Cranberry Socks

Well, the cranberry socks are coming along. I'm knitting them on size 1 needles and am just about two pattern repeats past the toe. I'm thinking the pattern will pop more when I get a few more repeats knitted. I used Judy's Magic Cast-on for the toe, but changed it up a bit - on the increase rounds I did K1, P1, Kfb at the beginning of each needle and ended each needle with Kfb, P1, K1. I like the way it looks.

Miss Bunny agreed to model the sock-hat - Next time there will be enough of the pattern over the instep to show it to better advantage. (My apologies re/the date stamp...)

Be sure to check out http://sewfunquilts-sewmeow.blogspot.com/ for her giveaways - especially if you're a quilter. Yummy goodness! in a fabric-y sort of way. :-) And, I think today is the last day, so be quick!

...And the Time Warp continues...

Sheesh! Can't believe another month has whizzed past. And, um, my last post...the one dated in June? I forgot to actually publish it until just yesterday. I kept thinking "I've got to get some pics to go with that post and then get it published!" But the days turned into weeks (overnight or so it seemed) and the weeks turned into a month so finally yesterday I just published it without any pics.

In the meantime I finished the Rivulets socks (I've re-named them the "Re-Rivulets" socks since I re-worked the lacy pattern), and here's a couple pics of the finished pair. Sorry about the incorrect dates on the photos - the camera ran out of batteries again and of course, I forgot to re-set the date. The yarn color is more accurate in the top photo.

Still working along on the Orenburg scarf... it's a few inches longer than it was last time, and I haven't worked at all on DD's sweater. Hard to work on a winter sweater in the heat of summer! I went thru my stash the other day, hoping for inspiration as to a new knitting project, but, alas, no light-bulb moment. Don't know what I'm going to tackle next.

We had a chicken tragedy about a week ago. Very sad. Lucille (her pic is up in the sidebar) had figured out how to flap over the short little picket fence that divides the chicken/garden side of the back-yard from the "regular" side of the back yard. I could usually lure her back into her side of the yard by offering her peas from the garden, but one day she was being all totally independent, and wouldn't be lured, so I left her on the wrong side of the fence, thinking that she would flap back over when she was ready. Later, when she tried to do so, she managed to get her poor head stuck between two of the pickets and died. I cried for two days and even writing about it now makes my eyes well up. In the big picture, I know that Lucille's death is a small event, but ... crap. I hate it when things like this happen.

An update re/ my next project. I have some cranberry colored sock yarn and have begun working on the pattern for a pair of cranberry socks. (I love Barbara Walker's pattern books! - there's no way I could even begin to figure -out a lace pattern from scratch!) Hopefully, cast-on happens today and there'll be a pic or two in the next couple of days.

Long time no we...

How can it be June 17th already????? "Doo doo doo doo" (Twilight Zone theme music) It's a time warp this time of year.


But...knitting has been accomplished...a little bit. I finished the Dusk socks; I'm further along (several inches worth) with the Orenberg Lace Scarf, the first sleeve of DD's sweater has made it up to the sleeve-cap decreases (and has only been re-knit twice), I've cast on and got two inches past the heel on Wendy's Rivulet socks (click on "free patterns" near the top of her blog-screen) - but didn't like the lace pattern expanded as it was for the large size - so frogged it back to nuttin', reworked the pattern, cast-on again and am barely past the toe. Sheesh - you'd think I might have noticed that I didn't like the expanded large pattern before I turned the heel at least...but no. Just a word or two about Wendy...She is one of the most influential people in my life when it comes to knitting... I heart Wendy.


Remember how I said I was looking forward to doing a "Judy's Magic Cast-On" toe, but doing it in garter stitch? Well, I'm still going to pursue that notion on some future pair of socks, but when I got "sucked-in" to the Rivulet socks I decided that I didn't want a garter stitch toe, (or heel either for that matter), but I did spend a day or so figuring out a heel alternative. I love the way Wendy's heels (at least those that I've knit so far) look. But I hate, Hate, HATE the wrap-and-turn part of that kind of heel. Actually, it's the "Pick-up-the-wrap-and-knit-it-with-the-stitch-it-wraps" part that drives me bonkers. I don't know if it's because of eye-sight problems, or just an old fashioned mental block, but that part of the heel (only eight stitches or so of the whole thing!) makes me break out in cold sweats! I invariably get one of those crucial stitches fouled up somehow and am reduced to a blubbering blob while I try to frog back and repair the damage...


So, I think I've mentioned before how much I like knitting the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts type heel - (Google Priscilla's Dream Socks and read the little box on the right side of page 1 to see an explanation of her yarn-over technique with no holes) but I like the looks of the Wendy-type heel (and they fit my feet just fine)... I figured out how to use PGR's special stitch instead of a wrap and turn stitch to fill-in the hole you'd get if you didn't use one or the other - and the test heel I made with scrap yarn turned out lookin' fine. It wasn't all that hard! I know this kind of thing is old hat to experienced knitters (I'm not one of them, more's the pity) but for me, this was a super WOW accomplishment.


