As Requested

My grandson, Buster, told me that he wanted mittens "outa the same yarn as my socks." Yeah, those Fern Rose Jacquards in the previous post. So, I bought a second ball of yarn, used double strands, and was able to match the color repeats fairly well. I didn't get a photo of Buster's mittens before he started wearing them. The mama says he loves the mitts and wears them all the time. He wore them over here a few days ago, but didn't want me to photograph them on his hands. So here they are - needing a good wash and a few fuzzy bits trimmed.

Sport said he wanted me to knit him a pair of mittens, too, but, he wanted to pick out different yarn. Surprisingly, he selected HL's I Love This Yarn in Boo Ombre. I used US 3 needles to get a tight fabric. This photo was taken before I gave them to him. He wore them to school last week :-)

Pattern: Panda Man's Paw Warmers as a guide.

OTN: another request (!) My sister in SC (recipient of a previous pair of socks) asked me to knit her a pair of tube socks. She sent yarn (actually enough for two pair) and pattern. Paton's Stretch Sock yarn in Plum & Paton's Spiral Tube Sock pattern (click on the "Free Patterns" tab.) She's tall, so I'm using the larger size -- knit 19" and then dec for toe. I've got 9" on the first sock done. Easy pattern, but 19"?? Hope the ball of yarn lasts!!

Grandsons' Socks

I knit these during November-December '09. I took the grandsons, separately, to HL and let them pick out the yarn for their socks.

6 yr old Sport selected Walk Away Sock Yarn in Pettitoes - a black, grey, white variegated yarn. 70% superwash wool, 23% polyamide, and 7% PBT [what's that?] This colorway fits him to a T.

I tried to steer 4 yr old Buster to several variations of blues, but he insisted on Patons' Kroy Socks in Fern Rose Jacquard. Funny thing...THIS colorway screams "Buster"! As I mentioned in an earlier post -- busy, bright, fun :-)

If you enlarge the photos, you'll see lots of nubs - they've been washed a lot.

Year of the Socks (mostly)

I finally updated my Completed Projects on the sidebar. I've been working on socks-for-me and have enough yarn for four more pair. [Acknowledging that 1) that's really not a lot of socks; and 2) I really don't have a lot of time to knit.]

OTN #1: I'm about half finished with the baby blanket I'm knitting for the charity organization that lost all of it's stock in the June 08 flood. That's taking up a lot of my knitting time.

OTN #2: Socks for me [using dark green Filatura Di Crosa - Maxime, and toe up pattern.] I'm not half finished with these. Argh. Should I clean the house and shop for groceries today - or knit and watch football instead? Might have to do quick worsted weight kid's socks for CIC to have an "October" pair for SAM6.

OTN #3: My "car/waiting room" project - when I haven't toted along the baby blanket. Still working on the dyed yarn/felted slippers project[s].

Panic Set In - But, Whew! It's All Good

After finishing the striped leg CIC socks, I've been working on the Wildfoote Rhapsodies for me. When I got about half through the foot, I got really nervous - it sure didn't look as if there would be enough yarn.

So, I decided to "quickly" finish one of them to see if I could find another ball of this yarn [or if I'd need to finish the toes with something else.] Meanwhile I started contacting yarn shops in this part of the state. So far haven't found another skein.

But, whew! There was PLENTY left! No problem. Now to finish the 2nd sock. I've got too much to do today, so it's Extremely Doubtful that I'll finish it by the end of the Closing Ceremony. But, I will work on it while I watch this evening.

Eewww... the color is way off. Too blue here. It's really - purplish.

Olympics!

No, I haven't signed up for any Olympic challenges or projects. Gosh, I haven't even logged onto Ravelry in months.

I thought about joining a Ravelry Olympics group and pondered, "What New Project should I do?" Then, I looked at my WIPs and felt guilty about laying them aside.

So, my personal Olympic challenge will be to finish the 3 current WIPs. That's a lofty goal, considering my knitting time is limited.

[Ah, ...I feel a longing for the days when I was a stay-at-home mom and had time to work on my crafts during the day when the daughters were at school. WAIT... NO!!! That would mean we'd have to go through the TERRIBLE TEENS again. No Way!]

