I LOVE Purple

I guess you can tell .  .  .  .

Tuesday Off .  .  .

I finished the last manly touque & decided I just had to do something else for a change. Louisa's suggestion that I alternate projects is a valid one but most of my projects are large ones - three sweaters for ME on the go. But, since it's cool out there - I brought in the Christmas cacti from the patio only today - I thought I should get one of my sweaters finished so I can wear it! And I want a pair of felted boots to wear in my basement this winter since the floor's so damned cold!!

But first - Diane's socks! I had started these ones for me but decided I would gift them to her since I probably won't see her until February. The Motorcycle School will be shutting down for the season soon & we'll both be on holiday until the New Year - so weird to say that in October. So, I presented her with a wild pair of Confetti socks. I bought several balls of this color a couple of years ago in the SALE bin at Knitopia. I've always been a fan of DGS - Confetti because there's plenty of yardage in each 50gm ball. While it feels thin & a little harsh when it's knitted, it softens, thickens & blooms marvelously when it hits water! This means I can knit it up on my favorite 2mm needles & get a nice dense fabric when the spinning oils wash out. The colors don't fade, the sock will shrink slightly in the dryer the first time & I have yet to make a hole in any of my socks.

The only reason I cheat on Confetti is COLOR. I'm a sucker for color. Fabel is my second favorite sock yarn. Fabel has magnificent colors. It also has almost as much yardage in a 50gm ball as does Confetti - I can make a Man's size 13 sock out of either ball easily too. But why waste those great colors on a man???

It's All About Manly Hats

All I do these days is churn out manly hats. Hats in blue and green and brown and black  .  .  .  I'm telling you, those JUMBO balls of Superwash Acrylic in Scarlet & Turquoise in that sheer bin are screaming at me!! Choose ME, choose ME!!!

I will definitely knit a hat every week or so next year so I'm not in this position again!  I know it's all about someone else in tough circumstances. But, churning out manly hats in bulk is very boring. It's sort of like knitting black or brown socks - it takes longer than knitting in bright colors! You can do it in your sleep while the old mind is concentrating on something else more exciting like stalking the perfect skein of Woolmeise .  .  .  or taking you to a secret warehouse of exquisite rare yarns at a buck a ball .  .  .  And then you wake up to the boring manly knitting  -  NNnnnooooooo!!! 

I'm only 7 hats in & I hate it already. Thank gawd the Girls at Wednesday Nite Nitting are helping out. I need to be working on my Top Down Lace Frock in Briggs & Little mulberry wool. Or my Ribbons Top Down handspun pink striped grey sweater that lives in the car in a bag. I need color! I need warmth. I need more people willing to knit a couple of hats - just a touque people - a manly acrylic touque that will pull down over the ears & help keep a man on the street WARM. Loving Spoonful needs you!

Then I can get back to my sweaters which are much more interesting than manly hats. Or whip out another pair of wild socks in eye watering colors. And yes, that IS my favorite cup on it's warming pad. Hot tea with Bailey's keeps me sane.

Just a Simple Pile of Hats


And you thought I was 'doggin' it, didn't ya?? The HAT project has begun. One of the Girls brought in two bags full of superwash wool for our knitting enjoyment & everyone took home at least three balls to knit a 'manly' hat for A Loving Spoonful. Meanwhile, Carol kindly knit a whole bag of hats on her handy knitting loom, Gail brought in three large, snuggly ones, Karen gave me one & a scarf last week & I've knit up 4 so far on my own. The Hat project is always fun to do & it's nice to know that each of these small offerings will help keep a man, who's lost almost everything, warm this winter. I keep wanting to knit socks to go with the hats but I've been told that HATS are the #1 requested thing at Christmas time. Hand made hats are a fought over luxury on the street. And I can knit 4 hats in the time it would take to make one pair of socks .  .  .  so, I guess HATS will take preference this year. Any socks I knit will be for ME.

