I'm not loving my sockapaloooza sock.

You know, I get emails from pals all the time who get to just this point where they're feeling that the socks aren't really something they themselves would like, or they could imagine that their pal would prefer an entirely different style of sock more, and they start to have second thoughts. And I always tell them not to stress out - this is supposed to be a fun exchange; all the pals are thrilled to get handknitted socks and if you've put any work at all into picking out yarn and pattern according to their preferences, they'll be even more thrilled with the socks. But still, I keep doubting. Will my pal be okay with a long green stockinette sock? Does she mind pooling like me?

So I pulled the needles out of the sock in progress, packed up a new skein of yarn, and set off to the playground with the boys to start a new sock. Luckily, I had forgotten my wrist support and had to stop after a few rows. I took the opportunity to reconsider the old sock the next day, but finally went off to the playground again with new yarn AND wrist support, determined to start something else. Somehow though the needles had been put back in the bag with the old sock and I didn't have them, giving me another day to reconsider.

Last night I sat myself down and forced myself to take my own advice and keep knitting on the old sock. My hope was that that fabulously beautiful heel would convince me that the socks are worth continuing.

I do like the heel. I didn't like some of the heel instructions. I'll probably go back and redo the last several rows again. But it's bringing me back around, I think. All the tiny cables in the heel are dreadfully slow to knit however and it was a little too tight and cramped for my hand after an evening of knitting, so the sock is back off the needles again. I can get started on the long leg of the second sock instead.

I just want to try out a few new ideas first though.

Just because I can't knit any afghan squares right now, doesn't mean I can't pick up some more manos when I see it. I'd been looking for a blue to add to the blanket and I found just the right one at Black Sheep Knitting in Needham last week.

I've now got the variegated and seven solid colors. I think I may be done shopping for the afghan.

And you know what else they have there at Black Sheep besides a huge new shipment of Manos? They have the Synchronicity yarn from Alchemy that I'm using for my Ella Rae t-shirt sweater. (It's at the bottom left in the very bottom picture on this page!) And they're having a sale on all Rowan until tax day.

I don't know how I left that store with just the manos!

hot curves

hot pink

Front and back finished and sewn together for a little try on. Now for some sleeves....

(and a new earworm: "ole, ole, ole, ole....How you feeling? Hot, hot, hot!")

This is your ONE MONTH warning! That's right only FOUR MORE WEEKS to get those socks done and ready for shipping. You can do it!

Finished socks!

Abigail has knit yet ANOTHER pair of socks for her 'guess which is the sockpal pair' contest in May. She's knit so many, I think I'll have to make her name red in the big list.
KnittyCath finished her socks! Rock on Cath!
Cindy reports that she finished her Traveling Rib socks. That is, unless she finds yarn she like more on her upcoming trip to Vancouver!
Erin is our first sock sister to finish!! She knit Tuulia's pattern done with Koigu. Now she's trying to decide what to work on next.
Janine has finished a pair of purple Embossed Leaves socks
Jessica has finished her Crooked Cable socks.
Joanna has finished her socks using her own pattern.
Kara has finished her incredible fair-isle socks - they remind me of a garden, complete with a picket fence - so pretty!
Karen is done with her pal's pretty Jaywalkers in Schaefer Anne; the picture is buried under the mountain of new yarn she acquired on sale Sunday - be prepared for envy on both counts!
Katie has finished her sock pal's beautiful red socks, and I think she chose well - that pattern does look More Fun Than Cables.
Kim finished her socks, which are pretty in three shades of pink.
Kristen is done with her pal's socks, yippee! And scroll down for bonus llama pictures - don't miss them!
Lesley did a beautiful job dyeing her yarn and knitting Sockbug's Lacy Scallops socks for her pal.
Lisa C in TN has finished her gullwings!
Lyme has finshed some lovely River Rapids Socks. Along with a finished photo of a lovely blanket.
Margene has finished her beautiful "Child's first socks" in Red. She has now been busy with her Pomatomi.
Michelle finished beautiful pink Embossed Leaves socks. To block or not to block: that is her question.
After a productive bout of sleeplessness, Miss_M has finished a lovely pair – and is off on a well-deserved vacation.
Molly finished stealth socks – Broadripple in Cascade Fixation.
Patty is celebrating Opening Day and finished socks.
PinkHebe shows off finished socks and new hair.
Rosemary has finished her pink Simply Lovely Lace Socks.
Ruth has finished her socks (no pictures yet, but we look forward to seeing how she tamed those heels!).
Stariel used her own design for the pretty purple socks she's finished. They've got lace hearts and ruffles.
Samantha has finished her socks (link only has picture of first sock)!
No pics, but Susanne reports that she's all done. Send pics soon, Susanne, before Lisa picks out a placeholder picture for your socks! ;0)
A sock pal in need is a sock pal indeed. Several weeks ago, tragedy struck a fellow SP3'er Carol, when she suffered a dog bite on her thumb. Just when we thought all was lost, her friend Caroline jumped in and "ghost-knit" a pair for Carol's pal. What a friend!

Highlights:

Embossed leaves from my group:
Allison just received some beautiful socks in the Blooming Feet Sock Swap and started some ivory Embossed Leaves for her sockapaloooza sock pal. I think Allison enjoys sock swaps!
Barbara has finished a terrific test pair of Embossed Leaves socks. She'll be making another pair for her pal in earth tones.

Ashley's got almost-finishers:
Brenda is getting really close to finishing her Quadra Island Waffles!
Cyndi has a brand-new blog, and a finished sock (that totally rocks!).
Dana is SO CLOSE - just one more toe to go! She'll be done by the next update, no doubt!

Sock sister Carry reports that since there were so few updates this week, ALL of them get to be featured updates!
Diana has started some nice purple/pink/red hand dyed socks for her pal.
Dyann has begun some Cascading Leaves in Cherry Tree Hill and is truckin' right along.
Grumperina is past the heel and on the instep for her pal's socks.
Heather has one Swedish Short Snout sock down!

From Cathy:
Jess is well into her Jaywalkers and has a picture of single sock island as well as some amazing stash flash.

Donna's highlights:
Kat has finished her first beautiful lace sock (oh, those colors!) and already cast on for the next - no Second Sock Syndrome at all!
Katherine is finished with her first sock, and she and her cat have a beautiful birthday quilt to show you.

Some of Erin's pals need your help:
Linz has progress shots of both purple jaywalkers to share with us.
Lindsey P. has entered the blogging world and has some sock photos to share, as well as the debut of her cat, Ash.
Lori has finished one pippi kneesock, but is concerned with the fit.
Lucia could use our help in deciding what yarn to use for her pal.

Ina writes that It was hard to select the highlights for the Mar-Pix tribe this past week – there were several birthdays and excellent adventures, and two not-Sockapaloooza-related polls. Some Mar-Pix tribesters were stricken with the not-sures; some persevered, others (gasp) frogged and started again. (So be sure to check out all the rest of the updates in the extended section!):
Wish Melanie a happy birthday and see her original lace sock worked in her own handdyed Knitpicks yarn using Easter egg coloring. She has instructions for doing ssk with a twist, too.
Minnie reincarnated her sock and had a great birthday.

Jenipurr's highlights:
Rebekkah has finished her first Marmluke sock and it's just gorgeous.
You gotta check out Rocket_Scientist's ode to her sockapaloooza sock (a la Dr. Seuss!). She had a hard time picking a pattern at first, but she's finally settled on a twisted rib stitch from Sensational Knitted Socks, in bright stripes.
Sharon has finished her first Japanese feather sock in green, yellow, and blue.
Sherry switched yarns, but is still on track. She's finished the first sock (scroll down in the entry to see her pretty blue-green cabled sock!) and has already started the second.

Lisa's highlights:
Amy is juggling quite a few knitting projects but has made some progress on her pal's socks...some being the operative word. But I won't be too hard on her because her Tubey looks amazing, in Mission Falls 1824 Wool - which, by the way, I hear they are bringing back. They are bringing back the cotton too, which I think they could have skipped....blech!
Perfect Sock Syndrome, or PSS, as it is more commonly referred, is a common affliction among SP3'ers, but Chickybabe seems to have finally overcome the inertia and stress associated with this syndrome and is well on her way with these Metropolis Socks in some unidentified Lorna's Laces colorway.
Christine has reached the half-way mark with one sock down. Remember, she is doing the Pippi Longstockings from Stitch 'n Bitch with Knitpick's Zinnia Sock Garden Yarn.

From Mary:
Norah's sock has been travelling - go and have a look at all the places it's been.
Lisa is knitting some lovely pink socks for her pal. The pattern is from, wait for it, Sensational Knitted Socks - so of course they're lovely!
And you have got to see the amazing fair-isle socks Peacock is knitting! They have little hearts all over them. Awww.

(Click on more for the whole shebang!)

Update-a-loooza!

Sock momma Alison is taking a couple days off from her socks to reconsider the pattern and rest her hand. Elsewhere in the A and B's:
Andrea has started a blog and a sock pal sock. Now, who can read Spanish?
Angel had some heel flap problems, but is now on to turning the heel. Her rib and cable socks are going to be so beautiful.
Bethieee is already into the second sock of her pink pair. She's loving all things Nancy Bush these days!
Betty's hand is all better and she's back in action, completing her first Elfine sock in Rohrspatz und Wollmeise yarn.
Beverly had picked out this yarn in February, but hadn't settled on a pattern. She reports that she'll be starting cabled boot socks for her pal.

