Final pair for 2006

I really thought I was done with completed 2006 objects until I had some unexpected knitting time. On Friday night, we watched Pirates of the Caribbean with the boys and I was able to knit through the whole movie. Then, yesterday, we had an unexpected snow storm which kept me home for the entire day. It didn't make sense to go out in the snow so I sat at home, near the fire, and knit away. I got all but the last 4 rows and the toes kitchenered last night. Finally, today, after a long day spent scouring bargains at Target and attending the sale at my LYS, I came home to finish the second sock.



I love these socks and can not wait to wear them. The Dublin Bay pattern is perfect for dark colored yarn which really wouldn't show any other pattern. The lace panels down the sides of the legs are just enough and hold your interest while you're knitting mostly stockinette. The Cherry Tree Hill yarn amazes me. It is very, very soft and yet so sproingy. It feels like is has elastic in it (which it doesn't) and the socks hug your legs. I only wish that I hadn't had so many problems with it. The first hank I used had 5 knots in the second half. The second hank that the wonderful owner of the LYS sent me had 2 knots in my knitting of this sock. That's a lot of knots!

I'm anxious to try Cherry Tree Hill supersock again. I'm going to tell myself that the knot problem was specific to this particular colorway. The LYS owner sent me a different colorway to try and though I can't wait to knit with CTH again, it will have to wait it's turn. Tonight I'll cast on for my second Bearfoot Flathead Cherry sock. Tomorrow, I plan to cast on for the Fancy Silk Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. I'm taking on the January Challenge for the Knitting Vintage Socks KAL. I plan to use the Lorna's Laces seen below in Grapevine which is awfully close to the yarn used in the book (though it wasn't planned that way).

I believe this will be my final post for 2006. Happy New Year everyone!!! I hope the new year brings us all prosperity and health.

It's a good thing she's cute

Last night I sat down to finish my Bearfoot sock. I always get antsy as I get near the toe decreases and have to be careful not to get too anxious and make the toe too short. It's just that I can see the finish line and I can't wait to get there so I can try the sock on without those pesky needles. I put the yarn down for a couple of minutes to check on something in another room. I returned and anxiously picked up the needles. When I gave the yarn a tug the string came loose in my hands - that is it wasn't attached to the skein anymore. The yarn felt suspiciously wet on both ends and sweet, little Lucy was sitting right next to my knitting cleaning herself. She won't admit it but I know she ate through my yarn.

It's a good thing she's cute.

I couldn't even get mad at her. I just picked up where I left off and finished the first sock last night. I immediately put it on my foot and put the one Dublin Bay sock on the other. I love the way the Dublin Bay sock hugs the foot while I'm not too sure about the Bearfoot. When I walked with the socks on (in my slippers), the Dublin Bay sock was fine while the Bearfoot felt slippery and perhaps biggish or something. Time will tell. I decided to finish the heel of the Dublin Bay sock so I could get to the mindless foot portion that can be knitted anytime, anywhere. Later, I'll cast on for the second Bearfoot. Neither look as though they'll be finished in 2006 but I should have two great pairs of socks to start 2007

Waiting in the wings

Wow, that's fast service! When I saw that yarn4socks was having a sale I couldn't wait to place my order. They carry the J. Knits sock yarn that I was raving about last week. I placed my order Christmas Eve day and it was mailed that same day. I was very pleasantly surprised to see my order in my mailbox today.

On the left are two skeins of Lorna's Laces in the Grapevine colorway - it's the perfect shade of purple. Next to that is J. Knits Light Sock in the Massachusetts colorway - beautiful shades of roses and pinks (I love it even if I'm not a pink kind of girl). Finally, on the right is J. Knits sock yarn in Tamap - shades of pink and gray. Mmmmm ... I'm not sure what drew me to the pinks as I have never, ever knit with pink before but this yarn is luscious..

The weather is not exactly sunny today but is clear and I thought it might be nice to try to get some outside shots. Below is a skein of Cherry Tree Hill in one of their potluck colorways. This one is shades of clue and green (mostly green). The wonderful owner of Ewe'll Love It sent this to me after my Cherry Tree Hill disaster. She picked it out for me herself and I think it's beautiful. I don't normally knit with green because the color makes me look ill but in socks it will be perfect.