Like a Fly into the Web

I worked my ASS off this week trying to lure all & sundry into Motorcycle Training! It's almost the end of the season & people run hot & cold this time of year. They really want to learn to ride & they know the best way to learn is inside a protected lot with Professionals but they whine about being in the cold & wet. I remind them they LIVE on the Wet Coast where it rains all year round - except for this year - and they could experience all four seasons on one ride to Whistler!! I keep hearing whispers of  - It could be nicer in February when the prices are lower! Yeah, right. In the snow. Or hail. Definitely Rain. But I got TWO - yeah, count em - TWO classes going next week. Just in time for Rain, Wind & Cold. Wooo hooo

Speaking of cold & rain, I can already feel winter in my basement - I'm wearing wool socks & a matching sweater in purples both manufactured by me!! The lovely damp fog we've been experiencing since Tuesday has me seized up like an old iron gate, especially in the mornings. Yeah, apparently, I make the same noises too. Today, in Safeway, I dropped my Bank Card & wasn't sure I could bend over that far & pick it up. I was horrified when the Bagger & the Checker both ran to pick it up for me. I had no idea the rusty noises were audible!

I think I'm beginning to understand retirement a little better. It's not that people want to stop working & spend their "Golden Years" in the rocker, but they either go to bed fully dressed so they don't have to bend over in the morning or spend most of it getting the old bones warmed up & moving. Since Estrogen left the building, I've not only stiffened up, developed pain, lost hair & teeth & dried out but my internal furnace set-point has been lowered as well. Wool has now become my best friend because I'm cold most of the time.

Still plugging away at my Top Down Ample V-neck cardigan From Cabin Fever. I'm really looking forward to wearing it this year. The color - Mulberry/Eggplant - goes with everything I own & I'm considering buying some red boots as well. Seems black/red/sable are THE colors. Almost all the boots in the Sears catalogue come in red & black this year with some brown or forest green boots as well. I think I'll take the red. I'd really prefer purple but I'll take what I can get.

17 hats in the bag!!! Got two bags of Superwash wool donated on Wednesday & most of it went home with fellow knitters who've promised more hats!!! Photos later.

Thanksgiving

Another family holiday for us Singles to survive. Like Easter, I'm not really complaining about this one very much since most of the world carries on like this one really isn't here. I know it's a Stat Holiday in Canada but most of us non-union people just carry on at our jobs like usual unless we're in the long long line-up going South to spend money across the Border. Cross Border shopping has become a new national pass time in all the Border towns. I, unlike the majority of my friends, prefer to spend my money at home. I have better things to do than spend half a day idling my expensive gas away in a line-up. Today, I'm cooking. And knitting.

I tossed a smoked pork hock in the big soup pot this morning & am enjoying the wonderful smell as it simmers all day. I intend to add some barley, half a head of cabbage & a sushi carrot when the meat & skin falls off the bone. A couple of big pinches of coarsely ground pepper & a pinch of cinnamon will complete it just in time for dinner. I may even drop in a dollop of sour creme before serving. Tomorrow, I'm cooking up curried chicken & broccoli just to shake it up a little. I'm not having turkey this weekend although I love turkey. I figure it will be on at clearance prices on Monday evening & I'll load up then .  .  .  

And while the glorious odor of dinner perfumes my basement apartment, I'm doing up my last tax return before returning to my knitting. I'm in touque mode for the next two months. I plan to knit as many as I can while still working on my Top-Down V-neck Cardigan from Cabin Fever & the Frankensocks for Diane. Just a couple of past Frankensocks I found in the files.

A Reward

It's almost the end of the Motorcycle Training Season - I'm ready for a month or two off! I'm even contemplating EI for the first time in 25 odd years! But, maybe not if I get a couple of contracts to work from my home office. But, here we are, glorious weather, almost the end of the season & the phones started ringing off the hook yesterday. Yup, they've been busier than they've been for weeks. At this rate, we may be teaching waaaaaay into November. And I might be able to cope if it gets busier.

And what has an extended Motorcycle Season got to do with Knitting or Spinning you ask?? Well, yesterday, our Theory Instructor Diane, passed her Testing Certification!! She can now test students for the MSA or Parking lot test.

