New Sock of Kindness

Ok, ok!!!! My knitting blog was getting increasingly jealous when I updated the boring blog with today's snowfall and the stained glass blog with progress on my fireplace screen, so I was FORCED to update this one, as well.

This is what I've been working on:

The new rendition of the Sock of Kindness. I think it looks lots better than the previous one done in the purple. As you can see, the second sock is well underway, and should be done within the week.

Unfortunately, it seems the blog had every intention of keeping me awake all night unless its demands were met and it was updated like it's sister blogs!

Don't you hate it when your blog acts up???

There Be Clogs Here!

I have finished knitting and felting my very first pair of clogs! Aren't they cool?

These are from a Fiber Trends pattern purchased at my LYS.

I used Cascade yarns, double-strand and felted in my washing machine for about 20 or 30 minutes. They are still a bit "moist" after a day and a half of drying, so have them on my feet. Not such a great idea, since it is only about 8 degrees in St. Louis tonight!

I fell in love with the colors and think they came out great, especially for my first try at clogs.

Finally Been Knitting Again

Ok - so I haven't blogged since May - I hear you moaning (or is that cheering?) Anyway, I finally got into the knitting mode just before Christmas with some nice, ancient KnitPicks Hollyberry yarn. Decided to make just a nice pair of socks and fell back on my favorite Blueberry Waffle pattern. No biggie. So, managed to finish these . . . . oh . . . . . about December 27th. Yeah - poor timing!

But for Christmas - got a "real" sock blocker. The ones pictured above I fashioned myself out of stuff called "foam core" - which is basically styrofoam coated with thick paper on both sides. Actually, I personally think they work quite well - especially when you consider how long I've been out of work! Anyway, today I got the required size "0" needles and made a sock . . . . Isn't it just the cutest thing ever???

And this is REALLY the coolest thing - when you put the two socks - one normal and one tiny - you get a feel for how incredibly tiny that thing is!! I'm just amazed by it!

Now I want to make an entire wardrobe of tiny keychain socks! Isn't like I don't have enough leftover skein ends to make all sorts of spiffy tiny socks! I can hardly wait. Wish there was a knitting fairy who would come and knit them while I sleep ;)

Hope you had great holidays and that the New Year brings all your knitting wishes true!

And Now for Something Completely Different . . . . .

The Sock of Kindness is really turning out very pretty! I cast on for this last night in Tofootsie yarn that niece Gwyndy gave me for my birthday over a year ago! It is turning out quite lovely and I can't wait to see how it looks finished!

Of course, I'm not a fan of the short-row heels everybody's raving about, so I'll mostly likely do my own thing once it gets to that point. Stay tuned!

New Pair of Socks - FO

I've officially finished another pair of socks! These came out so pretty. Made on size one needles, it was hard getting used to the tiny stitches! I'm glad these are done and I can move on to something new and different.

Actually, that's the most difficult part - finding just the right pattern for whatever yarn I have in my stash! But I'll be working on that tomorrow. Today, we bask in the glory and satisfaction of a new pair completed - no second sock syndrome!

Ah - Almost Spring . . .

And now, for my niece, who seems to have a serious case of the knitting "blahs," I present the following:

"What's this?" I hear her scream! Sock blockers??? Well - actually - NO. These are blockers of my own design. I made them from a sheet of foam core I had on hand . . . provided I had known where to look for it. Turns out it was in the basement - buried. So, for a month I've been cleaning and re-arranging the basement and have managed to toss (so far) three dumpsters of trash. Got rid of loads of really old, gross stuff, gave fluorescent light fixtures to my brother, and found countless things I've missed, including important papers (discovered hidden in my old brief case from yesteryear).

Anyway . . . here are the completed leaf lace socks, the first of the twisted rib socks, and - what the heck - took Lady Eleanor outside for a stroll in the sun.

Please note - these are the very first daffodills in the yard to bloom. Also, right at the toe of the twisted ribs below and kind of surrounding it are some snowbells.

The lady is stuck on the fence . . . as many women are. Yuc-Yuc. So, that's it for my knitting. As you can tell, I've been knitting throughout the winter, just not blogging about it. Sorry.

Semi-Retired

Even in my "semi-retirement" I have tried to keep busy. Not always easy, since "napping" seems to have become some sort of "activity." Anyway, in between naps, meals, sleeping, computer gaming, and working on stained glass (see blog link to left), I have done some knitting!

This is the Falling Leaves pattern done in Fiber Trends "Peridot." I'm really loving it! Even after completing the first sock, the second one seems to be going quite quickly!
So, here you have the lovely, completed first sock:



















A nice close up of the pattern:



















And the intimidating "star toe." I say intimidating, since I've only ever done one kind of toe on the socks I've knit, so even thought about bypassing this in favor of the tried and true variety. But once I read through the directions, this was even easier than the normal toe! And looks really neat, to boot!

