What was I thinking???

Just total weirdness! While I've been struggling to adapt to those pretty little wooden needles, I screwed up the basic product I've been trying to produce. I'm very new at the art of a little lace.
I've got the basic sock design & pattern so firmly annealed to the "little grey cells" as Poirot would say, that I need some new action. Since the girls are into lace, I thought I'd insert a little bit of interest into the current socks. Just a little K2 tog, YO to keep it simple but give it a little somethin somethin . . . the K2 tog, YO, also biases so I knit one sock that way & did YO, K2 tog, for the other sock so it would bias in the other direction. Clever, eh??? Apparently NOT. I noticed THIS last nite as I was starting the heel shaping for the second sock . . . .

The pattern I wanted is on the left!! And the other sock is finished to the heel turning & I really don't want to tear it ALL back to the ribbing. BooooooooHooooooooo

Love em & Hate em at the same time

So, I've been using those little tiny short needles to try to knit a pair of socks. Mind you, I've also inserted a little bit of simple lace which wouldn't bother anyone normally but on short needles where things are always threatening to fall off & where they're just a little too short for sore hands, well, it gets to you. Normally, I'd cast those suckers on & barely look at the sock again until the heel turning where I use the Queen Kahuna heel - from Crazy Heels & Toes - with twenty little rubber bands & two stitch markers on each sock! You have no choice, you have to keep an eye on the sock at THAT point! And once the heel is turned, I barely look again until the toe shaping . . . If I have a book on a stand, I can read & knit at the same time. I have to concentrate on these socks. Good thing I love the wild color or I'd've lost interest some time back. I have to report the first sock is firmly on 2 circs & is approaching the heel shaping while the second is barely below the ribbing - about 3 rounds into the lace insert - in a week. I should've finished them & been on the yoke of the Hoodie by now! I think I hate using these short needles as much as I love the color & feel of them . . . .

I just had to try out those tiny little needles. It's a bit of a stretch & I find it much slower than with my longer needles, that's for sure. I do like the FEEL & WARMTH of them though so I think I'll persevere a little longer. I thought I'd try a little YO & K2together quickie lace but the sock became too wide for those tiny needles . . . I had to switch to two circs! Maybe this is why these shorties come in 6s - you need 5 of them to keep the stitches on the needles if you're working a pattern??? I'll probably end up tinking the sock back to the ribbing since the quickie lace is rapidly becoming waaaaay too wide. Maybe it will work out a little better with solid ribs between every couple of YOs. I might just give it another try with a couple of panels of YO, K2tog down the front of the sock.


Another hoodie is on the needles too. I haven't knit any in the last few months since I've been so busy with tax season & the spinning Retreat. And trying to finish the purple top-down Kyler's Kardigan in the car-knitting bag for myself! Who has time to knit??? But, I have all that yarn & the pattern is burned into my brain cells by now. So, I dug out several balls in the same colorway & cast-on another one. Some of the colors are really a little strange and this one is no exception! yeah, it looks fairly okay but the colors are a little "OFF" when held up to regular shades. Sometimes I get lucky & can find a solid that works with the variegated yarns but not always - this is one of those that just won't work with anything I have - the red is not really red or pink & the grey isn't really grey or blue or black. So, I guess it's going to be all in the one strange color . . . .

I'm also trying to spin a little every day! Spun up another 'bump' yesterday while waiting for a client. I sat out in the sun on my little patio & listened to a murder while I spun! I have James Patterson's latest, The Ninth Judgment, on the mp3 player! It's pretty shocking but totally in character for Patterson. This is also the latest in the Women's Murder Club series. I figure I have another big fat skein & a half on that bobbin & probably should wind it off right now but I'm too lazy. There's still room on there for another couple of 'bumps' since my Indian Spinner holds up to 2 pounds of wool!! No Gail, I'm not spinning on my NEW Majacraft wheel these days. I'm refusing to start any other project until all the 'bumps' are spun & finished! My biggest problem is starting too many projects & never finishing ANYTHING. I am determined to finish spinning the rest of the Black Sheep 'bumps' so I can dye them this summer when it's nice & warm on the patio. I can't wait to see the expressions on my neighbors' faces when those skeins are hanging out in the sun!

