Thanksmas

Yesterday we had my family's 'Thanksmas' (combination of Thanksgiving & Christmas). We were at my oldest sister's. It was a very enjoyable day. Marshall & Kendra had a wedding to go to, so they didn't go with us. The food was great...the company even better.

Oh...I finished the BigFoot Socks!!!!! They turned our great! I'm sure Parker will be wearing them to work tomorrow.

He cracks me up! We got our 'family' Christmas present this week, a Blu Ray player. The guys were fiddling with it and Bill ended up putting on a knitting You Tube. I said something to Parker about learning to knit so he could make his own socks. He said that's NOT what he wants to make. Get this...he wants to make a pair of sweat pants!!! Said he'd love to wear his hand knit sweater, socks and sweats!! He was trying to figure out what color to make. So...now my mission is to actually get him to knit. ...updates to follow.

Finally Back!

Boy, where have I been?

September brought our family to vacation (oceanfront house) on Corolla Beach, NC. We all had a wonderful time, especially Darby. Her maiden voyage to the beach was her heaven! The beach we were on was very dog-friendly and she ran to her heart's content, made a few (pooch) friends and slept very well (mostly with Uncle Parker to the disappointment of her mom). Most of the week she was at least 'damp' and loved it. She did encounter her first set of burrs and had to have a little ear-trim. Because of that, on her short jaunt to the steps that led to the beach, she had to be on a leash...after that she was free to run!! We were all totally lazy and did nothing, which is what we all needed. I managed to start/complete a shawl while being introduced to hours of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (what a hoot that show is!!) We took turns cooking and only went out to dinner our last night there. (what a treat to be in a house with 2 dishwashers!)

October slipped right by, with me still working on the BigFoot socks. The last day of the month, 20 minutes before I was to leave work for the week, I lost my job. I'm not going into the details, but it kind of sucks to get fired when you did nothing wrong. But...I was a great, loyal employee and it's definitely their loss. Bill & I went into the office over that weekend, loaded up my personal things, deleted stuff from my computer, left my keys and I was out of there.

Now I'm wondering how I had the time to work full-time! My 1st week of unemployment was just relaxing around the house. Then I went to Lexington, KY to my sister's (Susie) to help her pack up for her move to Chicago. Came home and 4 days later went to Florida to visit Bill's sister, Jan, and was there a week. Thanksgiving took us to Union, KY to my niece's for the holiday. This past week, Susie came to Columbus to visit us and left yesterday.

Oh, I almost forgot about our new 'toys'. We got a new refrigerator and stove (gas...hooray) and I love them. There was a little glitch and we ended up having to have BOTH of them replaced with new ones. Bill says that's why they're so expensive...it takes 2 appliances to get a good one! We've pretty much used all the gadgets on the oven and tried all the features. Even though we both enjoy cooking...new appliances sure makes it more fun.

Now I need to get my act together and finish decorating for Christmas. The tree is (almost) done. St. Nick comes tonight (yes, my dear offspring think they still need their stockings filled & their annual Christmas mug). But, that requires putting the stockings UP. (Parker just reminded me that the stockings need to go up so they can be filled...they never grow up!)

Luckily, I don't have much shopping to do this year. The kids all seem to want big ticket items, that they need to pick out, (aka not getting wrapped) so it will look a little bare under the tree. Kendra & I are going out this Thursday, then Marshall & I are doing a day next week. I actually got a 'verbal' list from Parker...guess that's better than nothing.

I'm about to get a good laugh. Parker's going to an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party. He raided my closet, found a long, v-neck cardigan (complete with shoulder pads)from about 15ish years ago. He's got a cranberry dress shirt to go with it and dug out a Christmas tie from Bill's closet. He plans to wear the tie short so everyone can see the Santa + the Tabasco bottle that's on the bottom of the tie. Unfortunetly, I gave my camera to Marshall yesterday, but Parker promised me he'd have someone take a picture so I can see. I'm sure by tomorrow someone will have posted some on Facebook.

...off to find the stockings to hang.

MY New Toy

Well...I've had my new toys for 2 weeks now and love, love, love it! The Demy (see previous post) is the best invention. I've already got about 100 recipes on it. Plus I've figured out how to put knitting pattern on it, too. Hooray!!!

