Sunday 31 March 2019

Four rounds on a sock

That was all the knitting I did Saturday, but I don't even care.  I got to play with my youngest grandchild, Emmett and his big brother, Carter.  

  

The rest of the family was out having a things big kids can do day with my oldest grandson, Isaac.  Many kisses and baby giggles made it wonderful, but I am tired.

There was some knitting today but I wish I had done more.  I really wanted to get to the last colour but I don't think it is going to happen.  


I did get to below the armscyce and that is huge.  A first quick try on shows it will do.  There is a lot of good feelings in that.  

The rest of this pattern, Summer Snowflakes by Susan Dingle, is as simple as can be.  Increase to give it the marvelous shape.  And that is what I am going to do till I have only a little of the grey yarn left. If I need more length, I will repeat the colours.  There is lots of them left from these generous balls.  All I need to reserve is a bit of dark blue and a touch of grey for the bottom of the sleeves.  

There is a lot of knitting to go till I get to that end stage.  A lot.  Did I mention increases?  Wait till you see that!




Friday 29 March 2019

We didn't do anything yet today.


Grandma looks just like thus, only older and I come equipped with coffee.  

I'm not sure what we will do today, but it is sunny outside, so I'm sure it will involve some outside play.  If it clouds over, not so much.  We might just do some knitting.  

Cassie asked me to show her how to knit, and we did a few stitches yesterday.  We will do more today.  And then who knows.  She will do a but on her own?  We may need a few more lessons but grandma would help her learn forever.






Thursday 28 March 2019

Come Sunday

Yesterday while I was busy around the house, I dug into the WIP bins and I came out with this.


I'd almost forgotten about it.  This was the first of my pretty sick yarn socks.  It had gotten buried deep in the last few weeks and it might have been lost at the bottom but for needing socks to work on to get me through. 
I'm using the Geek Socks pattern from Knitty.com and even though this yarn isn't an even rowed progression of colours, it sure does look pretty.  

Otherwise life is a bit of a zoo.  The kids are here overnight, and that means I can do a few things and feel more comfortable as the day goes on.  The weather is good so sitting outside playing with the kids is high on our list of things to do.  Tomorrow after work this batch of kids go home and I prepare to head out for more babysitting and to have a good visit with Carter, Emmett and Isaac for a full day.  But Sunday morning is mine.  And that will do.


Wednesday 27 March 2019

Where did that come from?

This is my one day at home this week.  I made actual coffee and m drinking it and am in the process of planning out my day.  I have no idea what I am going to do but I do know that I am going to enjoy it whatever it is.  I don't have any knitting content or even yarn content this morning.  the inside of my brain is kind of an empty space at the moment.  I am sure that will resolve itself once I actually sit and knit.  Knitting always fills my mind with wonderful things.

So, I will tell you about my dream last night, because well, I got nothin'.

It was the usual sort of dream, where stuff is going on and it was looking like it was going to get crazy busy like dreams sometimes do.    They weren't busy dreams yet,  but it was pending.  In the dream I could feel myself prepare for busy all the while trying to keep my cool as were the other people in the dream.  All of a sudden there was an extra person helping with whatever it was that was going on and things were in control.  I looked at that extra person who was now standing in my kitchen, with a couple of other people and thought, hey, he looks like Michael Fassbender.  And then I said to myself , 'Woah.  It is Michael Fassbender.' 

And then I woke up whereupon I lost all the details of the dream but for Michael Fassbender standing in my kitchen.  He was standing near my coffee maker, which surely indicated that it was time for coffee.  

So here I sit trying to make sense of it all.  Usually I dream of weird things coming together in my day that have happened or that I worry about happening or that reflect something that is going on in life.  Often what happens in my brain is how I feel under stress, like those flooding drowning dreams where I can't stop anything important to me from being lost.  But Michael Fassbender?  I just have no idea.  I haven't watched a movie with him in it for months. I haven't even watched that episode of Poirot that he is in where his skill as an actor kind of blows you away, for months. Maybe it meant that my coffee would be as good as if Michael Fassbender was standing in my kitchen (while it would be very cool, it would in truth be deeply confusing)?  I really have no idea. 

