Future Socks

Socks for Sam

Regia Jacquard Color #5173

Socks for Devin

Lane Cervina Forever Jacquard Color #20

Trek Along with Me Socks

Trekking XXL color #23
I wound up my Trekking this morning and discovered a knot about 3/4 of the way through. This is the first time I've encountered a knot. I now have 2 yarn cakes, one much larger than the other. My plan is to use the larger yarn cake first and see how it goes. I'll do a shorter leg than I normally would. Maybe I can get a pair of socks before I run out and without having to work in a join of two yarns.

I've also made some progress on my flamingo socks.

I'm planning to spend more time on these today. I hope to get the leg done and start on the heel flap. But before I get back to these socks, I'm going to quit procrastinating and start on the baby blanket I need to make. The primary color in it is going to be blue, so it is the perfect project for Project Spectrum. June's color is blue.

Lisa Souza Yarn Arrives

My Lisa Souza yarn order arrived yesterday. It is yummy! My 8-year-old right away determined that the one was watermelon. I can't wait to see how these knit up. Even though it doesn't show in the picture, they both have a little green in them, too.

What A Melon on the left and Can't Elope on the right

I also stopped by my LYS this afternoon. I decided that 1 set of size 1 DPNs is not enough. So, I popped in to get another set. I was very good and only bought the needles. They did have some very pretty Trekking that almost came home with me, but I already have enough sock yarn to last me a very long time. In fact, I think I need to put a spell on my knitting needles so they will knit while I'm at work.

I've got a lot planned for this long weekend. I've got to get some work done in my neglected yard. I haven't planted anything yet this spring and my lilac and forsythia bushes need a trim. I'm planning on lots of colorful annuals for the front flowerbeds and I'd like to plant some herbs in the back. I haven't decided what herbs I'm going to plant, but so far I'm thinking oregano, thyme and rosemary. I've already got an English lavendar growing. It gets bigger every year.

I've also got knitting and crocheting plans. I'm hoping to get to the half-way point on my flamingo socks and I want to do some swatching for future sock projects. I've also got to get started on a baby afghan for a co-worker...no more procrastinating on this one. And last but not least, I'm going to try to crochet up some more squares for Heartmade Blessings

Standing on One Foot

Well, that's what flamingos do, isn't it?? I finished one flamingo sock last night.



I've already cast on for my second sock. And I'm hopeful that they will be identical. The first ended with enough to cast on for the second sock, so that I could start them at the same spot in the pattern without wasting a lot of yarn. I'd like to get these done by the end of the month, but I'm not that fast a knitter.

I've decided on which ball of Trekking I'm going to use for the Trek Along with Me knit-a-long. I want to wind it into a ball and check for knots before June 1st. And since I've never used Trekking before, I need to knit a gauge swatch. So, provided I don't encounter any surprises when I wind it up, I'll be using #23.

A Bit of Green

I finished the green dishcloth today.


I also worked on some green (or mostly green) squares.

I'll have to find some complimentary colors to bring them all up to 12", but that shouldn't be too difficult. Once I've done that, I'll spend some time weaving in ends. I usually wait till I have a pretty big stack of stuff that needs ends to be woven in before I sit down to do it.

In stash news, I went to Target today and purchased a cabinet for my sock yarn storage. I put it together all by myself and loaded up my sock yarn. As of right now, the cabinet is completely full. I'm going to have to get busy knitting some of that stash so I have room for more. Here's some pics.

Closed up tight


Top Shelf (mix of Regia, Trekking, Fortissima Socka, Opal and Meilenweit


Bottom Shelf (It's all Opal!)


And hading in the bottom drawer (mostly handpaints and a lonely ball of Trekking)

Kool-Aid & Cotton

Today, my youngest 2 sons and I tried our luck with dying cotton yarn with Kool-Aid. Pretty much all the directions on the web say it won't work with cotton, but we had to give it a try anyway. Plus it kept the boys occupied for an hour or so.

I had picked up several packs of Kool-Aid recently on a trip to store. It was on sale, 7 packs for $1.00. It's usually never that cheap!! I had planned to order some of the Knit Picks Color Your Own Fingering Weight yarn as a Mother's Day gift to myself, but they are sold out until the end of June.

