Insanity comes in many forms

This week, it came the form of size 11 seed beads. I've included a picture of this small beaded piece by a pen to let you get some perspective on just how small size 11 seed beads are.

I've had beading madness for years now. It all started when I was in elementary school. I joke about my age, but I was in the first grade very soon after the Summer of Love (1968), and my bead obsession manifested itself sometime around then.

It all started with "love bead" necklaces that my friends and I made. These were simple strands of seed beads and bugle beads interspersed on a strand of elastic. Very easy to make. You take the strand of elastic, make sure it will go over your head and string the beads, alternating between seed and bugles. I wish I could remember how old I was when I made those, but it's really not important. Just take my word that the obsession with beads began quite early.

Not that it's always manifested itself. The beading madness will go dormant, sometimes for years, before roaring back into full obsession. It's in full swing now, with wild and wonderful ideas popping into my head, leaving me wondering just how in world to get them to work.

There are other forms of madness too. Sometimes they involve Malabrigo lace yarn, 2 skeins of it, and a simple shawl pattern called Citron. True, that pattern only calls for one Malabrigo, but the one I've seen knitted up has extra repeats of the pattern, and that's the size I must knit.

Shirley is teaching a class at Needle Nook that I just had to take. Knitting entrelac in the round. This bright red item on the left is the beginning rounds of a hat using this technique. I find using a solid yarn for entrelac is sooooooo boring. Next time, it's most definitely something that self stripes.

The sun has appeared, giving me a chance to get some pictures of finished socks.

The sock with blue heel and toes is the first of a pair for Keith. It's knitted from Malabrigo sock yarn for heels and toes, and Yarnsmith's Prairie for the main color. He picked out the Prairie when we went to SAFF a few years ago. This was before I figured out just how much yarn it takes to knit socks for him. Luckily, the Malabrigo was in my stash, and it matches quite well. The picture shows the blue as brighter than it really is, at least on my monitor.

These other socks are mine, Watermelon colorway from Miss Babs, purchased at the same SAFF. This is one of the times where I liked the yarn in the skein much better than knitted up. In the skein it looked much pinker, but the green mutes out the pink once it's knitted. I did like the yarn itself very much.

If you look closely on the right, you can see my little piece of beadweaving. I had put it on the bench while I was digging out my camera, so you have another chance for some perspective on its size.

Today is the Super Bowl, for those who keep track of such things. I'll admit that I don't, and I've just realized I've no idea who the Saints are playing today. What I really care about is that it's sunny, that I've got graph paper to get some of these beading ideas out of my head, and whether I'll bead or knit today.

OMG! Can you believe there's not a single cat picture in the bunch today?