Happy Birthday Brothers! And... a sale...

My LYS is having a sale this week... (30% off EVERYTHING!) I was a good girl. Miss N and I went in real quick this afternoon and came home with this.


That's enough BSC to make Something Red. I've been thinking about this for a long time... so that means I need to make it right? Obviously it will be Something Brown for me. It was the only color (toffee) they had more than 4 hanks left of! Which made color selection quite easy.

And more Bearfoot. I really love their subtle colorways. So pretty and yet... suitable for men! This hank, Granite Peak, is destined to become socks for "camera gifting brother". Because really... the man deserves socks. AND... today is his (and his twin's) birthday! Happy Birthday Brother J and Brother N! I picked up a knitting novel, A Good Yarn, and it has a pattern by Nancy Bush called 'Peters Socks' in the front... and it calls for this yarn. I was looking for an excuse to buy more of this yarn... so that's what it will be. I have read the book previously and loved it. I'm a sucker for anything staged in Seattle since that's where I grew up and lived most of my life. The pattern is also translated by Cat Bordhi for doing it on two circ's... another NW native. Again... I'm a sucker for all things NW with the exception of knitting sock's on circ's. I like me some DPN's.

See, I was a good girl! That's ALL I came home with! Miss N enjoyed herself, behaved herself and gifted Miss Heather with lots of pictures including one of a "rude face". She's just started drawing faces as one of her "recognizable" things and this one was really good. It looked rude. lol!

Well, I'm going to go pet my yarn and read a book. I'm trying to not knit today. I have realized in doing this that I seriously have a problem... it's like an addiction for pete's sake! No wonder my wrists hurt!

Fraternal Twins

I finished up these quickie socks. Started in a fit of insanity... the gauge is terrible. Too loose. But I don't really like the yarn either so hey... no biggie. If I liked it more I would have ripped it out and started over. I'm chalking it up as a testament to my will that I even finished them.

Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta - color number 369 purchased from WEBS
Needles: Susan Bates Silvalume - US size 2
Pattern: Basic Sock

Now you might notice that one sock looks a wee bit "worn". Well, that's because it was. I was wearing it around the house to make myself finish the other so my foot wouldn't be cold. Pathetic, but it worked. If you have a wide size 11 womens foot or similar mans foot give me a shout and I can send these off to you. I've got narrow 11's and they're a bit loose for me. Wearable, but loose.

I've spent the last two days mostly on adventures with the girls. Trying to take their minds off the fact that Hub has been out of town. Yesterday we had a really grand time at a beautiful park we'd not been to. Seeing as we moved here recently, there's a lot of places we've not been to! Now that Miss E is giving up her morning nap the adventures are set to begin!

I have to tell you. The girls were SO cute. Miss N was running around chasing seagulls. And it just made me laugh. She doesn't run folks. There's a bit of "dance" or frolic or something in her step. And I'm thinking quite a bit of discoordination too. It was the most endearing thing. She's really tall for her age so it was interesting to see her interact with the other children there. She "fits" with the kids who look younger. But looks like she fits with the older kids. But you can tell by her play skills she does not. She was more at home chasing the seagulls. She really had a fun time.

Miss E was funny too. She was "talking" with the seagulls. Squeaking and squealing.

Such cute little ones.

I actually dug out from the back of the closet and USED the felted market tote I've been hiding from you all. It held our lunch for our trip to the park. It felt a little love. I might just show it to you one day.

I found out this morning from the Intrepid Fiber Wizard that the NWReginal Spinners Association is holding it's conference this weekend just a stones throw from me. I might have to skip across the border and check it out if I get some time this weekend.

I made a late night trip to the grocery store for some supplies last night. I was passing by a bookstand and saw a book with this title "The bathtub is overflowing but I feel drained - how to cope with Mommy Stress". As I was so exhausted I could barely turn my head to read it I thought "I resemble that". So I picked it up. I need to take a little time off from knitting so much. I have sore thumb/wrists. I don't even want to say it outloud, but it's true. I knit too much. I'm injured. SOB.

