It’s been a few weeks since I received my copy of New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One, but allow me to add to the chorus of people gushing about Cat Bordhi’snew book. If you already knit socks, this book will shake up your world, in the best way possible. If you don’t yet knit socks, what are you waiting for? Grab her Socks Soar on Two Needles (my first sock book), and get going!

Just reading the first chapters of this new book made me eager to dive in. That first weekend, I obsessively knit up my two sample socks (the foundations for the 8 new sockitectures) in some scrap yarn. Great teaching device and how fabulous to have so many fun-to-knit baby booties! On the other hand, it’s a slippery slope that left me jonesing to cast-on for a sock for myself.

Cat’s moved beyond knitting and writing and is also making movies illustrating some of the techniques in the book. Check out her YouTube videos. If you have time, watch the Short Row tutorial (there are two parts) showing W&T and how to conceal them. Here are my other favorites:

Left- and Right-leaning increases

Judy’s Magic cast-on, for all you toe-up sock fans:

Having met her at BMFA sock camp, I fell in love with her. She’s incredibly intelligent, savagely creative, and playfully silly. The videos give you a little glimpse of her charming personality.

Here’s Janie on Saturday, sleeping her way through what was two glorious days away from work. It’s the little things, and some fabulous people, that made this a memorable one:

• dinner every night and coffee every morning with Mr. Man;
• a fabulous afternoon with Michael (who needs to post more);
• delicious bread baked for Sunday breakfast with Lisa and Phillip;
• knitting progress on the sweater (in the foreground of the photo) and Brancusi 2.0;
• getting my yarn up-to-date in Ravelry (all sock yarn present and accounted for, Sir!)

Hope you had a good one, too!

I’ve always looked up to Lisa’s work. Last night was no different. She had an opening for her show “Tenderhearted” at Candystore. Paintings, shadow boxes and drawings abound, all in a great lil’ boutique. Which got me thinking…

I feel lucky to have this kind of inspiration in my life. Although I’ve been quiet lately, I’ve been sporadically knitting, toiling away at the grindstone of work, and even writing with pen and paper here and there. More to come…

I’m so sorry I’ve been neglecting you.

It’s not you. It’s me.

You’re so kind and giving. I know you only want to help me, to simplify my stash organization. You don’t judge, you accept me for what yarn I have. But I’ve got baggage. And yardage. Lots more yardage than you know.

To be honest, I’ve been holding back. Even since the beginning of our relationship, I’ve had more yarn than I’ve told you. I tried to explain up front that I’d just start with sharing my sock yarn, but I haven’t been able to keep up my end of that bargain. There have been many skeins that have come into my life recently and not been documented and uploaded. Projects started and completed—from my queue, even! Weekends come and go, but I haven’t wanted to put the time into photographing, uploading and tagging.

They say the first step is to admit you have a problem. It’s just hard for me to be that honest with myself and that open with you. I don’t want to do this half-assed anymore. There’s sweater yarn, stuff for baby toys, sweaters purchased for unravelling. And your friends, whether they be in groups or my message box. I need to do a better job of hanging out with them, getting to know them, starting conversations.

I don’t want to break-up. I’m just asking for more time.

Last century, when I was a young and care-free chap, I dated a gentleman named Roy. I met him through my dearest sporty gay friend Doug (he hated when I referred to him as such). They worked together at a large denim jeans manufacturer based in San Francisco. Roy worked with a fellow named Michael, or as he said in his fabulously Northern English accent, “Yu-ung MY-Kul.” Our paths would cross on social occasions and he was someone I knew, but never more deeply than a dinner, or a party, or a concert or a movie out together. Eventually, Roy and I had run our course (and Doug disowned me), and everyone scattered onto their own personal paths in the City by the Bay (or NYC in Roy’s case).

Fast-forward seven or eight years, and a missive from Flickr came to me inquiring whether I was Stephen of Roy by way of Doug. The screenname clearly belonged to Michael, who, wouldn’t you know, just happened to be a knitting fanatic, fiber fiend and sock devotee! Mind you, I didn’t knit way back when, nor was his actively knitting, but the Fates would have it that our lives would converge in a tangle of merino, bamboo and needles.