Finally, I took another picture of that Bearfoot sock yarn I posted about yesterday. I think this picture shows the colors much more accurately though still not perfectly. I like how quickly this yarn knits up - I'm just about through the gusset without a lot of time or effort.

Fibery Treats

Today's a good day for posting about fibery treats.

My youngest son was determined to buy me yarn for Christmas. Whenever he shopped with me he picked out hideous fun fur in bright colors like turquoise and asked me how I liked them. I tried to steer him toward yarns I really do like but, well, he's 7 and he was attracted to "pretty" yarn for his pretty mom. I suggested that my husband bring him shopping at a LYS and called the owner ahead of time so she could steer them toward appropriate yarn.

After guidance from my husband my son picked out the following yarn because he knows my favorite colors are red and purple. This is Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Flathead Cherry. The colors don't show up great in this photo but the yarn is beautiful. This is my first time knitting with Bearfoot. It is definitely heavier than my usual yarns but is listed as fingering weight.

I wanted to get something cast on right away to show my son how much I loved the yarn. After some fiddling I settled on a 56 stitch cast on with size 2 US Addis (oh, how I wish there were decent circulars in size 2.75). I'm using a simple ribbed pattern and the sock is moving along quickly. The yarn is very soft and cushiony. I'm a little worried about the yardage and my big feet but we'll see what happens. My LYS owner assures me that I'll have enough as she uses the yarn often and has the same size feet.



Today I did my usual day after Christmas shopping. I was shocked at how few people were out and was very pleased not to have to wait in lines. I picked up my wrapping paper for next year at Hallmark and then went to Borders. I decided to return a cd given to me by my husband because I knew I'd never listen to it. With that cd return money and a 30% off coupon I was able to get Knitting Vintage Socks - this is a much better gift for me. While I was there I also picked up some Jelly Belly jelly beans at 75% off (isn't that little container cute?). I also got a knit a day type calendar at 50% off because I thought it might be fun and I might even find a pattern or two. I got all this for under $25 (and only $12 came out of my own pocket).

Finally, I made a deal with myself (everyone does that, right?) that I could knit on my new sock only after I finished the Trekking socks by weaving in the ends. I had a load of delicates ready to wash and wanted to throw these in too. I'm really hoping I like these socks more after they're washed. Right now I could not care less about them. My 12 year old told me that he'd be happy to take them off my hands if they fit him. I think his feet are too big (size 11.5 mens) but we'll see after they're washed.

Now on to the other deal I made with myself. I have to fold the laundry before I can sit down to knit and I just heard the dryer beep.

It's practically here

There is no really good reason why I have a picture of Lucy today except that I dislike pictureless posts. Doesn't she look filled with Christmas wonder?

After a morning spent baking, I ventured out shopping with my oldest son. I had a few odds and ends that I wanted to pick up. We went out with a good attitude knowing that the stores would be crowded. We were pleased to find the stores had ample employees working and that parking was easy to find if you didn't insist on parking right near the stores. I picked up every last thing I needed or wanted and can now rest easy that shopping is complete. We've done lots of wrapping over the last week and though I know there's more to be done, it's not overwhelming.

I started my second 2nd Dublin Bay sock. I do love the Cherry Tree Hill yarn but ... would you believe that right as I got to the end of my 2 inch 1x1 ribbing I found a knot! I can not even believe that I found yet another knot in a different skein of Cherry Tree Hill yarn. I'm continuing on but this will be the end of Cherry Tree Hill for me if I find another knot.

I received one of my Christmas presents early. My mil is not up to shopping this year and asked us for ideas for places we'd like gift certificates to. I told my dh that I could suggest a couple of online and local yarn places for my gift certificate. Instead, with the stipulation that ALL the money be spent on me and that none is put toward bills or the boys, my mil sent me $300 to spend on yarn!! I'm looking to make a couple of biggish purchases soon so that the money is spent as intended. As I don't knit big items, I don't spend oodles of money on my projects. I'm thinking this money could go pretty far. I'm also thinking that I need to buy something practical like a new pair of boots so I can continue my walking this winter. I'm feeling pretty blessed and lucky.

