Isn't it amazing...

...how you can take two weeks off and only two days after you return, be right back into the same old routine?!

Before I could say Happy New Year, I was right back to it, up early, on the road to a client meeting, writing another proposal, editing a spreadsheet, and ducking to avoid the office politics. That explains the need for this at the end of the day. Really, to be completely authentic, this blog should be titled Knitsox and Chocolate and Wine.

To try to bring my mind and heart back to that feeling of vacation joy, let's review some of the projects from the blissful two-week break.

First, there was Honeycomb.





The second photo shows more stitch detail.








I finished the back over the weekend. It is knit in Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed, purchased during the amazing Webs blowout sale the day after Christmas.









Second, there is a pair of socks that will be gifted to someone very special, very soon. The first sock was knit plain old vanilla stockinette.

Then I saw this pattern for Campfire Socks by Cider Moon in a broken rib pattern that looked so much more interesting. So, of course, I began the second sock in the new pattern, which means I have to reknit the first sock, which just means more knitting, which is really what its all about, right? More Knitting!! Yippee!!

Here is a closer look.

The yarn is Araucania Ranco Multi, color 314. Jeff says they look like Grateful Dead colors and I have to agree. The first pic shows the first 28 sts in the broken rib pattern. Mostly pink and green, right? But flip the needles over to opposite 28 sts and it is blue and purple.

Some people call that pooling. I just think its cool.

So to everyone else out there who is trying to ease back into the usual work-week routine, I raise my glass and my needles in salute. Hang in there. Tomorrow is Wednesday. We are almost half way through.

Snow Day

The forecast last night was for 6-12 inches of snow, beginning after midnight and continuing through the day today. By noon yesterday, I'd already decided that if I awoke and the snow was falling I would was working from home today.

It is so nice to be able to boot up my laptop, switch on the Blackberry and be connected to the office. I participated in two conference calls, wrote a new project proposal, and arranged reservations for two upcoming conferences. All in all, a very productive day.

The actual office is just one town away, but on these days when the city plows have yet to clear the street, the daily newspaper is never delivered, and the snow piles up on my driveway and covers my little car, it is such a treat to be able to accomplish the day's to do list from the comfort of my office-slash-knitting room. And to not have to wash my hair.

Halfway through the second conference call, my colleagues seemed to have the situation well in hand, so I began casting on for "A Child's French Sock" from Knitting Vintage Socks. That's the problem with the office-slash-knitting room. It's a bit of a distraction. Just a bit.

Lilly-ish?

I have a new and very fashionable friend who knows all the best designer names. She finds the best deals at TJ Maxx and has introduced me to a whole new world of wardrobe possibilities. She especially loves anything colorful, bright, with big crazy prints and is a big fan of anything Lilly.

I think she might like these socks.

They are knit from 2 skeins of Plymouth Knit, Col, Colorway 46 on size 3 needles.

Keep on Trekking

My pants are feeling a little snug. I've been making plans to join the gym. Or at least use the lonely treadmill that sits upstairs. Just 30 minutes a day would make a difference, right?

One morning last week, I walked past the treadmill, plopped my plumpness in front of the computer and took a quick check of my email. I sipped my coffee, keeping one eye on the little clock in the bottom right of my monitor so I wouldn't be too late for work. (Now that my commute is all of 15 minutes, I find it harder and harder to get there on time. It makes no sense, I know.) Anyway, there was the nicest message from Sue at Little Knits, inviting me to check out their latest yarn sale. How could I resist? A few quick clicks, a tap tap tap on my keyboard and before I knew it I had purchased enough Trekking XXL to warm the toes of all my family members under the age of 15.

Why can't excercising be this easy?

Welcome Back Old Friend

Some people can knit sweaters. I am not one of those people. Right now, I have two sweaters on the needles. Tilia and Viking Turid, both beautiful designs by Elsebeth Lavold. The designs are lovely, the yarn is a joy, its the gauge that gets me every time. No matter how much I swatch, the pattern dimesions come out all wrong.

It is just so frustrating, certainly not feeling like the "meditation" or "new yoga" that we all know knitting has become. So I've come back to my old friend, sock knitting. And I'm using an old friend of a pattern, Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, by Nancy Bush.

Isn't the trekking yarn 105 just perfect for a chilly autumn morning?