In this world I believe we all want to think of ourselves as unique. And really, we are. No two people are alike and no two people like exactly the same things. However, it appears that there are some things a whole lotta knitters are drawn to. Jaywalker is definitely one and Clapotis is without a doubt another. I have yet to make either. Until now.

Yep, I started Clapotis. And I’m using some lovely Fleece Artist Leanne sent me as part of the Knitter’s Review Secret Pal exchange. The yarn is lovely and I’m really enjoying the simplicity of the pattern. It’s a nice contrast to the complicated charts and fingering weight yarn of the Chalet Socks. Plus, I think Clapotis will be the perfect weight for spring and early summer. I know it’s been knit a thousand times, but some things are just worth the hype.

In other knitting news, Dani dyed some lovely sock yarn for me in University of Wyoming Cowboys colors (brown and prairie gold) and it came yesterday. Look at how lovely it is.

And here’s a close-up. Isn’t it fun? I just love it and can’t wait to knit it into a pair of socks.

I finished the Tech Guy Socks on Friday night. Well, it was actually early Saturday morning (somewhere around 1 am) when I finally grafted the toe, but finished they are. Travis wore them on Saturday and since he left for work at about 6:30 there were no modeled pictures. But here they are fresh from their first wash.

Project Details:

Pattern: TechGuy Socks

Yarn: Tongue River Farm Sock Yarn

Needles: Addi Turbos size 3 - my first attempt at socks with the 2 circular method. I like it. I like it a lot. I don’t know that I’ll completely give up dpns, but I see some benefit to the whole circular needle thing.

Modifications/Thoughts: I made the leg 9 1/2 inches rather than 7 or 8 as specified in the pattern. I used a size 3, rather than a size 4 needle, and I subbed a wrapped short-row heel and toe for the yarn over short-row method.

I don’t think I like this yarn. It’s very hairy and is a lot different from “normal” sock yarn. I don’t really know how to describe it (and I don’t have a good picture, of course), but this is my best shot - the yarn is a 2-ply, but each ply is very loosly spun (almost not at all), which makes it less than ideal to work with. It’s kind of scatchy - in fact, Travis said it was scratchy, which isn’t good because he really does wear wool socks on a regular basis (not handknit, but thick wool socks still). And he said they stretched out over the course of the day and by the end of the day weren’t staying up. Not good. And look at the sole after one wearing and washing (in the sink in cool water)

Looks felted to me, although doesn’t appear to have shrunk. What do you think? So, all in all a good pattern, but next time I make Travis socks I’ll use fingering weight and go for a softer yarn.

Next up: Sockapaloooza! I cast-on and will hope any gauge issues work themselves out (yes my friends, that is denial). If I have to rip it, so be it, but I might as well get started and see how things shake out.

Still waiting for needles for Butterfly and I started a little something else - more on that tomorrow.

Thank you all for the lovely comments on my view. We’re very lucky to be able to live in a place without close neighbors and with such wide open spaces. Although our neighbors are much closer than what I had growing up. I grew up on a cattle and horse ranch and our closest neighbor was 10 miles away and the nearest town was 35 miles away. Next time I’m at the ranch I’ll take some pictures for you - that really is a great view. Despite the view, sometimes living in Laramie is less than ideal. I don’t really mind the cold, winters are supposed to be cold. The most disturbing thing about the time we spent in Texas was the fact that it never really got cold - I just couldn’t quite get used to that. But, the problem with Laramie is that the wind blows - pretty much constantly and usually in the 20 to 60 mph range. Let me tell you, it gets old. And poor Travis. The guy works outside and is putting up a big 4 story commercial building this winter (don’t even get me started on the crazy people who thought building a building in the middle of winter in Wyoming was a good idea) and it’s been just miserable. Add to that the fact that Travis hates the cold and we’re talking fun and games at my house. But, anyway, I saw this view this morning when I was leaving my house and since none of the pictures from yesterday really gave you a good look at the mountains, here’s another one.

On the knitting front I’ve turned the heel on Tech Guy Sock #2

and am anxious to be finished. I’m hoping the foot will knit itself before the weekend.

As for the swatch of Lorna’s Laces I told you I got gauge with, clearly I was smoking crack or forgot how to count (option 2 is really the better choice here). I recounted it last night and we are not at 15 stitches/2 inches, but 18. Not good. So, there’s gonna have to be some reswatching with the LL. I’m wondering if I wasn’t still hardoring some resentment towards the yarn after the whole big ass tangled mess and didn’t knit it just a little tighter than I would normally knit such lovely yarn. We shall see.

Cara tagged me with a meme - “The View From Your Front Door” because she thinks I live in a beautiful place. Honestly, I really love where we live. I love my house and that we have some land for the horses and not a lot of neighbors. But, some days I wonder what the heck we were thinking moving back to Wyoming - the weather, the job market, the shopping - all less than ideal. Yesterday the temperature with the wind chill was somwhere around -25 and today we’re having a heat wave - it’s 10 degrees! But, the point of this here meme is to show you all the view from my front door.

That’s the view this morning when I opened the front door and looked straight out. I was hoping the horses would be out, but they were in the barn eating breakfast.

Looking out the front door to the left gives you a view of the barn, sometimes a train, and the eatern sky.

If you look to the right, you see the pasture, the neighbor’s pasture, and the mountains in the distance. And a whole lot of brown grass.

I decided that while I was showing you pictures from my front door, I might as well include the view from the patio door - also looking east.

And a view from the garage door, looking west.

And I found some pictures I took last summer when the grass was green, just so you know that it isn’t brown all the time. Because let’s face it, brown grass is pretty ugly.

In knitting news, the second Tech Guy Sock continues. Ribbing, ribbing, and more ribbing. I’ll show you a picture when something exciting happens. Until then, know that I’m working on it and am excited to be done so I can start the Chalet Socks for my sock pal.

Oops, I forgot to tag some people for the Front Door meme. Hmmm. I’m going to tag Diana because she lives in a place so very different from me, Blossom because it’s warm where she is (and I’d like to see a little something other than brown grass), yaiAnn because she lives on the other coast, and Rebekah in the heart land (or at least somewhat). If you haven’t done this meme and want to, consider yourself tagged.

You’d think that after a long weekend, I’d have lots of knitting to show you. But, I don’t. Mostly because I had to reknit the toe on the Tech Guy sock three more times between Friday and Saturday. The first time the short rows looked great, but it was still too long. Some might think I didn’t learn my lesson from the first time, but I think Travis’ foot was shrinking just to screw with me. The second time I may have over compensated just a tad because it was too short (yes, I know - clearly I have yet to master the art of the tape measure). And the third time if fit. Praise the knitting gods, do a happy dance, and have a stiff drink! So, I give you one completed Tech Guy Sock.

Despite my very strong desire to throw the ball of yarn out of a car window while cruising down the road at 65 mph, I didn’t. Instead, I cast on for the second sock. I can’t very well let a stupid sock get the best of me, so onward we go and I can only hope that the lessons I learned on sock #1 will stick in my little brain so sock #2 can go much smoother.

Yesterday morning, in an attempt to distract myself from Tech Guy Sock #2, I decided to wind my Lorna’s Laces and swatch for the Chalet Socks. You’d think that with a ball winder and swift, this would be a quick and painless process. Clearly, I have angered the knitting gods.

I mean, they’re pissed.

I lost about 3 hours of my life untangling that holey mess, but eventually I won (although I had to hide the scissors because I was tempted to just start chopping things up). I swatched.

And, I. GOT. GAUGE. 7 1/2 stitches per inch on US #1s. Woo Hoo. Sockapaloooza, here I come.