Hey look, I'm not dead or anything!

I have just been busy this past week. What have I been doing? Well, not knitting on the big fuzzy rectangle as much as I probably should have that's for sure. Sorry Julia, I swear it will be done eventually.
I finished up my first knitting bag yesterday by sewing on the handles without benifit of the sewing machine. It looks really super great, but I'm going to have to modify my pattern a bit to make it easier to attach them using the machine because it was a huge PITA and took 2 hours to get them on there securely with my limited hand sewing skills. I'm pretty darn proud of myself for not screwing up the machine sewn part of the bag actually. Sewing machines and I historicly don't get along too well.
Sunday night I started my first toe-up sock. The cuff down sock of doom isn't something I really want to repeat. It has fit issues. I think I've found my perfect sock here with the toe-up method described at Stasia's Sock Page. The cast on is genius,(it kicks the figure 8 method's ass) there is literally no math or swatching involved here, and the experimental slipper sock I'm doing out of Rowan Cork on #4 dpn's is looking pretty darn spiffy. So spiffy in fact, that it will for sure be getting a mate so I can wear them around the house. I'll get a picture for you to see it as soon as I finish the cuff. Lots of toe-up sock knitting will probably be going on over here all summer (in between the finishing of the current WIP's of course.)
I haven't made much progress on the gardening and yard things. Hopefully it won't rain on me this weekend like it has been. I'm off work early on Friday so I'll have almost three days to get some things started if I can motivate myself to work on it. Tonight we're weeding the old flower beds and putting in some new mulch and new flower box flowers if we can manage it before dark. Wish me luck.
Pictures of everything are forthcoming as soon as I get new batteries for the camera.