I thought I had a few years...

...before my kids started taking my credit card. I left this on the couch after signing up for Netflix (more about that later) and Riley decided to walk off with it. Smart dog. =)

I finished these socks last Thursday when I was at Threaded Bliss. They fit really well, and he seems to like them. He did say that he was afraid to wear them, but I didn't make them to be looked at. The yarn is Lana Grossa, color 1008 (I think...the Italian's throwing me off). I also finished my Monkey socks (except for weaving in the ends), so I'll hopefully get pictures of those tonight.

On Saturday I went out to Montgomery Bell State Park for a fiber festival. There was a sock dying/knitting class with Charlene Schurch (!) that I *really* wish I had known about. That would've been awesome to take. There weren't as many vendors as I'd hoped, but I did get a skein of really pretty yarn. I bought the Roses n Thyme colorway from Knitting Notions (it's actually the colorway that's knitted up in the baby sweater at the top). I'm not usually much of a pink person, but I like the way the pinks and greens work together. I'm also planning on ordering a swift from them, due to the fact that the one my dad made (twice) still results in tangled yarn when it's used. I spent a few hours unknotting yarn last night, but I'm very grateful that it wasn't as knotted as it could've been.
For my next pair of socks, I'm using the color Sweet from Sunshine Yarns, which was the February colorway for her 2007 Sock club. I'm going to make the Dublin Bay Socks (link goes to the pattern PDF, but there's a picture). It's very spring-y, so that makes me excited. I'm also going to use size 1 needles for the first time, hurray!
I guess that's about it for today. I should hopefully know something about comps scores this week, and Riley takes his Delta test on Saturday. Let's hope everything goes well!

Oh, and I need some help. I recently signed up for Netflix, and I need help making my movie list. I made it through the 80's and 90's without seeing lots of the big important movies, so odds are that if you like it, I haven't seen it (I did see the Princess Bride about 100 times, so that may be the exception). Any movie suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

New girl in town...

Meet Hope. Hope is the newest addition to the family. She lived with some of my dad's tenants, and he convinced them to give her to us. I'm not totally sure where she originally came from, but I know she was pretty sick for awhile. She seems to be in good health now (she hasn't been to the vet yet), and she is so sweet. She's smart, too. She knows her name, and is really good about coming when she's called. She's a lot calmer than Riley, but I still think she has a lot of spunk. She and Riley got to running around today, and I think they like each other. They're pretty close size wise, so I hope they'll be good friends. Hope hasn't met my dad's cat yet, so we'll see how that goes. Riley and I will definitely have to visit her a lot!


Speaking of Riley, he's still running the house around here. He likes to look out the window, but I don't let him do that too much. He tends to get excited when people walk by, and I'd rather him not bark at people and cause a disruption like that. Riley also loves it when I take pictures of us. =) He went to the nursing home last weekend on a Delta visit, and he did *so well.* I was exreely impressed with how well he did, and we had some good visits with the residents. He was very still and let me hold him a lot longer than he normally would, and loved having people pet on him. He also rode an elevator for the first time, which kinda freaked him out. His legs sprawled everywhere and he hit the ground when the floor started moving, but he did fine. I just think it surprised him. He didn't hesitate getting on at all, so it must not have been too big of a deal to him.

I finished Trogdor awhile ago, but I didn't get around to posting pictures. The pattern was posted on Crafster.com, and the author's blog is here. I was really pleased with how it turned out, and I'm glad that it really does look like the real Trogdor from Homestarrunner.com!

I'm on my second spring break right now, because grad school spring break and middle school spring break weren't at the same time. I need to do some work this week, but I also plan on doing a decent amount of knitting. I started working on the Central Park Hoodie from the Fall issue of KnitScene. I'm using Cascade 220 in a periwinkle color. I think it'll be really pretty. I missed knitting at the library this month due to comps, so that made me sad. I'm thinking on going to some knitting meetings this next week since I won't be at internship all day long.

So I guess there's not too much to update...I keep thinking about things I should write, but then I forget when I actually have time to update. Heh. Basically lately life has been all about comps, but now that it's over I just have to go back to writing other papers. I seriously can't believe that it's mid-March already. It'll be graduation time before I know it (yay!).

14 pages later...

Written comps are OVER!! I still have the oral part to do tomorrow, but if I don't know that info by now there's not much I can do about it. My special topic question was 9 pages long, and my personal theory was 5 pages. I finished in 3 hours, with an hour to spare. Considering all we really have to do is pass (who needs a high pass when everyone gets the same diploma?), I'm not too worried. We'll see how the oral part goes.
I still have tons of work to do before I graduate, but at least I can see the light. Maybe tonight or tomorrow I'll have a chance to put some pictures up. Special thanks go to my blog stalker Sula for all the well-wishes. =)

For my Lime and Violet swap partner...

So unless you're my swap partner, please disregard this post (unless you want to know what yarn I like). I'll have a real post coming soon.

1. What kind of fibers do you prefer?
I like wool (like merino), but I'd also be interested to knit with some of the tencel or other blends. As to the color of the fibers (I had to get this in somewhere!), I'm not much of a red/pink person. I love blues and greens and purples, and have recently developed a fondness for fall colors (the muted reds/burnt oranges and such).

2. What kind of weight do you prefer (sock, worsted, bulky)?
Sock weight, please. Anything bigger than that makes my feet hurt (sad, I know).

3. Do you spin?
Nope.

4. Do you crochet?
Nope.

5. Are there any books, patterns, magazines would you like to own that you don't?
I don't think so...the ones I want aren't out yet. =)

6. Are you participating in any themed a-longs like the Project Spectrum? yes, I'm in Project Spectrum, as well as socktopia. Yarn doesn't have to follow either of those though.

7. Do you have a wishlist on Amazon.com or Half.com? (provide a link)
All the books on there are psychology/counseling related, so that doesn't really apply here.

8. Any Etsy stores that you would love to get something from?
I'm going to answer this question as "any stores," not just etsy stores. =)
I'd love to try some Yarn Pirate. I also love a lot of things at Sunshine Yarns (on etsy, and I'm in her sock club). RubySapphire is nice too, but I already have Julie and Julie Anne. I've also wanted to try Socks that Rock. Or, if there's a brand/dyer that you love, that works too! I'm all about branching out to new yarns.

9. What other crafty things are you involved in (quilting, drawing, painting)?
Not much else right now.

10. What is your favorite sort of scent?
I like "bakery" smells, like chocolate, coffee, vanilla, etc. I also like citrus.

11. Do you have a sweet tooth and what kind of sweets do you like best?
I sure do, except for the whole weight watchers thing. Some of those new Hershey 100 calorie packs are good though. A few pieces of chocolate or a bag of fruity candy (starbursts, skittles) would be ok, but I'd rather not get tons of candy. I have a puppy dog, so "dog sweets" is another option. =)

12. What kind of music do you like?
I mainly listen to country, and love Rascal Flatts. Recently I've been getting into podiobooks.

13. What do you like to knit? And for whom?
I like to knit socks, and I'm about to start on another sweater. I usually knit for myself, unless someone specifically asks me for something. I like knitting for other people, but I want to know that it's wanted before I spend the time and money making it.

14. What sort of things do you like to collect?
I collect miniature clocks, and love little things in general. I also like stuff that's Japanese related.

15. Do you want needles? And what kind do you prefer?
Needles would be fine. I don't use DPNs, and so I'd want a 40 inch circular for magic loop. I've wanted to try out some of the Knitpicks needles. Size wise, I don't have any US1s, (haven't needed them yet), and I would be glad to get some more US2s.

I think that's it! Let me know if there are any other questions! I'm excited. =)