Pomatomus Soaking and A Baby Shrug Revisited

Pomatomus
They're finally done. Loved the pattern, loved the yarn, should NOT have used them together! That about sums it up. Also, the legs are very long. The next time I make this pattern, I won't be doing all the repeats on the legs, that's for sure. Right now, said socks are indulging in a Kookaburra bath. I would've worn them right away and taken pics, but I thought I'd better let the lace and stitches even out with blocking.


Lacy Baby Shrug Revisited
I made this shrug a few years ago using Shine Sport in Hydrangea. At the moment, I can't remember the knitting magazine it's from, but I'm sure it's on my projects page on Ravelry. It always was a little big on Marie. But now it fits great! She wore it to Grandma and Grandpa's on Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day
Speaking of Valentine's Day, we dropped the kids off at my parents and went to dinner. There's a little Mexican restaurant that's been around for nearly twenty years at Carriage Place called Chile Verde Cafe. Jared and I had no idea when we got into the car at my parents' where we'd eat dinner. But somehow I remembered that this place was one I'd always wanted to try. It's won numerous awards over the years. As we neared Bethel and Sawmill Roads, I spontaneously said, "Let's go to Chile Verde Cafe!"

We only had to wait twenty minutes even though it was packed. The salsa was great, lots of cilantro, onion, and garlic. BTW the tomatoes in the salsa were fresh, not canned. Jared ordered a spicy beef burrito with the medium Rojo sauce. The waiter told him, "It's really spicy, just so you know." Jared certainly found that out: he had to excuse himself to go take care of his runny nose midway through his burrito :-) I ordered a duo dinner with spicy crab cake and a chicken burrito. Since their salsa was spicier than the norm, I chose to go with the Ranchero sauce, which was similar to the salsa. The small crab cake, which had corn and other things in it, was served with a spicy dipping sauce. My dinner came with seasoned pinto beans, again fresh, and rice. To sum my experience at Chile Verde Cafe: fresh, spicy, and nice cozy little place.

Oh gosh, I forgot to mention that I ordered a strawberry margarita, which was the special because it came with a chocolate covered strawberry! Anyway, this little best kept secret (oops the secret's out!), which BTW is expanding and will be finished with construction by springtime, is a definite keeper. I don't plan on bringing my kids here, though. It's not really a kid place. It's too cozy for highchairs and booster seats, not to mention the slightly higher prices. Jared was really happy I picked this place, and he's a picky eater. So, I'm sure we'll be coming here for future birthdays and such. I should also mention that it was really nice to wear jeans and sneakers for dinner. Maybe when the kids get old enough not to annoy me, I'll enjoy dressing up again. Right now, it's too much stress to try to look nice when they're hovering around me.

Books
After dinner, we went to Barnes & Noble since we don't get to go there much (kids). I stacked as many books in my arms as I could and sat down at a table in the cafe. Sorting them into two piles, I had knitting books in one pile and health/fitness books in the other. I was impressed that Barnes & Noble had many new titles of knitting books. They had the a la carte socks book, the French Girl Knits book, and a recent (I think) handpainted socks book. The two sock books that I spent the most time skimming were the Melissa Morgan-Oakes book, 2-at-a-time SOCKS, and Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Knitted Socks. I was curious to see the particular magic loop method because it differs from my method. She also doesn't do toe-up socks. I think I prefer my method because it's less confusing IMO.

I was super impressed with the Schurch book! Instead of sticking to only one method for needles, heels, toes, and direction, she gives you everything. It's SO well organized. The patterns are divided by number of stitches, and she even includes a section of mosaic patterns. There are stitch dictionaries, sizing charts, and information on how to customize to your foot. Love it, love it, love it! I'm definitely going to put this on my wishlist. I'd been considering converting top-down socks to toe-up as my next venture in sock knitting. But now I think I'll get some practice first with this book... although, toe-up Jaywalkers are calling my name :-)

OTN
Now that I'm done with Pomatomus, I'm going to work on just one project: Amused. I know for some of you, that's hard to believe, and you're probably right if you think I'll crack and cast on for something else before finishing Amused! That's how it goes, though, doesn't it?! I get too excited to begin something else :-)