A Finished Project...And It's A Sock!

I finished the first Peach Petal Sock last night while watching t.v. (that new series "Traveler" looks to be promising). I will cast on for the second sock today! No SSS with this pattern, I am actually excited to start the next sock. After I finish it I am moving onto the Canklet and writing up that pattern. It is such a pretty sock and deserves a mate, even if I can't remember how I knit it!

Have a great day!

Another Cardigan?

While surfing the Garn Studio site this morning I found this cabled cardigan pattern. Who would of thought that a cabled cardigan would catch my eye?! What is it about cables that are so thrilling to me? There's just something about doing such a simple movement of stitches (after all, cables are just stitches knit out of order) that is so magical. You get a lot of bang for your buck. Cables look so complicated and fancy and yet are so simple and fun to knit. I will print this pattern to add to my many "future" projects notebook. Check out the Garn Studio site, they have 1000's of free patterns that are very nice. When I did a search of ladies cardigans there were over 500 patterns! They have everything from cute little boleros, classic sweaters, socks, mittens, anything you could ever want to knit. It's an awesome site.

I wound up my dyed sock yarn from yesterday, the second attempt at getting some decent colors (see above). I will make socks from it someday...but right now it's not calling my name. I am almost done with the first Peach Petals sock and will immediately cast on the second one. This pattern is fun, interesting, and very pretty. Thanks again Jeanie! I have some lime green sock yarn (also hand dyed by me) that I am going to use for this pattern. The yarn is obnoxiously bright...perfect for this pattern. I will not add the beads. There's something about beads on socks...doesn't seem to be necessary. Plus, does a cuff really need the added weight of beads? The pattern is cute enough without adding beads.

Tonight I am meeting my friend Janet (she's blogless) for dinner. She is my knitterly friend...the mitten queen! She knits mittens like a machine...and gives all of them away. What a thoughtful, and kind person she is! Maybe we will go to the little local Chinese restaurant and have some lo mein.

Time to go put another load of laundry in the washer. Since Tyler moved out the quantity of weekly laundry has been cut in half. He still comes over here to do his wash, and he actually does it...HE, himself! Wonders never cease...

Dying to Dye

I was lucky enough to have today off since I worked yesterday, Memorial Day, and made double time. I now have 3 days off in a row...woohoo! So I decided to finally try and dye that KnitPicks sock yarn I've had aging in my closet. Let me tell you...I think it's a lot easier to buy the yarn already dyed! It took me 2 hours to dye a freaking skein of yarn. WTF! First, I had to wind it off into a much longer hank so the color repeats would produce stripes (we'll see if that actually happens when I knit it). It took over a half hour of walking back and forth between 2 chairs to produce this long hank, check out the photo! Then you have to tie it off every couple feet so you don't end up with a tangled, useless mass of knots. Then soak the ginormous hank in the sink with cool water and a glug of vinegar. While it's soaking I mixed the colors I wanted...lilac, pink, and green. I used Wilton Food Color Gels, used for tinting and coloring frosting. Then I carefully lifted the longggg hank of yarn from it's bath and immersed it into the dye bath bowls. Then into the microwave for 5 minutes. We're not even to the hard part yet. After the dye has been soaked up (I'm sure there's a correct term for the soaking up part but I don't know what it is!) then you let it sit and cool. When cool, carefully rinse in plain water. Now the part that sucks...trying to find a safe place for this bugger to dry! I rearranged the chairs from my patio set and very carefully, praying the whole time, slipped the giant hank over the chair backs. The chairs were forming a square around my deck with the yarn stretched over the backs. After the yarn dried, I walked around the chair square and wound the hank...took another half hour!

What a lot of work for some mediocre colored yarn! The colors faded a lot when the yarn dried and I have no idea why. I also dyed another hank but this one I wound much shorter and it was much easier to handle. It is bright colors and is still drying. All in all, I can't say that I am in any hurry to do this whole thing again...in fact, I may never do it again! I certainly have a new appreciation for people who do this for a living.

Thank You Veterans Everywhere!