I was in another yarn/tea swap on ravelry and got some absolutely wonderful Peruvian alpaca, in an off white. I just had to cast on that oh-so-soft yarn. I'm doing a very simple shawl (free pattern on ravelry). That put Parker's purple socks on the back burner for a few days. I've almost got his socks to the heel flap, then several more miles of knitting the size 15 socks. Between stretch marks and knitting miles of socks...he's definitely indebted to me.

Heading up to the boat tomorrow. Friends are coming on Saturday. The 2 guys are dropping us off at Put-In-Bay while they fish. We plan to rent a golf cart and drool at the houses, plus do a little shopping, then join the guys for lunch. Weather forecast is in our favor so it should be a very enjoyable trip.

Less than a month till vacation and I can hardly wait. We're going to the very northern part of the Outer Banks to Corolla Beach. I'm leaving Friday (Sept. 11) after work with Parker, Kendra & Darby. We'll stay somewhere (that takes dogs) and finish the trip on Sat. Bill & Marshall are staying to go to the OSU/USC (night) game on Sat., then head east. I'm sure they won't go too far before they stop. They'll get to the beach house on Sunday. By the time they get there, we'll have all the grocery shopping done and be all settled in. We're having a family meeting soon to plan our menus and pick meals to cook. We've all pretty much agreed that we'd rather buy some great food and cook it at the beach house...why leave a house that has such a great view of the ocean?! It's going to be a lazy vacation for all. I'm sure the guys will get some fishing in and Kendra & I will do some serious knitting. Kendra's really looking forward to introducing Darby to the ocean. (as much as she likes our pool...she'll love chasing tennis balls on the beach)

...off to finish some laundry.

My 1st KAL

Yesterday I signed up for my first KAL(knit along) in ravelry. It's even a mystery KAL, all I know is that it will be felted bag. Trouble is, I won't get my 1st clue until Sept. 23.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be able to see the yarn that's available as a kit. Dear baby sis, Jan (ozona on ravelry), is also doing it. (she's completing her 1st KAL right now) so there will be a little sibling rivalry going on. Once again, I take full credit for her knitting skills, having made her learn several years ago when she was visiting.

Not much new in the knitting here. I'm still working on a small shawl/scarf with those damn yarn-overs. I completed 5 charts with my stitch count correct, everything looking awesome, only to get to the 6th chart and not have to correct number of stitches on my needles. There wasn't an errata for the pattern either. Grrrr...I will prevail over my lace knitting!

Last night I placed an order from KnitPicks. Parker picked some sock yarn. Of course, the yarn he really liked needed to be hand washed...not happening. He finally settled on a yarn but, he was worse than a shop-a-holic at the Mall of America, couldn't decide and looked at everything numerous times. The yarn should be here early next week. They will definitely be done 2-at-a-time with his size 15 feet! That's a 'single sock syndrome' just waiting to happen if done one at a time.

Off to decide what to to have for dinner. Last I heard from DH (3 hrs. ago) he was sitting in a boat on Lake Erie with his fishing buddies, wait for a tow. Now doesn't that sound like fun? (at least it wasn't on our boat)

...AWESOME

Absolutely, Positively AWESOME...that's about all I can say about the Elton John/Billy Joel face2face concert we went to Tues. night! Of course, they are my 2 favorite musicians. The tickets were a birthday present from my boss. He, his wife, another co-worker and her husband and Bill were also there. The seats were out of this world (thanks Betty [said boss' wife]).

The only way it would have been better:
1. Elton John's musicians not playing quite so loud
2. More songs with just the 2 of them on their grand pianos, after their musicians left stage

It was a long night (they performed for over 3-1/2 hours) and my ears were still ringing the next day, but well worth it.

We'd seen them perform together when they were at the OSU Shoe years ago. Bill & I saw Billy Joel several years ago and I've seen Elton John in concert. I never get tired of their music. Oh...what talent they have.

Bill's Retirement

Bill's Retirement Party was yesterday. It was so nice! Robin (secretary) did an absolutely wonderful job of putting it all together. All 3 kids were able to come, Parker only during his lunch, but the 'speech' was planned for when he'd be there. Marshall & Kendra were there for most of it. Great to have them there! (the kids are standing in birth order, with Parker being the tall one)

I don't know where the last 12 years have gone since Bill was appointed to his first (6 yr) term at the Ohio Industrial Commission. And now it's over. Prior to that, when he first ran for the legislature in 1986, Parker rode in a little red wagon for the parades...look at him now!

