Tofutsies Join the FO list today!

I got up this morning and did the toes on the Tofutsies. Yes, I know, I'm weird. I get up at the crack of dawn and knit...often. All was looking so nice. I got up to the fun part, kitchener stitch..

And, after making sure that no one was going to sneeze within a five mile radius and deliberately distract me, I kitched.

When I put them on and photographed them, I saw something bad!!! A mistake!! Don't make the picture larger because you will see it, too!

Ugh. It's a good thing that I am not overly fond of this pair of socks. The pattern was fine. I am not a Tofutsies kinda gal. I love wool, baby. This is nice and soft and it makes for a lightweight sock but ...it's not wool and doesn't hang or hold its shape nicely. It's like...almost..a dishcloth.

Let's get some more FOs under our belt!

Remember the little poncho? Well, I was thinking about steam blocking it but decided to wet block instead. I'm not really sure how to do this so bear with me. First, I gave it a nice bath in a capful of Wool-Lite. I love the smell. Alot of the berry colored water ran out of it turning the water a nice pink. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed. I squoze and sqouze and squoze. My hands smelled like salad from the vinegar in the yarn. It was quite interesting. They didn't turn pink though.

Then, I pinned it all nice and pretty to a towel. I wasn't really sure how to do the hood though...
I was thinking about putting it over a balloon for a few minutes but then decdied that pinning it down squarely would help. I had visions of the Yarn Harlot's shawl in my mind...

I actually pinned this out yesterday, it's still damp and it still needs fringe. I didn't know if I was supposed to add the fringe and then block or block then fringe. I don't know how to block, really. I just make it up. It looks straight and all the seams are matched up. This is actually the back and I am sad to say that you can kinda see where I switched from one skein to the next. I shouldn't have done it that way. Live and learn. Lorna's Laces yarn is beautiful! I adored the feel, the smell, the colors, everything about it and I will definitely use it again.

Speaking of switching skeins, I have been wanting to try some Fair Isle knitting. I have been looking for possibly a class or an easy hat pattern or something like that. Last night, I started watching the 39 episodes of Knitty Gritty that I have recorded and one of them was about making a Fair Isle sweater for a teddy bear. You knit a tube, like a tube top (I have no experience with tube tops, knitting them or ..using them.. personally....) and then you knit the sleeves. Each piece has a facing. Then, you figure out where the sleeves should go and you machine stitch on the tube top. You stitch down the length of the sleeve and then across four stitches and then up to the top. Twice. Then, you take a very deep breath and relax. Do not hyperventilate. You get your sharpest scissors out and you ... cut. That's the steek for those of you not up at midnight reading the Fair Isle book like I have been. Then, you stitch the top of the shoulders closed, insert the sleeve into the hole and sew from the front with the right side facing you. Isn't that interesting?

Check out Vickie Howell and a Fair Isle Video here.

Here is the Norwegian Teddy Bear Sweater Pattern so we can all try it out. I am thinking of doing this...seriously. It should really be done with Icelandic wool that will felt and hide any mess. In real sweaters they don't sew. Thread doesn't work like yarn does and can make the shoulders very uncomfortable. Teddy won't mind but we would. I'm scared to do this on a real sweater. Plus, it's very expensive to buy all that yarn. However, I would spit for a few dollars to make a teddy bear sweater for my teddy (who is old and I still have him!). Plus, this is a technique that I really want to learn. How will I ever broaden my horizons unless I explore new things? (note to self: Fair Isle - In, Tatting - Out)

BTW, speaking of Norway, I see that I have lotsa visitors from all over the place! I hope you are finding it interesting!! I wish you would leave comments, just say hi so I know you're all there and paying attention. Besides, I would love to visit your blogs and see your Fair Isle knitting, your socks, your family, your vacations and so forth.

OK, that's it for now. Next up: Iris Baby Blanket update and the new project: Spindle patterned socks in Gray Baby Ull! WOOL!! YAY!!!

Stay tuned!

P.S. I know that squoze isn't a real word. It probably will be someday though!

Baa Baa Brown Sheep

Thursday night was Knit Nite at the Village Knitter. They are celebrating their one year anniversary and gave out 25% off coupons. Being there was a major storm here (tornado warnings and everything!) and roads were flooded...and I almost have to pass there on my way home from the rockpile...and I had my coupon...and knitting in tow...how could I not stop in?