Can you really be happy with 6.5" when you're used to 9.5???

You know it's going to be an interesting day when you have to put Bailey's in your tea because you ran out of milk.

The burning question of the day is - can you really be happy with 6.5 inches when you're used to 9.5??? I splurged on another little goodie for myself - it seems I do this a LOT these days!! I drooled & drooled over those wooden Knitpicks needles!! I never bought any because I'd bought a set of Denise needles. I like the Denise needles because they're so light! And I like linking the cables to make the size I like. And I don't want any more little pieces to lose. But, I look at those damned wooden needles every time I see the catalogue. I finally invested in a set of DPs for socks. And I got them last night. They're soooooo short! My favorite bamboo sock needles - I made them from skewers - are 9.5" long. I knit a lot of men's socks on these! And I have two sets of them so I can knit both socks at the same time - makes adjustments so easy as you go. Even my Brittany Birch needles are 8 inches long! Am I going to be able to knit with these???
But I have to admit, they sure are pretty.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch
Another pair of socks are on the L_O_N_G needles. I suspect these will end up on MY feet though. I'm using the Regia Jet Set line of yarn in a variegated blue. I cast on 72 stitches as usual for mens socks but these feel thin & small! Oh, they have a ton of stretch but feel very small for a sock that should cover a size 13WWW foot!! I've only got the ribbing & a couple of inches of stockinette done but I think these are only going to fit me. My pal Gail is using the same yarn in a different colorway & mentioned the same thing. She suggested there may be TWO weights in this yarn or is this a factory flaw???? Had I realized this in the beginning, I would've knit a slightly lacy sock pattern for a change. Who knows?? I may just do it yet . . . .

A red mug has been spotted somewhere in B.C.!

And here I thought only teen-aged kids did this sort of thing . . . .

I've lost my car cup!! My beautiful, red, - with Christmas motifs & a snowman inside - Starbucks cup that I leave in my car & take everywhere!!! Boooo hooooo - I think I left it at the Desert Mesa Retreat! I thought it was packed up somewhere & knew it was missing on Wednesday but hadn't had the time - tax season - to go through every single basket, bag & reach under the seats in the car until this morning. I had looked in the back seat but had not pulled all the 'stuff' out & really checked under seats & down wheel wells. Sigh. If anyone knows where my little cup is - puuuuuulllease send it home.

I've continued to spin a little each day - today, I spun a whole 'bump' while watching a David Suzuki special on China's forests. And, I didn't get dressed till mid afternoon today - I'm taking it easy for a day or two's rest after Tax Season & before jumping in to the "self employed" boxes!
And the Ex's feet are so much happier & warmer in the socks I gave him, they're all he's using right now. I rooted out some Regia "Jet Set" sock yarn in another grey pattern & a lovely dark blue to cast-on another couple of pairs. I figure I'd better get another couple knit up for him before he wears holes in the 4 pair he's got!!! I was going to knit a pair of Monkey socks but I'm not ready for size 13wwwws, so they'll just have to wait a while longer!

Someday


Since I decided to spin a little every day, I've been poking about in the clutter to see exactly what I have to spin. I have a lot of clutter. I'm not exactly a hoarder - I've seen pictures & I'm not that hardcore - yet. But I have a lot of 'stuff'. It has been collected so I can use it "someday". We all have this stuff - someday I'll make a sweater out of that, someday I'll bake that, I can make that waaaaay cheaper, someday. Okay, I admit it - I'm a someday collector.

I have a lot of really crappy someday stuff in with the really nice stuff. Today, being garbage day, I tossed a whole crappy fleece. A whole Fleece! Years ago, when I didn't know any better, I took in homeless fleeces rather than see them burned or composted or sent to the dump. Someone actually left 11 green garbage bags of fleece on my patio one day. All crap. I've learned that a lot of fleece should be composted, burned or turned into garage insulation. And I found one yesterday in my office closet. Digging deeper while in there, I found a 3 pound bag of beautiful grey Romney roving too. I'd forgotten about the Romney - you could tell by the amount of dust on the bag. I bought it from someone, sight unseen, many years ago on Canspin. It's so dry that it's like pill bottle cotton. Lucky for me, I still have a bottle of spinning oil from the 70s - I thought I'd use it - someday. I sprayed the roving down & put it into a bin. I should be able to spin it in a few days . . . If I remember correctly, this Romney spins into a beautiful, soft, bluey-grey yarn that you just want to fondle. I remember knitting kid's hats out of it about 10 years ago.