The Wild Animal Kingdom

Yesterday, the bit of yarn from the lovely Wendy arrived and I got right to work finishing the toes on Hub's Bearfoot socks. This afternoon I took them out for their photoshoot. Hub wore them a bit last night, but I warned him he had to give them back briefly... as soon as I was done he put them back on. To which I replied "It's 70 degrees out, won't they be a bit warm? You don't HAVE to wear them now." His response "Why do you think wool is too hot? It's a hollow fiber. It's warm when it needs to be and cool when it needs to be." Um, point taken. He's repeating back to me the things I told him when I first used wool as a diaper cover on Miss N. He WAS listening! (and very well...)


So here they are in all their glory. They are beautiful and I am so glad Wendy was kind enough to send me a bit of yarn so I didn't have to get creative to finish the toe.

Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot Sock Yarn, Redtail Hawk Colorway. Purchased from my LYS.

Needles: Clover Takumi Bamboo US1 2.25mm

Pattern: Loosely based on Ann Norling Adult Socks Pattern, but worked on 68 stitches and I threw in the 3x1 seed stitch ribbing.


The gauge was pretty tight, but Hub likes it that way. No sloppy socks for him. He's interesting to knit socks for... he has "typical" man feet, a huge heel (it's funny the things you learn about your spouse when you decide to knit for them)... and skinny legs. So ribbing is a must. You will see lots of ribbing for Hub. I purchased the yarn because Hub has been traveling a lot into Montana for work and that is where Mountain Colors is. I'm a little sentimental that way sometimes. You know... besides the fact that it's beautiful and manly.

While I was photographing his socks Hub noticed a little something going on in one of our bushes...

A little ladybug lovin'.

Now, this is a small joke in our house. My Mom often sends books down to the girls that were once my teenage brother and sisters. We got a set that is a little scientific. It has a book on ladybugs...


Imagine my surprise when I'm reading the "cute" ladybug book to my 3YO and turn to this page.


So... it's spring. We have spotted LOTS of yellow ladybug eggs, and now... we've seen them in action.

There have been many posts around blogland of people's gorgeous yards sprouting and budding up. We are trying to salvage ours from the previous owners who never even mowed or watered once. SO, in lieu of a pretty yard... I'm sharing a bit of the wild animal kingdom with you.

I've cast on Hub's next pair of socks, but I'll share them with you next time. When I was putting the socks into my Flicker folder I realized that I've been doing practically nothing besides knitting diaper related things. No wonder I'm burnt out on them! I still have a few to go but I took a little break. I also swatched today for a little something for Miss N. She needs a new crown... all princesses do you know.

Candy Pants

More shorts for Miss E. I don't think I've ever showed a profile so you could see the shaping, so I did it this time. 'Scuse that unruly cuff... took pictures before I dunked them.

Yarn: 100purewool 3 ply in the "Candy" colorway. I used some leftover single ply for the trim.

Needles: Addi Turbo's sizes 3 waist/6 body/7 legs.

I absolutely loved working with the 3 ply purewool. It was fluffy and soft and just yummy. It really reminded me of BFL. It didn't have the "pilling before work is finished" that the single ply has. We will see how it holds up to wear. When I knit it again I'll go up to 7's. The gauge is 5st/inch and it's a bit tight for comfort when working. But I'm sure it'll be wonderful for coverage. I do like a tight knit... but my elbows are sore.

I'm a little exhausted to be witty for you today. Miss N gave us a scare and gave her head a good whack this morning. She's got a gash on one side and a huge purple egg on the other side of her forehead. Hub took her to the ER to be checked out and all is fine. But my nerves are quite frazzled!

Just what I needed to hear

As always, Pastor Mark hits the nail on the head. Have a listen.

Summer Knitting

Skeins Her Way is holding a pre-summer contest! Meghann at Radiant Twist posted about it today and unlike the vaccuum contest she posted about a while back, I'm actually on time for this one!

So what are my summer knitting goals?

1. finish all this diaper cover knitting... - 1 pair shorts to finish for Miss E. 1 more pair, 1 or 2 soakers, and a skirty. AND... 2 pair shorts for another mama. Whew. I'm already burnt out.

2. finish 2 pair of socks on the needles (we'll not count the bearfoot ones... they'll be done in under and hour as soon as the lovely Wendy's yarn arrives)

3. make at least 3 more pair of socks - SOS KAL will kick me in the rear on this one

4. make some type of sweater/shirt (josephine?)/garment for myself. I have a few ideas stewing, but need to get through this diaper stuff first. I'm a little scared to do this as it will be my first, but it's time don't you think? I can't just knit for baby bottoms and feet forever.

