Drive-by Blog Post

This weekend I turned 3 heels, so now I'm on the final legs of my Christmas knitting (mischievous twinkle for bad pun). But last night while walking the dog, inspiration hit so now I'm working on this:


But I can't tell you any more about it because of this:

Knitterly presents! I'm a party girl today because I'm meeting my knit-buddy Mary Jane for lunch and then it's the knit club's pot luck tonight.

Have to share this:

Dexter has decided my feet make a good pillow. I'm sure the hand knit socks help.

More Fun!

Hmm.. I'm having a great Saturday too. First, Dexter and I were off to the dog park. We stayed for an hour because we were having such a good time. After breakfast, I've made a pot of rice and beans for tonight's supper. Jim's gone all afternoon to play games at a friend's house, so I'm going to bake. But before all that, I finished a pair of mittens this morning.

Helgi's Mittens by Nancy Bush from Knitting in Eastonia
Shelridge Farms Soft Touch
2.75 mm bamboo

I wanted to use the last of the yarn from my mom and dad's mittens and I was hoping to get one more pair. But these call for more stitches at a tighter gauge so I left the thumbs for last. As it was, I had to sub in some sock yarn for the last 8 rows on one mitt. You can't see it at all. Anyway, I was not at all confident I would have enough yarn, so I decided to leave the thumbs for last.

And then, inspiration hit! Sore thumb mittens!

Tee hee! These crack me up! I used some alpaca left over from Alex's socks so the thumbs are very soft and should be very warm. I can't do stranded work with a cut thumb, so I needed a yarn that could stand on its own. Jim wasn't too sure about the whole idea, but I'm really glad I went for it.

Now, off to bake. I hope your Saturday is fun too.

Quick Fun on Friday

I'm having a delightful Friday evening. I just finished up a quick little knit while watching my favourite Christmas special ever: Frosty the Snowman!

This show is as old as I am. I have fond memories watching it as a child, and it still makes me giggle and smile to watch it now.

Here's the little hat I finished:

Pattern: Beaufort Hat
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: 4mm Addi Turbos

On Wednesday night I cut my finger pretty deep. Bad enough that I thought I was going to need stitches. I cut the index finger of my left hand with a knife slash when chopping some lettuce for Dexter's dinner. I'd just come back from walking him and I was in a hurry to sit down and knit. Haste makes waste, as the saying goes.

Needless to say, there was no knitting on Wednesday night. Thursday I went to work and found I could type and use my finger just fine. So I figured, if I can type, dang it, I can knit! Last night, I tried picking up my mittens again, but I found the two color needle work to be too hard. I needed a simple quick project that wouldn't task my finger. So I cast on the Beaufort Hat.

There was something about this pattern, that I just wanted to make it from when I first saw it. And it didn't disappoint. Quick, fun, and really pretty. I knew it would come out small, but there's a ton of stretch in it. Here it is on my son's head:

I was thinking of giving it to one of the teachers. Do you think it's too small? She has straight, black hair and I think it would look really pretty on her. Shouldn't a lace hat fit tight so that the lace is exposed?

Oh, and my finger is just fine. It feels a bit numb, but it's not swollen, or gaping and everything looks just as it should. Considering. Please excuse me if that was too much information. I was really worried for a while there, and I'm delighted that everything is turning out okay.

Rug Backing

Quite a few people wanted to know about the rug backing that I paint onto the soles of the Felted Clogs.

I bought this Rug Backing at Walmart, in their crafts section, about two years ago. Other people in London, Ontario, have told me that they can't find it there anymore. The name at the top of the canister says M.C.G. Textiles, Rug Backing by Saf-T-Bak and it is available at Amazon.

Here's what the product description says:

Saf-T-Bak will make your rugs highly resistant to sliding. Saf-T-Bak will increase the life of your rugs. It stays on after repeated washings: anchors loops and fibers thus preventing unraveling and tuft loss. It helps your rugs retain their shape and protects the base from moth damage. Saf-T-Bak elimintes wrinkles, adding bulk and texture. A small amount of Saf-T-Bak applied to frayed edges prevents further fraying.