Since Diane is now a Certified Tester, I'll have to knit some TEST socks. Both Bryan & Diane have Instructor socks. I knit them with REGIA's Flag series yarn in turquoise, orange, red & yellow - dunno who's flag has all those colors but they make wild socks!!! When Bryan passed his MSA Certificate, he got a pair of  WILD socks in yellow, black & red. The pressure is now on to find something wild & crazy for Diane.

I save all my leftovers & roughly sort them into yarns with BLUE, yarns with RED & yarns with PINK/PURPLE in them. It just makes it easier to find a co-ordinating solid for toes and/or bands between colors if I go that way. I hate messing with multiple colors all at the same time like the Socklady does - no patience for it at all! So, the best I can do is wild bands of color between solid stripes or join the yarns where the colors meet. Sometimes joining at the reds or blues produces the wildest socks you ever saw & people ask where the heck you bought yarn like THAT?! And while you'd think - after a comment like that - that they'd run away in horror, well, often they fight over the gaudiest pair! I've found Frankensocks to be very popular, especially with the tween, teen & twenty somethings. But Diane loves wild & crazy stuff. The first thing she does when she's teaching in the classroom is to kick off her shoes & wander around in her wild socks!! That's why I have to find something REALLY, REALLY crazy for her!

Tuesday

Rushed home from work yesterday with an aching, burning hip - I can always tell when the barometer is making a big change!! Yeah, the radio was announcing said change this morning as I trundled off to work but the old hip hadn't started to burn yet. The Hip is the thanx I get for the active & rambunctious childhood I had when TV was something we watched for a hour or two on certain evenings AFTER dinner!! Around 2:00, I took the first Ibuprofen. The sun was out with hardly a cloud in the sky in Langley. But the Hip knew better. The sciatica has improved with the addition of the 4" thick foam pillow so I'll be hauling that thing around with me for the rest of the week to make sure the damned sciatica goes away!! So, home with an aching/burning hip, sore ass & painful leg from the sciatica. Nothing left to do but get out the Triscuits - olive oil & cracked pepper - & the 40 spice hummus for dinner. And knit. Thank Gawd for the Antiques Roadshow. My yoke is about 50% finished in TWO days! I'm really liking this Worsted yarn from Briggs & Little!! And the color is much darker than the picture which was taken directly under the Daylight bulb . . . .

Sunday at home

I hadn't planned on going anywhere today - the sink is full of dishes & the kitchen floor needs scraping fer gosh sake! I've been suffering with another attack of sciatica this last couple of weeks & it's all I can do to get dressed & drive the car to work. My right leg decided it didn't want to bend at the knee & move up & down. Getting it from the gas to the brake has been a painful test of endurance. I may have come up with a solution though - after chatting with Karen - I've filled all my office chairs with a thick foam pillow. It made a difference after one day. I guess I'm suffering from Low Chair Syndrome! I still have pain - the weather hip - but not the terrible pain I had in my leg! It's so good to have a retired Physio in the old knitting group!!!! Now that I can move around a little better, it might be time to clean up the kitchen. If I can tear myself away from my latest project, that is  .  .  .

I'll be working on my Lace Frock from Deb's 'Need an Plus Size Cardigan?' book. I know, I know, I have a couple sweaters & a pair of socks on the go already but this one's a quick knit in heavy worsted wool & I'm using STASH. The Ribbons cardigan in handspun is car knitting, Kyler's cardigan is just about done & I should finish the last sleeve so I can wear it but the KAL for Deb's sweater has started & I want to do it for the fitting advice. I don't foresee any real problems but I wanted to be in the KAL just in case. And then I can finish Kyler's since I only have a sleeve & the front band to do - and it looks like I may have 8 balls of yarn left over too . . . Somebody may be getting a purple hat for Christmas!

Changes

The Great God of the Internet has changed my damned blog. You know, I liked it the way it was. Yeah, I erased it all by myself a coupla times. I sent things to 'draft' instead of posting them too. And I've lost my fair share of photos & entire blogs but I don't like it when someone else screws about with my stuff & I don't have any say.

