My feet got cold

At the beginning of the month, I was telling myself I just had to weave in the ends of my "Katniss Socks" (which is a misnomer because I hardly used the wonderful pattern by Rose Hiver, I took the braid/ ribbing and knit some DK toe up heel flap socks using David's Toe-up Sock Cookbook)

So then last Sunday, I washed the socks but didn't weave in the ends. They hung dry till Tuesday and then I put them on my night stand so they could mock me.  They sat their glaring at me until Friday night.  It was cold in the house and Daddy was out at the fire hall so the boys had piled into my bed.  I already had all the lights off but I couldn't sleep. My feet were so cold.  So grudgingly I turned the lights back on and as the boys happily looked at books a little longer while I sewed in the ends of the socks. (Yes I have a darning needle in my night stand. You don't?) 

They are super warm.  Like maybe too warm for my bed but they would be great for walking through the snow with no shoes. They will be great when I am sick and my feet will not stay warm.

Made from Suffolk Dorset boot sock by Solitude Wool made fuzzy with Angel's dog hair.

Check, Check, Check, Check, Check

Today I slept in, fed my one kid, did 3 loads (so far) of laundry, knitting on my fair isle mittens and washed the socks that still need the ends woven in along with 1/2 a week of wool socks and under garments.

Katniss Socks

Then we went to the pool where we met up with my Dad and Bugs. We had tons of fun and I ended up walking 5 laps in the pool with 35 lbs riding piggy back. Now I am working on my blog (including posting yesterday's entry.) If you read Friday's post you will know that I have worked on all 5 of my goals for the day. Woo Hoo. Now to go to a Super Bowl party. TTFN!

Knitting in public

Bugs, my 7 year old son, went off to Grandpa's house today and left me home with just Boo, 4 year old son.  I asked Boo what he would like to do and he said Monkey Joe's. Imagine a warehouse with 10 big moon bounces plus video games and party rooms and you have the basic idea. Imagine also that it is 14 degrees outside on a Saturday and you can guess that most of Winchester with small children was there.

Boo ran around getting on all the moon bounces and I congratulated myself on dressing the child in brown/orange/blue and white stripe shirt.  It stood way out so I could see him from where I was sitting.  I still worried as I sat knitting, with him in eye sight.  Lots of parents were following their children around, huddled in front entrance of each moon bounce for their child to get back out.  I didn't want to do that because I hate standing in crowds but did that make me less of a parent?  Would he be safer if I followed him around?  Then my brain caught up with this train of thought.  I am a great parent and if he gets hurt, it will not matter if I am 1' away or 10' away, he will still be hurt.

Sometimes I would lose sight of him and I would worry that he was hurt or that someone was going to take him (kinda hard to do with the security system MJ's has in place but my anxiety has little to do with reality.) When this happened, I would take a deep breath and tell myself I had to finish a row before I went looking for him. Only once did he not show up before the end of the row and it turned out he was talking to a pretty female employee on his way up a slide.

So, knitting in public keeps me sane. It calms me down and it prevents me from acting before I think.

He fell asleep on the way home and I got to listen to NPR. Win-Win.

PS. I was knitting on my SKYP in the Woods socks.

Superfluous Knitted Parade

So my unexcused absence is just that.  I have not blogged for 6 months. I should go to blogger boot camp. Mea culpa.

Now, lets talk about what I have been knitting while gone from here.


This is the Ruched Yoke Tee by AnneLena Mattison out of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece
I am going to knit this one again.  It is FAB.

 
This is Kiki Mariko by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne out of scrap yarn, mostly Lambs Pride.
I plan to make another one of these too.

TPHPE by Heather Zoppetti won me first place in the fair

 
Henry here was made from the  Wasabi the Gregarious Pug pattern by Rebecca Danger

I made pairs of SOCKS

Dragonfly Socks by Jocelyn Sertich in Yarn vs Zombies Damsel only took me a month to knit.

These 2 pairs of socks were made up in my head. The yarn is local from both. Top is Beyond Basic Knits and the bottom (Hubby socks on my feet) is from Solitude Wool.

