Knitting lesson #1

The past week has been such a rush/blur with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, & Boxing Day [aka in the Midwest: The Day After Christmas] preparations, meals, family, etc.

However, last Friday I went with DD2 to take Buster & Sport to their dad's aunt for an overnight visit. On the way back we stopped at the yarn shop where I bought my very first sock yarn [The #14 Brown - Steinback Sockenwolle.] I wanted to buy a ball of coordinating yarn [#55 or #56], but they didn't have it. DD2 went into the shop with me. She wants to learn to knit. Yippee! She bought a book and I bought the yarn. [I already have the needles.]

Today DD2 and the boys came over for a visit. While Buster took a long nap, I got her started on a practice piece. She's not doing too badly. I encouraged her to practice getting the tension and the stitches even before she starts on the scarf & hat I bought the yarn for.

My Stash

Yippee! My stash is growing! [This from someone who a few months ago couldn't quite understand why anyone would buy more yarn before finishing the current project.]

Christmas gift from DD3: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Flathead Cherry. I'm resisting selecting a pattern. I'm afraid if I do I'll start those socks before finishing the current OTN (Trekking XXL "Kiefer.") Hmmm...I guess I wouldn't get in too much trouble if I had 2 different pair in progress. Help! I'm talking myself into it....

BTW, Thanks DD3~!!

And the Winner Is

In my last post I mentioned the big decision I was facing -- which previously purchased sock yarn should I use next. [This next pair will be for ME.] Being the practical sort, I decided to use the Trekking XXL #90 Kiefer. Not so "pretty" - but, this color will go with nearly all of my slacks & jackets for work. Except for that raspberry colored jacket.

The Trekking XXL is OTN now - yippee! I'll be able to work on sock #1 tonight, because I'm not going to be watching the boys after all.

Grafted Toe

I'm back from my trip to the yarn shop. The owner showed me an easier way to finish the toe than using the Kitchener stitch. I came home with one sock completed. I missed a couple stitches, but went back & caught them in. Finished product looks acceptable. This afternoon I'm going to practice on its partner.

I'm thinking that this will be easier when I get my new bifocals in a few days. Ya think??

Other small successes for the day:

1. Finished my Christmas shopping [2 stops]
2. Picked up an item at the Local Big Box for Mother & took it to her - she had a visitor, so I didn't stay.
3. Stopped at the Health Food market [rarely stop there - it's about a 20 min. drive away & not on the way to anywhere I usually go...but, it was on my way to Mother's from the Yarn Shop] I enjoy going in there. It smells so..."Early '70s" :-) All I bought was 3 lbs. of wheat berries. I'm going to fill muslin bags...to heat in the MW and use as a heating pad.
4. Bought another ball of sock yarn = Oops, now I have 3 balls all for future socks for myself! This one is not a "pretty yarn." GG would have a fit over the color. But, being the practical sort, this will go well with several of my work slacks/jackets. It is Trekking XXL #90 "Kiefer." So now I have a quandry. Which one to begin: The #14 Brown - Steinback Sockenwolle; the Austermann #10 Melba; or this new Trekking XXL #90.

Decisions, decisions. That will have to wait, though. I'm going to stick a turkey in the oven and make some soap. Cor, I sound all domestic. Knitting socks, cooking, and making soap. Not my usual schedule! But. I'm ON VACATION for the next 12 days AND I have all of my Christmas shopping [and knitting] finished! Just gotta do the soap.

DPNS will be flying

It's 6 a.m. I've been awake for an hour messing around with emails & my previous post. Now it's time to get down to business!

I have about 3" to finish on sock 2 [Aran flecked, Red Heart sport, for Mother's Christmas present.] I think I could finish it this a.m. and take it along, with its partner, to the yarn shop in the next town. I'm going over there to get a Kitchener Stitch lesson. Don't have an appt., but I told the lady I'd be there today. Originally thought I'd go early. But...I'd really like to take sock 2 along. So... back to my knitting.

yDNA

[This post is about genealogy, not knitting]

My brother agreed to submit a mouth swabbed sample to Family Tree DNA last month to keep his genealogy-addicted sisters happy. We have the first set of results back and, as expected, have a 12/12 match to a fellow with the same surname who is from our home city. You wouldn't think there should be any question there, but our families hadn't had contact in several generations. What we both knew about our ancestors several generations back led us to believe our lines merged.

We can now confirm that we are the same "family" and share a Gt-gt-gt-gt-gt grandfather and all of his ancestors. Our 4-gt grandfathers were half-brothers - with different mothers.