Sock sister Ashley received a ton of updates this week. Guess it helped that she sent out the "one month to the deadline" email!
Brenda is working on Lava Flow socks (both at once!) in a lovely blue Cherry Tree Hill colorway. Oooh, and there's violets!
Brigid has started her socks-in a very interesting way! She knit a garter band and is picking up stitches to knit downward from there. That's a new one on this sock sister!
bySarah's sock is lounging around in the spring sunshine.
Carrie reports that she's started some Friday Harbor socks for her pal - pictures when her camera comes home from the camera fixing people's!
Cass reports that she's knitting some pretty rad-sounding socks: stripes made by alternating between two different colorways of Lorna's Laces. She promises pics next week-can't wait to see them!
Carina had some unfortunate gauge issues (she may or may not have referred to her first attempt as "that #")!#"(="#%/# sock"). But she persevered, and now has a gorgeous Regia number underway.
Chawne went back to the drawing board too-but it seems to be working out! She's now cooking up a boiled Kersti lobster!
Dani dyed up some gorgeously springy pink and green yarns for her lucky pal. Can't wait to see how it knits up!
Daniele reports that she is knitting Jaywalkers for her pal, in the African Violets colorway from Cherry Tree Hill.
Danielle has two toe-up Jaywalkers on the needles, and about the longest knitting to-do list I've ever seen!
Danielle reports that she has one finished sock, and has cast on for the second one.
Danielle has one sock finished and another begun - they're Anna's Elfine pattern, knit with All Things Heather's Pumpkin Spice colorway.
Yet another Danielle (I've got 5!) writes in that she's knitting Fixation anklets for a wool-sensitive pal. She thinks she'll be done by the end of the week!
Deesie has tried three different heels - including a Japanese short-row heel that looks like it lost a fight with an octopus! (I'll stick with my wrapped short rows, thanks ;))

Sock sister Cathy reports:
Jessica has finished one lace sock and is well into the second.
Jaime is flashing some serious stash over here!
Jayme has also finished one sock and is on to the next.
Holly had to do some frogging on her second sock but is back on track.
Jen has finished one very rosy Friday Harbor sock, gorgeous!
Judy continues to work on her beautiful vintage Beehive socks.
Jill has finished one Sensational baby cabled rib sock in Socks that Rock in Beryl, yum!
Jennhas finished one sock and already cast on for her second.
Julia has finally started her Pretty Petals socks, looking great so far!
Jen has started her surprise pattern socks in a great deep pink.

Sock sister Donna writes:
Kat's just about done with her pal's first sock - it's lovely!
Kathleen has doubts about her sock, but I say it's beautiful, and she's almost half done. What more could a pal want than that?
Kelly thought she was finished...then she took another look at the second heel flap. Oooh, that hurts, but those socks are swell!
Kim has finished her first fabulous sock, and she wants your opinion; go take her poll and let her know what you think.
Kim's turned the heel (good work!) and hopefully she'll have pictures by the time we all read this.
Kira's Pomatomus is past the heel, and it looks great!
Kristen switched yarn, and took a break to knit an *entire* pair of socks (which also look nice), and now she's back on track with the Celtic Braid socks in some lovely Cherry Tree Hill yarn for her lucky pal.
Skylar's finished Lovely Lace Sock looks great - even her cat thinks so!

Sock sister Erin (who with her finished socks has pulled her group into the lead for the most finished pals with 14!) writes:
Laura was having size issues with her start of her toe up socks. She is planning on starting over with an eyelet diamond pattern and Lorna's Laces, "Seaside".
Laura is back to the drawing board on her socks.
Leanne has finished an awesome Jaywalker and has restarted her sockpal socks.
Lelah has just about finished nautilus sock number one.
Lesley has turned theheel on her second sock and is on the home stretch. Can't wait for pictures.
Lexa is hoping to finish her Fortissima socks so she can move along her her sock pal socks.
Lisa P has finished one sock amidst her city/sewer/neighbor problems.
They aren't sockpal socks, but Malle has some very nice socks to show.
Manda has torn out and resterted her Dublin Bay socks.
Mary A. reports that progress is being made on her socks.

Sock sister Ina reports:
Maureen almost finished one sock, then decided to start over. Notice the title of her post and go call her crazy.
Mozemen's socks searched Athens for a yarn store, then had a good time in Paris while the Spouse-Man had a Big Birthday. (Be sure to vote to see knitwear pix from the Place de la Concorde.)
Neva switched to Old Shale Two Yarn Sock (with clever cuff), plus is starting a new job!

Sock sister Jenipurr has a lot going on in her group:
Rebecca is back from vacation (and what sounds like a fun knitting workshop) and has posted pictures of her Embossed Leaves socks in progress.
Rebecca has finally chosen her yarn and her pattern. Her sock pal will be getting lace socks made with Cherry Tree Hill yarn.
Regenia has made it to the toe shaping for her first green Gull Wing sock.
Ruth is making her pal the most awesome purple pink stripey socks.
Sarah reports she's been working on her socks and is on schedule to having them done in time (no pictures, but she's just moved, so she's been a bit preoccupied with unpacking).
Scout posted a picture of her sock in progress. The colors are fantastic.
Shannon has started her toe up, broken rib socks in Mountain Colors Bearfoot.
Sigga_Sif has run into some difficulties with her short rows (I'll bet some of you sock knitters could help her out!).
Silke is making Pomatomus socks in a lovely shade of blue.
Stephanie is nearly done with her first lacy shell sock (the pattern looks wonderful with the bright color of the yarn).

Sock sister Lisa writes (and writes, and writes):
Sue has settled on the solid red Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, with a toe up pattern from Knitty called Falling Leaves. She avoids SSS by knitting both socks at once on two sets of DPNs. I couldn't get the picture to download to a reasonable size so we'll try again next week with a shot of these beauties.
Tammy is about half way through her first sock (as the crow flies, I mean knits). She's loving this "squishy" yarn. Remember, she's knitting the Simply Lovely Lacy Socks from IK Spring 2006 with some vintage cashmere/lambswool/wool blend from her stash.
Telkwagirl finished her socks this week. They are the Latvian socks from Nancy Bush's Folk Socks. She's using Paton's Kroy in a heathery blue. She's shopping for a digital camera but unfortunately won't have it in time to snap a picture. We'll look for them on her sock pal's blog after the big reveal…
Thistlerain's socks are progressing rather slowly due to a fall on the ice which cracked her left elbow (who knits with their elbows anyway?) so she's a bit behind her self-imposed deadlines, but is confident she will make the May 2nd due date. She's even managed to get over the strange looks she receives during her KIP lunch hour.
YarnSticks, who has self-identified herself as "not a sockapaloser," is now in the home stretch with her Retro Rib's after a month-long bout with pneumonia.

Sock sister Mary reports:
Reagan has finished sock number 1 of her pair.
Emily is having some frustrations with her Jaywalkers - go give her some help!
Erin is in her grove - check out the sock hanging on her line.
Valerie is halfway through her pair of socks - one down, one to go.
Laura has overcome yet more snapping dpns to make progress on her socks.
Ingrid is feeling a little unfaithful to her socks, but is carrying on with them, despite temptation.
Janet is a little unsure about the pattern she's chosen but is carrying on with it.
Our first look at Jennifer's purple Broadripples!
Krista has finished one sock and is feeling happy with it.

Now that no-one's listening, can I just say that Monday is such a fun day for me?! Every couple of hours a new update rolls in from one of the sock sisters. I get it put in the big update and then, next time I check, there's another one. It's like getting presents!

I'm down to the fronts in my battle to get this glisten cardi finished and as far away from me as possible.

I have to admit that now that I'm working on smaller pieces and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the yarn isn't bothering me quite as much. The boys love watching me unspin it. That's cool, I guess.

For one, I'm usually chilly and don't wear tanks unless it's really hot, and then I don't want to wear my knitted tanks and sweat in them. Then there's the whole I spend my entire summer on the playground issue, and this fabulous silk/merino tank would be a little out of place on the playground. And lastly, I can much more easily fathom a $160 sweater than a $80 tank. Plus, what would I do with the other four balls?? Nope, it's getting sleeves and it's going to be fabulous!

But I do have another t-shirt sweater planned with some Debbie Bliss cotton angora I have in the stash. I have even less of that yarn than I did of the synchronicity, so I think I'll do 3/4 length sleeves. Maybe I'll work my way down to just a tank....

No, I haven't finished the second front of the glisten cardi yet, but I decided to give my hands a rest (jumping back and forth between two projects on the same needle isn't really much variation) and see if I couldn't get started on the seaming.

don't you just love mattress stitch?

With this ribbon yarn and it's snags and twists, I was worried that the seaming would be a bear, but not so far. It's actually coming together rather quickly and rather easily. Phew. Can I change my tune on this yarn?

Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you, yarn, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it

Love is all around, no need to waste it....
You're gonna make it after all!

There's going to be a noticeable slowdown in my knitting here over the next few weeks, because I'll be working on a few designs of my own in the background. All hush, hush and no peeking, of course. But here are a few of the yarns I'm considering. Got any feedback on these for me?

Berroco Ultra Alpaca
Peace Fleece
Debbie Bliss Merino DK
Knitpicks Palette
Dale Stork
Kathmandu Aran Tweed

Top priority for my own knitting (when I give myself a break from designing) will be my sock pal sock and maybe another t-shirt sweater when I finish the synchronicity top. So stay tuned for little knitting progress and lots of posts about the boys!

But although there's a whole menagerie of metal creatures in the boys' Ritter Rost books (here's a little blurb in English), all I could find were these metal goats.

Maybe it's metal cashmere!

The glisten cardi is so close to being finished and brought to the store, that I've already started shopping the store to see what yarn I'd like to buy for compensation!

I finished the second front, sewed it together with the body and, yesterday at Knitsmiths, I started setting in the sleeves.

Of course, in all my browsing the store for new yarn, I forgot to look for a button to close the cardi. Doh!

First, another warning: only THREE WEEKS left! We've got a huge number of finishers this week, but we're still well under a third done. So get knittin'! Second, for those of you shipping internationally, I'll get the tech guys back on the job and work on having addresses sent out to you next week. So make sure that your address is up to date in the system everyone, because it's going out SOON!

Now for my continuing sockapaloooza saga. I did try out something different on the leg of the second sock - a new cable.

