Socks on the Beach

Pardon the gap in postings, but I've been getting ready to leave for a 3 week dog/cat/house sitting trip to Oregon. Last Friday was my epic travel day. It began with a noon flight from my local airport to a 10:45 landing in Eugene, Oregon. In that time, I cast on and knit through the heel turn on my new watermelon yarn socks. 

Today, after dropping my friends off at the airport for *their* trip to London/Ireland/Amsterdam, I trekked out to the coast to dip my toes in the Pacific. (Damn. It's cold water!) while I was there, I cast on the 2nd watermelon sock while sitting on a piece of driftwood. 

I then continued up the coast a bit, but the Sea Lion Caves were doing maintenance on their elevator, so no trip to see Sea Lions. Maybe I'll make another trip once my Nikon arrives. 

Played Hookey and Went to Jail

We played hookey from (a half day) work two weeks ago and took the kids to Jim Thorpe to see the old Jail and the handprint. {Cause yeah. That's the type of parents we are - it's summer - let's go visit historical sites! Yay!} It was actually very interesting to the kids. Miss L had done a report on the Molly Maguires for school, and we'd wanted to take her then, but it was winter and the Jail was closed. It was worth the trip.

The Old Jail in Jim Thorpe

A small cell window seen through the cell door.

The front door of the old jail.
The door is made up of a layer of oak, a layer of metal,
and another layer of Oak. 

Miss L goes into a cell. 

Fred and George have a bath

Fred and George have had their bath (much to Molly Weasley's delight, I imagine) and are drying outside. I say that with great optimism, because the weather is foolishly humid, and it might take quite some time before they're dry enough to take their place in my sock drawer. I really enjoyed making these socks (once I got past worrying about how much slack to leave on the yarn carry-overs.) They went quickly, and will be a joy to wear this winter. I plan to break them out December 1 and wear them, often, all month. Next up... Dragon's Egg Socks from the same Unofficial Harry Potter Knits magazine. I've cast on using KnitPicks Stroll Fingering in Sunset Multi. I made a huge mistake, thought. I cast on last night, did the suggested inch of cuff and jumped right into the Quidditch chart. After doing an entire 25 rows of the chart, I went back to see when the 2nd chart was to be knit - the one on the following page. Whoops. That "next" chart was supposed to be knit BEFORE the Quidditch chart. Rip rip rip rip.   Oh well. It's all fun, right?

Fred and George Socks Dragon's Egg Socks, after the ripping

Weekend happiness

Not much better than Sunday brunch followed by more coffee and knitting. The heel is turned on sock 2 of Fred and George and I'm about to pick up the stitches on the flap. I love how these socks are turning out. 

Mug by my unbelievably talented cousin, Kate Johnston. http://ktjohnstonpottery.weebly.com

All the Unofficial Harry Potter Socks

I am nearly finished with sock #1 of Fred and George from the Unofficial Harry Potter magazine. I love it.  Can't wait to do #2. The color work always gives me pause - I am still learning how much slack to give the carried-behind yarn so that the sock will still stretch enough to go on. 

I think I want to do the other 3 socks in the magazine, too. Sock Summer!

It's All About the Socks (Apparently)

I have finally finished my Narcissa socks. They were an adventure, to say the least. I do not love doing the picot cuff, but it looks pretty. The pattern repeat didn't work too well with my usual method of sock knitting - magic loop on circular needles.

It just didn't divide well, so for sock #2, I sucked it up and got a set of dpns (lovely ones from KnitPicks - Caspian - loved working with them) and put each repeat on a needle of its own. Having the work divided over three needles did the trick, and the leg of sock 2 went very well. (I'll admit that I switched back to my trusty Sock Rockets for the heel and foot... )  They've had their bath in Soak Wash and are blocked and dry and ready to wait for cooler weather.

Next up... Fred and George, also from the Unofficial Harry Potter magazine.

I Can Pickle That

First it was strawberry jam. Love! I hadn't canned since moving up here - probably since before the kiddos were born. I'd forgotten how much fun (and work, but mostly fun) it is to can. 

My favorite farm at the South Side Farmers Market had pickle cukes yesterday. I'd been thinking about trying pickles - perfect opportunity! Those two little containers I bought had more in them than I thought. I now have 7 jars cooling on the stove. All the lids have popped (a happy sound, indeed) and now we just have to wait 6 weeks to see if they're any good. 

Perils of magic loop

And then there was the time I accidentally caught the cable in my hand after brushing my hair out of my eyes and ripped the needle out of all the fussy stitches. Fortunately, I was able to pick them all up properly and continue. 

Ocean inspired swatching

Our fabulous week at the beach with extended family is (sadly) over, but I came home with a real need to design and knit a rectangular shawl for my dear Aunt Mary, who made the gathering possible. 

This pattern is in my trusty 400 stitches dictionary, and it's perfect. I've also worked out a pointy border to match up with the 12 row pattern.  (Hooray for graph paper)

The shawl is cast on in a vibrant red that will suit her to a T!

Holiday Knitting Cancelled

Well... The projects I'd finished as of Sunday are the ones that shall be gifted. My poor hubby's gift will not be in that group. Ice storm. Stepped on the top step, landed on the bottom step on my, well, bottom. Hurt nothing but my wrist - but oh boy. Still hurts a lot - not driving yet- but sadly one of my first thoughts, accompanied by an internal Homer Simpson scream, was Aaaaaaa. I can't knit now!  

Luckily, I have the best husband ever who has been taking fabulous care of me. He'll understand about the sweater. 

{this moment}

{a single photo. no words. a moment to savor and remember from the week}

{see http://www.soulemama.com}

Completed project!