The other family arrived in this area around 1850. My family arrived here in 1920. When I was a kid, I always wondered WHY the heck my dad's grandfather moved up here from southern MO instead of moving to Southern California. Gt. grand dad was not a farmer, so he didn't come here for the black earth. What brought him here? Did he know that he had 3rd cousins here? Did they let him know there was a new factory here needing workers? Did he get the word from common cousins back in the hills of East Tennessee?

Well, of course, I'll never get an answer to those questions. But, maybe someday I'll find answers to other burning questions, like: who was the immigrant and where did he [and his wife] come from?

Kitchener Nightmares

I cannot figure out how to graft the toes closed with the Kitchener stitch. I've followed directions given with sock patterns, directions AND photo examples in a knitting encyclopedia, and directions found online and I still make a mess of it.

I finished the first five pair of socks by just drawing the end of the yarn through the last few stitches with a darning needle - snuggly - and then securing it shut. They look OK to me. But, I would like to conquer the K. stitch!

Contacted the owner of the yarn shop in the next town. She said she can help. I think I just need to see it being done. Maybe I'm having a problem because I knit the Continental way. I have this week off work, so I'll go over there mid-week. Stay tuned!

Buying sock yarn

Bought the OPAL Petticoat [for Mother's socks] at a yarn shop in the State Capital in October. It was only 3 blocks off the freeway, so only a slight detour on my trip to the conference.

I went back to the State Capital again last week and I tried a different shop. This one was only 1 block off the freeway! I bought a [100 gm] ball of Austermann Step...just because I like the colors [#10 ] I think it is shades of ecrus, tans, and raspberries. However according to that website: "10: melba" is actually "Burgundy,Peach,Multi-Color." Whatever. Can't wait to knit this up! I have a raspberry colored jacket, tan slacks & an ecru satin top to wear with the soon-to-be socks. I'll start them on the 25th.

For the second pair [for myself] with "real sock yarn," I bought Steinbach Wolle: Sockenwolle [50 gm balls] #14 Brown at a yarns & beads shop about 65 miles from home. Stopped there on my way home on a vacation day trip to see DD3 [at college.]

There IS a yarn shop in the next town over, about 20 min. drive, but I haven't been there yet. I'll check it out when I start on the sockenwolle.

The Saga of My Sock Knitting Life Begins

My first winter back in the Midwest I noticed was that my feet were always cold. I often wore two pair of [cheap, thin, synthetic fabric] socks. Last winter I muttered to myself that what I needed was a pair [or 10 pair] of wool socks. Being the frugal sort, I looked for wool socks at my local Big Box. The only ones I found were men's hunting socks. Left without any.

Then, during the summer while I was thinking ahead to cold feet season, I thought, "I could knit a pair of wool socks!" So, being the frugal sort, I looked for sock weight yarn at my local Crafters Big Box. Couldn't find what I was looking for. WHAT? Don't people knit socks anymore? Then I went around the end of a row, & saw a "sale items" box with one skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease. That was just the type of yarn I was looking for - AND it was cheap. [Sadly, I've heard that the sport weight Wool Ease has been discontinued.]

I found a free sock pattern on the Internet for using Wool Ease. I had the dpn needed, so I was off on a new adventure. My Goal was to knit several pair of warm socks. Here's how I'm meeting my Goal:

Pair #1 - Lion Brand Wool Ease; in a blueish color. I love these. But, I didn't measure my foot correctly, so they are a bit large. But, they are great for wearing around the house.

Pair #2 - I had enough left over blueish Wool Ease to do a pair of short cuffed bed socks. Oh, my gosh. They are heavenly!

Pair #3 - Red Heart sport weight Aran Fleck on size 3 [US] dpn. Got the fit right. Very warm. Very washable. Very cheap. Very happy feet. (Don't laugh at the photo...I was experimenting with color!)

Pair #3.5 - Used the Aran Fleck for the pair for Sport.

Pair #4 - Red Heart Tweed in Cranberry. Went back to the k2, p2 for entire leg like Pair #1. Again, Very warm. Very washable. Very cheap. Very happy feet. You'll notice that I slipped in alternate rows of cranberry for the last half of the foot -- was concerned that I'd run out of the tweed.


Mother saw the first finished Tweed/Cranberry sock when I was working on 2nd sock. She wanted to know if she could have them. Well. No. I made them for my size 9.5 feet. Not her size 7.

Pair #5 - I decided it was time to try "real" sock yarn. I finished a pair in OPAL Petticoat #1295 - on size 1 [US] for Mother for Christmas.