It's a "water emulsion of synthetic rubber". I've washed my slippers and they came out just fine. They don't slip when I walk on wet floors. The only problem I can see is that it's white, which shows the dirt. Other than that, I highly recommend it.

Showing the Love

My youngest son, Alex, has a brother who demands and requires a lot of attention because of his ADD and Tourette's. So sometimes, Alex does his own things to demand attention. There was one time when he was six or so, and he wanted me to play a game with him, but I was just finishing up a really absorbing book. Which I don't do that often... Anyway, he was so frustrated with me putting him off that he started to take scissors to the curtains, right where I could see him! After a little time out, I gave him a book to read beside me. We shared a snack, and when I'd finished reading the last couple of pages, then we played a game.

So the other day, when I finished Luke's slippers, I could tell Alex was disappointed. I don't know why I did Luke's first. If I was thinking of it, I would have done Alex's first because it really makes no difference to me. But I could tell it made a difference to Alex. So Sunday morning I started, and by Sunday evening at bedtime I had two slippers for my boy.

This morning he helped me felt them:

The big smiles made it worth it.

The Decision is..... Knit On with Confidence!

You guys are awesome, thanks for your support and feedback on my lapghan (nice word debi). I'm going to carry on. The Noro was bought on sale, so this is a perfect place to experiment. I'm going to take the risk! Extreme knitting bay-bee!

I had fun on Friday. At lunch, I thought I'd go see about a gift for my husband and the necessary store is right next to my local yarn store. Well, the store for my husband had moved, but the yarn store was having a book sale! YES! I had so much fun picking through their offerings and I got some great bargains. I went back to work that afternoon with a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

I bought Big Girl Knits, which seems like a book I should have on my shelf (wink) and Lucy Neatby's Knitting Essentials 2. The book I loaned to a co-worker for the weekend, but I sat down to watch the DVD this afternoon. I think Lucy's done an awesome job of it. The instructions are clear, and you can see everything very easily. I found that most of the techniques I had already taught myself, but Lucy had a few tricks I hadn't seen before. I also bought three magazine back issues and six pattern leaflets, including Fiber Trends shawl patterns. The whole business was ridiculously cheap, or I wouldn't have bought so much so close to Christmas.

I've got a ton of knitting on the needles, but here's something that came off them tonight:


The Ubiquitous Fiber Trends Felted Clogs

These are for my eldest son. I ran out of yarn twice. The first was the green, which I just bought in the fall. It's Lion Brand Felting wool, so I just ran out to Micheal's to get some more. But the second time I ran out of yarn was on the navy which I picked up on sale at Walmart three years ago. So I improvised:


Since I'll be painting non-skid rug backing onto these, I don't think anyone will be the wiser. We'll let this be our little secret, m'kay?

Ooooog-lee!

Well folks, I've got a big ole flop on my hands here. Take a look at this amazing ugliness:

I scooped up 7 balls of Noro at the Needle Emporium's tent sale this past summer and, inspired by the fun I had with the Silk Garden scarf, I thought I could knit a mini-Lizard Ridge. I hoped to squeeze 9 squares from the 7 balls; 8 at the least, since I could always cook up some special interest square for the center. I figured it would make a nice little lap blanket.

I was entirely unprepared for the horrible ugliness of the squares. Everybody else's blankets look lovely, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I must confess that I started making squares with the balls of yarn I liked the least. I guess I was saving the best for last. Still, how is it possible to screw up color work with Noro?

Here's my options:

1. Rip and re-knit. These squares where done using opposite ends of the same ball. Perhaps by mixing balls, I could make something nicer out of it.
2. Cut my loses and quit knitting. Perhaps these squares could be sewn into a scarf and given to charity. There's no denying it's warm, if you don't mind the color. Then I could use the other balls to make mitered mittens, or felted bags.
3. Carry on! If I knit the other colors, they may counter balance the horribleness of these three.

What say you? I bow before the wisdom of the masses.

Swiftly

Hooray! It lives!

