Instant Gratification....

... That is what you get when you knit baby socks. I had enough left over Cherry Tree Hill in the Tide Pool colorway to knit up a pair of newborn socks. If only I had a wee one to model them. These will either be put aside for a baby shower or donated to the local Pegnancy Care Center. I knit a 1 x 1 rib under the cuff so they would be more likely to stay on. I sent a copy of the pattern to Cindy to try out, she has a new granddaughter, so she can give them a test run. I have a pair of sage green cable socks, (more boyish) in the works too.

Remember the "Navajo" Pagewood Farms, Glacier Bay 3 ply yarn, I shared last week from The Yarn Grove ... I wound it and started a pair of socks. It is a dream to knit with. Tightly spun, no splitting, and feels a lot like Jitterbug. My eldest is reluctantly modeling them for me, (she doesn't like the color). This one is a tad tight over my heel, but fits her perfect. So I am knitting the second one on a size bigger needle for the leg and then will frog this one and reknit it to fit my foot. I decided to see how it would knit up with a slightly thinner yarn too. So, I modified the stitch count a bit and cast on in the Woolly Boully Meanie "Neopolitan" color. The eldest does like these, but so do I, unfortunate for her. This yarn is so soft and is as light as air almost. It also has a nice tight spin. Notice that little bit of snow on the pine. The sun is shining now and you would never have imagined that this is what it looked like a few minutes ago That foggy look is snow coming down. It has been doing this all day, snow storms with near white out conditions, and then sunshine. Since it was 62 degrees here yesterday I don't imagine any of this will stick around, but the roads will be a frozen mess tomorrow since it is supposed to get rather cold tonight.

And of course blogger has not fixed the spell check yet, so again, my apologies.

Have a great week!!!

Whoo Hoo ....

...a two hour delay this morning. I am not a morning person. I never have been, and working night shift for several years has not helped to change that. So this morining when DH got out of the shower and told me there was a 2 hour delay, it was music to my ears. If I could sleep until 8:30 every morning, I would be a happy camper. It is like an ice rink in our neighborhood, in some places it even loooks like someone has driven a Zamboni over the road. The kids were "skating" up and down the sidewalk this morning while waiting for the bus. That always makes me nervous. I am so worried one of them will slide out into the road.

Look what I got yesterday. I ordered it from Sonny and Shear Today is the last day of the 1 st year anniversary sale, so you still have time to order. Everything is 25% off, just use the code OneYear. The yarn is from PigeonRoof Studios and the color is Delight. I have not wound it yet, but on the hank it reminds me of Koigu. I wish I had thought to take a picture before I opened everything, the packaging was to nice.

I finished a pair of socks yesterday too. The Lace -agons are officially finished. They are knit in Cherry Trre Hill Supersock in the Tide Pool color. The pattern and yarn are available at The Loopy Ewe. It is a pretty quick knit also.

And I have been working a little on the Dream in Colors "Into the Mystic" socks. This yarn is reallly nice to work with. Also from The Loopy Ewe. And The Loopy Ewe just got in some Paca Peds sock yarn. I have not tried this yarn yet, but the colors are gorgeous, and I think I am going to have to order some very soon.

And, lest you think I have abandoned the mission of knitting mates for all the singletons, esp with all this new yarn joining the stash, I am happy to let you know, I cast on for the second sock of a pair that has been long neglected. Maybe I will be able to finish it this week.

Well, I must slide back over to the doctors office. As much as I like sleeping in, it kind of messed up the routine. The office only draws blood from 7:30 to 11 in the morning and with the girl child not getting on the bus until a little after 10 this morning, I managed to get to the office at 11:01 and the lab girl was already gone. So back I go.

Have a great week everyone. OH, and of course the spell check is still not working : (

Adding to the Collection

The Yarn Grove had a wonderful Superbowl Sunday sale this past weekend. Each quarter they had different yarns, accessories and patterns on sale. It was hard to make a decision each quarter, not knowing what was going to be coming up in the next quarter. So in the first quarter I purchased this J. Knits Superwash Me Sock in the Connecticut colorway. I love this color combination.

