I've been keeping secrets...

You all know that I have to keep much about my little design projects secret, due to the fact that they're going to be published at some point, but I have a couple things in the works that I've been keeping y'all totally in the dark about. The first is...I've worked up yet another Knitty project. Yes, I'm going to submit another design for Amy Singer to reject. I'm going to hit her with two barrels this time, though, and also submit an article. Wish me luck! This time I'm submitting a sock design, since that seems to be my specialty lately. I think they're really cool, but from past experience I know my taste and Amy's to be a bit different. I'm going to send along my knitting resume this time as well, and see if a list of all my upcoming pubs makes any difference.

The second project is...oh, I'm almost too embarrased to tell you. I'm thinking of writing a book. Actually, I've got the proposal and the first chapter written. It got rave reviews from Bill and my mom (big surprise there), and also from a knitting friend who's an English major/published poet. For some reason, I fancy myself the next Yarn Harlot. It would be based loosely on the blog, but obviously would need to be less mundane and more well-thought out. I don't want to say too much, but I can't seem to do anything without telling you guys about it! I'm no good at keeping secrets about myself. I'm guessing nothing will come of it (trying not to get my hopes up here), but it's fun to think about anyway. What do you guys think? Is the blogger-as-author thing over? Or would you guys be interested in reading the inside story of how I learned to knit, how I turned it into a business, things like that? Knitting is so popular these days, as are books with firsthand accounts of the difficulties of parenting. Why not combine the two?

The kids are both sick again. Owen has been up hourly the past two nights, so I'm running on sugar and caffeine right now. He is quickly becoming an expert walker, which is so fun to watch. However, he has had the temper of a grizzly bear the past few days. Doesn't want to be put down for a second, and most of the time he only wants ME to hold him. He's such a momma's boy. I did still manage to get a bit of knitting done on the Mag Knits project, which is shaping up nicely. We were going to head out to the coast for the day today, but with sick kids, a missing hour (thank you, Daylight Savings Time) and crappy weather, it looks like we're stuck in the house again all day. Hopefully I'll be able to get a little work done!

Before we get to all the end-of-March sock updates and announce the March prize winner, I have a little update of my own for the Sock Yarn Addicts Club. I've been a bad knit-alonger and was supposed to have this to Abigail days ago, but I didn't have time to dig through my stash until this morning, when I was actually up before anyone else and could spread everything out without little fingers getting into it. Turns out I have 49 balls of sock yarn (that I could find), which translates into about 29 pairs of socks. Wow! That's a lotta socks. I also have another hank coming from Mama-E, but I ordered it before April 1 so it doesn't count against me! Here is the big sock stash flash pic:



As you can see if you click on the pic for a large view, I have quite the affinity for Knit Picks and Lorna's Laces. Ah, so much sock yarn, so little time. I've got to get cracking on my Sockapaloooza socks. I was all set to come up with a cool pattern of my own for them, but ironically the Twisted Socks pattern from Knit Picks (this is the pattern they gave me to knit the catalog sample from) was very similar to the design I was originally kicking around. That's one of the problems with knit design - if you do something simple, it has probably been done before, and it's really hard to know unless you happen to run into the pattern by accident. I also started sketching out a pattern from a Barbara Walker stitch called the pigtail cable until I realized that it seemed awfully familiar... It was! It's the stitch Nancy Bush used for the Conwy socks in Knitting on the Road. But if I didn't have that book, and I didn't knit them myself, I probably wouldn't have known.

Owen is digging around in my office garbage can right now. Sigh. I'm going to go on faith that there's nothing in there that he shouldn't eat... It's mostly paper, but it's possible I tossed a dirty baby wipe or two in there. Am I a terrible mom for not being more concerned about what he's finding on his mini-dumpster diving expedition?

Okay, here are the sock updates and the (drumroll please) big March prize winner!

Persnickety Knitter finished a pair of Bearfoot socks with an eye-of-partridge heel flap which I really love and will be trying very soon!

Kathleen knit up some awesome Socks That Rock Happy Feet socks.

Tonia knit up some adorable lace socks for her lucky friend PJ.

Judy at Living Lakeside finished some impressively large socks for her truck-driver hubby to wear on the road.

Linda finished a pair of Broadripple socks for her first brownie point!

Karen gets two more brownie points for boy-and-girl baby socks (one blue, one pink - too cute!). Okay, I almost made myself barf with the cheesiness of that last little paranthetical comment...

Manda gets an M for some felted slipper socks. How cool are they? Maybe that's what I'll make out of my other skeins of Sock Garden...

Rachel knit up these yummy Koigu Crusoe socks (from the Knitty pattern) for her M:



Sara made some Noro Kureyon slippers that don't count for the sock knit-along but are still super cool.

Lisa finished some Opal Ladybug socks.

Shayla finished some blue Wildfoote socks.

Jamie finished some Broccoli Socks.

Elizabeth finished some Jaywalkers for a brownie point.

Wendy finished some sockettes for her hubby for yet another brownie point.

Courtney has two pairs of march socks done - purple Kerstisocks and Fly Fishing Jaywalkers.

Kristy finished these lovely blue confections for her M:



Tara knit up some toasty-looking ribbed socks for her M.

Roberta has a couple brownie-point socks which she has displayed here surrounding her M tulip-heel socks (which I still think are neater than neat).

Sonya gets an M for a pair of Dublin Bay socks.

Whew! That is all. And, the moment you've all been waiting for, our March winner is....Persnickety Knitter! Congrats! Get me your mailing info and I will get your sock yarn in the mail to you.

Thanks, everyone, for another great sock-of-the-month month. Get those April socks started, y'all!