As some of you may know, I’m a woman of many hobbies. I’ve found I have to have something to do to keep my hands busy sometimes. I have to have a different type of creativity besides writing and reading.

My current favorite (it changes on occasion) is knitting and I’m just tackling my first pair of socks. I’m not sure how many others out there that read my blog are knitters but be warned that I’ll probably bore the others on occasion with updates on the knitting front.

Right now I’m fascinated by socks. I ordered a Sock Knit Along from Knit Picks to play with but I had some needles and yarn from a prior order so I started a pair of socks.

These are in Knit Picks Felici yarn, Patina colorway. I’m knitting them on 2.5mm double-pointed needles and working toe-down. The pattern is more of a recipe from the book More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. It’s a four-stitch pattern called Embossed Stitch. This is sock #1 and I’ve been working on it, off and on, for two days.

I’ll get some pictures in the next day or so to show you all. Then you can run screaming away!

Well, not too bad overall but I was sick most of the week. That sucked. But I’m mostly back on track with the food issues. Wish I was losing faster but at least I’m losing. I’m getting near having another wardrobe malfunction with my favorite jeans, though. I noticed I keep having to tug them up at work.

Have to do some closet diving and find the next size down to see if I can wear them yet.

252 – Start Weight
241 – Today
(11) – Net
101 – To Go

A paranormal offering this week :) ‘Tis the season, I guess.

(Archives are on the website, if you want to read the offerings of past weeks)

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The Wild Hunt
(c) 2008 by Maura Anderson

The blustering wind blew painful needles of freezing rain against her almost numb cheeks. Arms wrapped around her knees, she ducked her head and huddled under the scant cover offered by the violently moving trees above her. The forest’s huge hemlocks and firs shook and swayed in the storm that had appeared out of nowhere, loud groans and cracks accompanying every gust.

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Come visit the Fiction with Friction authors on the Literary Nymphs Yahoo Chat on October 25th from 2pm to 7pm.

Meet the true test of geekdom. The item in the back is a floating arm trebuchet. Yes, a siege engine (albeit a modern design). You can click on the thumbnail to open a larger version of the picture.

Just in case we ever need to wage war on the neighbors, lol.

Mr. Maura is on the left and the Morganator on the right. They have dubbed the trebuchet “The Maltby Flinger.” It’s actually been living in the garage for several years but Mr. Maura took it out in the last few weeks after hearing about a pumpkin tossing contest not far from us. He stole the 550 line I had bought in Ft. Benning for the Joes to make a sling with and bought it a few new accessories since it was not originally designed to hurl an 8lb pumpkin.

The mad scientist expression is, I believe, deliberate. Either that or the help of the seven year old Morganator has finally stolen any brain cells remaining.

Come on, doesn’t everyone have a siege engine in their garage? Or driveway?

I will point out that I have so far managed to convince Mr. Maura that using it to launch fireworks would be a Very Bad Idea. Whether that continues to be the case, I cannot promise.

Mr. Maura insists I put up a picture of the sling he made as well.