"i" is for

... itsy-bitsy! ( stretching it, i know!)

"vauvan sukka"
which translates to "train socks" (i think)
my way

kroy sock yarn
us 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
40 sts (probably 3-6 months)

saw these adorable baby socks on ravelry but the pattern is not available. it would have been in finnish anyway (and my knowledge of finnish is even less than german which is virtually non-existent). so what was i to do? why, reverse knit the socks, of course. as per protocol, i knit three socks to get the two. i started off with some leftovers and got to the last 6 rounds of the toe to realize that i would not have enough for a pair (unless i downsize to 32 sts). groan! well, you know me and the frog pond. so, i started all over again with a new skein of yarn. the socks are sooo itsy-bitsy (that they make you want to start talking in a high squeaky voice!).

i may write up my version just so i have a reference for future pairs. i love how they turned out!

in september, we will be having a mystery sock kal over at the carefree kal blog. i have the sock done and just have to write up the clues. let me know if you are interested in playing along. you have to be a member of the blog to receive the clues.

hummingbirds
6/15/09

they've grown a lot in 2 days. still looking like plucked chickens.

"h" is for

....hummingbirds! my hubby spotted a hummingbird's nest in a tree in front of our house. we weren't sure if the nest was active so i used our digital camera to take a picture of the inside of the nest.

look at what we found!

may 31, 2009

mama wasn't sitting on the nest when hubby first spotted the nest. it was very well camouflaged in the leaves. later, mama came back and we got a shot of her sitting on the nest. can you see her?

here's a closer look at her. she wasn't afraid of us.

i took a couple of pictures of an old nest that we found on the ground a couple of years ago. the inside of the nest is about the size of a quarter. i imagine the eggs are a bit smaller than pinto beans.

then i stuck the nest next to a dwarf marigold flower

it wasn't until almost 2 weeks later that i thought to see if the eggs had hatched. ding-dong here should have been checking everyday; then i could tell you how old the babies are.

june 13th
did you know that the hummingbirds use spiderwebs to build their nests? it looks funny to see the nest stretch and wiggle as the babies get bigger and move around.

the mama hummingbird usually lays two eggs; laying one, skipping a day, and then laying another. she does not start sitting on the eggs until both are laid. it takes 16-18 days before the eggs hatch. the babies are born naked and without the characteristic long hummingbird beak (which i am sure makes mama happy). they really are butt-ugly!

fledging usually takes place about 3 weeks after the babies hatch so i suspect that i will find the nest empty soon as the babes venture out with mama.

we have been following their progress and have been taking pictures every day or so. i will be posting more pictures. it's not everyday that we get an opportunity like this. isn't nature wonderful?!

"g" is for

....goody! goodies!!!!

i won a blogiversary drawing over at learner's per-knit by sharing my ugliest project. and no, i didn't win because mine was the ugliest, thankyouverymuch! but ugly did beget something most lovely....

storm moon knits - tornado sock yarn
"i kissed a girl" colorway

i love it! thank you, kristen!

and then i did finish my pair of "kai-meis" -only my way! i added the lace panel down the sides of the legs. i just can't do 6 inches of plain k3p3 ribbing. i'm sorry!

"kai-meis"
from sock innovations by cookie a
mini-mochi in violet rainbow
us 1.5 needles (2.5mm)

submitted them for the may contest on socktopia over on ravelry and won this:

the yarn is called "yummy' and is new to me. i love the colors. emm1e, the mod, personalized the prize by checking my rav profile. isn't she the sweetest thing?!

my hubby and i went to go see the new star trek. i was dubious about this as i grew up watching the original star trek. i must admit that the actors did a remarkable job capturing the essence of the original characters. and oh my! the "new" spock looked more like the "original" spock than the "old" spock did. i didn't realize that leonard nimoy was in this one. what a surprise!

oh boy! now i get to do "H"! i have something wonderful!

taking a break from the alphabet

to let you know that i've finally got "zen garden" ready for sale over at my ravelry shop. only took me a year and a half! i am working on my other patterns...slowly! very slowly

!

"f" for

..."fluffy, fun, fiber!"

lookie what i got in the mail from my "best friend" , susan (crystal palace yarns). YES! mochi plus in my favorite color. it is a new addition to my "stuff the mattress with mini-mochi and mochi-plus" campaign. for some reason, i can never capture the richness of the colors. the colors are more saturated than the photo. thinking these will make a beautiful scarf.


and i won a blog contest over at http://www.danido.com!

dani also has an etsy shop http://danidocrafty.etsy.com

she has a sock yarn club where her inspiration comes from "great rock 'n roll." the colorway i won is called "one beat." pretty, huh?! she also included some swag. thank you, dani!

"e" is for

...someone ELSE is having a contest.

ok, i cheated but hey! go visit ruffled feathers who is celebrating 300 posts with a drawing! don't look at me! it's going to be a LONG while before i get there!

"d" is for

...dewdrops! hey, i'm on a roll here! lace, cables, AND BEADS! (yes, i seem to be on a bead kick right now. why do you ask?!) i LOVE my lace, cables, and beads!

"dewsdrops"
designed for theknitter.com's luxury sock club
april 2009

pagewood farm "st. elias" in watermelon
us size 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
gauge: 8.5 sts & 12 rows per inch

sparkly cuff
(the pattern for the kit only has one row of beads)

carried design down heel flap
(i love fancy heels!)

i loved this yarn. it was so soft and the yardage was very generous...450 yds/150gm. i had a lot left-over. was going to weigh it just out of curiosity but haven't gotten around to it. the colors didn't pool or stripe which was nice. AND (are you sitting down?) i finished BOTH socks! pictures of both to follow later.