The silence here yesterday was due in large part to ennui.  I am with Cara on this one and am ready for fall.  I am sick of the heat, thankful for yet sick of the air conditioning, sick of watering all the f-ing plants, sick of mowing the lawn, sick of salads and ready for soup.

I am ready for a change.

In two weeks Daughter #1 will be off for her fist semester at college.  I am also ready for that.  Yes, I am going to miss her.  No, I can’t believe it.  But our lives lately have been an anticipation of this event —- I am ready.  I want to stop counting down.  I want to stop obsessing if she has everything, if her roommate will be nice, if she will like it, if she will do well ….. let’s get the show on the road already!

In honor of my Fall Fever, may I present Backyard Leaves in progress?

and here are my Backyard Leaves musings ….

• it’s a really cool pattern and Annie Modesitt is a knitting genius (did I tell you about how I met her, how I ended up in Knitter’s Magazine because of her?)
• There will be a next one of these and I will knit it in some nubby brown stuff I have that I have forgotten the name of.  It’s on a cone, it’s from Webs – it is a bit scratchy now, but is supposed to bloom …..  it’s, it’s  Brora Softspun!  phew.
• the next time I will knit both ends simultaneously
• and I will use a temporary cast on and graft them together – I am surprised that this is not in the directions and wonder if there is a reason for it that I just don’t see at the moment ….

back to whining …. did I mention that Kathleen talked me into a Secret Pal Swap? I now have a case of performance anxiety.

Save Our Sock!

I was on a road trip this weekend and took along a sock project.  Thank goodness I also took along my Backyard Leaves.  If you followed that link, you will see that I started the scarf on another road trip in April.  It has sat untouched ever since we got home. 

Do you know how dusty a project can get just sitting around for four months?

So dusty that I ripped the whole thing out and started over – funnily enough, I am at the fourth pattern repeat just like that picture!

Anyway – back to the socks.  I had wanted to try the technique of knitting both socks at the same time.  Sockbug has a tutorial on her site.  It seems simple enough – until you try it!

I don’t know what the problem is — I get to the point where I cast on the remaining stitches for the first sock and I seem to fall apart!

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?  Is this techinique only suitable for one type of cast on?  I am using an alternate cable cast on –  Is that it – can this be done only with the long tail?  it’s my only guess …..

send help! send suggestions!  send links! 

It is hot and humid.  I am working on the 2nd sock.  This is the exciting life I lead.

Just when I thought I would have to skip blogging today for lack of content, along comes an email from FA (who, btw is sending me some very risqué jokes these days!) ……

Where does virgin wool come from?

Ugly sheep.

So, I am blogging too much.  Spending way too much time with my laptop.

How do I know all of this?  is it my rusting social skills? my pale and pasty white skin?

No.

I had a dream about Margene last night.

While I am sure Margene is as lovely in person as she is on her blog, I am fairly certain this is not a good sign.

In my dream, Margene was wearing a lovely cardigan and was as tall as a sequoia.  And I wondered how tall Smith must be. 

I need to get out more.