And I've been stitchin' on my two WIP quilt tops. I have plenty to keep me occupied and you might think that would keep me from launching off on other projects, but (again) no. A dear friend mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she needed some way to organize and store her knitting needles, so what did I do? I piped right up and said, "Hey, I'll make you one of those fabric jelly-roll things for your needle storage." I just got her cute little bag of all-things-knitting-needle-related stuff yesterday and spent part of the morning sketching out a holder for her DPs. I'm thinking that her single points will get their own holder and I'm not sure what I'll do with her circs. (Unlike some of us knitters she only has a "reasonable" amount of knitting needles - Me? If there was such a thing as a jelly-roll type holder for all my needles, it would have to have its own zip-code!

Life in the Treasure Valley of Idaho

Yes, this is my knitting blog. But honestly...I'm at a point in all my projects that it's just same-o, same-o. I'm turning the heel on the second dusk sock - but if you saw the first one, you've seen the second one. (Scroll back a few posts and you can see it if you've forgotten.) I'm up to the armhole decreases on the first sleeve of DD's sweater - but it's just plain stockinette. Nothing to get excited about. The Orenberg scarf is maybe a few inches longer than it was last time I included a pic. And, frankly, I haven't crocheted even a smidgen more on the Sassy Sack handle. Ho Hum.

So let us put knitting (and crocheting) aside and speak of other things. Like, the weather. A week ago tomorrow morning we had a freeze warning right down here in the city. Yesterday we had a record high temp of 95 (beating the former record of 93 set in 1954 I believe). Today's morning low was 71. Tomorrow's predicted high is 68. It all kind of makes your head spin, doesn't it? I love Idaho.

I spent a good part of yesterday sitting in the shade and working on the aforementioned sleeve (my idiot-knitting project at present). DS let the chickens out and I thoroughly enjoyed their company. At one point, Lucille had pressing business inside the coop and DS took this darling picture. She's inside the coop, roosting on (in?) the favorite nesting box. Isn't she just the cutest thing?

DS made three little windows - one for each of the nesting boxes. In the winter he slides in a solid panel to cut down on the draftiness. But in warm weather he slides in the screen-doors so the chickens can look out and we can look in, and the coop gets some ventilation. The silly chickens all like the one box furthest to the left as you look at this view. We've never found an egg in either of the other two boxes.

Here's a "front" view of the coop and the pen. I have teased DS unmercifully about the Taj Majal he built for the chickens, and reminded him yesterday that he still hasn't come up with a hot tub spa, nor has he installed their wide-screen TV with cable. (He reminded me that I never did get around to knitting them shawls or booties this past winter...)

This view (below) is from the far end of the chicken run, showing the ramp (on the right) leading up into the coop. When we let the chickens out into the yard, we leave the door to the chicken run open so that the chickens can go back into their run/coop whenever they want to, and it's not unusual to have one of the cats go exploring up the ramp and into the coop. One time we had a cat in the coop while one of the girls was on the nest laying an egg. I expected a confrontation of some sort but the cat exited the premises leisurely a short time later.

This morning I worked outside and weeded part of a "suicide" strip along the drive-way where we have some of our rose bushes planted. I'm thinking of planting nasturtiums and/or moss roses there. Pansies, Johnny-Jump-Ups and sweet alyssum would be pretty along there, too. Maybe I'll plant some of each. I call that area a "suicide" strip because it tends to get foot traffic off the drive-way and also, in the summer time it's hard to keep it adequately watered - the concrete driveway just sucks the moisture out of the soil next to it.

Maybe I'll have some knitting to share next time I post. Or maybe...who knows. Happy days, happy days. Can you believe this coming weekend of Memorial Day weekend???

One Sock Done

Finally, something accomplished (knitting-wise)! I've been so distracted by hexagons and DD's quilt blocks, that knitting has been somewhat neglected...along with house-work and other "chores". But I did finish the first Dusk sock, see?

The toe construction on this pair of socks is "Judy's Magic Cast-On" and is a stockinette type toe...but when I got to the heel, I did a garter stitch "Priscilla Gibson-Roberts" heel. (If you're not familiar with PGR, just google her - there are several good tutorials regarding her heel and toe technique - the only change I make for my garter stitch adaptation is that when I turn my sock to work the next row of the heel/toe, I knit the stitches instead of purl them.) Next pair of socks I'm going to use Judy's cast-on method again, but am going to try changing it up to garter stitch. Maybe the anticipation of trying that modified start-up will encourage me to get this second sock done. (I'm especially prone to second-sock syndrome!)