Pair #6 - And then, I had enough leftover Aran Fleck to do another pair for her - on size 3 [US] [I wonder how many skeins I bought??] Same pattern as Pairs #1 & 4. They're OTN now. I should be able to finish by the 24th. If not, she'll get them at whatever row I stopped on - to be finished on the 25th. Won't be the first time she's gotten an unfinished Christmas present from me.

That's how they knit in the Old Country

I'd visit GG & take my knitting along. She'd show me new stitches...give me tips about reading patterns...etc. I remember asking her, "GG, why don't we knit like other people?" Her answer was, "That's how they knit in the Old Country." I must have said, "Oh" and never gave it another thought. Not until I got into genealogy, that is.

WHAT Old Country? ALL of GG's ancestors were in North America more than 250 years ago and before they came to North America they were all from the British Isles.

I decided to do some research about knitting in the Old Country and discovered that GG taught me to do Continental knitting. Thank you, GG! I apologize to any "English/American" style knitter who might find their way to this post, but I can't imagine WHY anyone would do the English style. It looks like so much hard work. And it must take forever to get anything done. GG's Old Country style of knitting goes very quickly and the stitches are uniform.

I'll never know who taught GG to knit. It wasn't her mother, that I do know. Maybe it was her mother-in-law, KK, who DID come from the Old Country [Prussia.] I'd like to think that, because then I'd be knitting just like great-grandma KK!

The Grandkids

Here's a not so recent photo of the boys. Buster's on the left & Sport's on the right. I knit a cardigan for Sport when he was about 6 months old, but his daddy thought the color [pastel green] was too girly.

The only other thing I've knit for the boys is a pair of socks. One of my first practice pair. Hm... well, I would NOT do socks for little kids in yarn that heavy again. Sport tried them on yesterday and laughed. "Grandma, these are silly." I think he meant they were too big. I'll get them out again in February - and I'll try a couple pair next autumn with sock yarn instead.

How I Came to Be a Genealogy Addict

It's my Mother's fault! [Thanks, Mom!!] Back several decades ago, Mother got into genealogy for a while. She was just working on her ancestors, so I decided to work on Dad's. [He had died several years before.] I talked with several of his father's sisters and with his mother.

One aunt still kept in contact with cousins in MO. The other was, let's just say, Not Happy that I was trying to find information about the family in MO. ["When mother died, those people could have helped us, but they didn't." -- Well, she was 11 when her mother died and probably had selective memory, and didn't know what all was going on. Maybe her dad refused their help.]

Grandma was very vague about her parents, grandparents, etc. "Nobody talked about family when I was growing up." Fast forward to the 21st century. OH...NOW I know why they didn't talk about it. On her mother's side, her grandparents appear to be uncle & niece. [I'm still trying to dig up the dirt on that one.] On her father's side, in the early 1800s, three frontier-living families intermarried - a lot. For starters: her paternal grandparents were Wm. & RG. RG's mother was Wm.'s aunt. RG's father's first cousin was Wm's mother.

Con: Lots of Smith's from Long Island on the tree. Why were they all named John or William?
Pro: Hey, all of this intermarrying means that I have fewer branches to research! And that IS a good thing.

So, I dabbled in genealogy a bit several decades ago. Then about 2001, Mother came to visit me in The West and brought along a big box of photos that had been GG's & Great Gran's. Dear Great Gran. She knew who all the people where in all those photos, but she didn't think about identifying them for us.

We sat there looking through the photos & I kept asking "Who's this?" And, "How are they related [to us] [to each other]?" Mother could answer some of my questions, but for a lot of them she said, "I can't remember, but I'm sure I've got that information back home in the genealogy box under my bed."

Finally, one of us said, "Some of this stuff might be on the Internet." Yep, some of it is. Just enough to get me hooked, but not enough to make it easy. I've tried to analyze why I enjoy it so much:

• I was [and always will be] a history major
• I enjoy the challenge of the hunt
• I find it facinating to learn about the people who helped make me who I am

How I Came to be a Knitter

It's all Grandma's fault. [Thanks GG!] When I was growing up we lived next door to GG. She was always creating something. She sewed, she crocheted, she knit [and when she got older she did plastic canvas things.] I don't know exactly when I was converted to knitting and crocheting, or even which came first. But, it was long, long ago.

GG started me off with scarves and knit caps. I quickly progressed to sweaters, doll clothes, and eventually baby clothes for my niece & nephew. [But never socks.] Here is a photo of one of my "masterpieces" - an Aran sweater/jacket that I did when I was a teenager. Of course, I didn't know that Aran sweaters aren't usually in gold. But, it was knit in THAT decade [the gold/olive one.]