More snow ...... more time to knit!

No, I haven't disappeared ... I have just been neglecting my blog. This is partially to keep Christmas gifts a surprise partnered with a very busy fall in my job - teaching Spanish 1 to 80 students, all but four freshmen.


Early in fall, I asked dd to pick a color of Wollmeise from my stash for her Christmas socks. I then asked her to choose some patterns that she would like .... from Cookie A's Sock Innovation. She marked 4-5 different patterns. As she was choosing, I heard her say, "These are stockinette on the foot which would work in my nursing shoes." So ... I chose that pattern "Sam" with Wollmeise 100% merino in the True Love colorway, 2AAT on ml. Started them the end of September and finished them in a month (I do have 2-3 pairs of socks ON most of the time).
Then, as a surprise, I decided to knit the Gail shawl (aka Nightsongs) . I chose a colorway that I had received as a member of the Wollmeise sock club last year, the colorway Okzident, a blend of blue, green, charcoal. I finished the edge with STR lightweight in the Thraven colorway, it blended quite well. I followed the pattern using US #7 harmony circ from KP, but didn't care for the tightness of the bind-off. The pic above is with that bind-off. So, after Christmas when dd had opened the present, I frogged the bind-off and did my usual loose bind-off. It had a lot more stretch to it and should bring the points out farther. DD said that she would block it, but if she doesn't want to, I can get it from her later this month and do it then.

When dd and I were at Sock Summit in August, I purchased a some Krazy Zauberball in the U boat colorway (navy, green, light and dark gray) especially for dh since he is a WW II history nut. When I started knitting the socks in October, it was really overcast ..... hardly had a sunny day all month. In November when the sunny, colder days came, some purple appeared in midst of the navy .... dh doesn't like purple. Well, I continued on and only let him know they were his socks when I had him try one on after the heel turn, just to make sure it worked for his high instep. His comment, "They're so soft and beautiful." Well, he really likes them. The dd of a coffee friend is a full-time elementary teacher as well as mom to three children (15, 12, 7) and her husband has been deployed to Iraq since last summer. She has been having a tough time around the holidays, so I decided to knit her the Magic Shawl from Rav with Noro Silk Garden in colorway 251 on size 10.5. Her dh surprised her by coming home for 10 days, arriving the Sunday after Christmas. I've finished the shawl and each of the coffee ladies will write a little message to her to include with the shawl. She can choose to read them all at once or read one whenever she needs a little "hug" from her dm's friends.

Oh, an explanation about the title ... in the past two weeks, we have received three substantial snowstorms complete with blizzard winds and very cold wind-chill temps. We are in the midst of the third one right now. The two previous ones each dropped about a foot of the light fluffy snow that hasn't ever settled or crusted over .... each little wind we get blows it around. That is the case today and tomorrow. The ditches are full in the countryside, so that a danger for those traveling ... the highway east of town is blocked by several semi trucks. I do like winter and the whiteness of the snow. Hope I still like it after the next two months .... usually a time when we get a lot of snow.
Happy knitting. TLGB

I'm Still Alive and Knitting!

I have been terrible with my blog the past three months. I have been knitting, mostly Christmas presents that I've been trying to keep "secret" from dd and dh. Dh doesn't realize, most times, that what I'm knitting is his. I started the Cauchy socks from Cookie A's "Sock Innovation" in a Crazy Zauberball that I purchased at Sock Summit's marketplace. The colorway was described as royal blue, charcoal (almost black), a teal green, and light gray. Well, there's about an inch wide strip of purple in the middle of the royal blue. Shortly after our marriage 37+ years ago, dh told me that he didn't wear pink or purple. Well, I hope that he has mellowed now that he's over 60, but just in case he doesn't I've just started a pair of socks in a dark hunter green Huntington from Valley Yarns that I purchased from WEBS at sock summit ..... destined for Valentine's Day. If I get them finished, I'll be happy.

In mid-September a specialist diagnosed the pain in the base of my right thumb as basal joint arthritis at an "old" thumb fracture site. I think that probably happened 10+ years ago on an ambulance run. It was treated as a "jammed" thumb with no xrays taken. I, too, thought that was the case until last year this time when I could not do color knitting as I had before due to the extreme pain. Now at least there's a diagnosis. I have a splint to wear when needed and take ibuprofen as needed. Other knitting hasn't been affected that much, just slower. Now, I wasn't a fast knitter like some, but realize when the pain starts to stop knitting and do a "paraffin dip". That really helps.

I am about 3/4 finished with a knitted hedge hog (from Fiber Trends) for the daughter of a teacher/friend that dd and I became acquainted with at Sock Summit. Just purchased the nose and eyes. DD (Alcariel on Rav) hasn't started hers for the other daughter, so we've decided that it will be a gift in the New Year. I did finish the toe-up socks from my class at SS "Toe-up for the Stubborn" with Deb Barnhill. And ..... I do wear them just about every week!