After failed plans to meet at Stitches (which I never went to and he attended 489 classes), long delayed (my bad) responses to emails about meeting up at my work (where former coworkers of his now work), and the best of intentions, we finally pulled it together on Saturday to go down to Purlescense Yarns to see Cat Bordhi sign her new book (which is earth-shatteringly inventive, by the way). Sadly, I don’t have a picture of him and me to prove we were there! I forgot my camera, and he was kind enough to take a photo of me and Leslie from BMFA sock camp.

No longer shall our banter remain in the comments of other people’s blogs or photostreams! I hope it was the first of many hanging-outs to come. Combining our knitting prowess from both sides of the Bay, we could, nay, shall make our mark on the world… or at least have a good laugh and knit a few rows.

This lovely piece of work on the right is not mine. It belonged to Another Shopgirl, who used to be my upstairs neighbor. I inherited it from her when she moved to NYC.

We are different sizes (I must have 80 pounds on her!), so there was no hope of me completing the project. So, what to do? Salvage what I could and add it to the stash! Hooray! More yarn! Thanks, Ann.

This past weekend I started working with it on my first stranded knitting. Just two colors, the gray and white. Man, is it hard. As someone who’s never had gauge problems, I finally get it. I’ll finish knitting it tonight and will futz with it this weekend. I’m hoping some fine-tuning by tugging at floats and aggressive blocking will help solve the diversity of stitch heights.

Famous last words?

My favorite Threadless t-shirt was just reprinted (and on sale!). I can’t go into detail as to why, but it involves a former coworker who loved butterflies and inspired a certain feeling in those around her. Coincidentally, at dinner on Saturday, I said if they ever re-released it, I’d never have to buy another shirt from them… guess I’m done!

If you’ve ever wanted one of these AWESOME shirts (and there are some sheep and knitting ones), it’s a $10 sale until Sept. 3.

During a visit home for a friend’s memorial two weeks ago, the thick, humid night reminded me of everything I left behind six years ago. My sweating pores, inscribed with a history of East coast summers, felt eerily at home among friends from my past, in a city that I love as memories collided with my present.

I wrote that around this time of year, in 2002. I’m now older than Sara was she passed away. YouTube wasn’t around then, but luckily, the most touching part of the night was recorded.

Watch to the end of the song, to hear the additional lyrics Brendan wrote to Sara’s song. If you’ve ever lost friend, this may resonnate with you. I can’t believe it’s been five years… you’ll stay with me forever, Sara.

Now I am missing you so much
Now I feel like I’ve lost everything I’ve ever had
Now I am happier for knowing you
And sadder than I’ve been in my whole life
Now I wish that we could be dreaming our superstar dreams
And talking about the haircuts on the TV screen
I’d make you laugh and you’d make me happy
Now I have to close my eyes just to see you again
Now I was so proud just to be your friend
And We’ll be together again my friend
Its just a moment in time

… in a good way!

If you like blue;

and,

if you like sock yarn;

and,

if you like German things,

you’d better hurry up and go read Bockstarkknits to get in on her first “Taste of Germany” sampling.

I’m feeling pulled in may directions by my knitting. On the precipice of feeling scattered-brained and wanting to start three new projects. Torn between design, production, gifting and being selfish.

I have three active-ish socks, a truckload of yarn to photograph for Ravelry and re-organize by weight, new yarn sitting at work awaiting my first issue of IK that I’m buying tomorrow night, Cat’s new book (who’s two baby socks samples I’ve already knit) begging to be begun in earnest, the imminent arrival of BMFA sock club shipment, as well as Scout’s. And I still haven’t sent my sister her package of socks, Knitty Gritty half-done bag to finish, and her xmas presents.

On top of all that good friend at work is leaving to focus on his art career who deserves this (and for which I’ll have to buy a US3 circular. Dear friends (her blog, not his) just had their second son (BSJ in STR? need another circular US3). Luckily they are both easy knits, and only Brancusi 2.0 is competing for my immediate attention (about to start on the heel flap).

If anyone would like to win the lottery and sponsor my life so I can devote more time to knitting, I’d greatly appreciate it. Working 9-11 hours a day really cramps my style.