brainylady

We got home from Thailand yesterday afternoon. It was a great, restful holiday. We spent most of the week in Pattaya. I think "pattaya" is Thai for "hundreds of Germans; thousands of prostitutes." I don't recommend it. There are so many nicer places. I took the camera, but there was honestly nothing I cared to remember clearly enough to take a photo of. Still, it was a very relaxing time. I would have loved to take today off to lay about and do laundry (I managed to spill coffee on more than one pair of pants), but alas, back to the office. A very happy surprise, though, is that Wednesday is a holiday and everyone gets the day off! It's Dragon Boat Festival. What could be better than returning from a holiday just in time for a holiday?

The week in Thailand was good for knitting, too.

1. Socks! I got about an inch past the heel of my first toe-up sock when I decided I just wasn't happy with it; I ripped the whole thing out (gasp!) and started again from the top down. Now I'm at the heel flap. As I mentioned before, I'm using Patons Kroy sock yarn (Paint Box). For the toe-up sock, my circumfrence was 68 stitches, and I didn't much like the colour pattern: mostly red, with pretty regular blotches of blue and green. However, I cast on 64 stitches for my second go at it, and the colours are coming out much nicer. They look more mixed up, more random. So I'm happy about that. For the cuff, I knit the first inch at the top in 2-by-2 rib and then four more inches in a nice wide 6-by-2 rib.

2. Joseph! I also finished the body of Kerrie's Joseph pattern from the spring Knitty. I'm using Patons Melody Quick & Cozy (sage green), which is acrylic and nylon. It's thick and fleecy. I'd bought two 85-yard balls of it in Canada with plans for a tiny sweater but no pattern in mind. It's perfect for Joseph, but I need another ball to finish the sleeves! I'm not sure what to do about this, as I can't get Patons yarn here, but I'm hoping I can find something suitable because I really like this pattern. It's super easy and fast (I knit the body in one piece instead of three), and I can see that the finished sweater will be super cute.

After a week away, I've got lots of blog-reading to catch up on. But get this: I had a dream last night that I went to work this morning and went to the Knitting Bloggers blog, and 60 new knitblogs had been added to the ring while I'd been away! What's up with my Knitting Blog Anxiety? No worries that there may be a stack of working waiting on my desk, no. And needless to say, there are not 60 (nor even 6) new blogs that I've missed. And the real question: so what if there were? Jeez.

More knitting: I'd like to try the catnip mouse that everyone is doing for the Mouse-Along. My cat lives a million miles away, and I don't know the first thing about cable knitting, but I think I'll give it a go. I can always mail the mouse to Marlo in Montreal, and she can stuff it and pass it off to Mooky. I wonder if the mouse needs to be made of wool, or if acrylic is OK. Is it a kitty-health issue? Does anyone know?

And finally: Inspired by Stefanie and Betsy, I want labels. Those of you living in North America, count your mail-order, inexpensive-shipping blessings! As for me, my wish list grows.