even have an official gusset? I’ll find out when I get there). I think two more stitches would make the difference.

UPDATE- I’ve cleaned and swept the dining room, then I practiced a little guitar. My mood has definitely improved. >TMI alert< Guitar still makes me sick, so I don't practice very much. Today was going well, 'till I got carried away and started singing... I almost ralphed ON my guitar, but fortunately managed to hold it back and run to the sink. This is so weird.

SO, I’ll probably do a bit more cleaning and then I’m going to Pen Thai for that noodle dish I’ve been craving for days. Mmmmm, fried tofu. I can hardly wait.

So, my orange sock is too big. I started it at 64 stitches, on size 2 needles. The yarn is probably a tad thicker than Koigu but it is very similar. I’d have to drop down to 48 stitches to go any smaller, as it’s an 8 stitch repeat, and an odd number of repeats just doesn’t seem right. I was going to try 48 stitches, despite it seeming like a small number until I realized that’s the same number of stitches I’ve been knitting Clark’s socks with, on the same needles.

That can’t possibly work.

SO, after spending some time this morning crunching numbers and thinking of ways to alter the stitch pattern (which is in the Harmony Guide, vol 2, pg 51), I think I found a solution that will be “good enough.”

If I widen the fishtail by increasing the repeat to 10 stitches from 8 and cut down to 6 repeats, that’ll probably look the best but only bring my stitch count down to 60. I don’t think that’s enough. So I’m changing the stitch pattern to a repeat of 9 stitches (bringing the total down to 54) by adding one stockinette stitch between each fishtail. It detracts from the lacy-ness of the stitch, but I don’t think I have an option, and after a little swatching, I think I’ll still like it.

For those that are curious, going down a needle size will make the fabric too stiff. It’s about perfect right now. I hope it doesn’t loosen up with wearing like my Koigu monkey socks did.

I can’t post pictures because my computer is not acknowledging the fact that we have wireless internet. It’s all sorts of mess. So I’m on the laptop which is having no trouble at all. But there’s no Photoshop on this computer.

I have a bunch to write about today, and I know it’s been a few days, but I’m much more in the mood to knit the groovy pair of socks I’m working on than to spend time writing an exhaustive post.

SO…. you get the digest version 🙂

First, we’re having a boy! We’re very happy.

Second, I finally got those dumb pumpkins in the ground and they’re flowering.

Third, I finished Clark’s third pair of socks, and they’re really cute and he loves them. I have enough yarn to make two more pair just like the last ones. I haven’t decided if I’m going to. However, whether or not I do, it’s going to wait because…

Fourth, I’ve started my first pair of toe-up socks with that pretty orange yarn Carol and I dyed last week.

They’re going to be goldfish socks and I’m finally knitting that fishtail lace stitch that I’ve liked for so long.

I’m feeling much better. I’m still tired, and my low back is starting to act up as my belly gets bigger. My tolerance for dairy has increased but it’s unpredictable.

School’s almost out and I’m getting really excited for summer!

Yesterday afternoon, Clark asked if I would “make a mommy sock?”

“What?”, I said.

“Can you make a mommy sock?” Then he walks over and points to the leftover yarn from his most recent pair sitting on an end table. “A blue and green mommy sock?” and he flashes me a beautiful smile.

Awww. The boy wants mommy to have a pair of socks that match his. How sweet is that?

Well, mommy isn’t getting a blue and green sock, but she’s started another sock for Clark. I can hardly resist. They’re so easy, and fast, and he LOVES them, and I have boy-appropriate yarn that’s been in my stash for I don’t know how long, acquired from I don’t know where. (Sorry if you gifted this to me. I forgot. Feel free to remind me if you’d like).

And when he saw me working on it last night he let out a little gasp and asked, “is that a sock?” Then he climbed onto the couch and laid his foot in my lap to try it on.

Liv had an orchestra concert last night. We sat right in front, so I couldn’t see her at all during the performance, but I got some cute before and after shots.

We’re trying to decide whether or not to continue band and orchestra next year. Our school district is cutting budget like mad, so I’ve heard the price is going to nearly triple for next year. Times that by two students, instrument rentals, lack of practicing on their part, etc., etc., and we just don’t know. I’d like to continue, and they really want to.

So, today’s my birthday. It’s incredibly dark and wet outside. Dreary is a fitting word. I’m going to need to find a way to bring sunshine into the day that doesn’t involve painting my entire house yellow.

