(click for larger photos & descriptions)
I didn’t sign up for the official Summer of Socks because I actually had no clue it was going on… but I’m knitting socks anyway and challenging myself with more advanced patterns. Its pretty hot here in GA and I can’t think about knitting anything more substantial than a sock - 88 degrees indoors with a pile of sweater wool on her lap does NOT a happy Mousie make. The sock on the right is Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Meadow and I’m using the “More Fun Than Cables” pattern to make socks for my mom. I’m calling them “hidden cable socks” because the mock-cable pattern isn’t obvious in the yarn I’m using - but I know its there because I took the time to add it into the sock, and my mom knows its there when she looks at the socks. I know it sounds corny but I really like the idea of the ’secret’ pattern in the socks as something special for my mom to know how much I was thinking of her when I was knitting her socks.
The sock on the left is Meilenweit Bosco sock yarn in WendyKnits “Nanner Sock” Plurker pattern. I found Plurk through another blogger’s sidebar (*waves at Rilana*) and got sucked into the fact that its (to borrow a statement I saw somewhere else) “like IM on crack” complete with dancing banana emoticons and the ability to share photos. THEN I saw WendyKnits Nanner Sock and had to cast on for it. The patterned stitch is almost as addictive as Plurk itself.. but will at least result in me having something (besides Plurk Karma points & eyestrain) to show for my time! What’s funny about the socks that I have on the needles currently is that I have never made a pair of socks with a patterned foot and now BOTH socks I’m knitting are heavily patterned. I’m SO glad that I finally learned how to read knitting charts - I can’t believe how much easier it is to understand a stitch pattern with graphs. I’m to the point now where I wish that ALL patterns contained charts when before I was completely intimidated by those little symbols.
Sadly, I haven’t been online nearly as much as I was in the old house.. mostly because of a strange electronic interference between my computer monitor and the satellite signal on the tv. Because my computer and the television are both in the living room I’ve had to curb my online time drastically so that Munchkin can watch tv without the tv signal going in and out. *grumbles* Its yet another interesting aspect of this move into the new house and the adjustment period that goes along with our new surroundings.. but things are getting better around here daily and its starting to feel more ‘like home’ finally. Hubby was even able to fix the ceiling fan & overhead light in the bedroom today! Ceiling fans are an absolute necessity in the South in summer, especially if you are insane enough to insist on living WITHOUT air conditioning.. like we’re currently doing. The house does have working central air (thank the gods..) but we’re trying to be very conservative (bordering on crazy) with our usage to keep our electric bill from swallowing our bank account. We do have to run it to cool hubby’s computer (its built for the intensive graphics that he does for his business and it gets very hot very quickly in the summertime) while he’s working- so I’m basking over the floor vents cool breeze as I type.
I’ve got a movie to watch from Netflix (our one budgeted “perk” that I haven’t gotten rid of yet) and a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos (which are awesome.. and I HATE Doritos) so I’m going to drag myself from the computer and onto the sofa for some movie watching!