I think it's much neater than the first without all the surrounding purl ridges. And inside the cable diamonds is the same twisted stitch as at the cuff and on the heel. Even though you can't really see it, somehow it makes me feel like this design is more "right" for the sock.

So this means that I have to frog sock number one and restart it. Essentially, I've still only got one leg done and am exactly where I was two weeks ago, but the difference is, I like it!

Luckily, there are lots of sock pals who are more on the ball than me and are making great progress on their socks. Here we go....

Finished sockers!
(wow, finished socks everywhere!)

Sockapaloooza as personal improvement? Check out Allie's finished anklets and new attitude.
Amy finished some super fun Jaywalkers.
Beth finished her afterthought heel socks and is sharing her pattern with us! Now, she realizes that people might not be wild to knit a pattern they've never seen before, but as her camera is broken, we'll have to make do with just the pattern for now.
Four sock attempts later, Ashley's Petticoat Socks are finally finished!
Brenda's Quadra Island Specials are all done. Check out the fraternal heels!
Chawne also had three false starts, but she's all done with her Boiled Lobster socks. Pass the butter!
Chialea's all done, and is doing the obligatory sock-pal-sock try-on.
You've seen how well-travelled Colleen's second sock is getting! But what you haven't seen yet is that she finished it at Knitsmiths!
Cyndi finished some lovely blue Elongated Rib socks—and came up with such a great packaging idea! She knit an I-cord from the sock yarn and tied the socks into a neat little bundle with it.
I'll give it to you in her own words: "Danmakine finished her socks after a long selfstriping-shawl-knitting-induced hiatus." Aww, it wasn't that long! And they're totally worth the wait.
Dooglescout's all done!!
Gwen has finished her Jaywalkers for her pal and has already cast on some great pink fixation.
Heather has finished her Harry Potter dragon socks (Jaywalkers for her sock pal in the colors of the Swedish Short-snout that Cedric had to battle in Goblet of Fire.) Way cool, Heather!
Helen, used Regia Mini Ringel Stripe and, for the first time, did 2 socks on 2 circs, way to go!
Judy has finished gorgeous purple cabled socks - the yarn looks heavenly!
JoShell has finished a lovely pair of Fancy Silk Socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks.
Jen is done with her beautiful red Friday Harbor socks.
Joyce has finished her River Rapids socks in blue and green Fleece Artist.
Jenn has finished her Dublin Bay socks.
Congratulations to Joyce for finishing her socks!
Julie finished her Lava Flow socks - they're like a pretty breath of spring!
Lori's finished!
Megan has finished Falling Leaves and wants to make more.
Melanie has finished her Easter egg blue lace socks. The pattern, with tutorial on Easter egg dyeing, will follow.
No pics, but a hooray for Naturalfibres finishiing!
Nicole has finished luscious Making Waves.
Rachel has finished her blue striped River Rapids socks. Check out her pictures - in order to keep the stripes consistant she used a band heel.
Rae has finished her pretty turquoise shell lace socks.
Rebekkah is done and has lots of pictures of her gorgeous Mamluke socks.
ReluctantMANGO has finished her pink Lava Flow socks.
Rocketbride has a completed pair of pumpkin striped socks to show off. Her sock model's pretty cute.
Rose has finished her socks. Go check out the pretty lace insert she designed herself.
Ruth finally has pictures of her finished Lava Flow socks.
Spinning_Sue has finished her lacy purple socks.
No finished pictures yet, but a little birdie told me that Yarnsticks is all done with her retro ribs!
Angelle's done with her "crossing state lines" socks (my nickname, not hers). She hit the road with these babies and finished during a long car ride back home. The only casualties werethree pairs of DPNs (don't knit 3 together with plastic needles) so you might see them on the side of the road somewhere between IL and GA.
Krista has finished her socks. As she says, 'it's a good day to be a knitter'.
Libraryliz has finished her socks. She's waiting for pictures to come very soon.

Highlights
(Let's start in the middle of the alphabet this time!)

From Erin:
Laura is back on track with her very lovely diamond lace socks in "seaside". Check out her finished sock and the unusual pooling it's done.
Linz is singing the praises of Wendy's generic toe-up pattern. She is so happy to have a toe up sock with NO GAPS!!!
Lorraine has finished a jaywalker in here own handdyed yarn, and is nearing completion of the second.
Manda has turned the heel on her Dublin Bay socks.

From Ina:
This week marked a tipping point for the Mar-Pix tribe, as the number of finishers and close-to-being-finished jumped up and the number of haven't-yet-started procrastinators declined. 'Way to go, tribesters!
Meanwhile, because every sock deserves a few adventures, Ina took her sock to a Mason-Dixon Knitting book signing.
Melissa is knitting up a storm while on vacation (this week on Maui!), but she's also getting a little lonely and would like to hear from her sock pal and/or any Wyoming knitbloggers.
Look Sockapalooozers, no holes! Parikha substituted a Sherman heel on her Embossed Leaves sock.

From Jenipurr:
Ruth has finished her first sock, in bright purple, pink and blue stripes. She's using the Madder Rib pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks.
Sandra has finished the first sock, which she poses on her blog next to her very fun polka dot rain boots.
Sharon has finished her first Japanese feather sock in green, yellow, and blue.
Spring has finished the first Jaywalker sock (the pattern really brings out the thin stripes of color in the yarn she chose).

From Lisa:
Suegene is finally in the game, with the most amazing self-striping yarn that she dyed herself. She hasn't named the colorway yet, so I'm calling it "swimming with dolphins".
We're hearing from Yasmin for the first time this week... OH MY GOD...forget the socks, would you look at her latest project which is quite possibly the cutest knitted item I have ever seen. I have got to make this…Oh wait, this is a sock update. Yasmin is this week's sufferer of PSS (perfect sock syndrome), having abandoned her first pair which she was knitting from some yarn she dyed herself. However, I am quite a fan of the new yarn she's using (both color and fiber content) and her own design.

From Mary:
We have lots of photos from blogless Sockapalooozers this week. Check out the progress that Lisa, Pamela, Nancy and Jenn have made.
Congratulations to Rebecca on finishing her first ever sock. It looks great!
Twisted Knitter is back on track with her socks. Check out her blog to find out how she did it.

From my group:
Adrienne is making some super nifty swirly eyelet socks based on these socks. Neato!
Amanda has gotten up to turning the heel of her Sheri's Lace socks and asks if anyone else has done this pattern. Should turning the heel really be done in garter stitch?? Anyone. Anyone.
Amysue is beginning to despair that she may never finish her sockapaloooza socks, but despite her trials with knitting (and sitting - ouch!), she's still taking the time to enjoy the craft and the process. Hang in there, Amysue!
Andrea has started Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Yellowstone, the "Little Shell Socks"!
Angel has one beautiful green cable and rib sock done.

From Ashley:
Carina challenged herself to finish by April 14, and as of Monday she only has 4 inches left to go on the second sock. She'll be done way early at this pace!
Daphne has one sock all finished, and is currently pondering the eternal question: how much negative ease is too much negative ease? (Or, in other words, am I gonna have to re-knit that toe?)

From Carry:
After a mid-exchange switch, Emily would like us to weigh in on her new pattern.
Erica is in the swatching stage of her socks. She's not positive her pal will like her choice of Regia Crazy Color in purple, light orange, baby blue and white.

Sock Sister Cathy has finished both heels and is slowly spiraling towards the toes on her Mermaid socks.
Jess is working on Elfin lace socks in beautiful green yarn she dyed herself. Wow.
Holly is very close! Her toes are just barely peeking out of one unfinished sock.

From Donna:
Julia is almost done with her sockpal socks, and they are purty. To see them, you'll have to read all the way through Julia's report on a Stephanie Pearl-McPhee book tour stop - bonus knitting content, also about socks!
Kim's first update is to report that she's almost completely done with a gorgeous pair of Jaywalkers in Koigu - yum! She has lots of other great kitting in her album, so go take a look!

(click on more for, well, more)

Update-a-loooza!
(starting in the middle this week!)

Sock sister Erin reports:
Laura has decided her previous choice for her sockpal was just not right and has gone in a new direction and dyed some yarn in a new colorway for her pal, which is now drying. She tides us over with adorable little socks.
Leisel has chosen some pretty purple yarn for her socks.
Lexa has one sock done and one to go.
Lisa P is happy that her "sewer saga" is over and she's almost done with her socks.
Lucia has turned a heel, but is starting to experience some anxiety about it. "Will her pal like the socks?"
Lynne hasfinished one sock and is plugging away at the second.
Marie has gotten back to her socks, and abandoned trying to knit them both at the same time. She's gotten a bit done at the airport and is planning on working on them some more during her trip.
Mary Alice is nearly done with her first sock.

Sock sister Ina reports:
Meredith expects to be finished this evening – in the meantime, here's a progress photo.
Michelle is on the homestretch of her second sock after hosting a pirate birthday party with 18 five-year-olds.
Monica has taken time from her dyeing experiments and new spinning wheel to select Danette Taylor yarn – now she needs a pattern. Be sure to check out her handpaint.
Munna has begun Conway from Knitting on the Road.
After extensive research (and blog redesign) NanC has selected Cherry Tree Hill and Pomatomus, all under the watchful eye of AnnaBeth.
Nannette has started Denmark from Knitting on the Road in Socks That Rock Spinel.
Nathalie has turned the heel on her second sock!
Nic has finished one Child's First Sock in orange Opal and has started the second.
Olga is fighting Daylight Savings Time blues and the not-sures with a perky cone toe.
After frogging back two inches to meet her pal's high standards,Patti has turned both heels!
Pixeldiva is still deciding on yarn and pattern, but plans to do some sock knitting while on the train between London and Glasglow.

