Can someone help Marina up over there? Anyone have some smelling salts? Thanks!

Back in August, I dyed Tequila Sunrise stripey yarn from some KnitPicks sock blanks that the ever-gracious Deb gifted to me. (And it’s Deb’s birthday today, so head on over and wish her a good one, eh?) After knitting the lovely and intricate (and non-stripey) Beryl Tendrils, I was in the mood for a plain, mindless toe-up sock. Enter the Tequila Sunrise Socks.

“We warned you that this was a cat crossing, Mom. Too busy to stop or worry about the safety of your sock.” -Chaos

“Yeah! What the big kitty said!” -Mayhem

“Wait, these look like they might be stripey socks…” -Mayhem

“Hmm… and they match my favorite mouse, too. Promising.” -Mayhem

It’s January, so it’s time to knit preemie hats for k3tog! Although the blog is gone, you can head over to their Ravelry group.

Kelle’s looking for submissions for Yarnival. Submit soon, because she’ll be publishing on January 15.

I think that Amy’s picture really captures the essence of the Minnesota State Fair experience - what do you think?

The Uptown Mpls Blog’s top 20 pictures of 2008 are worth a look.

Hee hee - did you see xkcd’s guide to converting to the metric system?

Isn’t this a scary thought?!

Too true!

This is how I felt upon returning to my usual work schedule (start at 6:30 am) yesterday morning…

Do not let your kitties read Perry and Emily’s New Year’s resolutions!

Here’s a link to a thoughtful article in defense of buying books. While the majority of my reading material is from the public library, I do purchase some books and I’m making sure to do so from local stores that I want to stay in business.

Literary Escapism’s latest Escapist Newsletter has a truly mind boggling list of urban fantasy/paranormal romance links - upcoming releases, author interviews, and much more.

The bloggers at Book Binge have listed their favorite heroes of 2008 - do you agree or disagree? I left a few of mine in the comments. Flashing back to my crushes on fictional characters thing, I think I have to add Wrath, Zsadist, Butch, and Vishous from the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

If you’re a fan of vampire books, check out The Ultimate VampList - and remember that it’s divided by subject, so if you don’t see an author that you expect, he or she may simply be on a different page.

Reading Update
Lover Enshrined (The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 6) by J.R. Ward. Disappointing. Important to read before the next book comes out this spring, but this book doesn’t have the immersive qualities of the previous five. I think Ward spent too much time on other story elements and not enough time on Phury beyond his addiction issues. (Um, I may also have reread the first four books - at least most of them. Skipped most of the bits about the lessers the second time.)
Dead After Dark by Sherrilyn Kenyon, J.R. Ward, Susan Squires, and Dianna Love. Kenyon’s story about the Were-Hunter Fury was ok, but not great. Ward’s story was set in the same city as her Black Dagger Brotherhood books, but wasn’t about any of the familiar characters.
Zen and the Art of Vampires (Dark Ones, Book 6) by Katie MacAlister. Cliffhanger. You know how I feel about them. Hmph. Plus this book was crazy confusing. I kept reading, hoping for clarity.
Fangs for the Memories (The Young Brothers, Book 1) by Kathy Love. Light paranormal romance about a vampire with amnesia who doesn’t remember that he’s a vampire.
Anyway You Want It by Kathy Love. The first in a nameless series about lampir (energy vampire) brothers who live in New Orleans. (The second book, which I read a few weeks ago, is I Want You To Want Me.)
Megan’s Mark, Harmony’s Way, and Tanner’s Scheme (The Breeds, Books 1-3) by Lora Leigh. Not the best written stuff on the planet, but the premise is intriguing. These are extremely graphic.
Degrees of Separation (Jessie Arnold Mysteries) by Sue Henry. I have to admit to getting this series a bit confused with Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak mysteries! Anyway, in this latest Jessie Arnold mystery, Jessie’s knee is finally healed and she’s back to mushing.

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“And now what are you doing, Mom?! You are so weird. Can’t let you out of my sight for a minute, can I?!” -Mayhem

At last I have finished the Tendrils Ribs Socks that I’ve been test knitting for Mary Lou! I will definitely be knitting these again - this is a gorgeous stitch pattern and Mary Lou’s pattern was very easy to follow for this novice top-down sock knitter.

I did run out of the Original STR Beryl on the first sock (slightly darker sock on the right below) and I switched to some semisolid Koigu to finish the toe. However, the second skein had more yardage in it, so I ripped out the first toe and basically knit the toes of both socks from each end of the longer skein until I ran out of STR, then switched to the Koigu.