Bill's first order of 'retirement' business was to do 'DarbyDuty" at lunchtime and let Kendra's dog out, since she was having one of her 14-15 hour work days. From there he headed to Lake Erie/Cedar Point and will be going fishing with his buddies tomorrow. He'll be back tomorrow night, then we'll head back up on Friday morning for the holiday weekend. Still don't know where we'll be watching the fireworks. If the lake is calm, we might head over to Put-n-Bay, otherwise, we'll be able to see the ones at Cedar Point from our boat dock. Either way, it will be nice to get away for a few days.

Happy Independence Day to all!!!

It's Finished!

I got the baby sweater finished earlier this week and blocked last night. This picture is preblocking. We'll hopefully get it delivered to the little (BIG) guy next week. Mom/Dad go back to work on the 13th. (Dad's been working about 1 day/week). Don't know if I'll have time to make big-sis the finger puppets I had planned. If not, I'm sure she'll love sidewalk chalk, crayons/coloring books. That usually makes most 3 year old girls happy.

This week's knitting...

Last night I finished the body of the top-down raglan baby sweater I started earlier in the week. (it's for a little guy that came into this world at a whopping 11 lb. 4 oz!) The yarn is Cascade Venezia and wonderful to knit with. I got the yarn & pattern at Knit 1 last weekend in Chicago. The pattern, Wilhelminia's Baby Sweater, is the shop owner's design, Wilhelminia being her older daughter. I thought I had size 8 double points for the sleeves, but can't seem to find them...that usually means dear daughter has stolen once again. Guess I'll use a long cord on my KnitPicks Harmony and do the sleeves with magic loop. Next will be knitted finger puppets for the little guy's big sister.

Darby Swimming/Chicago Trip

We've finally got Darby jumping in the pool. She still won't jump in on the 'sides', just at the steps and the other side opposite the steps. She loves it! Kendra finally got in with her today. It took her several tries to get Darby to jump. Later in the afternoon, the 'uncles' were in with her. She's going to have a very good summer...

Kendra & I got back from Chicago at 11:00 this morning. We originally had a 2:10 flight and we decided since it was Father's Day, we would try to get home earlier. We woke up early and decided to head to the airport. We were the first 2 on standby and got on the 8:55 flight. (Kendra just knew we'd be there till 2:00!)

We had a wonderful trip. We flew into Midway and took the L downtown. Turned out the subway station was all of 1/2 block from where we were staying at the Palmer House. It is a beautiful hotel and a great location, being that close to the L.

Friday's arrival got us there with just enough time to check in, change and head out again. It started raining really hard, so we took a cab to the restaurant. We'd called from the airport and got reservations at Adobo Grill (Wicker Park). It was absolutely awesome. They make the fresh guacamole at your table...yum. We had plenty of time, ate slowly and tried a bunch of things. We waddled our way next door to 2nd City for a comedy act. It was sooo funny. Some people left at intermission (guess they don't have the warped/deranged sense of humor we do) but it was worth staying till the 1:00 a.m. conclusion. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Yarn shopping was on the agenda for Saturday. We'd bought 3 day subway passes so we headed to the L in search of Bongo's (on Roosevelt) for brunch. We both had the BLT Eggs Benedict (with spinach instead of lettuce). What a fantastic meal. Well worth the 30 min. wait.

After brunch we started walking to a yarn shop, Knitwerks on Wabash Ave.. Ended up being a lot further than we thought, but we made it there. Very nice lady, lovely yarns and samples. Turned out, there was a subway station just a few blocks from there. Ahh...a ride to our next location. Next we headed to the Wicker Park area to Knit 1. Beautiful shop, awesome owner. (we even got to meet her hubby and darling little girls) I purchased 2 skeins of Cascade Venezie worsted for a baby sweater. She even gave me the pattern she designed. Kendra got a beautiful blue/brown yarn for a cowl. We both bought a holder for our KnitPicks Harmony needle set. We would both definitely enjoy another trip to Knit 1.

The fun part was on the L on the way back to the hotel. We got on with 7 guys (college age). It was quite obvious they were having a good time and had already enjoyed a few beers. At first I thought they were just 'faking' an Irish accent. After one comment we overheard, we started laughing, and that started up a conversation. One guy asked Kendra if she had a job. When she answered 'yes' he said he hated her. Another asked what she did. After telling him she explained Medicare to old people, he asked if he could work there! I told him he'd have to move to Ohio, and that's when we realized they really were from Ireland...they asked where Ohio was! Turns out, they've been in Chicago for a month and are looking for some kind of employment so they can afford to stay the rest of the summer. They got off several stops before us and were meeting up with some others to go the beach...trying to figure out how they could get beer on the beach. (Kendra suggested buying a coffee mug w/lid...boy she makes me proud!!)

