45 Days of Velma & SOCKS!

♫ It's my birthday, & I can blog if I want to! ♪ Yep, I celebrated my natal day this week, woohoo!, so I'm in the middle of the 45 Days of Velma (I allot myself 1 day of celebration for each year older I get, using my friend Shepeter's wonderful system). Yeah, that would make me FAB & FORTY-FIVE, FUCKER! Haha, wanna know my secret? (You know you do...) Act like you're 12, & people will never guess your age. I swear, it works like a charm!

Check me out; this shot was taken Tuesday, the actual birth day (the 9th, for those of you whipping your calendars out so you can send me a little somthin' somethin' next year, LOL. & please note my blingy tiara, which I've taken to wearing each year on my birthday. I recommend this practice to everyone who wants to feel like the queen they are!)

Live from the E&O Bowl bar in Blue Lake, CA, where we unfortunately did NOT get to do any actual bowling, 'cuz I completely forgot to account for league night - DOH! Worked out fine, though. After some pool & beers at E&O, we headed over to the Casino & had more beer & some grub, tried our hands at the slots for a few minutes, & then headed over to BJ & Lisa's for some Wii bowling (which I also suck at, btw.) Much fun! (Oh, & there are a few more pics in my birthday set on Flickr if you are so inclined).

The celebration went on Wednesday night at hands on CRAFT in Arcata, where the proprietress Kristy led our crafty friends in a lovely evening filled with 3 kinds of amazing cake from Brio Bakery, singing, & the gift of this GORGEOUS milk protein fiber hand-dyed by Kristy herself! She knew how much I coveted it, & generously gifted me with it. Now I just need to figure out what it wants to be spun & knit into - maybe opera length fingerless gloves, whadya think?? Or socks, maybe socks.

SPEAKING of socks, I know I promised the other day to post about my 6-month Jaywalkers. YES, I finally finished 'em, & JUST in time (like, with not even a minute to spare) to wear at the parties mentioned above. I'm so loving them! That's me modeling them above for my Ravelry project page.

Here's an expert from my project notes for an indication of how close I came to NOT finishing them in time:

6/9, 10am: I SO want to wear these on my birthday - TODAY - I will finish them to wear bowling tonight!
Noon: I was almost to the toe, & I just realized I dropped a stitch in the increases about 1.5” back. Crap! Must. Rip. Back. Argh!
3pm: Ok, I am now at exactly the spot I was 3 hrs ago when I found the dropped stitch. Knit on!
4pm: Am realizing I can either a) finish the sock & wear it to the party tonight, or b) take a shower.
5:30pm: No shower. But I’m on the toe! Our ride will be here at 6:45!! Will I be done?
6:25pm: Time to KUI (kitchener under the influence)!
6:35pm: Oh, shit our ride is here, & I’m still kitchenering!
6:40pm: DONE! DRESSED! & off to the PARTY!

Since I know someone will ask, here are their pertinents:

Needles: US 1 / 2.25 mm

Yarn: Oldfield Creek Sock & Yarn Hand-Dyed Sock Yarn, 80-20 (1 skein) Colorway 420
Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina

Despite the ridonculous amount of time it took me to finish these, I really enjoyed making them.

Tags: birthday, knitting, socks