Catch Up of Sorts...

yes, lots has happened over the last few months.

I attended the Men's Fall Knitting Retreat back in September. It was great and this year I didn't have the plague. I was well and had more fun than imaginable! WonderMike puts on quite a show and the weather was amazing! I've been to Seattle several years in a row now, where did they get this reputation for rain and gloom? It's sunny and tepid every year! All the boys were there except Joe but I'll hopefully catch up with him in May!

I moved but still in Florida. Yes, I can not get out of Florida. It's my cross to bear. ;-) The new location is wonderful. Practically on the beach with water views from my 8th floor vantage!

I love my new place, it's new and no one has ever lived in my condo. It's got more bathrooms than any condo should have and I've got a sock studio dedicated to making Beauregard's Boxed Socks.

I can't get Beau working perfectly to save my life so Beauregard's Boxed Socks is currently on hold/in production (depending on how you look at it). I'm 1 week into "The Weekend Novelist writes a Mystery" so my gay, science fiction epic has begun and the protagonist resembles me in many ways but with better abs.

I'm suffering from a cold and haven't left the house since Friday. I've spent my time with Sam Tyler. Have you seen Life on Mars, it was a short-lived series in 2009 and I loved it. Jason O'Mara plays Sam and he's the current hunk occupying my desktop. 'nuf said. He kinda reminds me of what's his name from PS I love you. Gerard Butler!

I've already queued the BBC version because the story is great and the crazy guy from Doctor Who plays O'Mara's character and he's a hoot if not as equally handsome.

Let's see, I'm supposed to put knitting content in here somewhere, aren't I? I organized the stash. Does that count? It's going to have to, dropped stitch socks aren't really content worthy. What can I tell ya?

Did you see the photos of Jason O'Mara?

Never, Never, Never....

screw with your blog template without saving the original one. I was just playing, thinking it would be fun to make a change or two for 2012 and then I couldn't revert back to the original. WooWho! New blog look! I love it! Actually, I have no choice so yay, I love it. ;-) It's a work in progress, so keep an eye out for changes.

I hope you had a great holiday season! Wishing you all a wonderful 2012!

Updates & Holiday Greetings!

Good grief! I had no idea anyone was still reading my blog! Hey Krystal and Lisa! First off, Happy Holidays one and all from the beautiful, Florida coast! If you're on my Christmas card list, read the last sentence, it's all you're getting this year!

To start, I hate when people say they're "busy" but this time I have to concede, I'm busy! The holidays are coming and I'm not even remotely prepared. I've just moved to a new city and don't even know where the grocery store is or where to shop for gifts. Yikes!

I'm pretty sure the tree is stuffed in the laundry room but the ornaments and trimmings are who knows where! Today, I finally rid myself of the last of the boxes and am fairly certain that the major furniture pieces are in their final locations. It may seem like a simple task to put the boxes out with the trash but when you live on the 8th floor, all logistics and ease are out the window. Up and down, up and down, it's quite a process! I love the space. It's brand, spankin' new. No one has ever taken a shower here, heated up a Lean Cuisine in the microwave or sat on the balcony and enjoyed the inter coastal water views. I love it!

Needless to say, knitting has been scarce. Beau, my sock machine is in storage at a friend's house and will be returned next weekend. I can't wait. I unpacked the yarn and set up the den as a craft studio/office. Everything fit and my indestructible, craft table (that I thought would have to go to Goodwill) fit in the space with no more than a half inch of room to spare! Is that fate or what?

So stick with me folks and soon enough, I'll be posting socks, shawls and the miscellaneous dribble of my life.

A Threesome on a Sunday Afternoon...

I've had the most pleasant and relaxing day. I'm currently holed up in a hotel for two weeks before I move into my new place. Yesterday, I spent the day wandering around the beach, something I rarely do, surprisingly so for someone who lives in Florida. Today, I had no interest in sunshine. I woke up at 8AM and couldn't fall back to sleep. I opened the computer and turned to Netflix for a little entertainment over coffee. I knew a film or two was in order as I've watched more television this week than I have in a year! I discovered there's a reason I haven't had television for the past year, it's so dumb and that's sort of generous. Those of you who watch all these ridiculous realty shows, please explain the attraction.

Anyway, around 2PM, I stepped out for lunch and when I got back to the room, I found a film that I loved when it first premiered. Before Sunrise with Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply, I always had a crush on Ethan until the whole nanny incident so I decided to watch it again. I had no idea that they made a sequel called before Before Sunset (original huh?) with the same cast. It was a great sequel and I never like sequels. Both films are all talk, talk, talk and they're smart, funny, sarcastic, sexy, emotional and romantically edgy but still sappy. I love that crap. The sequel screenplay is just as clever as the first one in a 30-something way vs the original 20-something vibe. You should watch it. It's on instant view, there's no risk!

