Alive and Knitting

I was working on these socks, test knitting, but the pattern has been “realeased”:http://knittinmom.blogspot.com/2006/09/do-i-take-advantage.html so it’s not such a secret anymore. “Knittin Mom’s”:http://knittinmom.blogspot.com selling the pattern for a great cause, and it’s a beautiful pattern. I’m hoping mine fit me

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I’ve turned the heels and I’m narrowing in on the toes. I did have to switch to sport weight instead of aran/worsted weight to get gauge, but they are turning out pretty. I’m just hoping that I have enough yarn – if I do, I won’t have loads left over – nerve wracking – this is the main reason I prefer toe-up patterns for socks.

I STILL have only to pick up stitches and sew a couple inches of ribbing for the sleeves on Angel’s green sweater. It turns out it fits me, but ever-so-snug, and with the lacy type patterning along with the bulky yarn – it just doesn’t work on me. So Angel shall just have a “loose” sweater until she grows into it.

Have you seen the “Fall issue of Knitty?”:http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall06/index.html
My favorite pattern is “Sherwood.”:http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall06/PATTsherwood.html Nicci likes “Viveka”:http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall06/PATTviveka.html just as I knew she would. Her and Angel are opposites in that way – Angel likes clothes to _fit_ and Nicci prefers them _the-looser-the-better._

Have any favorites in this issue of Knitty? Please do share in the comments.

The animals are faring well, despite lack of green pastures. We are supplementing with alfalfa, and BooHopper often picks them some grass from outside their fences and tosses it in to them – they love her for it! Here is a collage I threw together on Labor Day:

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I put it together and printed it out as a thank you to one of my fellow local knitters that blessed me with these cuties:

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Because of some ankle problems, Jean can’t wear them, they were practically new, and she said she thought someone that had sheep should have them – me! Thanks Jean!

The only other big news, aside from my late summer / early autumn sinus allergy headaches that have been wreaking havoc on my life, are the baby birds. Nicci’s finches laid 4 eggs, 2 of which hatched. Unfortunately Snow, the mama bird, didn’t survive. She passed on sittin on her babies in the nest a week or two after they were born. Thank Goodness the daddy finch, Hubie, took over and has raised the two boy birds well. Here they are on Nicci’s fingers – she’s already been hand-training them, ever since the first day they popped out of the nest a couple of weeks ago:

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I’ve been feeling the urge to photograph quite a bit more lately. We shall see. Spinning and dyeing are calling out to me, as well, but there is only so much time. Would someone please figure out a way to get me more time?