Baby socks

When my sister asked for some baby socks, I figured I could bust out a few pairs in no time flat. Dead wrong. I've only finished one sock since last week!

My latest scheme is baby tube socks (no heel) made in traveling rib. Hopefully this will help me get the dang things done.

Sleevy

I decided to dig out the yarn I'd gotten to make DP a sweater all those years ago, and found that the sleeve I'd made was missing! I tore apart the entire fiber closet, and was on the point of giving up, when I discovered it at the top of the closet behind the drum carder.

So, at least I have all the yarn :) Now I'm not sure if DP will actually wear it, because his skin has become even more sensitive over the years.

I finished the featherweight! It's blocking right now. I ended up with a lot of yarn left over, so I could have actually made the sleeves full length rather than bracelet length, but it's cool. DP suggested that I wait to give it to my sister until after the twins are a bit older...but if I wait, I may end up with it myself :)

Now I have to decide what to make: a sweater for DP, a sweater for my best friend's upcoming baby, a sweater for my mom, or a sweater for me. I have all of these on the brain, along with spinning and Christmas/Hanukkah bazaar presents. Eeep.

I got the Mabon shipment from the wheel of the seasons club I joined - an ounce of dyed silk caps in sort of a rainbow-ish colorway, leaning towards autumn. I was thinking of knitting up some wristwarmers for myself or DP from the unspun caps, since my cap spinning is not the best, and I want to actually make something and not just think about it.

I also dug through the sock yarn bin, looking for the next sock installment. I'm thinking of some plain stockinette in muddy autumn rainbow STR. DP loves plain stockinette socks. Or maybe stockinette with a traveling eyelet - he loved those socks to death. I should really finish my darning before making any more socks, but I don't know if I can! Maybe I should take the darning to my sister's house...?

I bought Circle & Bloom's fertility series yesterday (you can guess why), so I'm going to start today. It can't hurt, and I think it might help. I'll report back. At least I had a 20% off coupon.

Scrubby

I tried a sugar scrub in my shower this morning - sugar, honey and a bit of avocado oil. Wowie - the parts that I scrubbed are super soft and smooth. I may have to start doing this once a week.

I'm almost done with one sleeve on the cardigan, so I have one more sleeve and the collar. I still don't know what I'm going to do, but it may be in garter to go faster.

With the cooler weather coming, I need to make some more socks! As soon as I finish this cardi, I'm going to cast on a pair. Not sure what color or pattern, but I've been sockless for too long.

Fashion plate

Navy pants, brown socks and black shoes - I am totally fashionable.

Still working on the Waistcoat socks; I decided to try one sock using the crochet hook method to bead, and it's slow going. I also spent all of Sunday at my sister's house painting, so I didn't get any knitting done, except for some darning. DP's socks really needed it.

Beady and bready

DP took me to the store today to get beads - hooray! I got silver, gold, bronze, green and red, which I think will make a marvelous waistcoat :) My plan is to put half of each color of bead in a bowl, and thread them onto the yarn. Hopefully, I'll have enough...and the back of the leg won't be too stiff with all the beading. I'm excited to try this out, and if it looks anything like my imagination, I'll be very happy.

I also just pulled a batch of b-bread out of the oven. I used this recipe, but I swapped out rum for the bourbon. One, I don't have any bourbon in the house, and two, I love rum and bananas together. Frankly, I love rum in anything, but that's beside the point :)

I just need to finish the foot and heel of the second Diamond Waistcoat sock, then I can cut the yarn and bead it up. Goodness, that banana bread smells lovely!

Little bunny's getting fat on bread and honey

I'm eating buttered bread with honey and drinking tea, and it's raining outside. Hooray!

I just finished my March SKA socks, and I love them:



That Eidos yarn is amazing. I started out not liking it, but it won me over. Great stitch definition, nice deep color, and it stands abuse well. I carried it with me on the bus and over at my sister's house for a month, and it's none the worse for wear.

Now I can concentrate on my Smaug socks...but I really need to get to the fabric store to pick up the beads for the sock backs.

