Socks Saga and Fall Festival

By now I expected to have a finished pair of Snowflake socks, and a pair of Manly socks on the needles. And I would have too, except for a small sock tragedy. Here's the story. About a week ago, I was down to forming the toe on the 2nd Snowflake. I decided to try them on, as Mom's feet are about the same size as mine. I know you think the next thing I'm going to say is the damn thing was too small and I had to start all over. No. It fit beautifully. I was so impressed with myself until I saw a gaping hole about 1 inch above the heel. I must have dropped a stitch. I tried to pick it up, but I just couldn't cope with the lace. I frogged it to beyond the hole, and then realized I didn't know what row it was on. Then I figured, every other row was a knit row, if I could just frog to a knit row, then I could figure out where I was. I tried that, and I couldn't figure out what stitches to pick up. In the end I frogged the entire sock. I was that close! I rolled the yarn up into a neat ball and didn't look at it for almost a week. I started back on it a couple of days ago, and I'm to the heel flap. I'm thinking I could finish it in a couple of days if I don't screw up again.

In other news, I've been swamped. I've been making handmade watercolor cards for 3 packages I need to mail. Thank you's and an exchange. I'm way behind on the exchange, but it's finished and just needs a cushy package. I haven't done any real studio work. I've had soccer games, building dedications, Halloween parties and Fall Festivals (what happened to Halloween Carnivals? Are they too EVIL?) I baked a mean Lemon Ginger Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting for the Festival Cake Walk. It was gone by the time we got there, so I don't know who got it. I hope they like it. I brushed some Lemoncello over the cake before I frosted it, so I hope they don't object to a little kick.

And about that Fall Festival. We have (had) no pets. DH is completely against having another creature being solely dependent upon us for its well being. What did they have at the festival? Win a Goldfish by throwing something into something else. Both #1 & #2 won a little fishy. At first DH (let's call him Scrooge) told them to take the fish back and exchange them for candy, but I feeling all warm and motherly, said "Let's keep the fish. How hard can it be?" On they way home as the little ones clutched their little plastic baggies in ecstasy, I realized we had nothing to put them in and nothing to feed them. So I dropped off all my guys and headed to WalMart at 8:00 pm on Friday night. It was packed. I never go to WM at nighttime and was surprised at how many people do their shopping in the dark. Anyway. I bought a little bowl and some food and a cute plastic plant. We gave the fish their new home and put the boys to bed. I decided if we were going to keep these fish, I'd better find out what they need to live, so I looked them up on the internet. Turns out goldfish are very dirty fish and poop almost instantly after eating. They need at least 5-10 gallons per fish. Sheesh!

Next day, after 4 soccer games and a Mexican lunch, we headed to Petsmart. Bought a 10 gallon tank and natural pebbles (the fish dude said the colorful UNnatural ones could cut their little mouths). He also recommended live plants for oxygen and a "cleaner" fish, a dogo loach, to eat up the excess goldfish poop. We passed on the plants and the other fish because we had other errands, and apparently they would turn into fish stew if we left them in the car. So yesterday, I went back to Petsmart, bought the cleaner fish and the plants and put them in the tank. It turns out Dojos like a place to hide, so now I'm considering buying him his own sunken ship or treasure chest. You know, so he'll feel at home. So for 2 fifty cent games, we have made an approximately $100 investment. Those fish better live!