 
Bugs is learning how to knit.

I will write more later about what's been going on. I think I am going to make Sunday my blog day.  We will see how that works out.  

And Breathe

This month has been like going into labor. There are moments of calm followed by painful progress that leads to a permanent change to life as you know it.  The only problem with this analogy is that you KNOW when you are done with child birth and every time I think I am at the end of this craziness, one more thing happens.

At the beginning of the month of madness, I was expecting to go through some big changes at work, lose a hubby to a crazy class/ work schedule and have my mother move 120 miles further away from us. All this has now happened plus

• We received Mom's stove, dishwasher and fridge that were all newer then ours which required finding homes for our old machines and install the new ones. Dishwasher still isn't quite right.
• The guy who was mowing our lawn and my mother's one acre lot quit and Bear had to take over mowing both.
• Bear took a renewed interest in the fire hall and has been volunteering at least one night a week
• I got a kidney infection and was laid up for almost a week.
• There has not been one week where I have workout all three times.
• Two friends have gotten the news that they have cancer.

There has been ups and downs but all and all I am glad to see the end of it. Knock on Wood.

Oh, when you have a Kidney infection and really good pain meds, there is little else you can do besides watching Firefly and knit on socks.






I think after this month, I deserve a pretty top and another pair of Monkeys.

Monkeys!

Right now my life is full of monkeys.

These are my Monkey Socks, pattern by Cookie A.  I frogged them out on May first (it was just a bit of ribbing anyway) to knit them for the Stockinette Zombies Two Balls KAL.  I was knitting on them at Bugs' spring concert (which means all the kindergarteners in the school to stand up on stage and sing.) I thought I kinda liked these socks and then the magic moment happened.  The kids on stage were singing "I'm a Believer" and they started doing the Jerk dance moves (which with 5 year olds go much faster.)   I realized as I was laughing at the kids that I had the pattern memorized. WOO HOO!!


Boo has a collection of monkeys and this last week he named them all.

Going clockwise and starting at the top they are: George the Big Monkey, George the Monkey Two Tags, George the Monkey No Tags (because hand knits don't have tags) and George the Monkey One Tag.

George the Monkey No Tags was made by SecretlyAMermaid but she never made a project page.

Then he named his Zombie the Podcaster that I knit him (which was previously deemed too scary to be his friend.)


This is George the Zombie No Tags.

Pretty methodical for a 3 year old.

Hello MO FO

If you have been reading my blog for the past six months, you will note that I didn't show any  pairs of finished socks photos.  This is because since the Friday before Rhinebeck (October 14, 2011) I have had the same sock yarn on the needles.  Well, I am here to say that those sock are my new FOs.

Doing decreases today at the National Zoo (with my Jessa Lu bag)

Left spins clockwise and Right spins counter clockwise

So comfortable I almost don't want to give them away

I will be giving my Mom her new socks after I soak and block them. I think I am going to make myself some Monkey Socks next.

So I now have everything knit up from last MDSW.  Yea me! Now I just have to knit 1,000 yards of lace before September 29, 2012.  Do you think I should knit a Top or a lace shawl? I am taking suggestions.

Megan, from Stockinette Zombies, mentioned this idea of knitting up everything you buy at one fiber festival before the same festival the next year. She thought it was a thing that lots of people do.  I haven't heard of anyone else doing this but me.  In fact, I thought I made it up as a way to keep me from overspending last year.It worked well and I will be doing it from now on. I recommend that everyone think about trying it sometime. It really makes you think before you buy AND it challenges you to knit it up.

Day Zero

Today is day zero of the mad month.  It was a normal Sunday so I cannot call the beginning of the crazy time till tomorrow.  So, today was pretty normal.  I didn't go out of my way to do extra cleaning as I feel like today I need to conserve my energy.  I did dishes and laundry but there are more of each waiting for me.   I actually spun on my friend's wheel and I am going to attempt to ply tomorrow. Then I am going to make myself a hat and since it is undyed wool, I am thinking I may dye it beofe knitting it up. We will see, I may just knit it up plain.

