Sometimes I just don’t feel like talking. Am I the only one who gets like that? I’ve been busy busy busy the last few weeks, and I’m always happy when I have something to share here, but I just didn’t have it in me to actually type an entry. It’s not that I’ve been particularly down or anything, I was just feeling quiet, I guess. I was just looking at the pictures on my camera, and realized that I have a few that I’ve been meaning to post. I also realized that I have more pictures that I want to be sure and take before I totally forget or in some cases miss out all together. Like the irises that are blooming right now. We have a pretty pink one and some white and yellow and purple. They are so huge and ruffle-y and just frothy. Back to the subject at hand…

I made a bread pudding:

I can’t say that bread pudding is a favorite dessert, but every now and then it just sounds good. I used a loaf of brioche to make this one. It wasn’t bad for my first attempt. I think next time I will have a little less bread and a little more pudding.

I took a day off to do nothing. I just wanted to do nothing at all and not feel guilty about it. When I got up that morning, this was waiting for me in the kitchen:

Tulips and bagels and lox and cream cheese. A book full of beautiful tulip photographs and a very cute chocolate cake. Mr. Lucy is one of the most generous people I know. He was forgiven for the sink full of dirty dishes for the day. He is also very smart sometimes.

I tried to take some dog pictures, I think you can see that it is very very difficult for Bear to sit still. Oh the effort!

And one last picture of the lilacs:

We had so many this year, but they are nearly all faded now. I could smell them every night when I pulled into the driveway, it was heavenly!

Next time, here at Hey Lucy: the Irises, books, knitted washcloths and what every household should have, a cable knit hot water bottle cover, of course!

What is more boring than knitting-in-progress pictures? Maybe talking about the weather? Well there is going to be a little of both going on here today, so I understand if you just click on out of here right now. It’s my blog and I can be boring if I want to be boring.

I started on my Blue Sky sky blue sweater, and it knits up just lightening fast. I’m already done with the back and have cast on the right front. This yarn is like crack for knitters, it’s so very soft and pretty. I better start practicing my crochet technique, it looks like I’m going to have to be doing that edging pretty soon. I’m working the macro again:

Delicious waves of soft blue cotton! Has anyone out there made a sweater with this yarn? I tried doing a blog search, but couldn’t find much of anything. I’m wondering how well it wears and if it keeps it’s shape, being cotton and all.

And now for more blue skies, as in the weather, not the yarn, I was fooled yet again today. It was beautiful when I got up this morning, so I went with the light, Spring-y outfit, even wearing my new espadrilles, and look what I had to drive into:

See the bright blue top half of the picture? That is where I started out this morning. And see that big dark bank of grey-ness? That is where I’m spending my day. The land where no sun can reach through the clouds. Isn’t this San Diego? Don’t we pay a whole lot of money to live in the land of sunshine, particularly in May? I want a refund. I would just like it to be Spring already, quit teasing me like this. Please excuse my dirty windshield, I kill a lot of bugs on my drive every day.

Finally, the second sock is finished:

I tried to hide my first attempt at kitchener stitch on the toes, because it’s just not so pretty, but that’s okay, these socks are for me, and will probably just be worn around the house, because, really, I don’t have a yellow, turquoise and green outfit to go with them. I really didn’t think that second sock was ever going to end, but then, suddenly, it did! I like the fun factor of this yarn. The stripes were nicely formed as I knit around the legs, but then I got the feet and they’re all weird and wide. At least they match, more or less. I do like the way the stripes narrowed at the toes.

This past weekend I gathered together my Backtack supplies:

I got some Sis Boom fabric, and lots of sparkly buttons, so I’m thinking about a very glamorous pointy kitty, a la Paris circa 1950. I’m making a softie for the one and only Super Eggplant. I can’t wait to get started. I did some other sewing this weekend, I’ll have to share that tomorrow.

The lilacs are blooming:

I’m trying to learn to use the macro on my camera. There’s a really great show in DIY Network, called The Whole Picture, I’ve been Tivo’ing, so I’m learning a bit more about photography.

Remember how I was so happy that I got a skein of really pretty yarn in the 5 minutes it was available for purchase and then I found out that maybe I shouldn’t have been so quick to gloat because I didn’t actually get it after all? Well, my new favorite people are Kpixies and Julia. Shortly after my big disappointment I got another email telling me that if I still wanted the yarn, Julia would be dyeing more and I could have it. So I got it after all. Here it is with the felt ball cat toys Alicia made (I really will let the cats play with them, but they look so nice in my wood bowl for now).