I'm quite the "proud mama" since dd started a videocast after our return from Sock Summit. Check it out at http://roundthetwistwithcarin.blogspot.com/. Both dh and I are eager on Thursday mornings to watch it with our first cup of coffee.

Today is "start the Christmas tree" day. We have an artificial one that has a lot of branches to be placed and then I weave the strings of white mini lights through the branches. Usually a two-day task after I return from teaching my Spanish 1 classes. All I have done so far, is the furniture moved out of the walls and trying to fit everything with room for the tree. I'll take a pic when it is done. Dd always likes to see the tree in the front window when she comes home for Christmas.

Happy December everyone! TLGB

Shadow Rib Socks Done!

Just finished the woolen socks for dh and they are drying. Don't need to put them in his Christmas stocking until tomorrow evening since dd doesn't come home until tomorrow afternoon. I just had to take the pic out in the snow .... we have about 20 inches piled up and more on the way this week-end.

Wishes for a safe and blessed holiday for everyone! TLGB

Christmas Stocking Swap

This morning I packed the box to send to my swap partner on the Worldwide Christmas Stocking Swap on Ravelry. I always try to stuff the large priority mail flat rate box from USPS with yarn, a pattern, some goodies, some knitting "gadgets, and items of interest to the recipient. This time there were a couple of "empty" spaces that I filled with a wad of bubble. As I was returning home after sending it off to mamaphdknits on Ravelry, I had a "bright" moment and remembered what I forgot to send ..... the cat treats and the marker I'd completed before Thanksgiving. Well, I'll just have to send those closer to Christmas. After the package is received, I'll post the pic of the completed stocking. Package has been received, so here's the pic.

Pattern: John Stocking from Berroco (free pattern)

Yarn: Plymouth Galway worsted

Needle: KP Harmony #6 & #8 circ

Pattern modification: Only did 2 1/4" of ribbing instead of the 4 1/2 called for and made a 4 inch long 6 st I-cord for a holder (secured it at the bottom of ribbing on the inside and about 1" from the top of the outside.

This was a fun pattern to knit, but there were many ends to work in when I was finished .... some just could not be carried.
Need to get to knitting on dh socks that will be placed in his Christmas stocking this year. I've done that the past four years ..... the first year was khaki and green plain stockinette with Brown Sheep's Wildfoote, next came the 3-ply Bigfoot socks (k3,p1) in three natural brown shades Classic Elite Inca alpaca, and last year was with CTH superwash sock in java colorway (brown, tan, grey). This year is with Trekking XXXL in navy, grey, green, and burgundy .... just getting subtle striping. I'm doing them on ml with 1.5 Addis, so it's slow going..... both at the same time .... I'm almost down to the heels. I'm going to add reinforcement thread ... haven't ever before .... just had some to try.
That's all for now. Happy knitting! TLGB

Completed Socks & Scarf!

These two are a little late in being posted, but they were Christmas gifts for two of my coffee friends.
The socks are from the Socktopia Mystery Sock pattern with mods of adding 2 sts either side of the cable for total sts of 72 ..... if I did it again, I'd add one st either side and 2 sts to each cable. The recipient said they were great ..... really kept her feet warm.



The Chevron Scarf is from STR Silkie in the Lunesea colorway and STR mediumweight in Love In Idleness colorway. The recipient is only five feet tall so I have about 1/3 of each colorway left. Any ideas for its use? I ordered colorways for a CS for me .... can't wait to start.

Other knitting has been put on a hold since I've developed a severe bacterial sinus infection .... that apparently started with the "bug" that was passed around school that hit me during Christmas vacation. I know that I'm sick when I don't even feel an urge to pick up the needles. The prescriptions are doing their job, but I have had to stay home two days so far this week. The congestion, headache, ringing in the ears, and inability to get more than 45 minutes of sleep at a time contributed to that. Our school district has no substitutes that can teach Spanish, so I always have to be creative with the lesson plans.

Oh, I did start My So Called Scarf with the Knit and Needlepoint Merino, nugmet colorway, that dd brought me when she attended a medical conference in Boston last spring. It was something I could do while walking around the study hall of about 86 students that constantly need monitoring. They do, however, pay attention to how much I get finished between times or ...... what I don't get done.

A Chevron Scarf, Finally!

I had ordered some yarn from BMFA earlier to make a chevron scarf for a friend who is very particular. Well, I just didn't feel like starting something that she might not like. Then this past week when DD visited, she knitted on her chevron scarf while we at "coffee with the ladies" and my friend really like hers. So ...... we looked at my boxful of BMFA yarns trying to determine what I had ordered. I knew that the black onyx (shaded black/grey) was one but couldn't decide on the other. DD remembered that it was STR Love-in-Idleness (blue, fuschia, green, burgundy). I did about 3 repeats and didn't care for that ..... used STR Rollin' Stone instead ..... same thing. I then tried Rollin' Stone with Lunasea (Silkie) .... didn't like it. Finally, I did the Lunasea and Love-in-Idleness. Here's the first 3-4 inches. The different isn't as subtle as the pic shows. Not the best sunlight today. TLGB

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