Week-end Activities

With the storm forecasted for the week-end, I thought.......WOW! A knit-a-thon! Well......a tickle in my throat at school on Friday turned into a "blizzard" of a cold on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was spent mostly on the loveseat under a double fleece, trying to keep warm. We had a double whammy......my husband was on the couch in the same condition. We can't remember in almost 35 years of marriage that we have both been that sick at the same time! We finally went out to KMart late in the afternoon on Saturday to replenish the cough medicine and flu relief meds. Everything was cancelled here on Sunday. Thankfully, we didn't lose power, but channel 8 said that we had received a foot of snow. Now, they're forecasting another storm mid-week that will be just as bad.

Sunday afternoon/evening, I was able to knit back the "frogging" I had done earlier in the week. Today.......since school was cancelled........I always use snow days to knit.......I finished the first Dublin Bay sock....even took pics of both sides......a little bit pooling, but not bad.

Tonight will be spent watching a movie since my husband will be teaching a class.....hopefully a bit of knitting will be done, too.

TLGB

Another Frog tale!
Well......the Dublin Bay sock in the LS gendarme colorway met a frog and it wasn't a prince! I tried the sock on one last time when I was about halfway out to the toe and decided that the gusset was too big......my heel and high instep were "swimming" in it..........so the "rippit" started......back to the end of the heel flap minus 4 rows, the last repeat of the eye of partridge pattern. Of course, the pattern does say to use size 1 dps but since I tend to knit tighter than Alcariel, who has also made the same socks, I decided to use size 2 dps. Well.......my pair of socks for this month won't get finished since this is the first sock. Of course next week the RSC sock will be coming, so everything will probably be put on a back burner. Even though we aren't together knitting, Alcariel and I will be knitting on the same thing.
At least I have completed the Lucy bag for a friend and a YH scarf from Malabrigo for a coffee friend.......she loved it! I still have to finish the YH scarf out of the DB cashmerino chunky left over from another gift project.
From the sound of the forecast for northern Iowa, this will be a sensational week-end to stay inside and knit.........knit.........and knit some more! We are to receive about 1/2 inch of rain followed by 6-12 inches of snow Fri-Sat and then wind on Sunday. Hopefully, the forecaster may be wrong this time. Hopefully it will hold off started Friday 'til later afternoon/evening until the Kiwanis club (both my husband and I are members) have their fish fry that usually serves about 800...quite a few older folks who won't come out if it is slippery.......we'll just have to wait and see.
TLGB

Somethings started......something ended!
Started the Bundle of Joy baby afghan for fellow-teachers who are expecting their second child.....but the first girl! I had some Lion Brand Pound of Love lavender acrylic on-hand, so decided to use that. Well......it is the softest acrylic that I have ever used.....the price tag on it was $7.95, so the price was good too.....well over 1000 yards. The afghan calls for a 3 inch garter st border and then adding the sides after by picking up the sts along each side.....well, I decided to just do the first and last nine sts in garter st also.....seems to be working out pretty well. I've knitted about six inches so far.
Started the eye of partridge heel on the Dublin Bay sock in the LS gendarme colorway.....only have one repeat of the 4 row pattern, so still haven't decided if I like it or not. If not, I'll just rip it out and do my usual heel.
Also have about 10 inches done on the LH scarf with the leftover DB Cashmerino bulky in a med. blue colorway......what remained of the shawl I knitted for Alcariel at Christmastime. I had a little over two balls left, so should be able to make a narrow scarf.
Those are the "started" things.......now for the end....... This morning after getting up before six feeling fine.....a terrible case of diarrhea hit me for about three hours......hubbie went to church alone while I spent time in the bathroom.....I slept for three hours late morning/early afternoon and haven't made any return trips to the bathroom. YEA! hope it stays that way.
TLGB

Some completions...

Since our daughter came for my birthday last week-end, a lot of productive knitting was done....a couple of sessions until midnight. What else can you do when the weather is soooooo cold but knit.....knit......and knit some more.The week-end I was at Alcariel's for her birthday, I purchased some Malabrigo in the China colorway to knit TYH scarf with a single hank. She likes earthtones,.......the color is brighter ......actually a shaded dark rusts, brown, and coral/orange. I may try again with a darker background.

I finished socks from Classic Elite Inca Alpaca yarn I purchased last summer while on vacation......the most expensive socks I'll ever make.......didn't check the yardage and had to buy more yarn before we came home......total cost......$37!!!!! It was a 4-ply with different natural alpaca colors ranging from black-brown to medium taupe. He's definitely worth it.......I sure hope that they wear well. I used the Big Foot pattern by Jen Showalter/Mean Girl Design.......think I got it from KPC. Works well for high insteps and at least to size 13.

How's this for utter cuteness.......is that good English??? Alcariel and her pal Phoebe in the matching dog sweater and fingerless mittens that I've shown before......

only now together.

Also finished knitting the Lucy bag from a friend's handspun llama yarn.......just need to kitchener the handles and felt it....maybe tomorrow. The commission was fiber for Alcariel to spin....she went back with three colors to three-ply. Also took samples of the others colors.

Our bell choir from church is hosting a handbell workshop this Saturday, so will only be able to knit between the 45 minutes practice sessions for the songs we will be playing. A friend who's also a member is a beginning sock knitter, so we should have some time to knit together.

Hope to finish the Dublin Bay socks in LS colorway gendarme this month also.....here's the one sock I've started......really like the way it is turning out.

Hope everyone had a "lovely" Valentine's Day.

TLGB

Some completed......
Another completion.....After a trip last week-end to help my daughter celebrate her 26th birthday, I purchased some Malabrigo in the China colorway to make a quick gift. I started the Lisa Souza gendarme colorway socks for myself in the Dublin Bay pattern....am about 1 inch from the first heel flap. I'm almost ready to do the toe on the second alpaca sock for my husband......ummmm......Valentine's Day is coming.......great idea!I was commissioned by a friend to knit a Lucy bag in her llama yarn that she spins.....well, tonight for just something crazy, I decided to figure out (in my head.....don't need a calculator) how many stitches I had already knit.....well over 12,000! I'm about 7 rows from the bind off for the straps round.....no wonder I've been spending so much time knitting. Hopefully that item will be finished next week and then I can felt it.......Alcariel is going to reap the benefits of this bag since I traded my knitting for some llama roving for her to spin.I was able to pick up some yarn that Alcariel had purchased for me when PT had their 20% off in December......some yarn to make a friend a comfort shawl.....her 82 year old husband has decided to not take cancer treatment.......he's at peace with his decision and is still able to be at home.......have even said he'll gladly go to a care center when the care becomes too much for his wife. What a lovely, Christian couple......what an example!
I also needed 3 skeins of Koigu for a Faina scarf for a friend for Christmas......this coming......not last!!! What planning......haven't started it yet, but it will be done before to long if the cold........frigid........well, below zero.....weather continues for much longer. There really isn't anything to do but knit.....right? TLGB

January Socks Completed

Finished the Monkey socks that were my project for January.....I did add 5 more loops to the heel flap to make the instep higher. I didn't get the UFO completed......yet.......oops, it is February. My UFO ended up being the second alpaca sock that I'm knitting for my husband....I have about 20 rows to do before the toe......should be done in a couple of days.

My sock for February is the Dublin Bay sock using Lisa Souza yarn (a Christmas gift from my daughter, Alcariel) in the gendarme colorway.....absolute divine yarn even though I only have the ribbing about half done on the first sock.