Current WIPs for my personal KOC [Knit Olympics Challenge]:

1. Socks for me. Working two at a time, top down. I've finished the heel turn & have just picked up the stitches from the sides of the flaps. Specs:
Pattern: Generic. 1" K2, P2 cuff, then 5" of K3, P3 ribbed leg; and St St foot
Yarn: Brown Sheep Co.' s Wildfoote in Rhapsody
Needles: Knit Picks size 1 [US], two 24" circs

2. Socks for CIC. One at a time. Using Grumperina's striping method. Heel flap and toe in Cherry Blossom.
Pattern: Generic - for about a 6"- 6.5" foot
Yarn: A) Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes in Cherry Blossom; B) Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes in Blue Bonnet; C) Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes in Winter Night; and D) Lion Wool in Winter White.
Needles: 4 dpn size 4 [US]

3. I didn't blog about these before?? Can't find a post about 'em. Urban Necessity Gloves for DD2. I have one glove about 3/4 finished. Oops. Tried to link, but the page is gone or Magknits is gone - or just down.
Pattern: From Magknits, Sept 05. Urban Necessity Gloves
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn's Encore in what they say is "Gray" but it has lots of lavender/purple flecks. Color 153.
Needles: 4 dpns size 6 [US] --- So THAT's where they were. Been looking for them!!

Photos another day.

July socks done

I've joined a Sock a Month club again - SAM6. Here's my July finished pair. Details found here.

Strawberry Creme Socks - Photo!

I dyed the yarn earlier this year and began knitting in April. I finished the second pair for my dear friend's granddaughter in May.

Unfortunately the parcel arrived a few days after DF's birthday.

Fortunately, the socks fit!! [Thanks DG for your assistance so I could make the correct size!!]

Finished Socks!

Started in May and finished about two weeks ago.
Pattern: CO 64 sts. Knit top down. K1, P1 cuff for 1.5". Then st st till leg was 6"

Yarn: On-Line Supersocke 100/Sierra Color #896
Needles: 1.5 [US]
Knit for: Me! :-)

OTN - YO Cable socks

What? No photo? For now - here's a photo of the yarn and the specs:

Pattern:
"Yarn Over Cable" [a Five Stitch Pattern on pg 43 of Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks]
Yarn: Steinbach Wolle Sockenwolle, #014 from Fall 2004 color card
Needles: Two size 1 [US] 24" circs
Modification: top down, instead of toe up
Knit for: Me!

I've finished the heel turn on both socks and I'm ready to pick up the gusset stitches. I'm considering knitting the sole on size 0 [US] -- read somewhere about doing that to help the soles wear better.

This was the very first sock yarn I bought over a year & a half ago. I didn't know how much to buy, so I got the three 50 g balls. I have plans for the left overs - to perhaps stripe with a 50 g ball of Steinbach Wolle Sockenwolle #180 which is a green, brown, and gray twist.

Lots of photos - no time to post

Well, actually, I have time right now. The problem is that the photos are on my computer at home, and I'm grandson sitting at their house.

Photos I will post in a few days*:

1) the Strawberry Creme socks

2) Buster's 3rd birthday

3) a finished pair of black/gray/red OnLine socks for me

4) a pair in progress for me - camel colored something or other [dang, I should have brought them along, I could be knitting...]

5) flood photos

Hey - I just realized that I, TOO, could have cat photos on my blog. The Princess-in-Residence here just jumped up on the printer and startled the heck out of me. I'll try to remember to bring my camera next time I visit / grandson sit.

*No photo posting tomorrow. I'm off to the races. :-) We have tickets to the Iowa Corn 250. Last year [hmm...I don't think I blogged about this] we left at 8 a.m. for the 2 hour drive and spent at least another hour...and I'm NOT exaggerating...driving the final 2 miles. Multi-lane, bumper-to-bumper. Egad! No wonder die-hard race fans buy RVs and get their on site camping spot days ahead. And then it took us several hours to get OUT of the place.

We are leaving at 6 a.m. tomorrow -- and hopefully will miss a lot of that last two mile hassle. I'm taking my knitting!!

I'm on vacation - yippee - and will be heading back to Colorado mid-week. A niece is getting married on the 28th. I'm taking the car to the garage on Monday. I'm sure it's road-worthy, but it has a rattle in the back - the tailpipe is a bit loose, so I expect that's what's making the noise.

Socks, washcloths, and socks

I finished the Strawberry Creme socks two weeks ago - along with a matching toddler pair. But in my rush to get them posted to the UK, I forgot to take a photo! The parcel arrived a few days late, but more importantly the pair for my dear friend fit! And the toddler pair aren't too small for her little grand daughter. Whew!!