This is why my husband deserves great hand knits. To get my swift back together (after the dog had chewed on it, and my dad helped create replacement parts) Jim had to undo a the wire that holds all the pieces together at the bottom and take out a bold that holds the pieces together in the middle. He twisted the wire back up, but there's no way to replace the bolt, so he just tied it together. I took it for a test drive last night and it did just fine.

I know you'll ask, so the yarn on the swift is Schaefer Anne sock yarn in a red almost too beautiful for socks. I bought it as a birthday present to myself at the beginning of the month using Red Bird Knit's birthday discount. Also in the above picture we can see the Frost Flowers and Leaves shawl in action as an afghan. It's warm, and light and big. We cozy up under it often.

In other news, Dad's gloves are done.

One more obligatory Christmas gift to go. I have plenty other things on the needles, but I do miss having one big project on the go. Do you realize it's four weeks to Christmas? Maybe not the time for me to start the next big thing.

A Winter's Sweater

Just in time for the cold season, Jim's sweater is back from the tailor's.

Pattern: Paton's Urban Aran
Yarn: Rowan Spun Chunky
Needles: 6mm

I'm thrilled with the results and so is Jim. Other than choosing the yarn or the pattern, he's been a part of the process the entire way through. He told me how long he wanted the body and sleeves. He specified that he did NOT want a two way zipper. He even looked through Ravelry with me to discuss the different options for the collar. The end result is perfect for him.

For my zipper-side edge, I only left one selvedge stitch, which I slipped. I wanted the front to come together quite snuggly at the cables and that's what I got.

I had the zipper installed by a tailor. She's done other work for me and I'm always pleased with what she does. Except that she wanted to put a plastic zipper in, but I over ruled her on that. This metal zipper has a fluid drape to it that mirrors the drape of the sweater. It cost me $25 for her work, but it was well worth it to me for the peace of mind. Plus, I don't have a sewing machine.

This was a very successful knit. I hope it lasts Jim a good long time. It's not a Christmas present
because I think he just deserves a hand knit for all the wonderful things he does for us.

I did not enjoy knitting those stacks of cables at the waist, but once they were over with this was a pleasant enough knit. The Rowan yarn washed up beautifully soft and was very nice to work with.

Here's one last picture. The color (Cardamom) is more true in this shot, and I love the brooding winter feel of the image.

Making a Repair

I did make a repair last night, but not on the sock. It was Jim's work guernsey that needed a little help.


As you can see, he's worked a considerable hole into it. We guess that he snagged it on something, and we didn't notice it quick enough because there's a whole row missing here. Jim was quite anxious for me to fix it since he wears it to work every day as soon as the weather gets cold. He's had it through two cold seasons and other than being a little flat, it's holding up really well. The Philosopher's wool that I used is ideal for this sort of garment.

I have plenty of the same yarn left over. Taking a good long piece of wool, I threaded it through on the wrong side, and then performed a quick and dirty graft using those DPNs I stuck through the live stitches. Then I went in on the wrong side again and did a weave from top to bottom and side to side, catching any loose yarn that was left. It's not pretty, but it's darned sturdy.


I know, some of you are wondering why I'm not going to repair those socks. Frankly, I don't like the color. I bought the yarn over the internet and was very disappointed with the colors when I received it. The socks are soft, the pattern was nice, but those colors are monstrous! I'm kind of glad to see them go.

Oh, I visited the Halcyon Aran today! The tailor said it will be ready tomorrow so you can expect a photo shoot this weekend. Here's hoping for some sun.

A New Way to Wear Out Socks

I'm pretty hard on my socks and I have many ways of wearing them out. I've walked holes in the heels, holes through the bottom of the foot, and poked holes through the toes. I loved and wore a pair of Regia silk lace ones to the point that the lace was threadbare on the foot. I've even had socks go missing in the wash. (Jim does the laundry and it's worth the loss of a hand knit sock to have a husband who does laundry. Really.)

But today I put on a pair of socks that are wearing out in a whole new way.

This is a shot of the heel flap, and you can see that the stitches are laddering up. I'm gobsmacked. I can only think that the stranding holding the stitches wore through and set them free.