Finished Objects, Finally!

It has been a very busy couple of months! My dad fell down a week after Thanksgiving and broke his pelvis in two places. So, we've been busy with the hospital and rehab up until a couple weeks ago. Since I've been home again, though, there has been some serious knitting happening here.

FINALLY!! A pair of complete Monkey Socks! Yippee! I PROMISE - this is the last time you're gonna have to see this yarn on my blog! Although I love it, seems it took about four false starts and trips to the frog pond before settling on the monkey socks.

And:

Ta - Daaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Lady Eleanor is done being knitted - now just needs to be blocked and fringed and will be considered "complete." I truly enjoyed knitting this shawl, once my mind got wrapped around it! Is a totally different way of knitting, but each color change was an adventure in artistry. The way the colors come together is just beautiful. And it still looks great draped over the back of my sofa! hehe

Now, not sure what I'll be knitting, although am pretty sure there are about 25 pairs of socks in my future. There is at least that much sock yarn in my stash, so it's time to start knitting on that, am sure!

Since there's nothing on my needles right now, it is doubtful things will stay that way for very long!

Hope You Had Happy Holidays!

It was a wonderful Christmas! I got some natural sock yarn and Jacquard Dyes!!

















Also some "Foggy Bottom" Sock Yarn!















Have been working mainly on the Lady Eleanor Shawl - Here's a picture of the progress! It is turning out really pretty!! Can't get over how the colors all fit together and create a harlequin effect.









Then - my dad gave my sister-in-law and I quilts that were made by his mother's mother - my Great Grandma Dustin. They were originally quilt tops that my mother had quilted by the ladies of the Ferguson Presbyterian Church for "the girls." Convinced my dad that she had meant my SIL and I as "the girls," so this year (with a bit of help from a Christmas elf), he was able to give them as gifts!

When She's Right . . . .

She's right!!! It basically matches my sofa!

This is the first few tiers of the Lady Eleanor shawl done in the Noro Silk Garden I bought recently. Just thought my niece would be pleased to see some progress!

Stash'nSock

Everybody keeps coming up with "cutsie" words (like "Socktoberfest"). I thought it'd be cool to make up one of my own! Hence, the name of this entry.

So - The first Monkey sock is done! This is my favorite ball of yarn. On the ball it looks amazing! It is oh-so-soft and completely yummy . . . but stripes and pools like crazy. This is probably about the 4th or 5th pattern I've tried and have given up fighting the Properties of the Yarn. It is what it is! Makes a lovely sock, anyway.


And then - there was the email from my niece. It said "Little Knits has one color of the Silk Garden on sale for $6.60 a skein. It's kind of muted blues that reminded me of your couch. You should go take a look... "

So now YOU can look, too! Here's a pic of the 11 skeins I got, taken on the infamous couch! Planning a Lady Eleanor shawl and can hardly wait to start!

This is a great shot of the end of a skein that shows the color variations.

What do you think?

Goodie Boxes!!!!

Can anybody tell me what's wrong with this scenario?? Knit one pair, buy enough yarn for three more pair - Repeat?

Ok - my name is Blu and I'm becoming a Yarn-a-holic. But with such pretty colors, can it be such a sin???

The skeins above are the new

Fleece Artist colors - Georgia O'Keefe (love her watercolors!), and Willa Cather - a 20th Century novelist. Then, the other is the neatest stuff!! From UrbanGypZ - colorway is Koi, Vey!

I have included a close-up of this - and you can see the candy cane effect of the different ply that was designed to super-saturate with dye giving a nice twist accent to the yarn. Totally cool!

Manly Socks! Complete!!

Finally - the Manly Natural Alpaca Socks are complete!!! Yippee!! With only about three yards left over from each skein, I managed to complete these oh-so-soft, yummy chocolate brown socks from 300 yards (2 skeins) of yarn spun from Lily's fur.

Lily:

Finished these just in the nick of time, too! More, brightly colored yarn is on it's way to my mailbox!

Tiny Dilemma

Yes - it's the Manly Alpaca Sock . . . in all it's half-done glory!! Note to self . . . when making men's socks, typically it will take more than 300 yards of yarn. Aargh! So - I'm half-way through the foot and you can see the tiny ball of yarn that's left . . .

Of course, there is another skein, so this sock will be finished. But the second sock . . . no way! I will check (plead, beg, and otherwise humiliate myself) at the Ferguson Farmer's Market next Saturday morning in an attempt to get just one more skein of Lily's fluff (the alpaca in question), but when I got this, her owner said it was the last until the next shearing.

Maybe she was dishonest . . . but I don't think so :(

How often CAN you shear an alpaca . . . in October . . . just before the Midwest winter sets in???

Sock It To Me September

Love, love LOVE this yarn! I've been admiring it for at least a year since I bought it. Don't even remember what it's called anymore (bad stash-er) . . . .