I continued, last evening, to spin my Brown Sheep mill ends. It was so pleasant, I took my old wheel outside & spent an hour or so listening to the tail end of Total Recall, a V I Warshawski mystery by Sara Paretski while I spun. I enjoyed it so much, I brought it inside & carried on while I watched the Antiques Roadshow too. My mill ends were bought from the Sheep Shed Studios in a 15lb Grab Bag - gee, must be 2 or 3 years ago now!! I split it with my pal Gail & we've spread a little here & there since. It spins up beautifully. I tend to prefer the slightly spongey egg shaped lumps to the lovely mohair/wool roving. Dunno why, maybe it's just the feel of the wool but I can spin it up into singles yarn with so little twist that it never biases when I knit. This is two evenings spinning on my Indian Spinner. I figure between the mill ends & the Romney, I have enough wool to keep me spinning till Christmas.

There's just not enough hours in a Day


And what have I been doing since the big spinning weekend??? Why, making up for lost time!!

But I took the time to sit outside a for a couple of evenings & just relax with the old Indian spinner even though I should've been working on tax stuff.

I still have a big basket of egg shaped, Brown Sheep mill ends that produce this wonderful, elastic, slightly spongy yarn. I want to spin it all up & then dye it in one batch. If I don't spend a half hour every day spinning, it will never get done. So I've pledged to spend at least a half hour every evening except for Wednesdays - Knit Night - spinning! I have Mother McKenzie's dye kit still in the original wrapper just waiting to be used. And I'm bouncing between the red kimono on the cover of the Knitted Kimono book & a neat graphic shrug in one of the Knitter's magazines. The Shrug is fairly long with three- quarter sleeves which would make a terrific work sweater - I want the warmth without the fronts getting in the way!! But that red kimono draws me . . . .

What a Weekend

It was my birthday last Friday & I stopped in the middle of tax season to go to the Desert Mesa Spring Retreat with my buddy Karen & our spinning wheels. My Ex paid for the Retreat for my birthday & I decided I would drive since my van is bigger than Karen's car. I should've known something was up this year when we found gas, just up the road from Karen's place, almost 15 cents a litre cheaper than at my place! I missed the turn-off for the Fraser Canyon going North & ended up on the Coquahala freeway heading East. We decided we were in no hurry so we just kept on going - we could go North at the next town & then turn left. We're just on the other side of the triangle, that's all!!! And I discovered my van really likes going 115 km per hour. We had a lovely lunch sitting on the curb at the old Toll Booth. There was snow on the left, trees on the right & birds singing their little hearts out as we snarfed salmon sandwiches & drank tea in the sunshine. It was a glorious day!

We got back in the van & headed out to Kamloops. Along the way, we saw the Logan Lake turnoff - now, since Logan Lake is at the top of the mountain between where we were & where we wanted to go, we thought, WHY NOT?? Neither of us had BEEN to Logan Lake - a lake with fish & a golf course supposedly in the middle of town, now a retirement village. The road was good, we weren't doing 115kms but 90 kms is still respectable - right??? So we headed West. Across the top of the mountain. And found a huge open pit copper mine. With terraced mountains - a definite Egyptian influence there. The Tailings pond horrified me but, they ARE reclaiming the area as they go & how else can we get the copper we need?? I suspect mining is always horrifying in some aspects . . . The road down the mountain was a little terrifying in one or two spots but we made it. And only a half hour later than expected - whew!

I arrived to find I had a private room! It was wonderful. The bed killed my back as usual but I had no one to disturb when I got up all night & the rest of the weekend was fabulous. Instead of door prizes, the organizers decided to raffle off one huge basket of goodies! It had everything from soup to nuts, including TWO gift certificates, for the spinner. And guess who won the big Kahuna prize?? Me.

Just some of the goodies in the basket.