I'd love some suggestions for yarn or books or other knitty things that I just need to have or try. I know that The Loopy Ewe will be getting some of my business. Sheri is just wonderful - every store owner should be just like her - and I want to reward her amazing customer service with repeat business. I'm thinking I should try some Sweet Georgia or Yarn Pirate (or both). I also know that I can't resist the yarn sale at yarn4socks because they have the J. Knits yarn I was raving about the other day as well as a great selection of Lorna's Laces and all the yarn will be at least 20% off starting tomorrow.

It feels weird to be doing this much shopping for myself but I made a promise.

Two wonderful discoveries

I made two amazing discoveries today.

The first is a new yarn.

While shopping at a LYS today I stumbled across a new yarn. The yarn is made by a localish company J. Knits. The yarn I bought is superwash sock yarn in the color Boston. The yardage is great at 420 yards to the hank but the price is a little steep at $26. With my big feet I'm always happy for big yardage. The yarn is very soft and I like the 25% nylon. The dye is great with lots of variation in color while still being almost solid. I love all the hand dyed sock yarns available but I'm hankering for some solidish yarn for cable patterns.

The second discovery is related to photography.

Taking photos in my Colonial during the winter months is tricky. In fact, even getting good outside photos is difficult because capturing the sun seems to be impossible. Tonight I realized that the best lighting in my house is in my bathroom on my counter. The photo I took of my new yarn is awfully close to the real thing. I'm just thrilled to have discovered a place I can take photos this winter. Of course, I'll still try to get the wonderful natural light of the outdoors but this is going to work for me.

In knitting news ...
Today I finished knitting my second First Toe Up Trekking sock. I just need to bind off and the pair will be finished. I'm anxious to wash them and hope the yarn softens up quite a bit.

While at the LYS, I used their swift and winder to wind my new yarn as well as my new hank of Cherry Tree Hill for the second Dublin Bay sock. I need to get the original second sock off the needles and mail it to the store so they can send it on to Cherry Tree Hill to examine all the knots and then I just need to take a deep breath and cast on again for the new second Dublin Bay sock. I really do love the yarn and the pattern and can't wait to wear these socks.

Closing in on Christmas

Not much knitting going on so I figured I'd update with a picture of Lucy.

I had a busy weekend trying to get all the last things ready for Christmas. There was shopping to do and goodies to make. Unfortunately, there was also an oldest child who needed to be driven to social events. My entire day on Sunday was lost as I drove my oldest where he needed to be. I was happy to do this for him and was glad that he was having such a nice day but it was exhausting and took up valuable time that I really didn't have. We saw Eragon together. I liked the movie (because I don't remember books after I've read them). He didn't like it too much because it deviated so much from the book.

I still have a couple of Christmas presents left to buy and was very sad last night when I found out that none of the bookstores in the state have a book I wanted to buy for my youngest. I still have a couple of independent bookstores to try but a nice lady at Borders last night called all the Borders and Barnes and Nobles for me. Today I need to finish the Sugared Almonds and Chocolate Walnut Fudge because my husband's brother will be stopping by briefly tomorrow and will take our gifts back with him to Connecticut to family there.

I feel this way every year without fail. I get the vast majority of my shopping done and the last few details drive me crazy. I struggle with finding the last few gifts, cooking the last minute things, and making sure that everything seems "even" for the boys. I just want everyone to be happy and for Christmas to seem magical. I still can not believe that Christmas is less than a week away.

Houston, we have a problem

You all know how much I've loved working on the Dublin Bay socks. I think the pattern is perfect for hand dyed yarns that would get lost in most patterns and I love the sproingy Cherry Tree Hill yarn. Sadly, the second sock has not been going as well as the first. I ran into two knots in the yarn while knitting the ribbing and then ran into a third knot right before the heel. I decided to contact the folks at Cherry Tree Hill to see if this is normal for their yarn to have this many knots or if this was simply a case of poor quality control.

I spoke to Cheryl at Cherry Tree Hill and she assured me that this is not normal for her yarn and suggested I contact the store where I bought the yarn for a credit. I bought this yarn back in September from Ewe'll Love It and raved about the store. The owner, Beverly, is very nice and has proved to be very accomodating as well. I explained to Beverly that I really wanted to finish the sock with the yarn I had but that I was frustrated and wasn't sure that I'd buy Cherry Tree Hill yarn again. Beverly also assured me that this was not typical for Cherry Tree Hill and said she'd send me a new hank in a different colorway.