The Dog Ate my Swift and Other Stories.

One day, the whole family went out. "Shall we put Dexter in his kennel?" I asked Jim. "Naw. He'll be fine." And so he was, but while we were gone, he found it necessary to eviscerate a box of tissues and chew on my swift. I'm sure he thought it was quite a lovely stick.


Since then, I've been a little lost. In thinking of what I'd like to knit next, I'd contemplate whether the yarn came in hanks or balls. It's not much fun to be constrained in your projects like that. But today, my Daddy delivered replacement parts.


He and his neighbour got together and made these peices for me using one of the chewed pieces as a template. Yippee! The wood has to be varnished first, and I still have to figure how to work around the join bit, but at least now I have parts to work with. I hope to have the swift repaired soon and do I solemnly promise to store it some where dog-proof from now on. Also, I sent Dad home with a pair of socks and a hat so the neighbour could choose one as a thank you present.

I've been finishing things around here. The Paton's vintage socks are done and I've finally taken I nice picture of them.

That's one more pair for the Christmas gift pile and I'm quite happy with them. I like the way the diamond finishes on the arch of the foot and I'd like to try using that same idea on another pair some time.

This weekend I decided I deserved a break from the Christmas knitting. What I really needed was a hat to keep the November wind from my ears. My last hat doesn't quite cut it. So I cobbled something together using a design from Charlene Schurch's Hats On, and a chart from Small Sweaters.

I love having a hat unlike anyone else's. It's a snug fit and two layers of Mission Falls wool should protect my tender ears. They're particularly susceptible because I'm coming down with a cold. Yet the dog must still be walked. It wouldn't do to have him chewing on the furniture. I don't think Dad and his neighbour could whip up a new chair leg as easily.

Rag Tags

What a difference the light can make. Today the sun was shining brightly and I spent most of my lunch hour outside. It recharged my batteries. But not soon enough I'm afraid. I totally forgot to take pictures of the Urban Aran all put together. Doh!

I'm really happy with how the sweater turned out and the fit of it. I took it to the tailor's for a zipper. I don't have a sewing machine and no real interest in learning to put a zipper in, in spite of the really great tutorials that are out there. So now I'll have to wait till next week to show you the sweater.

It feels odd not to have a big project on the needles right now. I've been manufacturing a sense of urgency in my knit projects for quite some time now. What I mean is that I choose to knit to a deadline, such as the Fair, or Christmas, or some other event that I want the FO for. But after I finished Jim's sweater, I found that feeling of needing to push was just gone.

I don't quite get why I push myself. Does it make the knitting more exciting? Or give me an excuse to brush other things aside as less important? I wonder how long I can go without creating some new deadline for myself.

Ravelry came in handy while I was working up the collar of the sweater. I searched the database and found 54 Urban Arans, which I then surfed through to see how they handled the collar. Jim looked through the images and pointed out which styles he preferred. In the end, he got exactly what he wanted.

My KnitPicks catalog came today and in a fit of inspiration I went through it circling the things I like. I pointed out to my husband how easy it would be to shop for Christmas presents for me using the catalog. They might never use it, but I had fun making the wish list.

Sorry I'm so dull lately. I just haven't had a lot to say. Anyway, it's late. Time for bed. G'night.

Jump Start

I really appreciate the supportive comments I received on my last post. It seems I'm not the only one battling November's grey and dreary doldrums. Many a blogger is reporting a sense of malady. Thank goodness we have Christmas to rev us up.

While I don't like to decorate early, I do like to begin preparations early. My first son, Luke, was born October 4 and that year I realized in November that I must get my shopping done early because there was no way I wanted to be in the stores with a 2-month old baby in December. This has been my rule ever since.

This weekend I finished up the main part of my Christmas shopping. The only difficulty in buying early is the temptation to buy more, so to work around that I leave stocking stuffers to be bought in December.

This weekend was busy with general winter preparations. Jim cleaned the garage so now I can park my car indoors. Lovely man. He has saved me precious minutes in the morning spent scraping and waiting for my car to defrost. Every morning, Dexter and I go to the local off-leash dog park to exercise and socialize. It's a commitment, but we both benefit. So I really do need every moment in the morning.

