What's More Fun Than -

Meeting a girlfriend (that's as obsessive as you) at your favorite yarn shop is one of those really fun things that only knitters understand. That's what I did this morning! Debyknits and husband, from Lake Charles, are in Houston for the weekend. We met at Twisted Yarns for a bit of shopping. Being Saturday, she got to meet TwistedKnitter! Isn't Ravelry just the absolute BEST thing ever?

I needed the Noni pattern for Camellias to go on a purse I am ready to knit. Then, we went for the sock yarn. We both LOVE sock yarn; okay, we obsess about sock yarn. I came home with another skein of Noro Kureyon sock yarn. I found Manos Silk Blend. Once you touch Manos, you can't leave the shop without it! It will haunt your thoughts and you have to go back the next day and get it. Saved myself the trip! Saving the best for last, a stitch book to get lost in - Lace and Eyelets - one of the Harmony Guides. Not forgetting about Joe, I bought 2 skeins of Noro Kureyon for him. He just started knitting Saartje's Noro hat pattern in ArtYarns. It is pretty but not as pretty as it would be knitted in Noro. So, he has a second hat in queue, thanks to me! He seemed excited.....

Manos Silk Blend - I am thinking handwarmers with an open lace pattern on the top of the hand. Aren't those gorgeous colors? I may have to swatch the Manos tonight.

Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn

I finished Todd's Birthday Socks! Yea! They need to be washed and blocked, then get another picture. Kim, don't tell him they're on the blog! I will be delivering them to him this coming weekend.

I will be finishing the second sock of the first pair of Noro socks. I am working through the pattern for errors as I knit the second sock. The pattern will be a free download on Ravelry.

Debby Ware Workshop

This is the cover of Debby Ware's book entitled "Too Cute"! That is exactly what you say when you flip through and see all the cute patterns for children.

We had quite a group of knitters in attendance. Debby Ware is truly a most delightful lady. As you can see, she kept us busy! We were so inspired by the knitted displays she brought from her new book, Scrumptious Toppers for Tots and Toddlers: 30 Hats and Caps from Debby Ware, that will be out September 30th.

I can't believe it's Me and Debby Ware!

Debby is definitely a "hands on" instructor! We all had THE best time!

She walked around the room giving each one of us individual attention.

At left is the booklet she gave each of us. It is full of fun stuff along with two knitted examples of 2 color ribbing. The Tutti Frutti Beret is the pattern I started. It is at the top right along with a bootie I made in the workshop.

And a good time was had by all!

First Noro Sock

I have completed the first Noro sock. The colors are pretty fantastic and they are photoing pretty true to color today in the sunlight. As you can see, the toe still needs to be kitchenered. Isn't that an incredible color at the toe? This is the mock cable pattern that I mentioned in a previous post. I like it; it's fun to knit and it does knit up quickly. You can see how I continued a cable down the side of the heel flap. There is some of the "thick and thin" business going on - the same as in the Silk Garden I am knitting entrelac. It doesn't really affect the look of the sock in any way that I can see.

This is just a different view of the leg of the sock to be able to see the colors.

This is about the best full shot that I could get. I am anxious to wash and block them when the second sock is completed. I know they soften some but I want to see for myself.

Close up of heel flap detail. More pictures will follow of the two socks washed and blocked.

Okay, on to the second sock. (I have been cheating on this sock and knitting another pair of socks from Trekking XXL for Todd. No pictures of that sock will be posted here as Todd sometimes checks out MIL's blog. You will be able to see them soon on Ravelry at Dhaymark.

I have a few things in queue to knit. When I do that, I find that I struggle to enjoy the knitting I am working on because I am so anxious to get to the next project. Since I really have no time constraints, I am trying not to do that to myself. Weirdness.

More Noro

I have been working on the Noro sock along with a couple other knitting projects. The colors changing are absolutely addictive! I am pleased with this picture. Although the colors are not absolutely true; they are well represented. The stickiness of the yarn that I mentioned previously actually has a plus. It keeps dropped stitches from running! They pretty much stay right where they are!

I have turned the sock onto it's side to try and photograph the little mock cable going down the sides of the heel flap. This adds just a bit of detail if you wear shoes that have no back as many of us do these days. You can see it fairly well from this view. The cables are going to continue down the top of the foot to the toes. In this photo, the colors look washed out. In reality, they are rich, jeweled tones.