Last night's dinner was the recommendation of the Concierge at the hotel. He made reservations for me at A Mano, an Italian restaurant about 6 blocks from the Palmer House, so we walked. We shared an arugula salad, Kendra had spaghetti/meatballs and I had lasagna. We both agreed that we should never have shared the salad. It was the best salad I've ever had in my life!! It had a lemon vinaigrette and the greens were sooo fresh...wish I would have had an entire one myself. (even thought of getting one for dessert)

After dinner we strolled back to the hotel. It was such a lovely evening. We decided on dessert at the hotel lounge. Then is was off to early bed (well at least early compared to Friday night)

We'd thought of taking a trolley tour, but didn't. Ended up we saw so much of the city by just taking the different lines of the subway. I think we were on 4 different lines. We both agreed that we'd go back (together) again, next time staying away from downtown in one of the little quaint areas. Kendra's actually going back the 1st week of August for work...not as much fun as with mom!

For Father's Day we cooked brats on the grill, had potato salad (picked up from Whole Food...quite awful tasting...should have made it myself) and threw some beans in a pan and cooked it on the grill. Kendra made salsa and we had ice cream and black raspberry sauce for dessert.

I am currently sitting at the patio table, enjoying a nice breeze. Our backyard (and those of our neighbors) have so many beautiful trees that have grown so much in the 6 years we've lived here. Can hardly see any of the other houses, sure doesn't seem like I'm in the burbs.

I've decided I need a new toy. I want to get The Demy. It's a digital recipe storage unit. It's pretty much like a Kindle. I figured if DH can have his new gadgets...so can I. I've already set up a free account with keyingredient and have entered some of my recipes. I was even telling Bill not long ago that I needed to come up with something to organize recipes. Now I know how!

...off to enter more recipes so I'm ready when I get my toy...

It's Still Alive!

Well...I've actually kept this hanging petunia alive for a month now! DH gave it to me for Mother's Day. I really should give him some of the 'keeping alive' credit since he seems to water and dead-head more than I do. On a sunny day they're even more stunning. (I took the picture at 8:30 p.m. so there was no sunshine)

The trick will be in the next several days. Bill left today and headed to the boat then off to dinner with some friends, Tomorrow he has a speaking engagement...his last before retiring the end of the month. He's not sure when he'll be home. Kendra & I leave for our Girl's Weekend in Chicago on Friday afternoon. Parker's taking us to the airport, then he's heading to Wooster for a weekend wedding of a college buddy. So, looks like we'll have to rely on 'dog-sitting' Uncle Marshall to remember to come out and water my beautiful plant. Oh, sure hope DH comes home early!

Saturday in Chicago is now geared to 'yarn shop' browsing. There seems to be a cluster of them in the downtown area that we should be able to walk to. (we do a lot of walking on our trips) We're not checking luggage so that will keep us from buying too much!

More FINISHED projects

Here's the towel (Mason Dixon) and dishcloths I made using the new organic cotton (worsted weight) from KnitPicks. I wasn't planning on posting pictures, but my dear sister Jan MADE me! I really like the way the towel turned out and will be a making more.

Today I've been working on a prototype of a recipe box I've designed. Yes, you'll see pictures...Jan has shamed me into uploading more. (and she's the baby sister)

Knitting Frenzie

I've been knitting like crazy with the KnitPicks new cotton yarn.

Here's the Market Bag I just finished. (the pattern was free with my Market Bag kit and organic cotton I purchased from KnitPicks) I really like how it turned out. I plan to use it as my carry-on bag when Kendra & I head to Chicago next week.

Dishcloths and a hanging towel were also the products of the yarn but I didn't think they warranted a picture...rather boring.

