Rain, Rain go away....

....at least until we get the new roof on please. Torrential downpours are not a good thing when the roof really, really needs to be re shingled. It also means no Parks and Rec for the youngest, which makes for a very sad young lady. She is keeping herself busy with practicing her clarinet. Summer band began last week and she is really doing well with it... hardly any squeaking at all.

I have knitting to share. I have been busy with socks. I am on a yarn diet and I have lasted 2 whole weeks with no new yarn purchases. I am starting to get a little twitchy though so, we will see how long I last. I have been going through the stash to see if there are any long forgotten sock yarns hiding out that I absolutely need to knit and I think I really do have enough to keep me busy for awhile. However, I didn't knit with any of the yarn that has been in hibernation. Instead, I knit with some of my most recent purchases.

I finished a pair of socks knit in the Monica's Sunset from Sheepaints. The design is Malu. The design kind of gets lost in the contrasting colors of the yarn, but I like how it plays with the yarn. I knit them again in the Claudia Hand Painted in the Shells on the Beach color. And I have found a short row heel I really like. It is the boomerang heel. It is fast and easy and most important, no holes. I may have even convinced Karen to give it a try. I am also really beginning to like the Magic Loop method for knitting socks. I tried to knit with dpns the other day and I find I really didn't care for it anymore. I can't believe I just wrote that as I have always been a die hard dpn gal. I guess I will have to purchase more long cable circular needles as I don't have near enough of those to keep up with my start(itis)

Also finished, the Tempted Glam Grrl in the Bruisenberry colorway that I raved about in my last post. I loved knitting with it as much as I thought I would. It has a wonderful tight twist and knits beautifully. This design is called Katrin. Both of these designs are available in my Ravelry shop and will be at The Loopy Ewe soon. The box of pattern s shipped today.








And last night I started a new pair with a design I had been working on some time ago. I had originally started these in some CTH Sockitome, but I think that yarn may be a tad too fluffy for the design. It kind of flattens out rather than defining the stitches as I would like them to be. I will probably still finish it in the Sockittome, but wanted to try it in the yarn Karen gave me for Christmas. Araucania Ranco Semi Solid. I don't know the color number right off the top of my head but it is heathered grays and blues. I had the design already typed up, but I making a few changes to it as I re knit these. The back of the sock is a twisted baby cable.

Look at this precious little ball of fur. My sister's dog had puppies and one of my other sisters was able to bring one home to join their family. Her name is Sadie and she is just as sweet as she can be. She will be even sweeter once she is potty trained. The driving daughter is so happy that she is going to be puppy sitting for her when her aunt needs to go to the office to work. I heard plenty of whining the last few days about how much they would like to have the last available one, but the allergies and the asthma make it impossible. Sorry kids!!! And no I won't give in even if you keep nagging nonstop.

I think that is about it. I need to straighten out a few things and then get myself ready for a date with my dear husband. Today is our 20th wedding anniversary. I don't know where the years have gone, but I feel so blessed to be married to a man I love more today than I did 20 years ago.

Have a good week all!!

Ahhhchooo.......

Does anyone else seem to be having worse than usual Spring allergies. We are having a sneeze fest here. I was hoping when the trees were finished budding and blooming it would improve, but the sneezing continues. Maybe I should buy stock in the company that makes Claritin.

Oh, and so much for trying to blog every week. It would seem I don't have much to share every week. I haven't been knitting as much for some reason. Maybe once the kids are out of school I will have more knitting time and less taxi time..... wishful thinking, right!

I got some yarn goodies. I was stalking the mail box today. We must have a temp. mailman because he was unusually late. But better late than tomorrow. On the left is Lorna's Laces Sock in Maple Grove and on the right is Claudia Hand Painted Yarns in Shells on the Beach. Both from Sonny and Shear That Claudia is so soft, and I love it, but I wish it had just a tad more yardage.



Last week I bought my first Tempted Good Girl in Bruisenberry, and as soon as I finish a pair of socks, this is getting wound and knit. I think I am in love with this yarn. The colors are so rich and saturated and the yarn feels nice a soft and has a good twist. I am sure it is going to be a wonderful knitting experience.