Along with this sock, I have been working on an entrelac project. Once you get your head into the pattern, it is a fun knit. That project is also in Noro yarn - Silk Garden.

I have started SIL, Todd's, socks; twice actually. The first sock yarn just didn't look like Todd. So, I chose another yarn and started again. I think he will like this yarn better. His bday is mid-March so I have awhile but wanted to get started and have it finished in time to put it into the mail, if necessary. I don't usually have this many projects going at one time! It makes it seem like you never get anything completed.

We are watching the weather closely this afternoon. Our area has a potential for a severe weather outbreak late this evening. The weather channel has put a meteorologist in College Station; sorta half way between here and Dallas, I guess. I am wondering where Jim Cantori is! He is always in the middle of the worst weather! We have put the car in the garage and secured everything on the front and back porches. It is getting pretty windy outside! I am going to go watch the Weather Channel and knit on a sock; Joe is watching golf.

Noro Socks Started

Finally, I am starting socks with the Noro Kureyon sock yarn. I have really been looking forward to this because the colors are so much fun to work with. This is colorway #S185. I noticed immediately that this yarn feels stiff and almost sticky with NO stretch at all; it sticks to itself almost like spider webbing. I know this must be a sizing on the yarn. Once you begin to knit and it passes through your hands; it softens. It knits like a dream with color transitions that are spectacular and completely addictive; I don't want to put it down. That's why we love Noro yarns. In total honesty, the yarns themselves are only so- so. We all have favorite yarns that are better quality but they can't compete with the Noro colors. Noro is just kinda scratchy. I will let you know how it feels after washing as I will wash it ASAP.

I have rolled the Noro into a ball and it has looked fabulous sitting about waiting to be knit.

I had a hard time deciding what pattern to use for my socks. I knew that a pattern, for me, would get lost in the colors; but I didn't want to just knit 2 X 2 ribbing and go into a sock foot. I searched through my stitch books looking for something fairly simple since I had knit group coming up Saturday (yesterday). I found the mock cable and thought it looked nice having a bit of vertical interest and a nifty little stitch maneuver to keep boredom from setting in.


I had no idea how fast this would knit up! I am amazed! I had the ribbing completed and started the mock cable stitch pattern Saturday morning before leaving for Sit and Knit at Panera's. As you can see, it has progressed quickly with 6 inches of cuff before starting the heel flap. I have several pictures here - sadly, the colors are not quite true. The top of this sock is deep purple, going into a lavender, then an army green, paler green, and into a burgundy brown beginning to show on the heel flap. As I watched this sock grow, I really liked the way the stitch pattern looked. So, I went and got my notebook to take notes as I knit. This sock began with a CO of 72 stitches because of the lack of stretch in the yarn. I am getting 9 sts to an inch on 2.5mm needles.

I am really enjoying knitting with this yarn. I think it would make great handwarmers, hats, scarves, and baby things.

I have elected to work the heel flap over 40 stitches (that's 4 more sts than I would normally use meaning almost half an inch larger) so I could keep the mock cable running down each side of the heel flap. Once I get the heel completed and try it on, I will decide if it is too large) I have done this before on a previous design and like the way it looks. You can kind of see the mock cable here at the edge of the heel flap.

This pattern will be written up using a CO of 64 (72, 84, 96). Not all the heel flaps will incorporate the mock cable down the sides of the heel flap.

Shhhhh..... My SIL, Todd, has a birthday coming up in about a month. I was told he wants another pair of handknit socks. If I thought he would like these colors, I would give him these. Kim picked out some sock yarn for him when they were here. They are definitely more sedate.

Lakeview Handwarmers (Kim's) are Finished

Kim's handwarmers are finished! I would have had them done sooner if I could have skipped the dizzy head bug! Every time I tried to focus on my knitting; my head would really take a whirl! I am so glad that is gone! Okay, the yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, size #1 US needles and a simple pattern that was created as I knit. I did the crocheted beaded edging! Crochet is at it's best for this kind of stuff!

A picture of them both together. Kim, I will mail them Monday. I want to take them to my knit group on Saturday to show them.


