May 30, 2007

Greensburg - Here We Come!

The envelope is waiting on the kitchen table ... the first dozen squares knitted to help create afghans for the people of Greensburg who lost their homes to a tornado earlier this spring. The knitting has been an absolute joy! I planned to post a pic, but the image downloaded from the camera wouldn't open ... I've never had that happen before. Check the previous post for the pic of the first seven. Alcariel and I started knitting the squares last week-end ... she had finished two and I had three when we left Sunday afternoon to come home. My goal was to have a dozen by the week-end and .... I made it! As I knitted I also remembered the items I had knitted for family and friends .... felted slippers for Alcariel, Sophie bags for some of my coffee friend (Jodi, Susie, Deb and Jan) and the "mistake" yarn. When Alcariel and I visited Brown Sheep Yarn in western Nebraska two summers ago, I was looking at their hand-painted yarn that was displayed in a large, flat basket in their outlet shop attached to the mill. I purchased about $325 worth of yarn for $78. I took some from the top to look more closely at the colors underneath. Well .... when we got to the motel in the next town and were admiring our stash additions, I wondered where the yarn had come from ... the clerk thought I wanted it and so I ended up with about ten hanks of "Poppy Fields". I had put it in my felted slipper stash, but hadn't knitted it ... four squares were from that colorway.
After packing the squares, I settled down to knit some on the Fiber Trends Lacy Mobius I had started earlier. This is my second try .... I'm using KP #7 circ (from their needle set) and placed a marker every 30 sts (only 18 in the last repeat) and haven't had the trouble keeping track of where I am. The pattern is an 8 row repeat and I finished the first repeat last night. Previously I had tried it in a wool, mohair, rayon blend but this time I'm using some Koigu sock yarn (three skeins will be plenty). When I dropped a st, all I did was frog the 30 sts in the repeat not tinking the 378 sts per round to pick up the sts .... one I even frogged 4 rows and knitted them back. I really enjoying knitting it this time. Oh, when casting on the 378 sts (long-tail method was suggested) I only made it to 219 with the "long-enough" tail I started with ..... later I pulled off about 3 more yards and then just had about a foot left but at least it was enough.
Since school was finished last Wed. and I checked out on Thurs., I'm looking forward to knitting as well as some fix-up inside the house, mainly painting. TLGB

One Block At A Time

A knitting friend of my daughter's blogged about charity knitting for the people of Greensburg, Kansas, who lost their homes to a tornado earlier this spring. Here's the blog to check this out http://specialstuff.typepad.com/sugar_bunny_boulevard/2007/05/rebuilding_gree.html.

Alcariel and I were able to knit 5 of the squares ... both of us have since gone through our stashes for leftover worsted weight yarn and decided that we'll be able to contribute more. The directions for knitting the squares are at the above link. Here's our squares so far .... (I've completed two more and Alcariel is on her second one, I think.)

Maybe you could help, too! TLGB

May 23, 2007

Knee High To A Grasshopper Done!



Yes, the KHTG are completed! I even wore them to school this morning ... the high school is REALLY air-conditioned, so wool socks felt good. I did, however remove them within five minutes of arriving home for lunch. They looked soooo good with an old sweater set and slacks that I've had for over ten years, but really didn't care for the colors.


Now I'm ready to get back to the other three pairs of socks that are on the needles ..... Broad Ripple from Knitty in KP Sock Garden in a purple/pink colorway, Air-Conditioned from BMFA in Trekking in a rainbow colorway, and the Crooked Cable socks from SockBug in a pink/lavendar/blue colorway called Grandma.


I will really need a large bag for this week-end when we go to our daughter's home ... plan to have at least one marathon knitting session.


Cuteness alert ... here's a pic of my poodle with her first "big girl" poodle cut.


Time to head upstairs for some knitting therapy. TLGB




May 20, 2007

Still Hopping!

The second KHTG is coming along ... a little slower than I'd like. With the beautiful weather outside, I just couldn't spend too much time knitting this week-end. I'm beginning the first repeat of the calf increases, so the rest should "hop" rather quickly.
My DH has been working in the garden watering, placing tomato cages, and checking to make sure that bunnies haven't been tasting the plants. We bought a couple of new bushes to replace some that have become a nuisance with their thorns ... didn't get them planted but will in the next couple of days. The weather here in northern Iowa has been delightful this week-end ... especially nice for graduation parties.
Time to get back to the grasshoppers. TLGB

May 13, 2007

First Try with Magic Loop

I'm about finished with the gusset on my second KHTG sock, but decided that I wanted to work on something new .... so to the stash I went ... didn't take me too long.......I chose a colorway called Grandma for socks for a coffee friend who is a great grandma.
I tried two circs for the STR KHTG sock, but didn't like it at all. So, today, I took a 47" #1 Addi circ and decided to try the using the magic loop. Well, .... it took all of about 5 minutes to figure it out with directions I downloaded. I'm knitting Sock Bug Crooked Cable Socks ... so far everything is working .... of course, I've just done k1, p1 rib and the first pattern row. I guess you're never too old to learn something different ... I'm really enjoying it. And ... when I'm done, I don't have the knit another sock ... they'll both be the same, too! The pic looks a bit of a tangled mess, but it isn't. Once you've started, there's really only one way to go. Can't wait to get back to the loop!
TLGB

Productive Week-end

Saturday was a good day for getting the garden planted, replacing a small shrub that was mostly "winter kill", and doing some household chores. Well,...... that left the evening for knitting ... or frogging ... for some reason, I've been leaving sts too close to the end of the KP dps and they slip off ... usually on the sole side and since I haven't been counting those sts each row, discover it about 12 or so rows above and the sts were just too tight when picked up. Then today, Sunday, I see a super-sized yo about eight rows down ... don't know why that happened. Well, I am about 6 rows from starting the gusset. With DH away at a 3-day class, I should get the sock done. Before he left, I told him that the sock would be done! Hopefully the frog prince will think this weather is too humid.
TLGB

May 7, 2007

Grasshopper 1 Complete!