I guess the moral of my story today is, if you find yourself dreaming random dreams of Michael Fassbender showing up to save the day, make yourself a good cup of coffee.  Maybe watch a Michael Fassbender movie with a second cup?   


Tuesday 26 March 2019

There is not a lot going on. Just a little bit of sock knitting

There had to be more socks. But you knew that.  I did try to change it a bit.  I put another heel on it rather than an ordinary heel flap.  For this sock I have gone with a simple help where the heel flap cups your whole heel.  Think of it as the proģenitor of that slipper pattern I knit a few weeks ago.

There will be 2 more weeks of this job from the sounds of it.  I am thinking seriously about depression...or at least inestimable sadness.



Monday 25 March 2019

Good Yarn

It's obvious which sweater is winning.


I need to do about half the darkest blue before I split for the armscye.  I had kind of hoped to do a bit more but a few long naps took up most of my afternoons and severely cut into my knitting time.  

You can see that I opted for rows of garter stitch at the changes.  Its simplicity suits the look of the yarn.  Which I love.  Berroco Remix Light.  As I knit I was dreaming of all the other things I could make with this yarn.  Shawls, light cardigans, really great tops.  Dreaming about more things in this yarn is the sure sign of yarn adoration.  It is really lovely to knit with.

There isn't a lot of knitting time this week but I will squeak in as much as possible.  I'm not quite sure what is going on, but just like my nightmares, the job may be going longer.  I sat and pretty much cried when I heard that.  It's still not certain but...


Friday 22 March 2019

And my visitor is gone,

I've spent the last few days hanging with my sister gabbing and generally shooting the breeze.  Perhaps even pontificating a bit more than I ought for which she has my abject apology.  I don't think of myself as a talker but I haven't talked with anybody for so long.  I am so looking forward to the end of this job.

She left earlier today and I am just sitting here in my never this tidy house, playing around on the internet.  I need to complete an order for that cotton I talked about last week (possibly the week before) and other than looking at books, have no plans for anything.  Just sitting around doing not too much.  

I haven't done that in so long.  It's my turn and I am going to take it.  Because much to my dismay, because of fire fighter training and testing this weekend, I am going to be babysitting every day this upcoming week.  Finishing off the job with a bag as it were.  I am occasionally dreaming that it just keeps going.   It's not quite in the nightmare category, but...


Wednesday 20 March 2019

Feelin' SMRT

I did exactly what I planned yesterday and tried one of the other yarns, the Remix, on this pattern.  It's perfect really. 



It's light and I know it's going to make a great summer top.  I've got the gradient laid out behind so you can see where this top will go so far as decorative elements.  Those elements will go like this capelet from Cabin Fever, The Gradient Capelet .   As you can see on that pattern link, there is an interesting garter stitch detail between the colours.  My first idea of a sweater in these yarns had an applied i-cord detail between the colours and I am not sure which would be more interesting, garter stitch or i-cord.  I will do a garter stitch round between the colours, to simplify the i-cord application, but I'm not sure I want two, as it seems there is in the pattern.  I'm not sure if two ridges/rows would be tucked hidden enough under the cord detail.  

I am also debating a tuck stitch detail, rather than an i-cord detail, but first I have to learn how to do that.  Since I am very close to where the colours need to change to have a scale that is pleasing to the eye and pleasing to the dimensions of the sweater, that learning break ought to happen today. And today is going to be a very busy day.

I have company coming.  My youngest sister is coming for a short visit and since she has never been here before, I want everything to be orderly so she can see it at its very best.  The sun is sure cooperating so my floor of the house is going to be lovely, bright and warm. I only wish I had my kitchen sitting nook complete. 

All this means that I have no idea which one I should knit on today.  I think I will keep the Sonata top underway and see what the drape is like as I knit before deciding exactly what that top will look like.  I know.  It seems like an odd way to knit a pattern, but when you are used to winging it, you can do anything.  

