Knitting Obsession

Finito! (thank the Lord)

I'm finished with my Sockapalooooza socks! Huzzah!

Bonus mini sock to go with one of my extra gifts, the little sock blocker from The Loopy Ewe. The sock yarn is Holly Spring Homespun Silk & Ivory, a 50% silk, 50% merino blend that is gorgeous to knit with. I am going to be sad to let these go. The pattern is River Rapids and the pattern was also fun to knit. Now to find one more item to go in my box o' goodies, and I will be ready to mail on August 2.
I immediately cast on for a new sock, but I forgot to take pictures. This is going to be a pair of knee highs in Wollmeise sock yarn in colorway Suzanne. I was surprised by this when I wound it up...it's amazing how  yarns look different when they are reskeined. So far I am not a fan of the knee high as it is a lot more stitches and also....are my calves really that big? Gigantor!
I've gotten over reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and am considering rereading it soon to really get all the things I am sure I missed.
I'm watching the Tour de France...these poor men, climbing the Pyrenees. Looks horrible....the altitude must be killer and they all look miserable....but the scenery is incredible.

Huzzah!

I got my book at 1:30. I finished it at 8. I need to talk about it but no one I know has finished it yet! I think my sister will finish it soon. Gaaah!

Saturday is SO FAR AWAY.

I'm having a hard time waiting for the last Harry Potter book to come out. If you ask my mom, she would tell you that I am not the most patient person in the world. I may have a small problem with instant gratification. But I think I can hold out till Saturday....I just hope Amazon comes through for me and I get the book as expected. I am really excited and also a little sad...it's a bit bittersweet, coming to the end. This is the way I felt when I read "Betsy's Wedding" and I knew there weren't any more Betsy-Tacy books to read. But what about the rest of her life??! I need to know! At least then, I could read about Maud Hart Lovelace and know, in a way, what happened to Betsy. I don't think there are any real life Harry Potters out there.
My dear B is in eastern Europe for THREE AND A HALF WEEKS. That is a long time, my friends! He is starting out in Vienna, then going to Slovakia to visit family, and eventually ending up in Germany (to come home; I don't think to visit). He's not too sure what he's going to do in between Slovakia and Germany. Flies by the seat of his pants, that boy! I think I would need everything planned out. He is flying out of Munich, home of Wollmeise yarn, but he tells me that he won't be there except for a layover. Boo!

How are you supposed to resist that? These have been marinating in my stash for a while. Suzanne, up top, is destined to be a pair of knee socks.

Ravelry is a time suck

Good gravy. I spend more time on Ravelry than is good for one. The good thing is that it has forced me to take a fearless and searching inventory of my sock yarn problem and how I need to STOP BUYING IT before I go bankrupt.
I did get to cracking on my Sockapalooooza socks!

I haven't heard from her in a while despite a few emails so I hope she is still participating. These socks are nothing but a pleasure to knit. They are River Rapids (.pdf) in Scarlet Fleece Silk and Ivory sock yarn, a DK weight silk/merino blend that is heaven to knit. Colorway is Olives and Pimentos.

The pattern has been so fast and fun.

I really hope she likes them! This is my first time in a swap. I've never been very good at deadline knitting and don't really like when people ask me to knit them something by a certain time because then I stress about it and it isn't fun to knit. But I gave myself the whole month to work on these and it has been pretty fun, actually. I'm having fun deciding what to put in the package too!

Those of you participating...what do you throw in your package? I've got some fun things but could always use more suggestions!

Hope those of you here on the East Coast are surviving this wicked heat blast. I am working nights (yuck!) but at least it means I am inside sleeping during the hottest parts of the day. I'm very tempted to wake up tomorrow and go see the new Harry Potter movie by myself as an afternoon matinée (I can't ask B to see it with me...he hasn't read the books or seen any of the movies [YET] and I just made him go see "Transformers" on the 4th of July. Optimus Prime, my heeeero!). I did promise my father that I would see it with him too. But I can see it twice, I'm sure. I'll have to call and ask him tomorrow when I wake up!