I also had a nice meeting today with a woman doing a project for a Folklore class. She needed to interview knitters, and I thought it would be fun to help a fellow knitter (and folklore lover) out. It was! We had a great talk, and even kept on talking after she had gotten the footage and recordings that she needed. It was fun to talk with another person close to my own age about knitting and fiber crafts - especially a real live person :)

It's a Yorkshire kind of day

It's cold and rainy, and I have a cup of Scottish breakfast steeping. I'm just about to sit down and read Wuthering Heights - it's just that kind of day.

DP has been very sick the past week - stomach sick, fever, chills - but he seems to be a bit better. I'm letting him sleep, and the rain on the roof makes good white noise for him.

I'm excited for the next mystery sock clue; here's what I have so far:



I really like how this yarn is knitting up. I wasn't sure about it at first, because it has a firm hand, but I like the stitch definition. We'll see how it wears.

I'm also working on my Smaug socks, which have now been dubbed Diamond Waistcoat socks. Here's the toe:



I still need the beads, but maybe I can get my sister to take me to the store sometime. DP's in no condition to go anywhere.

I've also been working on the Uinen sweater, and I'm into the sleeves:



I've finished both fronts and the back,



so I really need to get these sleeves done. I may not actually put buttons on it, depending on the fit. Time will tell...

Once DP wakes up, I'm going to make a seedcake, but I haven't decided whether I want caraway or cardamom...decisions, decisions.

Socks and redecorating

I'm working on the March mystery socks for the SKA KAL, and I'm really enjoying how they're looking. The Sanguine Gryphon Eidos is really nice yarn, once I got over its high twist. The next clue comes out tomorrow, and I can hardly wait :)

I'm also working up a pattern for some lacy socks inspired by the Folklore and Fairytales RAL/KAL of The Hobbit. The colorway of the yarn is Smaug, and I'm really excited to start working on my pattern. The problem is that I need to find my third circular needles in US0...two circs are being used for the mystery socks. Sigh.

In other news, I reorganized my craft room. Once we took out the couch, I had a lot more space, but things still felt cluttered. I got a new desk (only $30!) and put it together this weekend - I love the open feeling of the room now. Lots of floor space for sewing or blocking, lots of wall space for pictures or nothing, and just a great feeling. I spent about an hour tonight working on my map of Beleriand, and it was so nice to be able to put it on the floor and work with my pastels without having to move a couch or trunk out of the way. This openness won't last however; we're going to put a futon in this room so it can be a guest room for when my family members are over at the holidays. I'm enjoying it while it lasts, though!

Well, my focaccia just came out of the oven, so I'd better look to it.

Let them wear socks, and let them eat cake

I'm trying yet another yellow cake recipe - dp loves boxed yellow cake with chocolate frosting, but I refuse to buy boxed cake mix. I've tried various butter and oil cakes, but nothing is quite right. Currently, I have Smitten Kitchen's yellow cake in the oven - most of her recipes are great, so I have high hopes for this one. I don't know what to do about the frosting though...dp didn't like the buttercream I made last time, though that might be a review of my skills rather than the recipe :)

I finished the Nibblers socks - hooray! Here they are in they're poorly lit glory:



and the detail shot:



I finished the second sock in about 5 1/2 days, so I'm only a little bit behind schedule. I'm currently working on the March mystery sock for the SKA sockdown on Ravelry. I'm happy to be knitting down the stash - though if I use up my sock yarn, I'll only have sweater weights left. It's likely though that I'll top up the sock yarn, if I could only get someone to take me to the yarn store!

I also finally got some cardigan pictures off the camera:

Side one:



Side two:



I love that it's reversible, and I love both sets of buttons. Now that my sister and my best friend are expecting, I think I may have to whip up a few more of these for them. So cute, and so quick. Though if either of them is having boys, I may not go with this cardi - it is a bit delicate looking.

I still have two half finished cardigans for myself sitting in my WIP pile, but I don't have the energy to work on them. I think I need a nice vacation, so I can concentrate on just relaxing, at which point I'll be able to work on the sweaters. I need to have either a certain state of mind, or a really hard deadline :)

Well, off to pick out a frosting recipe...

It's been a while

Two weeks? What the heck happened?

Things are completely insane at work with the holiday coming up and the large freezer defunct. I'm getting various freezer donations, but it's like tetris over here.

I was happy to see "Shrove Tuesday Recipes" when I opened up allrecipes.com today - the historian in me always gets a kick out of that kind of thing.

