These .. tutti frutti socks .. are the last ones I will ever post pictures of and say who they're for. This is because I suffer from guilt and am easily pressured. So for those many many people in the world who don't knit their own socks and for whom I'd love to knit them, I can't get to it soon enough to feel unguilty. I'll still post pictures of socks though. Mariannnne, they're almost done. I messed with the colors on the puter but this is close.

My ever-so-good son is on his to see me from college. He has called four (maybe five) times so far to let me know how it's going: traffic updates, car lost in garage, directions needed. I really want to see him but there is no end to worrying about one's children. I'll see if I can get him to hold some knitting while I photograph him.

I also applied for a wonderful job yesterday so pray, cross your fingers, hold your breath, whatever.

Today I went downtown to have lunch with friend, Liz. The weather was SO beautiful that I couldn't help stopping to take pictures. First, we have some nice kudzu. This vine is not natural to the U.S. and since being planted in the South has taken over EVERYTHING. It climbs up trees. I just managed to find some that hadn't been covered yet.
The train doesn't stop here but we have a nice depot. It's used as a museum now. The train runs right back of it.
This is the lake where I walk, when I walk, which is never. It's one mile around. Perfect except the sidewalks slant downhill. There's another sidewalk (1.25 miles) at the top of the hill.


I always feel more peaceful when I go downtown. All the businesses are open and there are others to the right. I love downtown.

I just think this one is so pretty. It's Austermann Step with Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil in denim and boy did it stick together. I didn't get the whole ball rolled up because it stuck and knotted so badly. I guess the heels and toes will be with something else so I don't risk running out. But I love it.

Here's the CIC sweater back and most of the front. It'll look better blocked but the knitting is coming along.

I went out to take pictures of rain and figured out, all by myself, that the background has be darker than the color of water. (Loved that book The Color of Water by the way. Title comes from mixed-race children asking Mom what color God is.) I got pictures of water dripping off the house.

I'm working on three socks and the little sweater. Someone really mentally sick was telling me how she hates her job, loves to shop with her dd because her dd is so smart she makes male salespersons look dumb, she hates some of her co-workers because they're bossy, prissy, attractive (guys are always hanging around her instead of working), etc. I was knitting knitting knitting a sock when this other woman came in and teased me about making a pair for her. Conversation went like this:

Nice Woman: Will you be able to finish my socks by Christmas?

Mean Woman: She'll charge you.

NW: That's ok. I'll pay.

MW: Do you want a pair like those? (ones I was working on.)

NW: That would be good. Anything she'd make, I'd want.

MW: They don't appeal to me.

It's really hard to let this kind of this roll off. Grrr.

I finished these socks a few weeks ago, said goodbye, and sent them to live in Germany with their new Christina-feet. They're Opal Lollipop 1016, knit on size U.S. 1.5 needles (5 wooden/bamboo ones). I made them a little extra long knowing that Christina romps through the snow several months out of the year and when she washes/dries them they're look a little smaller. No worries. Put them on and they're go right back to size. But .. the outcome of the extra length was almost running out of yarn. I actually bought another ball because I was so sure I wouldn't make it. I sent the remaining yarn along with the socks for darning purposes and she probably hasn't noticed it in the toe yet, it was so small.

Sometimes ... when you're knitting and your thread seems stuck, it might be that something is lying on it.

I finished the Knitpicks Jig socks and the Regia Canadian Classic Colors 4741. The Jigs are a little stretched out as I wore them last night.

Cartoons are what I'm wishing for. I live in a rural area without cable, won't buy a satellite and so only get one station. Lazy Town is not a cartoon. I miss the clever little 2-d animals, trains and strange-haired people who are supposed to be on tv on Saturday morning. While I wait for CBS to wake up and fix this, here's my current knitting.

The Tutti Fruitti sock toe is being formed.

The back of my little sweater for Children in Common is almost finished. You can't really see the two oranges at the bottom but they're there.

Just showing the work I've done on Marianne's socks (Opal Tutti Frutti) and the Opal Cameleon ones. Both these yarns are so nice to work with. Of course, they're both Opal so I must be talking about the colorways. Yes, I am. Yulle gave me the Cameleon. I hope she didn't want socks for herself from it! She's going to get another ball of yarn knit up soonish. The Tutti Fruitti is one of those "rare" yarns that I can't seem to find in the U.S. It's on ebay from Europe which is just fine. Yarns from Europe are cheaper, including postage, than U.S. ones. I really think it's pretty and wonder why I can't find it here.