I made mention of my last shopping trip - a major trip considering the price of gas, the condition of my driving leg & the amount of sock yarn I already possess!! And I have some really nice stuff, all in all - none of that 20 buck a skein stuff with the fawncy names - but some great colors, lots of self striping yarn & lots of MANLY colors. And there lies the problem. I got all geared up to knit socks & they tell me they want hats! Not that I'm really complaining because hats are so simple to make but I LIKE socks dammit. And I'm sure I have enough sock yarn to knit socks for the next 10 years without buying anything but the occasional solid for contrast!!

Contrasting toes or heels would be nice on the next couple of pairs. Just for fun. I used to put colored toes on all my 'manly' socks so that each pair could be identified in the wash. The recipient of the socks was in love with two colorways so I had to distinguish the pairs.  I had blue toes on one pair & red on the next while a third had blue toes with a narrow red stripe. Or two narrow red stripes with a grey toe. I had as much fun designing toes as he had finding them. Too bad DGS/Confetti doesn't make that mottled black or blue color any more!

I haven't spent much time putting contrasting toes or heels on my own socks because almost every pair is in a different wild color. Socks are a wonderful way to be different!! I really should get some slide-on shoes to show them off in a better way. Especially when I knit Frankensocks. And what are Frankensocks you ask?? My friend Gail coined the name - they're what you make out of sock yarn leftovers when you can't get your head around the TEN STITCH BLANKET. I divide all the leftovers into three main categories, yarns with RED in them, yarns with BLUE & yarns with PINK/PURPLE. Some yarns may even fit into all three groups but I divide them this way because most shops stock solids in those colors as well as black & grey. And you can't have all toes in black & grey! Kids also love Frankensocks! And nothing's worse than wasting good sock yarn.

Fall Knitting

Is it me or does everyone feel exhausted around this time every year?? It's dreary at the Motorcycle School as we wind down towards the close of the season - only one more month to go I think. The phones are barely ringing. Last year we ran a couple of classes in November but the weather was just terrible & the students were cold & wet the whole time. I suspect our last class will be in October this year & we may be in a different spot next year too.

I was really looking forward to this Sunday off. I had great plans to get all the dishes done, the kitchen floor steam-cleaned, laundry finished and get my Cabin Fever sweater on the needles. None of that happened. My right leg has been giving me hell - Sciatica again, only affecting the inside of my thigh this time. It makes lifting my right leg to get dressed in the morning very difficult & moving from the gas to the brake so painful I don't want to go too far! Every once in a while, my knee gives out to add insult to injury! I just wish I knew how I did this so I could stop. Makes me feel old & crabby .  .  . 

But leg didn't stop me from galloping down to Knitopia on Thursday for a last look before they close with a bag of toonies in my pocket. I save all my toonies($2 coin) in a tin & use them for luxury purchases when a Fibre Show comes to town or I go on a Retreat!! Since it's not coming out of the bank account, it's like FREE MONEY. I had 65 toonies in the tin & took 63 with me. I was interested in sweater yarn but I couldn't afford enough Alpaca & all the sale yarns I loved were in amounts too small to cover my backside. So I settled for some Cascade Paint in a luscious dark purple  to make a winter hooded cowl & a few balls of sock yarn. Now I need sock yarn like a hole in the head but I found a couple of new colors & several balls of solids to use for toes. And I spent every cent of the toonies in the bag & a couple of extra bucks too. It was fun. But I realized I'll have to spin the yarn if I want a sweater's worth  .  .  .  .

Got my first tuque on the needles for charity. Karen kindly donated her first & a scarf as well!! Come on Gail, pull the rag out!

A Whole lotta Fall going on

I love this time of year!! All the sunny benefits during the day but cool at night so you can sleep! Cherries sit side by side with Nectarines & fresh field Tomatoes . . . I've had all of these for Dinner three nights in a row. And I made Italian Soup with Swiss Chard in it - fresh, local Chard!! Oh yeah. The Tomatoes taste like real tomatoes!! And just so you don't think that all I do is EAT - I have a sink full of baby cukes soaking so I can make up some Dill Pickles & Bread & Butter Pickles later on today. The Ex asked for Beet Pickles so I might even churn out a few jars of them too. I mean, they're all so simple. A few spices, a little vinegar, sugar & salt . . . Garlic I got, Dill I got, Fennel I got out in the garden growing wild!! Like I said, I love this time of year!