At knit nite, I worked on my Tofutsies. In fact, I will probably finish them this weekend depending on my other workload and ambition. I'm up to the toes!! I shopped and shopped for new yarn...plus, the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece came in. I had my 25% off coupon and I can never resist a sale. So, I got 6 skeins of that plus some Cascade Superwash for a scarf to be gifted and some sock yarn. There are two of those red ones but one didn't make the picture. It's not on the needles and won't be for awhile, just in another bag. The sock yarn is Wildfoote and the colors were gorgeous. Plus, relatively inexpensive and feels really, really nice. I can't wait to try it out.

I started the Iris Afghan which I adapted for worsted weight. (remember: I have a passion for itty bitty stitches) I casted on a multiple of 20 + 12 (132) and I'm using the cotton fleece on a size 6 needle. I just started this morning and here's what it looks like so far:

This is an easy pattern, great for a beginner, in fact. It's not quite mindless and the results are going to be lovely. You can't really see the texture yet but you will by the next picture. I am thoroughly enjoying this yarn! It's 80% cotton 20% wool and is available in a multitude of beautiful colors. It's much nicer than the Cotton-Ease, which I also like, but costs more. Cotton-Ease is great for its washability and for kid's knits but it's choice of colors is very limited. Cotton Fleece would be for some special projects. Perhaps I will make myself a Wallaby out of this. With my leftovers, I'll make a swatch like 6x6 inches, wash it and see how I like it. My Wallaby won't be white though. Maybe in Teddy Bear or Putty....(as if i don't have enough to knit..)

Well, time to go to the dojo and fetch DD from Karate! Tofutsie and Brown Sheep update next time! Plus, we could talk about my latest endeavor..........

You only live once, you know. I have to learn how to sew. I have three bedrooms upstairs in my abode and only one of them (DD's) has nice curtains. It would be nice if I could decorate things myself. Maybe whip up matching curtains, duvet cover and dust ruffle, coordinating pillows. These are books which show exactly such things. (remember: I cannot sew a lick).

Husband has also informed me that I need to whip out my violin and kick it up a notch as we are playing a christening in November. HA HA HA!! He's funny. I think I sound like a fourth grader. More time needs to be spent there.

I suppose I should just win the lottery so I could have time to clean my house, knit, sew, practice violin and piano. I could also fill my bathtub with my stash and wallow in it.

New Picture Wednesday! Tofutsie Time!

We went away for Columbus Day weekend this year. For those of you outside of the Northeast, we've been having a massive warm front. In fact, the south shore of Long Island openned the beaches, lifeguards and all, this past weekend. Everyone here enjoyed record breaking heat in the high 80's. We were in Lake George and Saratoga, 240 miles away from here and it was warm and beautiful.

My son was very happy that he grew to be 42 inches tall and was finally big enough to ride one of the grown up rollercoasters at the Great Escape! DD was unhappy that she wasn't big enough and is now faced with an entire year of eating broccoli so that she'll grow a bit.

Now for some nice pictures. Blogger won't let me upload these in massive giant size so we'll have to make due with small ones.

First we have a view of Lake George through the mighty oaks on the grounds of Fort William Henry in Lake George Village, NY. Sadly, leaves weren't at peak color yet...

The second picture is of one very scary 'ride' called the Skycoaster. That pole is 175 feet tall. There is a dock located several feet in front of it where they load people. The people are strapped in (1, 2 or 3 together) and then hoisted up on a cable. They're on a bungee cord and they're pulled diagonally to near the top of the pole, or as they say, "165 feet is the launch point". And then, it's free fall. They just...drop you. The second group of people went head first and then they went into the swing, like a pendulum. Eventually, you're reeled in like a fish......you grasp onto this loop at the end of a pole. The whole thing scared me and made my palms sweat and my heart race and I was merely a spectator.
These are my kiddies at Bolton Landing, NY, saying CHEESE. They didn't go on the Skycoaster but she wanted to! GEEZ!!
Another view of Lake George Village from Fort William Henry, some color is there!











Here's Tofutsie socks at Saratoga, going to the Spa!