I finished Clark’s second pair of socks, and am planning a third. They’re so cute! and he loves them, though he “don’t wanna smile” this morning.

If you possibly can, please ignore my messy bathroom. I’m too pregnant/sick/tired/apathetic to make it photo ready (can’t even move 2 buckets and sweep, how lame is that?) and it’s the only spot in the house with enough light on this dark, wet morning for a picture.

Yesterday, my friend Carol invited me over to dye some of her yummy sock yarn. She showed me how to dye semi-solid in a crockpot and it was tremendous fun! We dyed 15 skeins in 3 colors.

I’m really excited to have the subtle color variations and still have a color solid enough to look good in a patterned sock.

I’m 19 + weeks now and can still wear my jeans, though I’m pushing it. I have a little more energy. My horrible cough is slowly getting better. I’m still really nauseated a lot, like right now, and have a hard time eating much of the time. It looks like I’m going to make it in to Veronica’s class today for the first time in a couple months.

Nate has been wanting me to knit Clark another pair of socks, since the pair I knit him are the only ones he wants to wear. So I started a little sock with some odds and ends last night. It was a little small, so I ripped it out and restarted it this morning. I’m turning the heel right now.

Clark and I are having a quiet morning. His bowels are acting up again (and he was doing so well, I thought we might be over it) so he’s been quietly drawing in a notebook while I knit.

It’s an odd looking sock, but I think it’ll be cute on his foot. He’s very excited, but keeps asking me to pull the needle out, and is anxious as to whether or not I’m going to knit the “nother sock too.”

These are really, really good.

I’m still sick and so very, very tired. I’m getting better, slowly.

So, I have a couple pictures. First, I have these pumpkin plants that desperately need to be planted, but I don’t have a spot for them

Here’s the hexagon shawl with the added purple insert and beads

And I have some pictures of the finished alpaca scarf-

side 1

side 2

and a model shot

It’s off to the teacher now.

My sense of smell is starting to come back, and I’m picking up something extremely unpleasant. I’m not sure yet if it’s Clark’s diaper (I’m on one side of the kitchen, he’s on the other, on the far side of the dining room), some old rotting food somewhere it doesn’t belong, or if it’s merely pregnant nose, making a mountain out of a molehill.

I’m about to go investigate. Lucky me.

I have no idea why my blog was down yesterday, or why my pictures aren’t loading today. I’m just glad it’s back. I’m not in a very good mood. If you don’t want to hear it, you may want to skip me.

So, yesterday I was annoyed because after doing all that weighing and math and such, I still ended up with a handful of yarn leftover on the alpaca scarf. About 5 grams of it. It irritates me.

Having finished the scarf, which I love, and which is most likely going to be a gift now, leaving the camel I have yet to spin for me (until I find someone else that deserves a gift, I’m sure), I dug out the long neglected hexagon shawl and started in on it. I made good progress, having spent much of yesterday in bed, and look to do the same today.

And that brings me to my gripings of today… I’m getting another sinus infection! Kill me! I feel awful! I’m sick of mucus. A rotating selection of my children have been dealing with snuffles and coughs for weeks and weeks. I had it a couple weeks ago. And here we are again. Add that to the fact that it appears my acute stomach troubles are NOT necessarily limited to dairy and sciatica has come to visit today, and I am not fit for company. I seriously think that Clark is the ONLY human being I could be around today without biting their head off.

I’m so grumpy.

And another thing… I’m sick of my needles going missing. I’m going to need a 36 inch size 9 in about 17 rounds of shawl, and while there is no doubt that I have owned one at some point, it’s not to be found.

My only consolation, (not that it’s going to make me a nicer person today, just a smidge less miserable), is that unlike Clark’s pregnancy, I’m not too sick to knit. I have been enjoying it immensely and will continue to, provided my elbows behave. They’ve done some mild complaining, but I’m stretching and adjusting positions and so far have been able to get around it.

So, I’m knitting that huge hexagon spider’s web shawl from Victorian Lace Today. I finished the center section last night and have started the band of flowers. I changed colors, the band of flowers is going to be the leftover lavendar/purple yarn from Olivia’s birthday shawl last year.

I was planning to spin some gray silk/mohair for the big, open border, possibly over-dyeing it to make it warmer. After starting the purple however, I might just go back to the Colinette I used on the center. I hated it when I started the shawl, but I’m really liking it right now. I’ll probably post pictures and ask your opinion in a few days.

And Carol, I might be harassing you for a needle or two pretty soon, though I’d much rather have bamboo for this.