This is going to be a long one, I’m warning you. You might want to grab yourself a fresh cup of coffee or tea, and possibly take a potty break before starting.

OK, you ready? Really, go pee. I’m not kidding.

So, one of my goals on the cruise was to finally finish what I have been referring to as the Neverending Socks of Guilt. I started these for Kris last March. No, LAST March. As in 2007.

That’s right, these incredibly basic, toe-up socks took me over a year to finish. Why? No clue. I think I was just bored with them. I was to the gussets when Steph and I boarded the plane, and i had turned one heel by the time we got to Atlanta. I was officially on the cuffs when we got to Seattle, and from there it was just a case of getting them to a good length. That’s Knit Picks Memories in “Cape Cod”, the socks are based on Diamante from knitty.com, just without the patterning.

And if you are wondering, the guilt over these socks languishing was such that since I started them and until they were done, I’ve completed exactly two pair of socks, both Red Dwarf socks - one pair for me, and one for my SP 42MainSt.

Since then, however…

Meet the first-ever completed pair of socks in Emma’s brand new Ramen Sock Yarn!

I started these on the cruise, since she was so lovely as to give me the yarn to test for her before we left, and EVERYONE was asking about them. I got lots of “Is that Noro Sock?” and the unanimous response when I told them it was Dragonfibers was “Is it available and if not when will it be?” Guess that answered her question as to whether people would like it, eh? (And she told me the other day that there should be some available soon. Like possibly today.)  ETA:  and to answer Zanti’s question, yes, it is noticeably softer than the Noro Sock.

The pattern is RPM from knitty, modified to be done toe-up (of course). I worked from both ends at the same time, so they striped totally differently. I love it! They also have my new favorite heel - the hybrid heel that Chrissy Gardiner taught in our toe-up heel class. It’s a toe-up heel flap with NO pickups! Perfect!

You can see from the end of the leftovers why I dubbed them Ramen Socks. Unfortunately for Emma, it sort of stuck, so I think she’s going to use it. Sorry about that, hon!

And now, I’ve started yet ANOTHER pair of socks - toe-up somethings (haven’t decided for sure yet, although I have an idea I may play with). This time, it’s in the C*Eye*Ber Fiber that we got in our goody bags - mine is “Aurora Borealis”. And yes, just like all the cool kids, I pounced on Illiane’s Emergency Knitting bags and got mine in the first wave. And she promises there will be more, even though she’s sold out at the moment. If you waited, you even get color options, because she’s adding blue and green to the line.

And now, the first yarn pr0n for this week (Thought I’d never get to that, didn’t you?)

What is that? Well, there was a minor miracle on the ship. Courtesy of a lesson from Sobeknofret, I can now use a drop spindle!!!

Malabrigo Lace, eat your heart out! Ok, maybe not quite, but I’m loving it anyway. That’s some Gale’s Art roving I picked up at MDS&W in “Sapphire”. Beautiful stuff, spins like a dream, as does the purpleheart Turkish drop spindle I also got at MDS&W. I’m kind of in love with it. I’ve even been spinning in public with it!

In celebration of my new-found capability with a drop spindle, I ordered myself a Bunny Spindle Bag from Julip Bags on Etsy. Isn’t it awesome? There is a vertical pocket inside that holds the spindle (whorl-up), and there is a TON of space for fiber, plus a nice long carrying strap.

Since I was doing so well with the spindle, Emma let me take a ride on Daniel when we got back to Seattle. Daniel is a double-treadle Louet Lendrum (Sorry Daniel!), and I’ve been considering getting a kit to convert Elphaba (my Ashford Traditional now has a name, by the way. Only took me two-plus years…), but didn’t want to do it without trying a DT first. About three seconds after I started, I looked at Emma and said, “I am so ordering the kit as soon as I get home.”

And I did!

(It’s installed and working, just not finished yet.) How well is it working?

Pretty well, I’d say! That’s some BFL I got from Emma a while back. Looooooove it.

It’s even, well, even! (OK, mostly…) I’m almost halfway through the first 4 oz. braid. Once I finish it, I’ll do the other 4 oz. on a separate bobbin and then ply them. I’m not sure what weight I’ll end up with, but I’m very happy with how it is working out so far.