You CAN Take it With You

I know it's tax season but I've been knitting between jobs! I really like the look of the latest project - my knitted shopping bag. It's basically done except for the top edging & the handles. I figure it's about a three or four evening knit if there's good stuff on the tube. If not, plug in a good 15 hour audio book, sit in the sunshine & knit this one up in a couple of sunny days. I used a needle the size of my ring finger to knit the YO, K2tog part of the body so it has a lot of stretch sideways. This one will expand to hold a lot of apples, oranges, bulky veggies etc but won't drop around your knees when it gets full. I'll bet it can also hold a ton of spinning fibre too . . . .

Something Practical


So I decided to knit my own shopping bags.
But first, I had to find a good source of Crafter's Cotton. Not easy. After many disappointments, I bit the bullet & went to Walmart. For a change, there was a good selection of great colors in the Really Big Balls! I managed to score three good colors & then had to choose a good pattern. I found patterns everywhere but not necessarily what I wanted for a simple Shopping Bag. Knitty offers a couple of nice ones but they come with the long shoulder strap or a lace pattern. I found other nice ones in just about every knitting or crochet magazine. Even Lion Brand offers 'green' bags. But, I don't want to spend days & days knitting a lace patterned bag that will get sticky, dirty & even bloody carrying this & that home from Safeway. I wanted something simple, stretchy & useful. I downloaded several patterns before deciding on "Lets Go Shopping" by Linda Skinlo which I found on Ravelry for FREE!! I like the short handles - although she includes instructions for a shoulder strap - which should make it easier to handle with a load in it. I hate a bag that ends up hanging around your knees when you try to fill it up! It's a fast & easy knit in a simple yo, k2together on one row & knit on alternate rows. The solid bottom is started with 6 st on three needles with increases on every second row. In a couple of evenings, I've knit almost 18 inches up from the bottom!!

The Ex got his socks the other morning & I remembered to take their photo before he got them. The size & color made them a slow knit - oh how I hate dull yarn!!- especially when I have to knit it into size 13 socks . . . but he loved them & I could've got an order for more from two other men in the cafe!!

And speaking of socks - Karen gave me hell for giving away my 'Smoldering Hearts' socks last month. I said my sock basket was overflowing with socks. Here's the socks I just washed on Tuesday. This doesn't include all the short 'summer' socks that're still in the basket . . . .

I hate plastic grocery bags! I liked them when they were made of sterner stuff with solid bottoms & good handles, at least you could use them for garbage or weekly lunches or something. Now they're so thin the cans fall thru the bottom before you get them into the car, never mind the house! I've recycled. I've returned those bags & bought the new, improved, re-usable bags. They also fall apart and the seams split after a few uses - especially when washed. You can't bleach them when meat juices contaminate them & you never have enough of them when you need them. Some stores have banned plastic & gone back to paper. Didn't we go to plastic to save trees????

I bit the bullet & decided to make my own. I could sew them out of rip-stop nylon but I've collected several patterns for knitted cotton market bags. KNITTY has published several patterns, Lion Brand has the Green Tote & I've seen one or two in KNITTERS & INKnitting as well. I'd like to knit them out of hemp - I hear it lasts forever but with MY budget in mind, cheap Crafter's Cotton, is more likely. And I need another project like a hole in the head!!

The Ex's socks are done! Finished sewing the last toe last nite. I'll meet him for breakfast on Tuesday & give them to him. He's really been feeling this damp cold lately so the new socks are an experiment to see if warmer feet will help. If he's happy, I guess I'll be knitting socks for him for a change.

Clearing Away Cobwebs


And wasn't that a hellova storm last nite??? I got out of bed around 3AM & moved a couple of my outside plants that were sitting on bricks about a foot in the air so they wouldn't get blasted across the drive!! I even closed the window - which is amazing since it's open all year round - but the constant smacking of the aluminum blinds drove me crazy!!! Too bad the wind didn't blow all those rain clouds away with it - some sun would be nice out there!! I want to get my fingers in the dirt, put up some more lattice, fill some of my hanging baskets & sit & spin outside on the patio!!!

I know it's tax season - you should see my desk!!! But, it must be spring - I also want to clear the unloved furniture out of my living room & get my stash organized. I need to know what I have in all those bags, boxes, bins & baskets.
I intend to fill the corner where the couch is now with a stack of giant bins. I got a good deal on the really BIG ones. Since I tend to be a Visual person - which is short for 'if I can't SEE it, I don't know I have it', I buy stuff, throw it in the bin, forget I have it & buy another . . . People think I work in chaos - I have my stuff OUT where I can SEE it.