I still haven't finished even the first Nibblers sock. I haven't been doing much knitting lately, due to some issues, and I can really tell that my mood is bluer because of it.

I ended up making a baby blanket for my cousin's shower - just a flannel one, with little pictures of birds in blue, brown and pink. I love those colors together! DP was actually jealous of the blanket, and if he'd been a baby, he would have stolen it for himself :)

My sister finds out in two weeks the sexes of her twins. I'm pretty excited, because once I know the sexes, I can start on the projects. DP will probably be annoyed at the craftosity, but c'est la vie. I can't wait! My hope is for one girl and one boy (that's what I hoped for when my mom was pregnant with twins, but she ended up with my brothers - sigh!).

I'd really like to work up my forest of Brethil socks for Ravelry. They're pretty easy, and I think people might enjoy making them. At the very least, I'd like another pair for myself :) Why don't I seem to be able to just sit down and pattern write?

Back to it!

Bills stink

I got the bill for my bloodwork in January - $1200! My insurance actually did something to help me this time, so I only am responsible for $500 of it, but come on! I have another procedure next week, and it's going to cost almost $2000. I called my insurance company (since the last time I had something big, they covered 95 cents of it - literally!), but the person on the phone would not tell me how much of it they'd cover. She could only tell me it's a covered service. Bah!

In other news, I've been playing around with Calibre, and tried converting one of my patterns with it. Worked like a charm, except I forgot to make my charts into pictures, so they came up weird looking. This opens up a whole new world of things to put on my Kindle. I wonder if I need to hack pdfs in order to convert them...

I haven't had much time for knitting this week, so I just finished turning the heel on the first of DP's socks. I think I'm liking how they're turning out, but I'll need to knit further up the leg to be sure.

I got the new Interweave Knits yesterday; le sigh. Nothing in it really grabbed me and said "make me now!", which is kind of a bummer. I have the itch to make things, but I just don't know what.

Thank goodness for heavy sock yarn

I found two half balls of STR mediumweight, and I think I have enough to make a pair of socks for DP. I might just go with tube socks, using that ubiquitous spiraling rib pattern.

I'm still plugging away on the Nibblers socks; I'm finally to the gusset increases, so at least there's something interesting to do :)

A depressing discovery

I've found out the hard way that the only socks that don't develop holes in a few months are ones with nylon. Not even silk or bamboo work. Almost all of DP's newer socks have holes in them, because I've been making him nice soft socks with pure merino. I should have realized that they'd never last, but I let myself be fooled.

The good thing is that the socks I'm currently making for him are in a wool/nylon blend, so they should stand up to wear. The bad thing is that, like almost all his socks, they are 9 stitches and 12 rows to the inch, so they won't be done anytime soon. I have to get him hooked on STR I think, because the only holes those socks get are from severe injury - catching them on a nail, accidentally cutting them with a scissors. Blargh!

I might have to whip up a thicker pair for him in between other projects, just to take the edge off, you understand :)

The socks are done, long live the socks

I finished the mystery socks on January 31:



They are nice and warm, and in shoes don't look too bad :)

I started another pair on February 1 - Socks for His Nibs, made out of the bright orange yarn I mentioned before. I wanted to do the pattern because I want to get more comfortable with flap and gusset heels, especially toe up style. I'd like to get to the point where I don't need a pattern or need to look at a reference; basically, to be as comfortable with flap and gusset as I am with short row.

I decided on a little cardigan with the cashsoft, and finished it pretty quickly. I still don't have buttons for it though, since I'm not sure any of the buttons in my box really work with the oatmeal color of the yarn. It is very soft and snuggly though! Now I need to decide whether I want to go with socks or a blanket for the accompanying gift.

I fought the law, and it was a tie

I had to go to court a few days ago to contest a snow citation for work. I got them to drop the citation, but I still had to pay for the city workers to come and spread about 6 oz of sand on the sidewalk. Blargh.

I had a relatively good appointment at the doctor; he seems like a very nice person, but I was crying all over the place, so he probably thinks I'm crazy. Whatever - as long as he can help me, I don't care. He wants me to go in for an hsg in a couple of weeks, which is kind of scary, since I've heard it can hurt really badly. We'll see.

