Knitting slow down

Ah, the "joys" of aging - now that I have a lot of time to knit, I'm plagued with arthritis in my hands.  So...there won't be as much sock knitting in my future.  Sigh.  I love hand-knit socks.  People I knit for love my hand-knit socks.  Oh, well.   Here are the latest off the needles:

For Buster whose foot is nearly as long as mine!  Rough photo - Buster is still a very active boy and did Not want to take time for me to snap this.


Pattern:  A broken rib pattern
Yarn:  Not sure, I'll update, if I find the ball band.  Probably a Knit Picks Stroll in a dark blue.
Needles:  US 1
Knit for:  Buster, age 10
Finished:  October 2015

Pattern:  Basic sock in stst with longer k2p2 top rib
Yarn:  Knit Picks Swish DK in Camel Heather colorway
Needles:  3.0 mm
Knit for:  DD1
Finished:  December 2015

This gave a fairly tight knit fabric.  DD1 outside some at work (but not for too long at any given time), so she wanted warmer socks.

Pattern:  K2P2 for 2" upper rib, and then K3P1, with my first attempt of an afterthought heel.
Yarn:  Knit Picks Hawthorne Sport in The Pearl
Needles: 2.5mm
Knit: for DD1
Finished: early January 2016

October 2015 socks

Maybe I shouldn't have used a brown background.   :-\  

Pattern:  My own.  I didn't want cables or other fancy stitches to get lost in this colorway. So, it's all stst, except for one bit of rib down the leg & foot.

Yarn:  Knit Picks Stroll fingering in Coffee Shop Hand-Painted

Needles:  US 1, two circs

Knit for:  DD3

They've grown!

My grandsons are now 10 and 12 years old!

What can I say

...but... Yes, I've been knitting.  Just not blogging.  When I tried to count all the socks I've knit in the past two years, I couldn't remember them all.  And, now I remember why I started the blog in the first place.  It's a place to document my progress & projects.  Oh, sure, there's Ravelry (which I'm years behind in also) but my blog is more personal.

So... During Fall 2013, I knit socks from Knit Picks' Stroll Glimmer - one pair each for my 3 daughters, mother, and a niece.  And socks for two other nieces. Here's one of them:

And a pair for Buster from October 2013:

And one for Sport in November 2013:

During 2014, there were these (and maybe more that I didn't get photos of)

Three for me.  The pink pair took forever.  The striped used leftovers from all the Stroll Glimmer I used in 2013.  And the third used left over Retro from Busters socks (above) - did that one toe up as I wasn't sure how far the yarn would go:

Then so far in 2015, there have been these (at least): 

More Stroll Glimmer, this pair for me:

and I finally knit the Crazy Zauberball that I bought several years ago for me:

That leaves the last two I've knit this year (2015) so far:

For DD2:

And for DD1:

On the needles now are a pair for DD3.  Next up a pair for Buster.

Guess what? More socks!

These are both Schoppel Crazy Zauberball.  The purple/blue is I think: Lilac Breeze.  Knit these in May/June 2013.

The green/blue is "der Lenz ist da!"  The Spring is Here!  Knit these in August 2013.

It seems like only yesterday...

But, I haven't posted since March 2012!  All I can say is that sometimes life gets busy.  My only "big" news in the past year is that I moved to a new-to-me house, visited my sister & family in South Carolina, and I'm now on 'sick leave' after a total knee replacement last month.

Prior to surgery I had in mind that I'd get caught up on this blog, and do a lot of work updating my genealogy database with information from two file drawers full of papers.  It would have helped immensely if I had a laptop... sitting at the computer desk for very long is not comfortable yet.

During the past year plus:  I've NOT finished that quilt.  I think I only have one or two Blocks of the Month to do (from last October.)  I've set a goal to finish it by New Year's Day 2014.

During the past year plus:  I've knit a pile of socks but did not get photos of all of them, but I'll add the earlier ones I have photos of below.  I'll do separate entries for the more recent pairs.

 These are actually among my favorites... using leftover yarn from the two pair of Toxic Socks I knit for my daughters (purples & white) and I think the middle is leftover from the Chili socks from early 2012.














The gray waffle stitch socks are also mine. 

And these Brigit socks are mine also.  I wasn't happy with the way the Knit Picks heathered yarn was a bit stripey on the one leg.  So, I'm glad I hadn't promised these to anyone else.  Love the pattern, though. Very easy to memorize.

Still working on Toxic Socks -- but here's more quilt squares

My March blocks from Block of the Month course from Craftsy.com.