My dear teen finished the needle-felted pumpkin I got her at Rhinebeck this year. I thought she'd like trying it and she did a great job with the kit. 

I finished the orange and black striped socks just before Halloween but forgot to take a pic. They looked great with the black Doc Marten Mary Janes! 

The Weasley sweater is coming along. I have concerns about the sleeves, but it will all work out. 

Let the Holiday Knitting Race Begin

It's November. How did that happen? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was frantically finishing a Rhinebeck sweater? The weather has turned. We've had to fire up the heating system. The brilliantly colored leaves I look at daily out my kitchen window are gone - casualties of the windy weekend.

I don't mind the colder weather. I like snuggling up in my knits and flannels. I love wearing all my hand-knit wool socks. Fall is my favorite season, and Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday. But it's also Holiday Knitting Season. This year, my dear Harry Potter {Books more than the movies} obsessed 10 year old daughter is getting a Weasley Sweater. The back is done. The front is half done. I cannot wait to see it finished. I have visions of wrapping it in brown kraft paper, tying it with twine and topping it with a stuffed owl before tucking it under the tree.

Once that's done, I'll be back to the monumental task of knitting up the Fort sweater for my dear {6'2"} husband. Fingers crossed!

Fiber Overload

Thursday. Arrived at Dutchess County Fairgrounds for our pre-NYSW festival class. Beautiful day, piles of luscious fiber in a pile in the center of a circle of whirring spinning wheels. It was a great class taught by Jillian Moreno. I know so much more about yarn construction now.

Then it was back to the hotel room for some pizza and knitting. Our brains were full! 




Friday Morning:
My eyes open with a random thought. I grab my phone from the nightstand and do a quick check in the map App.
Me: You know... Web's is only 2 hours away.
Pause
StringthingGirl: Let's do it. {it's her birthday today, btw} That's what we're doing today.

A few hours later, we crossed the threshold.

I know why people say "I was high on yarn fumes" 

Yarn. Yarn. Needles. Spinning supplies. More Yarn. Amy Herzog.

Yup. Spotted the lovely creator of CustomFit in the check-out line. I'm a few rows from being done with the first sleeve. Not in time for the festival tomorrow, but I didn't think it would be done.

Spent some time this evening plotting tomorrow's fun. Can't wait!

Rhinebeck Week

It's Rhinebeck (officially New York Sheep and Wool Festival) Week! I should have been spinning... I should have been knitting the sweater. Nope. I had to stop on Friday evening and make this bag. I have been thinking about this bag pattern ever since I saw it a week or so ago and pinned it to my "Want to Make" board on Pinterest. A quick trip to the fabric store and downstairs to the printer and I had everything I needed. Three hours later, I had a bag. A fabulous 241 Tote by Noodlehead. I have been knitting and spinning so much in the past few years that I'd forgotten how much I love to sew.

In other news, it's Rhinebeck Week. By this time Thursday morning, I'll be in a spinning class. Not that I'm at all excited. To celebrate, I've put my Roadtrip to Rhinebeck sock pattern on sale half price for a week! 50% off! You can get a great sock pattern for $2.50 this week! Coupon code: NYSW

Getting Ready for Rhinebeck

I have a Rhinebeck sweater. I'm working on another. I really need to stop that and get my wheel out, since I'm taking a class (I sound so blase about it... quite the opposite!) I was lucky enough to get a coveted spot in the sold-out Jillian Moreno, Yarnitecture: Building Exactly the Yarn You Want class. I'm feeling half excited, and half terrified that my spinning isn't up to snuff, and that I'll be shamed out of the class. Luckily, fiber folks tend to be accepting, kind, and helpful. I can "spin a consistent yarn" as the class requires, it's just that I spin the same yarn every time.  Boring.

This is where I am with sweater #2.  It's a pattern from the new Amy Herzog CustomFit system. I couldn't stop myself from casting on and knitting like crazy. Using some lovely Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Shire Heather .I'm about 15 rounds away from splitting and shaping the arm holes. I have a week. Plus work. Plus kids. Plus spinning. No pressure, right?

In other news, I've had sales of my Roadtrip to Rhinebeck sock pattern to strangers. Non-family/friends have bought it. ::Happy Dance:: 

{I really do love these socks. As soon as Rhinebeck is over, I'm back to designing - I've got a Fingerless Mitt pattern bounding around in my head, begging to be knit and written up.}

Roadtrip to Rhinebeck Pattern available!

Holy nerves. I've published Roadtrip to Rhinebeck.

Beta testing Roadtrip to Rhinebeck

My dear test knitters are approaching the slightly tricky but very cool part of my sock pattern. The leaf motif on the back of the sock begins at the bottom of the heel - perfect for when you wear your open-back clogs (or birks). I hope they don't have a problem with the instructions. I can't wait to get this pattern out there!

First leaf of Fall

My kids hate me for it, but I love Fall. The crisp mornings, the changing leaves, the back to school, and best of all I can start wearing all my hand-knit socks again. 

I have sent a sock pattern out to some beta testers. I plan to post a sneak peek in the next few days. I really love this sock. I hope others will too!

Snow and Seeds

It's snowing.

Again.

I think we've made up for the past two years where we had little to no snow. It can be done now. Really.

I went out for the mail and was surprised to find what had looked like flurries had covered the road and the yard. No wonder the birds were complaining for me to fill the feeder.

We have a fabulous window feeder that allows us to easily fill it and to view the birds up close and personal. The birds don't even seem to care when we stand next to the window and watch them eat. The cardinals are the only ones that are shy. I do love the little chickadees.

Ah well. The upside to that trek to the mail box was that there was a Burpee seed catalog waiting for me, which made it all worth while. I will be sitting down with the curly girl tonight to start planning this year's garden. Happy times.