I am on the cusp of finishing Jim's Urban Aran. The poor guy has been feeling the cold lately. I've worked hard on it all weekend, but not in time to post it for you today. The fit seems good and I'm really looking forward to seeing what it looks like washed up. Yes, I seam with out washing first. Mattress stitch seems as easy as doing up shoelaces to me and I'm too impatient to wait for the thing to dry once I've finished knitting.

The other thing we did this weekend is make our one, traditional, holiday goody: Rum Balls. It has been written in stone that every holiday must have Rum Balls. Each year, we have them in a cut glass dish so they look elegant. Plus, we have a fun little family party when we roll them.

This year, I thought I'd get a jump on it since they freeze so well. To store them, I've got them in plastic containers and then double wrapped. Perhaps you'd like to get an early start on the season too? If so, here's my recipe:

Chocolate Rum Balls

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 eggs slightly beaten
pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups graham wafer crumbs
2 tbsp dark rum

Combine butter, icing sugar and chocolate chips in a double boiler. Add beaten eggs and salt. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture thickens and is smooth. Remove from heat and add rum and crumbs. Combine well. Refrigerate at least three hours. Shape into balls; roll in chocolate shavings, coconut or nuts.


Every person who helps roll gets a rum ball for their efforts.

Back from Battle

Well hello there. Anybody miss me? I feel as though I've missed two blog posts and I've never been away for that long before. I've been wrestling my demons with the usual result that I want to cut off contact with the world. But here I am, crawling out of my cave which is a good thing.

Of course I've been knitting, but progress seems slow. I've finished up one of the traveling socks.

I've got to get a daylight picture for you, because the diamond design is quite pretty and travels to a nice point on the foot. That might be difficult since we're well into winter weather here in London Ontario, with grey clouds either looming in the sky or being swept briskly along by strong winds. October extended summer with warm temperatures and sunny days, but November is getting us back for it.

My mother's Christmas present is all done.

These are based on Selbuvotter NHM #7, but I changed the cuff design and the thumb. I'm particularly pleased with the thumb because I just knit it up on the fly, basing it on what's on the cuff. It seems very elegant to me. Mom should be well pleased with these. The Selbuvotter design is very dramatic in white and black.

I've also finished up one of Dad's gloves for Christmas:

This is Annemor #7 from Selbuvotter. I know it's supposed to be a reindeer, but doesn't that look like a Canadian moose on the hand? Love it!

My dad used to go moose hunting every fall when I was a kid. Mostly he brought back squirrels and grouse, but I know he had a soft spot for the moose. I think he went mostly to have an excuse to hang out with his buddies in the woods.

When I mentioned I might make him gloves for Christmas, my Dad noted that mittens would be easier so of course I had to do gloves. The pattern was wonky when it came to the fingers so I made it up. The pinky needs about 5 more stitches than what is called for in the pattern. Three I increased on the back of the hand, and the other two I cast on in addition to the two the pattern calls for. It doesn't really matter so much because you'd never notice it when the glove is on. The main idea is to continue the palm pattern up into the fingers, and have an even number of stitches between the front and back.

I really like how my parent's mitts and gloves are similar yet different. They belong together. Finally, I got all three from two skeins of Shelridge Farms soft touch. Whoop!

Obviously fighting my demons hasn't curbed my enthusiasm for knitting. Here's to you demons!

Three Monkeys

Here's proof of how much my guys love me. In reverse order we have: "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

Alex is wearing my brother's scarf which ended up being as long as I am tall and I still had yarn left over. The yarn is Noro and the pattern is the one popularized by Brooklyntweed. It's addictive and fun.

Jim is wearing a Walmart sweater and a Sideways Short Row Hat that I whipped up this weekend. The yarn is Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Spirit, which I bought when I took my mom out shopping to Len's Mills. We had a lot of fun and I only bought this hat yarn for myself. I did buy other yarn of course, some Austerman Step for my mom's birthday and some Bernat Satin for my mother-in-law. My mom also got a pair of socks for her birthday, the Sunbeam ones.