On the needles: A pair of socks I started about 2 years ago... yes, that is right, I said 2 years ago. This is not one of my favorite yarns to knit with however, I like the finished product. If it just weren't so splitty. These will be finished today and as soon as they are the Bruisenberry is taking their place on the needles.



And I frogged the Sheepaints Magic Potion from this post and it is becoming this. I had hoped that this would be my first Christmas project of the year, maybe for one of my nieces, but the Driving Daughter has laid claim to them. They are a much deeper purple in real life. Sorry A or E as one of you two would have been the recipients of these come Christmas. I fear I will have to do all my Christmas knitting on the sly or the Driving Daughter will lay claim to everything.
WARNING!!!
Now if you are a Loopy Ewe Sock Club member, and you haven't received your May sock club and don't want a spoiler, read no further. OK.... are you leaving, there are going to be pictures.... I warned you.
























I designed the May Sock Club pattern. The yarn is Dye Dreams Luster Sox in Shades of Ireland. The design is named Kinvara. At first I was sent a mini skein, which was enough to design the sock, but not enough for a pair. So I designed the sock with the mini skein and have since frogged it and re knit with a full skein, you know, so the socks would match. The mini skein will no doubt become a pair of fingerless mitts. The yarn was a challenge to design with due to the dark color, and the fact I was trying to design it when my father in law was ill, making it even more of a challenge to knit, let alone design. All said I am quite pleased with the results. If you are a club member I hope you enjoy knitting them.

Sorry this has been so lengthy. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Holiday weekend. Hopefully I will be back next week..... but no promises.

What happened to Spring?????

It seems like we only have 2 seasons any more.... Summer and a chillier than usual Fall. After a pretty mild winter, temperature wise anyway, (we had plenty of freezing rain and ice here) we seem to have skipped Spring and jumped right into Summer. Temps yesterday topped in the high 80's ... ugh!!! It is much too early for that kind of weather. I would like some nice cool weather to be able to go out and work in the flower beds. Not 80+ degree and high humidity weather in April. It just isn't right. And of course the few days we have had in the 60's have been rainy

OK, enough complaining about the weather and onto some knitting related material. I won a contest on Ravelry from the SHEEPAINTS group. Submit a picture of something with your favorite colors or a picture with colors you would like to see in a yarn, other members in the group vote for their favorite photo, and that person gets a skein of yarn inspired by the photo. Woo Hoo!!! Driving daughter took this picture from our front porch and I loved the colors in it, so I submitted it. Now, I had to order a few more skeins to go along with it, I mean it is a long trip across the ocean and I didn't want the prize skein to get lonely. This came in the mail Friday

The colorways are Tulip, Monica's Sunset and Splash. Didn't Sabine do a great job with the colors of the sunset. I can't wait to knit it up.... but which to wind first.

I am so in love with Malabrigo Sock Yarn. I have finished my first pair of socks with this wonderful yarn, and it will definitely not be my last pair. This pair was knit in the Solis colorway. I think the next color I will get will be the Archangel. If you haven't already knit with it, I highly recommend it. I have named this design Aislinn (according to the Gaelic translation, Aislinn means dream, and this yarn is a dream to work with) The pattern is available in my ravelry shop at the link above and will be at The Loopy Ewe soon. I just sent some patterns yesterday.

I frogged the Sheepaints sock I had started earlier. I think it needs a few modifications made to it. Due to the tight cables there was not enough give as I was knitting it. So, to the frog pond it went and will be re knit at another time. I have, however, started another design with the same yarn and will share that when I get a little more done on it.

I think that is it for today. I am going to go find a cooler place to sit, enjoy some iced tea, and knit for a while. I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend and have an even better week to come!!

Happy Easter!!!....

....And many thanks to all of you for your wonderful comments and prayers the last few weeks. They are all greatly appreciated. My Father in law will be missed deeply by all who knew him.

While sitting in the hospital room I managed to do some mindless knitting. I knit a pair of socks for my sister in law. My brother said that she really liked the pair I made for him and hinted that she would love a pair too. He knew her shoe size, but when I asked if she had skinny ankles, wide or narrow feet etc. he was no help ... "you know... they are normal". Here is the obligatory picture of them on her feet, they fit perfect ... H, your wife has skinny ankles. She says she will wear them a lot more often than my brother to which he replied , "he is afraid he will wear them out, and who knows when he will get another pair" I guess five years in between pairs is a bit long to wait.

