Pocket Queens Stab You With Knitting Needles

OK, so as you may have gathered from the title of today's post, I played poker last night. But first, let's see some WIP action here:

Mason Dixon After Dark Nightgown, a little over 1/2 way done for the back panel. I'm almost done with the waist decreases and then will go to the top border of the pattern. My favorite part about this nightgown?

The vine lace pattern at the bottom. I don't know why I am so giggly about this, but I am. Perhaps I have been without sock knitting too long?

Maybe not. Last night I broke my New Years Resolution to only knit on things that were currently on the needles. I decided to go play poker in the league and I couldn't take the nightgown to work on since I need to count rows and decrease and then increase, and then go start working a lace border for the top, so I needed something mindless to take with me. All the projects on the needles currently are anything but mindless. The nightgown is the least involved of everything right now. So, I broke down, grabbed the ball of Opal Chameleon yarn that Kim gave me for my birthday this past year, and started a new sock. This is my new car sock (I've been dying for something to do while I sit in traffic after work) and new poker sock until I get to more mindless stockinette on the nightgown.

You'll notice that the needles used are metal. I have been using Brittany Birch needles for a while now, and I do like them, but I think I have warped at least two of them nearly beyond repair (nearly I said, I will be trying to unwarp them soon). I have always liked to knit socks with metal needles, but my Susan Bates sock needles were wearing so that the stitches would not flow well. So, I ordered this:

Those of you who have a set, recognize this right away. This is the KnitPicks options needle set with the case. I'm in love with these needles by the way. They are sharp, smooth, and the yarn flows just like an Addi would let it flow. While I was ordering the set, I decided to try some of their size 1 DPNs. They are wonderful. They're as sharp as the Bates needles, less flimsy, and they have that Addi coating on them which makes knitting on the sock very easy. Go buy some, they're well worth it.

Anyways, I played poker and worked on the sock. I finished the cuff even though I was out of the tournament before 9 last night. I made it to final table and was definitely the short stack of the bunch. I look down on the second hand of the final table and I see pocket queens. Thinking this might be the time to push, I go all in. Everyone folds except the big chip stack. He has KJ off suit. I'm concerned about that over he has on me. Flop comes up 7 7 J. We both have two pair. Turn is a 2, no help to either one. River...

Curse the river, he hits his K and I'm out of the tourney. Blah. Oh well, I got some good knitting time in even if it was short. I went home and crashed since I was really tired from very little sleep on Sunday after having to vacate the house to the owners for the evening. I was back in my own bed last night and I slept really well.

I also finished up that red roving this weekend and I think I promised a picture of it yesterday, so here it is:

I had a few singles of it left, so I unwound them and had them sitting on the floor. Next thing I know, they're here:

Spooky decided that she needed a nest and drug the singles into her cage and piled them up. Then she flopped on them like it was her little bed. It was cute, but if she touches the good stuff like that, there will be hell to pay...

Knit on...