So, what to knit?  It seems my adventure will be two tops, not one.  So SMRT when you are really just aiming for a new top for your wardrobe.

Tuesday 19 March 2019

Itchy Fingers

I have a case of itchy fingers.  It probably started with the lovely blue skies and warm temperatures of the past week.  It was added to by thinking about what I would knit as an F1 sweater and with spring burgeoning it's way as it will, I started something new.  But not my F1 project.  The F1 season runs till  December 1, and it really deserves to be a winter sweater, and maybe two.

It is spring knitting I am looking for right now.  I hope I get it done to wear this summer.  The wardrobe could use the boost. 


I cast on a kind of simply styled tunic type top with a wonderful drape to it and this dainty lace detail at the neck and sleeves edges.  Lots of plain knitting with just enough quirky bits to keep you interested.  I think.  I hope.  The pattern is Summer Snowflakes by Susan Dingle

I'm not 100% sure this is the right yarn for it.  It is designed for a fingering weight silk but it is knit at a DK gauge. I am currently using Elann Sonata and am not 100 percent happy with what I am getting so far.  The fabric is a bit more open on the size needles I am using.  (No I didn't swatch. This is my swatch.)  I really do not want to have to wear a camisole under it.  I have to decide if I want to knit it on slightly smaller needles or if I ought to just knit it from a different yarn.   Smaller needles mean a firmer fabric and I am concerned that with this yarn on slightly smaller needles, the fantastic drape in the pattern will be lost. 

If there is one thing I do have, it is yarn choices.

One of the choices is Berroco Remix Light.  I picked that up in Saskatoon last year and while I did start a project with it, it didn't quite work how I planned. If I switched to the Remix, I wouldn't knit the lace at the top, but I would make it a gradient because I have a lovely gradient thing in the yarn.


Remix Light is also rated at a DK weight though it has no where near the heft of the cotton.  perhaps grist is a better word for what I mean.  It is nowhere near as dense as the cotton.  It would really play off this pattern's wonderful drape.

I also have a very large cone of cherry red silk that would be perfect for this top.


I would have to double strand it to get the right weight for this project, but it would be a stunning top.  The game with this would be a game of yarn chicken.  There ought to be 3600 yards minimum on this cone, so 1500 knittable yards would be available for the project, which ought to be lots.  It would drape wonderfully and look stunning, but in pure silk, it seems like it would be more than I need for wearing around my small world.  It might feel too fancy.  (I ought to get over that.)

So that is what is going to be winding through my head today.  It's going to be busy. 

Monday 18 March 2019

F 1 and Finishing Spring

I'm  big F1 racing fan and I was thinking about knitting a single project through all the F1 races this year.  I was not able to make a decision in the few minutes I had after we got home from a certain someone's birthday. I wish I had thought of doing this sooner.  Oh well race one is under our belts and I have a bit of time before race two.

I gave me the chance to finish this.  First Point of Aries by Laura Aylor.  I'm going with First Point of Aires because it is spring in just two days and spring is when this sweet thing is going to get heavy wear.



Casie modeled it for me quick before school this morning.  She was pretty pleased to be asked.  She tried to make model faces :)



It's enough for you to get a good idea of just how lovely this shawl is.  I am wearing it right now.  It isn't really my first sock yarn shawl, but it is the first in a while and it's a real pleasure to wear.  The grey is Hat Trick Semi Solid from River City Yarns and the multi colour is Sweet Georgia party of Five purchased at River City.   It is really perfect as is and I feel no urge to block it at all.

And now for the big news from last weekend ...

a
     

My darling Bran Carter is 5!

This big guy is one of the loves of my life.  He has the seriousness of his big brother Isaac and the best giggle in the whole world, bar none.  The weather was lovely, +6C.  The mums and dads took the kids out to the hill not far from their house, and the whole lot of them got good and wet and tired.  And a donut cake from a small local to Edmonton Donut Shoppe.  It was great.  the donuts were topped with all kinds of interesting toppings.  All together, it was wonderful. Cassie and Marcus were still talking about sledding this morning.