Also in the first quarter I purchased a hank of Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome in the Indian Summer colorway. I love how this yarn knits up, it is soft and smooshy, and I love this color.

I sat out in the second and third quarters. I loaded up my shopping cart and then emptied it again. I was on a budget and was really hoping to acquire some of the new Pagewod Farms sock yarn. Finally in the fourth quarter it popped up on the sale page. Then the hardest part was deciding on a color. I chose the Navajo. This stuff has a wonderful, tight spin. And since I have already broke my commitment to finish all socks before starting new ones, I am going to have to wind this.... and of course, knit with it. And I am happy to say, my sock yarn collection is no longer lacking in blues.

And here are some of the socks that I have started. I can't believe how quickly I caved in. .... who am I trying to kid, I am surprised I lasted as long as I did. Anyway, I realized I have not knit a pair of socks for Karen in a while, so I started a pair for her in my Wollmeise pattern (it is a free download from The Loopy Ewe.) I am knitting these in some Great Adirondack Soxie, in the Beach House color. She knows I am knitting them for her, so it is OK to show and tell. Twice in the past week she has told me she is not a "green" person, so I was worried about giving these to her. I am further along now, but I had to tell her about them so I would know if I needed to knit them longer to fit my foot : ) She said she likes the color so these are for her.

And then Cindy started my Furrows sock pattern in some Trekking and I really liked how it was knitting up in a self striping yarn, so I started another pair of those in some Meilenweit Multiringel. I omitted the ribbed cuff on these and started with a short garter stitch cuff which forms a nice little scalloped top. These are now the take along socks. The pattern is easy to remember and it is a quick knit. I got quite a bit done on these today waiting for the kids at the allergists.

And the Dream in Colors Smooshy in the Into the Mystic color is becoming this sock. I am on the gusset decreases of this sock now.

Well I think that is it for this week. I am going to go sit with the DH and watch a little TV and knit. Have a great week end everyone.

Oh, and Blogger still doesn't have the spell check working, so ..... sorry !!!

Disappointment With the Weather "people"...

For the past two days, the weather"people" and their fancy radar and doppler equiptment, have been telling us to prepare for the winter storm of the season. The "storm" was supposed to blow in around late afternoon yesterday and continue through today. At 5, they changed the time of the pending "winter blast" to 7 PM, at 7, it was changed to 10 PM. I love snow, so I was very excited about all the winter weather advisories and the promise of 8 inches of snow. I didn't even care about the threat of the sleet we may get before the snow. As much as I love the snow, I don't care for the ice. I gave up waiting for the arrival of the white, fluffy stuff around 1 AM and went to bed. Imagine my surprise when I got up this morning and DH said, "why are you up, there is no school today?" You would have thought I was the one having a snow day. I went to the front door to take a look out side ........ NOTHING. Why is school cancelled?... where is my promised, biggest snow of the season? This is what it looked like. How sad is that? We did have a little ice. DH said the roads were clear all the way to work. Two weeks ago, the kids should have had a snow day because of the ice, or at least a 2 hour delay, but they didn't. Instead all the buses were late, and the kids were standing at the bus stops forever waiting. I don't understand the weathermen/women and their faulty radar, and I don't understand the requirements for snow days. I am happy to have the kids home though.

Now this, brightened my day. I got a package from Jessi. It had the beautiful prize yarn I won from her blog contest. I have not knit with either of these yarns. The Yarn Pirate is Butternut and the Lime & Violet is Spooky Pooky. There goes my resolve to finish all the singletons. I am a comfort knitter. I am going to wind some new yarn and knit something else to ease the disappointment of not being able to go play in the snow.

I finished the Ballband Bag. It is felted and blocked and dry. I need to give it a light shave as it is a little fuzzier than I prefer. It needs a button too. I will have to search in the button drawer, but I am pretty sure I don't have anything that will work with this. I searched and searched for something to use to block this. When I made the first couple, we had some PC game boxes that were the perfect size for this bag. DH threw them away when he was cleaning out the closet. The girl child just did a report on the Manatee, and these books were the perfect size. I put them is some plastic bags....and into the bag they went. No Library books were damaged in the process.

Well Blogger is being a stinker. It has taken forever to get pictures to upload and the spell check won't work. And trust me, I need Spell Check. So, I apologize.

