The Wait

I know, I know-- it's a little late to talk about Thanksgiving. My regrets.

Here's a quick account of an extended family "up North" at the cabin.

Can you see the time on that clock?

This was 10:14 on Thansgiving day. Yep, the turkey still was not dethawed.

For some, the wait for dinner was unbearable.

"Big Boys" took to playing with leggos.

We couldn't serve roast Bryce, so we decided to play a few games and knit for awhile.

(pre-felted clogs make great hats)And then, well.... we had a late liquid lunch.

What else could we do?

Even the neighbors got into the act:The kids drank responsibly... milk and chemicals only.
Finally, dinner was served.

Brent's tummy grew two sizes plus one:

It was a Thanksgiving full of lots a' love.

and a wee bit of snowy exercise.

My 'feminine' bed was quite enticing that night.
We stayed for a few more days. Similar events occured over and over again.
It's a haul back home-- so we had an early drive home once the weekend was over.

Everyone's looking forward to our next holiday together.

Potpourri- Jeopardy Style!

I've been out of town for the past few weekends, and haven't had a lot of time for a decent post. So, here's a mis-mash of knitting-related stuff. be forwarned: picture heavy!

Wisconson Roads

Kinneared photos from the road just over three weeks ago. E and I went to the North Shore on the Wisconson side.

Retreat at the Nunnery

The only photo I took!?! Here's Marge (feet only), Amanda (knee) Chell, and Deb M. at our all-knitting, all-relaxation weekend.

Cathy and Chell have great posts from the event. Check em' out!

Bella Lana

A new knitting store popped up in Minneapolis called Bella Lana. (Beautiful Wool in Italian! It's located right next to the Minneapolis Aveda Institute-- perfect for a morning of pampering and yarn shopping!)

I just loved their white-on-white asthetic! Well worth checking out if you're in town.

Angela's Crazy Amazing Socks

Angela's slipper socks on pointe-- she has knit over 100 pairs of crazy socks. I love how she arranges her stash by color, then knits whatever she chooses, whenever she wants~!
These are both stashbuster socks. Three strands of sock yarn are held together and knit on US 4s or 5s. More of her socks to come.

Favorite Etsy Sellers

First, there's Pigeonroof Studios. I love her dyework soo much that I almost don't want to tell you about it! Everything is gorgeous. Competition is fierce. I've purchased 4 oz. of roving only... and I'll continue to watch her shop closely.

A new favorite is Twisted Fiber Arts. Meg is a fabulous new indie dyer. If you click over to her site, you'll see that she dyes hand-striping yarn that verigates within each stripe. Time-wise, her dyework must take forever! (An assumption after reading Eunny's loooong process for self-striping yarn dyeing.)

I couldn't resist ordering a skein in both the Rodney and Netherfield colorways. She added the wee skeinlet for free!

Recent Projects

On the left, I'm still plodding along on the koigu bit socks. Two at the same time seems to take f.o.r.e.v.e.r. Looks like they're going to be a holiday gift.

On the right, I've started a Felted Stained Glass Fan bag. It's a lovely pattern-- and I just love how the bottom looks like a rose window from a cathedral. Yarn is Plymouth's Boku #5 from Sheepy Yarn in White Bear Lake, Mn.

Shawl meets Sock Kong x2

Comfort ShawlLast week I mentioned a co-worker that didn't have the same test results that I did. At the age of 26 she found a lump and was told it was nothing. A few years later this single mom discovered her doctor was an idiot. She's now in the midst of battling stage four breast cancer.

I decided to knit a soft, easy-to-wear shawl for her. As written, the Shetland Triangle Shawl in Wrap Style can be knit with only three balls of Elann's Pure Alpaca. It's a quick and easy project-- perfect for upcoming holiday knitting!

I added an extra repeat and needed to use part of a fourth ball.

Check out Brooklyn Tweed's version to see truly fabulous photos.

Sock Kong (times two) Gunifer appropriately called my sock-work-window photos "sock kong"(s) in a comment about a month ago. I just loved it! I'll probably continue to take these photos, as I fight with decent light for knitting projects through the wintry months. (Also, it's just easy!)