And now this grandma is going to lie down.  This was last day of her shift so mama stays awake but Grandma still has to go to get little people ready for school and so dad can make it to work on time. It is my only day this week.  Which is great.  I have company coming up for a visit and I am so looking forward to it.  But I am going to nap first and then tidy up the toy room and turn it back into a guest room. 

In the down times, I am going to be thinking about what I want to knit for F1 knitting.

Saturday 16 March 2019

Idle Thoughts

Marcus and I spent yesterday at my house before heading back to his town to pick Cassie up from school.  After lunch, he decided he needed to snuggle even though he rarely naps when he isn't at home.

He got his pillow from the spare room and the blanket he has decided is his from the chair.



I made the blanket for my grandfather in 1974 or 1975 and after his passing it came back to me and has been well used by many a small boy and tiny girl.

He looked so comfy that I put the picture on a certain social platform, and as I was typing I was thinking about my Grandfather, now Marcus Great Great Grandfather.  

My grandfather, August Diederichs, was born at the very tail end of the 1800s.   When I was a child, he would have remembered his grandparents though I doubt he ever knew of his great grandparents.  There was a continent between them and most did not live long enough to be great grandparents.

But this blanket wrapped around the shoulders of someone who lived and remembered his roots in distant lands and my family's roots here and it is wrapped around the shoulders of my little grandson who will, I hope, go forward into time carrying us all in his heart even if he doesn't remember all of us.       

Friday 15 March 2019

So over socks

for now.


This was just about the most miserable heel and toe ever.  Thank goodness they are done.  For all that they were a misery to complete, they are a nice pair of socks.  Sport weight.  Garter heel doubled.  Good and sturdy.  

It shouldn't have taken a whole week.  Because that is ALL I knit so far this week.  I almost danced when they were done.

Today I am going to knit on the First Point of Libra shawl and when that us done, we shall see.  Marcus is here with me and that means plenty of variables.  Maybe.  Maybe not.


Thursday 14 March 2019

Pending

Stash Diving or playing in my yarn is always a time of much pleasure and fun.  It is dreams and plans, and memories that are funny and happy and sad.  The sad was looking like it was going to carry the day.  I know that the sad was writ large because of how tired I am after the very busy last few weeks. The way her shifts work, it is into the easier part for me which is nice.  Closing out this busy winter gently is nice. With the project coming to an end, it is time to make a few plans. 

I pulled some yarns that would boost my spirit and planned some knitting for the very near future that would inspire and delight me.



I dug deep into the Icelandic yarn box and came out with some lovely stuff that makes my heart sing.  Can you say Einband?

I knit one Icelandic shawl so far.  It started with some red that frazzledknitter brought back from Iceland for me. 


That red turned into this stunning creation and led to my small ample collection (it only feels small) of Einband.  Playing in Eiband is such a simple joy.  

If you put your hand into a box of Einband, it feels a bit coarse and you wonder how something like it could be good at all, but then you take out your shawl and you wrap it close around your neck and you wonder how you ever doubted its splendor.  Because Einband is such a splendid yarn.


 Lots of white.  I have a bag of natural too somewhere.  I must find that before this dive is totally complete.  And then to colours.


A palette of grays and soft delicate natural browns and tucked there, just underneath is a bite of limey green and teal for a Courant shawl.  I would knit that right now, but I am not sure that I am ready for it.  I need something just a bit easier till I get back into my own routine after all this working.  

I pulled out the grey series of yarns and tossed in some white



and then I spent a very good part of yesterday trying to figure out which shawl I wanted to knit with it.  I only know that it will be from this mythic bookÞríhyrnur og langsjöl / Three-cornered and long shawls by Sigridur Halldorsdottir.  

I am trying to decide between them and am having a terrible time doing so.  I have all the colours for the Thordis shawl   but I really want to knit one with just the greys and another with just the browns first.  I have plenty of yarn.