I'm halfway done with the foot of the second SKA sock, so I should finish by the end of the month with no problem. I have to say, these are some of the ugliest socks I've ever made - I thought the colors would go well together, but in the final equation, I think they don't jive. DP hates them, which is good in a way, since he won't be stealing them like all the other socks I make :) My mom and sister like the combo though, so maybe I'm missing something. I dunno.

I'm happy that I've worked the socks up in about a month, because I'd really like to make a pair every other month this year. Like all my beginning of the year schemes, we'll see how this one goes, but it's not a bad start. I have enough yarn to make twenty pairs of socks, and I joined the Art and Sole pattern only sock club this year, so I should have some foot fodder coming down the pike. I also have two gift certificates to a local yarn store, but I need someone to take me there. Since my sister is tired all the time with her pregnancy and DP doesn't like yarn stores, I don't know what to do. Cab?

I'm currently trying to figure out what to make for an upcoming baby shower. I have four weeks, so I'm thinking a cardigan and a pair of socks. Since I have this issue of owning a million patterns but never wanting to make any of them when the chips are down, I bought this (Ravelry link) yoked cardigan pattern by Hannah Fettig. I think I'll use that cashsoft, since it's machine washable, and make a little tiny sweater with it. If I have time, and the inclination, I might also work up a blanket.

Whatta day

It has been snowing all day long - sometimes heavy, sometimes, less heavy - I'm so happy I didn't have to work today.

I spent the day working on my second mystery sock for SKA on Ravelry, catching up on my blogs, baking bread and reading romance novels. Sigh.

Here's a pic of the first sock:



Yes, I know it's blurry, but it's the best I could do :) Really - I took six pictures, and this was the best one. Eeep! I'm about a third of the way through the second sock, which will end at the end of the gusset (the next clue isn't out until next week). This is the first time I've done mosaic, and I have to say that I enjoy it a lot more than I thought I would. I love colorwork, but I'm not often in the mood to have to carry both yarns around - this makes that problem moot.

I finished the sweater/dress that I was test knitting:



I love how it turned out, and I'm going to give it to DP's sister's daughter. I think it will be a dress for her now and a sweater for her later, but it's just so cute I can hardly stand it.

I baked two loaves of bread today: a whole wheat sandwich loaf and a baguette. I use the recipes from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Bread Every Day, which I encourage everyone to run out and buy if you are interested in making bread. The two things I've brought away from the book that I think can be used elsewhere are the overnight rise and the stretch and fold. The overnight rise gives you a lot more leeway on when you make the bread, and it helps the flavors of the bread develop so much more than the usual countertop rise. The stretch and fold lets you make a dough with a higher hydration and less traditional kneading. You knead your dough for a bit, then stretch and fold it onto itself by quarters. You let it sit for ten minutes and do it again, usually three or four times total. It's an amazing technique. Sadly, I have to let my bread cool, so I haven't been able to dig in yet, but I have designs on the baguette at least for dinner. DP also mentioned that he'd like roti tonight, so I made end up making 3 different breads today.

I also got a bunch of pictures off my camera and onto flickr, so I can prove that I actually knit something during Christmas. Behold, my juerga mitts:



and



A coworker got the green ones and DP claimed the yellow ones.

And some One Scarves:







I love that pattern - obvious, I know.

Finally, two keyhole scarves:



Again, another great pattern from Anne Hanson. She's amazing.

I still need to make myself some more lip balms; I'm totally out, since I had to give several away to visitors who left their own chapsticks at home :) I need to finish filling out the h&p stuff for my doctor's appointment tomorrow (new fertility clinic), and I have a couple more chapters to read. Finally, if anyone knows of a great pattern for Rowan Cashsoft 4 ply (the fingering weight), let me know. I'm thinking baby stuff, since it's soft and machine washable, but I'm not sure which baby stuff. All the babies I'm waiting for the birth of are due April through August.

Deja vu?

I ended up giving my Juerga mitts to my sister on Sunday - she really liked them, and I felt like she needed a pick me up. With her pregnancy and my 2 1/2 yr old niece, plus moving into a new house, things have been pretty hectic for her.

I am working on the mystery socks for SKA, and I'm actually having fun! It's mosaic, which I have not done, and I'm using up yarn that I've had for over two years, so I feel virtuous. I did have to do the cuffs over because the STR lightweight I thought I had turned out to be STR mediumweight. I was using a 2.5mm and had to go down to a 2.0mm, otherwise the things would have been enormous. I'm halfway through the second clue on my first sock.