5. Maybe this... Miss N needs some knitterly lovin' too. Miss E's covered in it!

The rug and the blanket will not be getting much lovin' this summer. It's just going to be too warm to have all that wool sitting on my lap.

So that's it! We'll see how I do!

Knitting back to Sanity...

We've had a "bug" going around the house. Last week it struck Miss N and Hub. That was "fun" enough. But this week it's moved on to Miss E as well. This is a nasty little sucker! Poor baby can't breathe and thus sleep... she's whiney, and a ball full of gross bodily fluids. Toss in a teenager skateboarding at bedtime and an obnoxious rotty nextdoor at dawn... and well... not much rest going on here.

So today... I had to start something new. It was a "morning". You know what I'm talking about. I won't get into details, but it wasn't pretty. The only "non thinking" project available was E's blanket. It's a bit too warm to be working on that. And I had a feeling I might break more needles if I picked up Roza.

So I started a plain jane sock out of some Sockotta I picked up recently in a WEBS order - using aluminum needles so I don't break anything. I'm channeling my frustrations into knitting so I can reemerge with some sanity. A cup of coffee and two inches of cuff. I reemerged sane, sort of.


It's rather interesting... it's self striping... but the stripes are 2" wide. Not sure if I'm happy about that or not. I've also noticed how well it matches my water bottle... (I am sleep deprived, please excuse me). I'm also giving some Susan Bates needles a test run. I really like them a lot. The only downside to them is they came in a set of 4. I really prefer working on 5 to keep my laddering to a minimum. But oh how I love the slipperiness!


See that poor sick baby. She's blurry I know... best to keep it that way. She's not lookin' so good.

Well, I tucked my shame inside and emailed the "lady with the yarn". Said lady just finished a sweater... made of mitered blocks... in sock yarn! That is patience my friends... patience. The lovely and gracious Wendy is rescuing the Redhawk Tail socks. She's going to slip me a bit of yarn in the mail. She won't take payment. She insists on taking her payment in good karma. So send her some please!

Uh Oh

Um... small problem. Ran out of yarn. Not good. Hub needs two toes, not just one. 9 rows... 9 rows folks! Ugh.

But he thought sock #1 had too pointy of a toe, so I ripped that one back and reworked it to the point #2 is at. Same needles, just one set 5" and one set 7"... always a use for those "extra" needles!

So... buy more of that colorway - not excited about making another pair in the same colorway... there are so many out there!

Or... buy a solid brown or black and stash it for other emergencies... perhaps wise, but cuts into the idea of buying the girls summer clothes this weekend and means I will have to go to a different LYS to look for some because I know mine doesn't have any. I'm loyal folks... this will be hard.

OR... and this is where I get weird... I saw just yesterday someone had LEFTOVERS of the same yarn. Lots of leftovers. I don't know them. Would it be really weird to comment or email them from their blog and ask them to sell me a few measly yards? Is this totally wacko?

Cherry Blossoms

I completed Miss E's newest "shorts". They're not very short. Babies inseams for shorts is like 1 inch! These are just below her knees, so perhaps, clamdiggers. I was going to make them a crop pant/capri length, but watching the weather... it looks like that would be too warm, so I stopped where I was. I tried some ruffles. They turned out pretty cute. These pictures are pre-blocking, so they should settle down a bit.

Miss Tanya, she's not just a sock star, but a rock star I tell ya! She sent me a new method for a drawstring. A twisted cord. It took me 5 minutes! SOOOO much better than spending an entire evening making an I-cord.

Here's my cute little model. She had to go to bed so I tried them on her before they were quite finished.

Yarn: Cherry Blossom on Peace Fleece from Radiant Twist
The trim is some sort of merino/alpaca blend. It was lovely.

Needles: Addi Turbo's sizes 4,7,8

Pattern: My own

Ruffles: Sarah aka EasterBunz Ribbed Ruffle

She's a sock star!

You know that sassy Missy T I'm always chattin' about. Well, little miss sassy just had a birthday. And a special friend who dyes named a colorway for her! Miss T! Such a cute little colorway!

colorway named for friend = required stash enhancement

I know it's a rule. I haven't found it written, but it has to be a rule. I got mine and there's only 1 left... AND part of the proceeds go to Cure Autism Now. So really... it's donating to charity... and this Delphinium is gorgeous too... can I enable a bit more?

