It fits!

I restarted the Kaw Kaw Monkey sock on larger (2.5mm) needles. Instead of the Channel Island cast-on, which I thought turned out looking a little funny, I did the Twisted German cast-on. I really like it; it's very stretchy. After a couple of repeats, I tried it on and it fits! I don't tend to like tall socks so I just did 4 repeats. Now I've turned the heel, switched back to smaller needles (2.25mm), and am doing the gusset decreases. I'm really loving this sock. The colors are gorgeous. The more I look at it, the more I like the colors and the way they look together. The pattern, as most knitters know, is also fabulous. It's easy and beautiful. Much more exciting for me than a plain stockinette sock, but not so difficult that I need a pattern.

Over the weekend we went camping at Clearlake with a couple of friends. Oh my goodness it was hot. It didn't even cool down much at night. We swam in the lake some, which felt nice since it was so hot, but it wasn't too nice since there were a lot of people in a relatively small area (why is the swimming area so small in such a large lake?) and there was quite a bit of algae. Ewww. Overall it was a nice weekend. Maybe we'll go back next year, but in the spring before it's so hot.

This weekend is our 11th anniversary! We're sort of going away for the weekend, leaving BoyMonkey with my mom. It's only sort of going away since we're staying at a hotel in the city. We plan on seeing a show of some sort on Saturday (we'll get tickets that morning at the half-price booth), maybe going to a museum, eating at nice restaurants, and just relaxing. Ahhh, to be temporarily child-free..... Since our wedding was before the age of digital cameras, I don't have a wedding picture to post. If I get a chance I'll scan in a picture and post it soon.

Crap, thy name is Kaw Kaw

So I've finished the ribbing and 4 repeats of the first Monkey sock and decided to try it on. It's too small! Crap!! Actually, once I force it past my heel it fits just fine. I have huge insteps and often have this problem. But I really had to force it on, so once the whole sock is knitted, it will be nearly impossible to get on and I'll never wear them. What do I do now?

Option 1: Use larger needles for the leg. Maybe it will have enough extra give so I can get it on my foot and I can switch to smaller needles for the foot.

Option 2: Try to alter the Monkey pattern. It might work, but I hate to mess with it. I was thinking of adding 2 stitches to each repeat. After the purls and decrease, there's always a knit 3 before the yarn over. I could make that a knit 4. Hopefully the pattern would look mostly the same.

Option 3: Use the yarn for a different pattern and find another thicker yarn for Monkeys. But I really, really don't want to do this. The pattern and the yarn both have a sentimental significance for me. I really want the Kaw Kaw yarn to become Monkeys. This option is absolutely my last resort.

Any thoughts or opinions from those more experienced than me?

Love, Thy Name is Kaw Kaw

The May Rockin' Sock Club kit came a while ago, but I'm just now getting around to taking pictures and posting it on Ravelry. I love this color! The pattern, Cleopatra's Stockings (Ravelry link), is lovely and is near the top of my ever-growing queue.

Since finishing my Leafling socks, I haven't had any socks on the needles for myself. Unacceptable, I know. So I finally cast on for my Kaw Kaw Monkeys. I love, love, love this colorway. I've only knit the ribbing and one lace repeat, but it's going quickly and it's fantastic. Love the pattern too, of course(my first Monkeys!). Since these socks are all about sock camp, I used one of the cast ons from JC Briar's class. I did the Channel Island cast on and I think it worked okay. We'll see when I actually try it on.

Disappointed and Ecstatic

There hasn't been much knitting going on here lately. I did finish BoyMonkey's camping socks. They are too thick to be worn in shoes, but will hopefully keep his feet warm at night when we're camping. The toe ends still need to be woven in, but I wanted to check the fit first. When BoyMonkey tried them on, they seemed to fit okay, but the heel was a little funky. We'll see how they work out in a couple of weeks when we go camping again.

Yesterday was supposed to be BoyMonkey's first day of summer school. I am so disappointed that it seems we didn't get signed up. I distinctly remember filling out the paper. I'm pretty sure I asked Roger to hand it in, but I might have done it myself. But somehow, the registration never got to the school director. I had asked for 5 days a week, with early care and lunch. Now, they can only fit us in Mon, Wed, and Fri with early care, but probably no lunch. The part that makes me feel so bad is that I know some of his best friends are only there Tues and Thurs, so he won't see them at all. I feel just sick about it.

The good news is that BoyMonkey pooped in the potty today! Sorry if this is TMI for some of you non-parents. We've known he's ready for quite a while. He's been peeing in the potty with no accidents since December. But he would only poop in a diaper. Twice now he's gone into his room himself, taken off his pants and underwear, put on a diaper and pooped. All of this without letting me know at all what's going on until after the fact. After lots of talking and convincing him that using the potty is a good thing and trying to bribe him with anything at all (a movie, a new toy, even a pet even though I really don't want one), today I put him down for his nap and asked him to please not poop in the diaper. The potty is right next to his bed. A couple of minutes after I left him alone, he called me in and showed me that he pooped in the potty! We did the poop dance! We called Daddy! We'll do something special (to be determined) after nap. Finally! I'm ecstatic!