When I ordered the spindle bag, I also got myself one of Amby’s Everything-But-the-Knitting sock bag kits. (Amby = Julip Bags. I didn’t realize that until she commented in a blog post this week about adding totes to her Etsy shop, and I clicked to see what they were.)

And she’s not kidding - do you see all that stuff? It comes WITH the bag! There is a little pocket on the inside to hold the oh-crap-I-dropped-a-stitch crochet hook, plus the tin with the measuring tape, darning needle, scissors, stitch markers, and folding scissors, plus there is a detatchable wrist strap. The bag is gorgeous, and beautifully made, and the extras just make it that much more fabulous. Go see her - she’s also got some awesome knitting totes that I would probably have snagged if they had been available when I ordered. :D

So, since the Aurora Borealis socks are my “Emergency Knitting”, what’s going in the new bag? (Warning, look away now if you are a member of the Rockin’ Sock Club and haven’t seen the latest shipment yet.)

This:

I think this is the first time that I’ve been so enamored of the yarn AND pattern in a RSC kit that I wanted to wind it and cast on immediately. Can you blame me?

Look at all those purples! So rich and fabulous…

And the pattern is gorgeous too - it’s called “Cleopatra’s Stockings’ by Yarnissima. I think you’ll be seeing more of this very soon.

See, I told you it was going to be a long one! So, I think I’m caught up, other than the trip recap, which IS coming, I promise. I’ll see you Monday, maybe with some more handspun!

Sort of, anyway. :) I’ve been madly crocheting to finish up the secret test project, and haven’t had much time to blog. It went in the mail today, so now that it’s done, hopefully I’ll catch up a little more. Until I get some pictures of the 2 (TWO!!!) pairs of socks I finished, let me hold you over with this.

I have mentioned to a couple of people recently about one of the best Halloween costumes we’ve done, and this always tops the list. That’s our friend J (stitchcounter’s hubby, before they met) and Kris as Jay and Silent Bob of the Kevin Smith movies. And yes, they are leaning against a 7-11, directly under the “No Loitering” sign. :D

There will be pictures of Alaska acquisitions and FO’s soon - and a new WIP tomorrow.  There may even be pictures of (wait for it…) SPINNING.  On a DROP SPINDLE!!!

Because I totally want to be her when I grow up. :D

Your Score: Sofia Coppola

Your film will be 57% romantic, 25% comedy, 24% complex plot, and a $ 38 million budget.

With few films under her belt (The Virgin Suicides, Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette) as a writer/director, she’s already highly respected and connected — her dad, Francis, directed all The Godfather movies and Apocolypse Now. Sofia’s good at making the romantic drama that is your life with poignant sullen moments of introspection. You saw how she stylishly handled Marie Antoinette’s life, no? And who didn’t have at least a lump in the throat at the end of Lost In Translation? She’s already won one Academy Award for her writing, now she’ll be the first woman to receive one for directing — YOUR FILM!

Your Score: Tom Petty

86 Humble, 10 Excessive, and 53 Worldly

Your score lands you somewhere in the neighborhood of Tom Petty. Still breaking hearts after all these years, Petty may not be as prominent as he was in the 80’s - but he remains one of the true rock ‘n’ roll gods.

It’s tough to peg Petty on the humility scale. As one of the last true rockers alive, he embodies the stomp and swagger that people usually associate with a rock and roll frontman - and he certainly knows his place in the pantheon. Even so, Petty avoids the self-aggrandizement that plagues other aging rock icons and instead prefers to speak from the sidelines as a still, small voice of reason. He approaches himself and his music with a self-deprecating sense of humor, and appears open and easy to talk to. He may be an icon, but he’s one that most people wouldn’t mind sharing a beer with. Your high humility scale suggests that you, like Petty, won’t let your godhood go to your head.

As with his swagger, the vast majority of Petty’s excess comes on stage - and even then it’s almost entirely an excess of rock. He is a musician’s musician, a songwriter’s songwriter. You don’t picture Petty on silk sheets surrounded by hundreds of groupies (although that might be true, for all I know) - nor do you imagine him riding in the back of a Hummer limo. He is a simple man. Your low excess score suggests that you, too, retain a down-to-earth style even though you could afford to purchase half of the boutique stores in Los Angeles.

