Friday, June 30, 2006

Smallest Sock


I've knit some small socks before (all those baby socks) but this is the smallest sock I've made so far. I used this recipe for it. I wanted a keychain so I just made one. It is so cute!! I used some of my leftover Meilenweit yarn. I think I will do this with all my leftovers, that way my keychain will match whatever socks I happen to be wearing. Yay, I know what you are all thinking, she's gone off the deep end for sure. Naaa, I'm just having fun with my knitting.

I have also finished the first of my patriotic socks. And the second is cast on. Just cruising right along.

Monday is my son's 21st birthday, but we will be celebrating it tomorrow. It will be so good to see my sister and her family and spend some time with her/them. So I better go bake a chocolate cake and some yellow cupcakes... and do some more cleaning. It seems my yarn is taking over the family room. More later!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

And In The Center Ring....


We have the Fishermen's Sock2 (I hope your German is good) finished before the stroke of midnight. This was a fun pair to knit, it is the June sock for the sockmaniacs yahoo group.
Particulars:
Lorna's Laces Sock in Natural
rib: 64 stitches
leg and foot: 72 stitches
If anyone knows of a nicer, softer yarn than Lorna's please let me know. This sock is so luxurious feeling, I can't wait for cooler weather so I can wear them.
And now I have another set of empty needles, which means I will need to start a new sock.
No, I will work on some that are already OTN.
I will be good. Well, it's late and I'm off to bed. More later.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

I'm Not Seeing It



Do you? This is Fortissima 1776, also known as Stars and Stripes. Well, I see the stripes but not the stars. Or am I just blind? I started this sock this morning out of curiosity (and the fact I did have a set of empty needles). Sometimes you just can't fight temptation or startitis. I doubt I'll get them done by the 4th, it will be too hot to wear them anyway. This sock is going so fast, I'm to the heelflap already.
The second Fishermen's Sock is making good progress too, 13 more rows on the leg and it will be heelflap time for it too. I plan to work on that for a while today, and hopefully get at least to the gusset if not through the decreases. Maybe I can get a 3rd pair finished by the end of the month!!
Back to knitting. More later.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Some Silly Questions

My husband asked me some silly questions tonight... I was sitting on the couch, working on the Fishermen's Socks. I had my graph on the clipboard with post- it notes to mark my place, just knitting away. He comes over and looks at it and gets that "what is that" look on his face, so I say it's the pattern. See what it looks like knit up, isn't it pretty? He kind of rolls his eyes and walks into the kitchen. And then he asks the "silly questions"... 1. What do you do with all those socks? I wear them, I say. 2. Don't you have enough? NO! 3. Why don't you sell them? Because I made them to fit me, and I wear them. End of conversation. I have offered to teach him to knit, but that's a no go. If I could just get him hooked, he might understand. Or not.
Just a few more inches and the first sock will be done (on the Fishermen's) and I've started it's mate already ( I did have empty needles and another ball of yarn, so, why not?). I'll keep you posted.
Oh, and my finger is much better.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Monica Said I Had To


Monica said I had to post, so I hurried up and finished the Meilenweit socks I was knitting. I was close to being done anyway. So....... here they are.
The particulars: Meilenweit Inca
68 stitches on size US1 dpn's.
Plain socks.
I decided to let the yarn speak for itself. They are identical until the toe. Why is it always the toe? And after the toe was kitchnered but before I could weave in the ends, I went out and cut some sucker growth from one of the Bradford Pears in the front yard. Well, when I was gathering up the debris something stabbed me in my ring finger near the tip. Mandy pulled it out, but now my finger is red and swollen. I've taken some Benedryl and cleaned and spritzed the wound with some topical Benedryl... so hopefully everything will be alright.

New OTNs is Opal Petticoat. This pair will be for Mandy. I had started it in a 3 x 1 rib on the leg but she likes her socks plain so I ripped it and started over. I love the colors in this yarn... so happy and Springy/Summery. I have also started a pair for Monica (she knows about them) but the yarn and pattern will be a surprise. We will exchange socks in September (when we go to the Wool Gathering). So you will have to wait to see them till then, sorry.
Well, I'm going to see if I can knit. Typing hasn't been too bad. I really need to finish the Fishermen's Socks before the end of the month, we'll see if that happens.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

French Socks Done


Well, I have just kitchnered the toe of the second French Sock .... WOO HOO!! I liked knitting this sock, it was a fun pattern and easily memorized. Mandy has been laying the toe of the sock flat, she says it looks like a crocodile's back and I should put some googley eyes on them and use them for hand puppets. Isn't she funny? It looks more like a rainbow fish to me!






I have started the Lozenge Sock in the brown tweedy Trekking I got at the Hoosier Fiber Fest 2 weekends ago. It is looking nice (only 1 repeat done), this pattern won't be memorized I fear.
It's a pattern that needs your full attention. I'll post a picture of it when I'm further along.


