Another year has come and gone…

And I’m still here, staying busy in the background, totally ignoring this poor little blog. Every now and then, though, I come across it and decide I should get back into it again. It isn’t always easy. 

Life keeps ticking along. I still work every day, though I’ve cut back on my hours; instead of a full 8-hour day, I now work about six hours per day. I’m still making soap, along with bath & body items for the market that I still attend every chance I get. I will be expanding to another market this year (Peachland Market – opening date, May 28; I’ll be there!). I’ve started another blog to commemorate my/our parents (I’m the eldest of seven). I still knit on occasion. As I said, life keeps ticking along. 

So, where do I start on updates? 

As mentioned, I’m still knitting, not nearly as much as I have in the past but there’s always a pair of socks for John on my needles, with yarn waiting in the wings for the next pair. When your husband considers his hand knit socks as “hugs for his feet”, you don’t stop making them, right?

Well, I won’t make any promises but I will try to update a little more often than once a year. Let me know what you’re up to…. if you’re still hanging around, that is.

THOSE Days

Ever have those days where you seriously want to knit but absolutely just can’t? There’s no real reason you can’t but every time you sit in your favourite comfy chair and pick up something you’ve been working on for a while and seriously look at it, the question forms in your mind… why am I doing this? Yeah, THOSE days!

Well, I’m having way too many of those right now.

I’ve been working on Ethan’s slippers; then, while the kids were here last week (for the week), I noticed that he hasn’t been at all bothered by the coolness of the floors, even first thing in the morning. There was only one morning that he asked me to help him put his socks on. Trinity? Well, her feet were chilly but she found a pair of knitted slippers in a basket, put those on and was quite comfortable. Why am I bothering to make felted slippers for them?

Click for the pattern

 

Then, when Ethan came inside after playing in the snow, I realized how painfully pathetic his Dollar Store gloves were for playing in the white stuff, I started a pair of woolen mittens for him. After a day or two, I discovered his ski-type mittens in his back pack. Why didn’t I know they were there? He really doesn’t need another pair of mittens.

Click fort the pattern

 

I found a really cute pattern for a reading rest for my new tablet (did I tell you I’d bought myself a tablet??), started it, then found a pin on Pinterest for a fantastically simple tablet stand. It involves a metal book end (I just happened to have an extra one) and two binder clips, which I also just happened to have (well, I have one but it still works). Why bother knitting one when this one works just as well, put together in a fraction of the time?

It’s become a little frustrating, truth be told. I want to knit. I really do. Unfortunately, this week I’ve spent more time frogging than knitting.

I think I’ll go cook something instead.

One Week Later

Last week’s snowfall is now a memory. It was one for the record books; the last time this school district had a snow day was 40 years ago, when they closed the schools for one day. Last week’s snow resulted in two snow days for our school district! We also broke a long standing record for the most snowfall in a 24-hour period, one that had been standing since some time in the 1890’s, apparently.

The following three pictures were taken within a 24-hour period. And, for those of you who live in areas where you get a LOT more snow than we get? I know this doesn’t look like a lot; it really isn’t. We don’t really get a lot of snow here. Up in the mountains, yes, we do; but down here at lake level, we do get some but not like you get in the prairies or out east. You have my sympathy.

I do have other things to talk about, including knitting. Where do I start? Well, after buying my Samsung tablet last weekend, I knew I needed to buy a cover for it. I looked at the covers in Future Shop, London Drugs, and various other locations but was appalled when I found out the prices. I cannot see paying about $45 for a cover so I went online. I found one at Amazon for less than half the cost of what I saw in the shops. Even with the shipping and taxes, it was less than the pre-tax price of the covers I could find locally. And it’s red. I love red.

I’m also waiting for a set of screen covers to arrive, probably next week. Incidentally, since I got the tablet, I’ve read two murder mysteries and am well into the third. I haven’t read this much in….. well, I don’t know how long. It’s no wonder I’m not getting much knitting done! One of my sisters turned me on to BookBub and I’ve been downloading some of the free books available there. As well, I’ve finally figured out how to download books from the library to the tablet. Right now, I’m reading “The Camel Club” by David Baldacci.