A while back the grandsons helped make soap. [NOT the lye-type] They made a large bar for their mama and each made two small bars for themselves. I had Buster out shopping one day and when we passed the Peaches & Cream cotton, he wanted the green ball. Hmmm... I decided to crochet them each a wash cloth. Buster's in the green and the blue for Sport.

After I'd finished the wash cloths and showed them to the boys, Sport said he wanted two of them. His 2nd will be a variegated blue because [guess what?] his favorite color is blue. Buster's 2nd cloth will be in red. He has several "fave colors" as he calls them...green and red among them.

And, I've started a pair of socks for me! The yarn is OnLine Supersocke 100 Farbe [color] 0896. [The color looked brighter on my camera...??]

Yeah, I know. I'm too old to knit with black yarn. I need really good light to do this. Details later. But, now I'm off to the surgeon for my One Year check up. Yes, I'm a couple months beyond one year. I'd been waiting to make an appt. that would not conflict with mom's upcoming surgery [June 2nd]. Won't be taking the socks with me this morning. I think I'll work on the variegated blue wash cloth.

FO - Mom's Christmas Socks

But I don't have proof. In my rush to get Christmas presents wrapped, I forgot to get a photo of the "Christmas Socks" for my mother. They are completed and have been worn, she says.

Christmas socks

Hope to finish the Christmas socks this evening. DD3 emailed that she'd come for a visit later today - with her laundry and her knitting. WooHoo! A knitterly offspring!Yarn: Worsted weight Acrylic, but what the heck. Found these two skeins in a craft box in my closet. Don't know where or when I bought them. Or why. But, they were just what I wanted for some festive gift socks. I think the giftee will be pleased.

Needles: Size 5 dpns

Pattern: Just a generic type. CO 44 sts. Cuff: K2, P2 for 2." Used a st st heel flap (with 3 garter st on ends of rows.)

Knit for: a Christmas gift.

A Lazy Summer Sunday & OTN Update

90 deg. F. and a cloudless sky. Beautiful :-) This is DD1's first spring in the Midwest since 2002 - she mentioned a few days ago that she forgot that we had just two days of Spring up here between Winter and Summer. Yep. That's about right. I was still running the furnace on Wednesday and needed the AC by yesterday [Saturday.]

Went to Mother's late yesterday afternoon to pick up Buster. Poor little fella had to stay with me overnight instead of going camping with his family. Maybe he can camp next summer... or the summer after. This was Sport's first adventure in a tent. He seemed to like it-- except when I asked if they cooked supper on the fire. He replied with a big sigh, "No. They didn't buy marshmallows."

DD2 & I had agreed on Mother's as the drop off/pick up spot for Buster because I was going up there anyway and she lives "sort of" half way between my place and where DD2 & family moved to last week. I wanted to have Mother try on the sock I'm knitting for her. [Yarn: KnitPicks' Essentials "Dusk"; pattern: Embossed Leaves from Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs.] The leg isn't stretchy like the ribbed legs I've done so far. And after I turned the heel on sock #1 I tried it on my foot. I can "just" get it on. I figured it would be OK for Mother since her feet are smaller than mine, but I wanted to be certain before I proceeded.

But, I forgot to take the unfinished sock along yesterday when I drove up there to get Buster. SO... I went again today. The sock fits. And, I've reinstalled Mahjong II on her computer again. [Have NO idea why it gets "lost"....]

On my way home I decided to shop for groceries. [Shouldn't do that on an empty stomach!] It was quite an ordeal because I tried to chose things that would be easy to fix and tasty, but easy on the innards. I started radiation on Wednesday and a week ago started adjusting my normal eating habits [spicy & full of fiber] to food that's not spicy or fiber-ish. Even with cutting back on the caffeine, spices [including black pepper], and fiber, I've still had side-effect issues. Already. I wasn't expecting that for a couple weeks. Dang.

I'll try not to complain here. But, I'll warn you. I'm a poor patient. I have a low discomfort threshold. Three down. 25 treatments to go. [I'm working 7 hours a day and taking an hour sick leave to go to the cancer treatment center.]

I do have a few "treats" to look forward to during May. I'm taking a personal day off on Thursday. I'm getting my hair cut and I promised Mother that I'd take her out to eat at her favorite Chinese restaurant. Guess I won't be getting my usual Kung Pao Chicken and Hot & Sour Soup.

Plus, I'm taking 5 days of vacation at the end of my treatment - and with the two weekends and Memorial Day I'll end up with 10 days off. Yippee!! I'll probably just sit & knit...and nap.

