They are gone

Quiet

George left yesterday morning for Switzerland. Nina flew to Barcelona this morning, and I just returned from dropping the youngest two off at the Bahnhof so they are able to make the 2100 school deadline. The dog has been under my feet since I returned. She does not care for being alone and the house is ringing with silence. I can hear the birds singing outside, since all the music generators have been turned off. Yesterday, I had 4+1 all late afternoon and evening. Laughter and squables from our four echoing through the house. Add in the dog barking and Shana’s Frank- and it was truly home.

Knitting

Before I forget, if you think I have a lot of socks – you need to look at Steffi’s Collection.

I do knit a lot of socks. They are fun, portable, and fast. I try to balance anything complicated with a pair that is mindless for all those times when I want to knit on auto-pilot. Now that it is Mai – I have a short list that I am planning for the month:
1) Chameleon Colorworks – April’s SOM – Shadow, a lengthwise pattern. I am knitting the first as written. But I have already decided that this will be a fraternal pair with the other sock top down. I don’t mind grafting, but it is not my favorite pass time, especially when it is 80 stitches, half of which have to be bound off in garter.

2) SKL – Tanz in den Mai (May’s Dance) is a lovely twisted stitch pattern that ripples down the sock combined with small lace areas.
3) STR – April SOM Grasshopper. The package arrived today. Noah really liked the colors. But I don’t think that he really wants lace or needs silk in his socks. Like last month, I am trying to stay as close as possible to the designer’s intent for the first sock, then doning what I want with the second sock. I don’t have to have identical socks to be happy. And I am enjoying trying out new techniques.
4) MayDay – Sockmania. It looks like a great pattern and a quick knit. Just enough design to be interesing, capable of being combined with an audio book. I think I may well take the LemonGrass for its cheerfulness, saving the Lucy in the Sky for
5) Sockapaloosa4 -Alison did a great job of matching up levels of knitting experience. I have looked at the data on my victimsockpal. She is picky. Really, really picky. I think it is a difference in philosophy. I left the person knitting for me a lot of freedom, they should have a great time, and to knit something that they like. I am not worried about getting a pair of acrylic socks knit at 4 stitches per inch. Emailing with a couple of others, I am not the only one who has landed a picky pal, so this will not identify the person. I have instructions on yarn, types of patterns not to mix with certain kinds of color combinations, and so forth. But I can be extremely evil. I have read her blog. I know what she likes. Amazingly, we have shared a city in common at one point in our lives. I now have the ocean between, but that just lends to the fun. And I have just the perfect pattern (which is one I know she has never knit for herself). Now I just have to decide if I am going to be kind and use the blues that arrived today, or perhaps the Lemongrass.

6) Monkey KAL – had forgotten about this one. My March Madness Group just sort of keeps on going. After doing a sweater together in March, we knocked off UFOs last month. This month the vote was for Monkey.
After that – I am working my way through Favorite Socks, plus I have several pairs out of Sensational Knitted Socks that should be up.

Which is why it is wonderful that my Sox Stix were in today’s mail. I think everything that I had ordered is now in. I have yarn, a shawl pin, patterns, and needles. Lovely blonde, fine wooden needles just for sox found on Yarn Bazaar for a better price than Lantern Moon’s.

-Holly