Toxic Socks, Quilt blocks, and Grandsons

I've made a little progress on the Toxic Socks mentioned in my previous post. Not enough for a photo, tho.

February quilt blocks are completed.  My seams need help - some are a bit off!  I'm going to blame that on my old sewing machine.  Or maybe on my new trifocals.

We had a family bowling party last night.

Sport (now 8)

and Buster (6) had loads of fun.

What I'll be working on during the Super Bowl

Have a decent start on these.  For DD3 - same specs as the previous pair except for a different shade of purple.  This is Knit Picks' Sprinkle Heather...includes blue shades.

An FO for January 2012

Yay! Off to a good start this year. I received this yarn from my DD3 a year ago. Wearing them to work today. (Temp is -2 F. Love my wool socks :-)

Pattern: plain vanilla, top down, with 2 inch 2x2 rib and then ss
Yarn: Deborah Norville's Serenity Sock yarn in Chili
Needles: 1 [US] / 2.25 mm
Knit for: Me!!

Now off to get ready for work & cast on for another pair of Toxic Socks [a Ravelry link.] This time for DD3.

Quilt blocks!!

I'm going to Kitchener a pair of socks tonight (more on them another time.)

But first - I've got two quilt blocks completed. My first "real" quilt blocks! I signed up for the (free) Block of the Month course from Craftsy.com.

The wonky pound sign block really IS 12.5" square, just photo graphed at an angle.

Happy 2012!

Wishing a happy & healthy 2012 to all

Projects 2011

There probably were a couple pair of socks that I can't remember & didn't get photos of, and I still need to take a photo of my February Lady Sweater and four chemo hats. But, here's what I can show you now:

I started the "Toxic Socks" [Ravelry link] in March or April, and finished them last weekend.

The pattern is not all that difficult, but it's not one I could memorize. Thus, I could only knit on them when I could concentrate. A lot of the year I needed totally mindless knitting (or crocheting), so that's why these took nine months.

Pattern: Toxic Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sock "Duchess Heather" and "Bare"
Needles: Size 1 [US], 2.5mm
Knit for: DD2

About the same time, I started socks for the grandsons. I knit them top down & waited to do the toe decreases until October after measuring their feet :-)

Pattern: Ribbed legs, stockinette feet
Yarn: ?? in "Pumpkin" and some blue
Needles: I think US 2
Knit for: Sport & Buster


DD2 got a new living room set, and the afgan I'd crocheted for her years ago was looking rather sad. So... taking colors from the new chair, I crocheted long strips, alternating "beige" and the colors in random-ish stripes. No pattern. The yarn is Vanna White's.

(Photo taken on my sofa, not hers.)

5 Years

My calendar reminded me that five years ago today I began this blog.

My goal for the remainder of this year is to add photos/info about several projects I've done this year, but haven't blogged. And my goal for 2012 is to blog more! Not promising how often, but at least more than 2011.

MONDAY MEME - on a Saturday

Spent some time this morning reading knitters’ blogs like I used to when days weren’t so full. Dee had a Monday Meme posted, so here’s mine. (I’m posting this today, because there won’t be time on Monday.)


Age: 63
Bed: Very firm.
Chore that you hate: Shopping.
Dogs: Had one a long, long time ago. A toy poodle named Vida ~ short for In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Yes THAT long ago!
Essential to start my day: Two cups of coffee.
Favorite color: It used to be blue. But, I’d say now it’s a dark cranberry color.
Gold or silver: Gold.
Height: 5'5"
Instruments that you play: None in the past 50 years.
Job Title: Reference Librarian
Kids: 3
Live: Beatles!!!
Mom's name: Beverly
Nicknames: Jakki
Overnight hospital stays: At least seven as a patient: T&A, appendectomy, pneumonia, three C-sections, and a total hysterectomy. And probably at least six or seven this year during my daughter’s hospitalizations.
Pet Peeves: My favorite college football team not being on TV every game day.
Quote from a movie: Unfortunately, I rarely remember memorable lines. Although, I’m sure my favorite would be from one of the Lord of the Rings movies.
Right or left: Right.
Siblings: Four younger sisters, and a “little” brother.
Take-Out-Food: Chinese.
Underwear: Cotton
Veggies: Yes. It’s a requirement for a vegetarian.
What makes you run late: Other people
Xrays: Try to stay away from them.
Yummy food: Veggie pizza!
Zoo Animals: Oh, those poor caged animals.
Now back to more blog reading!