Planned Insanity

So, I know it's been a while.  There's a reason: I can't stop knitting socks.  In nearly 5 months I've knit 16 pairs of socks....well, perhaps 18, depending on how long it takes me to finish Maeva and knit the second sock of Skew (Nevermind.  Finished sock two while writing this installment).  I've learned that my limit (for sanity's sake) is 3 pairs of socks a month.  That's all I can really handle.  Besides, at the moment, I haven't been able to cast on anything else.

Which is why, for the month of June, I signed up on Sock Knitter's Anonymous to knit 4 socks. Actually 5, but I removed one because it didn't qualify for the time limit.

Yes, 4.

And I volunteered to test knit a pattern.  Thankfully, she only needs one sock complete (here's looking at you, Skew2!)

Six socks in one month.  And I won't be home until mid-month.

No, I'm not losing my mind.

It's already vacated the premises.

Frustration and Accomplishment

**This is a photo heavy post**

I'm getting really desperate to cast on Semele.  The yarn has been ready for months now and my fingers are itching for a pattern that doesn't involve turning a heel (more on that after the jump).  This is what's on my project page in Ravelry:


Originally queued: July 25, 2011
Project created: January 28, 2012
Hibernating: May 14, 2012

See, this has been waiting a very long time.  I was hoping to get started this month, but it might not happen.  Damn.

More Knitting

I made a commitment to blog more this year and I'm determined to do so.

My ongoing commitment to Sock Knitters Anonymous continues to lead me down the primrose path of sock knitting foolishness.

For the month of February, I planned to knit 4 socks (yes, 4...I know, insane me....).  More interestingly, I finished them, some in March, but I started in February and that's what counts! (more after the jump!)

Something new to like

I hate to clean.

There, I've told the entire world (not that anyone really reads my blog).

I absolutely despise cleaning.  As a child, I was given washing dishes and dusting as a punishment, thus kicking off a lifelong hatred for any kind of cleaning chore.  As an adult, I clean begrudgingly.

I stack and run the dishwasher.  Hand washing is done only when I've stared at the same plate in the sink for 3 days straight and I'm leaving on a week-long trip the next day.  Besides, I heard that the dishwasher uses less water than hand-washing.

My bed is made when I put new sheets on it.

Clean laundry is consistently piled in my bedroom chair.....Rarely does it make it to the closet....not that my closet has a lot of room for it anyway.

When I had carpet, I occasionally vacuumed.

I still consider mopping the fifth ring of hell, and it's only done when I stick to the kitchen floor.

I never dust.  No amount of money on earth can compel me. When I dust, I end up spreading the dust around by sneezing. Besides, no matter what, you have more dust the next day. Given that I am now the proud owner of laminate floors, this is a problem.

And now that I've given you this litany of things I hate about cleaning, why did I title this post "Something New to Like?"

Because I have found something new to like.  Meet the Swiffer Vac and the Swiffer Duster/Extender!

Don't ask me why, but I'll load a Swiffer Dry cloth onto the Vac and take it all around the house.  I have no problem putting a dry cloth on the duster and quickly swishing the coffee and side tables or tackling cobwebs in my house.

These two products are so simple and easy to use that I almost have fun with them.  My only problem with the Swiffer Vac is the 10 minute suction time on the Vac part.  That sucks, but then again, I don't need to run the Vac all the time. Just when I get something I can't pick up on the dry pad.

Of course, Swiffer isn't solving my messy kitchen problem (anyone have a solution for that?), but at least my floors are clean and most (wood) surfaces in my house are now dust-free.

PS.  The people who made Swiffer aren't paying me a dime for this post.  I just really really like the SwifferVac.

I want to stop now....

 I am not a fan of Cat Bordhi's sweet tomato heel.

Leyburn Socks with Sweet Tomato Heel

Perhaps it's just me, perhaps I've done something wrong, perhaps I simply chose too complicated a pattern to try this out on, but I have finally turned the heel of one of my Leyburn socks and the sock is so tight around the instep as to need me to tug it into place when I attempt to wear it.  I'm also not a fan of the bunching look created by executing the third set of short rows. Sigh.

Maybe I'm pushing myself too hard, but I'm just now binding off the first sock in this pair, which has put me behind in knitting the 4 socks I had planned this month.  I would like to get the Solid Socks Group Mystery Sock knit before the last clue come out.  I also need to get Ivy knit before the end of the month.  I reestablished my cast on day for the sock (tomorrow) and if I can get a decent amount of work done on the Mystery sock tonight, then I will get started on it tomorrow.