On the knitting front, not much has been going on. Work and finding a place have been all consuming. By the time I get some "me time" at the end of the day, I have just about enough energy to wash my face before heading to bed. I made the huge mistake of bringing only one project with me -- the Stephen West shawl. Great project, just got to the interesting part, counting is now involved and following a pattern, albeit simple, is too taxing for my overworked brain so it's been left collecting dust on the nightstand. And I miss Beauregard. He's all packed up and in storage with the rest of my creature comforts!

And that's knitting content, sort of. More to come when I'm back in my own place and start discovering my new city!

Holding a Torch & So Late to the Party!

Hey, I'm back and I.AM.KNITGUY! Yeah, I still like saying it. I have been busy, life is good, even if ever-changing. I continue to work on my toe closures with some success but not enough to actually post. Instead, I've been working my fingers to the bone on my Stephen West shawl. I'm finally into the lace portion and ready to start the second repeat. Photos will come shortly.

This weekend (yes, my weekend this week was Wed/Thur) was intended to be a knit-fest. If you didn't know, I do not have cable television. Remember a few years ago, the cable companies started telling us that we'd need a box to continue to receive digital cable sometime in 2011? Yeah, that finally arrived in South Florida and I never got a box so don't ask me anything about current television, not that I ever watched much popular television anyway. Instead of the knit-fest, I discovered that the new season of Torchwood finally arrived on Netflix! I love Doctor Who and moreso, Torchwood. Maybe I have the hots for John Barrowman or Gareth David-Lloyd. Well, yes, I do have the hots for John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd but it's so much more! Anyway, the new season is finally on Netflix. This morning, I thought, hey, I should watch an episode. Fast forward to midnight and I've completed the entire season. What am I going to to do now? I know I shouldn't have been such a glutton but I just couldn't resist.

So if you are part of the modern world and haven't been watching Torchwood on cable, head over to Netflix and take it for a spin. It's darker than previous seasons but a much bigger story than the former Torchwood seasons when it was all .... find the aliens, open the rift, don't open the rift, save the world storylines!

Anyone know when the next season starts? Please tell me there's another season!

10 Years...

You may never visit but you'll never forget. Find out more about the 9/11 Memorial and Museum here

Say Goodbye to Hollywood

Well, it's all done. In the end, IamKnitGuy won out. There's something about it that I really like, especially when I say it in my biggest, booming voice ... I_A.M_K.N.I.T_G.U.Y (a la The Wizard of Oz)! I considered Garret's TheRealKnitGuy (thanks Garret!) but it was just a little too long and not universally available. I doubt there will be any drastic changes here at Hooked on the Needle except that we're heading into a major CSM period. There's been little hand knitting lately but sock production is definitely in full swing and hand knitting is not entirely abandoned. A Stephen West design has recently made it out of the "what happened to that project" pile! ;-)

In a few weeks, I'll be meeting a friend to finally learn/see kitchener stitch from waste yarn (as is used for CSM socks) in person! Once that hurdle is completed, the adventure will really begin. Stay tuned for exciting updates and potentially, lots of 'em!!!
knitguyla signing off.

An Afternoon with Beauregard

Edit 9:30PM: to replace photo as we have two socks now; meaning a pair!
Original Text 5:30PM: So far only one sock! It's raining in Florida, big surprise, so I couldn't get a true color shot of this sock. I started today. Yarn: Three Irish Girls, Adorn Sock in colorway Estuary. I kinda think this yarn is heavier than a classic sock yarn. It worked Beauregard hard but in the end, I really like it! I'm especially partial to the 5x1 mock-rib. I think it's a really smart look and breaks up the color pools nicely! Pretty cool, considering it was completed in two short episodes of Stargate SG1, my latest Netflix addiction!

On a separate subject, it's time for a change. I want to change my username. I really want to keep knitguy but most variations of knitguy are already taken. Since I'm not from Los Angeles or Louisiana", something has to give!

KnitguyJoe
IamKnitGuy
SeeJoeKnit
JoeEknits
KnitguyJE

Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Oh, and toes soon, I promise!

Thanks everyone!

If you hold out until the end....it's funny!

Can't post, busy making socks. Enjoy the video in the meantime!

Drive by Posting....

Edit: I thought the photo from earlier today of my one sock looked sort of lonely so I decided to pop back on and update the photo! Yes, we have a pair! Outstanding if I do say so myself!


Had to show you the latest. I really like the mock rib and I love the colors of this yarn. It's courtesy of the Men's Fall Knitting Retreat and Scout's Swag. I won it in the giveaway. This girl makes some nice yarn, I tell ya! I love the mock rib so much more than the stockinette, it's so much more ... finished! That's it, I have to try to make the other one before I forget how I did it! Yes, I know, toes are still evading me but I'll figure it out with Harry's help later this month!