That Darned Sock!

Pulling my favorite hand knit socks from the dryer today I found that holes had sprung up in BOTH socks. HOLES!!! In my FAVORITE SOCKS!!!

So warm and a perfect fit for my tiny wee feet!

What's a girl to do? I dug through my stash and found the remaining yarn from when I'd knit them...and I darned the socks. It wasn't as daunting as one might think it would be. Yes, that's the color these socks started out as! It lay flat again after a little blocking.

I'd better keep the yarn handy... looks like one of the heels is about to let loose too! Boy are these well-loved socks!!!

PACKING PACKING PACKING!

This has quickly become what my days and nights are filled with.

P A C K I N G

My fella and I are moving into a house end of this month. It's a happy time to be moving in together and it's a wonderful house... but part of me is having separation anxiety over leaving NYC. I LOVE NYC... I'm definitely NOT done with it. This is something I'm going to have to work through. Yesterday I unloaded the 80 flattened boxes from the car and was able to grab 15 small book-type boxes nicely bundled from the street. Thanks neighbors!!

I've begun sending emails to local organizations and knitting groups in Montclair (yes... although I SWORE I'd never do it -- I'm moving to NJ -- it must really be love eh?) Are you in Montclair? Any fun cooking, knitting and gardening groups to share?? I'd be quite appreciative!

I've also decided to join the Girl with the Dragon (toe-along) KAL on Ravelry hosted by my pal Knitgrrl. It will start August 1st, giving me something fun to look forward to besides UNpacking!! I should be able to get into the yarn cabinet by next week and will pick some sock yarn to set aside then!

Time for a PB&J and back to packing I go!! Made headway this morning downstairs!! Need to organize it down there so I can pack and move some boxes downstairs before the final BLOWOUT on Saturday. The fond fair well to my NYC palace-o-fun Yippee!!

FO and WIP updates!! (knitting content)

Here is a proper photo of the now complete Undulating Rib Socks (Pattern from Interweave's book: 25 Favorite Socks).

You can only see the cool rib when they're on. But as I took them out for their inaugural wearing today, and I happened to have this lovely white wall/shelf handy...I took them off for a few photos.

OK, so that's not 100% true. I copies the FIRST PAGE (duh) and didn't turn the page...and had Dan snap a photo of the next two pages and email them to me so that I could print them out and continue the pattern.

Thanks Dan!

What's now on the needles?


Child's Placket-neck Pullover -- I've so many friends having babies this next year (again!!!)

I photocopied the pages to carry along with me and I cannot recall which "Quick weekend knits" book it's from at this very moment.

I've been knitting it mostly on public transportation and van rides to and from factories. On the MTR (subway) in Hong Kong and on the plane from Milan to Shanghai.


The funny thing is that I didn't realize my continuation of knitting colorscheme until I was on the plane!! I had just pulled two colors that I liked and voila!


I love making kids clothes in fun colors!!!

Think Good Thoughts

Life...Life rolls along with a speed that increases the older we get. There are no brakes that we can control, just marginal steering.

This summer has rolled along at top speed. Partially because I shared it with an energetic 8-yr-old...and partially because I have had so much upon my plate (by choice for the most part.)

My brakes were pulled. Monday morning. Labor Day.

My dearest friend called to let me know she had been told a few mere hours before, on Sunday, that the results from her lumpectomy were received by her surgeon on Sunday and...she has Breast Cancer. I. Am Still. In Shock.

Like any of you out there who have been touched by this, I'm sure you know the feelings.

I want to fix it. I'm a fixer. It's what I do. I want to look at it logically and break it down and fix it. Find the solution. Make it stop. Bring it back to where things were before.

It's not fair. She is 34.

Helpless. I feel helpless. Not only can I not "do" anything -- but she lives across our dear country in California so even simple things like a cup of tea and a hug in person won't be possible for another month.

I leave Tuesday for a month of traveling. A month. So much can happen in a month.

There are added complications and stresses involved which I won't get into...a month is a very long time. I can tell you I have planned my fall to be able to make as many trips out to California as I can.

Life here in NYC is still rolling along. Work is busy. Books are being read (I'm 1/2 way through the 6th Harry Potter determined to wrap it up and only bring book 7 along on the trip.) Socks are being knit (I'm almost done with the Undulating Rib Socks!!) The garden is being harvested -- this weekend looks like pesto time! (I make pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays - crack the cubes into a ziplock and voila - pesto for one or two all fall long!

Dan and I went to see the Mariners vs. Yankees game here in the Bronx last night. Sadly his team was beaten...well...spanked in the 7th inning...but it was an enjoyable night none-the-less!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow night (Taking Allegra out for her birthday dinner), Saturday night (company coming to town and we're going to a fashion show under the Tent in Bryant Park followed by a soiree WAY WAY uptown), Sunday (hopefully an opera matinee) followed by an organic wine tasting later that night...

So much to squeeze in before I leave for 27 days of working nearly straight (one day off in Italy to spend with Tatiana - yeah!!)

Life rolls along... but I still wish I could FIX it.

Undulating

Update - progress! Since the flight over here to China was on a brand new start-of-the-art entertainment packed flight...I thought I might be distracted and get sucked into a movie or two...

I was enjoying an episode of Anthony Bordain telling me all about the food in Indonesia when they announced they'd need to reboot the system because 10 seats didn't have working TVs. After the reboot, neither did anyone else. No radio. No TV. No games...and no lights. Well, not exactly, if you had your light on when they rebooted then it was ON...if not it wouldn't come on... for 5 hours. Then suddenly, all of the overhead spotlights came on...for the next 8 hours! Then, just as they were serving our meal...the lights went off. THe poor staff in having to deal with the situation. I know they had someone working on the problem for the entire 15 hours of the flight! We kept seeing our screens reboot...bad Red Hat for making a program that is so difficult to get to work!

What's a girl to do but knit, right? So, progress was made on my Undulating Rib Socks! I'm 6 rows from starting on the green heels!

I was also seated next to two swell fellas. One 10 years younger and the other 20 years younger than myself. Our conversations were often and entertaining and ranged from what to do in China and Hong Kong to Mandarin lessons from our youngest seatmate. Thanks guys!! It certainly wasn't a dull flight even with the lack of electronic entertaiment.


Mid-flight I peeked out the window and snapped a stream of photos of the polar ice up over the North Pole. Sooooo coool! Below are a few...more can be found HERE.
After landing, Mag met me at the airport in Hong Kong and we headed into China. First stop, DINNER!!! We had many of my usual favorites as well as a new steamed pork dish that was delicious!!!

If you want to see any of the food photos in a higher quality they can be found HERE.

When my head hit the pillow, it was ready for sleep!