Right now I am leaning towards this one or this one. Or maybe this one.  They are all so stunning.  These are just after looking yet again this morning.  There were several others in contention yesterday and may well be again.  The thing I like about all these designs is the soft colour changes of yarns.  That speaks to me.

I suspect that there won't be a really firm decision till the day I cast on.  

Which isn't far off now at all. Just a couple of weeks. 


 
   
      

Wednesday 13 March 2019

I Dived

Putting in  a double stranded short row garter stitch heel and then grafting it closed at the back sort of sucks.  It isn't so bad when you single strand the heel but heels are lasting so much longer if they are double stranded that it is worth my time.  Not so sure about grafting double stranded.  This was all I worked on yesterday after my errands.  I wish I had made a better decision about the graft.  But too late to change it now.  The heel on sock one is almost complete and I am going to go straight into sock two.  If I don't it would sit forever forlorn in the bottom of the WIPs and I really don't have room for that.  

So, on to the fun part of my day.

I did stash dive.  It was lovely.    It takes me back to digging in the yarn in the back room when I worked at RCY, to opening boxes of yarn when they came in, the labelling and pricing and touching and feeling.  Sigh.  Good times.  Truly wonderful times.  The ladies there hired me to do a job and I did, but honestly, what the opportunity to work there gave me in return, is an incalculable wonder.   I was so blessed.

I digress.  

I pulled out some yarns for spring knitting.  Some of those yarns...all of those yarns have been around for a long time, and as my wardrobe ages, a product from those yarns becomes something much desired.  Need has become the operative word, though desire has its part.    


A nice soft blue for a simple knit t shirt.  Maybe two.


Stunning green and multi coloured yarn for something a little bit colour blocked.  

And then the things that sort of started the stash dive plans, for Cassie. 


I made a cute little Shalom sweater for Cassie and she loves it but the collar has stretched a bit wide for her sweet slender shouldered self so grandma is going to take off the garter stitch neck band, knit anther colour section and then knit another pink collar band.  It shouldn't take more than a day.

While I was digging, I took out a few more yarns for Cassie. I have to use them now for her before she gets too much bigger or there won't be enough yarn to make something for her.  


Some Flirt, an adultier format of Sirdar's Baby Bamboo, that you can only get as Baby Bamboo again.  There should be lots for a nice tunic long top for summer.


This is on the outer edge of possible project yarns, but I know she will love the pretty colours.


And a few balls of 1824 Cotton.  I have enough for a summer weight sweater or longer top that will be sturdy and extremely washable, enough so long as I knit it now.


I pulled out this too.  I don't have this listed in my stash on Ravelry and I needed it to order some white or cream to work with it.  I hope to get to that later today.  I want to knit a something with a feather and fan motif in the colours.  I may go all the way and knit  real chevron with it, but only time will tell what happens when I cast on.  


There was more to my stash dive but that delight can wait for tomorrow.  



Tuesday 12 March 2019

I never quite made the stash dive yesterday.  I sort of got carried away with socks.

I finished this pair of socks earlier this year but they were as short as a sock can be fore my foot and absolutely needed to have a heel.  It was  nice sock and I felt I had not done my duty by it as it's knitter.



Yesterday, I made the time to knit the pair longer.  I added about 2 inches to each sock.  And then I wanted to do a heel. 

I am really enjoying the pairs of socks that have been made with a garter stitch short row heel.  They seem to wear just that little bit better so that is what I decided to put into this pair.  Sock one is right at the part where I have to graft the heel to the back of the sock leg.  that will happen after lunch and sock two wil progress shortly after that.

Today is appointment day for me.  I will be running here and there getting my stuff done till early afternoon.  What I am particularly excited about is that I made an appointment to get my hair cut. It's a banner day.

I am off and running.  Want to bet that the stash dive will happen this afternoon?  Probably. I will be trying to avoid that graft on the sock heel!

Monday 11 March 2019

Finished Things

I was so happy to be home Friday evening.  It was the toughest day I have had with the kids.  There were a lot of tender feelings and even grandmother cried.  But we made it through, we love one another, and you know what?  At the end of the day that is what family is. Family are the people who love you even at your worst.  I put myself straight to bed on getting home because that really was what we all needed and what was best for us.