Now, I can play with the Noro sock yarn! I knew if I started with that I would be forever finishing these! Pictures will soon follow. I think I am going to use a knot stitch pattern.

Super Bowl Sunday and Knitting

I am all ready for the Super Bowl; we are having a small gathering. I love the whole Super Bowl thing - football, food and friends; AND the commercials. Everything is ready and waiting for friends to arrive. I baked a cheesecake; my favorite dessert! Soooo, I have a minute to blog! The camo sock has been frogged and a baby hat is on the circ. See below. Bad picture, I know, but you get the idea. I love the colors in this yarn (Colinette Jitterbug) but it knits up like camo. Perfect for a little boy whose Daddy loves to hunt (with a bow and arrow, I know, unbelievable). Great for knitting today because I don't have to think about. Karlene is bringing her knitting. She is a new knitter and I will be helping her.



Kim's handwarmers are almost completed. I have to do both thumbs; but they don't take very long. Below shows a beaded, crocheted edge on the first handwarmer. On the second handwarmer, I am trying a beaded, knitted edge. We shall see which one Kim likes best. She may not want either one. That's okay, too since they're for her!


Same handwarmer - just a different shot hoping to give a better look at the edging. May use a different bead on the second handwarmer for a different look altogether.

HI Carole! Thanks for the comment. Sure do miss ya'll!

I've Had a Bug

I have had the weirdest bug; it has made me dizzy - really dizzy. I thought I had vertigo but a girlfriend said her husband had the same thing and she knew others who had it too! I never thought about it being a bug cause it's a strange one. No other symptoms unless you want to count the nausea from the room whirling...

I am still working on Kim' s handwarmers. The first one was going to be loose on her hand. So, I knitted the second one making some adjustments so it would be a bit smaller. This is it below. Then, I frogged the first one down to the ribbing and put it back on the circular. I have started knitting it again to be the same as the second one. She said I could put just a few beads along the cuff. I haven't got to those yet. Every time I tried to focus to knit; I would get dizzy. I know, it has been very aggravating.

Night before last we came home about 8pm. (Joe was dragging me around Houston while I was feeling sooo dizzy) As we turned the corner, there were 6 deer in our front yard eating the rye grass that he planted! They bounded across the street into the woods. The back of our house is all windows so we can see out into the yard. We haven't been seeing the deer because they have been in the front yard!

Kim's Handwarmers Continued

Tonight is the KNOT (Knit North of Town) mtg of the Knit at Night Guild of Houston. I am looking forward to going since it will be my first time. Yes, I am planning to take my camera. :O) I will be knitting the mate to Kim's handwarmers. The first one is the picture. It still needs it's thumb knit! The thumb stitches are on the pink waste yarn. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Sock in Lakeview. With all the new sock yarns lately, I had forgotten how wonderful and beautiful Lorna's Laces is.

I really like the way they look. Kim, How about a few tiny beads around the edge of the cuff? Very discreet? Love you,
Mom

Kim's Handwarmers

I have become disenchanted with the Jitterbug colorway that I was knitting. It reminds me of camouflage; I hate camo. It has been put in the corner until maybe forever.

This is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Lakeview. I have had this yarn for awhile. To be honest, while we had the shop, 100gr of nearly every sock yarn that came in the shop door; went back out the door and home with me. That is one of the perks of being the YSO! There were only a few colors that didn't make it to the house. I had to really not like it at all AND think that no family member would ever want anything knit with it.


Kim came after Thanksgiving and picked this yarn from my stash for her handwarmers. I do love knitting with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. These pictures show the colors fairly true and it is beautiful.

I have realized that there are some things I can be obsessive about. Saturday while vacuuming the living room; I sucked up one of those little Clover stitch markers. You know, the little green and purple rubbery ones that come in two sizes. I LOVE those things; especially the smaller size. The smaller size is perfect for sock yarn knitting. Anyway, I realized what it was just at the moment the vacuum sucked it up! Now, I know I have gazillions of those. I couldn't leave it alone in all that dirt and dog hair; destined to the garbage can. I had to dig through the dirt container and find the damned thing. Poor little guy; he was so glad to get back into the bag with his siblings.