I also started a pair of plain socks for the driving daughter. She picked this Cascade Sassy Stripes out 4 years ago and I think it is done marinating. Not one of my favorite yarns to knit with, but she likes it. I have knit 2 other pair of socks for her with this yarn and they have worn well, so I can't complain too much, esp since the yarn is inexpensive.The second sock is started and half the leg if finished.

I finished the first sock in the Shalimar Zoe Sock yarn. There is an error in my knitting, I was silly enough to think I could stay focused enough to knit on this after days of no sleep and sitting at my FIL's bedside. I noticed it several pattern repeats later and will leave it there.

Also on the needles, some Sheepaints yarn from The Loopy Ewe (I have start"itis" really bad right now). The colorway is Magic Potion. Lots of lovely shades of purple, and I am lacking in purple in the sock collection, so I needed it.... right!. I think I may need the Lederhosen colorway too, even though it is not purple.

We also had a little Christmas in April here, (well in Ohio). Yesterday was my niece's 19th birthday. We had not had the opportunity to have Christmas with them yet, so we celebrated a late Christmas along with her birthday. I love this T shirt Karen got me. I was actually tempted to buy it for myself when I was in the yarn shop getting things for her... So glad I didn't. She also gave me a skein of Araucania in color 107. Lovely shades of gray and blues. Hmmm ...what to make with this...I did buy another size 1 circular needle while I was there, so I have empty needles. I got a Ped Egg too, I have really been wanting one of those. Thanks Karen for all the goodies!!!

More Prayers Please:

A wonderful online friend of mine, Helen is in need of prayers. Her husband has been fighting cancer and lost the battle. Please keep her and her family (esp their son) in your prayers as they mourn his passing. And thank you again for keeping my family in your prayers.

Prayers Please

Just a quick post. My FIL passed away on Thursday evening. He was a wonderful husband to my MIL, a loving and caring father and FIL, and the best grandfather,( he was the only grandfather my children knew as my dad passed away when I was 19). He never knew a stranger and was loved by all who knew him. Please pray for comfort, peace and healing as we morn his death.
Thanks so much .

No Knitting Content Today

Just a quick post asking for good thoughts and lots of prayers for my FIL. He has been on a ventilator since Monday. I have spent most of my time at the hospital, so only very mindless knitting has taken place.

Your prayers are very much appreciated.
Hopefully we will have good news soon.

Spring Break and...

...unfortunately, we didn't go anywhere. Unless you count a short trip to Bloomington. The kids are beginning to get on each others' nerves, which in turn drives me a bit crazy. When we went to Bloomington the other day, I was really wishing I had taken along some knitting, but since I was driving, ( I can't convince the driving daughter to drive the van) I didn't think I would need any.... and then we sat at a stand still for nearly 45 minutes for a traffic accident. I need to remember to put the van knitting back in the van, where it belongs. We did visit a new to me yarn shop while we were there, In A Yarn Basket. It is a small shop, with mostly Cascade, Brown Sheep and Plymouth. But they also carried Tilli Tomas (I think you can go broke just looking at that yarn) and Blue Sky Alpacas. The sock yarn selection was limited, but I did see the Cascade Heritage Handpaints I have been looking at online and decided there were a few colors I am going to buy next time. I wanted to feel it first. The weather has been beautiful this week, except last night when we had some pretty nasty thunderstorms, but it is nice again today, a bit cooler than it has been at the beginning of the week, but still, very nice for this time of the year.

I have done a little more knitting on the Zoe sock. I have been busy on another project so this one has been a bit neglected. It will see more knitting time soon. As I said before, I really like this yarn.

Also on the needles is a sock I am knitting in CTH Sockittome in I think the Indian Summer colorway. I hope to finish these both soon, and maybe have a chance to wear them before it gets to warm.

Well the girls have a doctors appointment this afternoon, so I must scoot. It is just a check up. They are not happy about it, but I need to get a medical release form signed for the youngest for her school trip, so they are both going. The boy child went last week. Their regular doctor is on vacation, so they are seeing his partner, which neither of them are thrilled about. I am sure they will survive.

