Quikpost

Finished both my feet, and got all my ends tucked in:


Tonight, I knit and stuff my little fishie and crochet up his net. Then, Socks are Done!!

Something to do when you're not knitting...

Having discovered that there's not a snowball's chance in Alice Springs that I'm ever going to make it to any of the four local Bollywood dance classes I've discovered, I must rely, once again, on my DVD player for help. The wondrous Hemalayaa has three new DVDs (new to me, anyway), which I found out about while reading the latest issue of "US" magazine this morning over breakfast. (Yes, I read gossip magazines. I like "US" and "Life & Style" best, since they're about trends and fashion as much as gossip, and have the best ads.) The blurb goes: "Known for her playful spirit, fitness star and yogini Hemalayaa leads sexy, sassy, fun workouts that get results and will make you smile." Well, if her previous offering is anything to go on, that's an accurate summary.


Now, I got her Bollywood Dance Workout at Ross for $5 - and it was money well spent. (Seriously, I wouldn't have minded paying full price for this DVD, which I can't say is true for many of my "finds" at Ross/Marshalls/TJMaxx.) It's the one at the back of the above photo; here it is so you can see it better:


She's also got a DVD, Dance of the Kama Sutra, which you probably wouldn't want to play with your parents in the room (but they'd just be embarassed, not horrified). "If the Kama Sutra conjures images of rubber-limbed Indian gods and goddesses in improbable poses, think again. An exciting new way for women to get into shape and cultivate their sensuality hits the shelves on 24th September with the fantastic Dance Of The Kama Sutra With Hemalayaa, a brand new DVD which uses meditation and playful movements taken from traditional Indian dance," says one reviewer. Hm. May be worth picking up a copy of this, too!

Actual Colors may Vary

Well, nothing happened over the weekend on my TKGA homework, as I forgot to bring my questions and label printouts home. Not much (maybe six rows?) happened on the Autumn Serenity Stroller Snuggie, since I was afeared The Eventual Recipient might see it at one of the various events I attended. Instead, heaping gobs happened on my Fairy Tale Sock Club #1 Second Socks, "The Fisherman and his Wife". I'm to the toe on the right sock, and about a pattern repeat and a half away from the toe on the left sock. (This has become my key to Finishing Two Socks and Thus Avoiding Second Sock Syndrome: do, say, the ribbing on sock A, then on sock B. Then do the leg on sock B, then the leg on sock A. Yes, I own a frightening number of size 1 and size 0 steel DPNs.)


I also discovered that setting the camera in my tiny-phone to "night shot" actually results in Actual Colors coming through under florescent lights. The pretty blue of the yarn looks Just Right on my monitor (can't vouch for yours, though). I also also discovered that the little zipper bags my bags-for-delicate-laundry come in work wonderfully as sock project bags. See?


Anyway, I hope to get to at least one toe tonight. Yay!

Again, posting briefly

Well, I got home horribly, horribly late last night, but I've managed to avoid having anyone get sent anywhere out of town (expensive for the client, and no fun for the person going, really) - mainly me - and I was too darned tired to block out my finished Lesson #2 swatches like a good little bunny. So, I woke up and did it this morning. Doing it by this morning at the latest was key, because then they'll have about 24h to dry before going in the mail. Soggy swatches don't ship well. And, as you can see, these are pretty darned soggy, thanks to my lovely water-spray bottle.


There they are, all done, and I have learned several things from this lesson.

1. The way I had been doing double-decreases, sk2psso, isn't the prettiest. The takes-me-longer s2k1psso(2) - or however it's actually written, I'll remember eventually - is much prettier. My k2tog and ssk's still rock, though.
2. Doing a long-tail cast on correctly results in much curlier stockinette, which is much harder to get to lie flat and behave for blocking.
3. Blocking requires a lot more pins with curly knitting.
4. I am perilously close to running out of light pink yarn, and there is no nearby Stich DC from which to get more.

In other news, this

is in the Ralph Lauren window up the street. Just shy of $200. (Over, with DC tax.) It's very pretty. I really like it. Here's the thing: I can't justify $200 on just buying the top... but I could totally justify $200 for yarn to make something similar. What's up with that??

No Yarn on Thursday, sorry!

Very busy at work this week, so haven't had the hour to put together Yarn on Thursday for this week. Instead, you get a shot of my Sort of Midnight Sun Tam out in the wild.


I'll be back with more Yarn on Thursday next week!