This afternoon my first STR KHTG sock was completed! I did leave a longer tail for the binding off and am glad ... left at least 24" and had only about 3" left. The sock fits well .... hope that the picture is clear. I just had to take the picture by one of the hostas ... they are really doing quite well here in northern Iowa.
Here's a bit of cuteness ... my DH took his hunting dog Cozi down to the family farm on Saturday. Both of our dogs tend to sleep during the day while we are at work. Well, no naps at the farm. Toffee was sleeping on Cozi's pillow when DH returned, so Cozi just cuddled in and they were both dozing.

Need to get that second KHTG started .... now that all the kinks are out of the pattern for me, it should go quicker.

TLGB

First Grasshopper Done!

The first sock is almost done .... just about 8 rows of k1p1 ribbing to go. My right hand is aching, so will stop for the night Hopefully that can be completed in the morning .... if not, after I get home from school tomorrow. Then it will be time to start the second sock.
The perenniels that I've planted the last 2-3 years are really coming up ... except for a day lily and some yarrow that was hit by the frost and didn't recover ... yet ...even though the plants next to them that were covered just the same did come back. Some friends have stated to be patient. Well .... that's not too bad. The apple tree was loaded with blossoms before the wind that we had this week-end ... it still has plenty remaining, so I hope to have a good amount of apples this year.
We have a little over three weeks of school left, so the students are getting restless. The freshmen (most of my students) don't seem to realize that the work continues through to the end of the semester. Some of them have already shut down ... hopefully, they will get a "kick" start to make it to the end of the year.
Time to get some sleep. TLGB

Grasshopper Update

The bagginess above the heel of my STR KHTG socks has been remedied! I knit the heel sts only with SB#0 for the first six rows, using KP#1 for the instep sts at the same time. It appears to have taken care of the "bagging" above the heel. I'm currently halfway through my first repeat of the increase rows. I am making the short socks, so won't have too much more to knit. YEA! That is on the first sock. I'm enjoying the challenge of the pattern as well as the need for some "tweaking" on my part. Thank you BMFA ladies ... you rock! TLGB

May 5, 2007

Froggin' Again

Yes, froggin' happened because the back half of the leg, only, was bagging over my heel ... am trying to knit it tighter, but may just knit that half with smaller needles.
The new Interweave Knits magazine came yesterday ... I love the cover photo and have some yarn .. a bright coral cotton from Croatia ... purchased well over a year ago that will be just perfect for it. I will probably make the sleeves shorter since I tend to be a bit "warm" in the summer. Time for my first morning cup of coffee. TLGB

May 4, 2007

Lucy Bag Completed!

Couldn't go to bed last night until I had felted the Lucy Bag I had made. Here's the before picture that shows just how HUGE it was before felting. I had the DH take the pic and asked for him not to show my face ... really my hair was a mess! After about 18 minutes of hot washing, the bag was "blocked" with a Corelle breakfast plate in the bottom and every plastic grocery bag in the house stuffed inside. I had made the largest of the bags. This morning, this is what it looked like ... You can still see the zigzag design even when it was felted. The dye wasn't set too well on the yarn, Plymouth Outback Wool from Turkey, so came off on my hands as I was knitting, The color, however, isn't faded one bit.
Now I just have to get the cabled brief case sewn together and felted ... maybe even before school is over for the year (May 30 thanks to two early spring snowstorms!). I still have a couple of sweater projects .. both vests ... one for me and the other for DH.
Better get back to the STR ... am about 3" above the heel. It will be completed this week-end.
TLGB

May 3, 2007

Lucy Bag - BIG!

The UFO that I planned for February is finally finished ... well, almost! I still have to felt it. I knit the Lucy Bag from Plymouth Outback Wool in a colorway of black, navy, rose, and aqua that I had purchased at a LYS about 40 miles away ... the closest here in northern Iowa. But ... received a card that it is closing ... actually the owner is moving stock back to her main store about 100 miles away, but on the way to our daughter's home.
Did some frogging to the STR sock ... was about 2 inches above the heel flap when the pattern wasn't coming out ... found out picking up the sts wasn't easy even for this knitter certified as in ARS (advanced rip st). This is a term of group of knitting friends from 20+ years ago. In fact, my daughter Alcariel was born on a knitting day ... we met every two weeks in our homes for about 10 years. When Alcariel was of preschool age, she would say that one day she wanted to knit, crochet, and do the rip stitch .... little did she know! Anyway, the sock is back to about 1 inch over the heel, so will probably finish it this week-end ... the end of the school year is entirely too busy to have marathon knitting sessions. TLGB

May 1, 2007

Grasshopper Instep Fits!


Just finished the heel of the first grasshopper sock, as written,... it fits my high instep. Bravo! I started the toe on #2 LM ebony but changed to KP #1 (actually 1.5) for the foot. It fits my size 10, high instep and all. I plan on making the short socks, so should be finished in a couple of days with the first one ... just can't plan on any more "snow days" from teaching when all I do is knit.

The warmer weather, mid 70's today but lower 90's the past two days, has been nice. The perenniels are coming up as is the grass seed that we put on some bare spots in the yard. Even the warmer weather, however, never stops my knitting ... it must be in my blood. Better get back to the grasshopper. TLGB