Oh, does anyone have any hints for deterring chipmunks or moles or what ever critter ate all my bulbs. I have a few lonely tulips poking through, and that is it. No crocus, no daffodils, just holes where they used to be. I am so disappointed. Any tips on this would be appreciated.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Fleeting Signs of Spring....

For nearly a week, we have been teased with Spring like weather. Temperatures warm enough for shorts and flip flops, windows opened to let in some fresh air, flowers popping up and then......yesterday morning it was 20 degrees...argh. It was 74 the day before that. My kids were none too happy to have to bundle up to go catch the bus, and it took quite a bit of convincing that it would be necessary for the rest of the week.... esp. for the youngest who put shorts on under her jeans. It was in the high 30's when she came home from school with her jeans in her backpack, donning her shorts. I was not a happy mom , but she was a very happy child. I guess she thinks that by wearing shorts in 30 degree weather she is the victor in this temperature war mother nature is fighting. Now I want you to know, I love winter, I love crisp, cold air and clear blue skies. I love snow. I don't like 74 one day and 20 the next.
The sock yarn I received from Kristi at Shalimar Yarns is knitting up beautifully. I love this yarn. It has fantastic stitch definition, it is very soft and has a great twist and it feels wonderful going through your hands as you knit. I love a semi solid yarn, it is the best of both worlds, a little color variation, but still great for showing stitch design. I will definitely be purchasing this yarn in the future. Thanks Kristi for allowing me to try it!!!! I am working on the heel now so I should have a finished sock soon.

I did finished the Blackberry Jam socks I was working on. I love the feel of the Numma Numma Yarn. It is so light weight, and the finished sock weighs next to nothing. It has a nice twist and is a pleasure to work with. I was a little disappointed with the unevenness of the dye. It got progressively darker as I knit, so one sock is noticeably darker than the other. I doubt that will deter me from purchasing more of this yarn though.

I think knitting wise, that is it for this week. Driving daughter came home today all excited. She is being inducted into the National Honor Society next month. I am so very proud of her. She takes her academic studies and responsibilities very seriously and willingly participates in community services. I couldn't have asked for better children, I have been truly blessed. Also congrats to her best friend M for also being accepted.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!! Until next time.

March Madness Sales...

...and the temptation is overwhelming. Too bad the yarn budget was spent for a school trip for the youngest. Do you think she would mind staying home for a week while her classmates are away in VA? I am thinking I better just pretend I haven't seen all these fantastic yarn sales. But.... being the enabler that I am, I will pass them onto you, just in case you aren't aware of them and your yarn budget isn't going to VA. These are some of my most frequented yarn shops that have wonderful sales going on right now. The Yarn Grove, SSYC, Pick up Sticks, and Sonny and Shear. Go ahead and check them out. I will live vicariously through your new yarn acquisitions. I know there are probably several more shops having March sales, but these are the ones I get newsletters from with sale notices.

I have to confess, I did take advantage of one of the sales and bought my first skein of Malabrigo sock yarn in the Solis color. I wish I had purchased this yarn sooner. It is wonderful...what was I waiting for?? I now understand the love affair with the MMMMalabrigo Sock. I have knit with worsted weight Malabrigo and loved it, but this is simply wonderful. I cast on last night, but was so tired I only knit a few rounds.

And today the mailman delivered more goodies. Kristi of Shalimar Yarns has given me the opportunity to try their Zoe Sock yarn. It is 100% Superwash Merino, and it is lovely. I will have to get out the swift and ball winder after I finish posting and wind it. I have an idea for this yarn already. She let me choose any color I wanted, and after drooling over all the colors on her site and projects knit up with the yarn on Ravelry, I chose Passionfruit. And I am glad I did, it is even more gorgeous in person than on the monitor. Hopefully by the next post I will have something knit with it to share. The yarn is very soft, and smooshy, it has a nice tight twist and the shadings are gorgeous.

I do have a few finished projects to share. I am so happy to say that the socks I was knitting for my brother fit him perfectly. And I even had some yarn left over. I could have made the legs longer. Here they are on his dainty size 13 feet. He loved them and I am sure if the weather gets cold again they will get some wear. His biggest problem will be keeping them away from Sophie, their Golden Retriever. She seems quite enamored with wool socks. It could prove to be a challenge.