I learned how to do some ruffles last night. On Miss E's new pants. I'll reveal all after I get the second leg done. Should be later today!

Birthday and Brittany

It was my birthday and I didn't tell you about the loot I got! It was fabulous. I was waiting for a bit more of it to arrive before sharing. Miss N and Hub picked me those flowers last night. They are rather lovely. Much better than the last weeds, I mean, yellow flowers she brought me...

First off, my little brother blew my socks off with a new camera! It's about the size of my palm and just takes the most amazing pictures! It's perfect for tossing in the bag for adventures with the girls. It also takes fantastic close up's! Perfect for knitting pic's! Really just an awesome gift!

And, Hub tickled my inner geek and bought me a slew of books! Mostly knitting. Yay Hub! He also threw in a couple new shirts "from the girls". Thanks Hub!

I must say... just two stitch pattern books... made me want lots more... I started daydreaming... I think I'm in trouble...

And Ma sent a cute new bag. I decided to try it as a "purse" for now. It's big enough I can toss in a book, or sock and go - fast - to knit night or coffee or someplace!

And MIL gave the gift of choice. So I ordered two more books. The new Favorite Socks Book and a bit more Harlot. Everyone needs a good laugh right? Alas, they won't arrive until next month because they are backordered! Shocking. I've never had that happen before. See... knitting really is cool now!

I've been meaning to tell you about this bad relationship I've had recently...


Brittany's and I do not get along. That's one size 0 and one size 1 snapped. Within days of each other and within days of purchase! They've been replaced by some new 5" Clover Takumi's and I love them! So the remaining Brittany's are going to go to Missy T's house for when she starts breaking hers.

And yes, that's a peek at E's new pants which have been slogging along. Cute, but slow... peace fleece is just slow for me. All that mohair... makes my wrists hurt.

Sunshine!

I think it's safe to say we've turned the corner and late spring, you know the warm part, is here! It's been regularly in the upper 60's and today it's supposed to be mid 70's! And tomorrow... 80! Agh! I forgot what life was like on the eastern side of the state. So warm and toasty instead of drizzly! Miss N enjoyed a frolic in the sprinkler yesterday. Meanwhile I was inside with a hot cup of coffee under my favorite quilt. I do remember youth... when 65 was enough to take my clothes off... certainly not the case these days!

I finished Amy's second pair of pants on Friday. I've been busy with other things so didn't get pic's done until now. Here they are!

Pattern: My own

Yarn: Blue Faced Leicester Wool Custom dyed by Stitches Under the Sun.

Needles: Addi Turbo's, sizes 4, 7 and 8.

They did some striping. This colorway just really wanted to stripe. Even the swatch striped. At least it wasn't blotchy pooling. I hate that. The stripes are kind of cute actually.

In progress now... Miss E's new pants. I'm working them from two balls because they started pooling. This is the first time I've tried this... it's not too bad and it looks better. She just had a growth spurt and outgrew everything! Ack! Must knit fast. And a bit on the Bearfoot Sock. The cuff is about an inch from completion.

Well, must run... lots to do this beautiful sunny day!

It's your birthday...

Missy T!

Happy Birthday to yoooouuuuuuuuu!

Divirsification

Diversification is a good thing.

A trip to the river on my birthday. It was windy and cold next to that river, but sunny and warm on the other side of the trees. That thing is running FAST right now!


Baking peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with Miss N - who was quite cute licking the beater and getting dough all over her face.


Dyed velour for a custom Chickie Pad order . I am no expert dyer, but I did ok here. Also threw in a T for Miss N. She loves a little tye dye.


And a bit of knitting. This would look like more had I not been such an idiot and screwed up my calculations the first time... I got to the legs and had to rip out and start over. Things are working out fine this time. You do see that waistband pooling again... it's the "curse of Amy" on my longies. lol!


And not so glamourous... I cleaned the JUNK pile out of the basement. Packed it up, lugged it to the curb, put the little sign on it and... the truck never picked it up! Must call them today. No WAY am I lugging that junk back into the basement!

Will be doing a lot of cutting and sewing for a big custom order of Chickie pads. And working on Amy's pants. I'd like to finish the Bearfoot Socks before June... in time for Hub's birthday. We'll see. Lots of sewing to be done and Miss E is outgrowing her night soaker... why do kids have to grow so fast?!