Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sometimes I HATE knitting!



I was able to get my cousin's socks to heel divide, pick up stitches and complete the gusset then tried them on and couldn't get them over my heel. What!? No matter how hard I tried, these socks that 30 rows earlier slipped over the heel wonderfully well, would not slip over my heel. I took them off, tried them again and again, thought an hour or so and then frogged them in frustration!!


May 26 is my last day of work for the summer, and we fly out June 4 for our family trip to Vegas. If I hit it hard between my last day of work and before we fly out, I can get my cousin's socks done. So, I figured I would go back to my mom's socks. I have gotten very far on them; not bad for a couple weeks (right?)!



And then???? The cable popped off the needle, snapped right then and there. Do you think this sock knitter would have more than one size 1 circular needles? Nope! Sigh! Late Saturday night, and no way to continue with these socks that night, so I pulled out the balls of yarn from my cousin's socks and started knitting them.


The worst part of knitting socks (for me, besides all the false starts) is the first 30 or so rows! Friday evening, got my cousin's socks restarted and decided to knit from the toe up, using a pattern that really isn't a pattern other than "increase until it hits your foot at _____".


Sunday was a working day for us in the yard, but I managed to sneak out to the craft store to pick up needles for my mom's socks. In, out, off to the grocery store, and home! Quick trip! So why did I leave at 10 am and not get home until after 2?

The craft store had the needles, and then, for reasons still not clear to me, I stepped over an aisle to the yarns and saw "All sock yarn, buy one, get one half off!"


Bad, very bad! Step away from the yarn, Rhonda, step away!


Nope, I text my cousin who knew I'd ran away from home for the morning. Our convo went something like:



  • me --Sock yrn on sale - i am in trouble


  • cousin replies -- COOL!


  • me -- no, not cool, need to step away from yarn do not need more


  • me -- what colors do you like?


  • cousin -- blue, green, browns, (her list went on and on.....)


  • me -- need to step away from yarn


  • me -- do you like striped socks?


  • her -- sure, think of all the money you will save stocking up now!


  • me -- I do NOT need more yarn


  • her -- but you won't have to buy for a while, think of all the socks you can knit....


note to self -- never ever text cousin when I need someone to tell me to save my money!



Ninety minutes and 12 skeins & three sets of needles ($90) later, I leave the store, continue texting my cousin, sit in the warm sun of my car, turn it on, crank the air, contemplating eating breakfast the the nearby restaurant and cast on yet another pair of socks (really, I might have to find a 12 step program for myself!).


I get further on the new socks, size 3 needles knit faster than size 1, than her socks at home. Continue texting, knitting, enjoying the day, air conditioning running, listening to the radio and then my car goes silent.

Not good! Instead of cranking my car on and getting the engine going, I had turned it to "on" and my battery was dead. GREAT! Now I have to call the boy friend and get him to come and help me!



Oh well, now i have three pairs of socks going, at least I cast on a color that was from her list so, by the grace of God, I will be able to hand my cousin two pairs of socks!!!!

Think of all the socks I can knit now! 24 skeins and counting......

Sunday, May 15, 2011

It don't get much better than this

Saturday was one of those "it don't get much better than this" days!



I love getting up early, before anyone else is awake. The sun was shining brightly on our back deck and I sat out there knitting and sipping coffee (wonderful Kona brought back from Hawaii by my mom).

The mornign flew and before I realized it, it was time to take a quick shower I drive to our monthly Knit2gether. Normally it is at a local coffee shop, but this month it was hosted by a member of our group.


Her place is off the beaten bath, and we knit in a traditional cozy old log cabin. Outside, no matter which direction you stand, you see beautiful snow-capped mountains! Yep, this is why I returned home to Alaska!


Good food, good friends, and knitting -- does it get any better than that! Knittinginatree wore her Dumpter Diving Diva Dress, as well as the rest of us had something we had knit ourselves on!


Warm spring weather, nice drive in "the country", good food, great friends, and knitting. Yep, it don't get much better than that! I drove home warm, happy, and enjoyed the dive, noticing the splendor of a spring day in South Central Alaska!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Friday the 13th

I do not believe in Friday the 13th as being bad luck. Really I don't.

BUT, I am going to blame Friday the 13th on the fact that I have to frog my cousin's socks.

Turned the heel on them today, went to slip them on. I am sure I did a guage swatch. I know I did.

Can't get them over my heel.

Rippit, rippit, rippit.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Smooth Yarn Ahead!


Last night I passed where I had been before frogging these socks to the beginning and now have nice smooth, non-frogged yarn!

Heels turned, gusset picked up, and working on the gusset decrease.