There has been some knitting, too. I finished a pair of fish lips kiss socks for myself. They look rather Christmas-y; that wasn’t necessarily the intention. I found a partial ball of red DK weight yarn, enough to make one sock, or the foot portion of two socks. Then, I came across a ball of white DK weight acrylic and decided to use the white for the heels. I could have used white for the cuffs, too, but it’s acrylic… not the nicest acrylic I’ve ever worked with. It even squeaked on the needles! I went back to my stash and found two balls of green DK, the same brand as the red. Both the red and the green have wool, possibly even 100% wool.

The socks are a touch big on me but I’m hoping that a wash will solve that. I know that the heel won’t shrink but I do hope it will at least tighten up the socks a bit. They are, however, nice and warm and cozy. They’re meant to be worn around the house, in my slippers…. which need replacing soon.

One of the main reasons I wanted to knit these (other than the practical reason of keeping my feet warm) was to test the Fish Lips Kiss pattern on adult sized socks. I’m very pleased with the result, even though they’re a bit large for me. Realistically, I should have used a smaller needle (I used 3.25 mm, I think); that would have made the knit a little tighter; and for next time, I know to make the foot portion a little shorter before starting the heel.

Now, on with the day. There are letters to write, postcards to send out, dishes to be done, knitting to get to, a book to finish…. you get the idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December

And suddenly, it’s December! We’ve had snow, we’ve had freezing rain. We’ve had cold temperatures (down to about -15ºC); it’s warming up a bit now (at about 3ºC right now). Both John and I have been hit with our first colds of the season; mine kept me home for two days. We’re on the mend now, thankfully.

With winter weather comes the urge for knitting. I’ve really been bitten by the knitting bug this winter, more than I have all year. I suppose the break from knitting was a necessary one. Coming back to it now, I’m finding myself enjoying it more than I have in what feels like a very long time.

This past week, I’ve kept my needles busy. One of Ethan’s slippers is finished… well, the knitting of one slipper is finished. The second is almost half finished. They won’t be completely finished, of course, until the felting process is complete.

The little piece of purple yarn is there as a marker for joining the cuff to the foot. Once felted, these slippers will look like high top running shoes, complete with laces. Once Ethan’s are finished, I’ll make Trinity’s and won’t felt them until the kids are around to watch the process.

I also started, and finished a small project for a friend with a baby. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that scarves on little ones can be a hazard and the use of scarves is no longer encouraged for infants. When the weather’s cold, though, little necks need to stay warm, too. I’ve always been of the belief that if it’s cold enough for you, as a parent, to pull on a sweater or wear a jacket, hat, scarf, and mittens, you should be dressing your child accordingly as well.

To that end, I went hunting on the Drops (Garnstudio) web site and found a cute little pattern for a neck scarf that ties at the back.

The pattern is Henrik VIII (click the title to see the pattern). It uses less than one ball of yarn and would have been finished in one evening if my cold-clouded brain had comprehended the increase row near the end. If you check out the pattern pictures, you’ll see that it covers the neck nicely and looks almost like a dickey. It should definitely keep any cold winds or gusts off of the recipient’s neck.

The yarn I used was some leftover Sandnes Garn Lanett Baby Ull, 100% superwash wool on 2.25 mm straight needles.

I also decided this week that I’m going to knit another pair of socks for myself… maybe. I’m not sure I have any more of the yarn I started with so this may end up just being an experiment that will be frogged once I see how it fits after turning the heel.

