6 quirky things

So: instant post. Emmms tagged me for 6 quirky things … just add water!

The rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged me
2) Mention the rules
3) Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about myself
4) Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them
5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged

1. I have a selection of special “travelling” underpants. Obviously, the chosen pairs are lucky. They are also usually pink. They prevent the airplane from falling out of the sky. I have gone to somewhat elaborate lengths to make sure to always wear a pair when travelling.

2. I practice an elaborate, cryptic, and totally arbitrary system of license plate divination. Some combinations are good; some are bad. My current license plate is merely neutral. All time worst: NUU. I hate that one. How I knew I’d chosen the right college? License plates with BMC were popping up all over town. One of the signs I might have picked the wrong graduate program? Not nearly enough PU spottings.

3. Secretly, I’m very superstitious. (See numbers 1 and 2.)

4. Charlie Watts is my favorite Rolling Stone.

5. I never sucked my thumb. Instead, my sister and I both suck our tongue. Notice the present tense.

6. I am creature of habit and routine to such an extent that I often reread favorite mysteries three or four times, just for the comfort of knowing all will turn out well in the end. I usually put off reading a new mystery until I’m ready for the mental commitment necessary to get through the suspense.

It’s late so I’m going to cop out on tagging anyone. If you want to take a shot at quirkiness, feel free! I’d love to read the answers.

it’s all about the progress

baby steps, originally uploaded by katie:m.

cats are so helpful

sheepaints, originally uploaded by katie:m.

I might have missed the Wollmeise update, but still managed to find some groovy German sock yarn in between writing (okay, worrying about writing).

in progress

in progress, originally uploaded by katie:m.

OH HAI

OH HAI, originally uploaded by katie:m.

July is dead! Long live socks!

seduction socks, originally uploaded by katie:m.

Why, yes, I do like the flickr toys.  Why do you ask?

And even though these socks aren’t supporting any kind of myth-infused body of state, they’re still a pretty good way to celebrate the July that is no more.  How that happened, I have no idea.  Why is it that the amount of work to be finished is inversely proportional to the amount of time availabe to finish said work?  Alas.  Time management is still something I struggle with.  I’m not yet covered in post-its, but I probably should be.  And I’m buying beer today.

So, the knitting.  These were my July socks for the Interweave SockAlong and I managed to finish them just a few days into August.  Score!  The pattern is free, find it: here.

The yarn, Colinette Jitterbug, is sooooo lovely.  I’m in lurv lurv lurv.  The moss colorway is gorgeous — with the greens, the rust and red patches — and is really soft.  I’m definitely going to use it again, even though the yardage is a bit short.  No problem for this pattern, with a slightly shorter cuff, but it could be an issue for other socks.  Like these.

Anyway, my only mods on the socks were at the cuff and toe: I only did the right twists in the k4 panels and added one more row of plain ribbing before starting the leg pattern to keep the intervals intact; on the toe, I just did a wedge toe, decreasing to 28 stitches — instead of the recommended 8 stitches — because my feet just aren’t that pointy.

I’m still considering my August socks.

Here are the specs:

pattern: Seduction Sock (Interweave, ravelry) by Ann Budd

yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in moss, approx 85 grams

needles: US2/3.00 mm circs

started:  July 9, 2008 (edited)

finished: August 5, 2008

mods: cuff and toe, just for preference

alps!

alps!, originally uploaded by katie:m.

So where have I been?  Short answer: Playing tour guide to my mom and my sister.  We cavorted in the Alps, took some boat rides, visited various beauty spots, and rode the train a lot.  

I also did some knitting.  More on that soon.

leftovers

mash-up cowl, originally uploaded by katie:m.

Three flavors of Malabrigo mixed with equal parts Gloria Cowl version 2.0,  Aspen Neck Cowl and a random number generator.

Graduate school is being mean again.  More later, when the boogy man is back in the closet.

voilà!

pattern: Gloria Cowl

yarn: Regia 4-ply sock yarn (black) and Tausendschön sock yarn (Traumtänzer) held double (ETA: approx 50 grams of each)

needles: US8/5.0mm circs

started: July 8, 2008

finished: July 11, 2008

mods: garter stitch at the edges, three increase rounds at bottom

pacman

I finally put aside the angst and decided on another Gloria cowl for the Tausenschön Traumtänzer. Paired with some bog-standard Regia 4-ply sock yarn in black, it makes an interesting variegated fabric.

The colors remind me a bit of the old Pac-Man video game, so there you have it: Pac-Man cowl. I substituted a garter stitch border and realized too late that I really wanted a cowl version 2.0. After some ill-fated increasing, which I realized too late would 1) look stupid and 2) mess up the random variegation. So back I ripped.

Don’t judge. It’s been a stressful week.

For slightly less mindless knitting than stockinette in the round — which, you will note, somehow managed to go stupidly awry — I finally started on my socks for the InterweaveSockAlong: the Seduction Socks by Ann Budd in some heavenly Colinette Jitterbug in the moss colorway.

So far, so not messed up.

Currently, I’m deluding myself that the scant Jitterbug yardage is a perfect match for the Seduction socks, which feature a slightly shorter leg than a typical sock. I will no doubt be wrong.