Today is Memorial Day, the day we remember our citizens who serve and have served in our military. My father served in WW2, he was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corp and flew 52 missions. My brother was in the Navy, he was in the UDT (underwater demolition team). He served over a year in Viet Nam. My nephew was in the navy and served in the Gulf War. All these men came home safely and I thank them for serving the country they love. I know that there is much dissention among Americans over the present war. I, for one, support our men and women who are serving in Iraq. I support them 110%. Do I like the war...hell no. Do I think it's necessary...I don't know, but most likely yes. But this I do know, I NEVER want America to experience another September 11th, 2001. And for us to ignore the fact that there are terrorists, at this very moment, plotting the destruction of America, is plain stupidity. I guess I am of the mind that we fight terrorists on their land, or they'll be back and we'll have to fight them on our land. I love my country, I feel we are so blessed to live here. I feel the majority of us have absolutely no idea just how lucky we are. We've never lived in a third world country. We've never had to try and eek out a living by begging. We've never been denied basic medical needs. We've never had to watch our children starve to death. We've never been killed or tortured because of the religion we practice. We've never been dragged out of our beds in the middle of the night and thrown into prison without a fair trial. Nope, I think we've got it pretty damn good and we should appreciate all we do have. So, I guess I should jump off my soapbox now and finish making the big meal I plan on sharing with my family today. We will thank God that we were born here, in the USA, and remember just how truly blessed we are.

Baking and Organizing

Today was a typical Minnesota spring day...rainy. My greyhound had her annual vet check-up today and she is a healthy 10 1/2 year old dog! She got a rabies vaccine and her heartworm meds for the next 7 months. We don't need to do the heartworm meds year round since there are no mosquitoes in the winter. Even they are smart enough to leave the state or go wherever mosquitoes go for the cold season. After the vet check I stopped for my newest addiction...a Pom-A-Mango smoothie from Caribou Coffee. They are so good they should be illegal!

When I got home I decided to organize my knitting patterns. I went to Office Max and bought a box of 100 page protectors. I have my patterns in a couple 3-ring notebooks, so I put all loose patterns in a page protector and then organized them in my notebooks. I can't believe how many awesome patterns I have printed off the internet for free. More than I'll ever be able to knit in my lifetime, well, maybe not that many but close! It feels good having them available so when I do need to knit that special hat or sweater, I have the pattern handy in my knitters notebook. Now all I need to do is organize the yarn! Since my son moved out I have an extra bedroom so I am thinking that it would make a great room to set up my knitting machine and sewing machine. There's also built-in bookshelves so I could put all my knitting books in there, and an empty closet for all those Rubbermaid bins of yarn and fabric. What if Tyler ever decides to move back home? I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

After the patterns were organized I baked a bundt cake. Remember those bundt pans that everyone had to have in the 70's? Well I still have mine and I use it all the time. When I bake banana bread it goes in the bundt pan, when I bake caramel pull-aparts they go in the bundt pan. I love my bundt pan. It makes a pretty cake that is easy to slice and serve. Today I tried a recipe I found on a blog. This is the second time I've made this cake and it is good, good tasting and good and easy to make. It's called:

Best Bundt Cake Ever

1 cake mix, any flavor
1 can of ready to spread frosting, any flavor
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together frosting, milk, oil, and eggs until smooth. Add cake mix and beat until well blended. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan and bake for 60 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Here's the fun part. You can mix up the flavors! The first time I baked it I used chocolate frosting and yellow cake mix. I got a nice chocolate flavored cake. This time I used lemon frosting and lemon cake mix (picture above) and it is yummy! I love anything lemon and this cake is good! I did a little drizzle of icing made with a tablespoon each of butter, milk, lemon juice whisked with about 2/3 cup powdered sugar. Nothing fancy but it looks naked with out it! I see the potential for lots of different flavors here. How about a spice cake mix with cream cheese frosting, or a devils food cake mix with fudge frosting, or maybe a white cake mix with strawberry frosting. Yup, you can get all those flavors of frosting, amazing ain't it? You could mix any flavors you want. Let me know if you try this recipe and how it turns out.

I am still working on the Peach Petal socks and they are turning out so pretty. I really am liking the pattern and the yarn colors. I am turning the heel now, my favorite part of knitting a sock. It's that magic moment when a knitted tube takes a turn and actually becomes a sock. Once the heels done and you're decreasing the gusset stitches it feels like the sock is almost complete. I am going to cast on the second one right away...no SSS for this pair!

I guess I should take Summer for a walk. She's been such a good girl today. She even let the vet tech clip her nails...no small task! She is TERRIBLE about getting her nails clipped. Normally I take her to the groomer and they are very stern with her and she gets so scared. They have 3 people all trying to hold her down and she hates it! In reality, they are sort of mean, they have no tolerance for a frightened dog. But the vet tech was awesome, she was gentle and kind and Summer was actually good. No crying, jumping around, or acting up. From now on we go back to the vet for nail clipping, even though it cost 3 times more, it's worth every penny!

Off to walk while there's a break in the rain!

I Knit and I Lie!