Here’s some stitch pattern detail:

“Not truly stripey. That’s all I’m saying.” -Mayhem

After my crazy working forty hours in three days last week, I’ve spent very little time on my computer and my Google Reader and email reply backlog reflects that! Hopefully I’ll get caught up soon…

The sartorial elegance bit? It ran through my head when I was taking out the trash yesterday, wearing my Ruby Sheep PJ bottoms, a black sweatshirt, and a dark red and black plaid wool coat. Hmm. Maybe I’ve been working at home too much… speaking of which, Monday and Tuesday were 17-hour days, so all you get for this post is a contest link, some of my wee book reviews, and a cat picture or two.

Shannah’s having a contest. Let her know what your favorite handcrafted gift was this year, and you could win some sock yarn and a surprise. Contest closes at midnight, January 6.

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Reading Update
Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton. This was absolutely delightful. Recommended for knitters who enjoy a bit of fantastical romance. Plus it has a black cat on the cover. How could you go wrong?
Just Desserts by Barbara Bretton. Nothing paranormal or knitting related in this romance, but it was a decent read.
Hex Appeal by Linda Wisdom. The sequel to 50 Ways To Hex Your Lover is another enjoyable read, although there were a number of major inconsistencies that kept jolting me out of the story.
It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons by Franklin Habit. Delightful. This was a birthday present from Deb, but I’ve just been reading a cartoon here and there for the past five weeks, anticipating.
Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Lover Revealed, and Lover Unbound (The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Books 1-5) by J.R. Ward. Very good vampire romance - I really am not able to put these down. Bits of it seemed reminiscent of the Dark-Hunters. Ward does this sort of cruel but effective bit where she starts gearing up the next book before the end of the current book. She ties up the current story, but you definitely know what the next book’s going to be about and are eager to get your hands on it. Much more effective than a complete cliffhanger, which drives me nuts. Oh, and some of the books (Lover Awakened, Lover Unbound) had me sobbing. Just so you know to have the tissues handy… Also please note that these are very, very steamy and a bit dark.
Sex and the Single Witch by Theresa Alan, Holly Chamberlain, and Carly Alexander. Very light’n'fluffy short stories that were actually a nice break from the intensity of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. However, not particularly recommended.
The Cursed One (The Wild Wulfs of London) by Ronda Thompson. One of the later books in this series about werewolves in England in the early 1800s. I enjoyed it, even though historicals tend not to be a favorite.
Wolf at the Door (The Others, Book 1) by Christine Warren. Can an Irish werewolf and a NYC foxwoman find happiness together? Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld might have been a bit of the inspiration behind this series, but this is much lighter and more chick lit feeling.

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“Oh, for fur’s sake, the last thing she needs is more pink feathers.” -Chaos

“Silly big kitty. You can never have too many pink feathers!” -Mayhem

“Unhand my feathers, Mom! Mine! Mine! Mine!!” -Mayhem

Happy New Year! I may or may not post on Friday, January 2. It’ll be a surprise to all of us.

D’oh! I can’t believe how far behind I’ve gotten on thank yous! Bad Chris. No biscuit.

Elspeth sent me cat’n'music’n'yarn goodness. Thank you, E! Look at all the adorable kitty swag from the Japanese store near E - isn’t that fan the best?! It’s obscuring a stack of mix cds, because E and I share a deep passion for making mixes. And May is obscuring some nifty plum and black sock yarn.

“Why do you need all this cat stuff when you have me and the big kitty, Mom?” -Mayhem

Shush, May. Silly question! Jane sent me a very cool coffee towel, one of her gorgeous photo calendars for 2009, and a cute project bag she sewed (um, you have to sort of imagine the bag, since Chaos is obscuring it). Thank you, Jane!

“Hmph. All I like to do with coffee is stick my paw into it when you’re not looking, Mom.” -Chaos

Um, too much information there, Chaos. Ewww! The Paos sent Jeanne and I some lovely Christmas goodies. (They may or may not be regretting that as they work on the 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle we sent them). I received some fun stripey yarn, a purple notebook (made from recycled retail packaging), a Zip-It bag, and some of my beloved dark chocolate-covered rice crackers (tragically only available in the UK) (you have to imagine what they look like, because I’ve already eaten them). There’s also a book for Jeanne and I to share, which May is kindly obscuring (Notes on a Scandal). Thanks, Paos!

“This looks like it would be a fun toy.” -Mayhem

“Maaaaaaaaaaay. You’re obscuring my view! I can’t see the stuff!” -Chaos

I sent Susie that pair of Keen MaryJanes that just weren’t working for me, and she sent me a box of STR, black kitty book plates, Hello Kitty gum, Emily the Strange lip balm (Chaos is obscuring that), and hot pink feathery goodness for the kitties. Thanks, Susie!

“I wonder if I would like kitty gum?” -Chaos

“Hot. Pink. Feathers. Duuuuuuuuuude.” -Mayhem

May was so excited about the hot pink feathers that she stole the toy before I could even remove it from the packaging! Then she cried the entire time when I snatched it back and removed it from the packaging.

*hot pink feather fizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* -May’s brain