Finally finished black socks

Well, I finally finished my black socks. I can't take a picture of them since I wore them to work yesterday. One of my co workers looked at them and said that they looked like professional real socks. I wonder, does that mean that my other socks look like unprofessional, phoney socks! I did these socks from Lisa Souza yarn in a color way called Oil Slick. They are mostly black with just a bit of green and blue drifting through. I wear black lots and sometimes I just want a black sock. Boring to knit but I will get lots of use from it. I already cast on a new pair from Socks That Rock in Rare Gems. I got this as a bonus from the sock club last year and it is looking great. I'm out of my house from 5:40AM to around 8:30PM both last week and this week working and commuting, so when I finally return to having a life next week I;ll post a picture!

A Lazy Day Here

Yesterday, I thought that I would curl up early and knit but I was obcessed with doing whatever and wound up working and knitting till late. Today I am making up for it. I felt lazy and sleepy all day. I did about 10 rows on the sock pattern I am trying out for my friends' online store, read, ate and napped! Now I'm getting ready to got to a friend's house to knit for a while.
I got a beautiful card from my secret pal yesterday. It is a beautiful peaceful scene, lovely enough to frame.

Bathroom completed!!!!!!! (Just about)

Well, the bathroom is just about finished. I'll get some better shots in a day or so when the camera battery cooperates. I thought I had a completed bathtub shot but I downloaded an old in progress one. What a pleasure to finally be able to use this tub again. We stopped using this bathroom due to the leaking roof and the other repairs that were supposed to get done in AUGUST. Then things just happened and here we are seven months later. I love the colors in this room and the wooden vanity. Now I have the bug to get everything else done in the house! I was supposed to work scoring test today in Brooklyn but the weather was too risky so I was able to stay here and seal the grout, and finish the painting, hang the shower curtains and take the first bath.
I'm getting very little knitting done, just too busy at work and too much running to help take care of my mother. She is doing better now that she is taking medication for the bronchitis which triggered the asthma attach that landed her in the hospital. I'm sure her MD just forgot to send her home with a script. Finally when my mother was not getting better and she went back to allergist/pulmenologist (spelling?), he gave her a script and she started improving right away. The "family or primary MD " is a sweet women but either careless or overworked. First, she said my mother was going to have to take antibiotics at home but after she was sent home without a script DR Forgetful said she didn't need to take more medication. I am positive she just forgot! My mother refused to ever complain or bother this doctor so it is a never ending battle.
As soon as I finish this post I am going to plant my tired aching self on the couch and watch old stuff saved on the DVR and try to work on my sock. I just hope I stay awake past one show.

Secret Pal 10 & 100th POST

I have been very quiet on this blog because my house has been a whirlwind of change and work. The bathroom is almost done and ALMOST ready for pictures. I also have a new roof, new facias(didn't even really know I had old ones!), new gutters, lots of new plumbing, a shed and old swing set gone and some many repairs. The laundry/ unility room is being remodeled to accept a new heating and air conditioner unit. The top floor is being worked on so that when my daughter finishes college she can live there in a semi self contained unit. I am also cleaning out years of old stuff and junk, AND painting anything that does not run away!

SO lots of work but very little knitting. BUT here is the Secret Pal 10 questionaire a bit late but here it is. I did get some knitting done yesterday because my mother is hospitalized due to asthma and I'll visit later with my knitting . I just hope I can stay awake.



1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love to knit with wools.
I don't like stiff harsh yarns whatever their content is!

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Crocks, baskets, cups, a flat drawer and in many UFO's.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I'm 55 and I learned when I was about 5 so I'm knitting a long time! I know lots and still have lots to learn.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No

5. What's your favorite scent?
I love Patchouli blends.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
YES, and I love chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I quilt, do redwork and I have spun but currently I don't have a working wheel. I also made cold process soaps, natural lotions and creams.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I love classical music and classical rock -- Beatles, Dylan etc. I don't really know what a MP3 is!

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love blues, red, greens, purples. I;m not partial to orange, and muddy shades.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
My husband passed away a last summer. I have two chldren. My son is 24 and my daughter is 22. I have two cats and a dog has me!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
NO ponchos but everything else.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
SOCKS

13. What are you knitting right now?
I'm working on socks, and an entrelac vest.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, I do.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I like circulars with sharp points. Right now I'm knitting with Knitpick Options.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have a winder not a swift.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
How old am I?

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas, Thanksgiving

19. Is there anything that you collect?
blue pottery from Poland, blue Wedgewood

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have most of what I want. I just need time to use it.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Norwegian Purl

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I LOVE TO KNIT SOCKS!!! I wear an eight in American Shoes and a 38 in Birks. My foot is about 9 1/2 inches wide and 9 1/2 inches long. It really does not look like a box!

23. When is your birthday?
August 5th