Image Scourge

I've had these images floating around on my desktop for too long, and it is time to blog them and get them out of my way. This entry might be a little disjointed as a result, but since it is fully illustrated I hope it will hold the attention.

Sockdate

These are the socks I am working on at the moment, and aren't they leeervely? This picture is sort of a lie though, because I had to rip back the heel flap and the sock has reverted to being a lacy tube. What makes it even sadder is that after this picture was taken, I had actually made pretty good progress on the foot before I realized that it looked a little large. Very large, in fact. The issue is, of course, one of guage, and since I didn't bother to do a guage swatch beforehand (it's SOCK yarn, it should be the right size for socks!), I have no one to blame but myself. I don't mind since the yarn is soooo yummy and squishy, and it means I can make the leg a little longer so the tops of the socks don't hit that one particular spot that makes my calf muscle look ginormous. It will also be a good opportunity to figure out how to customize a sock pattern to fit my foot, something I've never had to do before. These are the Hedera socks from Knitty, another pattern from the fabulous Cookie A. The yarn is Colinette Jitterbug in the Jay colorway. I experimented with this yarn a little bit, trying to hit on a pattern that would enhance the GOREgeous colors (and yet, I did not stop once to measure guage--I am a freakin' champion.) Since the ribbing at the top of the sock looked pretty good, I decided to just go ahead and start in on the Hedera lace pattern. While the variagated colors do swallow up the finer details of the lace, it creates a nice texture and gives the colors real dimension. I'm inclined to think this is because the lace pattern creates more highlights and shadows, preventing the colors from looking too flat.



Hedge News

Zelda the hedgehog is doing fine. We're going to the vet on Thursday for a check-up. When I called to make the appointment, the receptionist warned me that in the event Zelda decides to be grumpy or uncooperative, they may have to administer anesthesia. While I firmly believe that Zelda will behave herself and act like a lady, I am a little worried about what will happen if they want to put her to sleep. I'm not sure that I will be down with that, since she is a very tiny animal and it wouldn't take much to give her too much. I guess I'll just tell them I'd rather they didn't, and take her home again. She has a new spiffy Marchioro cage, which is bigger than her old place and much, much easier to clean. Seriously--I cleaned this thing in less than 20 minutes last time.



Daily Jonathan Coulton

Many, many weeks ago, I went to a Jonathan Coulton show. He was so, so dreamy. He sang all my favorite songs, including Re: Your Brains, Mandelbrot Set, and Skullcrusher Mountain. I got a sweet Re: Your Brains t-shirt with a big blood splatter on the front, andAND he signed my copy of The Areas of My Expertise. While the book is not by Coulton himself, he did collaborate with author and all around intriguing person John Hodgman by writing a song about furry old lobsters. Thus, I leave you with this clip from AOTS, in which both men shine like the diamonds they are. Peace!