First Pair for Summer of Socks 2007!

I am so excited to have finished my Monkey Socks! As the post title says, this is my first pair for Summer of Socks 2007, she says like she may be able to finish a second pair. I started these around June 26 and finished them August 15. I love these socks, the pattern, the yarn, the color and the feel. I did make one modification - I added 8 stitches and divided them by 2 stitches per pattern repeat. I've never modified a pattern before, so I was excited that logic worked. This is Tess' Designs Supersock and Baby in the Peach Melba colorway.

New project, deep breath, teaching myself to knit two socks at a time on two circulars. I purchased two Addi Turbo circular US 2 24" needles at my LYS and cast on last night. Starting this at 9:00pm last night was not a good idea. You know the saying, read all the instructions before starting? Why would I do that?! So - ripped back out this evening and will start over.

I joined the Tofutsies Sock Club a couple months ago and have already received two of their limited edition colors and three patterns. I'm actually going to use the first ball of yarn I picked up at Maryland Sheep and Wool and I'm doing the Wild Kat pattern.

I received my Ravelry invite a couple weeks ago and as a couple of my friends here have said, it is the black hole of time! LOL The database is fantastic - it's such a great search engine. If I haven't found you yet and you're there, let me know.

Keep kind thoughts for me will you? I don't know how this circular needle sock knitting thing will go. After I ripped out this evening I discovered I had the needles around my neck, not like a noose YET, but like a necklace.

Woodpecker update: MFB put cheap pinwheels up. The next morning - you guessed it - the little ph is back. MFB then put up a magnifying makeup mirror and covered up the holes with galvinized steel. (poor embarrassed porch) Since then we haven't seen any new damage, but - the roof is low and MFB is tall. He had to move the makeup mirror over about a foot - he forgot it was there *giggle* Keep your fingers crossed!

This is War

We interrupt our regularly planned blogging topic to post this Public Service Announcement. A couple weeks ago I came home from work and found wood chips on the deck, and wondered what MFB had been up to. Later that evening I noticed these holes in the support beams of the roof over the deck. Then over the weekend I heard someone knocking outside and we saw this going to town on the support beam. Tonight we came home to another set of this pattern of holes.

We are now in the planning stages to end it's reign of tyranny. Yes I know we live out in the country, that's why we have mice, bats, rabbits, herons, hawks etc. We also have telephone poles, groves of trees and barn wood. But noooo, the woodpecker has to pick our house to either nest in or just be destructive. Woody the Woodpecker is now on my last nerve, and MFB has declared war. Sure he was all cute and fun when we were kids, but now I understand why he had that annoying cackle.

I'm a woman on the edge my friends. I keep telling myself there's no reason to resort to violence, I know there are other ways to get rid of pests. Let's just hope that we can get rid of the little ph before it brings down the roof.

Batteries Recharging

Writers Block? Nah ... OK well, maybe. Twig sent me an email yesterday checking in on me and as I told her I was looking for inspiration for a post. I haven't acknowledged any comments or read any of my friends blogs. Baaad Blogger. Sorry friends.

So last night I sat down to download photos from the camera and the rechargeable batteries died in the middle of the process. Ahhhhh...inspiration. Cell phone is two years old and the battery won't hold a charge. Last time I wanted to use the bluetooth the battery was dead. Sunday I needed my Palm Pilot to take with us to make notes at MFB's favorite store, and it was - you guessed it- so dead the thing wouldn't even turn on. My internal battery has been in the same condition, seriously in need of a recharge. It seems to happen to me this time of the year, I feel unsettled if you will.

Here is what helps to get me through this.
And this.
These scenes are from about 100 yards from our home. Perfect place to go for a walk don't you think?

MFB has been really busy the past couple of weeks. About a week after I returned from Arizona he was asked to broadcast Notre Dame hockey's post season. First stop was the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit where Notre Dame won the CCHA National Championship. Next stop was Grand Rapids Michigan for the Midwest Regional NCAA Championship where Notre Dame lost the championship game. Had they won, they would have gone to the NCAA Frozen Four National Tournament. He's been doing a lot of traveling.

While MFB was in Grand Rapids I was in DC and Baltimore with family. But that's a special post for another time.

Oh Knitting? Knitting has been done, I'll post a picture soon. One of my current projects is a gift so no pictures on that for a little bit.

Off topic memo here with thanks to MFB for a great line:

Note to Mouse:

Yes I know that we evicted your family member in a violent way this winter and you probably learned by example not to show your existence inside our home. But as MFB mused this afternoon, does our front yard appear to be the Hamptons to you? Are you planning on summering here?

to be continued ....

Eviction proceedings started

We live in a 125 year old home that has an exposed crawlspace in the basement. The home has it's charm and some historical roots in the area and we're out in the country. The temperature dropped drastically today. Yes, I'm setting the stage.

Something made me glance over to the top of the stairs tonight and there, ugly pretty as you please, stood a mouse. Thumbing his nose at me he was. He backed into his little hidey hole and MFB asked what was wrong. I don't think I used any colorful adjectives to describe the little...tenant. I may have. MFB went to look and out came the mouse. Definitely thumbing his nose.

I asked and no we don't have a mousetrap. I then asked for the usual other modes of dispatching an unwanted...rodent. Y'know - baseball bat, shotgun, Molotov cocktail, grenade. MFB asked if I was asking him to go buy a mousetrap.

I keep my yarn near the door to the basement and when I said yes he probably should because I could just picture the little...tenant deciding to eat my yarn. MFB said "Well we won't have to worry about him starving then will we?"