Quick Fix

Hey ya'll.  I've been busy this weekend, but I didn't want that to stop me from letting you know about a few exciting developments - things I can't wait to tell you.

Monkey Madness

The modified Monkey socks are chugging along.  I turned the heels and am working through the cuffs.  I *will* show you finished socks this week, because I intend to offer these up for my May Socktopia socks.  Sadly, they don't really fit me.  I mean, they'll stay on, but the pattern is less pretty when it doesn't stretch across the feet and around the leg.  The unstretched wrinkliness is not flattering on my chicken bone feet. 

I'm not frogging them.  I'm going to send these to my mother-in-law (who I adore).  She's already excited about them.    

I also completed the first draft of the super-deluxe, annotated pattern.  Right now, it's registering in at a whopping six pages because I've added tons of notes on how to customize the pattern to better fit your foot.  I need to let my writing marinate for awhile, so I can go back and edit it with a clear head (it's just too long, and I haven't even added a stitch chart for the heel!).  In the meantime, I'll post the straight-up version of the pattern when I post the FO.

Do you Ravel?

My name finally came up for a Ravelry invitation.  In case you haven't heard, Ravelry is the up-and-coming online knitting and crocheting community.  There's a lot of buzz on the knitting Web about Ravelry, and so far it lives up to the hype.  It's really well designed and user friendly, and I say this wearing my Web designer hat. 

Ravelry is still in beta, but they're regularly adding new members.   I signed up a couple of weeks ago, so hang in there if you're waiting for your name to come up.  If you haven't signed up yet, head on over and put your name on the list.  If you think knitting blogs are fun, wait until you ravel (See that, I'm coining a new verb.  You saw it here first.)

An Idea I'm Sipping

I love coffee.   It's not even the caffeine; it's the taste and the ritual.  I usually only have one cup a day, but I want that coffee (often a latté) to be a priceless work of edible art.   If the coffee's no good, I'll skip it.  I can't drink bad coffee.  It's not just the drink.  I also covet froo froo coffee mugs.  Do any of you do this?   And... how do you feel about sock swaps?  Just curious.  This may not go anywhere, but I'm putting out feelers.

Comments

[Heather]

I agree that that one cup of coffee per day should be an overwhelming moment of perfection and utter happiness...and I can't wait for that toe-up modification of the Monkey sock, so exciting!!!

[becky]

So my thought is this -I know it's completely not-doable for a number of reasons- but I wonder why they don't have second sock syndrome sock swaps. I'm not sure how it would work but if somehow I were paired up with someone with my same foot size it seems like we could both make a different sock and then make the 2nd sock for each other. I occasionally wonder about the details but not enough to pursue it.

I'm looking forward to hearing about Ravelry. So much buzz about this site. I think I'll wait for reviews such as yours and "post-beta" to go exploring. I've been at the computer more than I've been knitting lately as it is!

Coffee and me- more than 2 cups a morning and my students CLEARLY know and point this out. It functions as a drug of choice and I prefer it with an ice cube so that I can get the kick sooner! As long as it doesn't taste like cat litter I'll drink it. Since most of our coffee cups collected themselves in the back of my car by the end of the school year, it's a good thing that I don't cherish them too much. : ) I do have one favorite mug- a Mr. Roger's Neighborhood soup-bowl sized mug that I keep at school. It says "won't you be my neighbor?" Mr. Rogers saved my life- I like to keep him near me. Kids ask me "why such a big mug?" I say "I don't fill it up but when it's big like this, I don't spill it in the hall."

[Meghann]

I love froo-froo mugs, but not for coffee......for tea. I'm just not a coffee drinker. I get my daily caffine buzz from a diet coke in the afternoon. However, in the afternoon, when the kids are napping and it's quiet for the first time all day, I savor a ritual cup of tea and a little quiet knitting so I can relate to the ritual feeling.

[Jennie]

:) Lucky! I've been on the list for what seems like forever for Ralvery. People keep talking about it and I just want to see what all the buzz is about. Bummer about the socks, but I bet your MIL will love them!

[Jen]

I've been ravelling too much already, but I'll post a proper review when it comes out of beta. There are definitely still kinks, but it's usuable and FUN! I'd call it the love child of Flickr and Yarndex, and then some.

Heather & Becky : So would you swap beans and socks?

Meghann: I've been mulling over this tea thing. IF I organize this swap, I could see adding tea but I'd need to have enough people to cover both interests. We also have fancy pants teas. B goes to China for work fairly regularly, and brings back some amazing blossoming flower teas. You gotta see that!

[becky]

I'm in for a swap- I have to say up front that I have Bobboats and not Jenchickenfeet! Perhaps I can elevate my coffee drinking habits for the summer and see what happens!

[becky]

ps I promise to do my best not to send cat litter coffee.