So, here's the latest mix: Take koigu left-overs or bits, and arrange to your liking. Cast on using Judy's Magic (fabulous. you've gotta try it!), and you're off and running to the races!

These are 72 sts. on 2.25 circulars.

Gauge- approx. 10.5 sts/in.

I'm working on ball 3 of 6, but the first two were pretty tiny.

A Good Day

Morning hours spent here:Result: Whew! I wasn't due to start mamograms for about ten years, but I found an abnormality.
The tests weren't as horrible as I thought, but I am a bit sore.
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Tonight: stress-free knitting once again!
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Since I didn't have to wake up as early as usual, the morning light was perfect for photos of recent projects.


During the shop hop three weeks ago I couldn't resist a skein of Silver thaw (Noro) after a fellow attendee called the colorway (ahem) "gay". Well, I now have a beautiful and cheery reversable and double-thick hat to keep me warm while waiting for the morning bus this winter.


M, I'll wear this hat with pride!
Hrm. I'm thinking about giving it to her as a holiday gift... what do you think?

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On Monday I started the purple shawl blob below with a little alpaca in the stash. It's a project for a co-worker who unfortunately did not have the same test results that I had this morning.

18

The "Single Sock Liberation Movement" on Flickr makes me laugh. I laugh because it makes all too much sense to me.

Like some of you, I have a hard time staying motivated to knit a pair of socks-- you know, one right after the other. I'm prone to getting really excited about the idea of the project. A particular yarn, colorway, and stitch pattern will cause bizarre elation and joy. Some of you might call this the 'lust' stage of knitting.

Knitters like to categorize themselves as process or project people. Perhaps I'm a planner.

Strangely, I've finished another pair of socks. #18

For some reason, Claudia's yarn *has really pulled me in. (Perhaps it's the gorgeous dye work and v. tightly spun superwash merino.) I've finished two pairs within two months. This has got to be some kind of personal record!

*Claudia's Wollmeise now subtracts VAT for US orders. Skeins can be purchased at 12 Euro, so if you order five at once the yarn plus shipping is only $21.40/skein.

Happy Halloween!

Scary Mask- au naturale

Toby and Paco refuse to wear adorable Halloween costumes like other dogs.

17th pair's a charm...

They're my 17th pair, so hopefully I've got this sock knitting thing down! Without a doubt these are not only my favorite socks, but are my favorite project from the past year.

Autumn Toes:

yarn: Wollmeise, Spice Market colorway

pattern: Elongated Corded Rib in "Sensational Knitted Socks"

needles/gauge: Knit Picks 2.25 dpns at approx. 10.5 sts/inch

As you might be able to see, I'm a tight sock knitter and the gauge (approx. 10ish sts/in) is dense. I used to knit with 2.25 Crystal Palace bamboo needles-- but switching over to KP has been fantastic. Dare I say, a revolutionary change in my sock knitting? I'm finally able to knit as tight as I want without breaking or severely bending needles!

The Spice Market colorway was such an unexpected joy to knit with. Last summer I ordered five skeins of Wollmeise Sock Yarn in a combined order with friends. I hate to say it, but the Spice Market skein was not my favorite of the bunch. So, I thought I'd knit it up first. As the sock took form, I absolutely adored how the color knit up. Claudia's hue combination is great-- she's a dying genious. I just love the cumin, saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, and curry all mixed together. Over time, I found that even if you're not attracted to a specific color or combination, her dye work makes you totally fall for it. I've never seen dyework like hers before.

Claudia's yarns have become wildly popular since that order. If you're looking to buy a skein or two, watch her weekend updates like a hawk. According to the Wollmeiseholics Anonymous discussion board on Ravelry, he most recent sale on 2/9/08 sold out in 15 minutes!

The pattern used is a simple eyelet rib from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch -- Elongated Corded Rib. I thought a simple pattern would be the best way to showcase the color. A touch of calf shaping at the top, and an eye of the partridge heel were the only adjustments made.

Go on-- knit yourself a pair!