Sock sister Jenipurr has finally started her socks, using yarn that's a mix of pastel blues, and the Waterfall Rib from Sensational Socks.
Purly_Whites is using some lovely yarn in warm autumn colors, with eyelet cuffs.
Rae reports she's down to a toe and a heel left on her socks.
Regina is trying to decide between some lovely pastel Trekking or something a bit brighter for her sock pal.
Renada is making Pomatomus for her lucky pal. Check out the other socks she's been working on as well - especially the Celtic fair isle socks - wow!
Rhonda reports that she has started her socks, but has been too busy to post anything about them yet on her blog.
Saff reports she's working on her socks, but hasn't had time to upload any pictures.
Samantha has picked her yarn but is having a hard time deciding which pattern to use.
Sarah has pictures of her new digs, plus an action shot of her working on her sock pal's socks. She's using the Delarna pattern from Knitting on the Road, in Dale Baby Ull.
Schecki had a few false starts, but has now settled on the Retro Rib socks from Interweave Knits and is nearly done with the first sock.
Scout has turned the heel on her striped purple and blue socks (they look like they are going to be so much fun to wear).
Seanna is also part of the 'knit, frog, reknit' group. She restarted her socks this Monday (pictures will be forthcoming).
Sherry decided the Embossed Leaves socks weren't working out. So now she's making Lavender Lace socks (in a pretty classic grey).
Shonze finished her first pair of Sockpal000za socks, but they turned out to be too small. So she's sent them off to a lucky friend with smaller feet, and has started a new pair. No pictures yet, but she's using Opal Cotton in blues, greys and pinks (sounds pretty!).
Sonya reports she's been working on her socks, but hasn't had time to post anything yet.
Stephanie is hoping third time's the charm, and has started over, making purple Pomatomus socks.
Stephanie is making rib and cable socks in varigated blue Koigu.

Sock sister Lisa sends in this update from her hip hotel room at the Tribeca Grand. She writes, "I had a busy Sunday afternoon, running around NYC to visit Purl, The Point, Knitty City and Seaport Yarns the 5 hours I had to shop. But I desperately missed my fellow Knitsmiths and without their yarn-enabling support, I didn't buy anything. But hey folks, I'm here all week, so there's still a chance." Elsewhere in her group:
Carrie G. posted some pictures of her progress and she is torn between her participation in the Warming Grace project, and making the May 2nd SP3 deadline. You only need to take one look at Grace's eyes and you have your answer.
Teresa checked in this week to update us on her socks. I looked everywhere on her blog for pictures until I realized she hadn't posted any. Here are the details, without any photographic evidence of their existence: Classy "Slip Up" from Knit Socks in Lorna's Laces.

Sock sister Mary has a ton of progress to report on in her group:
Erin has turned the heel of her sock, incorrectly but more intriguingly, she's now too excited to knit. Spill, Erin - what's going on?
Frarochvia has started a pair of ankle socks for her pal.
Jen's socks are sending her on a journey of emotion - from triumph to despair to anger. Jen - we need a photo of these things!
Jill has been having problems with her Jaywalkers but hopes that the Easter break will give her plenty of time for knitting.
Rachele was unhappy with her initial sock so started again using two circulars and is feeling happy with the result.
Laura is almost done with her first sock - one down, one to go.
Norah has finished one sock and is well on the way with her second.
Pat has turned the heel on her second sock.
Peacock has been having some problems with the heel flap of her socks. Luckily she's got a backup pair in reserve...
Rebecca is another person well into her second sock.
Songbird
has started her first sock, using Yarn Harlot's directions from 'Knitting Rules'.
Susan has started her socks, using the tricks she's learnt from knitting her last pair of socks.
Laura is approaching the toe on her first sock.
Ingrid is approaching the heel flap on her second sock and promises pictures very soon.
Emily has her yarn and needles and has chosen her pattern, but is still having a few problems. Any advice will be gratefully received!
Janet has shared a picture of her sock.

Sock momma Alison's group is moving along strong:
Alicia is nearing the finish line with one Mountain Colors Blueberry Waffles sock done (scroll down to April 1) and is working on the foot of the second.
Amy left her first sock at her parent's house and has had to start a new pair. She's making a waffle pattern in purple Cashsoft. Sounds yummy!
Amy has pictures of her first sock: a kool-aid dyed cable and rib sock. It looks delish!
Angela isn't letting a little yarn-shortage ruin her sock pal socks!
Anna swears that her tawdry affair with some Trekking yarn is almost over, allowing her to return to her sockpal socks. As far as sock yarn goes, she seems to have a little problem.
Anne-Marie is just getting started on some blue Jaywalkers for her pal. Check out the pair she just finished for her sister-in-law!
Barbara is working on gorgeous zigzag socks in Gedifra Fashion Trend Sportivo.
Bev's sock got its picture taken with the Harlot!

Sock sister Ashley writes:
Dana got started on her blue Fluted Bannister socks—and you have to go see her (12 year old) puppy—he's got the cutest smile.
Cara started her Simply Lovely Lace Socks in (hold on to your hats, girls) Socks That Rock. Who'da thunk?
Carrie E.'s camera-fixing people are clearly falling down on the job, but she writes in that her first striped Lorna's sock is finished.
Catherine is plowing through her Jaywalkers, and making some yummy-smelling soap (except for the whiskey soap—not too sure about that one ;))
Celia has her hand-dyed socks started. She knit the yarn into a panel, dyed it, and then unraveled it to knit her socks—how cool is that?
Christy started some purple Pomatomi, with little white flecks--pretty!
Dani gave Falling Leaves a whirl, but has switched over to Embossed leaves, which is showing off her own hand-dyed yarn beautifully!
Chrissy has two Twisted Ribs underway at once. Oooh, and she's having a sock pattern published in IK! Go Chrissy!

Sock Sister Carry has gotten past the heels and reports:
Debbie has started on her pal's socks, no pictures yet but is doing a pattern from the meg swansen's a gathering of lace book.
Donna had to frog the progress she had made on her second sock...go over and give her some encouragement!
Elisabeth has decided against doing fair isle and instead has switched to using Lorna's Laces yarn and doing the baby cable rib from Sensational Knitted Socks.
Elspeth has given up on the lace pattern and has moved onto a chevron and is, ever so slightly, lamenting the fact she didn't make the socks her knitting olympics project.
Another mid-exchange switch, Emily would like us to weigh in on her new pattern.
Erin was was inspired by Crafoholic's Mata Hari socks, they are looking totally fabu!
Flan is becoming concerned about having enough yarn, so she started the second sock in an attempt to see where she is!
Gracie has joined the "start over" epidemic amongst this sock-sister's knitters. She was no longer enamored with Wildfoote and has switched to Austermann yarn that has aloe in it.
Grumperina has finished her pals's first sock and is feeling less than motivated to charge ahead on the next. So many socks already this year!
A third mommy-to-be in Carry's list of knitters, Heather B is feeling the pregnancy fatigue, but has finished one of her pal's socks, what a trooper! She promises pictures soon.

Sock sister Cathy writes:
Jennifer has braved the frog pond with her Crusoe socks! Can't wait to see Version 2!
Jaime has started her Koigu (mmmm) Jawalkers.
Jenny is making great progress on her Lorna's Laces Jaywalkers.
Janell has started her Fiber Trends "Walking Away Sock #2.
Jenny is working on her socks on 2 circulars.
Jess is making great progress on her STR Wyvern socks.
Jen also decided to frog her first attempt and is much happier with the new version!

Sock sister Donna reports:
Karen is thisclose to starting her sockpal's socks (the beauteous Falling Leaves pattern); if only her yarn would cooperate!
Karlie has finished her first fabulous red sock with a cute message duplicate-stitched in pink - I'm so impressed!
KC has finished her first lovely, mysterious sock and has started on her second.
Kim is almost halfway done with sock #2, and she's added some of Wendy Johnson's yarn to her sock stash - that has to bring good sock mojo, doesn't it? I bet she finishes this week.
Kristi's working on some beautiful red toe-up beaded rib socks, and getting no help whatsoever from her oh-so-cute dogs.

(Look ma, no new windows! How'd I do Helen?)

... would so be done by now. But I still have one sleeve on the needles. Dang all these limbs! I can't wait to wear this top. I just know I'm going to love it so much, I've gotten ahead of myself again by pulling out the cotton angora for my next t-shirt sweater. Now I just have to keep myself from bringing the new yarn to the playground today.

Must work on sockapaloooza sock, don't start next t-shirt sweater yet, work on sockapaloooza sock, deadline knitting, don't get distracted, must set good example for knit-along, put that cotton angora down....

photography by S, bored look by B

The glisten cardi is done, done, done! It's in the store right now. I had to try it on before I brought it in though, because, yes, I really like it. The style is super cute, even cuter on! So I'm not a fan of the heavy, sparkly, ribbony yarn, but I am seriously considering making this top for myself in some Rowan Summer Tweed I've got in my stash. I'm thinking that if I like it this much in this yarn I can't stand and in the totally wrong size (there's like four extra inches in the chest!), I'll absolutely love it when I make it for myself.

It's almost marathon time! We usually watch every year from one of the points in the last couple miles of the course where the route runs through our neighborhood. You can see the buildings where the finish line is downtown, you can yell to the runners that they're almost there, and there's good eats! With the marathon so close, it's easy to start thinking of things in marathon terms. And I'd say that my synchronicity top is just about at mile 25.

The last sleeve is ready to be set in and I've even done the edging on the neck already.

This is exactly the point where Rosie Ruiz would jump in and claim victory!

Do you see Harry Potter colors everywhere?

Tropicana Fruit Juice pops in Gryffindor colors

Here's some more Harry Potter colors for you:

Cirilia finished an awesome weasley for herself.
Christina finished two weasleys for her adorable nieces!
Ina knit a Hermione hat and tried out her sun gun for some photography tricks. And she's been bean counting, Bertie Bott's every flavored bean counting, that is!
Jennifer is new to the knitalong, just scoring some of Dani's Ravenclaw yarn and getting ready to make socks.
And I hope you've been following Heather's Harry Potter Dragon socks project. She's already finished the Common Welsh Green socks and the Swedish Short-Snout. Check out the yarn she's found for the Chinese Fireball!