Last night I returned to the sock only to find knot number 4 as I started the gusset! Sheesh! Enough's enough. I finally decided to rewind the yarn to see if there were any more knots and found a 5th knot a few yards from the end. I spoke to Beverly again and this time we agreed that I'd give her my second "damaged" sock and, in addition to the yarn she had already sent, she'd give me another hank of Tropical Storm so I can make my second Dublin Bay sock.

My first hank arrived today - about 24 hours since I first spoke with Beverly. Beverly had picked it out for me. It is one of the potluck colors and is mostly green with some blue hints. I never, ever buy green yarn but this is beautiful and I just need to find a pattern for it. The color is almost solid so it would work well with any sock pattern.

I feel like I've lost my knitting mojo a little. I was SO looking forward to wearing those Dublin Bays and I felt like I was SO close to a pair. I'm very grateful for people like Beverly and Cheryl (from Cherry Tree Hill) who care about their products and customers. I will definitely do more business with Beverly and if you're ever in the area you MUST stop by her shop. It is the nicest yarn shop I've ever been in. As for Cherry Tree Hill ... I'm anxious to give it another shot. I really hope that I have better luck because I really, really like this yarn.

For now, I'm forcing myself to work on my second First Toe Up Trekking sock. I should also force myself to finish my Irish Hiking Scarf before casting on for any new projects. I only have about 5 inches left on the scarf and could finish that very quickly.

This weekend I need to make a large batch of Sugared Almonds and Chocolate Walnut Fudge to send to my inlaws for Christmas. They are not going to be able to make it for Christmas this year and I want to get their package finished by Monday.

I can not believe that Christmas is 10 days away.

Busy Baking

Yesterday turned out to be even more full of baking than I had anticipated. I decided to make the Holiday Poppy Seed Cookies from Old Fashioned Country Cookies by Gooseberry Patch. I've been making these cookies for years and they always look nice and a little different for a cookie swap. While they were cooling I thought I should make some cookies for the boys because there were no extra poppy seed cookies. I decided to try a new recipe and made the Tender Toffee-Chocolate Rounds from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion (which is slowly but surely becoming my cookie bible). The cookies are amazing - filled with bittersweet chocolate, toffee bits and only 1/4 cup of flour. Yummo!! Unfortunately, the chocolate was too dark for the boys and one by one they said they didn't really like them. They made a nice treat for the oldest son's piano teacher. I know from experience that she loves chocolate.

This seemed like a good time to switch gears so I whipped up a batch of banana bread because I had bananas just sitting there begging to be used. I have a trusty recipe that I've been using for years by Mollie Katzen. Originally I cut it out of a Family Fun magazine many years ago. It is also reprinted in my copy of Disney's Family Cookbook published by Family Fun magazine. While I was making the banana bread my middle son decided he really needed to bake something too. I didn't know he was in the other room pouring through our children's cookbook. By this time I was really done baking but he was very persuasive and convinced me we needed to make just one more thing. So right before I had to leave for my cookie swap party we made the Chocolate Pudding Cake from New Junior Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens. We'd never made this recipe before but it was super easy and very delicious (I had a bite or two before I scooted out the door). Best of all it is made with ingredients that are always on hand.

I'm now baked out for a couple of days. Or at least until tomorrow.

Bright sunny morning

We don't get a lot of natural sunlight in my house so it's difficult to take photos inside. This morning as I sat on the living room sofa knitting my Dublin Bay sock and drinking my Tazo Awake tea a beam of sunlight came through the bay window behind me and illuminated the Christmas tree. I was able to take this photo of three of my favorite ornaments. On the left is one of my glass candy ornaments which I love because they were the first glass ornaments I dared to buy after I had children. In the middle is a crocheted snowflake that my Nana made for me. I have a few of these crocheted snowflakes ranging in size and pattern and I love the way the look on the tree. To the right is a snowman made by my friend, Kristen, that she sold a craft fair that we had at my house a few years ago. She drove over 45 minutes in a blizzard and then had to help my husband shovel the driveway to get into my house. We had very few customers because of the storm but we had a great day and I have this ornament to remember it by.