Luke is wearing an improvised hat made from Paton's Soy Wool Stripes. The Christmas knitting progresses......

I Dream of Yarn....

The TechPubs team where I work has been in training sessions all week, learning to use a very complex tool. We've had a fair bit of frustrations, and at such moments I find myself dreaming of yarn. Never mind the stash, I want to wander a yarn store and fondle something new. And although I am within walking distance of a most tempting LYS, I haven't had quite enough time to make the trip at lunch, or after work.

Luckily, I will be making a trip this weekend with my mother. It's her birthday soon, so I've got a pair of hand knit socks for her and we're going to yarn crawl to Len's Mills. My mother-in-law is out of yarn, so I need to stock her up. Fortunately, she likes acrylic and I don't, so I'm never tempted to keep what I buy for her. I think my mom has some leftovers she's going to share too.

Today I did manage to squeak in a trip to the London Public Library. I always search through their used books and this time I managed to nab these three:

I was trying to decide which one to get, when I noticed the price, $3 each. So I got them all! Knitty-Kat, did you say you were looking for another copy of The Complete Encyclopedia of Stichery? Send me a message if you want it! I did manage to snatch a read in The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework which was pretty funny since it advises the reader to use asbestos to keep needles polished and damp hands dry. The third book is The Reinhold Book of Needlecraft.

I also managed to get a fair bit of sock knitting done, in between reboots, syncs, and troubleshooting.


This is the vintage Paton's pattern called Diamond. I like it well enough, but it's a large sock, you know?

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the weekend!

Well Rested

We had beautiful weather this weekend. I took Dexter for a walk through the woods on Sunday and the forest floor was carpeted with leaves. He bounded through them with a grin on his face and his tongue hanging out. We stopped at my special rock and I laid back to enjoy the bluest sky I've ever seen overlaid by a gold and orange maple. The quality of the light this fall has been ethereal and the colors luminous. It feels like winter will never come.

We still have flowers in the backyard and this Monarch butterfly stopped for a sip of nectar, likely on its migratory trip south. Apparently, they are a little late this year.

I took advantage of the glorious light to give you a better picture of the Noro scarf. I know the colors could be dodgey for some guys, but my brother Gary is an artist and an independent thinker, so I'm hoping he will appreciate the colors.

Taking a Pledge

I was re-reading the Yarn Harlot's archives last week, and this morning I had an epiphany. I don't take joy in my knits. I'm always finding some little thing wrong with them instead. Self-evaluation is a very useful skill. It lets us learn from our mistakes. But I let it come between me and my feelings of accomplishment and pleasure in a job well done. Stephanie enjoys what she produces. It puts her in awe, thrills her, and she wants to share that joy with everyone (even the muggles).

So I hereby pledge to learn to take joy in my knits. I know I will continue to see their faults, but I aim to accept those faults. I'm going to love my knits.

To that end, there's a picture of me wearing the Halcyon Aran on Flickr. (Blogger won't let me post pictures right now.) I've worn it today and it is just perfect for walking the dog. It keeps me warm, yet ventilated. I find nothing beats a wool sweater for outdoor exercise.

Also, I've spent the afternoon and evening falling in love with a simple scarf knit in Noro Silk Garden. In fact, I'm writing now, since my hand hurts because I knit too much. But I love the feel of the yarn, it's soft and keeps you away with the odd poke of vegetation. The colors are doing things I didn't expect them too, but because I'm using only one colorway, I'm trusting the magic of the yarn to make it work.

My knits aren't bad, they're just misunderstood.

Friday Night Knits go BAD

Ah Friday night! Time for some relaxing knitting as a reward for a week's work. But my knits have turned on me. They've gone baaaaaad.