When You Can't Decide What to Knit; Start a Sock

This is Socks That Rock lightweight yarn in the X-Mas Rock colorway. I got it the end of November but never got around to knitting it. I thought I would knit a bit and see what it looked like. YIKES! Maybe it's because I am past Christmas; whatever the reason, I am not liking this much. I think I will put it away until next Christmas; maybe I will like it better then.



This is Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn. The picture just doesn't do justice to the colors in this yarn. They are understated yet rich and pretty fabulous. I started this sock day before yesterday; I have had a hard time putting it down. This morning, I was on Ravelry loading my past projects. Gosh! You can get lost on Ravelry for HOURS! Joe came in and asked if I knew I had been at it for 3.5 hours. Noooo, but I sure am having fun! This afternoon, I did some housework; not my fav thing to do but totally necessary. Neatness will get you by for awhile.... My point is I haven't knit today yet.


This pictures are the same. One is with the flash and one is without. Just trying to get the colors to show better. Neither picture really shows the depth of the colors. Those of you that have knit with Jitterbug know what I am talking about. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow and I can get a better picture. Sunshine makes everything look better.

(tomorrow is our anniversary! We have been married six years! It doesn't seem like it; then we have been pretty busy. Joe would probably say it does seem like six years to him LOL) Pam is planning Jayden's first birthday party! He can't possibly be 10 months old!

Fetching Update

I loved knitting this pattern and I almost finished them this past weekend. I RAN OUT OF YARN! It is my fault. I used #5 dps instead of the #6 specified. I couldn't find my #6 dps. I know knitting with smaller needles makes a denser knitted fabric therefore using more yarn but I thought it wouldn't be that big a difference. So, I didn't have enough yarn to knit the thumbs. My solution is to frog them both and reknit them (I will enjoy knitting them again) with my #6 knitting needles.

(I found my only set of #6 dps in the closet still in the decreases of the toe of a Christmas stocking)

Especially for Robin/Anonymous - Fetching is a free pattern through Knitty.com. Look in the Archives under the mittens and gloves section.

Fetching Cast On

I have cast on for the Fetching handwarmers this morning. My knitting girlfriend, Debbie, has been emailing me about these. She made a pair and is now making another pair. Getting started meant a trip to my LYS, Twisted Yarns , for a ball of Sublime. You have to go to your LYS and squeeze some Sublime! You won't be able to leave without at least one ball of it. Lucky for us, one ball makes Fetching.

This picture is not true to the color I am using. It is more of a gorgeous sage green. I am going to see if I can make these this weekend keeping in mind that Joe is home with me. (I tend to get sidetracked when Joe is home BUT today there are two football playoff games and tomorrow Dallas plays in a playoff game) I think I can do these in three football games or less! Knit that handwarmer!

(I am going to see if a few beads would look nice somewhere on these)

Back to Joe's Handwarmers

Happily, I can say that the Maizy Twisted Rib Sock Pattern was sent to Crystal Palace Yarns yesterday. It should be up on their blog as a free pattern soon.

I have really enjoyed knitting Joe's handwarmers and hat. It's just a basic pattern which means not really having to think about it much except to measure every now and then. And...the yarn is a pleasure to knit - American Buffalo. It has a lanolin feel to it; not too much to be icky - just soft. The picture is deceiving - as this is a BIG handwarmer. It is as one of my girlfriends noted - man-size.

So, while I was at it - I decided to knit a hat too. Hats are just so much fun to knit! It is a basic hat pattern. I measured his head; multiplied that # by my sts per in and cast on. (It was a considerable cast on # since this is sock yarn weight). This is a generous hat meaning it's not going to be real tight on the head. So, now Joe has a pair of gloves with a matching hat in case it ever turns cold enough that he will want to wear them.

Working on the Maizy Twisted Rib Sock

This is where I have spent most of my day. It's not a bad place to hang out; actually the view is nice. Gratefully, I watched a cool front blow through after lunch. The high yesterday was 79 degrees and extremely humid; completely unacceptable for January.

At the end of last Summer, while still living in Lake Charles, Susan at Crystal Palace Yarns asked me to do some sample knitting with Maizy their new yarn made from corn. After knitting with it; I designed a twisted rib sock and sent it to her. About the same time, we put our house on the market allowing 2 months for it to sell before our house in Houston would be completed. Susan emailed me saying they wanted the sock pattern especially in a larger size for men. At the same time, Dorothy, our realtor, called saying our house had sold the first week. Chaos set in as we began to pack and look for a place to live in Houston while they continued to build our house. Joe, Tugley and I stayed in an extended stay hotel for 7 weeks. We both knitted for sanity's sake. I did work the numbers out for the Maizy man's sock but then we moved into the house. Then, it was Thanksgiving and Christmas....

