PinkPurlGrrl

"I'm covered in bees!"

I have often wondered, "can I knit a sock in a day?".  The answer is: nearly. If there are enough awful movies on television (or recorded on the DVR, or available OnDemand, or on the DVD shelf), and if there is enough Halloween candy that I don't really want to share, and if there is enough coffee and if BLING is content to spend the day playing Sims2 on the new computer, then yes - I can cast on and get all the way to the third toe decrease before my carriage turned back into a pumpkin and I had to go to bed.  It was a glorious way to spend a Sunday.  Of all the movies I watched yesterday (and late Saturday when I was finishing up the AcidRainbow socks) I liked "Wicker Man" the best, and "The Thing" was a close second.  I can't really recommend "Killer Clowns from Outer Space" or "Dreamcatcher". "Jaws" has forever been in my top 10 and it made the usual Halloween appearance.

Really the best was "Wicker Man", it was awesome, a real gem from 1973.  Full of suspense, weird costumes, and nudity - all the requisite suspense items.  I watched it twice.

This week needs to be more productive than last, so I'll sign off quickly; leaving you one more gratuitous shot of the one day (nearly) sock. 

Small shake up at Casa dePinkPurl, last week was rather rough.  On Monday, not long after posting the artistic representation of TMK, Ryan, Elaine, & BLING (soon to be available on a commemorative plate, see a magazine insert near you) I fell quite ill.  In fact, I felt more ill than I think I ever had.  Ill enough to go to the emergency room.  It was scary, but I'm fine.  I have to be careful what I give to my stomach, and I have a couple things going on in my gall bladder that should be looked after - but I'm fine.  I didn't have the energy to post last week, and am just now getting back to normal.  I think the stars were just miss-aligned for some of us wonderful people.

That's all behind me now - on to the good stuff:

I finished the AcidRainbow socks last night - after a 4 hour marathon where I knitted from the end of the heel turn to the beautifully grafted toe.  What do you think?  I know: "My eyes!  My eyes!".  BLING does seem to love them, she was willing to go upside down on the couch and be mauled by excited dogs in the name of art - or at least a good picture.  This is pair 2 for Socktoberfest, I'm going to cast on for pair three today just to get it in under the deadline.  Lolly did say you only had to start them this month for them to count, I like her rules.

In closing, Typepad has notified it's users that the service may be less than desirable while they move and enhance the system.  Regular readers have probably noticed the extra time it takes to upload the page, sounds like it will get worse before it gets better.  Norma has a good post on what's happening with Typepad; and while the scariest part is over, it may still be some time before we are totally out of the water.

Good Things

What a wonderful weekend!  Saturday was Dulan knit-in day, I had been looking forward to this for weeks!  I started a brioche stitch hat (IK Fall 2005) to bring with me, and had planned to bring cookies (forgot to bake), a card for Ryan (forgot that too), and the camera (guess what).  I did remember to dress myself - but that's about it.  Here is my interpretation of the meeting of TMK, Ryan, me, and BLING.  I didn't spend enough time getting to know the other knitters, and I didn't get far at all on the hat (really messed up and had to frog waaaaaay back.  I did get some Tofu Chocolate Pie - YUM!  One of the best parts was meeting TMK, wonderful because she is an amazingly nice and funny person, and also because she is Mac friendly and guess what we got on Saturday morning...

Yep, Casa dePinkPurl is sporting a nifty new iMac G5!  Oh it's fast and pretty.  It's quiet, it does all kinds of wonderful tricks (like not migrating my old info and causing a 6 hour marathon of CD burning, and then losing everything because I tried to change the name of my home directory - but hey, that's nothing).  All is well and Eleanor (yes the computer has a name, doesn't yours?) is happy.  TMK held my hand on the phone while I went through exercises in proving to myself that I was going to have to move 3114 songs via CD (it took 20).

There is a lot more I could (and hopefully will) say about meeting Ryan and the fun we had at the knit-in, but it will have to wait until later.  Thanks for stopping by!

Quick update

It seems BLING had the 24 hour Black-Plague, she has safely returned to work today.  I have started channeling Rabbitch and have been chanting "Assbeagle" whenever the people around me begin talking about our City Council opponents and their minions.  The main goodness in my daily life (outside of BLING - she is the embodiment of goodness) is knitting Lorna's Laces.  I may only be getting through one pattern repeat a night (and will probably not touch it again until Saturday) - but the yarn nearly makes me weep.  The colors are so beautiful, and the pattern is just what I wanted for this project.  It's like having a new puppy - I want everyone to admire it.

Of course, I haven't had time to take a picture lately.  The best I can do is show you what it looks like in the skein.  Just picture the Estonian Garden Wrap in your head and you'll see - it will make you sigh with pleasure.

