20 May - Maybe

Maybe:
I got nothing done today.
The washing machine is finally fixed.
I bought some new knitting needles and a skein of yarn whilst waiting for Erin to see the dentist.
I found a lovely blue teapot for my ownie-oh.
I had a wonderful supper of London B with Parsnip Potatoes and an Artichoke.

17 May - Maybe

Maybe:

I will get into the shower as soon as I get this posted.
I will get to knit today at the LYS.
I will remember to get Size 3 circs to finish Katte Beth's mitts.
I will get the hems on my new chemise done.

Takumi Needle Set Give-Away

Go check this out.. Needle Set

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.

Finished Socks - Encore Scrappies and Dragonflies KAL

Here are the two latest pairs of socks that I have completed.

The scrappy socks are made from leftovers. I had these colours leftover after making a bunch of hats for charity. The yarn is Encore Colors Worsted Weight knitted on Size 4s. I just used the yarns as they came along, which is why there are 5 different yarns in these socks. It is also why there is no rhyme or reason to the colour blocking.

The Dragonflies are knitted in a lace stitch that looks like a dragonfly. These were done in a Cascade Yarns Sassy Stripes sock weight yarn knitted on Size 2s. As you can see I didn't get the striping to line up as the yarn was wound different on the 2 skeins I had and I decided "screw it", I am not going to make myself crazy trying to get it to line up. Hey, they are my socks, therefore, it's my rules. I would only wish that my pictures would show the design better, however, sigh...

BTW, these Dragonfly in Amber KAL socks are going to have a felted bag in the shape of a thistle to go with. Green Pi in earlier post is the beginning of that project...

My Katte Beth Sewing Kit

6 or 7 years ago, our friend, Katte Beth , gave my daughter and me each a sewing kit as a prezzie for Christmas. My friend, Lini, the Essex Hooker was talking about sewing kits and I told her I would share mine with her.

It is made from a fishing tackle box from Wal-Mart. She put inside the box a folding pair of scissors, what she thought was a seam ripper, but was actually a knit-picker, a couple of spools of thread and a Lo-Ran magnetic needle case. It is the exactly right size to throw in your purse, suitcase or work bag.

I have since amended the contents to suit me. No surprise there, eh?. Two months after I got the box and while I was working at the LQS in S.E. Denver, my bosses had gone to Japan and while there, they toured the Clover Notions Factory and brought us all back Clover Purse Size sewing kits, with "real" scissors. So, I traded out the folding ones for the Clover ones. The next Christmas, my friend, Darla gave me a poly - clay decorated needle holder made from a glass vial, so I traded out the needle case. Meanwhile, I added my favorite leather thimble and a metal thimble for tough sewing, as I was making a lot of Ren Faire garments at the time. I also put a grommet setter in the box, that, with the hammer I keep in the truck meant grommets could be set anywhere. Later down the line, I got a lovely gift box from an un-secret sister that included a bit of wool roving. At that time, I hadn't started needle felting and wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. Eventually, I rolled it into an egg shape, stuck in the toe of a stocking and tossed it into the washer with a knitted bag I was felting and wallah, a pin cushion was born. I ran a ribbon through the long axis and added a button to hold the knot and attached it to the box. I also got an actual seam ripper to go in the box as well. The knit - picker was a serendipitous mistake as it is a handy thing to have. There are also 3 different types of bodkins, for drawing lacing and elastics through casings, just in case an end gets lost in a chemise. There are as well, safety pins, straight pins and two spools of thread (these change according to project being worked, of course).