Saturday morning dawned bright.  There was coffee.  There was time. There was TV of my own choosing.  I took time to catch up on my video podcasts and to sit and knit.  I had the urge to finish something.  So I did. 

An almost Wurm hat, almost because when I started this hat, the plan was just to keep doing the stripes like the wristwarmers.  That got pretty boring even with a colour progression that I really enjoyed.  I kept the colour sequence  and followed the Wurm Hat pattern to finish off.



I really like how that turned out.  Wurm's interesting design worked really well with the three colours I used and  the progression remains!   


The top decrease section went back to the two row stripes.  I thought that would look better than using just one colour even though it was a bit fussier from and 'ends to weave in' standpoint.

The rest of the weekend was devoted to socks because it was the final weekend of the brier and I did not want to think about what else I might want to knit on.  I just grabbed and knit.

I managed to finish the first yellow sock on Friday and through Saturday and Sunday, completed sock two.  So voila.  Another pair of socks for my drawer.


This pattern is most hypnotic and each section of lace was completed in the blink of an eye, or so it seemed.  It just moved so fast. I really enjoyed making Spring Forward, over and above the curling.  I have got to do more knitting with this pattern.

Today is laundry day, catch up with chores day, clean floors day.  You know.  All those things you cannot do when you are out of your own home for twelve hours a day and come home very tired.  Even on a good day, children really are meant for young people.   Lest you think this isn't going to be a fun day, I also have a little bit of a stash dive in mind.  It's time to dig out some summer top yarns!

Friday 8 March 2019

The Essentials

Just a quick update.  It's a babysitting day or rather a Cassie and Marcus day, so it needs to be quick. 

All the essentials are here.  



Knitting.  Coffee.  Kids.  Well one kid who has to get up every morning is still in bed but she planned to sleep in today since this is a teacher PD day. 

So a quick post with not a lot to say.  The battle this morning is that Marcus needs to wear his eye patch. He hates doing this so for a special treat today when he wears it he can play games on my phone. 

It his turn now.  My little pirate is wearing it.  Arghh


Wednesday 6 March 2019

Slow Clothing, Hun Style

Hun is moving along nicely.  I wish I could say swiftly, but that is not the way of knitting.  Knitting is slow clothing.  


I've just finished the second last motif and I am so pleased with it.  I'd like to get down to the last motif today, so that by the time I get my next set of days off, I have another interesting section to do.  

I don't know if you can see it here but I added another shade to the colourwork.  Let's try this shot.


I added in one more of the creamy natural tones, this time just slightly darker and warmer, so the shades reached peak lightness at the centre.  I will probably do the same on the last pattern motif.

I did spend time yesterday searching for another motif or two so I can lengthen the sweater without repeating.  I have settled on two different designs.  

Number one is a rose motif from the pattern Freyja Lopapeysa by Ragga Eiriksdottir.  The rose is lovely and would look great set below the snowflake that comes next. 

The other motif is a sweet little Icelandic horse from the book 150 Scandinavian Motifs by Mary Jane Mucklestone.  He's too sweet not to consider.  

Lots to do today.  Some sewing, some household errands, some knitting when the curling is on.  

I ought to also say how much I love this time if year. The sun is up before 7, the curling is into Scotties and Briers and Worlds, and F1 begins in a few short days.  The sun is warm and spring isn't too far off now.  I have all the early spring energy and nowhere to put it just yet but into my knitting.  Slow clothing is going to proceed just a little faster than average.


Tuesday 5 March 2019

Back to Hun

I am working on Hun today. 


I did yesterday as well.  And have precious little to show.  I remember why I set it down now.  It's getting to 'that' point.

I'm getting close to the next green section and am looking forward to it to put in some considerable thinking.  I have only one stranded section left and the sweater isn't near long enough for my liking.  I need to pick another motif. That's always fun.  

The other thing I am finding is that I have lots of yarn.  


