And I'm finally back

I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I feel like there was much gnashing of teeth and showing of swords in a threatening manner every time y'all checked my blog, only to see that I still hadn't done a damn thing with it. So I humbly apologize to y'all and appreciate your patience. I didn't get one (1) angry email even.

So, after much deliberation over the wonderful suggestions y'all provided for my bulky cashmere, I hemmed and hawed over two suggestions that really spoke to me. I finally decided that tarabeth (leave me your email address in a comment so I can get in touch with you to send you your yarn!) is the winner of the Wildfoote sock yarn for her suggestion. In memorial to my kitten, I will make a cashmere kitten out of it that is many colors, just like she was, and is super soft, just like she was. Thank you to everyone for your participation and excellent suggestions. I am filing all of them away for future use, especially the Scribble Lace Scarf and the eyemask! Thanks again for participating. Contests are fun so I believe I will have more in the future.

Also, I have to say thank you thank you thank you thank you for all your kind words and thoughts about the kitty. It was so sweet and thoughtful of y'all and it provided immeasurable comfort to me.

Moving on....
Knitting:

• I finished the Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. Yahoo! I've got a new pair of socks and here they are: I'm quite pleased with them and, of course, I had to cast on another pair (different pattern), shortly thereafter because I can't seem to not have a pair of socks on my needles lately.
  
• So, sock knitting. I finished my first pair a while ago (the red ones) and I love with them with a passion that can only be reserved for your first pair of finished socks. Then I made some baby socks (look through the photos to see my white, furry model) and then I finished the Gentleman's Fancy Sock. I'm hooked. I have to have at least one pair of socks on the needles at all times now. I think I would actually like to have two pair on the needles at all times, one complicated and one mindless, and I have great plans for some socks that I want to create. I'll even give you the patterns so you can try 'em out yourself when I've finished. Yahoo!! Free stuff!!
• And I will have more free patterns to give to you throughout the rest of the year. I'm going to mix up some free ones with some ones for sale so everybody gets something. I get to call myself an honest-to-goodness knitwear designer and you will get some free patterns and the opportunity to buy (for cheap) some cool patterns to whip up fashionable, fun sweaters, cardigans, socks, and other things I have gestating in the brain pool at the moment. Hurrah!
• I thought I'd take a photo and share with you my notes from making the Gentleman's Fancy Sock. How professional, you might say, while looking at my penned notes on a paper towel. Hahaha. Yeah, so whatever patterns I plan on making to give and to sell will NOT be printed on paper towel. But if you do the same thing, you are not alone. Details on the sock: I used Plymouth Sockotta and it took me just over one ball to do it. I'd say about 550 yards for the pair. I used size 2.5mm needles and broke one just before I was about to finish the sock (there was cursing involved). I put an extra pattern repeat in the leg and I used one less pattern repeat in the foot to make 'em fit my feet instead of the MAN feet the pattern is written for (skinny, thin, tiny MAN feet). They were great fun to make and I recommend making a pair for you or someone you know.
  
• I'm making progress on the test knitting project #2 and I really like them. The color choices, as I've probably said before, aren't quite me but I do like the pattern. It, again, uses a bunch of things I've never done before so I'm learning a lot and the outcome has been really positive.
• Speaking of test knitting, I got another job knitting samples for a yarn shop up in NY, located close to the publishing company I work for. My publishing boss actually hooked me up with the gig and my first knit is a Rowan cardigan. Yahoo!! She pays me in yarn, which I love, for the knits for the store. She and a friend are writing a knitting book and I'll be test knitting patterns for the book too. Then I get paid in actual money (I'm honestly not sure what I prefer but the electric company doesn't accept payment in yarn although I think I'd probably knit by candlelight as opposed to handing over yarn....). I'll be able to share the store projects with you so that's pretty groovy.
• I started the ring pillow for my sister's wedding. I'm using OnLine Goby in Cream on size 6 (US) needles. I went with a bobble stitch pattern from one of Nicki Epstein's books (my laziness is preventing me from getting up to check the exact title but you'll read about it soon enough I'm sure) and doing some other fancy-schmancy stuff with it. I'm pleased with it so far. I've actually gotten more finished since that photo so I'll update you with new photos on the next post.
  
• I feel like I've cast on about a million projects lately (okay, so I'm exaggerating) and I want to show them to you. It's actually only been within the last day or so and I haven't had a chance to take photos and go through the process of uploading them. Soon, my dear bloglings and blogettes, soon.

Partaking in Culture:

• If you want to laugh until you are gasping for air, go see Superbad. It is HILARIOUS! It, like most genius films, shows one day in the life of the protagonists, two 18-year-old boys about to go to college. It is funny and has moments of sheer genius. Definitely worth the ticket price and we may even go see it again.
• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry was also funny although it can't hold a candle to Superbad, Adam Sandler notwithstanding. Enjoy it on DVD. It was rather predictable but still made me laugh quite a few times.
• We have a bunch of netflix movies and movies from the video store that we have to watch over the next few days so I'll give you the haps on those when I view them. I have notoriously weird taste in films so the netflix movies should prove interesting. One of them is even a horror movie (there is much rejoicing!).
  

Well, my darling bloglings and blogettes, thank you again for your patience and for coming to read up on what's going on with me. I will be hosting another contest as soon as I find a reason to do so (which is, like, every other day with me...I swear.) but thanks again for your ardent participation in the last one. I'm thinking of adding a new section to the blog so stay tuned to see if I actually do it. It should be at least mildly humourous. I hope y'all are doing well and enjoying life. I know that many of the kiddos are back in school so stay-at-home mamas and papas have been able to reclaim their days and university students are once again able to find reasons to skip class. Oh, the days.

Transmission Ended