I have got a lot of sock knitting done since my last post.

This was about 3 inches of a cuff on April 19th.


Most of the cuff was done here this morning. Side note: on the right is my 6 year old son, Bugs, replacing batteries in his toy.  He had my 3 year old son, Boo, handing him batteries, screwdriver and the cover like Bugs was a field doctor and Boo was the nurse.  In my head played, Suicide is Painless until my kids started singing Bob the Builder. Sigh, kids these days have no culture. Giggle.

Back to the sock, this is the last photo for the night:

Hard to see here but I have turned the heel and actually as I am typing, I only have one more decrease round until I am done with the gusset.  I am excited that I should actually go to Maryland Sheep and Wool with all the yarn knit up that I purchased last year. (Well, I will have leftovers but I am not counting them.) Yea me!!

P.S. Apple Blossom is coming up again in Winchester, VA. Please, don't forget the post I wrote last year about Cole Brother's Circus.  Wild animals should not be tormented for our enjoyment. Please, find a way to show your family and friends that the circus is best when there are only humans and possibly domesticated (well treated) animals.  For example, Big Apple Circus or Cirque Du Soleil.

Hi Ho!

I am so sorry that I have ignored this blog for three weeks.  Everyone got sick and then the pretty weather came and I just wanted to be out in it.  I have nothing finished but I do finally have a HO*


Down the Rabbit Hole Yes, I am in my grinch pjs. They are cozy.


36" out of 60" done on my Stash Down Blanket


18 points on my Mermaid Hitchhiker I have to get knitting fast on this since I only have 8 days to finish it if I want it to count towards the SSK KAL. I may learn how to knit on the stationary bike.

Speaking of workouts, I can fit in my skinny clothes!! This is the size I was 10 years ago! I am still working out 3 days a week and hope to continue my weight loss.  I can do a mile in 15.23 minutes on the treadmill and 2 miles in 20 minutes on the elliptical.  Best part is that I look forward to my workouts. I am so excited about how good I feel.

*(Half-finished object normally when you have to make two of something the first one finished is a HO. See Stockinette Zombies for more details. They are awesome. )

Sick Day

I was sick yesterday and woke up today with more of the same.  I called in to my boss and as I got the boys ready for school, mentally started planning the day.  I would take a long bubble bath, finish a book, knit while watching Downton Abbey, write a witty blog post and eat any junk food that made me feel better.  Well, I drove the kids to school, came back and laid down on the couch with a book.  Two pages in, I fell asleep and woke up 8 hours later. Damn.

I just have time for a quick blog post before I have to pick the boys up.

On the Needles:

I have some socks on the needles for my mom. I have FINALLY turned the heel for the first one.  I cast on the socks during my Rhinebeck trip (which is like late October).  The socks are to blame however because they were fighting me.  My mother chose Whirlpool Socks. They were a pain to knit and I frogged them. Then I started Stuccato Socks but the yarn complained that it didn't look right in that pattern.  Down the Rabbit Hole has been perfect. I like to knit it, the yarn is happy with it. Plus it looks similar to the first pattern that my mother will likely not care.


I am designing some socks for my kids. Colorwork always looks so lumpy till you block it.


Speaking of colorwork, my stash dash rug is coming along nicely.  I have knit up almost 900 yards so far and I am only 1/3 of the way there.

Finished Objects:

Zombie the Podcaster

Chubby Chirp

Leaflett Cardigan

Something else to report is that I have lost 7 lbs and have had to put away all my "fat" clothes.  You know those clothes that are one size up from your normal size that you wear when your regular jeans are too tight. I was wearing those clothes all the time but not anymore.  I am hoping to get back into my "skinny" jeans this summer.  I hope everyone else is having a healthy day and I hope I can get out and enjoy this weather soon.

If I could turn back time

My Blue Earl Gray Socks are gone.  They were my first real socks. They fit perfectly right off the needles.  They were cozy, squishy and warm.

