Busy Busy Busy!!

Sure Happy It's Thursday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here.

So earlier this week this arrived:

 

In case you can't tell, because it's still in pieces awaiting the arrival of its table tomorrow, this is a modern-day replica of an antique sock knitting machine.

A few years ago, the owner of a small gear manufacturing company in Missouri saw one of the originals (a Gearhart) and decided he wanted to replicate it.  He must have had knitters in his life, I don't know how that otherwise becomes a motivator!  Anyway, years and many improvements later this company, Erlbacher Gear, sells these custom-manufactured machines to knitters (in addition to making gear things for other purposes).  They ship about 6-10 per week.  

This is a late-breaking b-day present to myself.  I also stocked up on some blank sock yarn so I could do a bunch of dyeing and knitting of tubes, once I figure out how this thing works.  

Fortunately, I have a flat knitting machine and am familiar with the phenomenon of one loose hook and the whole shebango goes flying off the needles!  Who knew that weights were so important??

I may need to create a whole new blog section for my sock knitting adventures!

In the meantime, there's this:

Goldilocks.  It's a lot bluer in person.

I finished the knitting on the Biden Our Time solidarity cowl and have cast on the Kama Kama Kama Kama Kamela Harris version.  This should take me through the inauguration next week at least!

In wildlife news: there were a couple of deer milling about in the field this morning after sunrise.  We also think that Benson can hear/smell cats, deer, fox, whatever that walks by the house during the night and that's why he often barroos for no other apparent reason.  No complaints there!