I did it again! I started another sock! What is wrong with me? I promised myself I'd knit up all the single socks first! I am a liar, and quite ashamed. But it's not my fault, not really, I was just surfing around the net, reading some knitting blogs and what do I see? Another beautiful sock pattern! What was I supposed to do, ignore this beauty and act like I'd never laid eyes on it? I think not! I did what any other sock knitting obsessed knitter would do. I printed the pattern, dug through the stash, found the perfect yarn, and cast-on. Damn, that feels good! The pattern is called Peach Petals and is a Jean Townsend pattern from her blog. I've knit some of her sock patterns before and they are always very pretty and feminine. I am using some yarn that I bought years ago from Germany called Twister. I don't even think it is made any more. It is a beautiful pastel, as you can see. I have decided not to carry the lace pattern down the foot. Since I have diabetes, my feet bother me and I think I would regret having the lace in my shoes.

I found an awesome tutorial at Maia's Blog. This gal is the sockiest knitter woman I ever saw! Her tutorials are very complete and easy to understand. Thanks Maia! You rock and so do your socks!

I have a turkey breast cooking in the oven. It is cool and windy today and turkey sounded tasty! It feels more like fall out there than spring. Minnesota...who can figure? Smells really good! I think I will go clean the asparagus and get the potatoes going. Then It's American Idol and knitting this evening. Go Jordin!

And A Happy Mother's Day To All!

I am a mother, not just any mother, but a mother to the world's 4 greatest kids. I was blessed with a darling daughter, and three handsome sons. Do I sound like a typical mom, of course! I adore all my children, and in turn, I am lucky enough to have children who adore me. Although I didn't get to see my daughter today since she lives in the Florida Keys and I live in the Minneapolis area, we had a wonderful conversation on the phone. Then my 3 sons (the youngest still lives at home with me) all surprised me and ordered Asian food from my favorite restaurant for dinner. We just finished eating and they are all having ice cream (I don't need the extra calories or sugar!). I ask myself everyday, how did I get so fortunate as to have these kids for my own? Of all the things I've accomplished so far in my life, being a mom is the most rewarding and the most fun! So Happy Mother's Day to one and all! Count your blessings...I'm sure each one has a name!

Spring Has Arrived in Minnesota!

What is it about this time of the year? I love it, and I dread it. I love the smell of the blooming lilacs and apple trees. I love the cool mornings and comfortable nights. I love that that little finch is building a nest in my silk hydrangeas that hang by my front door. I dread the fact that in a few weeks it will be hot...and probably humid. I think a lot of people who have never been to Minnesota have the impression that we are covered with snow most of the year. Not true. In fact, our summers can be brutally hot. Last year we have the third hottest summer on record with around 34 days with temps over 90 degrees! And add humidity to that and it sucks! When asked what my favorite season is (and we are lucky enough to actually have "seasons" in MN) I will always answer FALL. I am looking forward to fall already. The beautiful leaves, cool weather, crisp air that promises those first few snow flakes. Love it! So why the lesson on Minnesota weather? Knitting, of course! When it gets hot I find it hard to knit. Physically hard. The yarn sticks to my fingers and hands and the stitches refuse to slide on the needles. Anyone else have that problem? But I persevere since I want that Lisa Lloyd cardigan done for those crisp fall days.

I did cast on for the second toe-up sock. Since it is worsted weight yarn (bought here) with only 48 sts, it is what I consider a fast knit. I am itching to try this method with some Opal, but I have so many socks to finish first. Socks, sweaters, dishcloths, scarves, etc... I need about 5 sets of hands and then I could get all those projects DONE and not feel guilty. Funny how I feel guilty starting another project but never feel guilty about buying more yarn. BTW, I tried something new, I'm sure it's been done by someone else before, when I bound off the toe-up sock. I know that the bind off seems to be an area of concern with toe-up socks since you need a very stretchy top to fit comfortably. So this is what I did. I'm not claiming this is my own invention, although I have never seen it anywhere. I knit the first 2 stitches and bound one off as usual, then I slipped the single stitch that was on my right needle back onto the left needle. Then continue as usual...knit 2 sts, bind off one, slip single stitch back onto left needle, repeat. That way, every stitch is being worked twice and the edge is very stretchy. You will get a tiny lacy looking ridge on the top but once the sock is on it is not noticeable. It worked and it is loose enough to fit well and look good. Check out the picture!

Seeing Is Believing...