I am going to go wind some yarn now. Have a geat weekend!!!!

We Have a Winner!!!

Adrienne guessed the correct number of socks in the sock drawer. There were 48 pair in that drawer. I have sent you an email Adrienne, and I will get your Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in the mail as soon as I get your mailing address. Thanks so much, all of you, for participating in my little guessing game. It was fun, I will have to have another contest soon.

Now, the finished sock parade continues. First finished, are the ones I started last week. These are the Aran Socks and are knit in Louet Gems Sport Wt in Cream. I knit these at a pretty tight gauge for sport wt yarn, but I think it is perfect for socks. Karen is knitting them in CTH supersock at the same gauge and says they look great. I haven't seen hers yet, but she promises to post a picture of them soon.

Next finished were the Mini Pretzel Twists. I don't know why I waited so long to finish these. I think it may have been because I know it will be a while before I can get more Wollmeise, and I wanted to prolong the knitting experience. I do love this yarn. It is a bit splitty at times, but the knitted fabric is wonderful. And the colors are fantastic. I think I am going to have to order directly from The Wollmeise. It is like a Wollmeise frenzy at The Loopy Ewe when it is in stock. I was fortunate to get a skein in two other restocks, but not the last one. It went unbelievably fast.

And off the needles last night, Furrows knit in Fleece Artist Merino sock yarn in the Hercules colorway. This yarn was a gift from Karen. Sorry about the picture. It is rainy and gloomy out today. This is a really quick knit. When I got the toe closed on this pair and the ends woven in, I started the second Lace-agon sock. I am working on the heel flap of that one. The pile of singletons is dwindling, thank goodness. I have yarn screaming at me to be tried. The Dream in Color Smooshy is talking the loudest. I may have another distraction..... like the Aran socks.

Well, I am off to do more laundry and then knit for a while.

Have a great week!!!!

Awards and Contests

I got a comment from Hakucho yesterday, telling me to check her blog for an award. And there was this : That is so sweet. I have seen these on other blogs and I am so honored to get one myself.

Here are the rules:

Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about Blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!

There are way more than 10 but I am going to list the ones I check first every day.

Karen : my sister and best friend. She just started a new job, go wish her good luck.

Hakucho : who gave me the award but not because she did that. I love the items she makes and that she shares them with us and she always seems to be working on a charitable gift like a prayer shawl, she always has a kind work to leave in the comments...etc

Janice : I love to read her blog and see what she is making both crafting and cooking : )

Beth: She has given me so much encouragement in my knitting ventures and I appreciate

that.

Pat: Pat makes the most beautiful socks and other knitted goodies too and she makes wonderful quilts too. What an inspiration.

Brooke: knits wonderful things and her blog always makes me smile and usually laugh.

Another Beth : I love looking at the socks she is knitting and the yarn she is spinning and Thursday dog pics.

Sheila : who knits beautifully but she also posts the most beautiful pictures of the South West

Allison: Also another fantastic knitter, but I am so inspired by the way she photographs her yarn and knitting works of art, I often find myself going to her blog to look at all the beautiful pictures.

Diane I love that she is able to stick to her charity knitting goals. I found the 25 things for Charity through her blog and I joined and failed miserably last year, but seeing she has already knit more than that so far this year, has inspired me to do better.

OK that is 10, there are many more that I read daily, but I am going to stop there, just in case I need to tag more at a later time.

And I have decided to have a little contest too..... just because I feel like it. I am going to post a picture of 1 of my sock drawers. This drawer is 2 feet x 2 feet and is about 11 inches deep. It by no means holds all of my hand knit socks. It is usually a little more organized than this but I didn't want to make it too easy for you.

So all you need to do is guess how many pair of socks you think are in this drawer and leave a comment on this post. The prize will be a hank of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Brights. How that ballband fell off of that yarn is beyond me, because I cannot slide it back on. It is reds, with some blue and black in it. I will stop taking guesses next Monday January 28, and will post the winner Tuesday. If more than one person guesses correctly I will let the random number generator pick the winner from those.

Have a great week all and Happy Knitting!!!!