PS - Alert reader, Dawnya, noticed that there's a Rowan Harry Potter sweater pattern for sale on eBay. You've got until tomorrow!

easter basket

What goes with yellow peeps bunnies and purple easter candies?

easter dress

My pink alchemy sweater! All my photographers were too busy (read, not in the mood!) to take pics, so I've only got blurry self-portraits for you.

hold still

hold stiller

It's positively yummy!

This is where I was with my socks before knitting group yesterday. Thanks to the pleasant company of my knitbuddies, an Easter-candy induced sugar rush, and another few hours of Sunday night tv knitting, I made it to my goal for this week. Both legs done. Phew!

And I couldn't wait to see that gorgeous heel flap in all its glory, so I went ahead and did it before taking sock number one off the needles. There's a lot of hours in that heel flap, let me tell you!

So I'm on schedule: two heels and two feet to complete in two weeks. Definitely doable!

Two weeks left - time to finish those socks and get those packages ready to send. Announcing: sockapaloooza sock labels! Right click on the image you like to copy it to your computer or use the pdf link below the image and then print it out on standard sized paper in landscape format. Wrap it around your socks, pop a postcard from your town, state, or country in the package and you're ready to go! Pals sending internationally, watch your inboxes for addresses coming soon.

The finished sock notices have been pouring in! Woo hoo!

Finished Sockers!

Allison's classy ivory Embossed Leaves are done.
Angela's purple stripes socks are to die for!
Anita knit lovely green cabled socks for her pal and sat on her knitting needle. Yikes!
Annette has finished fabulous socks that rock Broadripples for her pal. And you have got to see her other incredible fiber work!
Bekki finished beautiful orangey-red Elfine socks!
Bev finished a comfy looking pair of pink Embossed Leaves.
Abandon all hope, Americans--Carrie's Embossed Leaves are going overseas!
Carolyn did Embossed Leaves too--that is one good-looking sock!--and one of her awesome sock labels.
Sock Sister Cathy has finished her neon swirly Mermaid socks!
Carina challenged herself to finish before Easter--and she did!
Dana finished her gorgeous Wild Cherry Jaywalkers.
Frea has finished her socks, she promises pictures up soon!
HollyJo has finished her Embossed Leaves socks in Koigu!
Jenny has finished a beautiful pair of Jaywalker socks in Lorna's Laces Goldhill. And you HAVE to see her just-finished Eris sweater!
Jessica has finished her socks using a pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks.
Jessica has finished her Wyvern socks in Socks that Rock in Lapis.
Joanne's Friday Harbor socks are done and blocked!
Julie has finished a lovely pair of Embossed Leaves socks for her pal.
Kari finished her pal's Little Shell Socks and they look great in Cherry Tree Hill - yum!
Kate's feet are a wee bit too big for her pal's socks, so she's modeling them as puppets - very cute stripey puppets!
Kim finished her pal's socks - all three of them. Her lucky pal will have lots of options - go see!
Knitterly Things has finished the cutest purple socks. You gotta see!
Laura F. has finished her beaded rib Cherry Tree Hill socks. Also, she tips us off to a treat I was unaware of, but now must try, the "Flaming Peep".
Lelah finished her pretty Nautilus socks.
Lexa has finished her socks. Very Pretty. I love the color.
Lily has finished her socks. They are beautiful, I'd be sorry to let them go too.
Lisa P. has finished her socks. The varigated yarn even matches up on both socks. Very nice.
Liz has finished some lovely yarn over cable socks out of some Socks that Rock in "hotflash". They look great!
Lori B. has finished her socks. We eagerly await the picture.
Lunassa has finished her socks. They have been the envy of her friends.
Meredith finished her Fluted Bannister socks in a dentist's office, then they went outside to bask among the early spring flowers.
Michelle finished socks that the Easter bunny models with flair.
Nathalie finished lovely celadon green Embossed Leaves socks.
Petra has finished luscious raspberry-colored Pomatomus socks.
Polly reports that her socks are done and ready to be mailed.
Pumpkin Mama finished the most awesome Mermaid socks in yarn she dyed herself!
Sabrina has finished a pair of blue Simply Lovely Lace socks for her Sock Pal, as well as a pair of shell-patterned socks in tropical punch red for herself.
Sarah has finished her socks and they're gorgeous. She used yarn with pretty stripes of various pinks, and the Lacy Scallops pattern from Sockbug.
Shannon has finished her lovely purple socks, and shows them off in her blog with pictures of them hanging on her nifty homemade sock blockers.
Sharon has finished her multicolored Japanese Feather Socks.
Trish is done with her "fruited alabaster" socks. One is blocked and the other is photographed beside it for comparison. There really is a difference. Nice...
Yai Ann has finished her socks and they're currently blocking. They are the most amazing shade of something resembling Chianti. The stitch definition is amazing and it's worth the trip over to her blog to read about them.

Highlights:

From my group:
Abigail has finished yet another pair of socks for her guess-which-is-the-sock-pal-pair contest. That's 6 pairs done so far during the sockapaloooza!
Allena's got awesome green Pomatami to see.
Amy's been busy designing all kinds of beautiful things for South West Trading Company, but she still managed to finish her first sock.
Ann-Marie is starting the most stunningly blue jaywalker.

From Ashley:
Christy has one Pomatomus finished, and is successfully overcoming the challenges associated with photographing your own feet.
Dana has one blue sock finished--and a 10-year-old daughter who's going to be all ready to sign up for SockapalFOURza!
It's not another Jaywalker, but it is Grumperina inspired! Sarah has unvented the Odessa hat into socks! (Plus, I know I am always pimping out people's adorable puppies, but come on: Murph!)

From Carry:
One sock down, and one sock to go, Debbie is working on Birch Leaf Socks.
After a couple of starts, Dene is now working on her Pomatomus Socks in Cool Ocean, seems the perfect color, doesn't it?
Di would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for reinforcing sock heels and toes, including any convenient sources.

From Cathy:
Jessica is finishing up her very Easter-y socks (while nibbling on Peeps).
Juliais working on very pretty Slinky Socks, go tell her how nice they look!

From Donna:
Kimberly's sock is totally beautiful and I totally left it out of the last update by accident, so go feast your eyes on some mulberry-colored lace and give her moral support as she tinks back on the second sock. I'm sure all the extra trouble will be totally worth it!
Kristy's paying it forward by knitting her pal a lovely pair of Nancy Bush's New England socks - the same ones she received during the last swap. One down, one to go!

From Erin:
I somehow missed this one last week. I apologize to LavenderSheep who shows us her progress one her "Socks" socks. She now has one sock done and has started on the second.
Laura has dyed some beautiful yarn for her pal, has chosen a pattern, and is off and running.

From Ina:
Mary13 has finished an original sock of cable-y goodness down to the heel.
Peggy has finished one Jaywalker sock and is on to the second... but she's getting awfully fond of them!
Pip_and_Tom has changed yarn and pattern, and now is pondering overdying. What do you think?

Sock sister Jenipurr has finished the first Waterfall Rib sock (and is halfway through the second).
Rocket_Scientist has finished her first blue, orange and red striped sock.
Sara has finished the first turquoise Cable and Moss sock and is working her way through the second.
Scout has finished her first Welt Fantastic sock, in multiple stripes of blue and purple.
Sigga_Sif has finished her first lacy turquoise sock. And it looks like she's got lots more socks in her future, based on her latest additions to her knitting library.

From Lisa:
Tipper needs some "virtual" encouragement. She just finished her first sock with a lovely Claudia's Handpaint Original in a pattern she designed herself. But she doesn't seem too confident about it…I say it's a winner.

Sock sister Mary is vacationing this week, so no highlights or updates from her group this time. I'm sure she'll have a huge update for us next week!

(click on more for the rest!)

Updatealooza!

Sock momma Alison's group has been working hard:
Alden thought she was all done (heck, I've already changed her to red in the big list!), but she's had to frog one toe due to sizing problems. Hang in there!
Allison has turned the heel on her first Jaywalker and is feeling confident.
Allison has her first sock done. That's got to be Trekking yarn - love it!
Angel is getting her second-sock knitting in while she can.
Angela is on that never-ending foot we all know.
Angie writes that she's cast on her first sock with Opal Dreamcatcher and will be doing some car knitting in the next few days.
Barbara has started red, red, red Embossed Leaves.
Beth is working overtime on her socks!
Betty's socks are aaaalllllmost done. Just ends to weave in and a block to open up that lace. We should be seeing finished pics next week!
Beverly has learned how to knit two socks on two circs for her sock pal and is cruising along on green ribbed socks.

Sock sister Ashley writes:
Cass reports that she's knitting both socks at once, toe up, and is past the heels!
Cara's already almost done with her awesome hot-pink Simply Lovely Lace Socks (that Rock).
Chymerikaen's purple Jaywalkers are striping beautifully!
Concateknit won't be a Sockapaloooser--no way! She's trucking on some Simple Ribbed Socks.
The picture doesn't show it, but Daphne is now down to her second toe!

Sock Sister Carry hasn't been knitting, but got a new kitten and reports:
Deb as been AWOL, but has a good excuse. She is now doing 2 socks on 2 needles, way to go!
Donna doesn't have any progress pictures of their socks, but a great picture of her rats enjoying their felted bed!
Dyann has finished one of her pal's sock and is already to the heel flap on the second, they're gorgeous!
Elka has decided she didn't really like her handspun, handpainted sock and is now worried about starting a brand new pair...she is considering her almost finished jaywalkers.
Check out the heels on Emily's pal's socks, they're really looking great!
Erica has one sock down and one to go in Regia Crazy Color in purple, light orange, baby blue, tan and white.
Gleek has finished her first sock and her very first short row heel, it looks great!
Heidi hasn't updated her blog on her progress, but she assures me that she has been busy. She's afraid her pal would know the socks were her's if she saw the pictures!

