Hats and such

Lest you think it's only about socks, I've been working on headgear too.

I received a skein of Alpaca Sox yarn as a gift. It's 60% alpaca, 20% wool and 20% nylon and absolutely yummy. Luxurious for socks? Absolutely. But I feared it would not stand up to the wear and tear of shoes, walking and other indignities. I made the Webs Tam from the Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007 issue. Heather has been looking for a floppy tam that goes so well with her funky style. It had some serious knitting manuevers with make 1 purls throughout. I struggled with finding a way to purl through the back loop smoothly. The design is on a reverse stockinette background and with my combined style of purling and working in the round, I ended up purling conventionally for a lot of the lace work. But it sure is pretty....

After it was done, I blocked it using a large 12" dinner plate. I only used 48 grams of the 100 gram skein, so maybe will make another one for the other daughter...

I got a request from DD's boyfriend's mom for a baby boy beanie to be worn in Tahoe. DD, ever fond of cables, selected this pattern. I used Baby Soft, an acrylic sport weight and made the 6 month size. It's plenty stretchy and I made the roll up brim a bit long, so it should last for a few months.

And just for fun, I made a couple of Curly Cute necklaces. Use left over sock yarn and some beads and you come up with a really nice accessory. The gray one was my first and I think the beads overpower the yarn. The maroons one came out more to my liking. These work up quickly, but were hard on my hands, so I'm resisting making a gazillion of them for now.

Flat Feet and Left overs

The Cool subdued Flat Feet turned out okay. I ended up ripping the first sock about 3 different times. First, I was working toe up and I made the foot too long. Then I messed up the heel on the 2nd go around and started over. THEN, I'm almost done with the cuff, try it on to see how long to make it - AND THE SOCK WON'T GO OVER MY HEEL. The zig zag of the Welt Fantastic pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks has very little give. So, it's frog to the heel once more, do less gusset decreases to get 4 more stitches. Then I adapted the Welt pattern to incorporate the additional stitches along the back of the cuff. With my notes, the 2nd sock worked up quickly. They are nice, but I still did not get that sense of satisfaction I achieve when a project is done.

This is why I do not do 2 socks at once. Things happen. I would have been sincerely upset if I had had to go through all that sock trauma twice. As you can tell, I have not been happy with the 2 at a time on one long Magic Loop experiment. Once I figure out how to do the heel, so I could help others out during the LYS's knitting clinic, I separated them and have continued working one at a time down to the toe. I've completed one sock and am almost to the toe of the second one. Another under inspiring project, mostly because the colorways don't match. Bob likes them, so I'll be finishing them in the next day or so.

I had some of the Flat Feet left over, so I gathered other odd balls of solid sock yarns and embarked on cobbling together a pair with the nubs. I did work them at the same time, but on separate needles, switching back and forth every yarn switch or two. Also, since it was a basic crew sock, I had no new pattern dramas. These flew off the needles. I love them lots and like them much better than all the socks the yarns were left over from.

Still on the Flat Feet kick. For the other colorway in my stash, I went toe up using Cookie A's Monkey Sock pattern. I'd read around Ravelry, the pattern worked just as well toe up, so I went ahead. Happy, happy with the results. I finished the first sock and it will stay a singleton for a while. It's on display at the LYS with the other Flat Feet to show how it knits up and how generous the yarn is. My sock has a cuff over 8 inches long and fits my size 9 1/2 toes.

Overall, I'm working on finishing my WIPs - just 2 plus the crocheted afghans, so I may begin my Christmas knitting and other smallish sized projects I plan for summer knitting so I don't have a big pile on my lap in my unairconditioned house.

I've got me some Flat Feet!

This handpainted colorway is Cool Subdued
This is Cool Bright

These were on order for a couple of months. Come to find out the order was lost by the vendor and was rushed delivered in time for tomorrow's Sock Event. Since I had preordered mine, I did not to wait for the customers to get their pick first. These are each one of a kind with generic kinds of names.