And I've made some progress on the Orenberg scarf. I've learned something about knitting lace with lace-weight yarn - USE LIFELINES! Before I began using lifelines, my biggest problem with this lace-weight was that when I made a mistake and attempted to frog back to fix it, I ended up creating more problems than I was trying to fix, and got into such a muddle that I always had to rip back to ground zero. Now that I've finally embraced lifelines, the most I have to rip back is just a few rows. One of my AHA! moments with lifelines was when I switched from regular straight needles to a circular needle...I could not insert a lifeline to save my soul when using regular needles! But with circs, you just slide all the live stitches onto the cable and it's easy to thread the lifeline through those stitches because they're loose.

So... if you're struggling with lace and you're knitting with regular straight needles, switch to a circular needle. To insert a lifeline, thread a blunt-tipped tapestry needle with pearl cotton or a heavy crochet thread, slide your stitches to the cable part of your circular needle, and thread your lifeline through the stitches, leaving a generous tail on both sides of the live stitches. Then, when you have knit the next few rows and are ready to create the next lifeline, just pull out your former lifeline and re-do in the current row. (I actually keep two lifelines - I'm so paranoid! - so I remove the oldest lifeline to thread through the "new" row.) Also, be sure to mark (on your chart) which row you've used for the lifeline. That way, if you have to rip back, you'll know right where you are.

Just umpty-jillion pattern repeats to go...

Annual Time Warp

There's some magically evil thing that happens this time of year - every year! Time somehow speeds up and rips past at such a fantastical speed! Outside, the weeds (and grass) grow so fast that when you get up each morning and look outside, you are astonished to see that the just-weeded garden is (again) swamped with weeds and the lawn is now a meadow. Inside, you just can't ignore all the calling-out from projects and wanna-be projects that have slumbered peacefully for most of the winter. And the dust bunnies are multiplying at an alarming rate - far faster than usual. Not to mention the sticky place growing larger and stickier on the kitchen floor.

After the ennui of Winter, Spring wants so much...weed this, prune that, knit on your wips, cast-on for this and this and this, piece (patchwork) this, no this, finish that. On and on. Overwhelmed I am!

In spite of all the distractions, I have made a few rows progress on the Knit Picks Dusk socks -

Oh, hilarious! Finally remembered to "fix" the date stamp on the camera and I got the year wrong!
As you can see, I did a Priscilla Gibson-Roberts heel - in garter stitch, so it doesn't match the toe, but I figure "Who Cares?" Not me.

And, here's a top view showing the lace pattern winding it's way up the foot onto the leg. Sorry about the perspective - it's wonky.

Made a couple of potholders for my across-the-street neighbors who generously gave me a large bag of yeast (they belong to CostCo). The largest size of yeast I can buy in the local stores is the jar - far smaller than the bag, and we go through yeast pretty quickly.

Pot holders for Doug and Rosemary -

The chickens are deliriously happy with the weather and have been outside every day. Outside their coop, that is. Two of them - Henrietta and Penelope tolerate my petting them. Lucille? Not so much.

That's Penelope on the right and Henrietta on the left.

And, this is Lucille. Isn't she pretty?

As I've mentioned previously, my knitting time has been seriously impacted by my re-kindled passion for patchwork and quilting. And this poor blog has "suffered", too. So...I've begun (just barely) a quilting blog here -- will try to keep my knitting here and my quilting/patchwork there. I briefly tried WordPress but ran into all kinds of problems I couldn't solve, so came back to blogger.

Patchwork...and not much knitting

One day last week I was taking something out of the oven, using one of the patchwork pot-holders I made years ago, and I almost got burned because the poor old potholder was so shabby and threadbare. I decided maybe it was time I made some new ones, and that is just what I have been doing... Digging through my fabric stash (I don't really have very much) reminded me that DD once expressed her desire to have a quilt made by me, so I've started that as well.

Here's a shabby old potholder -

(Sorry, I forgot to fix the date-thingy on the camera...)

Here's some new ones -

And here's two 15" quilt blocks - Geese in the Pond is the pattern name.

This is basically a scrap quilt. I might "need" to purchase a couple fat quarters in a yellow print (I think the greens cry out for yellow and I just don't have any pretty yellow in my stash).

Knitting? Well, not much progress...I did turn the heel on the Dusk sock and make a bit of headway up the leg. And I have managed a few inches on the first sleeve of DD's sweater. It's my "idiot" knitting at present...just stockinette stitch with a few increases along the sides. I've been working on it when I go outside to chicken-sit (say that 6 times fast), but the weather has been pretty severe so time outside has been hard to come by.

In spite of the cold, windy, wet Spring weather, the peach tree has begun to bloom and the plum tree out back is gorgeous - all white and lacy. Sweet peas are up (about 2 1/2"!) and today DS thinned out the lettuce, spinach and radishes and gave the thinnings to the chickens. Boy, were they ever enthusiastic about those little seedlings!