We shall see. For now, it’s simply mindless knitting. I’ve been toying with a few ideas. I may knit this one up to the heel, work the heel in a different colour, then work the cuff in a third colour. Hopefully, working it like that might leave me with enough yarn to work the foot of the second sock in the same way. I only have one 50 gm. ball of the red yarn, unfortunately. I bought it quite some time ago so I doubt I’ll be able to find another ball of it; even if I did, I don’t remember what brand it is as there’s no tag or label with it. I do know that it’s a superwash DK wool and is very soft and cushy. If I do manage to make a matching sock, they will definitely be nice and warm. I like nice and warm!

Before I end this post, I have to do a bit of bragging. It’s not bragging about myself; I have to brag about my daughter. She’s been crocheting for some time now but has never quite picked up on how to read a pattern; well, she sure can now!

Ethan doesn’t look very happy, does he? He wasn’t feeling well when Kristen picked the kids up from school and, shortly after this picture was taken, he threw up. He does love his hat… really! Kristen has been keeping her crochet hooks flying and I have convinced her to join Ravelry. Once she saw how easy it is to look up all kinds of crochet patterns, she was hooked (yes, bad pun, I know… couldn’t resist).

There’s more I could write about but this post is, I think, long enough. I’ll save the rest for another post. For now, I’d best get going. I made a big pot of pea soup last night and I’m planning on baking a couple kinds of bread today – Raisin bread and another couple loaves of white bread for the freezer. As well, there’s laundry to do and Christmas decorating to be put up, and…… well, you get the picture.

Ever Onward

In spite of having a cold and feeling rather yuck, yesterday was a productive day. Trinity’s socks are finished and have gone home to live with her; she’s happy. Ethan’s slippers have been worked on and, if I do say so myself, are looking pretty good.

The colours work well together and, being a Bev Galeskas pattern, the knitting is going well. Bev’s patterns are well-written and, as long as you can read, are easy to follow. I’ll probably have one slipper done today and the second will be started.

I don’t know how well you can see the needles in the picture but they’re square. I’ve never worked with square needles before. Here’s a close-up.

 

They are (blast it, lost the packaging already!), if I remember correctly, Knit Pro needles, size 6.5 mm. I’m still not sure whether I like them or not. The price was right and I needed them so I bought them and will use them for the slippers. Will I use them again? Time will tell.

We’ve had company this week and Zelda brought me a gift… professional bread pans. She knows I like to bake bread. And when I say “professional”, I mean bakery bread pans professional… old.

This is one half of a 4-loaf set and I absolutely love them! I had the time and desire to put them to use.

That’s one batch of Halifax County White Bread. That’s the title in the book… why it’s Halifax County White, I don’t know; it’s nothing more than a basic white bread, really.

I am more than happy with the results. The consensus around here, from Ethan on up, was that the bread is delicious and tastes like more! As soon as Ethan walked in the door, with the scent of freshly baked bread permeating everything, he complained about being hungry. I think he had four slices!

As a thank you, I gave Zelda & Ian one of the loaves; there’s about a quarter of the other loaf left. I’ll be baking another batch later today… for the freezer.

 

In case you’re interested, the recipe is from a little book I picked up years ago, “Great Bread Every Time” by Marilyn Barbe. As I recall, every recipe I’ve made from that book has been a success. I am finding, though, that I don’t need nearly the amount of flour that the recipes call for. That probably has to do with our elevation. I’ve made enough bread in my life, though, to know when the texture is just right. For example, the above recipe called for 9-10 cups of flour; if I had used all of that, the bread would have come out as hard as a brick. I only needed 6-7 cups of flour to get the right consistency and elasticity required.

After yesterday’s success on the bread-making front, I think it may be time to start a batch of sourdough bread again.

And Now It’s Two Down

Well, as of this morning, Trinity’s socks are done! Even though we’ve had company most of the week, I’ve been working on her socks every night; it’s only been a few rows while watching a TV show on the computer but it was progress. When I compared sock #2 to sock #1 this morning, I only had two more rounds to work and then the cast off.

I think she’ll be happy.

This was sock #1 after I gave Ethan’s his pair earlier this week. And this morning?

Done! Off the needles. Packaged up and ready to give to Trin.

