Halfway Down the Stairs

In Which Something is Finished...


Teen is getting a pair of Thuja socks out of some Jitterbug he winnowed out of the stash. He gave me those begging eyes. So, even though he CUT (with a scissors!) a loose thread on the last pair of socks I gave him (requiring some major repair on mom's part), I have cast these on. Don't worry, this particular male will NEVER do such a thing again.

Wow, I just realized it's been five days since I posted!


And I have cast on Wendy Barnard's Ingenue from her Custom Knits Book. (Have I mentioned that I LLLLOVE this book?)

I have been busy with hockey and sleepovers and shopping and wrapping and planning and....

well, you all know, right? I'm actually rather on Miss T's plan of the half-assed Christmas at my house. It was just the right time for it.

We are buried under a few more inches of snow, which should make the little driving I have to do today rather uncomfortable. If I can tear myself away from my latest time-suck, I may actually pull this whole thing off.

If I don't get my lazy behind over here to wish you a Happy Holiday, well, there it is. Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah!

ETA: Did everyone get to download their 5 Free Sock Pattern e-books? Right here.

Hello and FO.

Tony and Freddie would like to say "Hello."


Pattern: Autumn Lace Socks by Janine Le Cras. This sock pattern was free through the Six Sox Knitalong which is a Yahoo group - easy to join. Yarn: Chewy Spaghetti in the Comfy colorway. This is 100% Superwash Merino. It felt a little bit like Koigu to knit with. Needles: Knitpicks Harmony DPN's US 1.5/2.5 mm Started: December 5, 2008 Completed: December 17, 2008.

Note: These socks saw me through a rough time - I wasn't getting much done, so I needed a project that was quick and easy. I have one sleeve left on my Oh, Baby! sweater and I have cast on for the Ingenue and a pair of socks for Teen this morning. Nothing like finishing a project to light the fires!

How about another SAT question? This one's harder!

SAT Question of the Day!

Now that Teen is studying for his SAT's, we get a daily email:

HSKS6 Swag:

This Makes Me Happy:



Teen is playing this afternoon.

That, and how the Vikings and the Gophers have been playing this weekend!

I am so far behind, I feel like I'm in reverse....



These are finished, though the color is just a bit off. Umm, a lot off, see November 23 for a better color representation.

Pattern: Conversational from Terry Ross Designs Yarn: LuLu's Yarns Supersock Merino Needles: Knitpicks Harmony DPN's US 2.5/1.5 mm Started: November 23, 2008 Completed: December 7, 2008.

Note: These socks took me FOREVER! Nothing wrong with the pattern, and the yarn is fine. It was a four-row repeat and for some reason I hated it! (Maybe it was the purling?)


Also? My HSKS 6 package has arrived at last!


Here is an idea of all the goodies that were inside. It deserves it's own post so I will get to that later this week. Needless to say, she gave me lots of lovely chocolate and yarn!! Thank you so much Brimley!! I've never had Treacle before and am saving it for a treat!

Can I brag about the Teen for just a minute? It's just that I'm SO excited for him. He got his PSAT results back yesterday and he has scored in the top 1% of all Juniors in the country that have taken the PSAT this Fall. Yea Baby! Here's hopin' all your college dreams come true!!!
(That means he is a semi-finalist to be a National Merit Scholar - he has to be in the upper half of that 1% to be a finalist.)

The Winner Is....



Senja! from Imagine Knit!

Senja - I have sent you an email - let me know your address and a lovely package will be on it's way to you!

This, That and the other Thing...


I did indeed have an FO today, however, the photo I took was less than stellar. So instead I'm going to show you my Peppermint Patty Sock Kit which I received from Woolgirl.com today.

Just look at this bag full of goodies. It's seriously crazy. I especially love the peppermint tape measure. See it, down there in the corner?

There is a skein of Peppermint Patty fingering weight sock yarn from Miss Babs (also a matching red mini-skein for an optional red cuff/heel. There is also a peppermint knittnig accessory bag from Sheila D Bags (this is some seriously sturdy canvas). The peppermint crocheted tape measure is from Lantern Moon.


Right there in the middle is a peppermint stitch marker from Sunneshine's Stitch Markers. There's a peppermint pen in there, Peppermint Sweet Stripe candies and Peppermint chocolates along with some hot cocoa. The little green mesh bag in the back contains a Peppermint Patty Soap Bar and lip gloss from Naiad Soap Arts.

At the bottom of the box was the "Peppermint Twist" sock pattern designed by Christina Bain.



PS - Puck's team took Second place in the tournament this weekend. Again, the final match was against a ginormous sized bunch of kids - however this group could actually skate - and skate well.

I have been remiss...

and I beg your forgiveness (read on, maybe I can make it up to you).

As promised, here is the yarn:


Pagewood Farms Alyeska sock yarn. This stuff has cashmere in it. This will be a pair of socks for a boy!
Malabrigo Sock Yarn in Stonechat. This is going to be mine, I'm pretty sure.

I have been knitting and knitting and making little progress. Maybe if I could focus on one project... I really like this sock, and it flies off the needles. This is Chewy Spaghetti from The Loopy Ewe (of course - so is the Malabrigo Sock.)

This is a dual purpose photo. This yarn is Madelinetosh's latest yarn club shipment. This is gorgeous silk lace, and people. People? I do not knit lace. This is going to be a prize!!! Leave me a comment and when I get back from the Winona Hockey Tournament on Sunday, I will pick a random name and you may have this pretty silk yarn. (This may be the truest color photo I have ever taken of red yarn.) This may be what you call a stealth contest!

Also? Do you like my little bag box? I took that off of Valerie's hands last week. Val at Knitting in Pink. She's making up a whole bunch of really cute little bags and she's got a bunch for sale right now.

I gotta go pack the hockey bags, folks! I'll be back with photos and news and a winner next week!

ETA: So, I got this email today from the High School Principal regarding class rank:

Class Rank
For the past several years we have heard from students and families, and from student responses on the Minnesota Student Survey, that our students experience a great deal of stress over their academic performance. One of the most common "stress scenarios" occurs when a student takes a rigorous program of studies, earns solid grades, and finds him/herself in a disappointing position of class rank. Students have found that tiny variations in GPA have profound effects on class rank. Using last year's senior class as an example, a student with a 3.89 GPA is not in the top 10% of the class. Given this situation, we would like to explore whether EPHS should stop reporting class rank on our transcripts. This is a move an increasing number of high schools are making across the country. In the past two years, Edina, Minnetonka, and Wayzata have stopped reporting class rank. We will be forming a task force to explore this question. I will be sending home more information on this, but I wanted to take advantage of our conference nights to give parents a chance to share impressions and ask questions about this idea. I will be staffing a table at conferences where parents can visit about class rank. I will be at this table from 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. on both conference nights. Feel free to stop by and visit with me about this topic.

So. I find this very interesting, but I'm not sure what to think. I know a bunch of colleges have formulas that take into account class ranking. What happens if that is not available to them? Okay internets, tell me what you know!

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