**picture here later**

So I finished both feet of the Wild Tide socks. I had to make them about 1/2 an inch shorter than usual because of the stretch in the lace. I finished one foot and heel on Saturday, and then put it on spare needles and started the second foot/heel on Sunday. We were out of town this weekend at Kevin's little bro's graduation from college. And let me tell you, I got nearly the entire sock foot knit during that graduation ceremony. Now I just need to figure out how to hide some knitting on me during my own graduation in two weeks so I won't be bored out of my mind!

When we got home on Monday, I put both socks back onto one set of needles and am trying to knit both legs at the same time. I'm realizing with this pattern that I don't particularly like knitting lace socks, especially when everything is p2tog. If it was k2tog, I'd probably be fine with it, but the p2togs are painfully slow.

Also, I'm kind of worried that I'm allergic to this yarn or the dyes. I've got these weird little bumps on the palm of my hands that kind of itch and developed after I started knitting with this yarn. I thought for a while that it might be a new lotion that I started using, but I'm not getting bumps on the more typically sensitive areas like the backs of my knees or inner elbows or wrists (I often react badly to scented lotions and those are the first locations to react). So the yarn is the only thing I can think of that touches the palms of my hands, but not other body parts.

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I got my Sockapalooza pal's info. I emailed her a couple of days ago, though haven't heard back yet. Unfortunately she doesn't have a blog so I have no other way to get in touch with her. There's apparently over 1000 people in this Sockapalooza, which is both cool, but also a little troublesome. I know there have been problems in the previous 3 sockapaloozas with people not coming through and knitting their socks (I was a sock savior for one round), and it seems with so many more participants those problems are likely to be even grander (which is really sad because this is supposed to be fun for everyone).

So the end of the semester (at 2 different schools), multiple graduations, arranging to move to a new apartment, prepping for a summer class, and everything else have taken over and knitting has been pushed to the background (which is probably good because my hands have stopped itching since I stopped working with the STR Wild Tide).

Today, Kevin and I went to Ikea to pick out some new furniture for our new place. Here's Kevin's car stuffed with our purchases...

I was amazed that it all fit. Take a look at it all unloaded!




So do you want to see our new place?
Bathroom View 1
Bathroom View 2
Bedroom View 1
Bedroom View 2
Bedroom View 3
Office View 1
Office View 2
Living Room View 1
Living Room View 2
Kitchen View 1
Kitchen View 2

Even among the hub-bub that's currently possessing my life, Cordelia and I managed to sneak down to MDS&W on Saturday. It was the third trip for both of us, and I can't speak for Cordelia, but I found this trip much more laid back and relaxing than the first two trips. The first was about touching everything and seeing everything and buying a lot. The second was about buying more strategically, but still buying a lot, so long as it was mostly stuff that couldn't be found elsewhere easily. This trip was about seeing, experiencing, and not spending. And to that end, I was very reserved. Check it out...

Yep, that's it. The tee-tiniest crochet hook I've ever seen and one skein of sock yarn for my Sockapalooza buddy. And yes, the yarn is nearly that vibrant in person. I think it is just screaming for a Cookie A pattern.

But first, I must finish these Wild Tide socks. Here's the current status...

(And that is the first decent picture my camera has taken in a while!)

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Thanks for all the comments on the new apartment! We're slowly getting our stuff up there (and yes one picture showed just a part of the yarn stash that's been moved, and yes we have a crapload of books, and most importantly my very own washer/dryer will go in the empty space next to the kitchen sink). Today we went up and built built built and only managed to get through half of the new Ikea furniture. This weekend we'll probably finish the rest (and I'll get some pictures).

Since we've got new furniture, we also want to get rid of some of the hand-me-downs we've been using (and that we also don't want to move). I posted the stuff on Craigslist and am a little overwhelmed by the responses. Today we got rid of an Ikea $30 wardrobe. Two women traveled an hour to take it. Hopefully, we'll have someone taking a large section of bedroom furniture soon.

Wouldn't it be cool if there was a Yarnlist version of Craigslist? You could post yarn that you want to sell, give away, or trade. It could be much easier to navigate and negotiate than things like eBay. Hmmm... if only I had more time and more webdesign skills...

Way back in November of 2004, a sweater named Klaralund was born.

This pretty sweater was one of my favorites--snuggly, warm. However, it was sewn together poorly (I didn't understand matress stitch at the time) and the arms are about a mile too long. In fact, the arms were so bulky that I couldn't fit the sweater under my wintercoats, which severly limited the wearablility of Klaralund.

Over the past 2 months or so, I've been pondering an idea that would probably make a lot of knitters cry. Disassemble Klaralund and knit a new sweater. This idea started to take on more significance as the need to find a new apartment and be more frugal became more important.

Last Thursday while watching ER, I took the plunge. I don't know if it was the goofy plot of Abby and Luka's wedding that created the right level of insanity to start ripping, but rip I did. Well, sort of. You see I didn't get very far because Noro Silk Garden doesn't like ripping. Especially once its been in sweater form for over 2 years and washed many times and thus happily sticky with itself. The sleeves are off and one is ripped. The body needs to be taken apart still (my crazy and poor seaming skills of 2004 make undoing the seams horrid).

What new form will the Noro take on? It probably won't be another Klaralund. I was thinking of trying another top-down self-designed sweater (there should certainly be more than enough yarn!). But for now, I need to gather my courage and finish the ripping!