Bill is definitely his mother's son. He's really enjoying his bird feeders. Here's one of the yellow finches that come around. He's still working on getting a good picture of the pair of cardinals that keep hanging out in our backyard. Earlier in the week we even had a hummingbird. At first, the hummingbird went to my petunias (hanging next to the feeder), then it found the sugar water solution. I've never before seen a hummingbird eat and NOT flap their wings. It was actually just hovering by the feeder. We could really see how tiny they are. Now that would have been an awesome picture.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Wow...it's May already. The kids are coming over for a cook out today. We're doing flank steak and salmon. (Kendra has never liked steak) Since it's MY day, I'll have her throw together a salad and figure out what the boys can make.

I'm almost finished with a 2nd sock. I started the first one last year. I needed a 'car' project and I found the 1st sock in a ziplock bag. Actually, the 1st isn't quite done. I'm to the toe decrease. When I get the 2nd sock to that point, I'm going to 'magic loop' them for the decrease so they're the same size!

I started yet another shawl. It's rectangular and, yes, it has 'damn yarn overs'. It's a simple 6 stitch repeat and I've put yarn stitch marker between each repeat. I'm sure it will be thrown in my purse quite frequently since the pattern is pretty much a no-brainer.

Off to do more knitting.

...March

...another month gone by. March has left me rather stagnant in my knitting. I did start an off-white lace shawl. Said I'd never do 'damn yarn-overs' again, but guess what? Yes, it's got them. I'm hoping that this pattern will be better and won't drive me too crazy.

Yesterday offspring #1 was over. He reminded me that I never made the pj's/robe I promised. I gave him 2 pieces of flannel for Christmas. To be quite honest, I completely forgot about it. So, I made him get the pattern and help me cut out the pieces. The fabric is currently on the dining room table, waiting to be cut. My excuse now is the need to buy some interfacing. (if I wait long enough, it will be too warm for him to wear them and I'll have a few more months to procrastinate!)

I've become addicted to books on tape. DH borrows from the library. The First Patient was really good. I'm almost finished listening to Deep Waters. It sure makes for a better commute than listening to the same radio channels. (I'm not lucky enough to have satellite radio) I'm also re-reading all of the Kathleen Woodiwiss books, in order. I've got to quit reading them...I don't want to do anything else!

March brought yet another birthday...mine. Bill & I went to Benihana the night before, then we took all 3 kids to Cap City Diner on my birthday. Way too much food, but it was all great, esp. the chocolate cake from Cap City.

Off to do a few things before Jack Bauer is on.

I'm Done!! Vacation was Great!!

I'm done!!
Parker's socks got done last week on our way down to Daphne Alabama. WOW...must have had 30" of knitting on size 1 needles! Kendra was over last night and I showed her the completed pair and she just shook her head and smiled. I put them next to her and they easily went to her knees, but I'm sure if she put them on they'd be longer.

It's been a while since I've taken the time to post anything. Knitting is still going well. I'm definitely suffering from 'Wintertime Sleepiness' and don't do much when I get home from work except 'plop and watch'. Bill & I have a love of NCIS and it's now on every weeknight at 5:00 with 3 back-to-back episodes. The pathetic part is we've seen them all before!

Vacation was Great!
Bill picked me up from work at 3:30 on Feb. 17 (Tues) and we headed south to finally make it to my sister Jo's place in Daphne, Alabama (only been trying to get there for several years). We drove just south of Nashville and spent the night, then finished up the trip on Wed. morning. We got all but 1 chapter of John Grisham's Appeal listened to on the drive. We had a great time. Walked the beach. Ate at some great restaurants. Toured the USS Alabama. Went to Mobile for a Mardi Gras parade. Went to Biloxi MS to a casino. Of course, I wasn't as lucky as everyone else. Bill got into a poker tourney and came in 3rd place ($140 with a $30 buy-in...not bad for 3-4 hours) Dick immediately won $100 at a quarter slot machine. Jo & I spent the entire time playing penny slots and having a great time. She was up about $35 at the end of the day. I was down a little under $20...BUT...actually I was UP $80. On the way into the casino, I (kiddingly) asked Bill if he was going to support my gambling and he took out his wallet and gave me a $100 bill. So...I used MY $20 bill to start gambling...hence I ended up a winner, too!

The food was absolutely fabulous. Ate way too much fried food but it was sooo good. One day for lunch we went to 'LuLu's' which is Jimmy Buffett's sister's restaurant. Jo had her cookbook, and after looking thru it, I decided to buy one, too. There's the history of LuLu's in the front, which is a really neat story. I would highly recommend dining there if you ever find yourself in Daphne, AL.