Two part bags that would make one full bag.


and two full bags. I don't need all this to finish this sweater.  

These same colours as I am using for the sweater.  I remember buying them at RCY.  They were not bringing in more Lett Lopi at the time, so I decided to take all this orphan yarn home.  I already had the idea to knit Hun, and felt the strong feeling that I was going to run out of the green.  I am laughing so hard at this that my eyes are watering a lot.  I am sure I am a bit daft.  Maybe more than a bit.

Such is my stash.  And such is the way of yarn.  At least at my house.  I will knit a vest to wear with the sweater, something more of a regular Icelandic vest I think.  Though something plain would be better to stand with the lovely colourwork of this sweater.  I bet I could knit a second sweater with what remains.  Perhaps that will be more clearly Icelandic in style.

And now, off to knit again and finish up this section. We shall see what the day holds.

Monday 4 March 2019

A Weekend's Worth of Work.

Pictures!  of the two pairs of socks I finished last Thursday


And then the weekend.  You know, sometimes, I feel like knitting big stuff on weekends and I make amazing headway and sometimes, that doesn't work out.  Big stuff didn't happen this weekend, and I am okay with it.  It is curling season and socks are really the best curling knitting.

With finishing socks last week, I needed to get some other new socks on the needles. I had decided that I could knit one more pair of colourful socks and then I hd to knit something with a plain sock yarn.  I have a lot of plain sock yarn on hand and I really would like to see some of it get used up. 

I'm still knitting spring.  If spring won't show up naturally, I am darn well going to knit spring into existence.


We have plain socks in Kroy Mexicali Stripes and some plain but very cheerful and bright yellow Phil Folk 50.  For the plain yarn I have chosen a pattern called Spring Forward by Linda Welch.  I wanted a pattern that I could still knit fairly intuitively while playing with the kids, and one that I could access easily when I am not at home.  No pattern from one of my sock books this time.  Next time for that.

I knit half of the first pattern repeat when I realized that there was something quite familiar about this design.  I went looking.  It is a variation of this kind of pattern which I knit last year.


So, the joke is on me, but that is okay.  I did enjoy knitting it and it does answer my needs right now. 

I also made a kind of executive decision this weekend about the socks that were just waiting for a heel.  I did not feel like having a heel day but I had  bag full of socks ready but for heels and it was bursting.  My sock drawer is a bit low on socks right now.  Heels all seem to die at the same time, probably because I do these mass migrations to the sock drawer every once in a while.  So I have all but one pair that have become tube socks.  It's all good but for one small flaw in the plan. 

You know how I mentioned that the sock ends box is looking a bit full?  Yup.  Overflowing now.  Need to deal with that and I know just what I am going to do.  I just have to find the needles... 

Friday 1 March 2019

I finished up 2 pairs of socks yesterday.  No pictures but perhaps tomorrow.  From each of the very generous skeins there will be enough to make another pair, with a little help from the scrap and ends bag.  There are,once again, a lot of end to choose from.  

When I moved book cases before Christmas, I found a very large bag of sock yarn ends.  I didn't  think  I had that many but when they were all collected in one place, it is a lot.  I put the sock ends in a nice tidy 1x1x1  cube box all its on own and as of yesterday when I put away these sock ends, it was full and near to overflowing.  

Overflowing would not be good so the next socks I make have to deal with some of the pile.  Not just socks either.  Sock yarn would make really nice wristwarmers  for warm nights and now that March has arrived,  it is timr to think about and prepare for summer's heat.    

I've be been thinking too of a book of wristwarmers I bought a while from Cat Bordhi.  Most of the yarns used are Dk weight but I think there are a few that are lighter yarns or that would adapt to lighter yarns beautifully. There is a braided thing she does for one wrister that is just lovey. 

Today's knitting  is the rest of the Libra shawĺ.  I really would like to get the long garter stitch rows done and out of my hair.  I love the product and I loved knitting it but time is, it was done.  There are so many other stunning things to do.  

So me and my partner in crime, Marcus

Are off and running.