2-at-a-time socks

My reputation as the 'Sock Lady' is at stake. Susan at the Bonita Knitting Store taught a class using this technique. People expect me to KNOW everything about socks, so I got the book by Melissa Morgan-Oakes and am doing a pair of socks for my DH out of Comfort Sock yarn.

Like all new things, it will take me a while to get used to it. But so far, I'm not liking it so much. It's the managing of the 2 balls of yarn that's driving me crazy. Also, I thought the sock yarn colorway pattern was more subtle and not require matching. It does. DH says he doesn't care, but it's bothering me.

More Yarn Storage

My VCR in the den/studio died. I must be the last person in the universe to get DVR. Along with that I took all those old tapes out of the shelves. My 'baby' is 23, so I figured I did not need every Disney tape known to man. I did give them to a good home. Oh, what to do with the extra space?

I have been moving as much yarn out of the Yarn Cave as possible. I like being surrounded by my stash as I knit or crochet. It inspires me as well as reminding me of all the good stuff I already have. I finally have my Cotton Ease at the ready.

I also got some really nice knitting themed pix from the web, printed them out and framed them. This is about the most perfect corner of the universe.

April is Modular Shawls month

Made the One-Piece Shawl from Modular Knits. Loved it lots, so made some in different colors. I even made a plain one from some Patons left over from a sweater project. I use this one hanging around the house while knitting or reading the morning paper. They work up quickly with largish needles [ 9 to 10.5] and about 400 yards of yarn.

Some day has arrived

I couldn't stand it. I kept thinking about the empty space in my studio closet while there was yarn languishing in the Yarn Cave. I don't need to hide the stuff from anyone. Having it out of sight also meant it was often out of mind. I need to be visually reminded of all the good stuff I have because I spend hours every week at my LYS and with my employee discount, am seriously tempted by all the gorgeous fibers there. This means I'm sticking to my story - taking the stuff out of the Yarn Cave is not a ploy to make room for more.

I had hoped an additional hanging sweater storage unit would be enough for me to have my baby yarns and Cotton Ease stash out and on display. Who the heck was I kidding? Other than the Trophy Sunbeam wool in the top cubby (destined for Veste Everest), the baby yarns used every available space. The 80 skeins of old Cotton Ease went back to the Cave.

So far I'm sticking to my 'just 5' works in progress. The 2 crocheted afghans from my class and a pair of socks. I have officially put the other 2, a blanket and a shawl, in hibernation status until the massive afghans are done. I am currently working on square 21 of 48 on one and have completed 19 of 42 on the other.

The darker of the two is for Bob and will have an extra row to make it longer for his tall frame.

Flashing the stash

In answer to the Ravelry Forum question of how do I store my ever growing stash, I updated the pix of my knitting studio and the YARN CAVE, that lovely hall coat closet with shelves tucked under the stairs. There's still some room in the cave and I got lots of ideas from the photos of others. I'm really trying to leave room in the studio closet, because it's technically the guest room, but in reality, it's been used for that twice in the last 15 years. So I forsee another hanging sweater unit if I don't knit and crochet faster. The cool canvas boxes with the windows are a recent purchase from the Navy Exchange. I'm storing some of my FOs there. This spending hours every week at The Bonita Knitting Store has increased my stash exponentially.

What's happening?

Life has been good AND I'm spending most of my computing time on RAVELRY. I wander through patterns and yarns, talk to people on the forums, lose all track of time. But I do have a life away from the computer and the last month has been eventful.

My oldest is in the marketing department at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. As such, she can get into every production with one guest. We all take turns being her date. On February 10th, I got to see The Ten Tenors. Wow! If you ever get the chance - go. It doesn't matter if you are not an opera buff. No, not me in any way. But these ten Australians put on such an entertaining and outstanding show. They play their voices like finely tuned instruments, regardless of the language they sing in. They joke around with each other and the audience in those accents. All are young, most are stunningly gorgeous. Something for everyone. http://www.thetentenors.com/ The website even has a couple of tunes you can listen to. We subscribe to Rhapsody so I have been listening to their music at home from computer while I knit or crochet.