Here you'll see the progress I've made on my second Dublin Bay sock. Do you notice all the yarn ends coming out of the sock? That's because I found TWO knots in the yarn since I started the second sock. I'm not happy. I hope this isn't typical for Cherry Tree Hill yarn because I do love the yarn but I'm very unhappy with the knot situation. I had the hank wound for me when I bought the yarn so I had no idea they were there.

Today needs to be a day of baking. I have a cookie swap tonight and still have not completely decided what cookie I plan to bake. I'm probably going to bring my Poppyseed Holiday Cookies but I can't commit. I'll post a recipe later.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

The Christmas stockings are now officially hung. My middle son is a stickler for tradition and he just could not wait to hang our stockings. You may notice that there are only 4 stockings instead of 5. Look more carefully. Behind the stocking on the left there is a second stocking. That is because I found our stocking hangers at Goodwill for 89 cents a piece and I've always been too cheap to find another hanger that would match. So my husband and I share a hanger. Someday I really should break down and buy a fifth hanger.

Some of you may recall that these stockings were the very first items I ever learned how to knit. I talked about it back in October. I'm always amazed when I take them out every year and remember my friend who taught me to knit and kept telling me I had "potential". I didn't know anything about knitting so when she told me I could knit a Christmas stocking for my first sock, I believed her.

First Dublin Bay sock finished

It's 27 degrees outside and the ground is covered with snow so no outside photography for me today. Sadly, my house gets very little natural light which is what is really needed to show off this wonderful yarn. Nevertheless, I present my first Dublin Bay sock in Cherry Tree Hill yarn in the colorway Tropical Storm. In the background you can see the feet of Odysseus who is trying to decide if he really wants to go out in the snow.

I love every single thing about this sock. The yarn is wonderful - very sproingy with an almost elastic feel to it which makes it fit around the leg and foot wonderful. The pattern was very nice also. I did make a few modifications - I used 64 stitches instead of 72. 72 stitches would have been much too big for me. I then adjusted the pattern accordingly. I also added 4 rows of plain stockinette after before the heel. This made it better when it came time to pick up the gusset stitches and allowed me to pick up in the corner as I usually do without running into a lace pattern. I also did not make an Eye of Partridge Heel because I didn't think it would show up in this very dark yarn.

Finally, here's a picture of middle son and Lucy.

More baking

Progress on the Dublin Bay sock has slowed to a crawl. I'm still loving everything about it but it's taken a back seat to life. I've had some unexpected appointments this week which have taken me out of the house on days that I'm usually able to stay home. Although I don't believe in chiropractors (I mean I know they exist but I don't want to see one myself), I was forced to call one this week after a 10 day headache refused to go away. The CAT scan confirmed I don't have a brain tumor (not that I was worried about it) and the medication the doctor gave me didn't do a thing. My first visit to the chiropractor was very painful and made me feel miserable all day yesterday but my headache is gone! I went back today and will go a couple more times next week. I feel almost human again.

I spent a huge part of the day today baking. I'm trying to find the perfect recipe to use my Trader Joe's UFOs in. UFOs are chocolate mint wafers that are YUMMY! Today I baked a basic sugar cookie, placed a UFO on top when they came out of the oven, waited for the chocolate to soften and then spread it over the top of the cookie. The boys loved them but my husband wasn't too impressed. I think the sugar cookies are too crisp and not exactly what I'm looking for with the UFOs. I'll continue to search for the perfect recipe.

While I was baking anyway I made a wonderful batch of Molasses Cookies. They are wonderful little circles of crunchy goodness - perfect to have with tea or cocoa. I have LOTS of flour and butter, plenty of chocolate and oodles of other baking supplies. I have a cookie swap to go to on Tuesday and need to decide what kind of cookie to make. There are just so many wonderful choices.

Tonight I went out Christmas shopping with my 12 year old son. It wasn't pretty. The other boys had a great time when I brought them shopping but the 12 year old is just getting a bit too big for his britches right now and he's difficult to spend time with. He found nice gifts for both brothers and his father. I even managed to buy a couple of gifts for him while he was otherwise occupied. All in all, it was a successful evening.

I spent some time on the Dublin Bay sock and it's almost to the toe decreases. Stay tuned for a picture very soon.