We got up early on Sunday and drove the entire way home. We made great time. Only problem was a 20 min. delay near Covington KY. Even tho Bill did all the driving, I was extremely tired. I hated to face reality and go to work on Monday!

I completed most of a worsted weight shawl on the trip home. I'd started it last fall and it was just waiting patiently with other UFO's. I need to go through my stash to see if I've got another skein so I can do the decorative finishing edge, otherwise need to search ravelry and see if I can find a skein to purchase/swap. It's triangular and looks really neat. I've probably got it about the right size but need to put it on waste-yarn and try it on. Figured it may as well get done so I can wear it before warm weather sets in. My next shawl is going to be with lace weight yarn and probably rectangular. Now to find a pattern. I'm NOT doing 'yarn-overs' since I find them a royal pain in the butt. I know they look great, but I need more of a 'no brainer' when I knit. That will probably be my summer 'car' project on our trips to the boat on Lake Erie.

Time to make a black raspberry (aka yum-yum) pie for Marshall's birthday dinner tomorrow.

More socks...

Well, it's January 8th and I've completed 4 socks (that sounds like more than 2 pair) and I've started on the BIG ones. Yes, I've begun the pair for Parker's size 15 feet. I'm using KnitPicks Felici in Dakota and doing 2-at-once-on-one needle.

When Parker got home from work today, I made him take his socks off so I could measure what I'd done, to see how much more I needed to work on the toe before I was done with the increases. Low and behold...it was right where it needed to be to stop the increases and work on the (loonnnggg) foot. They are turning out really neat. The colorway has earthy tones, along with a little pit of purple. Yes, he likes it. This is the boy that has a very pink dress shirt (hey...who can ridicule a guy that's 6'6" and weighs over 260lbs). With the other knitting that I know I'll end up doing, I'm hoping to have the foot part done by the 3rd week in Feb. when Bill & I head to Daphne AL to visit my dear sister Jo and hubby Dick. Since we're driving, that will give me plenty of sock knitting time.

I met several other (ravelry) knitters at lunch yesterday. We're going to try to meet the 1st and 3rd Wed. of the month. I felt like the 'mother hen' since they were all young enough to be my daughters! But, we had a great time and I look forward to our next lunch/knitting together.

Kendra's going with her dad to the Ohio State basketball game tomorrow evening so I'll actually get to catch up on some dvr watching. This time of the year it seems like most of the tv watching is college basketball or shows we record and fast-forward thru the commercials. (we'd be very hard pressed to watch a regular show and watch the commercials)

3 more days till Jack Bauer. Hooray! I know Marshall's coming over to watch on the big tv, but I'm not sure about Kendra. She came over to watch Redemption, so I'm assuming she'll be over both Sunday & Monday night and bring little miss Darby with her.

Speaking of Darby. She now has her official name. It is Darbocet SH Spotsworth. We all know that Darbocet is because she can be a royal pain, SH is for the 'shit head' she can sometimes be, and Spotsworth for Maggie's legacy to live on.

One of these days I'll actually takes pictures of my completed projects and post them...

Stash Knit Down 2009

Well...I joined the "Stash Knit Down 2009" on Ravelry. Now to see how well I can do! Using up 100 skeins/balls of yarn from my stash sounds great, however, that's A LOT of knitting without buying any more yarn.

I began my first stash knitting yesterday on January 1st. I started a pair of worsted weight socks for myself. Since I never wear shoes in the house, I need to keep the digits cozy with socks. I picked a butt ugly green (originally bought [I thought] to use in a felted purse). The only reason I used that yarn was it was already wound in a ball . I'm doing magic loop, toe-up but am doing 1 sock at a time since I probably don't have enough green for a complete pair. I'm just going to knit away at socks till I use up the single skeins of worsted that I had to purchase. I might even get adventuresome and make toes/heels a different color. I really don't care if the socks match...that makes them more fun to wear.

I've got a hair appointment today so I know I'll get some knitting in while my hair cooks. I'm hoping to have the 1st sock done by tomorrow. The sock count down has begun!!

I also need to start the socks I'm test knitting, again from ravelry, Big & Tall group. Parker's getting a neat pair of colorful size 15. I don't know if I'll like the pattern though since the pattern is top-down. Those big socks are going to take forever with sock weight yarn using size 1 or 2 needles!! They are definitely getting done 2-at-a-time...I'd never finish the 2nd one!!

Off to start a spreadsheet for my yarn de-stashing.