Not to be outdone, the Jaywalker twins were there as well. I spent part of the ride up un-knitting the toes of these in hopes that I will finish them up very soon. The Tofutsies are on the foot part and I could sail through them very quickly now that the gusset decreases are done. In order to satisty my need for wool, I hit the yarn shop in Saratoga. Its a very nice shop and I got some Lang Jawoll and Baby Ull. The Baby Ull is steel gray, not as blue as it looks in that picture. I am going to make another pair of socks for my dear husband in the Baby Ull. Something nice, ribbed and manly; they'll have reinforced heels and toes. I haven't selected the pattern yet but retro-ribbed socks from one of the books I have (Favorite Socks?) is a possibility. We'll see.

Speaking of socks, I have elaborated even more on knitting two socks at once. I was putting one on a holder to get through the gusset but I think that I've solved that problem. I put part of the sock on a DPN and I'm able to turn once when I start the gusset and once again at the end of the gusset decreases. When I finished up, both socks were on the needle, instep on the back, sole on the front, ready to sail through the foot. I didn't have the reinforcing yarn with me. If you're reinforcing, you'll need to have two spools of reinforcing thread. I think I could devise a way to keep them both on the needle, so one entire heel with reinforcing thread and then switch over to the other and do the same. hmmmn...when I figure all of this out on my next pair of socks, I'll post how I did it. I'll try it again and this time: DOCUMENT for future reference.

Coming home from vacation took a very long time. Long enough for me to get through alot of my socks while DH drove. Unfortunately, there were several accidents on the road. One person turned a camper on its side, closing the road entirely. We had to drive on the grass. It appeared that no one was hurt badly, thank goodness.

I leave you now with one last photo. Only a few short hours earlier I was in beautiful Lake George. Alas, sunset over the Whitestone Bridge. Even the Bronx and Manhattan are beautiful at sunset.

Keep on Truckin'

Yesterday, I went to NYC to do some work. I took my camera with the intent of photographing my sock in Times Square. I didn't get to do it. I also didn't get to eat lunch or stop working from the time I arrived (9:45am) until about 6:50. I was famished! Good thing I can afford to miss a meal. I am telecommuting today so that I can actually do work as opposed to going to the office to do a bunch of meetings...or one big giant long one. Thank goodness for telecommuting.

I'm still not a seamstress. I hemmed my son's karate pants and they look awful. My DD gets her uniform on Thursday so at least I get another shot at it....got my white thread all ready! I did sew the patch on very nicely though. (flashback: having to do crewel embroidery of the Girl Scouts emblem circa 1973, damn satin stitch, endless. Buttonhole stitch: not too bad.)

Anyway, I have another problem. The pink wallaby is done and will be mailed to my niece in FL. who is about 2 1/2 now. The blue wallaby, for her brother, is well underway but I must've miscounted and I have one less stitch in the body. Yes, I'm a perfectionist and it's going to be frogged, four inches. C'est la vie! C'est la guerre! At least it wasn't hacked by DD, a/k/a "Texas Chain Saw Massacre Kid". I'll rip it out back to the ribbing to fix this.

So, being I rode the train yesterday, I got to work on the Tofutsies..They look soooo much bigger, hah? ... ahem......I've had it, time for the heel! I have to get these done. I am working with acrylic on the blanket, cotton / acrylic for the wallaby and the tofutsies. I am having wool withdrawal.

New Pix - Crochet Time!

Good Morning, another rainy weekend. We were supposed to cover our pool today but I don't think that that is going to happen. It's 64 and rainy and husband is off at work for about three hours. Perfect knitting weather!

The baby blanket is currently underway. I can make a square in only a few minutes and it's much faster for me to crochet a baby blanket than it is to knit one. I have one to finish by October and one for a December baby that is due on Christmas Day. I think these squares have just moved up to be my current portable project. The yarn is Paton's Astra that I had from a previous project. The pattern is nothing special, my own. This will be a boy blanket and I may do the edges in baby blue, haven't decided, that or white. I lean towards white on these things for some reason. I figure I have to make 36 squares, probably this will be 6x6, each square is about 6 inches across plus a small edging around the entire thing to even it up.

Meanwhile, in sock land.. do they look ANY bigger??? I guess they do. I am nearly ready to start the heel flaps. Being the baby blanket is mindless crochet, I can do that when I'm tired. As for the socks, my goal is to get to the heels today and then get up to the foot (two at once, feet?) no later than Monday. If I get up early enough every day next week, I can probably sail through the feet in two days. Then, I can screw up the toes and leave it to age properly for two or three months along with the Jaywalkers.

