Fawkes Socks Redux

Here is the progress I have made on my Fawkes Socks on 2 circs. Picked up from the heel and finished the decreases for the gusset and now down to the toe. Jury is still out on knitting with two circs, but I am DOING IT.

There were fewer decreases than I am used to so I had to frog back two rows to get my 30 stitches on the one needle again. I had my knitting rhythm going and just zoned out. Thank the Gods for a life line. I didn't screw up the pattern across the instep when frogging as the life line was in place. You can just see the thread of dental floss that I used dangling with the needles. I move it every pattern repeat just to be on the safe side. One of the kewl things about interchangeable needles is that they have a key hole for tightening the threaded part and you can thread your lifeline through the hole and it pulls along through the stitches as you knit. The other advantage to 2 circs is that it is certainly easier to try on the sock for fit as you go.

In the background you can just see Erin's yardage counter (green wheel) and the new swift LOADED with the Sad Sack bamboo yarn. It's been through the ringer to put it mildy. First it arrived smashed flat in a torn and greasy Tyvek package from Singapore. Then it was washed to get the grease spots out. Then it was wound off the cone into skeins and caked and all manner of mayhem that can be committed on yarn. Read Erin's Journal of Impossible Things to learn more.

The ribbon yarn sweater is done but I haven't got a picture of it that I like yet. Will post later.

Why is There a Bicycle in the Bathroom?

Friday, sigh!
We are up to our asses in plants and patio chairs in the house and there's a bicycle in my bathtub. They are suppose to be power washing and painting the house today. It's 1:51 pm and they haven't even started up as of yet. Do we get taped inside while they work or do we go find something to do that doesn't cost a ton of money? the stair landing is covered in pots of plants. This is the only way up the stairs. Pan's napping spot is at the top of the landing. Pan has chive breathe from raiding my kitchen garden pots as he goes back and forth...



Here's one of the tomato plants and the chives. I am also sitting on some lilies that will go into the church garden when it is decided where the Return to Grace bed will be.







I have though, made great progress on the tee-shirt sweater, I am knitting from a Bernat Yarns pattern. I am knitting it from a variegated ribbon yarn I found for a dollar a skein. I am getting the same gauge, even though I am using a different yarn than the pattern calls for. This is what progress I have so far.I have used a skein and a 1/3 for about 10 inches. I did make one adjustment. I ground off the pointy tips to the bamboo needles to make them less pokey. Works so much better now, I can just "clicket" away without much attention.



I had to put down the Fawkes Socks as I need to frog the heel flap, as I am not liking the directions I was given and want to do my own heel.

Spoon Story & the Peonies About to Take Off

Here a link to the Spoon Story . It describes my experience better than I can. I still do what I can, when I can in spite of all. Thanks for the linky, Diana. She's also written about peonies today.

I spent a lovely day today. Knit club with Sheila and Shirley and the rest of the ladies. We did not have a "real" meeting as all the officers were elsewhere.


Some of the Knit club members..















Here's the Hairpin Lace Afghan.

We primarily did show and tell. Shirley showed us how to do hairpin lace. I haven't seen hairpin done in years, but apparently it is making a comeback like all the forms of needlecraft.

Progress on Fawkes Socks.




Then I paid forward a million gajillion mercies and kindnesses by giving Sheila a ride to the hospital to get blood work done.

After that, I drop Sheila back to home and went onto my LYS, Knitter's Kove and walked into CHAOS. They are re-arranging the whole store! Most of the stock was in BIG plastic sacks. I wanted some Brown Sheep Bulky, not on the shelves yet. Yikes, wonder what bag it's in, should I come back later? Saw a label for Bulky Brown Sheep peeking out of a bag and dug in and believe it or no, found the yarn I was looking for. WOOT! Hit the register and was out of there as there was too much chaos...

Off to the church to water the garden. Sun behind the clouds so it was not too hot. Communed with the birds bathing in the bath, looked at the robin's nest in the tree by the door. WRESTLED with the mighty black and green hose... Someone needs to learn how to coil a hose away, the nozzle was on the bottom of the coils (5, maybe 6 hoses strung together), what's up with that? Since the peonies are about to go full force in bloom, I couldn't stay upset for long. It smelled like Heaven and I was happy to just BE.

Of course, watering and the St. Francis Fountain burbling tend to trigger a certain response, so I was off to the Parish Office to use the Ladies. Marti, the Parish Secretary pointed me the way. I had never been in McWilliam House where the offices are, before. It's a Victorian and the wood work in the dining room is amazing!. I will get pictures of it at a later date. Father John, who retired on Sunday was there as well as a number of other members of the Parish. What a joy to see the church and it's grounds coming alive again. I even got the gift of hearing our magnificent organ being played as someone was there practicing on it.


This is one of the clematis vines tucked at the back of the bed. I took the picture through the lovely wrought iron fence topped with fleur-de-lis.










I don't ever recall seeing irises with these light green and white leaves before but they are a interesting addition to the shades of green in the garden. I want to find out more about them.

Fawkes Socks - Learned Something New

I KNOW I CAN DO THIS...

My readers know I have been struggling with a lace stole name Voyager aka the Shawl from Hell. I have put it down for the time being. It will rise again, maybe it'll be called the Zombie Shawl in the future! It will be resurrected, no, really, it will be...

I haven't talked about it before, but I am also having issues with a new to new knitting stitch called Knit One Below, sigh.

I have cognitive disorders related to chemo and West Nile Virus. I easily get frustrated by not being able to get something the first or second attempt. I mean, I get really, really, really frustrated! Anyway, enough about that.

I decided I was going to learn something new, hell or high water. I decided to cast on a new pair of socks. Socks, you say, but you knit them all the time, what's new about that. Absolutely true, I knit at least pair a month. Now, here's the twist. The directions for this pattern has you cast on on 2 circular needles instead of on DPNs. This is new to me. I haven't used 2 circs to knit in the round before and I don't know anyone who does knit this way. Most of my friends are Magic Loop (see earlier post wherein I learned this trick) or DPN knitters.

Once again, I have Erin's new sock book, How to Knit Socks, Three Methods Made Easy by Edie Eckman to thank for great instructions on getting started in this new, to me, knitting style.

Here's a photo of the yarn I am using for this project. I can't tell you anything about it, as I can't find the ball band at this moment, other than it's superwash sock yarn and merino.



Here's the cuff and one repeat of pattern done.

It's LACE! It's coming out right on the stitch count! I have learned a new knitting style! This all happened in one project! SEE, see, I can do this! I can learn something new and not drive myself (or anyone else, for that matter) mad in the process. It's LACE!, as you can see from the photo above. Knitting lace means yarn overs and K2togs and K3togs and all manner of devilment in the stitch department and count, count, count and use a life line. That said, I am DOING IT and seeing the pattern come right and the whole thing is flying merrily along and... Sigh (this one of relief)! No frogging, no tinking, just knit, knit, knit. What joy, caloo, calay!

Now, the jury's still out as to whether or not I like knitting with 2 circs. I do have a new trick in my knitting arsenal, though. Woot! I also have a "Jeez, maybe it's NOT time for the Ga-Ga Home" sense of profound relief.