I am torn between keep on cruising with my mom's socks until they are done, or to set them aside once I have finished the gusset decrease and get my cousin's socks that far, and then alternate between the two socks until they are done.

This Saturday is our monthly Knit2gether, and I'd like to have some mindless knitting.

Between the two socks, my cousin's socks are a little more mindless, so maybe I need to get her socks ready for mindless knitting Saturday!

It looks like I will meet my goal to have them both off the sticks and ready for feet by the end of May.

Monday, May 9, 2011

To Knit or To Garden???

I almost made my goal of getting to dividing of heels of my mom's socks.

I had mom over for the weekend and Mother's Day she and I spent the day together shopping and enjoying each other's company.

I purchased some hand garden tools and instead of knitting last night when I got home, I worked on my new flower bed. Started pulling weeds Friday, and finished last night.

So, alas, not as much knitting time as I'd have liked! This morning, before I get ready for work, I managed to knit the last pattern repeat before I divide for the heels. I missed my daily goal of a row or two.

We are supposed to get rain most of the day, so I may end up knitting instead of finishing the flower bed with new top soil and planting my Day Lillies.

P.S. go on over to the FIX Ravelry group and check out this month's participating shops for a chance to win a box of fiber-goodness

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Knit One, Chore One, Repeat

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Yesterday was a "knit one row, do some house work, repeat" day. I would sit down and knit a row or two, then go do a chore. I actually got a fair amount done on both the sock and the housework!





I will finish this last pattern-repeat and will divide for the heel and before the end of today, I will have caught up before these socks got frogged!

My mom came over and spent the night last night and (why I made sure the house was presentable), bless her heart, she said I didn't have to rush the socks when I told her I wanted them done before the end of May!


I have been looking for ways to promote my business and had been looking at being a contributor to the Phat Fiber Box. Indies produce 20 or 50 samples (with 50 samples, you get your own box) to match the monthly theme, and then the boxes are sent to people who purchase them. It is wildly popular, the release of the sale is notified via email and the boxes sell out very fast.

Sadly, the lady running it stated she had her slot filled for stitch markers so I went in search of another venue.

I stumbled upon F.I.X. -- Fiber Indie eXperience Co-op. It is a group on Ravelry, (you will need to be a member of Ravlery, which is a great online knitting/crochetting/spinning/fiber community).

People purchase items from the month's Co-op members and each order gives them a entry into a drawing. This month there are three boxes, and each has a value between $100 and $105!

Pretty exciting! This month's boxes are GREAT!!! I am awaiting to see if they will allow me to join the co-op or not. If you are a member of Ravelry, go over and check out the group! I wonder if co-op members can be in the drawings too?!

Again, everyone have a GREAT MOTHER'S DAY!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Getting Back in the Groove




I know that it takes me less than 14 hours to knit a pair of socks. I know this because I knit one sock on a flight from Minnesota to Alaska. So, why is it I have two pairs of socks on the sticks since November?


My poor mom has been waiting for her Christmas present, her first pair of socks knit by me. They are my first attempt to take a lace pattern and create my "own" sock pattern. A couple weeks ago, I was on the home stretch, about to pick up the gusset and finish the legs. But, I wasn't terribly happy with them. The pattern had a k2tog tbl after a yo, which left the left tilting stitches in a zig-zag. I wasn't happy with the zig zag and tried a ssk in place of the recommended stitch and was happy with the results, but not happy with the earlier rows.


I wrestled then; frogging and starting over? I kept going. It's been such a long time I have knit socks, so when I divided for the heel, I forgot to slip the first stitch of each row and when I went to attempt to pick up stitches I realized my mistake.


"To frog or limp along?" became my question. I frogged back to where I'd divided for the heel, picked up stitches and managed to leave ridges on both socks, no matter how many times I'd drop stitches, and pick them up, I couldn't get rid of the ridge, so I in frustraion, I frogged the socks all the way!




I am happy I frogged and started over. My poor mom states that, with all the frogging and reknitting, by the time she gets her socks, they will be "used"! But the lace pattern is looking great, and now I just have to start carrying my project bag everywhere and get those socks done.




The other pair of socks I have been working on are for my dear cousin, Tracie. She too is waiting her Christmas present!


I know that it "only" takes me about 7 hours per socks (thanks to knitting one sock on a flight from Minnesota to Alaska), so, why is it taking me half a year!?



So, my goal is set -- have them both done before the end of May. We are going as a family to Las Vegas in early June and I will be seeing my cousin -- so both socks MUST be done.


Now that I have posted that goal, I have to make it happen!!!!