On top are my original notes for the ladies Maizy sock. My little journal actually got left at the hotel in a large storage cabinet for 3 weeks. (I don't even want to think back to the morning I realized I had left a large tote of yarn, needles, and personal knitting stuff at the hotel) On the left underneath, are the notes made while in the hotel working out the design in a large man's size. It's an absolute miracle after all the chaos from the move that I still had those notes AND could find them! At the right is the finished printed version for both! Hip Hip Hooray! Yee-Ha! (Texan)

Above is one of my original pictures of the Twisted Rib sock in Maizy. I really do like it. Crystal Palace still has a picture of my knitted sock here. I am going to proof the printed versions and email them out tomorrow morning. (now I am going to the kitchen for a margarita)

It's Time to Un-Deck the Halls

Sadly, it is time to put away all the Christmas decorations. I dread this every year. We stopped in at Kim's yesterday and she already had her tree down and put away. Starting is the hard part; once I get started, I tell myself just one more box.....

We took Alexis home yesterday doing one of those "round trips" in a day . It's 7.5 hrs of non-stop driving; but we always stop at least once, sometimes twice. Those are getting to be exhausting; hopefully we won't be doing another one for a while. I did knit on Joe's Handwarmers on the return trip. The second one is almost completed. The thumb on the first handwarmer is a little long. I will have to undo it and make it a bit shorter. The American Buffalo yarn has been so enjoyable to knit with. I think I will knit him a matching hat while I am at it. I love to knit hats! He will have a set in case he ever needs it. South Texas does have some cold days every once in a while.


This is Tugley looking dashing in his Old Navy shirt! He's wandering through the house looking for Alexis. He has just about "outgrown" the hoodie I knit for him a couple of years ago. He did wear it at Thanksgiving even though it was a little snug.

Tugley and Alexis playing.

HI Alexis!

Happy New Year to Everyone

I wish everyone a most happy and prosperous New Year!

Joe's Handwarmers

I am still knitting handwarmers... I felt bad that Joe didn't have a pair of his own! So, with some fabulous buffalo yarn (from my stash) in a weight comparable to sock yarn, I cast on 72 sts and started to knit. I am winging it , of course, making it up as I go (and writing it down); as I am not going to find a pattern that will fit his hand. I had uploaded this ONE picture last night before the "other" computer started misbehaving. (Joe is copying pictures to disk before we take it to the Geek Squad - I don't want to think about that) I took this picture of his handwarmer with a handwarmer I knit a couple of years ago that fits me. Knitting him handwarmers is comparable to knitting him socks; it goes on and on and on.... Knitting while he watches all those #&%$*&# College Bowl games, I have the second one 2/3 completed. It's a good thing as we are going to have a couple of days with nights down in the upper 20"s! That is cold for Texas this time of year! I thought I had at least until mid-January!

Alexis is staying with us this week; she is taking a vacation from all her brothers! I am proud to say she is quite the knitter for a 12 yr old. She brought a sock in progress, but hasn't worked on it. Arriving with a cold/sinus thing; she hasn't felt like knitting. Joe and I have enjoyed having her here. We have stayed pretty quiet so she could recuperate, but today we went shopping! We spent most of the day at the mall. Too bad Twisted Yarns, our LYS, is closed until after New Year's Day. She was thinking about some lime green Online sock yarn and I was thinking of Noro sock yarn. We did go see The Water Horse. It is a wonderful movie!