I should have transparent bins but I they're too expensive so I got the BIG green ones for the bulk stuff & bought small see-thru ones for the stuff I need every day, sock yarns or Current Projects. I just want to de-clutter my life somewhat.

The truth is, I want His crappy old couch, that I never wanted in the first place, to go away. I found a home for the microwave cabinet that HE was supposed to take years ago & the rocking chair I bought on a whim, that doesn't even have enough room to rock in my place. Once all this is OUT, I'll fill the bins, stack them in the couch corner - and make room for a nice lounger or recliner in which I can sit or nap or knit. Sounds like a Plan, eh???
I won't even tell you about the 'Walk Off The Pounds' CDs which I can't use because I have no room to move side to side never mind back & forth . . . .

Waaaaaaaaaaa . . . .

As some of you know, I'm a bookkeeper with a home office. I often commute from the bedroom to the office via the kitchen for a cuppa. I have 5 printers in my office - FIVE!!

Yesterday, I had none that would print a two page report! Not one measly printer to print anything. I only own TWO laser printers, TWO 24 pin Ravens - they use fan-fold paper & ribbons AND ONE Cannon Bubble Jet! My new color laser ran out of ink mid document! The 24 pin Raven - the noisy bugger - seized mid document & the Bubble Jet wouldn't stop spewing sheets of paper, then made a terrible noise & died when I hit a couple of buttons after I plugged it in. The old black laser will run but won't print . . . . and I just know I have to crawl under the desk to find the correct cord to unplug one of the dead machines to be able to plug in another machine which will probably end up seized or dead since it's been in the closet for 10 years . . . .

My Techie friends cheered when I told them about the 24 pin printer! They've had a running bet going & apparently it outlived even their wildest guesses - I suppose, after 11 years of printing tax returns & financial statements, it deserves a decent burial. They hooted to find I actually HAD a Bubble Jet & told me I had to do some tinkering in the computer BIOS(mysterious master set up where you tell the computer what to do) to make the old laser printer work. I wrote down the directions but can't find the screen that tells the dumb printer how to print since apparently it didn't come with memory back in 1991 when it was manufactured . . . . All I want is one printer to print 4 whole pages of a report. Is that too much to ask???

I'm sitting here on Monday morning sending out faxed estimates & peering bleerily out the window - I'm bleery because this is MY Saturday. But I still have to work - it's TAX SEASON - usually a time of celebration for such as I. The deep Mysteries of Taxation leave most people terrified to their bones. Not me. I look upon it as a challenge. Me against the Taxman. I intend to squeeze every last nickel of refund out of HIM. So there!!!

I gave my Olympic Smoldering Hearts socks away last week. My knitting friend Karen was anoyed with me for doing so. I know I worked hard on them but it isn't like I NEED another pair of socks! I mean, here's a pic of the line of socks on laundry day - & this didn't even empty the sock basket!! These are only the WINTER socks too . . . I need to start knitting something else for a change, I guess. Maybe I should finish a sweater or two for myself instead of constantly knitting a new pair of socks - LOL!!

Speaking of sweaters, I still have one in the car that I'm working on - the purple Marble Top-Down cardigan. Funny how your mind works. I woke up in the middle of the night last night, thinking about that sweater. Don't laugh, but I was wondering if some pears were in the same bag with it. I bought a couple of pears that needed to sit & ripen. I've lost them. I hope they aren't rotting in the bag under the Marble sweater . . . . and I'm almost afraid to look!

So Spring has sprung - my rhubarb is almost big enough to eat!!! The Hostas are not only up but are unfurling leaves! The Clematis is sending up new shoots - I chopped them back to the ground since they'd become so spindly & gave them a shot of fish fertilizer. And my baby Pink Lady apple tree is busting out all over. I want to get dirt, plant seeds, move pots & put up new lattices around my patio. And I really want to drag out the spinning wheel, a big bag of Shetland fleece or Brown Sheep mill ends & spend the day spinning yarn! I want to see Great Big Fluffy Skeins hanging to dry in the breeze . . .