Finished the CIC Kids pullover. DD3 took digital photos yesterday - but needs to email them to me.

OTN 1: For Mother, first sock. Pattern: Embossed Leaves: from Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs; Yarn: KnitPicks' Essentials "Dusk"; needles: five dpns [US 2 ancient aluminum]

OTN 2: Blue stripes, first sock: Pattern: leg - k4, p1 rib Yarn: Opal Feelings #1703; needles: 5 dpns [US 1.5 bamboo]

April Socks Completed

Still no digital camera - so I had to fold the top [bottom in real life] sock to show the second one.

Almost identical except for the last few rows of the toes. The 2nd one has more "tan" - and less "raspberry" at the very end.

Details were posted on March 29.

Favorite Socks!

Yippee! Gift from DD1: the new Interweave publication: "Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs." I'm SO tickled! [And she gets to pick out a pattern & yarn and I'll gift her back with a pair of mom-made socks :-)

OTN update and other musings

I did some dishes, 3 loads of laundry, and cleaned the bathroom yesterday. Also worked on a genealogy question.... about possible kin who were among over 300 people returned to their families [after being Indian captives] in 1764. Very interesting reading [I was/am a history major.]

AND...drum roll...I also knit 3 inches on the Seaman's Cap for Buster [in Red Heart variegated blues] AND 4 inches on the first leg of the Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Flathead Cherry. Love the feel of this yarn.

OH... and drove up to Mother's. But didn't stay. Friday evening I went shopping after PT [that was stupid] and shopped for Mother, too. It was 6:30 p.m. by the time I dropped off her groceries. and I was tired, hungry, and my ankle was aching. So, I just took in the bags and said, "Gotta go."

However, while I was zipping along the freeway dreaming of my recliner & an ice pack for my ankle, Mother called wanting to know where her ice cream was. Hmm...I guess in the trunk. So, I drove it [and the two cans of frozen juice] over there this morning. ARGH. Minus 28 degrees F windchill.

I was driving along past the lake and saw a dozen or so fisherpeople out there. On the lake. And I remembered the shock and amazement my nephew expressed the first winter he was here and drove past the lake with his dad. The lake where they'd fished in the summer. Having lived in Oklahoma and Virginia, Nephew had never before seen such a sight. "Dad! There are cars out there ON the lake!!!"

And I thought of how cold it must be out there ON the lake - even in those little huts. And I wondered if those fisherpeople have someone who loves them enough to knit thick, wool socks for them. ...or if they knit their own?

Knitting at the Dr's office

After nearly 3 weeks of pain, I took the afternoon off & went to the Dr. on Wednesday [1/3/07]...long story... Diagnosed with tendonitis in my left ankle.

I was *really* glad that I'd taken my knitting along. Had to sit in the waiting room for quite a while. And then had to wait about 20 mins. after getting to the exam room. I was knitting along, happily oblivious to the passage of time, when the Dr. came in. Hadn't seen this one before. [My primary Dr & the other one I've seen a few times were either booked solid or out for the week.] Nice, personable young man.

What *really* impressed me was his reaction to my knitting. He walked in & spotted my work in progress and exclaimed, "I've Never seen knitting needles THAT small before!" He pulled up a chair and held the completed cuff/leg [on stitch holders]...felt the yarn, examined the mini cable and said, "I didn't know people knit socks anymore."

I replied, "You'd be surprised how many people knit socks!... Guys knit, too!"

I nearly mentioned a book I saw recently, "Knitting with Balls," but since I *just* met him, decide to save that for another time.

It's all in the Lights

My OTN continues to be Socks - Trekking XXL "Kiefer." I usually knit with light from my chair side lamp - using a 75 watt soft white bulb. In that light the Kiefer is a sort of non-descript mottled brownish color.

But, in the past few days I've had the opportunity to knit under florescent lights [first being in the Dr's office, second being at Physical Therapy.]I'm amazed at how nice and colorful the Kiefer looks with florescent light!! I'm impressed! There's an olive green, pumpkin, charcoal gray, something that looks almost dark lavender, and more. [Well, I do have tinted spectacles....]

Bottom line: I'm happy with the Kiefer! I've finished the cuffs/legs. And have started heel flap #1 [row 1: s1, k1; row 2: s1, purl across.] I knit on dpns and go by sections: cuff 1, cuff 2, leg 1, leg 2, heel flap 1, heel flap 2, etc.

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.