Sockapaloooza and a Recycling Dilemma

I meant to say thank you for all the nice comments over the last week. I was huddled on the couch with my computer, so I read them all. I kept up with all of your blogs though there was nothing pleasant to write on my own. Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't answered comments individually but after a week of sloth, my house...ummmm, yes, well...it looks like a crap hole. I'm just quickly posting and moving on to things like scraping up over a week's worth of accumulated grunge, mail/paperwork, bathroom mess, laundry, etc. That's the worst part about being the sick Mommy. Once you get better you're punished for having been sick in the first place!

So anyway, there has been some late-night knitting. Last night Hub and I watched a movie called The Great Raid. I hadn't heard of it but we both enjoy a good WWII movie so we checked it out. Plus it starred Benjamin Bratt, who is watchable under any circumstances. Can I get an amen?

It was a good story, focusing on the Pacific theater of WWII, which you don't usually see. But it was kind of slow, mainly showing the extensive military planning that went into the rescue/raid. So it made for some decent knitting time. I decided since we're almost halfway through March already it might be nice if I started my sockapaloooza socks. Though in my defense there was some confusion (mine) over the definition of "ankle socks" and I dilly-dallied about starting because I didn't know what kind of cuff my pal wanted. I still don't know the exact definition of "ankle sock" but we're going with a short-ish cuff.


simply lovely lace socks, from Spring 2006 IK

I'm hoping my pal likes a lace sock! This is such a total departure from my usual sock knitting. I live in freaking Buffalo, for pete's sake - I would knit my socks right up to my eyeballs if I could. The concept of ankle socks is so foreign to me! If you know anything about Buffalo you know we go from wooly knee socks weather to Birkenstock weather over about 2 days each "Spring." So there's never even time for a shorty sock 'round here.

Here's another view of the beginning of a cuff. I'm using part of my birthday haul - Knitpicks Sock Landscape in spring prairie, which I adore. I was planning to selfishly hoard this yarn but decided to go ahead and use it for my pal. I can always order it again.


I'm hoping the pattern will show up in this yarn. It will certainly look different in a multi than a solid. Also, I'm cheating with the yarn weight and needle size. Neither are what the pattern calls for, but I always knit my socks on size 2 needles with 60 stitches (which I am doing here), so I think these might work out fine.

attack of the giant hand!!!

And now, a dilemma. Do you have Panera where you live? We don't have one in our little 'burb, but in the much bigger, more affluent area where our parents live there are several. I learned to love Panera on my way back and forth to college, as there was one at a particularly nice highway rest stop. So yesterday after I got my car back (yay!) I stopped in there to get some celebratory bagels. Particularly cinnamon crunch bagels, for which I'm pretty sure I would sell my soul. But here is the problem. When you get the "bagel deal" (13 bagels and 2 spreads), you get this thing:

box o' bagels!

My crafty, recyling side just twitches when I think of throwing this awesome cardboard box in the garbage. It's huge! It's sturdy! It's cute! I feel like surely I could use it for something.

Oh well. It will probably end up in the recycling bin (if my husband has anything to do with it). Unless anyone has a better idea...(?)