If there’s anything that Petty’s lyrics overall encourage you to do, it’s to think. He’s not immune to having pure rocker moments in his music, but he has a lot of subjects he’s very passionate about and that he’s willing to approach through his art. Your high worldliness score suggests that you, like Petty, want your audiences not only to rock, but also to rock the vote. And their school board. And their town hall. And anything else where they can provoke positive change in the world.

Your Score: The Do-Gooder

You scored 6 idealist points, 8 detective points, -1 kick-in-the-door points, and 1 help points!

You are a good person at heart. You try to do your best to help the world out against evil, although you aren’t always appreciated for it. Although you try to do good, sometimes personal goals, or life, gets in the way of superheroism.

Examples: Spiderman, The Flash

And yes, I really am going to post about the trip. I’m currently digging myself out from under a mountain of laundry. Hopefully, this weekend I can sit down and go through the video clips. I’ve even got a couple of FO’s to post about!

…Jiggity jig.

So, yes, I’m home from SeaSocks. It was absolutely amazing, and one of the best experiences of my life. My photoset is here (It’s rather small - I spent more time with the videocam, which will be uploaded as soon as I figure out how to edit the stuff I took), and the full SeaSocks Flickr pool is here. (LOTS more pics)

I do have one special picture to post, though, just for Bezzie:

The Alaska bags, reunited! (And yes, we’re in our pj’s. It was a pajama party theme one night when they judged the felted slipper contest.)

I promise there will be a full recap soon, but for right now, I’m just pooped. And deaf in one ear. There was a cold passed around on the ship, and lucky me caught it. That, combined with what Steph swears was a not-properly-pressurized flight yesterday means that my right ear still hasn’t popped. It’s not as painful as it was last night, but it’s really damned annoying, and I can’t hear a thing on that side. If it doesn’t resolve in a day or so, I’ll be calling the doc to figure out what to do. If anyone has any suggestions, I’m happy to take them. Maybe that will stop me from going at my own ear with an ice pick…

ETA: It popped!  I can hear once again!  Thank you all for your good wishes and advice - I managed to get it to pop on the way to trivia tonight.  Soooooo much better.

I picked this up at All About Yarn at their sale this past February.

Blue Heron Yarns Rayon Metallic in “Bluegrass”

I considered a Clapotis, but since the Tess Ribbon one languished for so long, I probably shouldn’t.

Now I just need to decide what I AM doing with it. But it’s so pretty I almost don’t care.

OK, not technically bears, and I left out the sheep. Plus, the pandas don’t actually do anything to the bamboo to make it yarn. But it was alliterative, and I can’t remember what pandas are officially. :)

Crystal Palace Panda Silk (52% bamboo, 43% merino, and 5% silk) in colors 3002 (an antiquey gold) and 3021 (a light cocoa).

The plan is for these to become Endpaper Mitts. I love the ever so slight sparkle to the yarn from the silk. I think it’s going to be gorgeous.

See, I’m never going to be as fabulous and elegant as Cristi and her glass of wine. I’m really more of a beer kind of girl. So, since I finished my Ribbon Clapotis, I thought I should have the FO photoshoot as something of a more me-esque homage to her Ivy League Vest post.

So, here I am with my “I wish I had Cristi’s hair” scrunched curls and my trusty bottle of Yuengling Lager (Rosi - take note. :) )

Woohoo! It’s done! Also, the sun is kind of in my eyes.

Kris said he liked the way it was draped. I think he wanted to take a picture of my butt. Happily, it’s smaller than it used to be, so I’m actually willing to post it.

Beer good. Pam like beer. Foamy.

Yes, I managed to dribble some down my chin. Because I am precisely that cool.

And since I’ll be pretty much packing all day tomorrow, you won’t be seeing any WIP posts, since I don’t have anything to photograph now!  And no, I’m not posting pictures of a pile of my underwear in my suitcase.

Wow - 3 weeks already? Time flies! (Which reminds me of one of my favorite bad jokes: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Yeah, I know. I have a bizarre sense of humor.)

