Too Much Wool

Norn!

Finally, I'm posting a new sock pattern for sale. This one is called Norn. Make of that what you will - the Norns of Norse mythology or the dead language. Or even the meaning of Norn in Icelandic.

I've worked on this pattern for the past ... two years. Actually, it pre-dates Loksins. But with the time I've taken with this pattern, I've been able to offer two different sizing/gauge options, as well as a couple of different variations on the pattern.

Some pictures:

Norn is a simple, stockinette-based sock with a dramatic back lace panel, the four-row lace pattern is easy to memorize, and knits up quickly, as well as having several options for variations on the pattern.

This is an option for a less-lacy version of the pattern, with a simple eyelet back-seam:

I've knit nearly five pairs of socks in this pattern now...

It looks good in slightly variegated yarns, as well as solids. From back to front, I've knit it in Regia Silk, The Woolen Rabbit sock yarn (an old one), Regia Tweed, and Fleece Artist Merino, as well as the current pair in Schaeffer Anne.

The pattern is available for sale by clicking on this link:

What I've been doing...

So, bad news on the baby bird. Wednesday night as I was getting ready for work, I heard blue jays screaming, and ... well, to make a long story short, I watched the baby get eaten by cats (he had fallen/come down out of the tree, and couldn't fly). Thanks to everyone who thought good thoughts for him. To be perfectly honest, I really don't want to talk about it anymore, it made me very sad. 

And moving on ... the rest of this post is brought to you almost entirely for Juno's amusement. 

I'm still spinning, knitting a bit too. But the thing that's been totally captivating me lately is sewing. I'm an on again, off again sew-er. Sometimes I do it for days on end, sometimes not at all for weeks. (Kind of like my knitting lately, come to think of it.) 

Several months ago, I had to design a tote bag for a beginning sewing class that I teach at Purl Patchwork. I tweaked the final design ages ago, a great bag with pockets that's totally reversible (I love the reversibleness of them best of all). But, being myself, I couldn't leave it alone and had to play around with different proportions, sizes, pocket variables, etc....

Umm... these are all knitting totes. And more than half of them have knitting in them. I've been resisting the urge to make them to coordinate with the knitting projects that they're used for. I've just been making them up as I find good fabric combinations (they're all lined with complimentary fabrics). 

I've also made a few larger ones too

(I made the one on the far right yesterday, and right now its my favoritest of all. Piggies!) 

Its become a little obsessive-compulsive, I think. And there are a few that aren't pictured either because they've been given away or because I was too lazy to dig them all out for a photo shoot. 

Other than all of that, I've decided that today is the day I'm going to sit down and force myself to finish up another sock pattern for sale. Its one that I've had in the works for way over a year, but got lazy about finishing. I've knit the pattern four times already, I just have to finish writing it up. So stay tuned, maybe after the weekend I'll have the Norn pattern up and ready. 

bird rescues are rough

Some of you may remember a while ago, when I posted about watching a cat slowly kill a bluejay on my neighbor's porch.

Well, today we rescued a baby blue jay from the neighborhood cats.

He's really really young, verging on being in shock. Jon found him surrounded by 3 feral cats in a neighbor's driveway, and although he doesn't have any obvious injuries, he's staying pretty still. I suspect he just fledged and fell to the wrong spot.

We put him in the tree in our front yard, at first, but he didn't move, wasn't making a peep, and definitely wasn't out of reach of cats there. Since we have a second story deck/porch, we brought him up here and he's sitting on a wooden clothes rack right now.

Unfortunately, the sun is verging on setting. I hear some jays nearby, but no one seems to have sent out the search and rescue team for this little dude. Our past bird rescues never really helped much of anything, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

I mean, how could anyone resist trying to help a baby-face like this?: