Another Sock Knitter!!

This year, for Christmas, I gave my daughter, Cassie, a sock kit. I bought her four balls of superwash merino in a dk weight, Crystal Palace DPN's, Knit Socks! and Sensational Knitted Socks. I went with DPNs because I really don't think socks soar on 2 circulars, and there really isn't anything magical about The Loop. And, I think that knitting with DPNs is a key skill. A week ago, I gave her a sock lesson. This was really new, because Cassie was taught to knit English, and the only cast on she has ever used is knitting on. I taught her to knit Continental, and the long-tail cast on. I also taught her to cast onto four needles, not cast onto 1 needle and shift stitches.

She practiced and practiced, and yesterday, showed me her efforts. I think it is awesome! That is her boyfriend, Joe. He is an art student at Rutger's University.

Notice that the front door is open - and yes, that is a Christmas wreath on the door. The kitchen windows were open, too. This weather is just too weird!!

Nantucket Jacket KAL

My yarn arrived last yesterday! I ordered KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in the Maple Syrup colorway. It is exactly what I wanted - coppery and cinnamony - yum! I can't wait to start my swatches. Jenn started her swatches already, and we will be working on the jacket together.

In addition to the yarn, I ordered some points and cable for the KP Options needles. I *heart* them! I also got color cards for some of the yarn I have considered for other projects.

Just for the record - this yarn was ordered before I even knew about Stash-Along, and before I made my commitment not to buy more yarn.

Stashing right along!

When I joined Stash-along, I started a baby sweater out of some mint green Jaime that I have in my stash. So far, I have the back finished and the left front. I cast on for the right front last night, and should have it finished by the end of this evening. This weekend, I'll do the sleeves, border bands and put it all together. Hopefully, it will be an FO by Sunday night :)

I really like the pattern - it is a Sirdar pattern that I bought on eBay last year. It has pretty lacy panels with seed stitch in between. The ruffled bottom is adorable and so easy to do!

TRHM is the best!!

Lately the weather has been really weird - last Saturday it was 70 degrees! This morning, it was 29 brrrrrrrr! On frosty mornings, TRHM warms up my car and scrapes the windows for me. He's the best!

Natural Dye Studio Sock Club

Just about every sock knitter knows about Socks That Rock, the fabulous sock club from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I joined this year, and I can't wait for my first shipment!!

Well, Natural Dye Studio also has a sock club. The owner, Amanda, is a very charming English woman. I found her when I was looking for some mohair on that oh-so-famous auction site. She does lovely work!! Her yarns are the finest fibers, and they are dyed using all natural dyes - no chemicals. The colorways are stunning; I just love her yarn! In addition to the sock club, she has some wonderful blue-faced leicester, alpaca and alpaca blends. Shipping from the UK is fast, and the service is friendly - Amanda makes everything so easy! As soon as I get my first pair finished, there will be pictures!

Stash busting

So I'm at Knit Chicks last week, and the uber-talented Jenn says that she is going to join the Stash-Along, and asked if I was going to do it. I said "Nah. My stash sucks. I don't have enough yarn to make anything that I want to make." She just about fell of the chair laughing, and said "Um. Yeah. Your stash has a STORAGE UNIT!! What do you mean you don't have enough yarn to make anything??" So I started thinking about it, and you know what? She's right. I have a TON of yarn, and I really need to get busy.

I signed up for Stash-Along, and started rummaging through the knitting bags I have piled in the guest room closet. I found a couple of skeins of mint green fingering weight acrylic to start a baby sweater. I'll have pictures posted by the end of the weekend.

The Stash-Along has three options, and I am combining the first and last option. I committed for 6 months, and during that time, I will not buy any yarn. The exception is the Socks That Rock Club that I signed up for last fall. There is no way I am giving up my coveted spot!! But I'm not sure that should count as my "free" day every month that I received a shipment, because I paid for my membership today, so technically, I am not "buying" yarn when I receive a shipment ... This is going to be hard, because I am going to Altanta in Feb, Jacksonville in March, and Columbus, OH and Huntsville, AL in May. You may recall that Columbus has a FABULOUS yarn shop ... I might have to use that for my free day. I am also making a list of my UFOs, and the things I want to make from the stash, and I am going to finish everything on the UFO list, and try to knock out as many "from the stash" projects as possible.

Wish me luck!!

A New Project

Have you all seen the Winter Issue of IK?? Isn't that Nantucket Jacket on the cover gorgeous? Did you know that there is a KAL for it? And that many of the ladies knitting this jacket are making modifications to the pattern, so there will be lots of interesting things to learn, and lots of experienced knitters to help you if you want modifications? Yeah, it is so awesome that I decided to choose this pattern for my first me-sized sweater! I am so excited!

I ordered some Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks, so if I decided to say something-that-rhymes-with-Nantucket, and chuck it, I won't be out a bucket (of cash).

How many steps did you take today?

I got a pedometer for Christmas - it is very cool, it even talks to me. All it is lacking is Anne Robinson's sarcastic voice to tell me "You could have walked 10,000 steps. Instead, you completed an appalling, dismal, disgraceful 1438 steps." I need to start walking more because in March, TRHM and I are going to The Mouse House with my sister and her family. They'll leave me in the dust to be sure! How many steps do you walk in a day?

Filling in the Blanks

In October, I posted about something I was making, and said I would fill in the blanks. I was making a felted messenger bag for my Knitted Purse Swap partner, Mel. I was thrilled with the way it came out.

I learned a lot of new techniques/stitches in making it. The bag is knit from the top down, with 2 inches of linen stitch, then twisted stockinette. The "edges" are done by slipping a stitch every other row. The bottom is mitered and cast off with a three needle cast off. The flap is knitted seperately, then sewn on. I decided that stripes would be nice on the flap. The strap is knit using a slip stitch with 2 rows of solid followed by 2 rows of varigated. This technique resulted in a cool almost houndstooth pattern. When the yarn arrived, I was a little nervous about the varigated not matching with the solid, but after felting, I think it looks great! One of the coolest things about this pattern was that the swatch became a pocket! How cool is that?? I really liked the way that the twisted stockinette resulted in a corduroy-ish fabric. Mel liked it a lot, and I am really glad. This was a fun swap, and I am signed up for the next one. Come and join the fun!!

Did you finish your Christmas Knitting??

Well, 5 out of 7 isn't too bad ... I was planning to knit 6 *** for ***, but I only got 5 finished. But they are wrapped and ready to go.

The *** I was knitting for *** is about 2/3 finished, and there is no hope of it getting finished for Christmas. But that is okay, because there are other goodies under the tree for that person.

Almost all of the other presents are wrapped and in boxes, ready to go out to the car. We are leaving at "early-thirty" (as TRHM says) to go to Rhode Island to spend the weekend with Mom and Dad and the rest of the family.

Did you get your Christmas knitting finished? Are you ready? Santa is on his way, you know!

A Visit to The Mouse House

I just returned from a long weekend in Florida. I went to Orlando with my sister, Heidi, and my Mom. We went to see the Christmas lights and also to celebrate Mom's birthday. The first stop was Animal Kingdom. I was working on my socks - you know, the Trekking socks that I was planning to have done LAST July 4th ... the red, white and blue ones ... mm-hmm those. We saw the Tree of Life - it is a truly amazing site! The animals carved into it are very lifelike. We also saw the "It's Tough to be a Bug" show - it was fantastic!

After Animal Kingdom, we went to MGM. Lunch was at the Sci-Fi Drive-In theater - it was so cool! There is a huge screen, and there are "cars" from the 50's that have tables in them. On the screen, they play clips from old scifi movies. Also at MGM is the Osbourne Lights display. This family had so many lights that their neighbors got an injunction, so they moved the display to Disney World. I couldn't believe how many lights there were! After a quick tour of the lights, we took the boat launch over to The Wilderness Lodge for dinner. Heidi had arranged for a special birthday dessert for Mom, and we had a very nice dinner. I ordered a martini that was blue and had a blue blinking cube in it! At the end of the night, we staggered back to The Swan (our hotel) and fell into a coma until morning.

The second day, we went to Epcot. We rode a new ride, called Soarin'. It is really neat - you sit in a row of seats, and when everyone is buckled in, the row of seats is raised in front of a huge screen. Air blows on you and a movie plays, giving you the sensation of soaring over California. Well worth the 75 min wait! We toured the world, then had dinner in Germany. The food was wonderful and there was a great floor show. After dinner, we went to the Candlelight Processional - it was one of the best Christmas shows I have ever seen! It is the story of the nativity, with a special guest narrator (ours was Stephen Curtis Chapman), an orchestra, a choir of Disney cast members, and several guest choirs from high schools and churches all over the world. After Epcot, we ran over to The Magic Kingdom for Spectromagic. What a neat parade! All of the floats and characters were covered in lights. One of the floats had the Three Pigs on it, and when the pig dipped his paintbrush into the barrel decorated with white lights, all of the float's lights (for every float, not just that one) turned white, and when he dipped the paintbrush into the barrel decorated with colored lights, all of the floats turned colored, again. Very cool.

On the third day, we went to The Magic Kingdom for the day. We rode the Jungle Cruise, the Delta Queen, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Mom had her first smoked turkey leg! We watched the fireworks over Cindarella's castle, then buzzed over to MGM for Fantasmic. That is an awesome show! There were fireworks, pyrotechnics, water spraying, and all sorts of wonderful effects!

Tuesday was my last day, but Heidi and Mom stayed one more night, to return home on Wednesday. Tuesday morning, we got up and took the monorail over to The Grand Floridian to see the huge gingerbread house. We had a fun breakfast with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Alice, The Mad Hatter, and Mary Poppins. The gingerbread house was incredible! The decorations were very elaborate - with each window box filled with red and white sugar pointsettias. After we saw the gingerbread house, we took the boat launch over to the Beach Resort to see the chocolate carousel. It smelled sooooooo good!!!! Each horse was sculpted of chocolate with chocolate curls for a mane, and was decorated with a different motif. One horse was decorated with a red blanket and a bridle of sugar pointsettias, another with a green blanket with holly, and a third with a blue blanket covered with sugar snowflakes.

We had such a great trip - lots of fun and laughter all weekend long!

Light a Candle

When my son was born (more than 19 years ago), I was living in San Francisco, and a new epidemic was sweeping the city - AIDS. I was managing a large apartment complex of 3 buildings and 108 units on Lombard Street just three blocks from the famous zig-zag block. My assistant manager, Ginger, was a very interesting woman who was very active in the gay community. Her mother was a costumer on Broadway, and had come to San Francisco to visit for a couple of months. She was making a Maleficent costume for a man Ginger knew who was dying of AIDS. One of his last wishes was to dress as Maleficent for a costume ball that he had attended every year for many years. He knew this year would be his last, and Ginger wanted it to be the best ever for him. One night, he was at Ginger's apartment for a costume fitting, when I brought my brand new baby over to see Ginger. My 3 year old daughter used to call Ginger "Girlfriend" and they got along famously. He was oohhhing and aahhhing over the baby, and I held the baby out to him and asked if he wanted to hold him. He took the baby gently, rocked him and sang to him. There were tears in his eyes as he handed the baby back to me and told me that ever since he had gotten sick, his family had shunned him. They were afraid that if they touched him or were in the room with him, they would catch "The Gay Plague". He thanked me for making him feel like a normal person and letting him hold my baby. He said it was the kindest thing anyone had done for him in a very long time.

Later, Ginger told me that when the night of the costume ball came, he was too sick and weak to wear the magnificent costume her mother made. She also told me that the night I let him hold my baby was one of the last things he talked about before he slipped away. I do not know his name, but it is in his memory that I lit a candle. Bristol Meyers Squibb is donating $1 to The National AIDS Fund for every candle that is lit at their website. It doesn't cost you anything, just a moment of your time. Light a candle, spread the word.

I Heart the Mailman ...

The mailman brought me a lovely box all the way from Alameda, CA. It was from my purse swap partner. I wanted to open it, but I hadn't mailed mine yet, so I e-mailed Mel to tell her that I got her box and was dying to open it, but decided that the least I could do was get hers in the mail, first. She promptly replied - open it, open it!!!! So I happily obliged. She told me that it was the best FO she ever made, and she hoped I loved it as much as she did.

Well, guess what?? It is PERFECT in every way!!!! Thank you, Mel!! I love love LOVE my perfect purse!! Yours is on it's way ;)

The color is a really pretty soft grey, and the cables are beautiful. When I looked inside, there were LADYBUGS!! How awesome is that??? And it was filled with goodies - an album, candles and the cutest ladybug buttons I've ever seen!. There were even goodies under the purse ... how did she know that KitKats are my fave??

It's Beginning to look like Christmas!!

Wow - everyone is getting their decorations out, and at night, the twinkling lights are lovely! My neighbor's all have their wreathes on their doors, and many of the condos are sporting lighted windows.

But I think someone needs to tell the geranium that it is time to go to sleep until next year.

And they might want to consider having the landscapers cut the grass again.

What the heck is going on???

I am pretty sure that today is the first day of December ... that is what the calendar says ...

Knittin' with Roadkill!!!

This summer, I was reading Bekka's blog, and she was starting a gift for a family member with possum yarn. I couldn't believe it! She said that it was very soft and warm, so I was on a mission to find some. I check my favorite LYS's and found some at Woolbearers. I love this LYS because they have the most gorgeous wool that they spin and dye on the premises. So I am working on more Christmas knitting - neckwarmers!
I love the pattern - it knits up really fast, and it is so pretty. The yarn is soft! It's a little fuzzy, too. Before you say "Ee-www!!" let me tell you, it is fun to joke about knitting roadkill, but this yarn is a merino-possum mix from Down Under, and should not really be confused with that piney delicacy, opossum. From what I understand they are a completely different animal. But this is really nice yarn! I can't believe that Cherry Tree Hill has discontinued it! The colorways are little on the expensive side ($15.95 for a 50 g skein), but the solids are about half that price. I think it is worth it for a little something special.

Still alive!

Still no socks in the mail for me! I guess my assassin is still putting the finishing touches on her dissertation, LOL!

I mailed my second target her socks, but haven't heard that she received them, and haven't seen her posting her death on the Sock Wars forum. She should be dead by now, though!


I've been busy working on projects for other people. I am working on a *** for ***. I'll fill in the blanks later, after I give it to her ;) This will be felted, and it will be interesting to see how the linen stitch felts. The pattern calls for every other row to be twisted, and I kinda like the texture. I think it would be fun to have something knit like this that wasn't being felted. I have some bulky blue and green wool that I was thinking about using for a cardie, maybe I'll give this a try!


I'm also working on a *** for *** for Christmas. I'm using Takhi Donegal Tweed, and the color is gorgeous! It is a little washed out in the photo, because it is really sunny today. The pips of turquoise and lavendar are really pretty, and the yarn shows off the cables nicely.

Foiled by Columbus Day!!!

My Box o' Death was ready to be mailed! Filled with black tissue paper, some yummy green socks, a note, the leftover yarn with the ball band, and some Perugina chocolate to comfort the mourners, my Priority box sat happily on the passenger seat as I zoomed toward the post office yesterday morning. I zipped into the post office parking lot, turning on two wheels, ala Cruela DeVil, and screeched to a halt only to find a "Closed for Columbus Day" sign on the door. NNnnoooooooooooo!! It can't be!!!!

But wait ... that means no mailman for me today! YES!!! I will live to fight another day!

It's beginning to look like Halloween!!

When I got home Friday night, TRHM told me he bought me a surprise. He handed me a box of pumpkin stake lights. I grinned and told him that I bought him a surprise, too, and handed him a light-up witch decoration. It was pretty funny because we have been doing this sort of thing since we first met, and often will surprise each other with a similar thing on the same day.