So, after the weekend of debauchery that was Maryland Sheep and Wool, I was not looking forward to stepping on the scale or breaking out the tape measure this morning. So, imagine my surprise:

Weight: 223.4 (Down .8 pounds from last week)

Bust: 45 (Down an inch. Damn. ;) )

Waist: 37 (Down an inch)

Hips: 46 (Down an inch)

Holy crap! Down almost a pound AND I lost three inches since last week. I guess all that walking did me some good after all. Who knew?

Honestly, though, I was pretty good at the festival. On Saturday, I only indulged in one hot dog for lunch (OK, with chili, cheese, and sauerkraut…), and didn’t even snag any of the ribbon chips off of Jas’s plate while Sharon was holding it for her. That was a struggle, let me tell you. Those were GOOD last year. Sunday, Betsy and I got there late enough that we actually grabbed lunch on the way rather than eating fair food.

The dvd continues to get a little easier each time I do it, which makes me happy. I actually have really been enjoying working out with Dawn twice a week. It’s amazing what a difference it makes when you have a buddy to work out with, particularly when that buddy has a fabulous dry sense of humor and you both spend much of the workout making snotty remarks talking back to Jillian…

Anyway, I’m not sure if you will get an update from me next week. I leave at o-dark-thirty on Thursday morning to fly to Seattle for the SeaSocks cruise, and won’t be back home until the 19th. I have no idea what kind of internet access we will have on the cruise, so I may be incommunicado until I return. I’ll be out there with Stephie and cpurl17, so I’m sure we’ll be keeping one another honest. :)

Cross-posted to Fitness-A-Long

Truthfully, a VERY good weekend. I’m not good with the recapping, so I’ll probably leave that to Cristi or Amanda or Val.

The haul:

Top - an awesome sign that Betsy spotted today.  I’m still debating whether it will go in the Oz-themed guest room or the kitchen (with my “Don’t make me get the Flying Monkeys” sign).

Next, L to R - a gorgeous batt from Loop, some Brooks Farm Solana, roving from Mama E (”Raspberry Ganache” colorway. Well-named.  Makes me hungry every time I look at it.).

Across the middle, L to R - Three beautiful roving braids from Gale’s Art - “Sapphire”, “Potluck”, and “Gold Yellow”, more Brooks Farm - this is Ellie in two colors I plan to use to make Tempest, three colors of Neighborhood Fiber Arts sock yarn in “Capitol Hill”, “Grant Circle” and “Ward Circle”, and a Turkish Drop Spindle with a whorl made of purpleheart (my very very favorite wood.  It’s PURPLE.  NATURALLY!)

Across the bottom are 5 prints that will be framed and hung in my craft room.  LOVED them.  Laughed my way through that whole booth.

But the three best things I got this weekend weren’t things I bought - they were lovely thoughtful gifts from three totally kick-ass women.

The dragonfly is a spectacularly beautiful pin that Alice found and bought for me.  The picture doesn’t do it justice - it’s so sparkly and lovely.

The sheepy pin is a Spartan Sheep (Eddie Izzard show reference) - Carrie bought one each for me, Jaime, and herself.  He’s got the best expression on his face, and he’d totally shear himself with a rusty straight razor.  ;)

The bag - you might have seen its twin on CPurl17’s blog a couple of weeks ago. Its creator mentioned that she was making another one for someone else going on SeaSocks. Yesterday, I had two huge surprises while at MDS&W. I got to meet Bezzie! (Sneaky little thing fibbed to all of us that she wasn’t going to be able to make it, all the while planning to come.) And she gave me the bag - I was totally floored that she made such a lovely, thoughtful gift for me. I think I showed it to everyone I saw for the rest of the day.

I have the kick-assingest friends.  I’m one seriously lucky woman.

Also, one seriously tired woman.  And there are four poker-playing guys who know WHY I am so tired.  Raise the damn blinds once in a while, guys!  Then maybe the game won’t last until almost 4AM…

Guess who got nailed for speeding on the way up here…

Penny Karma - we HAD to take a picture of this for you, my dear.

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Friday Night Band:

Vaguely demonic-looking J on guitar, Kris on drums, Val on bass, and Cristi on vocals.  Amanda’s hiding there in the background, and Jeanmarie is knitting in the foreground.