Remember the Mini Mochi I bought a few weeks ago? It has become my Fronds Fingerless Mitts pattern. This is a single ply merino/nylon blend. Because of the single ply and extremely loose spin it is splitty, making the k3tog's in this pattern a challenge, but I am very happy with the finished results. It knits up to a very soft fabric, and the colors are beautiful.

Well it is simply gorgeous outside today, maybe a little on the breezy side, but temperatures are in the 60's ( it was in the single digits at the beginning of the week). I think I may wind my new yarn and go sit on the back porch and enjoy the sunshine and knit. I hope the weather is beautiful where you are too and you have the opportunity to enjoy it. Have a great week!!

Has It Been A Week Already....

...I spent the last week with sick kids. All three of them have been to the pediatrician, 2 of the 3 are on antibiotics and feeling better, the 3rd is all viral and just has to wait it out. I would much rather they all needed antibiotics, at least they feel better much faster when they have something bacterial that can be treated with medicines. And with the puny kids comes all the extra hugging and cuddling which leads to a sick mommy.... of course the viral stuff. We have gone through a lot of kleenex in the last week and a lot of hand soap too.

The little knitting I have done in the last week has been on a pair of socks for my brother. I have a wonderful brother.... but gosh he has big feet. He wears a size 13 shoe which = a really long foot. I was worried about yardage so I knit the heels and toes in black. I also knit a short row heel so I wouldn't use a lot of yarn for gusset decreases. I have enough yarn left over that I now wish I had made the legs longer. I just have the toe to finish on the second one. I know he will enjoy these. He wore out the last pair I knit for him.

I worked a little on the blue Knit picks sock too while waiting in Dr's offices. Not a finished sock yet but soon. Once I get the toe finished on H's sock, these will see a little more knitting time. The driving daughter would really like to have this pair. She keeps letting me know just how nice they will look on her feet. She is too funny.

That seems to be all the news I have to share this week. The week almost slipped right by me without a post. Hopefully a little more knitting for next week. Have a wonderful weekend all!!!!

A Little This and That...

First let me say, that it is my intention to blog at least once a week again. I started out doing really well, blogging at least weekly, but usually twice, and then it became once a week, then every 10 days.... you get the picture. So my goal...weekly blog posts, hopefully with finished knitting content.

I finished a pair of socks. The Lauren socks I showed last week. They look a little odd in the picture, but I really wanted to show the front cable. I couldn't get an angle that didn't distort one or the other sock. Anyway they are finished and I love them. The pattern is available at The Loopy Ewe and at my Ravelry store.

Also on the needles and close to completion are a pair of socks knit in Numma Numma Toasty in the Blackberry Jam colorway. This is a very soft and super light weight yarn. It took me a while to find a gauge that worked well with it, but once I did I loved it. I will definitely be purchasing more of this yarn. It is hard to capture the correct shading of this color, it is much prettier than it looks in the picture.

I also knit a few dish cloths, I don't know why since I certainly don't need more right now. I now know that you can almost make 3 dish cloths from 2 balls of Peaches and Creme cotton. I will have to finish the 3rd one with some left over cotton in a different color. I gave one of them to my sister, so only 2 in the picture. I also knit a pair of mittens for my great niece in some very pretty Blue Faced Leicester, but gave those to my sister before I took a picture of those too. I will have to remember to take my camera over next week when S is visiting and take a picture of them on her sweet little hands.

I had to drive up to work today to sign my yearly performance appraisal. It is electronic now so I have to drive an hour one way just to sign on to the computer. I liked it so much better when they would just mail it to me, I would sign it and take it back when I worked next. It was due a little while ago, but I was never there when the manager that did the evaluation was there, it is so complicated. Anyway, since I had to drive up there, I decided to make a little stop at a yarn shop along the way. A couple of the girls at work were talking about it, so I thought I would take a looksee. They also sell fabric there. It is a small shop with a small assortment of yarn, but the ladies that were working there were very nice. I will no doubt be going back again. I bought a ball of Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in color 107 that will soon become a pair of fingerless mitts. The driving daughter was oohing and awwing over the color of the yarn so she will no doubt lay claim to them when they are finished. I also bought a pair of Knit Picks fixed circular needles there. I didn't know they sold to retailers. I love my Harmony needles so I thought I would give these a try, even though I have heard from numerous people that the join is very susceptible to breaking. At least I know they replace them. They also had some lovely colors of Rowan Pure Wool Aran that I think I must have for a sweater.