Here is the single toe-up sock (sock toe is at bottom of picture) that I have almost completed. And to be perfectly honest, it was sorta fun! I can't guarantee that I'll ever make the second sock but it certainly was a great learning experience. I will definitely use this method again, maybe on sock weight yarn next. Lord knows I have enough of that to use up! As for the heel...it fits very well, I actually like the looks of it on the foot. You can see that the gusset looks like a regular heel flap gusset but the heel turn is done going up the heel back instead of under the heel. Works for me. Looks and fits good so I can't ask for more! I have decided that I actually love the toe-up cast on! It is so much easier and faster than wrestling with those double pointed needles and trying to get those first few rounds done. So all in all, toe up socks are as good as top down...never thought I'd say that, not in a million years! Thanks to Knitty and Wendy for making me a convert. Now I suppose I'll have to invest a small fortune in Addi circular needles...

Toe-Up Socks, Almost Rock!

My toe up socks have been ripped back, but only about an inch! I did too many increases for the gusset so they got too baggy and way long. I am going to try the heel turn once again and see if the fit is better. I also started with more stitches at the cast on so the toe isn't so pointy this time. I am slowly coming around to this toe-up business...it is better than I thought. I am using the pattern from Wendy's site and I used the cast on from Knitty. When I did the cast on the second time I was amazed at how easy it was and how fast the toe knit up. It looks really good, even if I say so myself :o) I will post a picture of the heel when it is done. It's sort of a funky type heel and doesn't look like any heel I've ever seen before but if it fits, that's all I care about. It's always fun to learn a new way of doing things. Do I think toe-up socks rock? Maybe...

I bought the ever popular Rogue Hoodie pattern the other day. I think that this pattern is awesome. The only problem I foresee is that the pattern doesn't go up to very large sizes. I am thinking of knitting it in Beaverslide Yarn at 4 sts/inch so that will make it larger. I'll have to sit down and calculate the math for the correct size for that gauge. I've never used Beaverslide Yarn but I've looked at their site numerous times and coveted it! I especially like the denim blue color Big Sky Heather that is on sale...can't beat that price! 210 yards for $6.75. Has anyone used this yarn, any opinions? Please leave a comment. I'd also like to hear from anyone who has knit the Rogue. I read the pattern (all 19 pages!) and was impressed with how well it's written.

My friend Kathi, who I met in junior high school and have been friends with for many, many years, had a stroke about a month ago. She is 55 years old. The stroke effected the part of her brain that controls memory, especially short term memory. She will repeat what she told me just 5 minutes earlier, or show me the same thing she just showed me. She has been staying with her son and his wife for the last couple weeks so they could monitor her insulin (she's also diabetic). She came home yesterday and I am going to spend tomorrow with her. She is recovering slowly but steadily and when I talked to her today she sounded good. I think we will do the garage sale thing since we both love antiques. Maybe we can find some bargains on things we don't really need and really have no room for! Gotta love those garage sales.

Until tomorrow...keep those needles clicking! BTW...I got my eBay purse and it is WONDERFUL.

"Lost" in Knitting Toe-Up Socks!

Okay, so I'm not really lost in knitting...but I am a fan of the t.v. show Lost! Love it! Never miss it! It is awesome this season! And Sawyer is hot, smoking hot! Today I found this link to a Lost podcast by Jay and Jack. It's fun to listen to their theories about the show and all the hidden secrets. I can't remember ever watching a show that has so many weird things going on. Fun, lots of fun. I have absolutely no idea how this series will end but I plan on watching until the last episode. If you haven't gotten into this show, I recommend you rent the first 2 seasons and check it out. But be forewarned, you will be hooked but good.

I love to knit socks. I have always knit my socks from the top down on dpn's. So yesterday I decided it was time to try the ever popular toe-up style AND use 2 circulars. I have used the 2 circs before so I was familiar with that. I cast on using the method here, and started knitting away. Here are my thoughts on toe-ups so far:

1. The cast on for toe-ups on 2 circs is putsy. Although, once it got going I was amazed to see how perfect it was!
2. I find it way harder and slower to do increases than decreases so the toes are slow going and tedious with all the increases EOR.
3. You have to just "wing it" when it comes to when to stop the toe increases and start the foot. Have I added enough stitches, too many? I had too many...way too many.
4. The toe is way too pointed. I cast on too few stitches to start and the toe is too narrow. I guess it's another "wing it" thing.
5. When the heck do you start the heel? You won't know if the sock is the correct length until you've finished the heel! With a top down it doesn't matter when you start the heel, once your leg is the length you want you start the heel. Easy enough.
6. The heel itself...I HATE the short-row heel. I LOVE the heel flap style heel. My heels require a 2 1/2 inch heel flap to fit correctly. With a short-row heel I can't get a good fit, they are too short. A toe-up sock normally uses a short-row heel. And if it doesn't, the flap heels are funky and done "backwards". I've yet to find a heel that is easy, normal, and fits well in a toe-up sock pattern.
7. Leg patterns are easier on toe-up! They aren't "upside down" like they will be on a top-down. Score one for toe-ups!
8. Binding off! Oh my! The bane of all toe-up sock knitters. How to get that infernal bind off loose enough to allow the blood to circulate to your toes! And I have to admit...most of the bind offs I've seen on toe-up socks look loose and sloppy.