Father's glove had to be tinked back 2 rows first, but I finished up the palm. Then the numbers wouldn't match up at the fingers so I tossed it aside and picked up Jim's Urban Aran. I finished the back, whoo hoo! Ah, but I can't find the smaller sized needles to cast on for the fronts. Screw it, I've got other projects. Vintage Paton's sock is too streachy, I don't know if I should rip or not, so I'll just ignore it for a couple more days. Oh, there's a hat that needs a crown, but I have to hunt up the right sized DPNs and can't be bothered just now. I only want to knit! Girls just wanna have fun knitting! Dang, here's a plain sock, I'll work on that.

So I sit, knitting endless rounds of stockinette, dreaming of lace, and planning my Saturday morning attack on all these knit projects gone bad. I hope your Friday night was a good kind of bad.

Sock News in London Ontario

Tonight a gang of London knitters on Raverly had a meet up. It was great to meet so many talented local knitters.

Aren't they a great lookin' bunch? And see all those socks?

Hi Knitty-Kat! Shes the one with the big smile looking straight at the camera. Doesn't she have beautifully curly hair? I wish my hair would do curls like that instead of my on-again, off-again curls. Kat has curls that let you know they mean business!

Nadine of Balkan Style brought her first ever sock.

It's a rockin' good sock. And here we have me blogging Elan, blogging the first sock.

You've got to check out what Elan knits. Holy Moses. She's got creative bones, this lady. Her knits are currently being displayed in the Landon Library. I have good intentions to get me down there this weekend to check it out. The funniest story, which I take as a great compliment, is that when I entered my fish mittens into the Western Fair last year a lot of Elan's friends thought it was her design.


In other sock news, I've finished up one pair of traveling socks. This pair go into the Christmas gift pile for my brother-in-law Richard.

I loved working with this Trekking XXL colorway at this time of year. The yarn glows with the autumnal palette. Then I started another pair.


These are from a vintage Paton's book. I haven't decided to whom they will go to, but they are definitely a man's Christmas present. Actually, I'm worried they might be too loose.

I'm in no danger of knitting through the sock yarn stash though. Look what I won in CC's blog contest. It's a beautifully shiny and soft merino/tencel blend. Thanks CC!

Halycon Aran

Halycon Aran was completely knit, but it languished in the sewing basket until I got the call that the Forest City Knitting club was having it's monthly meeting, at which point I whipped it together in short order!

Pattern: Halycon Aran
Yarn: Blackwater Abbey, color Silver
Needles: Addi Turbos 5mm
Mods: I shortened the sleeves. The 52 inch size is intended for a man and I don't have a man's monkey arms. Also, I knit the neck in a manner that made sense to me. I picked up as many stitches as made sense. Then I decreased them away at a rate of approximately 25%, all the while trying to maintain the pattern from the body. I wanted the cables to flow into the ribbing. I'm quite pleased with the result.


I'm perfectly satisfied with this sweater, though I don't think it's a flattering look for me. The sleeves are just the right length, and the body is too. It will keep me nice and warm when I play with Dexter this winter.


I have some yarn leftover. I think Dexter needs a matching dog sweater. Maybe after the Christmas knitting is done.....

Comfort Knitting

I'm a little sad today. I've been reminiscing about my family this weekend because my father's mother passed away on Thursday. My Memeh (a childish French name for grandmother, I spelt it how it sounds) was a lively lady in her 94th year. As the matriarch of a large family, I didn't have a very close relationship with her. Still, I've been remembering her, and the moments she impacted my life. She was gentle, liked to laugh, and she believed in me at a time when I didn't believe in myself, which meant a lot to me.

I think this is part of the reason I fell so hard for a knitting project this weekend. I started a Selbuvotter mitten for my mother on Friday night and finished by the end of the day Saturday. Today, I started my father's glove.

I tweaked my mother's mitten by changing the cuff pattern and I made up the thumb pattern too. The Shelridge Farms Soft Touch fingering weight is perfect for these mittens. It's soft, smooth and just the right weight. I'm really enjoying working with it.

I decided to start my dad's glove from the leftovers of my mother's to see if four skeins of fingering weight would be enough for both. I'm enjoying how these mittens are similar yet different. They feel like ying and yang.

Somehow, knitting these gifts for my parents just feels right and comforting.