Baby it's cold outside

I'm trying hard to stay motivated but it's really hard to want to go outside to walk in the morning when it's 22 degrees. I am grateful for my neighbor and walking buddy because without her I'd stay in my warm cozy house and just knit away. It's nice to be home again but I'm very glad that I got my 4 mile walk done. Yeah me!!

I'm working my way down the gusset on the Cherry Tree Hill sock. I wish I could just sit down and knit away but I have children who need schooling, housework to do, a family to feed, and places that the same children need to be driven to. I'm very sad that I'll be out of the house all afternoon and far away from my knitting. Tonight, however, all the boys will be gone and I'll have the house to myself. This may be my favorite sock I've ever knit.

And now, kitty pr0n

Risking frostbite

I really wanted to get a good picture of both the pattern and the yarn so I risked below freezing weather this morning to sit outside in the little patch of sun I could find to take this picture. This yarn is SO pretty but the colors are very hard to capture. This picture is very close to the real colors.

I've never knit with any yarn like Cherry Tree Hill before. I don't know anything about how yarn is spun or plied or how this yarn is so sproingy but it's much different than any yarn I've knit with before. It has a lot of elasticity which makes it perfect for socks. When this yarn chose me I didn't have an idea for a pattern. The yarn is very dark and most patterns wouldn't show up in it. I wanted to showcase the yarn and a plain vanilla sock wouldn't have done that. I like how the lace panels in this Dublin Bay pattern show off the yarn. I'm also happy with how quickly this sock is knitting up. The yarn is somewhat thicker than other sock yarns I've used - I'll be at the heel very soon.

Busy weekend

We had one of those busy, productive weekends. On Saturday I made a batch of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies to send with my oldest son on his camping trip. Teenaged boys ALWAYS appreciate homemade cookies. We kept a few out to fill a bag for our neighbors who gave us Lucy. Later in the day the boys and I made our first batch of gingerbread cookies. I love gingerbread cookies but I'm not the best at rolling out dough so I don't make a lot of cut out cookies. Gingerbread cookies, however, are a tradition and my middle son is a stickler for tradition. Jeff and the middle son also went out to cut down the tree that we tagged in November.

On Sunday we needed to pick up the oldest boy from his camping trip, get him home to shower and drive him to Youth Group. We also picked up Lucy from the neighbors so she can live at our house now. While oldest boy was at Youth Group I did grocery shopping - following sales and coupons at two different stores. After Youth Group and grocery shopping we came home for dinner and decorated our tree. I love decorating the tree. As we go through the ornaments the boys pick out their special ones - the Lenox rocking horses they got from their aunt the year they were born, First Christmas ornaments, silly ornaments from Mimi (like the police car with a siren that works), and ornaments they made. I also tell them who gave us particular ornaments or when we got them - though by now they know most of this and may tell me first. Our tree will never make any decorating magazines but I love it and all the memories it holds.

On Saturday I was determined to do the short row heel on my second First Toe Up Trekking sock. It took me three tries. I got the rhythm and really understood it on the second try but I dropped a stitch almost at the end and had no idea how to pick it back up because of the wraps. I couldn't fix it so it looked okay so I frogged. Again. I got the heel done on the third try and then knit a few rows of the leg. I'm not enamored of the short row heel. I can't say I like the way it looks. At some point I need to find a real live person who can sit with me while I knit one to point out a better way to do things (my LYS owner was very, very helpful but she doesn't knit socks and had never done a short row heel before). Until then, I'm sticking with my regular cuff down socks.



To reward myself for all that hard work, I cast on for a pair of Dublin Bay socks. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill in a colorway called Tropical Storm. This is my first time using Cherry Tree Hill yarn. It's wonderful! The yarn is very sproingy and soft. It's going to make wonderful socks. It was impossible to get good lighting this weekend but I tried anyway. I've got the cuff almost done - even doing the k1p1 ribbing called for in the pattern because I like the way it flows into the lace. I'm going to have to force myself to finish that second Trekking sock.

Meet Lucy

Meet Lucy.
Lucy is the newest member of our family. She joins our two other cats Odysseus and Mason. Lucy is 8 weeks old. She came to live with us today. She's pretty scared and is hiding behind the big, red couch in the living room right now. She belongs to my youngest son and now we have a cat for every boy.



Aren't they adorable?