Avoiding work. . . .

So, I thought I'd blog a bit, since I haven't done so in quite some time.
Where to start? I'll skip all the boring bits. Jan 6th I came one step closer to 50 - it's now close enough that I can actually see it on the horizon. I'm now 49 - and I'm not sure how I feel about that. 50 always seemed so old, and now that I'm about to be it, . . . . . I'm not sure. I certainly don't feel 50. And I like to think I don't look 50. So. Guess we'll wait another year and see what happens.
I got some very nice yarn for Christmas - a gift certificate to my sister's LYS netted me some loverly sock yarn. It's been dutifully added to the stash, and I'm eager to knit up some socks.
We moved in November. No gory details here, but we now live in the same city in which I work. We have a nice house, but had to pare down the animals a bit. We now have only one dog and one official cat. The others all found lovely homes. It's a good move for us, the kidlet is enjoying her new school, and the new opportunities that have opened up for her now that she's in the city of her choice.
And now for some pictures:
current socks are Cookie A's Rhiannon in Trekking XXL 145 colorway:



Pay no attention to the messy desk.
This is the "wrong" side of the cuff. I've never worked a purl cable before, so it's kind of interesting doing a cable that you can't see until you flip your work over.

I've finished the Monkey socks. These pictures aren't the greatest - but you get some idea of the colors.




I'll get some good sunlight and re-take. I love these socks! If you haven't done this pattern yet - DO IT!!!! They knit up faster than any other socks I've done. I used Opal sock yarn in a new colorway that has orange and purple and green and blue and is just the most amazing yarn. It's soft, and washes like iron. It's all I can do to not wear these socks every single day.
I'm still working on the Strikke-along sweater, although it seems to have lost all its charm. I keep thinking I'll pull it out and work on it, but then I get distracted.
I'm also working on a pattern that I want to submit to Knitty, so we'll see how that goes! Who knows, I might become a designer. hahahahahahahahaha!!!

In the queue (as they say in Ravelry) I love the sweater KnitPicks highlighted in the last newsletter my sister bought the pattern and the yarn, and I'm going to knit for mom's birthday - March 8 deadline on that one! She'll be 70, and needs a sweater to wear when she volunteers at the hospital in the summer. They CRANK the airconditioning, and all those "Pink Ladies" freeze to death. She spent most of last summer hunting down a white sweater, and never found one, so I thought this would be nice. I like the length and the fitted waist. I'm going to add pockets, because mom won't wear a sweater without pockets. Next in the queue is a request from my sister. Seems she's jonesing the sweater I took to her house at Christmas. I've still got to find the magazine I knitted it from, but she's buying the yarn. I told her she might get it in time for next fall.
OK, that's it for now - knitting (and work) call!