I do more than eat this time of year too - I've been churning out short socks for myself. I found a few balls of good old Confetti which has been a favorite yarn over the years! It's cheap compared to most yarns but carries a lot of yardage in one of those balls, second only to Regia. It feels a little thin when you're working with it but fluffs up nicely when rinsed the first time. And I have not worn out one single pair of socks made with Confetti yarn yet.

I've also been investigating the Charitable knitting wishlist for this year. I went straight to the Horse's Mouth so to speak & asked what they need. I've been churning stuff out blindly but it's been bothering me that maybe it isn't what's NEEDED. So I asked. Hand knit hats are the most requested item. Scarves are second. The People served by this Charity tend to live in crappy places with few amenities so they're out a lot. They walk between the Drop In centres, medical appointments & cafeterias. A hand knit hat is considered a luxury! Really??? Hats??? Okay, hats it will be!! I have a lot of White Buffalo wool - each package is in a different dyelot! Great for hats. Knit on large needles - good for both sexes, repels water, keeps you warm even when wet & soooooo easy to make! I even have an original pattern for a touque. WooooooHooooooo

The Sun is Shining & the Grass is Riz

My circadian clock says I should be up, eating an Egg Mcmuffin & answering the phones at work! In the middle of a dream this morning, I threw back the covers, hit the floor & was halfway to the bathroom before I opened my eyes. Stopped dead in my tracks & thought, 'Wait a minute . . .' went back, checked the clock, sat back down, thought for a moment & gave my head a shake. Had a serious talk with myself about where I was & what I was doing today. Tried my best to lay back down but I was UP. The sun was shining out there too. I need to vacuum & do the laundry but I don't want to. Has it really come to this?? Would I rather go to work than clean house??? Oh Yeah!!
Maybe I'll just get a Mcmuffin, read the paper & pretend for an hour or two.

And just so you don't think I don't DO anything but work anymore - I finally finished the toes on my latest creations. Now that I'm having problems putting socks on in the morning, I've finished the latest PURPLE short summer socks! These are in the 'On Your Toes' yarn I found in my 'personal' stash. Apparently the yarn comes with Aloe to soothe the aching tootsies. Dunno 'bout that but the yarn is soft, easy to work with, knits up like any other sock yarn on my 2.25mm or size 1 DPs - I cheated in the end & threw them on two circs since they became 'car knitting' & I didn't want the needles to fall out. Dark stitches are HELL to pick up when you get old!!! This is why they took so long. I haven't had much time to knit in the car - I've either been driving or it's been waiting.

And I guess I'll have to start another pair immediately - I lost part of a tooth eating TOAST yesterday so it looks like I'll be hanging around the Dentist's office this next week . . .

Sunday Morning Again

THIS week I'm taking three days off in a row. At least I'm not planning anything work related other than answering the phone I so calmly call-forwarded yesterday. No one is around at ANY of the businesses that I normally work for. NO ONE. Isn't that amazing??? I suppose the dogs are there but other than that, no one is around. Must be that big fat Blue Moon that made this happen!! Aren't strange & wonderful things supposed to happen during the Blue Moon??? For those who don't know - a Blue Moon is the second full moon in a month! Rare, apparently. And we don't get another one for years.

But, as I said, I don't have to be anywhere for the next three days. Think of the possibilities! All the bills are paid. I could take the car out & just drive north, south or east without stopping for a day or two . . . but then I'd have to come back again. So I might as well knit.

I'm a fan of the Cabin Fever gals & just had to have their new book, 'Need a Plus Cardigan?' I like NO SEW, Top-down patterns especially when they come in versions for multiple weights of yarn. And having a pattern designed especially for a large body?? With variations to make multiples?? You Bet. I'll buy that!! I have other Cabin Fever patterns & I like them. I'd been working on my Poncho Pullover until it got too warm to have it in my lap. And then I got involved in the Tour de Fleece & knitting my hand spun into socks for the Ravellenic Games. So it's time to get back to Fall knitting . . .