I had two balls of ecru Bernat Handicrafter Cotton sitting here, so I thought, what the heck! We'll give it a try.

Here are the results.

Sam used 2 packets of Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade, 2 cups of hot water and an unmeasured amount of white vinegar.



Devin used 2 packets of Pink Lemonade and 1 packet of Cherry, 2 cups of hot water and 1/3 cup of white vinegar.



Since I ended up not being able to order myself the yarn from Knit Picks that I wanted. I decided yesterday that I would buy something else. I was browsing the beautiful colors at Lisa Souza's Knitwear and Dyeworks. I'd been wanting to get her What A Melon colorway for a while now. So, when I noticed that she had a new colorway, Can't Elope, I decided that it was time for me to finally place an order. I ordered one of each in her Sock! line. I'll be anxiously patiently waiting for them to arrive.

In knitting and crocheting news, I'm still working on my first flamingo sock (no progress pic today). I've got about a 1/4 inch more to go on the foot before I start with toe decreases. I also started (on a whim) today a green dishcloth. I've never knit a dishcloth before so decided I should try it. I'm using Grandmother's Favorite Discloth Pattern.



I pulled out a few partial skeins of green yarn, but haven't started on any squares for Heartmade Blessings yet.

I joined the Trek Along with Me knit-a-long today. I've got a few balls of Trekking XXL in my stash, so I'll have to decide which one I'm going to use for this. It officially kicks off on June 1, so I've still got a little time to decide. Here's what I've got in my stash. It's gonna be a tough decision.

Project Spectrum

I signed up for Project Spectrum today. The color for this month is green. Green being my favorite color, of course, I want to participate. But what to make? My current sock project certainly doesn't fit that color scheme.

A co-worker of mine asked me to make her a baby blanket, but the colors she selected (blue & yellow) don't quite fit either. So, since the month is more than half over, I think I will concentrate on making squares for Heartmade Blessings. I haven't made many squares lately or been very active in the group because I've been working on other knitting/crochet projects.

I'm headed to the library tonight. I'm sure I'll have at least 1 kid tagging along. We have some books to return and I'm hoping to score a couple good movies for the kids for the weekend. The weather has been so rainy lately that I need something for them to do inside. If I get lucky, the weather will be nice and they will play outside most of the day.

Pictures!

Here's a pic of my most recently completed pair of socks! They were made with Meilenweit Fantasy color #4730. Construction is top down on size 2 DPNs (8 stitches per inch).

And also a pic of my current project, Opal Rainforest Flamingo. These are being done on size 1 DPNs at 9 1/2 stitches per inch.

I'm hoping to complete the gusset shaping tonight while watching the Survivor finale. Now to get the kids in the tub.

Errands and Laundry and Chores, Oh My!

Today, being Saturday, means it's time for errands and chores. After working all week, who wants to do that? Not me, of course, but someone has to do it.

The errands are done. PetSmart for dog food and treats. Best Buy for an upgrade of Norton Internet Security. Home Depot for a flower for my recently acquired step-mom for Mother's Day. And last, a stop at my dad's to drop off the flower for my step-mom...they weren't home. But my brother was there changing his oil, so I was able to drop off the flower and leave a note.

The laundry is slowly moving along. I think I have 3 or 4 more loads to go. So, now it's time for the cleaning up. This is the part I really hate, because what I really want to do is sit down on the couch with a crochet hook or some knitting needles.

I made some progress on my sock last night. I was able to finish the leg and start on the heel flap.

It seems I am procrastinating, so I'm off to do some cleaning. Pictures of my most recently completed socks, and progress pics on my current sock to be posted later.

The First Post

I finally took the plunge and started a blog. The plan is to post all things related to my sock knitting and crochet projects. But we'll see how that goes.

I'll be heading out to the local car cruise tonight in my 1966 T-Bird soon.

I plan to take my current sock project along. I'm currently working on a pair of Opal Rainforest Flamingos. The kids are getting restless and I've still got to pack up some snacks before we head out.

More posts to come....