They are very pretty though. It's just the constant ribbing takes alot out of me...and I knit continental because I am really a crocheter at heart. Next pair of socks will be big man socks. I just haven't decided whether or not to make them out of wool. I am missing wool a bit. The baby blanket is acrylic, the socks are Tofutsies and the Wallaby is cotton/acrylic. I may need a Cherry Tree Hill or a STR (I have Mudslide on hand!!) for a wool fix.

Pictures of my sock family and staff are coming. Please stay tuned.

No New Picture Friday, Part Deux

Here it is, Friday. I am really slacking in posting. I've just been so swamped, kids are back at school, house is a mess, I'm enjoying my new washing machine. I don't even know if I told you about that or not, that's how much my head is spinning.

Well, cliff notes: Old 15 year old washing machine crapped out and we got a new one. It has all these nifty settings and I love it. Washing clothes has never been so much fun! So much fun that I have been neglecting the rest of the house.

There is junk everywhere. I have to call 1-800-GOT-JUNK and have them come in and throw everything out. But, there is just so much that I want and need. I just need a bigger place to keep my stuff.

I haven't been doing all that much knitting. I will show you some pictures tomorrow but don't get your hopes up. Things have been kinda the same. I am not knitting at lightening speed at all.

The Jaywalkers: Still on the back burner.
The Poncho: Still needs to be blocked and fringed.
The Tofutsies: Still knitting the legs, slow going, I tell you.
The Wallaby: Much progress but needs the pouch to be added.
The Baby Blanket: No where near done.
The Baby that will receive the Baby Blanket: 1 month till he comes! (It is a boy!)

AND, I have a nice new camera and no new pictures to show you.

Tomorrow, husband is working in the morning for awhile. I will probably let the kids sleep in until 8 or so and then have some alone time. Maybe even time for an illustrated post!

As for now, kids are jumping all over the place, have to go and watch them and knit some socks!

Some Things Never Change!

So, here it is September 10. My DD is four today. FOUR. That went so incredibly fast. Not only does she no longer need me but she's really not a baby any longer. We had a cake for her yesterday. She was so excited all day. I would think that she won't be able to contain herself today. She also promised to stop sucking her thumb when she turned four so let's see what happens.

She is really looking more and more like her mommy every day, I feel like I'm looking in the mirror alot of the time.

As for me, it's still going slowly. Saturday morning, I ripped out about six rows of sailor's ribbing. I put it back and then Saturday night ripped it out again. As you can see, the socks aren't really any bigger. I must have brain issues, this is not a hard pattern. It's that through the back loop thing that just blows my mind. That and it's so simple that I don't pay attention. I must be a lace girl. The Wallaby is in need of a pouch and I will try to get that going today. I have been doing some mindless knitting around and around on that one, maybe past the point of where I should've gone and now I have to count rows to make the pocket line up perfectly. That's ok. I've made this twice before now so this one should be cake. Just like the socks, cake.....ahem...

As you can plainly see, the socks aren't any bigger. Speaking of which, I have some time this morning so let me work on the socks a bit. I'm going to try to get through the heels today.

In other news, I thought I would update you on my fishtanks. I don't have any pictures of the baby fish but they've been mixed in with the general population now. I have a bunch of mid sized blonde guppies. My male black guppy has passed away but his lovely daughter, alas, is expecting. She's very young for this so we're keeping an eye on her. After all, in fish years, this would be a teen pregnancy. The pretty male guppy that was formerly attacked by the wicked skunk loach pictured below, finally has his tail growing back. I really do like the skunk loach but he just doesn't play nice. He has met his match in the gourami tank and things are much better. He doesn't mess with Brutus, my largest 'ready for the grill' blue opaline gourami. In fact, no one messes with Brutus, not even me.

I took this picture late at night, the only time the little feller comes out to terrorize the other fish. It's a bad picture but at least you get to see him. I think it's a him...hard to tell.

In any event, off to rib!

Gryffindor and the Eve of Destruction

Well, isn't that an interesting title for today's post? Why, you ask? Let me tell you. Firstly, Gryffindor. DS wants the Quidditch sweater from Charmed Knits and I ordered the yarn for it in Gryffindor colors. Eve of Destruction because tomorrow is the first day of kindergarten. The day that the school system officially takes my baby boy away from me. I'll be in tears and he can't wait to go. Of course, this isn't too big of a change for him. He's been in a daycare/school setting since he was born but now it's official. :(

First, I have alot of pictures to share today! I took this first shot because it was the most adorable little stick of butter I ever saw. Isn't it cute? I sure thought so. It's a half a stick, a peanut! A baby butter stick. Now, is that a good way to cut calories or what!?