Hate, hate, HATE this yarn on this sock. Thought I'd found a winner when, with the third try, discovered a pattern that not only didn't pool, but didn't stripe. Was elated . . . . knitted this much, and left it sit on a table for a couple months. Have finally decided - time to visit the frog pond YET AGAIN. Rip-it! Can't stand it! The more I look at it, the less I like it. Did manage to take a while to learn to hate it, but now that is complete and it will go back to being a beautiful ball of yarn.

And this - this is my beautiful Alpaca yarn from the Ferguson Farmer's Market. It used to belong to an alpaca named Lily. Now, it is well on its way to becomming wonderful, MANLY socks. So soft, so sumptious. YUM.

It's a BRAND NEW SOCK

Finally finished with SSS - Second Sock Syndrome - and on to a brand new project, and a brand new sock! I love, love, LOVE this "Falling in Love" sock!

See? S0 far, it has three little lace hearts with cables on the left and right. Sock is a bit darker - flash seems to lighten up the color a bit, but overall, going to be a pretty sock.

Not thrilled with the striping, but not sure there's much to be done about it . . . .

AND - this is my first effort with a toe-up sock - which I started with a provisional cast-on . . . so it looks like a regular sock in that regard, but the trick will be the heel. Should be interesting!

To Coin a New Initialism - NOTH - Nothing On the Needles!

Strange, but true! I have overcome a serious bout of SSS (Second Sock Syndrome) and completed the two pair that have been hanging out there for months! Yippee!


Unfortunately, now that means I have to find something else to knit - and QUICK!

No More Lonely Socks

As you can see, the SSS (Second Sock Syndrome) is finally over! I have completed sock 2 of the Lombard Street Socks in the Aubergine Baby Silk - and the pair is O-So-Soft!!

Then, in the spirit of sweeping the decks clean, I cast on for the second RPM sock in the Koigu. I think sock 1 of this pair was completed in January.

Now, I must mention, I had every good intention of completing these. In my naivety, it seemed like a good plan at the time to start a second pair of socks, then alternate the second socks for each pair. Thought it might ease boredom, or something . . . Well, no such luck!! Just seemed to make it easier to keep knitting single socks. So, thought it should be nipped in the bud.

At least there's progress here. A lot of knitting was put on the back burner while my dad has been in the hospital and recuperating at home. Has been a very busy and tense time. But looks like I'm well on my way to getting the job done, at last!

Finally - a FO and Knitting Content Again!

I was a bad knitter - have been stuck in the knitting doldrums for a couple months now, trying unsuccessfully to finish a sock, so I bought three new skeins of Fleece Artist Merino. Got Peridot, Cornflower, and Spring Meadow. VERY pretty . . . I love these yarns with the subtle color changes. Am hoping they will knit up into some beautiful socks - yeah - like I'm gonna wake up some morning, and the knitting elves will have taken this and knit some lovely socks for me. Seems I'm gonna have to get off my cushions and start knitting in earnest - or at least in Merino yarn!

And now for something completely different - a finished object! After what seems like forever of slogging through hip-deep mud, I have managed to finish this lovely sock. Yes, it is another "loner" - a sock with no mate.

However, it has been a difficult road . . . can't even remember when this was started. I had good intentions. Once the RPM was finished, decided to move on to a different sock, come back, finish the second RPM, then the second baby silk.

You can guess the rest . . . I just want to start an entirely new pair of something - anything. Hopefully the self-discipline necessary to go back and pick up the pieces of the second socks will kick in and I'll finish. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled for brand new socks here!

Happy to Report

Hopefully soon, I'll be back to knitting. I'll have to! Just bought three more skeins of sock yarn - enough for three more pairs of socks! Still need to finish the baby cashmere and the RPM socks - still only one of each. Second-sock syndrome (SSS?) to the MAX!

Dad is making wonderful progress. After his fall, he was home only three days before the problems started. He developed pneumonia and was in the hospital for two weeks. After that, he went to a rehab facility (lots closer to home!) for 12 days, and then came home. I've been staying at my dad's for two weeks now, and am absolutely amazed at his progress. He's been using a walker all this time, and at first he was a bit wobbly. Lately his balance is improving a lot and he stands up without hanging on to things quite a bit. Seems a bit scary at times, but I'm getting used to it. He's extremely independent.

The rehab center sent out their squad of helpers - a nurse, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and an aide who helps with his showers several times a week. It seems if we are not going to all the various doctors, we have the "visitors" here taking all our time. We did manage to get out yesterday, however, get his income taxes mailed, hair cut, bird food replenished, hearing aids fixed, and a quick stop at the pharmacy. Today, we had the visitors, and a couple contractors who installed new handrails on the basement stairs, a new ceiling fan, and grab bars in the shower. So, as you can imagine, our days are filled with lots of things that need doing.Hopefully, he will be off the walker in a few more days and I will begin staying home nights!