RIP Blue Earl Gray Socks 6/10-2/12

The problems started when the woman selling me the Cestari Yarn at MDSW 2010 told me the yarn would not felt.  One run through the washing machine with cold water showed that to be untrue.  They just shrunk a little though. So, I would just block them after I hand washed them and they would fit as long as I kept the smaller one on my left foot.  This went on for over a year till I just had to face the fact that my socks were too small for my feet. So, I gave them to my mother.

This was my second mistake. I love you, Mom but you are the kiss of death to anything that is hand wash only.  The first sock was gobbled up by her overgrown 70 lbs puppy.  I was very sad.  The second sock snuck in to the washer to commit heri kari.  So, Mom being crafty is making one into a sock puppet and the other into a pot holder.

There is a happy note to this story, however.  I walked in to Yarnability this past week (really nice store that I will be returning to soon) and spotted this on the sale rack:



It is the same yarn, same color of the my cozy socks!  I grabbed them up and took them to the counter where I explained my excitement to the owner.  She said, "How nice. You are going to make your mother some new socks?"   I said, "Heck no. These socks are for me!"

Rock Creek Yarn Giveaway

One of my favorite yarn companies is having a give away. 

Crazy Town

I am going to attempt to knit 2,500 yards from my stash in 45 days, February 15th is day one.  I took a photo of the yarn I have to use. It is all Lambs Pride or 100% wool.


I am double stranding and making Kiki Mariko pattern by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne which is a fair isle steeked felted rug.  I have enough to make 2 but have signed up to make one for the mad stash dash on Ravelry. 

I have a sweater, Leaflet by Cecily Glowik MacDonald  on the needles that is for the Stockinette Zombies KAL that needs to be finished by February 28th to qualify.  I have a pair of socks on the needles (yes this is the same socks that I have been working on since October, just new pattern) and a Zombie The Podcaster by Amy Spinler (anyone who downloads this pattern may note a familiar name on the bottom next to "Edited By:").

Lastly, I got an e-mail from Leslie of the Knit Girllls and she offered me a spot in their knitting retreat this summer, The Super Summer Knitaway.  I put my money down and found out there is a KAL that could lead to fabulous prizes.  I have 15 days to knit a Rebecca Danger pattern.  

It is very nuts to think I can knit up everything by their deadlines.  I just have to remind myself that there are no Knitting Police and besides the Rebecca Danger monster, there are no real consequences to NOT knitting the items above.

However, I better finish those socks before my mom repossesses my blackthorne needles.

My Dog is Fat

There is a bumper sticker out there that says, "When your dog is fat, you need more exercise." Well, that is the case in my house. My poor Corgi mix, Angel, and I both need to lose 20% of our weight to be healthy.

Angel in our freak October snowstorm. She is a tall corgi mix.

I think "lose" is going to be the theme of this year's resolutions. I now resolve to:

1. Exercise 3-4 times a week to lose weight (Angel is going on a diet and going for more walks.)
2. Trim down the clutter in my house by selling or donating a big bunch of it.
3. Knit down my stash without buying a crap ton more. 

I have plans for all of it. I found a free gym that I can use on my lunch break at work. I have my husband on board with the clutter and plan to go room to room starting with the office, aka Katie's NEW yarn room (as soon as I clean out the junk.)

For my knitting resolution, I am going to knit up this basket this year.

Some of my oldest yarns will be knit up in 2012.  The average age is 3 years since purchase (that is pretty old since I started knitting in 2007.)  I am excited to get started.

After I finish my baby blanket that is. Here is my half finished baby blanket for a baby who better wait another 3 weeks before making her way to the world.  If for no other reason, then just so I can finish her starfish blanket. I just finished section 7 of 15 and she is not due for another 27 days, I think I can make it.

Sunset

So, if you follow my blog regularly, you will remember my knee high stripy socks. These socks were part of a knit along with two friends so we could all wear our stripy knee socks to Maryland Ren. Fest.  Well, my socks were finished in plenty of time for our trip this weekend. Huzzah!

The color pooling was completely unpredictable and it reminded me of something but I wasn't sure what.



Then, last night, as my husband and I went out on a date, I saw the sunset and there were my socks.

Pretty cool, don't you think?