The Book's release is being celebrated by a Knit-a-Long using one of the sweaters in the Book. Julie from Knitting at Large, Deb from Cabin Fever & friend Robin are all helping us out on this one. I figure if I join a KAL, I might get something finished in time for FALL this year. Seems I can knit for others a hellova lot faster than I can for myself. And I have all that Briggs & LIttle Heritage in two shades of blue. Apparently Deb likes B&L & has used it several times in her new sample sweaters in the book!! I just love the Panel Sweater. I love the version with the lace but you can't knit that in Heritage!! Heritage is a worsted weight more suited to outdoor wear & hoodies! It's rustic but soft & comes complete with bits of straw - but, it should work nicely with the Lace Frock Vest pattern. I'd put a 3/4 sleeve on it & wear it hip length as a light jacket over leggings or jeans! You know, I think I just made up my own mind.

A Funny Thing Happened

I've had trouble getting into my very own blog. There's supposed to be a little orange square with a B in it up in the left hand corner of my blog that lets me enter when I want to make a post. My B has been missing in action!! Only this morning, as I tried once more, it appeared & let me into the NEW POST section. Whoo Hoo!! Not that there's much to report around here in the Basement these days. I am inundated with Red Geraniums! I was a flower PIG when they got marked down & I bought too many so there's pots of them everywhere. I rescued an Orchid that almost died due to neglect & it's flowering again for me!! My Taro didn't die over the winter like I thought but put up a new leaf & is now churning them out like crazy. The Fern Garden is healthy & the Christmas Cacti are blooming again - second time this year!!! And, I'd like to report that my sore right knee seems to be getting better - I can actually walk up stairs almost like an adult again!! I've been sweltering in Orthopedic sneakers this August whilst most of you wear sandals but it seems to have stabilized my knee. Let that be a lesson, slopping about in Thongs is bad for you when you get OLD.

I DID start winding off all that Black Sheep mill end yarn I've been spinning on the Old Indian spinner. My knee's been too sore to spin. I'd been working on finishing all the 'lumps' in the 15lb grab bag I bought several years ago from the Sheep Shed Studios. Even though I shared that bag with Gail, it still left an awful lot of really nice wool to spin. I got mostly lovely wool/mohair roving & lumps or knots left over from the spinning machine. I preferred the feel of the 'lumps' & chose to spin them first. The biggest problem with them is that they breed in the bag when you're not looking. At least that's how it seems - just when I think I'm finished, I find another handful!! So, I had an overflowing giant bobbin - it holds a pound or two, can't remember which but it's a lot - spun up to fingering sized singles. I have 8 other skeins of the same - it's plain wool which reminds me a lot of Polworth - almost spongey, a very soft springy wool - & I wanted to dye the whole lot at the same time so I could use it in a larger project. Winding off that huge bobbin is a royal pain in the ass!! I have to wind it onto a 2 yard niddy noddy before steaming & dyeing. I'd like to keep it uncut & on a cone of some sort but, I guess if I want to dye it, that's out.

All along I wanted to knit this yarn into a Kimono style sweater/jacket. I have the Knit Kimono & Knit Kimono Too books by Vicky Square & have fallen for a couple of the patterns. I think the hand spun will work well for Kimono styles.

Now all I have to do is win the Lotto so I have the time to spend my Golden Years in the pursuit of fibre, spinning, knitting & dyeing.

PHEW!

I finished the socks but not the sweater! My Arvik Ribbons sweater turned out to be a much bigger job than I expected but the hand spun socks are done. I discovered that hand spun socks take longer to knit than mill spun yarn. Dunno why but they do. They DO feel nice & cozy though & I can't wait to wear them. They're very definitely Fraternal socks - maybe even cousins instead of siblings - but this is the way I spun the yarn that made them. They could almost belong to different pairs of socks but I'm proud of them.