Valentine's Day is my husband's birthday. Our newest tradition is to celebrate his day in Las Vegas. We stayed downtown at Main Street Station. Our first time there and I think it's my favorite of the ones we've stayed at down there. Lots of wood and antiques. You go straight from the parking garage to check in then up to your room without having to run the gauntlet of the casino. They did not have internet access in the rooms, but did have free WiFi access in the lobby area with tables and power outlets for your laptop. On the Wednesday before Valentine's Day, Vegas had the strongest wind storm in recent memory. Gusts were up to 60 miles an hour. There was blowing sand everywhere and some damage around town. In the residential area, a mobile home flew over a concrete fence and landed on his neighbor's roof. Shades of Oz. We tried walking around, but when I heard a security guard at the Four Queens talking about windows blowing out, we went back to our hotel. For Bob's birthday, we went to the Improv at Harrah's, mid strip. They sat us in the front row, but didn't pick on us too much. Later I found out George Clooney and his latest squeeze, who used to be a Vegas cocktail waitress, also spent Valentine's Day in Las Vegas. But since they were not cruising the nickel poker machines, our paths did not cross.

I bring a certain amount of money to Vegas to last my 3 days. When I go to the ATM, I classify that money as my gambling coupons, so that losing them doesn't bother me as much. I am extremely happy when I return home with unused coupons. I set them aside, and usually blow them on yarn. I came home with most of my coupons. Which was good, because the day after we returned, The Bonita Knitting Store http://www.bonitaknitting.com/ had a Sock Yarn Tasting Event.

Cia, the Skacel rep, brought a bunch of yarns for people to play with. Susan took special orders for those not on hand. There were refreshments and ever so much fun. Sock knitters came from all over the county in that never ending quest for fiber. From the acylic and nylon Berroco Comfort, to the Panda with the silk in it, there was an amazing array to choose from. I'm unclear about the Panda Silk, since Trish, the one in the purple tee with her back to the camera bought all 10 skeins on hand of the colorway I was lusting after to make herself a top.

Alas, even though I had coupons to spend, I was not allowed to buy anything until the guests had purchased all they wanted. Not to worry, 2 skeins of Fortissima Mexiko came home with me, as well as some Disco Susan gave me as a giftee. I also special ordered some of this - FLAT FEET.

It's one of a kind hand dyed, machine knit sock yarn. It's visibly divided in half and each section is enough for a sock. You drap it over your shoulder like a dishtowel and just knit from it as you unravel. What a concept! Portable, easily stored and intriguing. I have an old knitting machine and the only thing I know how to do is straight stocking stitch. I may play around with some older sock yarn to see if I can mimic the results for my own use.

Also thinking of portability, I reluctantly delved into the world of Magic Loop sock knitting. I have to say I love my DPNs and won't be giving them up, but I am having a serious affair with this method. Especially for the toe ups. It was great when Bob and I took a Daytripper bus tour up to Los Angeles to see WICKED. In the past, I have dropped a DPN on the bus and have wandered around the floor between people's feet ISO of the lost utensil. No so with Magic Loop. I had tried it before, but unless it's Addi or Knitpicks Options, the joins on other circulars make it too annoying. Even with Addis, I still dislike the 2 circular needle method.

WICKED was amazing. Bob and I go to a lot of musicals, Shakespeare, comedies and other live theater. We both agreed, this was the best stage production we have ever seen. Oh my. I was enthralled the entire time. The stage sets and effects were spectacular, the singing, humor and storyline all fit perfectly. I want to go again.

We went up to Los Angeles on the Thursday before the Academy awards. It was an added bonus I was not expecting. I always watch the show, especially the Red Carpet pre shows. I was delighted to see the Red Carpet set up and to learn of the Oscar exhibit, where I got to hold a real Oscar. The thing is heavier than expected, 8 lbs. Notice it's tethered. You can't see the big security guard nearby in case some crazed fan wanted to take it away. I also got to touch the Red Carpet through a hole in the protective covering. Bob caught me being silly.

