FO: Leaves o' Gold Socks

Since leaving Korea when I was but a wee toddler, I've only been back once. After my freshman year in college, my a cappella group traveled through Asia for a month and we spent five days in Seoul.

The local chapter of our school's alumni treated us to a lunch and one of the men, the CEO of some large company I can't remember, was reminiscing about his drinking days back in college. Jokingly, he informed us that the Koreans are known as "the Irish of Asia." Apparently, my people like the likker.

Later that night, wouldn't you know it? We came across an Irish bar right in our own hotel. You know what it was called?

O'Kim's.

I kid you not. And ever since then, I am a little obsessed with using the o' in random and inappropriate places.

I like to think these socks are an homage to the little bit o' Irish in every Korean.

Leaves o' Gold Socks
Pattern: Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt
Yarn: Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Gold, 1 skein
Needles: US 1 circs
Absolutely no modifications except for making it shorter to fit my feet.

I cast on for these because I was taking a few days to visit the 'rents and I didn't want to lug by large lace shawls or sweaters on the bus. I flipped through this pattern and thought it looked simple enough and I headed out. Whew. Two days later, I had eaten my fill of a large home-grilled steak, plenty of grilled veggies, watched two rather bad thriller movies, slept like the dead, and bound off these socks.

I really love how easy this pattern was and how it flows so smoothly. The toes are perfect. The leaves are perfect. The yarn! Sea Wool is a teensy bit crunchy while knitting, but softens after blocking to a beautiful fabric.

Also, these socks make me think of Eva Cassidy's beautiful, beautiful cover of Sting's "Fields of Gold." If you haven't heard it, go here to listen. It makes me all kinds of sad and happy.

Now on to a tale of two batteries:

You notice how the one on the right reads, "CR2," while the one on the left clearly reads, "123"? Apparently, I cannot read. I spent $14 buying two of the 123 batteries when what I really needed were two CR2 batteries. $14 is not a huge loss, but it is if I basically just threw it into the trash. It's not even like buying two AA batteries you don't need. You can always find uses for AA batteries. But 123? ARGHHHH.

Anyway, I need the batteries for this:

It's my old Pentax camera. I bought it several years ago from a friend who had no more use for it and then I promptly abandoned it when I realized I really needed a digital camera. This one ain't digital. It's old school and uses film. I don't even know if I remember how to handle film.

I never even learned how to use this thing properly, but my roommate Don is a photographer and he promised to teach me how to work it. That is, if I can ever get my brain straight in the drugstore and buy the proper batteries.