Today...

Is my birthday! I'd have something peaceful, reflective, and spiritual to say but...IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, B*T*HES!!! Party like the unholy pagans you are! After all, today is Midsummer's, the day of angels, demons, and fairies, according to whatever belief you subscribe to. My Scottish ancestors were shunned by the other Scots because they were considered strange and associated with fairies* and I ain't no different!

PARTY ON!

*according to the History Channel, duh.

Finished Object: Swedish Fish

Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino in Red.
Pattern: Tiger's Eye from Socks, Socks, Socks.
How long it took: Two weeks.
Mods: Unintentionally made the toe shorter than it should have been.

These socks were so dang easy to knit up. The pattern isn't particularly easy to memorize, but it's quite easy to figure where you are and where to go so no potential of getting lost in the pattern. The y4o can be a little stumbling block but really, it's not that bad. And the little lace/cable mock is really quite fun to see develop.

This is my Sockapaloooza Savior pair and they left yesterday. I hope you enjoy, IvyAurora!

Trekking at Five Star Ranch

Desert Rose came with me to the family reunion at the Five Star Ranch. It's through Spanish Fork Canyon on the way to Fairview. The skies are always just the most amazing blue and the ranch itself is just picturesque with its own "lake" (more of a pond really). And so the sock and I took a little picture trip.

The walk went past the lake featured above and through a gate that wasn't quite locked but it was meant to stay closed. The barbed wire wasn't all that encouraging but closed doors/gates always means there's just something interesting on the other side! DR and I were not deterred, not by wire or locks or dead branches or cruel looking plants on the ground. And we were rewarded with a rather cute little stream which I'm sure would have been more impressive if it were pregnant with snow run-off. And it was sure that soon, it would be nothing but a dry trickle. Still, at that point, it was a fun find.

On the way back, we both decided to admire the gorgeous sky. Only here at the ranch can the sky really get so blue. The stars are so clear at night and it's like you can see infinity from where you stand. Or a half-knit sock, depending on your point of view. As we passed the lake, DR required a rest. She found a good spot that provided the perfect photo-op of the 'lake' and the horizon beyond.

It was a great reunion and I'm always happy to come to the ranch. I never took a picture of the place, but it's big. Big enough to comfortably hold all of our family that comes and not have little tykes crawling everywhere constantly.

Also, mom wants a pair just like these. Problem is, I'm kind of on my honor not to buy more yarn. Now, since they're not for me, should I just buy the skein and make some for my mom or should I wait and possibly not find the yarn when I move back to Kansas in mid-August? I mean, the Yarn Barn in Lawrence is freakin' awesome, but they only started carrying Koigu last autumn, I don't think they'll have Trekking XXL for a while.

I think I'd best just...do it. For my mom, who I love. Oh ye guilty pleasures.

TREKKING

After about a week of brewing both in the back of my head and in its Bath & Bodyworks bag, I decided to continue on with the pattern for Trekking. So yesterday I decided to take her with me to the Spanish Fork canals where my parents like to take our dog, Daisy, for her walk. And swim. The dog is part otter, I'm certain of it. She loves to splash after rocks tossed into the canal, whining for the next one.

This is one of my dad's old haunts and every time we come out to the canal, he regales us of times when he would crawl around with his buddies. In the picture on the right, he's talking about how he and his friend climbed up the trail to the rocks and to the sandy caves and so on. It makes me wish I could do the same but at the same time, I am a little worried about the effects on gravity on myself. Hanging perilously off rocks just for a pretty sight just doesn't seem like fun to me.

Anyways, it's fun to walk along the canal, but I really think that the dogs have the most fun.

J is for... / WIPs

J is for...JAM! I made my first Strawberry Freezer Jam a few weeks ago. It is divine, let me tell you. Smuckers has NOTHING on stuff you make yourself with your uncle's blender.






WIPs
The red socks remind me strongly of Swedish Fish but only prettier. And not edible. The pattern is the Tiger Eye pattern found in Socks, Socks, Socks and I think the most charming part other than the lace is the lace-mock-cable on the back leg. Also, is it just me or do people have some laaarge feet? I fear that the Sockapaloooza person I'm rescueing with these may not have such large feet. But...she said 10 inches. Maybe I'm just a little befuddled since my feet are smaller. Size 7, yannow.

As for the Trekking socks...I do a lot of Trekking but I tend to leave the knitting behind and go with the dog and my m:robe instead (think iPod poseur). But this is as far as I've gotten before devoting myself solely to the Swedish Fish red Sockapaloooza Savior Socks. The pattern is Creeping Vines from I forget where (if someone recognizes the pattern, let me know) and I thought it looked great but now I'm not so sure, at least with this yarn. I may rip it out and do something else, heaven knows I have enough sock patterns on my harddrive to have PLENTY of options. Or perhaps someone may wish to make their own suggestions? And no, I don't think I'll do the Jaywalk socks. Something about them makes me shy away, I'm sorry.

Anyways, everyone have a good rest of the week, I know I need it. After all, I flooded the basement kitchen yesterday and, well, I'm still doing a little damage control. Oy.

Mountain Peaks Shawl - Finished!

Actually, she was finished a week or so ago, I just needed some sunlight and a friendly photographer. I found one in my cousin's wife.



But, you know, I just don't really get how to wear shawls. I don't do it normally, I knit this up just because it was a gorgeous pattern. I don't think I'll actually wear it anywhere. Still, it's just nice to have something lacey. Just in case.



Specs
Yarn: Handpainted Laceweight in Sapphire Purple.
Needle Size: #2s.
Length of Time: Started April 1. Finished May 27.
Comments: the yarn is very easily self-felting and I wish I had used the KnitPicks lace as opposed to this lace because there were quite a few times when I really needed to frog a bit and the yarn prevented that. The pattern is very intriguing and keeps your attention. All in all, I really enjoyed this pattern and I'll probably knit this again.