Failure .... Kind of

Well, I gave into the temptation and started a new sock. Surprisingly enough, not with one of my new, beautiful, sock yarns. It was something in my stash. Something plain, calling out to be knit into a nice cabled, textured sock. Something other than a plain vanilla sock that seems to be the majority of the singletons I have stashed everywhere throughout the house. I have to tell you, I think I just need to stop knitting basic stockinette stitch and ribs. I cast on for these, and as soon as I wove in the last end of the first sock, the second one was on the needles. I love them. The first one fits wonderfully,and it is very comfortable. I will get back to the singetons as soon as I am finished with this pair .... I promise.

I also started another BallBand Felted Bag . It has been a while since I have knit one of these. Beth brought it to my attention that there was a group on Ravelry knitting this, so I joined. And since it has been a while since I knit one, I thought I better cast on for one to refresh my memory. So I dug through my stash. Wouldn't you know, I gave my last 2 balls of Noro to the knitting daughter about a week ago, so that was out. I found some Rio De La Plata in Chinchilla and some variegated Malabrigo, I am unsure of the color, and cast on. They are more complimentary colors than contrast colors, but I think it is going to look very nice. I forgot how fast these are to knit.

And I was so excited to learn I had won a blog contest. Alabama Fiber Dreams was celebrating her blogiversary and was giving away some wonderful prizes. And I was a lucky winner. I have not knit with either of the 2 sock yarns she is giving away, Lime & Violet’s Sasquatch Sock and Yarn Pirate’s Merino/Tencel blend. I have seen beautiful socks knit with both of these, and am looking forward to knitting them up into socks. Thanks Jessi !!! for the yarn and the wonderful blog. Go check out her spinning, it is wonderful. That is on my list of things to learn to do.

Well, I better go do a little house cleaning (yuck) before the kids get home from school. The boy child needs to get allergy shots today, so that will be an hour of knitting time later on : )

Have a great week!!!!

Socks And a Bag ......

.....from the knitting daughter 1. She swore off knitting for a while after the fingerless mitt knitting marathon we had. But her friends were so impressed with her knitted gifts, she decided to make one of her friends a felted bag for her Birthday. We still need to get a few buttons for the little tab thingy, otherwise it is done. Apparently I have no suitable buttons in the infamous button drawer. She knit this bag with Cascade 220 and the pattern is Lagoon from the Pursenality Plus Book. I think she did a fantastic job with just minimal assistance. She has picked out a few more bags she would like to make for herself, so I am sure she will be raiding my Cascade 220 stash in the near future. She already has several felted bags, but apparently you can not have too many.

And on the sock knitting front, I have finished 2 more pair. Thank you all for your encouragement and compliments. I have come to find that most of the singletons are plain vanilla socks, either a simple rib or a stockinette stitch. Maybe I should not make as many of those, since they seem to be put into hibernation the most. It just seems that some yarns and colors want to be plain vanilla. First finished is Mountain Colors, Bearfoot in the Firestorm color. I know this sock was at least 3 other patterns before it became a 4 x 2 rib. 60 stitches and size 1 needles. These are wonderfully soft, and smooshy. I know they will be exceptionally warm. I will wait to wear them this weekend when we have single digit temperatures.

And the second to be finished this week are the Great Adirondack Soxie in the Kenya color. Again a plain vanilla sock, 68 stitches and size 1 dpns. This yarn is very much like CTH Supersock. Same feel, same tight twist and wonderful to knit with. I have 2 other pair close to being finished, maybe by the end of the week. One pair knit in CTH Supersock Potluck Brights, and the other in Fleece Artist in the Hercules color.

Last night was the sneak up at The Loopy Ewe As soon as I go the email I dashed over to the site, only to find all the other Wollmiese shoppers had crashed the site. By the time it came back up the site was soooo slow and it was saying there were only 6 colors left, actually there were only 3. As I was putting them into my shopping cart, loopy fell over again, so I waited a minute and tried again, by now there was only one color remaining so I put it in my cart since it was one I wanted, only to have it bought out of my cart before I could click on the checkout button. I guess it was not meant to be. I have been fortunate to get some in other sneak ups so I was not too disappointed. There is always the next time or the time after that. But I do love the Wollmeise and the fantastic colors she produces.

