hey love, I'm an inconstant satellite

These are the ones I finished just before Sock Wars, except that I really finished today by weaving in ends during class. 80 stitches around, #1 needles, fingering weight yarn. Double gusset to fit my narrow feet.



The diagonal ribbing is 2 rows of K2P3, then shift by 1 stitch for the next 2 rows, then shift again, etc.

The yarn is Trekking XXL color 109 (75% new wool and 25% nylon, sorry non-wool-wearers!). This brand has beautiful sock yarns, of which I already have more: one teal and one black skein. I was thinking of doing a Fair Isle pattern with them together, but I hadn't realized the self-striping was so strong -- too busy. Pairing one with a solid color could be very nice, though.

I finished my socks and sent them to my target this afternoon before coming home. Upon arriving home I found my own Doom Socks, several shades redder than the ones I made (and in what I bet is the correct gauge). Good thing I mailed mine first!

Everything smelled good today. I do so like being in classes again. And the scholarship office wrote me saying they want more info so they can give me money.

Okay, I have finished my pretty Trekking XL purple socks before September 22 (barely), Anyone know what time it is in Ireland? I am aiming to win this thing.

Learned:

1. I would like my very own Emma Bull, please. Yow.


2. Being desperate for people to pay attention to me gives every indication of being just as unattractive as it was the other time I felt that way (CTY summer program for smarties, age sixteen).


3. Relatedly, one should make meal plans early, because one's friends have other friends and most people already knew this rule.


4. Actually I am really sad about Octavia Butler; I just wasn't ready to focus on it before.


5. There are feminist SF-writing elders. You probably all knew that, but I didn't feel it before seeing some of them together being amazing.


6. Apart from being a genius writer, Geoff Ryman is about the best sport in the world, and wonderfully kind to boot. Several-many other people are also wonderful, but he was a superstar.

Acquired:

• A Princess of Roumania, Paul Park. Freebie. Rumor says not so good. I haven't tried it yet.
  
• Trash Sex Magic, Jennifer Stevenson. Read on the planes home. Very strong sense of place, deep unexplained magic, good language. Lots of sex in, though not smutty; can see why it was printed by Small Beer rather than a large publishing house.


• Carmen Dog, Carol Emshwiller. Wanted to read for ages, started with boxofdelights' copy and had to get my own. Simple and silly and lovely, about what happens when women start turning into animals and vice versa. I loved Pooch's poems and the way forgiveness was not even an issue.


• Things Invisible to See, ed. Lawrence Schimel. Free anthology of queer magic realism stories.


• Plants for the Future: A Gardener's Wishbook, Jerome Malitz. It's about ornamental plants and genetic engineering. How could I not get it? Sadly, it is ten years old and the author doesn't seem to appreciate the complexity of plant development. (Those may not be independent of each other.) Still very cool.


• Roadside Use of Native Plants, ed. Bonnie Harper-Lore and Maggie Wilson. Wim got me this while I was gone! It is another perfectly-hitting-my-interests book. What else is out there that I would leap on if only I knew about it?


• Grin, Mark Rich. A cute and giggle-making line drawing of a large, lumpen creature playing a violin and with a giant toothy smile.


• Larque on the Wing, Nancy Springer. Haven't been crazy about Springer in the past, but the sex-changing premise sounds good and I've heard good things about this one.


• Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers, Lois-Ann Yamanaka. Never heard of it, but the Hawaiian coming-of-age summary sounds great.


• Bodies in Motion, Mary Ann Mohanraj. I like her smutty stories, which show up in about any anthology Marcy Sheiner edits. And I was going a little nuts in the dealers' room by that time.


• Mindscape, Andrea Hairston. Liked what the author had to say on a panel, and the blurbs are killer. Also still nuts.


• The Strange Desserts of Professor Natalie Doom, Kat Beyer. Cute full-color chapbook about one woman's journey toward her true mad-science self. #10/250.


• Concussed. Chapbook from Eastercon 2006 == Concussion. Good authors listed.


• Scribe Revolution volume II: Virology. Free chapbook/zine, not sure why I picked it up.


• Space Squid, vol. 1, issue 1. Does not live up to its awesome name, but mildly amusing. And hey, squid.


• Blood-orange-scented hotel toiletries.

Made:

• One sock, finely striped in blue and black. (The toe of its mate was the first of several times I did Kitchener stitch using knitting needles only during the con. Yes, I am an inveterate maker-do, and kinda proud of it.)


• One unspecified item of cuteness for lirrin's kidlet.

I am very glad I went. Now if only I were independently wealthy and my finals were at a different time.