So there, please comment and help me change my opinion on toe-up socks. Send me links, send me encouragement, send me suggestions. Oh, I forgot to mention WHY I decided I needed to knit some toe-up socks. I have some beautiful Artyarn sock yarn and I wanted to use every inch of it! That is probably the best reason I can think of to knit toe-up socks, the yarn yardage factor. But, they were a bust anyways since I had to frog them. It just seems to me that toe-up socks are a guessing game. You guess how many stitches to start with, how many increases to make the toe, how long to knit the foot, will the heel fit, is the bind off too tight??

As for the 2 circular needles VS dpns'. I like both methods. Either or. I feel like I'm farting around sliding needles and moving stitches a lot more with the circs but I don't mind it. I would guess that I'm faster on dpn's but I don't consider knitting a speed sport so it doesn't matter. I'd love to hear your ideas on toe-up socks and knitting socks with circular needles. Your favorite pattern, cast on, heel style, bind off, etc. But be nice please.

My house seems pretty quiet with Tyler gone. He's liking his own place even though he thinks it's a bit noisy! Whoever would have thought that my son...the loud music listener, Guitar Hero playing, music lover would ever find a place too loud! It does my heart good to actual think that he realizes, finally, that other peoples noise can be annoying! I've been telling him that for years :o) Too funny...and some don't believe in karma.

Green To Purple!

The green cable pullover is about done, I have only 4" left on the sleeves and it is a finished project. Well, not quite finished, I will still need to do the neckband and sew it together. The color in the picture is a bit lighter than the true color. As you can see, the front, back, and sleeves are all there! In my opinion, it is almost done enough to start the Lisa Lloyd Basketweave Cardigan!

Yesterday, at our weekly Monday meeting of the dept heads, I got a nice surprise. I do not get an annual cash bonus like all other dept heads. Why, I don't know!? But all the wonderful people I work with decided I should and they all pitched in and handed me an envelope containing $200.00 in cash and a $50.00 gift card to Olive Garden. They thanked me for all the work I do for them. I almost cried. They are a great bunch, and I'm lucky to work with generous people like them. Most Pricing Coordinators (my job description) at other stores probably didn't get an envelope like I did. I'm sure the store director is the one who thought it up. He's a good guy. The cash went right into the MacBook laptop savings jug. Yes, I could buy yarn, but I really want a new computer! I am trying to hold off the purchase until this fall when Apple releases their new operating system. I probably can't wait that long and will just have to upgrade to Leopard in October. At the rate I'm saving my money...a MacBook will be mine soon! Apple Rocks!

Tonight is American Idol. Yes, I am a fan of this sometimes annoying t.v. reality show. I am having a hard time picking a favorite this year. I guess I prefer Jordan or Melinda. When you look at the track record of past winners...there's really only 2 who have "made it" in the business, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. All the others, especially Fantasia, are almost unheard of. Where's Rueben? Taylor? I sure don't hear their hits on the radio. Taylor Hicks is performing at a casino in the Twin Cities...not a venue that is sought after. He sure has bombed...too bad because I liked him the best out of last years contestants. What happens to these guys after they win? Why aren't they heavily promoted? I don't get it. They win, they bomb, you never hear from them again... Sometimes I believe that winning is the worst thing that can happen. They're better off NOT being the winner, that way they decide their own recording future.

My 21 year old son is moving out today...I am both sad and excited. He is ready to be on his own, so he and his girlfriend rented a cute 2 bdrm townhouse. He is downstairs packing (nothing like waiting til the last minute!) and loading his pickup. He is my "alien child", I call him that lovingly because sometimes I don't know where this kid came from! Was I abducted and impregnated by some other life form? He is so different than all my other kids. I have 4, a daughter, and 3 sons. Tyler is the one who hears a different drummer, he's the one who is liked by all he meets, he makes me laugh and frustrates me to tears, he'll spend $2000.00 on a tattoo but not make his truck payment. He's my 6'5" baby boy and I will miss him. Thankfully, they are only 5 miles away so I'm sure I'll still see him often, especially at dinnertime!