Sock sister Cathy writes:
Jenny started over but has now finished one sock in Mountain Colors Bearfoot.
Jaya has finished her first Conway sock from Knitting on the Road.
Holly is punishing her second sock for a while to see if it behaves better
JamKnitter has finished her first sock.
Janell has also finished her first sock.
Jess has finished sock #1.

Sock sister Donna:
Erin doesn't update often, but when she does, it's a doozy - check out her cool purple sock!
Karlie's socks are a hairsbreadth away from being finished for her pal - I can't wait to see pictures with the duplicate stitching!
Kat had a spooky nocturnal visitor (Count Sockula?), but it didn't keep her from finishing two repeats on her sock!
Kate has an update (I love how that rhymes), and it was worth the wait; her pal's socks are the very definition of pink, lacy goodness.
Kim has started over, but her pal will be getting the lovely Hedera socks form the latest Knitty - she's making great progress!
Kristi's turned both heels and discovered that she's making her own unique socks (remember, a "mistake" is a "design feature" if you do it more than once!)
Kristin's got what seems like a million socks going on over there - I think her sock pal's getting the best of the bunch!

Sock sister Erin reports:
Laceknitter has finished one sock, and is past the heel of the second.
Oh NO! Leanne has ripped out her socks.
Laurie has been working on her socks, and has an update to share.
Leiselhas one leg done, and has decided two circs is not the way to go for her.
Linda J is working diligently on her socks and plans to finish by next week.
Lindsey L. wasn't enjoying her first plan for her pal socks, and has since frogged them. She has chosen the "Simply Lovely Lace Socks", and is planning to finish by the end of the week.
Linz has one Jaywalker finished and not much to go on the other. she's thankful she and her pal do not share a shoe size, otherwise she may be hard pressed to give up these Jaywalkers.
Lisa H has lost her place in her sock pattern and has ripped out her socks to start them again. Ouch, that hurts.
Lori has enlisted a co worker with the same size feet as her pal to help her get the right fit.
Lynn is almost done with her cycling socks. I cannot wait to see'em.
Manda has one sock done and one to go.

Sock sister Ina discovered that Sockapaloooza socks can launch a thousand friendships.
Mia changed to toe up socks and has almost turned the heel.
After two false starts, Mindy is knitting a sock of her own un-vention.
Minnie has finished one splendid sock and started the second.
Mozemen and socks went to a museum in Mexico City.
Neva has garden pix this week, but is two inches and two toes away from being finished.
Still no pix yet, but Pansar has finished one sock and is knitting the second.
Parikha has finished one sock and started the second, but has the knitting blahs.
Patti did some meditative knitting on her sock gusset.

Sock sister Jenipurr reports:
Rachel started a brand new blog, and has posted pictures of her gorgeous pink Pomatomus socks-in-progress.
Robin reports that she's been busy with school, but her Broadripple socks are well underway.
Ruth turned the heel of the second pink and purple striped sock and she'salmost done!
Sandy_K is almost done with her sock pal's socks.
Siri has started her pink and blue striped socks.
Stephanie is making wonderful progress on her Pomatomus socks (looks like third time really was the charm!).
Strangelittlemama has settled on the Baby Cable Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks, using some pretty autumn colored handspun.

Sock sister Lisa has plenty of knitters in the home stretch and a few who need to get in gear!
Bertha finally has some progress to report on her modified Thuja pattern from Knitty! It was a bit of a tough road while she contemplated whether or not her Lorna's Laces "solids" might be too variegated for her buddy. I hear ya' sister, that yarn is so unpredictable, but we love it so. She finally settled on Gems Pearl by Louet Sales in a nice willow green color. Then she struggled with several different cast-on methods and finally succeeded with the long-tail and assures us she's on track for the deadline.
Dani has finished the gusset decreases and is well into the foot of her 2nd sock. She should have these babies ready for blocking sometime this week. Um, where are the pictures on her blog?
Tracy has just finished the heel on her second lace sock but she didn't send a picture and hasn't updated her blog in a bit... uh oh, you know what that means... a placeholder picture for Dani and Tracy!
Desiree is in the "home stretch" group this week but only because she's knitting two at time, toe up.
Check out Susie's home madesock blocker. She's got one "almost down" and one to go.
Tuulia has just dyed the yarn for her socks in beautiful color palettes she's calling "California". The yarn looks super special - let's hope it can practically knit itself. ;0)
Yarn Geek is just got the hang of this "update your sock sister thing-y". She's been going on her merry way, posting about her Sockapaloooza pal's socks on her blog but realized the other day, while reading updates that she hadn't sent me any updates! She has a lot of ground to cover as she frogged the sock back to the first repeat but she is forsaking all other knitting projects for these Marvelously Mighty Mango Socks.
Diane sent a self-professed "lame-o" update this week. She outed herself as a member of the Sock Yarn Addicts Club but does have progress to report. She's knitting the Vine Lace Socks from Socks, Socks, Socks and dove into her stash and pulled out a lovely Lorna Lace's Shepherd Sock yarn in Lilac. Keep Coming Back!
Chickadeesimone has just picked out her yarn... no worries, she has two weeks to knit these babies. I hope her pal's feet are freakishly small! ;0)

Want a finished sockers tally?

Alison's group = 18
Ashley's group = 20
Carry's group = 15
Cathy's group = 24
Donna's group = 14
Erin's group = 23
Ina's group = 21
Jenipurr's group = 23
Lisa's group = 17
Mary's group = 9 (they're beginners and one week behind in updates, remember)

Come on, let's get those numbers up - waaaaay up - next week! If you're done, remember to update your pal and your info in the database.

I find myself in the unfamiliar situation of only have one current project on the needles: my sockapaloooza socks. (Yes, there are all of my works-not-in-progress, but they are waiting for my right wrist to feel fully recovered.) I'll knit for a while - like all day Sunday - on my sockapaloooza socks and then my hand needs a break. And I find that on days when I've been knitting continental, my wrist feels really good. So I will continue with the continental projects. The same continental projects, in fact. T-shirt sweater number two is underway.

purpley

The cotton angora is knitting up quite nicely and quickly. I've used this yarn before, for my mother's jess sweater, so I was ready for the angora fluff up the nose and the slightly smooshed appearance of the stitches. I love the color and the feel though and think it'll be nice as a simple, casual top to pullover another tee.

knitting in style with addis and a knowknit pouch

And since I've just knit the same pattern, it is completely mindless knitting now. Gotta save that mental energy for my design projects! Wow, I'm resting my hand and resting my head; this project is like total knitting sloth!

I'm joining Scout's DYE-O-RAMA dye-along and I'm so excited!! (Sign-ups start at 6pm today - check out Scout's blog for details!) I've already ordered some acid dyes to make a few practice skeins with real dye. I couldn't wait though, so yesterday I tried out some striping with Kool-aid and Knitpics Dye-Your-Own yarn sent to me by Kristen.

Following the suggestions of a few striping tutorials (see below), I did some math, set up chairs about 9 feet apart, and then wound a giant skein around them. I marked off where each of the four colors should go and then took the skein off the chairs ready to dye each section a different color.

The boys thought this was so cool that when I was done they insisted I set up chairs for them to do "yarning" and make "yarn houses". They had so much fun, they kept yarning and reyarning their houses (and ice cream stores and cages) for an hour until lunchtime. (As all the chairs in the house were tied together, we had to have a picnic lunch in the living room.) And while they were playing and we were eating, the yarn soaked up the Kool-Aid.

First the grape and strawberry at opposing ends. Then orange and berry blue on the other two sides.

The blue and the orange really are the best colors of the bunch. The purple didn't dye that evenly and isn't as bright. But I guess that's how this dyeing thing goes.

It sure is a fun skein of yarn though. I'm anxious to see how it stripes!

These tutorials were a great help:
Scout's striping tutorial
Eunny's striping tutorial
Streets and YO's striping tutorial
Dyeing with Kool-Aid How To
Knitty's Kool-Aid tutorial

To stem the tide of Legos streaming into the house and reduce whining on our trips to the Lego store, we set up a point system for the boys to earn points toward Lego sets. Good behavior, playing calmly, sharing, eating new things and wiping your own butt earn you points. Each point is worth a dollar at the store (this made it easy for the boys to look up prices and see how much they could buy). B got it into his head that he wanted a huge submarine set that cost $39. He's been earning points for about month and a half now, saving them up even while his brother cashed in all of his points for a smaller, but extremely cool racer along the way. Finally, yesterday, he made it to 39!

39, count 'em, 39 points!

He was so proud. I went to the gym in the morning before we went to the store and he told me to do my exercises quickly and instructed me to tell everyone at the exercise place that he was getting the big submarine set.

over 600 pieces of fun

He was building for hours! Which conveniently allowed me to talk hubby into watching the kids for the afternoon while I went to Porter Square Books to see the Yarn Harlot (tee hee) and knit with scores of other Harlot fans under a disco ball.

I did not expect a disco ball in a Masonic Temple
clearly these places are not what I thought

Let me take this opportunity to apologize to Stephanie for all the sockapaloooza sock pictures she's had to pose for. Including this one that I took yesterday. Heh, heh.

Kinda looks like I'm making a scarf this way, doesn't it? It's just a pair of socks though.

This is Dani's superwash Gryffindor yarn, which is a little finer than the Knitpicks yarn. Now I really don't usually knit at this gauge, but for gryffindor stipes and as a gift for a generous knitpal, I figured I could manage it. And in fact, after all those little cables in Koigu on my sockapaloooza socks, I'm kinda getting used to this sort of gauge. Oh dear.

I'm squeezing in (literally!) a little knitting design between the boys' Lego projects. They're always needing help putting axles together and taking bricks apart, so it's best if I don't go too far when I'm working.