I did, however, decide to try out some new needles. I went over the The Yarn Grove to order some of the Hiya Hiya needles . Has anyone knit with these. I have heard good things about the stainless steel circular needles, but have not heard much about the dpns. They are reasonably priced, so I thought I would give them a try. I am expecting some Harmony dpns any day now too. What am I thinking, ordering more needles when I am trying so hard to get my other needles empty. I may be my own worst enemy in this endeavor.

Happy Knitting everyone and have a great week.

Is Gopher Wood Still Available ?????

......I think we need to build an ark. We have had so much rain in the last week, with more still to come. DD1 is worried they will have to use snow days for flood days, and she is not thrilled about having to make up any time at the end of the year. They used to allow 3 incorporated "snow " days into the school schedule, but have reduced it to 1 ... I think. Not much of a winter so far here, but it is early yet .... maybe we will get some snow worth mentioning sometime, we are definitely making news with the rainfall.

Well.... there is a crack in my pursuit of finishing the singletons. But just a crack. It is not broken .... yet. I have heard so much about this wonderful Dream in Colors Smooshy, but for some reason had not purchased any. That is until this week.... I caved. And surprisingly, I bought a color I would not normally purchase. But I was drawn to it. I put it in my cart, and then took it out of my cart. Then I left The Loopy Ewe site all together. About 15 minutes later I went back, put the same color in my cart, looked around, put numerous other items in my cart, then emptied my cart and again, left the computer. Only to come back about 20 minutes later. This yarn was still there. It must be a sign ..... right? So I clicked checkout and it was promptly delivered today. Into the Mystic is the color. I may have to wind this .... I have no control over some things in life. So far I have been strong, but I have only had it in my possession for an hour. It feels really nice. It is soft and "smooshy" but honestly, I have fondled, umm I mean felt other yarns just as soft. So I am thinking I will just have to knit it, to see what all the hype is. That must be the true test. And only then will I know...... you know, just to be sure I have not been mislead.

I have finished 2 more pair of socks. I am close to finishing 2 other pair. But darn, if I don't keep finding more of those pesky singletons. How does one cure oneself of the Second Sock Syndrome.

First: the Opal Fish. I know I started these over a year ago. I had forgotten all about them. When I was searching for a different yarn I found the lonely sock, and since I think it is the oldest singleton I have, it was the first to be finished. Just a simple 3 x 1 rib on the leg and a stockinette stitch foot. Size one needles and 68 stitches. And they match perfectly. Look how dark the picture is, and it was 3 PM when I took it.. Flash required even outside. But I couldn't go off the porch due to the rain.

Second: the Stone Barn Fibers in the Lamurple colorway. This is the Zig then Zag pattern, but with a short row heel. This yarn feels very similar to Cherry Tree Hill and Shibui. The design shows up better in person and in better lighting.

Speaking of Cherry Tree Hill, earlier last year I designed two sock patterns for Cherry Tree Hill in the Sockittome yarn. They are available now where their patterns are sold. Sockittome Lace and Simple Sockittome are the 2 I designed. I am so excited about this. I have really been enjoying designing and actually having then published.

Well I need to pick the youngest up from church..... and then maybe google that gopher wood. Have a great weekend and Happy Knitting!!!

Same Mission ... New Year

I am still on the same mission .... the one I get on every now and then, that is until I am overcome with the overwhelming desire to cast on with a new yarn or a new design. I am finishing single socks .... I know .... again !! We will see how long my resolve will last this time.
First up: Kaitlin's socks. These were supposed to be for her Birthday in October. Better late than never right. She loves them. She says they are quite warm and her chilly toes appreciate that. The picture really doesn't show the unusual color combination in between the primary stripes. She asked for them not to match, but I couldn't bring myself to do that ... esp when it was so easy to match these.

Next were the Classic Elite Alpaca Sox in the Baby Blues. This is my Cool Breeze pattern. Very warm socks even with the lace. I wore these the other day when it was in the single digits outside with my Birks and had very warm footsies. And they are oh so soft.