I'm also test knitting a sleeveless sweater dress like thingy for someone on Ravelry. When I saw it, I thought it was too gorgeous to be denied, and I had too many little girls I'd want to make it for. Since I couldn't wait for the pattern to be finished and set out for sale, I had to ask if I could test it. I'm using Louisa Harding silk/wool blend singles, dk weight. Exciting!

Almost there

I've finished the feather and fan section on the second of my "for me" juerga mitts, so I have only to knit the double eyelet rib and I'll be done with the pair. I love these, and I'm happy that I'll have a pair for myself :) The squash colored pair I'd been making for myself was appropriated by DP, and with all the Christmas knitting I had to do, I didn't get to make another set for myself.

I'm also trying to decide if I should make the mystery socks in the Sock Knitters Anonymous KAL this month. It looks interesting, and I said that I wanted to get back into sock knitting...we'll see how I feel later tonight. The cuff looks really neat, and I have some heavier weight sock yarn that would let me make the smaller stitch count in my size.

Once all of my house guests are gone, I really want to go through my craft room and rearrange it. DP wants it to be a combination craft room/library, so that the library can be a guest bedroom, but I have a small couch in my craft room that will need to go if we want to put four more bookcases in. I've not been up to moving furniture lately, and with all our guests over the past month, I didn't really have the opportunity. Next week though, I won't have any more excuses.

The Professor!

Today is the birthday of JRR Tolkien, and fans all over the world raise a glass to his memory. Right now, I'm in the middle of a good deep mug of cider, but I'll probably raise another toast in ale later tonight :)

When I think of all the different things I've read, and all the ways they have influenced me, JRRT's works are some of the most important. In almost all that I do, I can find reflections to the Silm, or the LOTR, or even The Hobbit. I love his style, his stories, his choice of words, his imagery. If I got nothing else from that long ago, ill-fated relationship in college, I got introduced to Tolkien and his world. Thank you, Brian!

In other news, I did finish most of my Christmas gifts, but I didn't finish the mittens. I had some...trouble...so I'm still working on them. The cowl I made for my brother was too orange, so I made him a green one with Madelinetosh and Cascade 220. He loved the green cowl, but also liked the orange one, so he got both! My other brother liked the scarf I made for him; it was a heathered navy Cascade 220. He actually wore it to work, so I think he really liked it and wasn't just being nice. My aunt and grandma liked their keyhole scarves, and I think my other aunt and cousin probably liked theirs as well; at least, I didn't hear about how they hated them.

Now that 2011 is here, I really want to crank out some more socks for me, DP, and maybe some of the little nieces and nephews I have running around. I do want to finish my Uinen, and I saw a gorgeous sweater on Knitspot that I'll have to make for myself or DP as soon as Anne publishes the pattern. Last year I made several cardigans, but none of them were perfect. This year, I'd like to make one cardigan that fits really well, and one pullover that I can wear with no undershirt (if I'm so inclined).

Forward!

Done, and buttons

The socks are done! DP loves them, since he didn't realize I was making them for him.

I got the buttons from jennybuttons - they're gorgeous, and I think they'll be perfect with the sweater. Little bronze buttons with a hand hammered look...swoon :) I've got to get the back of the sweater finished so I can start on the sleeves. I'm just so excited!

We had a nice snowfall today (it's even better since we don't have to drive anywhere), and we're having a tree-trimming party with my sister and her family. I'm making a big pot of chili, some cornbread and a caramel nut tart for dessert. I have coffee and port, and I'm ready to go. Unfortunately, I have to shovel the driveway before they get here! I hurt my neck and shoulder yesterday - I was moving an upright piano and one of the casters came off, so I had to lift it up and push it on two wheels - but snow waits for no (wo)man, so I'll soon be off to the garage. I love shoveling, but it really cuts into my knitting and baking time.

DP lost the blue fingerless gloves I made for him last year, so I'll have to make him another pair as soon as I can. I have some of the terra cotta colored Madelinetosh DK left, which feels like it will make good glove material. It's soft and a bit bouncy, which I think he'll like. He's able to wear merino and other fine wools, so I'm going to make these and see what happens. It's too bad he's allergic to angora, because my brown angora mitts would fit him perfectly. Sigh!