Next up, Gryffindor colors from my most recent yarn order.

Official Gryffindor colors to make a nice Quidditch sweater and possibly a nice scarf for him. It's Plymouth Encore, my first project with it.

Our next photo is a picture of one of my DS's notebook covers. He'll be working out of three notebooks. Times have sure changed. When I was in Kindergarten is was just paint, blocks or color, cookies and milk. Now, it's real work! Anyway, look closely at the cover, it has a field that I didn't have on mine and it really caught my eye....

It's the third line. I think it used to say Name, Subject and Class? OK, bored yet? Time for some nicer things. For Labor Day, we went to the Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay.

I had never been there before and it was lovely. That's an inlet from the LI Sound and it's hilly, as close as we get to mountains on Long Island!

Here's some more, a shot of low tide one of my happy hubby and his happy wife. As you can see, everyday is bliss and I remind of him of that regularly. DS took the picture of us, that's why it's a little crooked and also the reason I posted it. I don't appear in too many pictures.... You can see even more Long Island Mountains in the background. There are some houses in those hills and they cost double digits millions. What a gorgeous view and what a gorgeous day!

We had some snacks for lunch at the picnic tables and discussed next year's vacation. We are considering camping with two or three other families for a long weekend up at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park. This would be next summer but I have to plan now. This would involve a purchase of tons of camping equipment as I am not a camper, I am a Holiday Inn kind of gal. I suppose I could last in a tent as long as I wasn't in the backwoods like the Yarn Harlot did this past weekend. It would be car camping, real facilities. I just picture the 3AM, "mommy, I have to go potty" and there being bears out there. I wouldn't be afraid if it was Yogi and Cindy Bear though so Jellystone it is. LL Bean, here I come.....

I have been avoiding the issue but I should update you on the Wallaby and the Sailor's Rib sock.

First,the Wallaby. I was happily knitting along and came to a knot in the yarn. I'll be able to hide it behind the pouch. That hasn't really grown much since I last showed it to you. As for the sock, this twisted ribbing and ribbing in general is just a slow go. I also had to rip out 10 rows because I skipped a row and didn't notice. It looks like an easier pattern than it is I think. It's not hard but requires some thinking, certainly not mindless knitting. It looks very nice and makes for an interesting fabric and I am beginning to actually like the Tofutsies that I'm making it out of, except for the color.

They're coming along nicely. I'm going to try and finish them this week but we'll have to see how it goes. I'll be home all week, working Thursday and Friday from home. Next day in the office is September 10th, DD's fourth birthday!

So, I think that that is all I have for now. Time to get running around, doing errands, returning a library book that is past due and cleaning up even more.

New Picture Friday

So, we've established the fact that vacation is over. This is the very last summer Friday of 2007. I am home through September 10th now, with two days of telecommuting in there, next Thursday and next Friday. There is no excuse to not finish the new wallaby and the new socks. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that I started a new Wallaby? Breaking all the rules here. I have to re-do the toes of the Jaywalkers, add the fringe to the poncho and still I have two new WIP: Tofutsies socks - Sailor's Rib and another Wallaby in size 12 for my nephew. This is also out of CottonEase, color is Lake. I wish that they'd come out with more colors already! Maybe later I will do the pouch on this. I am feeling tired today.

In other news, the washing machine broke down and the new one doesn't come until next Thursday. I got one of those top of the line front loader ones that does everything. Amazing that we used to get by with less than this. Everything gets cheaper (tvs, tape decks, computers, etc.) except appliances. They get fancier all the time. I think this one makes grilled cheese.

In other news, I am still reading Harry Potter! I am having a hard time staying away at night. I am also procrastinating about taking apart my entire house and getting rid of junk that we don't need. I also have to pay the bills, do laundry, vacuum the pool, go food shopping and knit. There is just no time for anything else. Maybe I'll win lotto and will have a maid, a nanny and a pool boy to take care of the pool.

Oh well, kids, who are still in their PJs and it's 11:00 AM, are watching Spiderman, the first movie. I matters well add some rows to my socks.....