Christmas Knitting

I absolutely love this time of year! It's the Season that I love most. First and foremost, it's Christ's birthday. I love my children and grandchildren's excitement, Christmas trees, Christmas music, the mall at Christmas, the food, baking, parties, wraping presents, giving gifts; but I absolutely LOVE Christmas lights; I want to light EVERYTHING! I wear contacts so at night, especially, there's a little "starburst" effect around all lights. It makes Christmas lights look spectacular! After my divorce, I lived in an apartment (upstairs) for awhile. My bedroom had a large, double window at the foot of my bed that looked out the patio into the parking lot. I strung the large, old fashioned lights around that window. So every night, Tugley and I drifted off to sleep looking at those lights through half-closed eyes. It created such a colorful warm glow, a really magical feeling! (I didn't take them down until mid-January)

On to Knitting -

My current knitting project is - as I think about it, that's about all I can say as it may show up somewhere else at a later date. Up close, (not a sock) sock yarn, cables and beads......

These are the ornaments from Vogue Holiday Issue. I HAD to change them up a teeeensy tiny bit. I like to use a #1 needle with sock yarn so THEN I had to change the CO #...but I LOVE the way they look. The three that are alike are knit from an Online sock yarn from about 3 yrs ago. I wish I had some more of it! I do have a pair of socks knit from it though. The other ornament is an Online sock yarn this year! (see previous picture) I am seriously thinking about knitting Christmas Stockings from this yarn over the coming Summer.

I want to do the small tree in the kitchen area with these next year. Joe said I better get busy.


This is a spectacular amaryllis. I have taken tons of pics of it but the color won't get just right. It's more of a deep garnet red. The center flower is just beginning to open. It's one of the new bulbs for this year. I got it at Smith and Hawken; one of my favorite stores. I can get lost for a couple hours there. This flower is huge (the bulb was huge). There is another flower stalk coming up on the other side.

I am wishing for cooler weather. Jeez, it's December and nearly 80 in Houston. It looks like it could be cold outside, gray and dreary, but it's not! Joe and I went Christmas shopping and walked around Market Street. I had on sandals. Cold weather is on my Christmas wish list... along with a few other things!

Getting Back to Normal and Knitting Handwarmers

I think we are finally settled in well enough to have normal days and nights again. Unpacking now consists of getting one box a day from the garage and sorting it out between putting away and throwing away. Joe still has a hard time finding what I have put away. I am sure that will go on for awhile as I decide some things need to be put somewhere else….. Hopefully, we will be able to park at least our car in the garage soon.

We had a great Thanksgiving on Saturday with the kids and grandkids. Joe’s turkey was absolutely GREAT! He bakes a turkey from scratch – he injects seasonings, stuffs it with apples and oranges and bakes it! I am still so impressed every year! It was a cold, rainy day but the SILs kept a fire going; so we stayed cozy. SIL, Q's, wine helped us stay warm too! Kayla and Sophie, first and second graders, added a bit of excitement when they called 911 on Heather’s cell. Kayla told them “there’s a fire in Hawaii”. 911 called back immediately to confirm that we did/did not have a fire along with a stern lecture. Calling 911 is not a laughing matter, but it is entertaining to watch your children be parents as you remember all the stuff they did. I stayed so busy that I forgot to take even one picture.

I knit 3 pairs of handwarmers (before Thanksgiving) to go with birthday presents for Joe’s daughters, Lee, Lynn and Heather. After trying a couple of patterns, I created my own pattern for basic handwarmers in sock yarn using needle size #1 US. Eventually there will be a link here for the pattern, but for now email me thru comments and I will send it to you. Be sure and leave your email address!

Ribbed Handwarmers

Now, I am knitting my own pair of handwarmers. They are going to have a fat little cable down the top of the hand with a scattering of beads. I LOVE this yarn; specifically the colors and the way it stripes. It is ONline Supersocke 100 Holiday Color. The colors that define my "Christmas" are different from these. I think Fiesta! best describes these happy colors, but they do well for Christmas at my house. I am seriously thinking about knitting Christmas stockings for the mantle with this yarn. You can see the beginning of the cable between the two purple markers. I am using a small jingle bell for a BOR marker.

Close up of cable



Today, I baked a chocolate cream pie for DH Joe. I had to take a picture of the meringue. I have never been able to make a good meringue. This one came out damn near perfect! I am so surprised and excited; I took a picture AND wrote down the recipe. I think I made a happy husband too.

This is a sitting area off the kitchen, complete with Pug, where we sit every morning. Joe reads the paper and I knit. We don't have curtains yet; just blinds. That's the small tree with non-breakable ornaments for the grandkids. Jayden was here (and everywhere) in his walker.

One last photo of my handwarmer.