Road Trippin'

What's that you say? Is my book proposal done? Now hush, you. I'm working on it…

I was on the road yesterday (Sam's Club! Barnes & Noble! Most excellent wood fired pizza at Red Rossa! Woohoo!), and couldn't work, and I had a different sort of deadline this morning. But I'm buckling down this afternoon, and truly, I am nearly done.

I hit a patch of rough knitting in the car yesterday. I attempted the Leyburn Socks (http://www.pepperknit.com/patterns/LeyburnSocksPattern.pdf ), a seriously lovely, and seemingly simple sock pattern, perfect for the short-repeat variegated yarn I packed for the trip (some discontinued Knit Picks Merino Sock Garden- Daffodil colorway). I didn't print the pattern out because I am a doofus. Therefore, I spent the 3 hour trip to Sioux Falls knitting and ripping and knitting and swearing and ripping and knitting, and still I didn't get it right. So I ripped one last time, and cast on a much simpler pattern (the Aunt Helen Variation Variation) and screwed that up too. So I looked out the window for the last half hour, wondering exactly when it was that I forgot how to knit socks.

While at Hobby Lobby, searching for 10" straight metal size 3 needles- of which there was no such animal (I finally found a pair of bamboo ones in Michaels-parenthetically, the Sioux Falls Michael's yarn section is a disheveled mess. Seriously), I spotted some Red Heart sock yarn, and some Lion Brand Sock Ease, both of which I had not heretofore seen in person. I felt bad about dissing Red Heart so thoroughly when I made the Special Olympics scarves, and decided I should give the sock yarn a shot. I haven't cast it on yet, but the colors are pretty and it feels much like every other commercially produced 75% superwash/25% nylon sock yarn in my stash, and I suspect it'll knit up just fine. I did cast on the Sock Ease, and learning from my earlier snafus, kept to my extremely simple texture pattern, and managed to knit several inches on the way home before it first became too bright to see, with the sun low on the horizon, searing my retinas, and then too dark.

Last night, I finished the second 18" doll sweater and got it assembled (made from some leftover heavier weight Knit Picks sock yarn), while wondering if we're being set up for Earl and Joy to get back together. I am delighted at how well the stripes match, given that I was just using bits and pieces.

This morning, due to an impending Granddaughter visit, I whipped up 3 dollie backpacks (for Grand, and the 2 honoraries). The pattern is in the room and furniture book (blanking on the title, but I'll add it in later) (Home Decor for 18" Dolls), the one I was disappointed did not have instructions for actually building the furniture. I take back the disappointment- this pattern is worth the price of the book alone. Are they not perfect little miniatures? The backpacks look just like their full-size counterparts, with straps (gros grain ribbon), a working zipper (7"), and pocket. These are made from printed felt (another Hobby Lobby find). I have a feeling that the backpacks are going to trump all of the other doll finery I've come up with lately. And well they should. (and for those who might wonder- the Other Grand Gal is not so much into dolls, or I'd be sewing right and left for her as well)

From the Department of If You Write It, They Will Read: Remember my snarky comment about Ross Plavsic from the AI auditions? About him not being serious? One of his co-workers read the recap, and wrote to assure me that Ross was, indeed, serious. eep.