Teeny Tiny

I've been having so much fun knitting infant socks from all the sock left-overs in my THREE big zip locks! I could make infant socks for the next several years from all these! One of the new gals in our little knitting group had a baby girl a couple of weeks ago. It's her first & they expected a boy. Since they have nothing for a girl - can't see WHY infant wear has to be sexist myself - I took to knitting wild little socks as a surprise. Apparently, most of her sleepers are footless - they all had feet in them when I used to buy them . . . . but that's good for me & my crazy little socks!! I've knit several pairs so far & will carry on since the little one needs socks. The BSJ is finished except for buttons - didn't think about them very much but now I have find something to go with the holes in the sweater front!! I have some lovely Ladybug buttons but they're too big & I know I have a stash of infant buttons in all kinds of colors & shapes but gawd knows where they are . . .

I've turned the heels on both pairs of the Ex socks. I have only the toes to finish off in one pair & a half a foot on the other. Since we've had snow showers off & on this week - yeah, the flowering trees are not particularly happy about that - he's been waiting with bated breath to put them on.
And the snow?? Well, I guess we had our spring for the Olympics - I was out several times over the couple of weeks in shorts & a summer tee during the day. It was too cold at night! One day, while knitting at Starbucks after 2 in the afternoon, I got a sunburn!!! But, we're back to fingerless gloves, wool socks & jackets for sure!!! It's a bit warmer today - we got torrential rain instead of snow showers.

Our knitting buddy Gail left for Hawaii with her family yesterday. Her daughter Lisa is marrying Mattie on the beach with Mom & Dad, brother Mike, his spouse, Jane & daughter Freya in attendance. Then they're all working on their tans for a week. Lucky them.

The was this big bag of baby yarn . . .

I needed a break from lace, charts, socks & everything else that took effort & thought. And I noticed I still had this big bag of baby yarn I was given before Christmas. It was part of the yarn collection of an 80 something lady who's been knitting for charity most of her adult life. She decided it was time to clear out the yarn because her hands just hurt too much to knit now. She knew I was knitting hoodies & infant socks for charity so she decided to give it all to me. Bags & bags of it. I think I got 5 or 6 bags that weighed approximately 30 pounds apiece & a couple of smaller bags of baby & novelty yarns!! I kept the big bag of baby yarn for some reason & decided to make something simple & fun. And there's always a baby around who needs bright little goodies!! Right???

I dug through the bag & found mostly yellows, whites & a couple of balls of green. Oh there's a little bit of left over multicolor & a tiny ball of lime but mostly it's yellow & white. But, there isn't two balls of anything that matches & it's all slightly different weights. The only option is the Baby Surprise Jacket! The BSJ is soooo much fun to knit & as you can see from the picture, it's gonna be a wild one!

And while I was at it, I knit another pair of infant socks.

It's All Over

I've finished the damned charted lace socks! I bound off the toes with the three needle bind-off last nite while watching the tube. When I worked on the first sock, I wondered if I'd ever finish it, never mind the second one BUT the second sock was a lot easier than the first. By the second sock, I understood the chart & could see the pattern & find mistakes before they got out of hand. I tried to get a picture of the heart shaped detail in the closeup here - hard to do on your own feet while balancing on a stack of magazines!!! I now understand the value of a life line if you have to rip back several rows. Those YOs do all kinds of strange things when they're free to move. It's hard to 'read' the pattern in the knitted stitches when some of the rows repeat & others do not in each motif when you aren't used to charts or lace knitting. I have knit a lace sock before but it was a small repeating pattern stolen from a sweater. It was a simple K2, YO, K1, YO, K2 that went on & on. Not a chart to follow. I thank my friend Karen for her lovely 'Counting Bracelet' which also helped me keep track of the rows on my chart. Sixteen days for a pair of socks is almost unheard of for me - unless they're BLACK. Have you noticed how black socks take a very long time to knit???

But, as I said, it's all over. Will I knit another charted lace sock?? Probably. But not right now. I need to knit mindless, plain socks for the Ex who's having problems with athlete's foot & nail fungus again. I told him he has to stop wearing boots or shoes ALL THE TIME. I had him wearing sandals when he was in the house so his feet could dry out. And he has to wear wool socks. He wears cotton socks & as we all know, they get wet & stay that way inside boots. Since he won't wear commercial wool socks - they itch!! & won't fit in his shoes anyway - I am knitting several pairs for him. He likes the hand knits - they're thin, they keep his feet warm - he's complaining of cold feet all the time too, and they don't get wet & stay that way.