Then were the Spritely Goods in the Peppercorn color. A cabled sock. It is the Cables Galore with a ribbed cuff instead of the cable cuff. I purchased this yarn from The Loopy Ewe also.

And then last night I finished my first pair of the New Year. These are knit in Yarn Love. I don't remember the colorway name and have misplaced the ball band. This yarn was in my Loopy Groupie prize bag when I attained groupie status. Just a 3 x 1 rib on the leg and a plain stockinette foot.

And as soon as I wove in the tails on these I cast on for the second sock of another pair. I think this one may have been hibernating for almost a year. I will post a picture of them when I finish the pair. They are knit in Opal in the Fish color from the first Rain Forest collection. I think when I go searching for all the singletons I may be surprised or shocked by the number of socks there are stashed throughout the house. I know I had forgotten all about the Fish socks and a pair I discovered last night knit in Bearfoot. All I can say is, I should never run out of hand knit socks.

My patterns have been restocked at The Loopy Ewe if you care to take a look. Included in the last shipment were the patterns for the new mitts and the latest socks.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

A very Happy Boy Child

Well, I finished knitting for the boy child and he is very happy. I didn't get the fingerless gloves done until today, but finished they are. I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the pictures. It is blindingly bright out today, casting shadows everywhere. I no sooner got the last tail woven in and these were grabbed from my hands. This is what he has really been wanting me to make him the most. I hope he takes them off to bathe. You just never can tell with a 13 year old boy. He did take them off when he loaded the dishwasher, so there is hope.

And, I finished both pair of socks. And they fit wonderfully, Fred Flintstone feet and all. The multi colored pair is knit in Lang Jawoll. I couldn't tell any difference in the yarn even though the skeins were bought in different stores and 7 years apart. Well, the second skein may have felt a tad thinner, but no noticeable difference in color.

And the second pair is in Jaeger Matchmaker Merino 4 ply. That was probably a big mistake on my part, as there is no nylon in the yarn. I have talked to him about running around outside in his stocking feet, and the fact they need to be washed on a regular basis. We will see how that works out. If he wants me to knit more socks for him, he will abide by the rules. Esp, since his feet are adult sized now and it takes longer to knit them. That time could be well spent knitting socks for moi.

DD1 was having a fit because I knit 3 items for him and I still have not finished her socks. She seems to have forgotten the fingerless mitt knitting marathon that went on last week. But I will work on those this week and a pair for the youngest DD also. (I have to keep these things even, lest I hear I have favorites :) The youngest loves the thought of having the hand knits but she really doesn't wear them. She loves to be bear foot, even in the winter. She is always hot, so she peels sweaters off as soon as she is inside. But still she asks for them, and I oblige ... usually.

Well I am off to knit the socks for the eldest. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a safe and Happy New Year.

How Many Days Left 'Til Christmas????

Wow!!! it has been a while. I am going to whine a bit, so beware. Two weeks ago I felt an odd sensation in my ear. I rubbed it and discovered blood running out of my ear. hmmmmm ... this can't be good. After a visit to the MD to confirm I had a ruptured eardrum I realized the ear pain really was ear pain and not my TMJ. It seems to be doing well now. But then came the flu. I am calling it the flu and not a cold as I have ached in every possible joint in my body, fevers, chills, a throat that feels like it is on fire and a cough you would not believe. How am I supposed to get my knitting and shopping done. Does my body not realize it is Christmas in just a few short days?? OK .... enough of the pity party and onto knitting content.

I have finished a pair of socks and all I can show you are the feet. I will tell you they are knit in J. Knits AC 130. I really liked knitting these and the yarn was great to work with.

I have another pair half finished. I was lucky to get some of the one of a kind special yarn from Cherry Tree Hill, that The Loopy Ewe had last week. This is in the Tide Pool colorway. Their same fantastic yarn, I think they are just trying different dyes out, or something like that. This pattern will be available sometime after the New Year at The Loopy Ewe.


As will this design for these fingerless mitts I am knitting for my daughter's teacher. I must get these finished today as their last day of school is tomorrow. I should have no trouble finishing them as long as I can convince the knitting daughter she really can finish the last pair of her Christmas knitting on her own.