That is the bowl I originally got to hold my yarn stash. Ah, the innocence of a new knitter. Like that could hold an entire yarn stash. I’ve since graduated to a wicker bowl about twice that size and a gigantic wicker basket and there might be a few skeins under the bed, but that’s all. Really. Except for the ones in the little basket next to my knitting chair. And I think I saw a bag with a few random balls in the guest house. But that’s it, I swear!

Anyway, back to my new skein of Vesper and Kpixies. Because I was so happy with the service and they happened to have it on sale, I also bought Knitting Vintage Socks, because just look at this Flickr group. Those are some nice looking socks! I think I will use the Vesper to make a pair of simple ribbed socks, there are a few different ribbed socks in that book that I like.

Also, speaking of socks, I’ve been knitting my second Jaywalker sock and I don’t remember the foot on the first one taking so long. I knit for 2 hours last night and I don’t think the foot got any bigger. Of course I was catching up on a few episodes of 24 (season 2) that I had on the Tivo and I got so hooked by the suspensefulness of the show that I made mistakes a couple of times and had to un-knit a couple needles worth of stitches. But still, I think there is some weird phenomenon with the second sock, it seems to take twice as long as the first. Once I turned the heel on the first one it seems like it just flew to the toe. Am I the only one having this experience?

I want to take pictures of things to share here, but whenever I have the time, it’s cloudy out. When it’s sunny and bright and beautiful, I have to do things like go to work. So unfair! Oh well, today is cloudy and grey and I’m at work so I’ll just be happy about that.

I’m so ready to start wearing Spring-y clothes. I love warm, cozy sweaters, but enough is enough already. So I made an attempt today-linen blouse with short puffed sleeves and black linen cropped pants. I almost went with the black sandels, but decided not to risk it and stuck with my closed toe shoes. Good thing, since I’m all bundled up now in my Lady Eleanor wishing my Jaywalker socks were finished (almost there! I’m on the second foot, maybe tonight they will be done!). I’m making my plans, though and I’m going to start on two sweaters for myself for this Spring/Summer. First of all, this one:

I’ve ordered some Blue Sky Cotton in Sky Blue (heh!). My only problem with it is that big metal zipper. What’s up with that? I’m going to try and find a blue one. Also, the edges have a crochet finish. This scares me a little. I haven’t given up on the idea of learning to crochet, but I don’t know about learning in time to do all those edges. hmmm.

I’ve also got some Rowan Cashcotton 4 ply in pink for this sweater:

So pretty! I have a hard time knitting sweaters for myself, it’s hard to stay committed to such long term projects, but I love these two so much, I really am going to finish these as quick as I can.

Meanwhile, for a little instant Spring wardrobe gratification I bought these espadrilles last night:

Sigh. Spring is my favorite time of year.

P.S. My email doesn’t work right now, and I owe a few people emails. So if you are one of them, I’m not ignoring you, I just can’t access my email right now.

Little tiny penguin lives, that is. Although the article keeps referring to knitters as little old ladies making snowflake sweaters and tea cosies, which I found a bit patronizing and annoying.

A pattern is available here. Aww!

I’m finally starting to feel better, I had a case of bronchitis that apparently decided to take up residence in my upper respitory system and liked it so much in there that it started re-decorating and moving around the furniture and decided it just wasn’t going to budge, no matter what kind of earth-moving coughs I threw at it. Well, three different kinds of cough medicine and some strong antibiotics have finally started the eviction process and those nasty bacteria are relunctantly making their way out of my body. Good riddance is all I can say.

I didn’t do much while this was happening. For some reason, all I wanted to do was read and knit socks. One sock finished:

That’s an Embossed Leaves sock from Interweave Knits. I’ve only made one other pair of socks, so I was quite impressed with myself for making this one. I’ll start the second one shortly. To guard against second sock syndrome I started on a pair of Jaywalker socks, which I mentioned below. I finished one of those too, but haven’t taken a picture yet. Maybe this weekend.

I also took a couple pictures of some of my birthday loot:

My lovely sister-in-law read about my love of pink cafe au lait bowls and sent me these two from Williams-Sonoma. They are so cute! I will have to make some hot chocolate this weekend and use them. So now I have the beginning of a collection! That means I have an excuse to check eBay regularly, right?

Speaking of collections, I received this cute little tea-for-one set from my mom and my sister:

More blue and white! It arrived just in time, as I’ve been drinking copious amounts of lemon-ginger tea and peppermint tea these last couple weeks. A friend also gifted me with some lovely tea bags and that cute jar of lemon curd. I have more to share later this weekend. That little photo shoot just wore me out. Tomorrow is Sweet Pea Day, so I will be enjoying fresh air and sunshine, both of which I’ve seen very little of these past weeks. I’m so happy about that! Hooray for Spring! And good health!