So I got my medal for the Ravellenics Sock Put. And I finished my purple socks. So? What next?? Well, I had this 100gm ball of yarn that had been calling to me for some time but I was too busy to listen. Since I finished my sock project but didn't have enough time left to finish the sweater or knit the other pair of hand spun socks, well, I slipped & fell into the arms of the new sock yarn. It's ON YOUR TOES by Kertzer. It's a dark & moody ball of bubblegum pink, eggplant & navy. I have no idea where it came from - it might've been a gift or a trade but it was in my stash & has been calling my name for a couple of months. Seduced by a ball of yarn - again. I decided to knit socks that just cover my ankle since I don't have a lot of short socks. I can't wear shoes or sneakers without a sock so I make short socks for summer when I'm not flopping around in my thongs or sandals. I finished the first sock quickly & the second sock was started yesterday - as I've said before & I'll say it again - new colorways knit up faster!! They really do. I think it's the excitement to see what kind of pattern the dyed wool will make. These socks are very soft - apparently there's ALOE in the yarn - and look a whole lot better than the yarn suggested in the ball. I think I'm going to like wearing these ones.
I used the standard pattern in my head. Cast on 69sts, the first & last are knit together at the join. Rib for three inches, stockinette to the heel flap, knit side gussets on either side of a K1,S1 heel flap. I usually increase 13 or 15sts on either side of the flap before short rowing & turning the heel. Stockinette to the toe & decrease 4 every other row until I have 32sts remain. Three needle bind off at the toe.

The World's Worst Picture Taker

I am the worst. If they had a medals for bad photography, I'd have the Gold. I just point, shoot & pray. My old camera took pretty good photos until it totally quit working. This new electronic, shock proof, water proof, rechargeable, expandable, digital movie taker mystifies me. I can rarely take a photo that shows the correct color & most of my photos are blurry. Apparently I can self correct 'red-eye' but can't take a close-up. I take several shots of each thing I photograph & hope I have one that's postable. Heh, at least you have an idea of what I'm doing!!!

I continue to plod along on the hand spun purple socks. PLOD is the term I used & PLOD is the term I meant. Considering all the socks I've made in the last 10 years - at least a couple of dozen pairs a year & 4 dozen pairs one memorable one!!! - you'd think I'd've had those socks finished the first weekend! One is completed & I started on the ribbing for the second last evening. The color is close but you can't see the play of the variegation.

Hand spun is not as easy to knit as mill spun sock yarn. Hand spun splits, blends into the stitch next to it, stretches & is slippery as hell when it contains nylon!! I'm also busy at the Motorcycle School so I'm not getting as much knit time as usual. And it's hot & sticky so the yarn doesn't co-operate at all. And then add my metal needles which are too slick for this yarn. Oooops. It all comes from little experience knitting hand spun into socks. The next pair will be knitted on my bamboo needles & I may just spray the yarn with a little water so that it stays in one place as I work. At this rate, I will NOT get to the Orange socks at all & may not get my sweater finished!!! Grrrrr . . . And I have to just look at two more braids I want to spin up!! But, they'll just have to wait.

Off to the ****lympics er Ravellenics

Thanx to the IOC, the crafty pursuit once known as the Ravelympics is now known as the Ravellenics - they now own the 'rights' to the Olympic name . . yeah right. I'm surprised the Greeks haven't been told to rename mount Olympus! But, now that that's out of my system - it still makes me mad though . . .

I took the yarn spun in the Tour de Fleece & decided to knit it into socks for the Ravellenics. Thought I'd just whack them off in a day or two & move along to my sweater. Not so. I had good intentions but I may only get a couple of pairs of socks finished. Knitting socks with handspun is a little different that knitting them with commercial yarn. I had intended to ply my yarn so the socks would wear longer - normally I don't bother with plying but there is a place & time.

When my skein hit the water after spinning, it POUFED up to almost twice it's thickness - oops. So after soaking, whacking & drying, well, it's a little too thick to ply. I'd never get the socks into my shoes if I did & it's a little thin without plying. Not what I'd planned at all. But I'm doing it anyway!!

I cast-on on Friday, the first day of the Olympics with my usual size 1 needles & my singles yarn in Purple Majesty - seemed fitting somehow. I decided to just go for it. I used my usual count of 68 stitches for the ribbing which is in K2,P2. The knitting was a little slower since my singles is not as regular as it normally is since I had planned to ply to even it out by plying. I did have a few very thin spots that I doubled as I went & I definitely had to keep a closer eye on the knitting. I even took a picture on the first night.