Well that is all for today. I hope everyone has a pleasant week. Until next time...

2 Posts in One Week....

... how unusual for me. I am so happy I am knitting again. During my 2 month absence I was really worried about my total lack of desire to knit. I didn't even miss it. That bothered me more than not knitting. For the last 3 or 4 years I have not gone a day without knitting, unless I was sick or just crazy busy,and then ...nothing. Even my husband commented on the situation, and he doesn't "get" the whole knitting thing at all.

I have more knitting to share. I finished these a while ago but don't think I ever posted them. A pair of socks I knit for the driving daughter. These are knit in Regia Crazy Color 6ply that I won in a blog contest from Romancing the Yarn I also have a pair started for Little Miss (the youngest) in the same yarn but a different colorway. Little Miss's feet aren't so little anymore, she is 11 and her socks are 9 inches heel to toe. I seem to have misplaced the second ball of yarn so these are on hold right now.... much to her chagrin.

I got some yarn this week from Yarn4Socks. It was on clearance. I can't resist a good price on yarn I have not tried and this was on the list of "want to try this yarn" It is Mirasol Chirapa color 702. It is bright and cheerful. It is a sport wt yarn, so it will make some nice, thick, warm, socks.

I also ordered Square Circular Needles. These are supposed to be more "ergonomically suited to your hands, decreasing stress and strain for those who love to knit" OK, I was sold... but I am not so sure I really enjoy knitting with them. While they may decrease stress and strain on your hands (they don't weigh a thing, virtually light as air) the cable is driving me batty. It has an extremely thin cable that really doesn't kink and has no memory, but is a bugger to glide the stitches onto the needle portion. I spend more time getting the stitches from the cable to the needle than I do knitting them. Though I have to admit, it seems to be getting a little easier as I progress, I still find it somewhat annoying. So less hand stress, but more mental stress. Can you see that tiny, thin, cable in the picture?? it is thinner than the yarn. I have read reviews (after I bought them, of course) that state the larger sized needles have thicker cables. I am also getting about 12.5 stitches to the inch with these, so I probably should have bought at least a size 2 or 3 instead of the size 1. I normally knit 9 stitches to the inch with size 1's. The yarn is some Knit Picks I won from the same contest as mentioned above. It is extremely soft.

Well I think that is it for today. I need to get some things organized for the fund raiser garage sale at the elementary school tomorrow morning. I am not looking forward to that, but it will be nice to have some of these no longer needed items out of the house.

Have a wonderful weekend all!!!

We Finally Got Snow!!!

.....and unfortunately a lot of ice too. In fact, I really should be outside trying to get the remaining ice off the driveway since they are predicting more snow tonight. I do love snow, but am not fond of the ice at all. Driving daughter got her first experience in driving in the winter mix, and her dad says she did really well. They had a great time while they were off from school. Patricia the "snow woman" is wearing a hand knit Merino scarf and has choc chunks for eyes and a mouth... what more could a snow person ask for. It was so much fun to see them playing in the snow. DD is not thrilled about making time up at the end of the year though.

And I have actually done a little knitting. I designed and knit a new pair of socks.

this pair is named Lauren and is available at my Ravelry store and soon at The Loopy Ewe. Knit in Araucania Ranco Solid in color 102. Lots of cable(y) goodness.

I am also making the girls each a pair of Thrummed Mittens. My first time for this. I bought some lovely roving from Poppy Flower Fibers . The colors are gorgeous and really much too pretty to be hidden inside mittens, but I am not a spinner ...yet, so this lovely BFL roving is reduced to be used for thrums. It sure is time consuming making all the thrums.

The mittens look so funny because they are so fluffy and fat from the roving, but they are so soft inside and will be incredibly warm. I was originally going to use Cashmerino for the mitten but went with some Heirloom 8 ply. I think it will hold up better.

I think that is all I have to share today. I hope everyone is having a lovely new year so far.

Oh and I ordered some square knitting needles, I will let you know how I like those when they arrive.

I Seem To Have Lost My Knitting Mojo, Will Be Back When It Returns... Hopefully Soon!!!!