Pattern Pickin'

Sorry I have been "lost", not posting to this thing like usual. In preparations for our upcoming visit to the states, I have been trying to finish Mr. Left's sweater (might have a chance at this!) while trying to find another sock pattern to take on the plane, and other patterns that will stave off moments of boredom (i.e. the Jersey Turnpike).

I was hoping to start the Firestarter socks from Yarnissima, but they are much more complicated than I thought and not the kind of soothing sock work one takes on a trip (I am not beyond kindly asking the flight attendant to page the plane to see if there is another knitter on board who can explain the pattern). So I have started Teosinte Socks by Anne Hanson of knitspot.com. I have knit these socks before and enjoyed them immensely so these are perfect.
Last time I knitted them in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Baltic, but this time I am using Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in a wonderful reddish variegated called Foxy Lady. This is my last skein of CTH, just in time for my supershop-a-thon with Julie, who is my bf and fellow yarn-a-holic. We will throw down at Seaport Yarns, to put it mildly. Go here to check out pictures of the progress on this (the knitting, not the shopping, as that hasn't happened yet).

Congrats go out to my Peace Corps colleague, Jeff Austin, and his wife, Berna. Just a few days ago they had their first child, Tekla, a beautiful little girl. Jeff was in the next town over from mine during the first year of our service and we were both in the same sector--agroforestry. Tekla, welcome to the world and to your big Peace Corps family.