Ravelry, Socks, and School

It's been a busy week since I last posted. But a lot has happened. I finally got my Ravelry invite, I got my yarn in the mail for my Hogwarts sock swap and started on the socks, and the kids have started back to school. Oh, and I also made my stitch markers for my pal. I've also been pretty sick, but I'm feeling better this week. Plus on top of all that, Steve ended up working about 70 hours last week and I was pretty lonely. I know, I know, cry me a river.

First off, Ravelry rocks! It's so cool to be able to network with other knitters, organize your stash, among many other neat things that Ravelry can do. I haven't been able to really start using it much, but I have looked around and at least started my sign-on. I'm hoping this week will be a better one for getting up and running with it.

Warning-if your name is Lily and you're my sock pal-STOP READING!

I decided to use Lorna's Laces yarn in the color Pioneer for the HW's swap. Since my pal's in Ravenclaw, this yarn has all the colors (according to the book, the colors are blue and brown, and the movie shows it blue and silver). It's a variegated with blue, brown, bronze, and silver all together. I'm using the Waving Lace pattern from Interweave's Favorite Socks book and it's turning out really beautiful.

I absolutely love that book (Favorite Socks). The Uptown Boot socks from the book are turning out great-I wanted to have them finished last week, but with the health issues I had, it just wasn't happening. I have to say that the Artyarn's Ultramerino I'm using for them is the best sock yarn I've used so far. It is so easy to knit with and it feels so luxurious, too. The Raglan Baby Sweater is almost done as well, I just need to finish the second sleeve and sew it up. With the kids in school this week, I really hope to wrap up the sweater and the uptown socks. I want to start working on my pal's socks and nothing else so I can have them done early. The deadline is October 31st, but I don't want Lily to have to wait until the end and wonder if she's ever getting her goodies.

I absolutely can't stand to post without pictures, so here's the kids leaving for the 1st day of school this morning. Can you tell Nick's absolutely thrilled (sarcasm!)? He seemed fine none the less, when I left him and Mak. Makenzie, however, couldn't wait.

Here's a picture of the sunrise this morning. The haze is horrible and it's a code red smog alert day- I'm so glad I don't have respiratory problems!

The sun looked really pretty coming in the windows, though. I guess that's the silver lining for that smog cloud!

Better get busy, then I'm off to have me a cafe mocha, so-Ciao! Have a great knitting week!

Harry Potter Sock Swap Two and other stuff

As I said in my last post, I'm joining the Harry Potter Sock Swap Two (notice the link and some shameless plugging I'm doing for the swap-if you're interested, visit the link. It's going to be a lot of fun for everyone! Sign ups started July 14th and it looks like they're filling up quickly, so hurry if you're interested.) Here's the questions that I have to answer in order to take part in the swap:

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

Gryffindor (YEA! Go,Go, Gryffindor!)

2. Shoe size?

5 1/2 to 6

3. Foot Length?

9 inches

4. Foot Circumference?

8 inches, let me know if you have any questions about the other diameters

5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
a. Lantern Moon
b. Crystal Palace
c. Brittany

*all brands in size 3 or 4. I usually use a 7 inch, but sad to say, I have some delicious Lantern Moon sox stix in a 5 inch that I have yet to use. Any wood or bamboo brand works for me!

6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?

Blue Sky Surina Wood Sock needles (they only come in 5 inches I think) and a size 4 would be great. Also would be interested in trying the Knit picks.

7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?

N/A

8. Allergies? Do you have any? Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals?

I don't have any allergies unless you count penicillin. No one in the house smokes and we do have a kitty.

9. Are you an international participant (outside US)? Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?

I live in the good ol' U S of A, but I definitely would not mind having an international sock pal.

Also, my camera has been more at the ready this week compared to last. The crepe myrtles are blooming great and the front porch ferns are doing so good I had to take a picture. Oh, and Nicholas wanted some Harry Potter glasses to go with his wand. Cute, huh?

P.S. I guess being that this is a knitting blog (or relatively so) I should mention that I'm finally working on my second uptown boot sock and making good progress on the Raglan sweater. Hope to see you all at Hogwarts soon!