I decided to make these a short sock since I don't have many of them & wanted a few more pairs for summer. The sock is plain stocking stitch for a couple of inches below the ribbing to where I started for the heel. I'm using the heel with knitted gussets formed on either side as I do a K1,S1 heel between them. This heel is from the Crazy Heels & Toes Book which saved my life when I couldn't see to pick up those stitches on either side of the old heel flap. I don't have to pick up stitches anymore, thank gawd, but I did have a slight learning curve at the beginning. The K1,S1 flap is between the markers & the knitted gusset is from the marker to the end of the needle. The nice thing about this heel is that you can make the gussets narrower or wider to accommodate the foot you're knitting for. I usually use 13 increases for my old, widening clodhopper but use 15 for most men's sizes. My socks never crawl into my shoes! Ever!

Ta Da

Do I have to say more??? The Orange superwash is still on the bobbins because I just haven't had time to get it off but here's the Purple Majesty superwash - only one bag is done by the way & Pink Elephant - I just had to have it in mid Tour & I was able to spin it when I got tired of the Purple . . . all of which were spun as singles yarn. I had intended to spin them much finer & thought I did on the Suzie Pro but once they came off the skein winder & hit the water. Poof! They came out as fingering weight so they won't be plied. This may have been unintended consciously but my unconscious knows I prefer to spin the weight I want without any more 'fiddling' with it.

The Purple will become socks in the Ravellenic Games - Ravelry's celebration of the Olympic Games which we aren't allowed to mention in regards to our Celebration. I've entered the Purple in the Sock Put. Hopefully I will knit the Orange too if I get a chance to get to it in time. I will also be trying to finish the Arvik Ribbons sweater that is partly done & got abandoned in a bag at the beginning of Tax Season when I had to juggle Taxes & the job at the School when Bryan went to drive a bus. I'd really, really like to finish it first.

The skein of Pink Elephant?? Well - it's Polworth, which means it's soft, it felts & it's not good for socks. It might become a cowl, a hat or a dainty scarf. Not sure so it will marinate for a while. I may even hang it up on my skein rack as ART.

All That Spinning . . .

I've done more spinning in the past three weeks for the Tour de Fleece than I've done in the past year! Why?? I don't know. I think knitting got in the way. Maybe I was just afraid of my new Suzie Pro. Damned if I know. I DO know that I thought Suzie would be small & easy to move around when I bought her. She turned out to weigh twice as much as my old Indian spinner. The Old Indian takes up twice the space, mind you, but it's much lighter & so much easier to take places because it's not fancy. I don't have to worry about dings or scratches. It came as a Plain Jane sawhorse with a giant spindle on top, 40 years ago! SuzieP is a Fauncy Piece in her designer wood & sealed bearings. Maybe she just intimidated me. Since the Old Indian had almost a full bobbin - I can spin a couple of pounds of yarn on that thing - I dug out SuzieP for this year's Contest.

I have to admit, I enjoyed it. SuzieP snuggles in close when I watch TV. She's heavy but doesn't have to be moved whenever I get up & down. And she's so very quiet. Only problem is those tiny bobbins!!! I soooooooo love the big bobbin on the Indian but he's noisy & has to be moved every time you get up or need to change position. And then I have to steal myself to spend an afternoon winding ALL that yarn off . . . .


Because I enjoyed spinning so much, I started spinning a NEW braid called 'Pink Elephant'. It caught my fancy in an Etsy shop - operated by a Vendor who has a Group called Sunset Fibres on Ravelry. The spinning is close to the actual color. The color changes in every single picture I take!! I just don't understand how to adjust the light & try to take the photos outside if I can. Since it was raining & quite dark, I couldn't take a photo outside when it was still in the braid! I've stolen the actual photo from the Etsy shop to show what caught my attention. The bobbin photo was taken under my 'Daylight' bulb so it's pretty close. There's a surprising variety of colors in the braid! A little peach, purple, three or four shades of grey, some blush pink & a touch of dark charcoal. There's nothing even remotely socky about this fibre! It's soft, the colors muted - there's something distinctly feminine & lacy about it, even sitting on the bobbin as it is. I smell a rat! Someone somehow has hatched a plot to drag me into the Cowl Knit-a-long after all . . . .