The fruits of our labors? Well, all the main pieces of the sub set have been built and shown to friends and neighbors. B put together the big submarine and a little submersible that can fit inside it. Then he let his brother build a wicked cool robot sub, thereby earning himself another point for sharing. Clever boy!

And I snipped off a repeat of my hand-dyed Kool-Aid yarn (before giving it to my best knitbud, Lisa, for her birthday) to see how it knits up. Stripey goodness!

If spring won't come to you, you have to make your own. Another cold, gray weekend in Boston inspired me to buy 9 balls of Rowan cotton glace in pink to make this from the latest Rowan book. I tried on a sample of this sweater in the store and it looked so good on that I couldn't leave without the yarn. I've already knit a swatch and it's gotten me so excited for spring!

If I knit it, it will come. Well, it's just a theory.

One last week before your socks should go in the mail, so do your best to finish up! Don't make yourself crazy, don't hurt your hands, but give do it your all. If you miss the deadline next week, please give your pal an anonymous heads up that things are delayed a bit (through an anonymous email account, your sock sister, or me). I know that everyone is very excited to receive socks made just for them by someone else and can wait a little longer as long as they know they are in the works.

Everyone should have received the mailing address of their pal by now. If your pal has special characters in their name or address that you couldn't read in your email, let me know. The database seems to have forgotten how to display special characters all of a sudden, but we have backups with them entered properly, so I can resend an address to you if you need it.

And now for all your finishers this week - over 75 of them, bringing us to just over 40% done!

Finished Sockers
(starting from the back with Mary's beginners...)

Stick a fork in me (sock sister Mary), cause I'm done! One pair of socks will be winging their way across the Atlantic later this week.
Nancy has finished a beautiful pair of socks in KnitPicks Sock Memories. She used a 'Knitting Pure & Simple' pattern and I'm sure you'll agree they turned out wonderfully.
Frarochvia is all done and is excited to find out what her socks will be like.
Ingrid is a finisher too - check out the close ups of the heel stitch.
Laura's socks are done. She's promising pictures very soon, so keep an eye on her blog...
Liz finished her socks a while ago but has some pictures up on her Flickr account now.
Maluena has finished her first pair of socks. It was also the first time she used dpns and she says she's found it an interesting challenge.
Norah has finished her pair of socks - in beautiful spring like colours.
Pat's purple pair of socks are all done and looking great.
Rebecca has finished her first ever pair of socks. Well done!
SpaceCase has finished her socks. She's very proud of them and rightly so!
Spinsterbat has finished a great pair of socks for her pal.
Valerie had an early start one morning which helped her get her pal's socks done.

Christine just got her update in under the wire. I was just about to hit the send button to Alison and her email appeared. And it was definitely worth the wait.
Suzanne, who knit some fabulous socks in her pal's favorite color and the exact pattern she requested (0's no less), has already volunteered to be a sock savior…not that we're expecting any one of the 600 participants to fall off the face of the earth.
Tine is fertig! (I'm assuming that means finished?). I'm not sure which pair is for her sock pal…anyone who speaks German, please feel free to clarify. Danke!
Evidently Tuulia's yarn was so special that it actually did knit itself. I can think of no other possible explanation for the lightning speed with which these were knit.
Yahaira's mock cable socks are gorgeous!!
Not even pneumonia or could keep Yarnsticks from finishing way ahead of the deadline. Check out this beautiful Cherry Hill Hill colorway, Green Mountain Madness.
Yea, I Knit is done and her socks are blocking and drying as she types her update to me. She hopes to have some outside pics by Tuesday…If not, click for a close up of her socks hanging to dry and you can see how sparkling clean her bathroom is too. And she even matched the colorway of her socks to the tiles in her bathroom.

Ruth surprised herself by finishing her Madder Ribbed purpley-pink socks with plenty of time to spare.
Sandra has finished her Simply Love Lace socks (the colors are just as pretty as the lace pattern).
Shannon has finished her mistake rib Bearfoot socks.
Sherry has finished her pretty lace socks.
Shonze has finished her pal's socks, for the third (and final) time. Her pal will be getting brightly striped lace-topped socks.

Nannette finished a pair of blue Denmark socks (pictured sans one toe) while dealing with moving, etc by employing an excellent incentive system.
In between studying and writing (but not blogging), Olga has come "close enough" to finishing her socks.

Whew! Laceknitter has finished her socks. She was worried for a while there she wouldn't make it.
Laura has finished her small eyelet diamond socks. They are so pretty.
Leanne is relieved to have finished her Simply Lovely Lace socks. She was having a bit of trouble last week.
Lisa reports that her socks are finished. I cannot wait to see the picuture.
Lisa H. reports that her socks are done.
Linz has finished her purple jaywalkers, and is now eyeing some Lorna's Lace's for a pair for herself. Go see the purple jaywalker goodness.
Lorraine has finished her Jaywalkers. Go check them out.
Lydia has finished her Fleece Artist socks, using Schaefer Yarn's Subtle Stripe sock pattern.
Lynn has finished her socks, and promises pictures.
Malle has finished her socks. I love the poms on the back. So cute.
Marie-France has finished her socks. It seems she's experiencing some last minute panic about her socks, but I think they look great.
Marilynn has finshed her socks for both Sockapaloooza and her Gilli-hook Heritage Knitting Guild Sock Exchange. Check out her beautiful socks.

Kelsey and Karola may be blogless, but they have both finishd their socks - their pals will be super-suprised with their secret knitting!
Karen has finished her beautiful socks in Schaefer Anne, but she teases us with an "almost done" photo - even so, the pretty red will knock your socks off!
Kat has finished her sockpal socks - yay! She should have a picture up by the time you read this - you can also check out this pig in a dress. Yes, really!
Kate doesn't have a picture, but send her congratulations for finishing her socks and take a peek at her almost-finished socks here.
KC finished her super socks, and she hopes to have a picture of them by the time you click that link!
Kelly has finished her beautiful Koigu Pomatomus socks - she thinks that Pomatomus is the new Jaywalker; she may be right, but with socks this pretty, I say the more pairs the better!
Kira's Pomatomi socks are so pretty (and she says the yarn smells great too)! What a lucky sock pal.
Knitty Kat's pink stripey socks are finished - and she wins the "most original modeling of finished socks" contest, hands down!
Kristen has finished her smashing Celtic Braid socks in blue-green Cherry Tree Hill - she's teasing us with a closeup of the braid here, but you can see a yummy progress shot in this post.
Kristi's modified beaded rib socks are awesome toe-up short-row wonders.

Jessica has finished her pastel-y Jaywalkers.
Jenny has finished a lovely pair of blue socks.
Jess has finished her socks.
Janell has finished a pair of gorgeous blue socks with lace up the back.
Holly has decided to give her pal a pair of beautiful socks in Rowan Calmer after a long battle with her other pair.
Jaya has not only finished her socks, but passed her comprehensive exams! Congrats!

Debbie has finished her pal's socks, using the birch leaf sock pattern.
Diana has finished her kool-aid dyed socks!
Donna has finished her pal's purply lace socks.
Dyann is no sockapaloooser! She is finished with her Cascading Leaves socks.
Heather has finished her rainy day socks.

Cara finished her Simply Lovely Lace Socks.
Carla reports that she's finished her Basketweave Ribbing socks in Claudia's Handpainted Yarn.
Chrissie has finished Birch Leaf socks from Meg Swanson's lace knitting book. She hasn't posted any pics, but go look at the lace shawl she knitting and you can imagine how awesome those lace socks are!
Christy #1 finished her purply-pink Pomatomuses--and it seems like the recipient might be someone she knows well! Hmmm....
Christy #2 finisher her Retro Ribs in the STR Fire on the Mountain colorway.
Cindy finished her Tiger Eye socks--and replaced her bathroom floor!
Cori finished her sensational ridged feather socks in no time
Danielle has a lovely photo shoot of her finished socks up....Supermerino Jaywalkers!
Daphne finished her pretty lacy Socks Socks Socks socks.

Alden is REALLY done this time, having fixed the slight sizing problem that bugged her after declaring the socks finished a couple of weeks ago. Way to go back and get it right!
Alexandra finished some awesome stripey socks for her pal.
Amy's red rib and cable socks are done!
Andrea finished her orangey patterned socks. With those great colors, they look soooo warm.
Anna"s psychedelic nation socks are finished. They're whack!
Anne's modified Crusoe socks are done.
Astrid only knits the coolest patterns: she's finished her Jaywalkers and has moved on to Hederas!
Beate knitted fun, stripy, lacy socks for her pal. Plus a bonus pair of those adorable flip-flop socks. Oh, I want me a pair of those!!
Beth finished her lovely socks in the hotel while getting ready for her friend's wedding. (She even got a knitty maid of honor gifty!)
Betty just finished her Elfine's socks in time for the update!

Highlights

From Mary:
Erin L is very nearly done. Have a look at her rather unusual sock model!
Helen has finished one sock and has started on the second. Check out the blanket her mother made her (absolutely gorgeous) baby son too - beautiful work.
Twisted Knitter has finished one sock and has included a list of her favourite sock resources.
Nickerjac has posted a photo of a finished sock, as well as some very cute rabbits she's looking after.
Pamela is making great progress on her socks. She isn't entirely happy with her short row heels but they look perfect to me!

From Lisa:
Desiree does us all a big favor this week by offering a tutorial on the afterthought heel, complete with step by step pictures. I just might give this one a try.
As Tammy ponders in her most recent post, "wouldn't the world be a better place if we all had a pair of cashmere socks"…I emphatically agree. And I personally, would be in a better place if I had either pairs of these socks she's knitting.
Tara has just returned from a month of traveling for work. And while it appears that she did get some knitting in, she is a bit worried about making the deadline. She may or may not have an update on her blog by Tuesday.
All I can say is Wow... Teresa definitely gets my "top pick" this week for the most beautifully photographed sock. She'll make the deadline, no problem.
Timothy just realized that the deadline is upon him and will do his best to finish. Once again, a case of life cutting into your knitting time.