Now that Monica's yarn has been knitted, it is time to put them through the wash (here's hoping the dye doesn't fade). And now I have a set of empty needles too, I may just wait till I have a few of my UFO's done. I hope I can be strong enough to fight my startitis. This may call for some Moose Track's ice cream (I should really be strong to fight that temptation).

Friday, June 09, 2006

30 Things

So, Kerrie at Hip Knits is turning 30 next weekend and is having a contest. So if you're ready (and even if you're not) here are 30 things about me: some of them pretty obvious

1. I'm a knitter! Mostly socks, but I'm trying to branch out.
2. I've been married (to the same man) for 23 years, we dated for six years during and after high school before we got married so we've been together for 29 years.
3. I have 2 children. My son will turn 21 ( how did this happen? where have all these years gone?) on July 3, and my daughter just turned 16 in April.
4. I don't like dogs. (dog lovers don't hate me please)
5. I do like cats, but we're (husband, both kids, and myself) allergic so we have no animals.
6.I also sew, smock, cross stitch, and crochet.
7. I wish I didn't have to work outside the home.
8. I used to be a SAHM.
9. My dad was in the Army so we moved a lot. I've lived in Kentucky (born there), Pennsylvania, Germany, Colorado, Indiana (after dad retired from the Army) and Ohio.
10. I don't like to exercise, but I really need to.
11. I like chocolate! too much
12. I like to cook and bake but I don't like the clean up afterwards (that's what I have kids for. right?).
13. I'm always tired.
14. Until my sister taught me a year and a half ago, I was afraid to knit socks. I'm addicted now!
15. I'm half way done, this is harder than it seemed before I started. How do people come up with their 100 lists?
16. I don't like bugs! I don't go screaming from a room though (well unless they're big and I don't have a shoe handy).
17. I don't like coffee. I do like the smell of coffee though.
18. I do like tea. I drink decaffeinated raspberry flavored tea (that I brew and then chill) every day.
19. I don't drink pop. I used to, but not anymore. It makes me hiccup. But that's not why I don't drink it.
20. I've had a lot of surgeries. Organs I don't have anymore include: appendix (not an organ, I know), gallbladder, and uterus(not an organ either). I've also had scar tissue removed from my left knee and a melanoma from my left cheek. My son was born by C-section.
21. I was supposed to be left-handed, but my mom made me right-handed.
22. I am left eyed ( my husband says this would be a great asset if I played baseball. And I don't anymore).
23. My favorite color is yellow. Yet everything (dishes, towels, etc) in my house is blue. No yellow at all.
24. I do have yellow paint for the half bath. I think I will do some painting during my vacation the week of July 3rd. I will have to buy some new yellow towels.
25. I'm the middle child of 7. Yes I do have a few issues with my birth order. 5 girls, 2 boys. Dad always said if he had known he was going to have 5 girls he would have invested in Kotex.
26. I'm not a candidate for HRT, so I just have to put up with the hot flashes and night sweats (fan please!).
27. I don't drink alcohol. I have been known to take a sip of Asti Spumanti on New Years Eve, but that one sip puts me right to sleep.
28. I don't answer tela-marketer calls. So stop calling me! I don't want new windows or gutters or cable tv.
29. I like old movies. B/W: Bishop's Wife (Cary Grant...aahhhh), Shadow of a Doubt, Rebecca, Laura, Sorry Wrong Number, I could go on and on. And musicals too.... Seven Brides /Seven Brothers, Oklahoma, Fiddler on the Roof, Show Boat, Funny Girl, My Fair Lady. that's enough I guess.
30. Finally, I'm going grey.... and I don't care one bit.

Happy Birthday Kerrie!!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Family Visits,Fiber Fair, and Dyeing


My niece was confirmed this past Sunday and Monica commissioned me to make her this t-shirt. She has always wanted an "I Survived" t-shirt, so I was more than happy to do this for her.



While my daughter and I were visiting, Monica
and I went to the Hoosier Fiber Fair. It wasn't
very big, but I did come away with several balls
of sock yarn. And one (the red/white/blue Trekking) I didn't even have to pay
for, it was a door prize. Monica won too, she got
the Cascade 220 book. There are some nice
patterns in it.



And she showed me how to dye yarn too. It smelled like lemonade and orange kool-aid in her house for a while. But the results are wonderful. It is dry and just waiting for some needles to empty out. I think I can do this on my own now, I don't know why I thought this would be hard or scary.

I have also finished the first Child's French sock out of the yarn Monica dyed (and you'll be proud of me) and have started it's partner. No SSS on this one. I will post a picture as soon as I have them both done.

Well that's all for today.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Last Day of School

It's my daughter's last day of school today and mom is doing the happy dance. No more early risings for a while (well, till summer gym starts on the 12th anyway). Maybe it would be alright to let her get her license afterall. Scary thought, have to push it out of my mind.
On the knitting front, I have been doing some. But it's just not picture or blogging worthy, progress is slow on everything I have on the needles. I know, BORING.Well, maybe after a weekend with my sister (see you sometime tomorrow) I will have something to show. Have a great weekend.