Monkeys in the Roses

Done! Sockapalooza sock Pal socks are done.

Monkey Socks

Size 1 Magic Loop

Fleece Artist Handmaiden Sea Wool in Amethyst

I did my usual slip stitch heel and toe rather than the pattern's. Love the yarn and the pattern. I made these for myself as a test knit on size two needles and actually like the fabric of the size 1 better.

I frogged the Coupling socks because they were too loose. Right now I am suffering from anxiety because I have NOTHING on the needles. The Sea Wool in Moss has been cast on twice and frogged. It really wants to be Embossed Leaves socks. I don't think I can fight it anymore...

not much knitting...

There hasn't been much knitting going on in this house lately. Too much activity outside. Last week our house went from this:

Tan and red to this:

Green with cream. The red front door remained but is now a few shades more terra-cotta-y. What you can't tell from the pictures is how much better the house looks. There are a couple of trim boards and two windows that still need to be replaced because they were rotted but the rest of the house looks awesome.

As for knitting:

I plan on finishing the toe of my second sockapalooza Pal's socks tonight - pictures soon.

I started a second pair of socks but they are just past the rib so boring to look at right now.

I also finished the terra-cotta tank but it is in the frog pile. A little large and very unflattering - no pictures of that one!! I need to do something with a little more negative ease. I am a curvy girl but not that big. Really, it was just gross.

Monkey 1 and Monkey 2

OK I need to admit I am a "once a week" blogger. I do have an excuse though...we have been really busy outside with all the nice weather. Late Friday afternoon my parents called and said they were packing the car and were coming up for the weekend to help us with some projects. They live 4.5 hours away so they got up here 11:30 p.m. Friday night. (I cleaned like mad while they were driving up!) We hugged at the door and promptly tucked them in bed.

Saturday the guys worked on this:
It is our new storage shed (or small house). Before Vince and my dad started on it it just was studs (the walls and the guys) They added the roof, some shingles and all the siding and trim. A lot accomplished in just one day and a few hours between showers on Sunday afternoon.

While the guys were busy hammering, my mom and I were busy planting. We worked on the long bed along the back fence. Before we started it was mostly weeds and sucker trees. We cut, mowed, planted, spread and watered. It looks so much better now!
View one:
View two from the other end:

And a little color:

It is a little sparse but I hope to fill it in in the next few years. Perennial beds need to age a little to really look nice I think.

I did get a little knitting done. On Friday night while waiting for my parents to arrive, I finished my 1st. pr. of Monkey socks.

Do you notice that the first sock (one the left) has a lot lighter cuff than the second? It is pretty obvious in real life. I wound the skein on a center pull ball and knit from the center so this yarn would have been on the outside of the skein. I hope this is due to uneven dying of hand-dyed rather then the yarn fading. I don't mind the variation but I am using this yarn for the Sockapalooza 4 pal and don't want it to happen to hers. I love the colors in the socks and the yarn is wonderful to work with. It is Fleece Artist Handmaiden Sea Wool.

This is the color Amethyst that I got for the Sock Pal:

Beautiful purple, lavender, blue and deep rose. I went down one needle size for the sock pal since her feet are a little smaller than mine. I cast one yesterday and got a little ways (4.5 lace repeats) last night. Here is the sock so far:

No pooling and I like the fabric even more with the smaller needle size.

And finally, I haven't posted a picture of my drop stitch wrap:

And a close up:

I am unsure. I like the yarn , like the color, like the feel of the wrap but I am just not in love with it. I think it is more that I am not a wrap type person. I don't think I know how to wear them well. I am a scarf person. I have ton of scarves... not the winter scarves but the dressier scarves. I tuck them under the colors of my jackets for a flash of color, wrap them around my neck to dress up a t-shirt, under my jean jacket to dress up jeans... you get the picture. But I don't know how to wear a wrap/stole. I can see already that I love my lady E as a large scarf and not a stole. It works that way - being big and artsy. This one doesn't. So any ideas? How can a scarf person wear this wrap?

Anyone reading this have a good rhubarb dessert recipe? Vince loves it and it isn't my favorite . I find myself with rhubarb and don't know what to do with it. Help?