Jenipurr's half-way'ers this week:
Seanna has finished the first sock and is almost to the toe decreases for the second.
Siri has finished her first pink and purple baby cable rib sock and is working her way through the second.
Stephanie has finished the first rib and cable sock.
Stephanie has finished her first purple Pomatomus sock and it looks fantastic. To combat Second-Sock-Syndrome, she has immediately cast on for the second.
Strangelittlemama has the first Baby Cable Rib sock done.

From Ina:
Monica started an intriguing original design.
Mozemen has found that sock knitting literally can save lives. And check out five places where she's been knitting lately.

From Erin:
Lindsey is finishing up her fourth sockapaloooza sock. Yup. she's making two pairs (lucky, lucky sockpal, she's got).
Marie R. has her sock progress up. She's having a rough time with a sick little one. I hope he's doing better.

Sock sister Donna (that's me!) has turned her first two short row heels and will be all about the feet this week as she and her socks go on the road.
Kate is still looking for her camera, but that hasn't kept her from working on some great socks in the Carrot colorway from Lorna's Laces (I've never seen that one, and now I'm burning with curiosity - find your camera, Kate!).
Karen serves up a whopper of a post with pretty Pomatomus progress pictures - go admire her sock, and her fab green toenails!
Kirsti has all kinds of finished socks to show off - and she's even making great progress on her Sockapaloooza pair!

From Cathy:
Helene has finished one amazing Norwegian sock (this is after already finishing one pair!).
Janine is having fun in the kitchen, dying yarn!

From Carry:
Dorothee has started a second pair of socks for her pal in the originally intended yarn.
Emily is past the heel on her first sock and is worried about her pal liking them. Check out her finished Norwegian Stockings!
Erin has been busy with lotsa' socks! She had some issues with a non-matchy skein, but has since resolved the problem and is confident she can finish in time!
No second sock syndrome for Gleek! Check out her gorgeous socks.

From Ashley:
Carola gives us a view of her almost-finished Pomatomi--and demonstrates her trilinual botanical knowledge!
Connie took her socks on the family trip to the Scottish Borders, and thought that the dovecot at Tantallon Castle would make the perfect yarn storage unit! (Why not, if you don't mind a few feathers?)

From me:
Abigail has finished her final pair of socks for the guess-which-pair contest. It's almost time to guess!! Remember to visit her on May 2nd to get your guesses in!
Allena's having a sock crisis: her Pomatamus sock is growing! Please go give her some support and some advice.
Allison's got one silvery Jaywalker finished!
Amber is almost done with Gryffindor socks for her pal.
Anmiryam is on a mission to finish her socks!

(click on more, for... oh heck, you understand...)

Update-a-loooza

Sock sister Mary writes:
We've got a big one this week due to my being on holiday last week. A big thanks to everyone in my group for being so good with keeping me posted on their progress - it's made the weekly updates much easier for me. The beginners' group has really stepped up to the challenge and there are some beautiful finished socks out there.
Reagan has posted a link to the sock pattern she's using.
Emily switched from Jaywalkers to a different pattern which she's finding more do-able.
Jen has finished one sock and is finding the second one much easier. As she says, 'Learning is fun!'.
Jill is up to the toe on her first sock and is confident she's on track to finish on time.
Rachele is dealing with some very difficult things at the moment but at least her Sockapaloooza sock is keeping her busy when she needs it.
Laura's second sock is well underway - despite her getting distracted while watching Buffy.
Laura has finished one sock but a bad case of tendonitis is slowing down progress on the second. Hope it gets better soon Laura!
Monique is knitting both of her socks at the same time and is planning to use a design of her own.
Peacock's suffered a few setbacks and has had to embark on a new pair of socks. She's happy with the progress she's made and is confident they'll be done in time.
Sharon is almost to the heel of sock one and is promising more updates.
Songbird is working on the toe of Sock number 1 and is hoping the remaining time will go slowly!
Janet has switched patterns as she wasn't happy with using a striped yarn with a lace pattern. She's much happier with the new pattern and has almost completed one sock.
Erin is in a sock yarn dilemma, although I'm pretty sure she's all sorted now - right Erin?
Keli has posted an update of her sock progress.

Sock sister Lisa writes:
Cheryl is going gangbusters on her socks!

Sock sister Jenipurr has one more update for us:
Rocket_Scientist is working her way toe up on the second striped sock.

Sock sister Ina reports:
Officially grown-up Nicole has her socks on track, but is nostalgic for an Easy-Bake Oven.
Parikha just realized she must knit faster!
Penny is fighting the not-sures and racing toward the toe of her second sock.

Lots of knittin' still going on in sock sister Erin's group:
Laura is finishing the toe of sock number 1. Go cheer her on to finish on time.
Laurie W. has shows us her progress. She's past the heel on both, go cheer her on too.
Lori is finishing up her second attempt on her first sock and is pleased that the fit is now right. She plans on casting on the second and finishing in time for the deadline.
Lori S. has had some rough goings with her socks. She started with some Lang Jawoll and picked a pattern, and it just didn't work with the yarn. Then, she decided I really liked the "More fun than cables" socks, so she pulled out some solid yarn and had a go at that; only to realize they were FAR too small. She has finally settled on some Lorna's Laces in Flame colorway, and started a Dublin Bay sock . She has finished the first one and plans to be finished on time.
Lucia spent a restless night working on her socks.
Mary A.had a bit of a scare last week when she misplaced her sock -in-progress. It has been found and all is well. She's approaching the toe of her second sock.

Sock sister Donna writes:
Karla's turned the heels and her socks are looking good - see an earlier progress picture here.
Katherine is spicing up her socknitting with a Yarn Shopping EXpedition (get it?), but she's still making good progress on her socks!
Kathleen thinks she'll be knitting to the deadline for her pal's socks, but that yarn is so pretty, it's worth it!
Kim's got one sock done (with a nice pedicure) and a week to go on the other one - she thinks she can make it, and she's got an adorable peanut gallery to watch her do it!
Kristel is halfway through her second lace sock - she doesn't have any pictures up, but I don't think you can resist the urge to visit her blog and see Finland's cutest baby chewing on yarn - I couldn't!

Sock sister Cathy writes:
Jenniferis making progress on her second Crusoe sock.
Jayme has finished one sock and is ready for the heel on the other.
Julia has finished one colorful slinky sock.

Sock Sister Carry is nearing the end of her socks and reports:
Deb is making some progress. She is using Louet "Pearl" yarn. Also, check out this happy news!
Elspeth has finished her first sock, but is feeling the pressure of the looming deadline.
Emily has finished her first sock.
Emily is knitting her Lorna's Laces in Japan.
Erica has changed her mind and will be sending both pairs of socks.
Faith Fiberflash has only a few more rows left on her first sock. She's feeling a bit nervous since she has an international pal.
Femiknit_Mafia is busily working on finishing her pal's socks. Go check out the yarn that Little Man picked out for his socks!
Gill has cast on for her second sock, she's been a bit busy with moving, but is busily working away now!
Heidi started with a design of her own in fair isle, but switched to the Elfine socks. They're looking great!

Sock sister Ashley reports:
Brenda is knitting Fluted Banister socks in a seasonal colorway--Tulip Meadow. She's turned the heels and is heading for the toes!
Looks like Brigid frogged her Garter Socks and went back to the drawing board; check out those spirals on Sock V. 2!
Crisis averted! Brynne's second sock went MIA--but was found safely tucked into her purse.
bySarah started her Odessa-inspired spiral rib socks over again, in bugjuice flavored yarn, and is already almost done!
Cass presents us with this photo, evocatively entitled Socks in a Bush. The photo's a little out of date--these toe-up numbers are actually halfway up the leg already!

Sock momma Alison will have her own update later in the week. But there's plenty of action to report in the rest of my group:
Andrea doesn't have any new pics of her sockapaloooza sock in progress, but she did knit a TON of Harry Potter stuff. Wow!
Angel is nearing the finish line, with just the second foot and toe to do still.
Angela has one ravishing red sock done and is feeling the pressure!
Anita could not decide on a pattern for her sock pal socks. After three other attempts, she's sticking with Simply Lovely Lace Socks from Interweave Knits. Check out her newly finished Knitting Pure and Simple Tee - love it!
Betsy has one stripy green slip-stitch sock done. Crunch time!

Now I remember why I wanted to make these socks!

I'm almost done with the gusset decreases and have just finished the first skein of Koigu. Looks like three skeins will do it. Three skeins and seven weeks. It will not be eight weeks though - I am finishing these before the deadline no matter what!

I finally received a package yesterday of sock yarn I'd ordered in March after my return from Germany. Yes, more Regia Canadian Colors and Classic Canadian Colors. I decided to buy some of the colorways I hadn't seen in stores on my trip. I now officially have too much sock yarn. I almost got some more Koigu at the store yesterday. Lucky for me I put it back, because...

The next package I got was a box stuffed with color-your-own fingering weight yarn from Knitpicks! And that was followed up by a starter dye kit from the nice folks at ProChemical. Instead of buying more sock yarn, I can now focus on getting pots and gloves and saran wrap and everything I need for the dye swap. Who's dyeing this weekend??

The first sock is done! And with the foot part, it finally looks like a knee-high sock and not just some sort of funky sleeve. Rather than waste time by celebrating my accomplishment, I pulled out the other sock, turned the heel, and whipped through the gussets.

I am SO almost done!

starting with a sleeve

This pattern is such a pleasure to knit. It's not what I would call easy - an eight row repeat, with increases every 12, then 14 rows that have to be worked into the pattern - but I am loving it. After an evening of duty knitting (sockapaloooza socks or my design projects), I try to give myself a half hour or so with this delightful little piece. Good times.

Sing along...

And I go rolling down the hill

I-I-I'm rolling down the hill
I-I-I'm rolling down the hill
I-I-I'm rolling down the hill