I just had to cast-on SKEW from Knitty! Have you SEEN that sock?? It's wild and crazy so I just had to try it out. I think I'm more excited by Arcitectural sock design than pattern right now. Of course, I'll have to wait to see how I feel after I've played with SKEW some more.

On with the Games!

I entered TWO categories in the Ravelympics - the WIP Dance - you saw the Big Blue Hug afghan in the previous post & Sock Hockey - I knit a LOT of socks so this one's a no brainer, right???

Nope. I just realized today that I grabbed the wrong yarn. I was going to use the Berroco Sox yarn but ended up grabbing the Regia by mistake but I'm finally into the THIRD repeat of the lace pattern so nothing short of torture is gonna make me rip that thing out again . . . . .



I decided to take on a Challenge. I mean, that's what the Ravelympics are all about, right??? I decided to knit my first charted lace sock - on circs. I normally use 4 bamboo DPs. I've always used 4 DPs. I learned on them & prefer them. I can knit a pair of socks in no time. Not this time.
I cast on during the Opening Ceremonies. Ribbing takes no time & you normally don't have to even watch it much - not this time. The pattern called for a K1P1 with a twisted knit. And then the pattern I chose - Smoldering Hearts - is a charted lace pattern. My first. I decided the pattern was best done on two circs because it's charted in two parts & I didn't want to keep moving stitches around to accommodate the pattern. So far, so good but it's slow.

I ended up tinking about 8 rows because I put a YO in the wrong place twice in the pattern but didn't notice until I was several rows past . . . sob. I did use my Counting Bracelet - made by my pal Karen - but got my rows mixed up anyway . . . so I tinked it back to a recognizable point & started again. You can just see the heart shaping in the pattern in the picture. I'm TWO HEARTS into the pattern & just getting ready to do the third repeat. I'm not sure if I'll even knit the second sock at this rate but, who knows . . .

Oh What Have I Done??

I've signed on for the Knitting Olympics on Ravelry. I am finishing a WIP begun as a house-warming gift for "he who won't be named" in 2005. It's a giant granny square afghan in blues & greys. Half finished & stuck in a bag. HE wanted a plain blue one but I wouldn't make one because plain blue is so boring . . . so it became blues & greys. I hate sewing things together so it became one giant granny - it got so big that I couldn't tote it around with me as 'car crochet' anymore. So it got stuffed in a bag & neglected. And then HE got the boot. So it sat in the bag - unwanted. I even thought about taking it apart but didn't. So, I entered it into the WIP catagory in the Olympics. I will finish it before the Olympic flame is extinguished or else. It will then go to a new home where it will be loved & appreciated.

And as if I don't have enough to do, I've entered into the Sock catagory too. I am making "Smoldering Hearts". It's a charted lace patterned sock - I don't have the luscious red yarn of the original but do have some yummy purple & pink Berroco Sox that should do the trick very nicely. And I've entered the very same sock into the Harlot's Knitting Olympics too. This is my very first charted lace & a rare patterned sock. I usually make plain vanilla socks in wild yarns. I'm thinking the sock may take longer than the granny square . . . .

The moving needle knits


I've been in a flurry of sock knitting again. It takes the pain away from unfolding little squares of paper in boxes . . . but the Ex wants some socks. His heart medication has slowed his metabolism down so much that he's cold all the time. He used to work outside in a tee shirt & still be warm to the touch! Now he's wearing a down vest even in the summer. Since he loans me money whenever I need it, I'll knit as many socks as he wants!! And, thanks to Gladys, who shops daily at the Dressew yarn sale, I have sock yarn up the wazooo at $2 a ball!