(Instead of the horrible Hollywood "The Reaping" movie, wouldn't a great horror movie for knitters be "The Ripping"?!)

It seems I've lost my knitting. Not literally, of course. It is sitting over on the chair, but I haven't picked it up in several days. Between moving and cleaning and building, I just haven't had the energy. I did finish ripping Klaralund Thursday night, maybe I can start swatching on that to bring the knitting mojo back.


In other news, this Craigslist selling of furniture has been working out really well. We just got rid of a glass cabinet, computer desk, and file cabinet today. We still have an offer for our TV stand. The only pieces that fell through are the bedroom furniture (which also happen to be the biggest), but I'm going to repost them and get some new offers.


This is our new computer set up until we move...



That's the monitor, keyboard, modem, and router all set up on an Ikea end table. The tower is holding the mouse and speakers. The printer is sitting on 2 phone books (and now also has the phone on top of it). Underneath is a box with paper, scissors, stapler, tape, and other desk items. It isn't horrible to work at, but thankfully we can use the laptop while sitting on the comfy couch.

I finally packed up the rest of my knitting stuff to take over to the new apartment (2 big rubbermaid tubs full of yarn). The best part was finding leftovers of the Noro from Klaralund! There's not a lot, but there's probably about 1/2 - 3/4 of a skein.

I knitted some tonight on the Wild Tide socks and made a decision. I can't continue with the pattern, so I'm going to knit a few rows of ribbing and finish them off. P2tog Yo is not fun.

Snagged from And She Knits Too!

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Pen & Purl tagged me for this Meme.

Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their blogs seven facts, as well as the rules of the game. (I've seen this on most other people's blogs, so if you haven't been tagged yet, you're it!)

1. I'm a big klutz, yet very resilient (though I do bruise easily). I frequently walk into things, bump my head, and forget to move parts of my body out of the way. Earlier this week as we were moving more boxes into our new place, I was walking back to the car and forgot to pick up my foot to step down a step. Honestly, I should have broken my ankle on that move, but I was fine.

2. Speaking of not breaking things, I've never broken a bone, though again with the klutziness, I probably ought to have several times. In high school, I was on the tennis team and my doubles partner and I crashed into each other. She ended up in the hospital, I didn't have a scratch.

3. I don't like talking to people on the phone (of course there are some exceptions). I'd much rather communicate through email or in person. A lot of times when calling someone, I'm hoping to get voicemail.

4. When I was little, I couldn't pronounce my own name, so I used to refer to myself as Mimi. Which I find really really funny now with having a Wii and a Mii.

5. I love Coca Cola.

6. I don't like breakfast. I like breakfast foods, but I often don't like eating in the morning.

7. I'm not good at writing about myself (this list took over an hour!). Kevin had to help write my biographies for the Stitch 'n Bitch books.

Through following several links, I ended up on the Best Week Ever site reading about the The Top 15 Sexiest Nerd Boys. Apparently there was a lot of disagreement over the list, particularly some glaring omissions, so there was a follow-up post.

My personal list would probably be:
1. Ewan McGregor (especially Star Wars and Moulin Rouge)
2. Steve Carrell (The Office)
3. Alton Brown (Good Eats)
4. Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report)
5. John Stewart (The Daily Show)
6. John Krasinski (The Office)
7. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development)
8. Will Arnett (Arrested Development)
9. Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs)
10. Rainn Wilson (The Office)

Who are your fav "nerdy" guys?

The move is nearly over. We've got all the furniture in the new place and mostly arrange. We've got TV and internet again. We still have to clean the old place and finish arranging things here, but as soon as it is more respectable, I'll post some pictures.

The moving has been made more hectic by the fact that we were cat sitting (which was helpful for somewhere to sleep and eat, though meant for more travelling) and the fact that I caught a stomach virus on Monday. Monday was the big move day, and between me, Kevin, my brother, and Kevin's brother, we moved all of the furniture from old place to new place. Throughout the day, I wasn't very hungry at all. My brother, Kevin, and I got a very late dinner at Friendly's before taking my brother home and I only ate half of my food. We finally got home (well, to the cat sitting home) around 1am. By 3am, the stomach virus was in full effect. I was completely useless Tuesday, Wednesday I managed to do a bit but was easily exhausted. I'm still not eating at full capacity (for example, the past three mornings I've tried to eat a bagel for breakfast and finish about 3/4s of it over the course of 2 hours).

But things are looking up. Cat sitting is finished and we are sleeping in the new place tonight! I haven't knit since last Sunday, but I do owe you some pictures of knitting... as soon as I figure out which box my camera is in...

Apparently unpacking takes nearly as long as packing. The bedroom is about 90% set-up. Today we got the kitchen to about 90% set as well (if the electrician would ever call us back to come install the washer/dryer, the kitchen would be good to go). The living room is about 75%, but still contains a lot of miscellaneous stuff that is waiting for more permanent homes. The office room is about 60%, the computer area and bookcases are set-up, but most importantly, I finally finished setting up my crafting area!!














I love my crafting nook! Right now it is comprised of a card table, 2 different types of shoe storage units, an old green corner bookcase, a dvd storage case, an old stereo cabinet, and 2 wine holders. Eventually we plan to go to Ikea and purchase a bunch of new furniture for the office/craft room, so at some point it will need to be redone. But for now, I love it and am very happy with how it turned out. I can sit at the table and flip through my knitting books, I can set-up the sewing machine and sew, I can scrapbook, or (as I've been doing since I finished organizing it) just sit in the nook smiling!