Well, I picked up a few skeins of Trekking a few weeks back... sort of on a whim because I came face to face with it and I know I've heard a lot of mentions of it on the blogs. I'm planning to start a new pair of socks with in in the next week or so. (Gotta wrap up a few remaining holiday things first... hat for my brother, another pair of Fetchings, Regia Jubilee socks I started forever ago before I realized I didn't like self-patterning yarn...) I haven't determined yet what the best pattern is to try for my first Trekking socks. I just want something straightforward, and I'm taking a few basic options with me and also found this Trekking pattern. (I found this scarf, too, and I'm not planning to do a scarf, but I wonder if this would work in Koigu?)

I'm still really itching to try Socks that Rock. Maybe 2007 really will be the year for socks for me.

And then, the special Violet Pink Ribbon colorway by Lisa Souza is very, very pretty... and helps Violet of the Lime and Violet Podcast, which is great.

I'm away for the holidays, and I'm feeling the pain of not being able to run in and update my iPod with this week's newest batch of podcasts for naptime listening or general knit-time listening (when everyone else is watching something like a soap opera, which isn't my thing)... i'm keeping a list of what i'd really like uploaded, if i can get it... i'm hoping mom can stock her Nano with me for the week. in addition to the ability to delete files directly from the iPod itself (for instance, after I finish a podcast or when I hear a track from an album that I realize I don't like but won't remember specifically later when I'm at my desktop), i wish i could just plug the iPod in on any computer and have it work like a flash drive (e.g., USB stick) so that I could at least just copy over a new mp3 file and listen. it doesn't seem like it's asking much. and i don't really want to have to have additional software on the guest computer (or the computer at which I'm a guest) to make that happen. doesn't seem like too much to ask.

here's my list so far, just off the top of my head as i manually check in at URLs, of what i need to listen to...

material mama episodes 11 and 11.5

lime and violet
ep 21

chub creek
ep 81

pointysticks
ep 11

Knitting Cook
ep 7 (and she's got lots of great recipes posted since i last looked; i'm a "breads/scones/muffins" gal... and i'm printing them now)

craftborg
ep 12.5

cast-on
no new episode; brenda's sick

What are you listening to this season?

And, if you haven't had your share of holiday-specific podsafe music, you can tune in to Episode 29 of the Creative Mom Podcast. It's holiday-laden.

Okay... so it worked. Last time I tried it... plugging an iPod into someone else's computer (or actually someone else's iPod into my computer), it didn't work - didn't immediately recognize it as a drive. But, I gave it a try here anyway, and it worked. I loaded podcasts on Mom's shuffle, and that was great. But then I needed to do something else and popped my mini into her laptop, and up it came. I couldn't copy anything from my mini to her iTunes, of course. But, I was able to drag over a few other podcast episodes I'd downloaded.

There will be much to report in coming days... already it's been a hugely creative Christmas. I know it's not all about the gifts, but gifts are fun, and this year, already, everything I've opened has been something to do or to "use" to do... both in terms of knitting and sketching and painting. So, so, so fun.

I actually logged on just now to go and check out what I can find out about Rotring Art Pens...