I got some nice greys & blues for the Ex. Now, he'll wear just about anything if his feet are warm but I got nice yarn which will go with anything so he can brag to his buddies as well. Since I was too lazy to divide the big ball of Regia into two balls before I started to knit, I started two different pairs of socks. One down - in a variegated grey and one in progress. I've made the leg a little shorter & used my 2.5mm bamboo skewers to knit them just a little looser so they have lots of stretch when his ankles swell a little. I always leave sock knitting outside in the car to work on when I'm waiting around but bring them in to turn the heels when I'm watching tv while another goes outside as car knitting. So I ended up starting two pairs of socks at the same time. I think I prefer the darker Regia grey yarn. It seems to be thicker somehow with more of a cushiony feel. It might be the dye but I hope it stays that way when it's washed.


I actually got the new spinner out on the weekend & spun yarn. The new machine - a Majacraft Susie Pro - is brand new this year. It's my first new wheel since I bought the Indian Head spinner in the early 70s when I first learned to spin!! I've spun just about everything on the old wheel from silk to camel but really wanted a wheel that would travel a little better. The Suzie folds in half & has a handle to carry it but Rimu wood is heavy!! Gail, Doris, Karen & I all got together at Gail's house to spin away the day on Saturday. It's been too long since we had one of these get togethers!! I didn't get to spin much because somehow I managed to kink my neck & it looks like I may have a pinched nerve. I'm still having some difficulty turning my head to the right, raising my right arm & bending in that direction. But, it was really nice to spend a whole day spinning & yakking it up with the Girls.

I have another Hoodie on the needles even though I'm knitting up two pairs of socks at the same time. I found some pink & pink variegated yarn & decided I just HAD to knit a pink hoodie! I have quite a lot of variegated yarn that doesn't really go with much because of the odd colors. But, in the meantime, I'm working my way through the solids I have & trying to make reasonable combinations. I'm not sure it really matters to the kids in the War Zone, but it matters to me.

As the dust flies . . .

So I spent the last few days preparing for the new tax year. One of the clients dropped off 4 small boxes of paper. What is it about men & paper anyway?? I prefer the guys who save everything as opposed to those who show up with an invoice book & want me to file a tax return! But, why do they take every piece of paper & fold it into a one inch square?? I get boxes of folded, one inch squares to unfold. I think unfolding paper is the worst part of doing a tax return for a small business! So, after two evenings of unfolding in front of the tv - instead of knitting!!!! - I now have ONE box of organized receipts. And 10 bucks, Four Popeye dollars, a SLAB card with several stamps on it, a McGavins card with a full set of stamps & two Canadian Tire dollars . . . I've found uncashed cheques & once, a hundred dollar bill in the boxes of paper! The Canadian tire money is MINE, MINE, MINE but the rest goes back, dammit.

And what, if anything, have I knit?? Nothing. Haven't even finished the socks for the Ex. But I did spend an evening looking through 6 or 7 years of Interweave Knits, Knitters, Cast On & Spin Off. I was looking for a pattern for the next pair of socks. I like my basic formula for socks. I can knit them from memory without any problems but now & then, I like to vary them for fun. I like socks because they're simple, fast, take little yarn, comfortable & fit everyone. But, even with the wild yarns I prefer, it's nice to have a challenge. Yes, I could knit one of Cookie A's patterns but I like the Queen Kahuna heel with no stitches to pick up - I can't SEE in the evening to pick them up!! And until Opticana gets my reading glasses prescription right, I can't read the fine print, neither!! So, I was trolling for something to catch my fancy which I could incorporate into a new pair of socks.

You know how it is, you start looking for one thing & find several others that you want to start, NOW! I love going through piles of craft magazines. But the sheer volume of reading material in magazine collections adds up as quickly as the magazines themselves. I wish there was a simple way to put them all on disc!! But, I digress . . . I found oodles of things I wanted to knit. And crochet. Amazing how your interests & preferences change over time though - I found things I hadn't even noticed before. And I found things I hadn't considered before. I haven't knit any lace patterns since I made my friend Pat a gold lace cardigan in a fine mohair/wool blend about 25 years ago. I planned on making myself one in cherry at the time but never did. I find myself taking a closer look at lace patterns these days.
I've knit several aran sweaters for friends in the past as well. I liked the challenge of the cables & bobbles & collected very complicated patterns at one time. I bought Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown Reinsel because I loved the simple, basic designs but never knit one for myself as I had planned. Did I find a pattern for my next socks? Nope. But I found my next sweater . . .