And speaking of the knitting daughter's Christmas knitting. She came home a week or two ago with this idea that she was knitting fingerless mitts for several of her friends. At their request, I might add. I have been knitting fingerless mitts, but they have disappeared as quickly as I finished them. And apparently, none of those were in the correct colors. She wanted to know if I had any left over yarn I didn't need anymore???? Is there even such a thing??? So I searched through the stash for odds and ends or balls that are too small to become anything big and came up with yarn she needed for all of them. Some of the yarn is nicer than some others, but what is a mom to do. I feel kind of bad about the baby blue pair because it is Red Heart baby yarn, but only because the teal pair is Classic Elite Posh, a Cashmere/ Silk blend and the gray pair is a handspun, wonderful merino I got in an exchange. There was just enough for a small project and I hate to part with it, but at least I get to knit it :) The other pair, she was on her own. Well, except for joining, (so she doesn't make a moebius), and the picking up and starting the thumb. And I get the privilege of weaving in the ends ... isn't that special. These are basically a shirtless pair of sleeves and I hate to make sleeves. One of her friends requested a pair that came to her elbows.... she obliged . She knit these in some Plymouth Encore.

And the boy child checks the progress on his almost every day.They have not seen any action in a while. And that has been intentional. If I finish them he will take them, and I want to put them in his stocking. As you can see, I caved, and went ahead and gave him the fingers he wanted. He is happy ... but in all honesty, he would have been happy if I hadn't too. He is easy to please. I need to work on his socks, once I get this "needed by tomorrow" knitting finished. He is so funny. He told me 'he was on to me' yesterday. He said, "I know what you are doing, you are waiting until the 24th to finish those so I can't have them until Christmas" He is a wise one that boy child of mine.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a Merry Christmas!!!!!

Knitting for the Boy Child

This weekend I knit nothing but things for the boy child. He guilted me into knitting socks for him when his dear Aunt was visiting for Thanksgiving. His feet grew several sizes in what seems like overnight, so none of his hand knit socks fit him anymore. Who knew he was a descendant of Fred Flintstone. I started the first sock Friday and finished it Saturday. He was at a sleep over, so he wasn't here to try it on before I wove in the ends. Sunday morning he comes home bright and early and I have him try the finished sock on. It is the perfect length, but he is complaining that it "pinches his toes" ..... What????? So I fiddle around with the sock to make sure he has it on straight and he says "I am sorry mom, but it feels too tight across the toes". I have him take off the sock and take a look at his feet.... he has Fred Flintstone feet. They are rectangular, very little tapering at the toes. So now I have to frog the toe and make them more square. This is the sock. I think it may be cursed though. I was going to start the second one right away, and couldn't find the second skein of yarn. It has been in the stash for a very long time. It is Lang Jawoll, and is not one of my favorite yarns to knit with. I searched everywhere and then I remembered I had used some of it for baby socks for charity knitting. What to do????? I could either totally frog this sock, (which he likes, I might add) and knit with something else, or see if I could locate a skein of this 7 year old yarn. I know the dye lots won't match, but I did mange to find some in the same color, so I ordered it. Karen is knitting him a pair of socks for Christmas, I called her, hoping that she had not finished the first one yet, but she had ..... so we will both be on a lily pad in the frog pond.

So , while I am waiting for the other skein to arrive, I started another pair of socks for him in some Jaeger Matchmaker 4 ply merino, in Sage. I have come to discover my stash is lacking in masculine colors. Wonder if I can convince the DH I need to fix that situation. Probably not since he refuses to wear anything knit. Both socks are just a 3 x 1 rib with a plain vanilla foot, just the way he likes them.

He has also been asking for a pair of black fingerless gloves. They will probably end up being fingerless mitts, because I hate making all those fingers. I am just knitting these in some Cascade 220 I had in the stash. He will be very happy with his new knitted accessories. I need to make him a new hooded pullover too.. I asked him why he never wears the one I made him at the beginning of the year. Apparently, his feet are not alone in the growing department, and he doesn't like sweaters with 3/4 length sleeve : ) I have to knit him another one so he will let his little sister have that one, otherwise he won't part with it.

That is all for today, have a great week!!!

27 F and clear blue skies here today. What is like in your part of the world?