A Notion to Knit

Limited progress

Here are the Sockapalooza Retro Ribs in progress.  I started one on Saturday and one yesterday.  There hasn't been any knitting progress yet today but I'm going to work on them more tonight.

While I do love my own Retro Ribs that are also on the needles, I can see the advantage to doing them in a solid color like this.  These look interesting ( with stitch detail) already.

Embarrassed Soul

Embarrassingly, I took 4 different pictures of the socks in progress and did not have enough sunlight in any of them!.  So there are no pictures tonight.  Sorry.  Tomorrow during sunlight (in the morning!!!! promise!) I will get some pictures.  Anyway, I have  both socks in progress at the same time but on double pointed needles.  I thought that would help me finish more quickly.

Friday I sent some knitted packages.  I sent my mom and her DB socks and fingerless mitts (respectively).  And I sent my Grandma the Clapotis that I made.  I made her a stole this last summer/fall and sent it to her.  And I was able to see her and take pictures of her with it in November.  Anyway, I mainly made Clapotis because I was simply struck by the one that Cari made and wanted to make one.  Well I made one and didn't know what to do with it because the colors were not me!  However, it immediately became apparent that my Grandma would love it.

My Grandma is very, very sick right now.  On top of that, she and I have not had the best relationship throughout my life.  And I am now regretful that I can't do something to fix our ups and downs over the last 20 years.  She  is the only grandmother I've ever (or will ever) known.  Lately I find myself trying to find out all sorts of cultural things that I know I can only learn from her.  This is special, important.  Nobody else can give me this.

Later, I'm sure I may write more about this.  For now, this is a lot for me.

Antique store finds

These are some magazines that I came across at an antique store yesterday.  I was EXCITED!  They were fun to look through and in fairly good shape.  The sock magazine doesn't have any dates anywhere but I think it is probably from the mid to late 40's by comparing things to the other one.  The "Knit Knacks" magazine is from summer 1950 and actually has several patterns that would be cute now.

On the knitting front, I really am working on socks but today there is nothing interesting to show.  Tomorrow I will post a photo of my sock progress.  By the way, I did switch my Sockapalooza socks to the Retro Rib sock pattern.  That means my own Retro Rib socks are sitting lonely as they wait to be worked on again.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Finishing ghosts

Yay!  I finished a couple of things that need to be mailed off to my mom.  I knit her a pair of footies out of Magic Stripes Jellybean color because she really liked the yarn when I was making myself a pair with this yarn (plus being my mom she really likes the others I've knit her *smile*).  Anyway, the poor footies had been sitting around just waiting to have their ends weaved in and snipped off (I found with one that I'd actually weaved the ends in previously but been to lazy to snip them!).  Plus I had less than half left on a fingerless mitt for her DB.  The fingerless mitts are Cascade 220.  This was the first time I'd used Cascade 220 and while I did enjoy it, I think that I'm partial to Lamb's Pride already.

A better picture of the mitts will follow soon in the finished objects gallery.  This shade of Cascade 220 is difficult to capture, even when it's still in a skein.

And here is the sweater I'm working on from Weekend Knitting.  This isn't too exciting since it's all stockinette.  The yarn is a hemp/wool mix that I snagged on Ebay.  The pattern actually calls for bulky yarn but I don't like things too heavy so I'm changing the numbers as I go for this worsted weight yarn.

   

I'm off to work on socks now!

Picture problems

By the way, I am still trying to figure out how to size my photos for Typepad.  That is why the kitty pictures are so much larger than the others, but I will figure it out.

Monday at heart

I have pictures as promised for two days ago!  But for now, only one is knitting.  Here is Clapotis blocking. 

The blocking helped the curling considerably.  And the drying process was actual faster than I'd contemplated.  This was the first time I'd blocked anything and was glad it was fairly simple.  Please excuse the plaid sheet, it served as my 'blocking board.'  Now, Clapotis is off to Texas to my grandmother.

There is no exciting progress on Sockapalooza socks for now - hopefully by Friday.

And since I posted a picture of Chuy, I thought that I would also introduce my other two kitties.

This is Candie 

and Spudzilla.

                                             

I'm Back

I didn't mean to let so many days go by without blogging but I'm back.

So as for the Sockapalooza socks, I've still got the Uptown Boot socks going in Cherry Tree Hill but I also started another pair of Retro Rib socks in Fortissima Colori denim.  I think that I'm a little more anxious about these socks because it is the first time that I've actual knit something for another knitter.  Normally I've got more confidence in my knitting capabilities.

On the kitty front, my boy kitty, Spudzy has taken to knocking (read: rattling) on closed doors.  Once the door is open though, he doesn't seem to actually want into the room most of the time.  He just doesn't want doors closed to him.

I need to get back to some knitting.  I'll post some pics tomorrow.  Oh!  I finally blocked Clapotis and she is about to go into the mail to my grandmother tomorrow.

Bye bye.

Sockapalooza progress

I am still working on sock #1 of the pair of Sockapalooza socks.  I really don't like the sock pattern.  I'm considering switching to the Retro Rib sock pattern but I'm not sure if it would work out with the Cherry Tree Hill yarn that I'm working with.  I like the way the Retro Rib is working out for my own pair in the variegated Trekking yarn but I'm worried that my Sockapalooza pal might only like them in a solid color.  I'll think about it but I should really make a final decision with only a month to go.

So, with no new knitting pics for this post, here is a gratuitous kitty pic of my oldest baby, Chuy.  She is preciously modeling some knitting:

 

Knitting confession

I have a very bad habit (like other knitters, I'm sure) of starting new patterns while I've got many on the needles (some with deadlines).  Now having said that . . . I began a new pair of Fingerless Mitts (from Weekend Knitting) out of Cascade 220.  I need to finish the 2nd one, I'm more than half way through but stopped suddenly to work on other things.  These are a gift that I need to get in the mail.

Tuesday night I attempted to felt the Fibertrends clogs and found that I do not like felting (at least on something that needs to get to a certain size like clothing).  I had them in the washing machine in very hot water for about an hour and a half to two hours (in 10 minute intervals).  One clog is within a 1/2 inch of appropriate length but the circumference is still huge.  The second clog is 2 inches too long as well as huge in circumference.  But the material itself is felted and strong.  Frustrated, but I will have to continue on though I've given myself a break as of yet.

YAY!  Today I bought 3 sets of US #2 (5 inch) Brittany double pointed needles - both of my local yarn stores had not had them for some time now, so I am THRILLED to finally have more of them!  Well I'm off to knit some more socks now. 

Still knitting on...

This is the first of the pair of Retro Rib socks that I'm working on:

and unfortunately this next pic is the best that I could come up with of the stitch detail for it:

More to come later, but I wanted to get those up for a reader.