This weekend I took a little break from knitting to do some decorating. My 6 year old nephew came over to spend the night, and Saturday morning, we got out the bins of decorations. He put together some edging that looks like a gothic fence with spiders. We put orange and purple lights on the bushes, then covered the whole thing with cobwebs. He put togther the pumpkin stake lights that TRHM bought for me, and pushed them into the ground. He helped me put all of the other decorations together and found a place for them. He even helped me make a wreath for the front door.

Socktober Fest

Well, you all know by now that I am a joiner. Not necessarily a finisher ... but I'll join in on the fun any day of the week! LOL!! Well, after I assassinated Lisa in the Sock Wars, I read her blog and saw the cutest button for Socktoberfest. And I have lots of socks to knit, so I decided to join. I love, love, love Halloween! It is my favorite holiday of the year, and symbolizes the start of the holiday season for me. So the halloweeny witch button really got me! The first week is an introduction, and there are a few questions to be answered:

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

I was taught to knit by the uber-talented Jenn. We worked together at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. She made the most amazing Fair Isle sweaters as bridesmaid gifts, and brought one in to show me. I was completely in awe, and decided to learn to knit. Jenn is a wonderful teacher, and embraces my "jump in with both feet" attitude. Lesson one was a scarf that I made for my daughter for Christmas. Lesson two was a hat on DPNs. From there it was easy to go on to socks.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

My first pair was a pair of house socks made with Red Heart varigated yarn in worsted weight. They were featured on my blog here. They have held up wonderfully, possibly because I haven't worn them. I remember being completely amazed that they actually fit me, and it was fun to watch them materialize.

What would you have done differently?

Absolutely nothing. They fit, and I will use them this winter.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

I have used Trekking, Cascade Fixation, Bollicino (100% superwash merino), and Cotton Comfort. I really like the Trekking, even though it can be tricky to match the stripes. I really like identical socks, and I'm not so crazy about fraternals, unless the striping pattern changes so frequently that it isn't that noticible. I really like self-striping sock yarn. I didn't like the Cascade socks that much. The Bollicino made wonderfully soft socks, that is what I used to assassinate Lisa. I am going to knit a pair for myself. The Cotton Comfort was the yarn she was using to make the socks for her target, and I finished them. I liked the colorway a lot, and I think they would wear really well.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I knit my socks. Up until I took over Lisa's socks, I had only used DPNs to knit them. She was using the Magic Loop, and so I gave it a try. I liked it a lot, and I'll use it again. I want to try the 2 socks on 2 circs method. I recently read an article on Knitty about using a double knitting method to knit two socks at the same time - one inside the other. How cool is that??

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

Hands down - heel flap! I especially like the eye of the partridge heel. I think it gives the sock a lot of character. I was never a clog wearer, until I knitted my socks and wanted to show them off! I think that an attactive heel is key.

How many pairs have you made?

I have made three pairs for myself, one pair for Cindy,one of the Knit Chicks, for pollyana last year, a pair for Lisa, and a third of a pair for Lisa's target, also named Lisa. I currently have two pair on the needles - my red white and blue trekking socks that I started for Trek Along With Me, and a gorgeous pair of mauve varigated. TRHM's oldest requested a pair of socks after he saw my Sock Wars socks, so I will have to start a pair for him, too.

How much do you pay for gas??

Recently, I've noticed a big difference in gas prices between where I live and where I work. As you know, I live in The Blueberry Capitol of THE WORLD!!!!!!! (you have to read that in the Ringmaster Voice). And gas has been dropping like a rock! We paid $1.94 at the WaWa gas station. I drive about an hour and 15 minutes to work, and I noticed that gas prices slowly increase as I approach the Princeton area. I go over the Scudder Falls Bridge into Pennsylvania, and gas skyrockets - it is still about $2.25 there, and you have to pump it yourself! In NJ, it is illegal to pump your own gas, and I kinda like that. TRHM reported that he paid $1.89 for gas on his way to work in Atlantic City last week! So leave me a comment, and tell me what you are paying for gas.