Back to my mundane San Diego life. I was lucky enough to win $100 from KSON [yep, I like country music], but alas, did not win the big prize of $10,000 in this morning's drawing. Of course, the first thing I thought of when I learned I had an extra 100 bucks was YARN MONEY.

Lastly, I spent 2 days, only 1 night, at Balboa Naval Hospital this Monday and Tuesday. I have an ongoing acid reflux issue that every few years causes me chest pain on my left side. I try to ignore it, but when it persists, it's off to the Emergency Room. This is the first time they kept me. I was poked, prodded, sonogramed and put on a treadmill. Not only do I have a heart I got to see for the first time in action, it's working great. Yay! Now I have to see some more gastro type people to sort out the other issue, but at least I'm not scared about the pain, numbness and tingling down my arm. Getting old sucks and I found out it's hard to knit with that oxygen thingy on your finger and an IV in the crook of your arm. But I managed, magic looping as best I could.

Blankets

Whew! School has started and I'm working on three projects in the Crochet and Knitting Workshops I am attending. The knitting workshop is exploring EZ's Adult Surprise jacket. I'm doing the baby version in keeping with my 2008 goal of having a finished baby items stash so I won't be so frantic when a gift giving situation comes up.

The Crochet workshop is combined with the Level II class where the much anticipated Sampler Afghan is progressing at 2 squares a week. I've been so worked up about this and am finding it hard to limit myself to just doing the homework and not jumping ahead - which would defeat the purpose of learning more about the intricacies of crochet from the instructors. So, my solution has been to do TWO afghans at the same time! The original from Dark Horse Fantasy and the second, darker one from Berroco Comfort. Both are an acrylic and nylon blend. Some people have remarked the Comfort is very splitty, but I have not had that experience, at least crocheting with an H hook.

The crochet workshop is doing a Filet cardigan as its optional class project and I decided to try it. It's a simple stitch, but made to measure without a pattern. That's in Navy TLC Cotton Plus.

In all my class projects, I'm forcing myself to slow down to just work on the week's techniques, so I picked up a WIP that had been hibernating, the Hearts baby blanket from Fiber Trends by Evelyn A. Clark. [see baby stash goal]. It's a fun knit and I am already planning to make it in a variety of colors.

January is my busy month. I'm teaching 3 times at the Bonita Knitting Store: 2 groups working on the Valentine themed Falling in Love Scarf and my regular beginning sock class. It's also when I interview high school students applying for Princeton. I love the interview part. The writing up of the report, not so much.

Speaking of Princeton, we had a wonderful alumni event last week with Chris Young, starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres and his wife Liz, both Princeton class of '02. After lunch near the ballpark, the alumni group of about 50 got a fantastic behind the scenes tour of the park, including areas not open to the public tours. They graciously spent about 3 hours with us. Fascinating insights. Here's my 6'3" husband [in orange] standing near the 6'10" Young in the Padres locker room.

Lastly, I had a real 'Queen for a Day' for my birthday yesterday. We went to a Hollywood Pops concert at Escondido Center for the Arts and dinner with the entire family and their partners with an extra in law thrown in. In addition to tickets to see WICKED in Los Angeles next month, Bob got me these ceramic knitting themed coasters from CafePress.com. My knitting studio is styling. But the birthday's over and I need to finish the laundry and write up those danged interviews.

The best present for a knitter

My daughter spent her first Christmas away from home this year when she went to her in-laws in Ohio. It was weird for us, but not too bad since I picked her up the next day at the airport and we had Christmas, part 2 on the weekend.

She brought along all the pix she took while away and I received a happy surprise. A photo of her husband holding her nephew, for whom I had made some items for, was WEARING a vest I'd made. Her sister in law had declined to learn the sex beforehand, so I made her a well-appreciated layette in cream. But once he was born, I sent along something boyish. I received a wonderfully written thank you note, but this photo is what a knitting gift giver lives for! I think he's a candidate for more of my efforts.