Random Thoughts Wednesday

BLING is home with the Bird Flu today, I hope she isn't getting feathers in the bed.  Poor dear started showing signs of unwellness Monday, and by last night was in full phlegm production.  Tonight will find me picking up afrin and gatorade on the way home, I may try to get home early in the name of pampering my sick princess.

In other news, campaign season is nearly over and the election is nigh upon us.  The local politicos (not my candidates of course) are folding in on themselves and behaving like poop-throwing Mandrills.  Anybody can run for office, that is no secret; sometimes the wrong people win and then all heck breaks out.  Lying bunch of skunks say I.  We have done everything we can to get good people elected & re-elected - now it's time to wait and hope and prepare the underground bunker.  Come November 9th I'm planning on hibernating...I should stock up on yarn.

In closing, there are a few things I'd like to say to you in private.  Come into my office and shut the door.

Meme: Needs

More bandwagon jumping for me: from the popular "X needs" meme - here are my top 10-

Elaine needs someone to get rid of the muffin stumps

Elaine needs dry air, Gary needs humidity

Elaine needs to transfer logins among SQL Server machines

Elaine needs some toilet paper,

Elaine needs is a summer school course

Elaine needs to know if checks for particular coaches need to be pro-rated

Elaine needs to improve supervision skills

Elaine needs to entertain her brain

Elaine needs reprieve!

Elaine needs to spend time undergoing complex treatment

There was one that was just unprintable.  No, Elaine does not need that kind of love.

Socks, Glass, and Watercolors

Busy weekend at Casa dePinkPurl!  We had planned on playing Saturday, wanting to go out and enjoy the fall colors and crisp air; life had other things for us.  A friend's parent passed away last week and the parent's church was unable to help host a reception after the service.  Our neighborhood group pulled together and came up with food for 100, I think we did a nice job.  Originally, we had planned on dropping off our contribution; but we ended up staying to be with our friend, and I'm really glad we did.  We also had a dinner party planned for Saturday evening and were going to cook our part in the afternoon, but another friend's daughter had a glass blowing lesson that is part of her senior project, and she needed photographs to document the process.  We traded with our friend who cooked our part of the meal while we took her daughter and played photographer.  It was really cool to spend the afternoon in a glassblowing studio watching this amazing teen create liquid, molten, art.  I am so impressed with her skill.  At one point she had several pounds of 2,000 degree molten glass spinning on the end of a rod - she handled it with concentration and skill.  She is my new hero.  The dinner was a success, it was nice to come back to good food and fun friends with a party already underway.  Two of them had just returned from a trip to Disneyland and brought me mouse ears with my name embroidered on - too cool!  I did manage some knitting on the AcidRainbow socks (I should finish the first tonight and cast on for the second).  I also talked BLING into a trip to the LYS (Village Yarn and Tea) so I could wind my skein of  Lorna's Laces (watercolor colorway) and I cast on for a lace swatch.  I'm planning on knitting the Estonian Garden Wrap. I'm sorry my pictures are so dark, I have been fiddling and fiddling with my camera and can't seem to brighten them up.  I may need to bring my stuff to work and photograph them outside (the only time I'll see daylight except for weekends).

Quick Post

If you love Serenity (The Movie, not the state of being) go here:Serenity: short, sweet, and funny.  If you haven't seen the movie, do not click the link; grab your (knitted) purse and get your tush to the theater...wait, I'll come with you.

Just what was I thinking?

I made reasonable progress on the AcidRainbow socks last night - not bad considering I kept trying to put them away.   I don't think I like the colors, I probably should have striped them with something wonderful, but BLING likes them so I'll make them in her size.  The rainbow that looked cool and funky in the ball looks obnoxious in the sock.  I rolled close to half the skein into a ball and am knitting from both but it's still flashing, though not nearly as badly as it would have.  What do you think, can you find anything to love here?  I'm glad I'm not wasting the effort of lace/pattern/anything on this pair, just plain old stockinette.  Hopefully they will look cute poking out from under BLINGS ubiquitous black jeans.  Of note - I'm using the project bag my SP sent me, every time I pick it up I feel very cared for.  Thanks SP!

Other news - it's been a very good music week for me.  I downloaded (iTunes) "Another Run Around The Sun" by Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor and Carly Simon), if you like his parents music you will love his music.  I grin like an idiot when I listen to the first track, it makes me so happy.  Additionally, the new Jamie Cullum CD came out and we pre-ordered it through iTunes.  I have played his first CD so many times the dogs can lip-sync to it.  This new album is another wonderful thing, but I could have lived without the bonus live tracks at the end.  All in all, very happy listening!

What kind of sock am I?

In keeping with the newly cast-on AcidRainbow socks I am proud to announce that you are (I am) what you (I) knit:

Wow! You would have been a pair of socks as long
as it's possible for socks to be before they're
tights - and all multi-coloured with pretty
patterns and detail all over the place - then
you could stand and admire your sock-self all
day!

What type of sock are you?
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