Hmm, I purposely didn’t make them match but they do come close, don’t they? (And the little string bow at the top is only there to tie the socks together.)

Now, what next?? Ah yes, the slippers!

One Pair Down

I am pleased to report that Ethan’s socks are off the needles, finished, ready to be slipped on to (not so) little feet. I’m feeling very productive and rather pleased with myself, to be honest.

Not only are they finished, they even match! I don’t normally go out of my way to make socks match when I’m using self-striping yarn but I thought that, in this case, I’d see how closely I could get them to match. They’re pretty much identical, right up to the cast off edge of the cuff (one half yellow, one half blue).

Trinity’s socks are coming along nicely, too. This was taken yesterday morning, before I’d finished Ethan’s socks. Trinity’s are further along now as well; I’m about halfway up the cuff. My goal is to have the first sock finished today and cast on for the second one by tonight. If I can get the toe done, it’s mindless knitting up to the heel.

I have to say, I’m pleased with this pattern/method. To call it a pattern is something of a misnomer. It’s really just a collection of its parts; I used the directions for the round toe, the directions for the Fish Lips Kiss heel, and then the directions for Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. I will put links to all three on the “On The Web” page ( Jeny’s SSBO is already there).

Yesterday, I took Trinity and Ethan out for lunch and afterwards, we stopped in at Kelowna Yarn & Needlework. I wanted to pick up another long circular needle so I can work on two pairs of socks if I want to. While there, Trinity noticed a pair of gloves knitted with a self-striping yarn that was predominantly orange. She was instantly smitten, looked at me and asked, ever so beseechingly, “Grandma, can you make me a pair of gloves like that? Pleeeeeeease?”

I may be knitting gloves again. Sigh! (Really, they’re not that bad. As I said to John later, they’re nothing more than 5 little tubes and one larger tube… just fiddly.)

We had our first snowfall of the year this weekend. It wasn’t much but it sure was fun to be able to reveal to Trinity and Ethan the first snow they’ve encountered here in Kelowna. They were watching a movie when I opened the door and showed them that there was snow on the ground. After we finished dinner, they went out to play in the wet, slushy snow and even tried to make a snowman. By Saturday, it had frozen over and the kids spent a lot of time “skating” (sliding) on the driveway and sledding down the pile of sand (at the back corner or the yard). I was amazed at how much time they spent out there.

 

As for me? Snow on the ground means knitting time!

Can’t Resist Another Update

It’s Tuesday morning; I should be getting ready for work. So why am I blogging??

Well, I’m just kind of excited about knitting these socks, that’s all. You’ll probably be sick of them before I’ve finished knitting them but… oh well.

Ethan’s second sock is now ready for the heel, a little further along than in this picture. Since I still need to concentrate on what I’m doing with the heel, and it is not conducive to TV knitting, I decided to start on a pair of socks for Trinity.

After John went to bed last night, I knew there was no way I could sleep yet, so I pulled out yarn and needles and cast on the toe of her sock. I thought about doing two at a time but let’s take this one step at a time. Besides, if I knit one sock from one end of the ball and the second sock from the other end of the ball, they’ll end up being completely opposite in pattern from each other. That would drive me (and probably her) crazy. And, at 10:00 p.m., I wasn’t about to pull out the digital scale and divide the yarn into two equal balls of yarn. That was simply beyond the scope of my capabilities at that time of night.

As of this morning, the toe is complete and I have some straight on TV knitting… until I get to the heel.

It feels good to be back in the world of the knitting!

And Now For the Finale

It’s getting colder here. This past week, the temperatures have dipped down to a very chilly -12ºC (about 10ºF) with the daytime temperatures hovering around the freezing mark. Apparently, at the college, almost all the leaves are down, with a few stubborn holdouts (mainly the London Plane trees). There were even some swirling snowflakes yesterday; a sign of things to come? Winter is definitely here.

With the cold comes the need for “warmies”; I’ve started perusing mitten patterns for the kids (nothing fancy as I’m sure more than one pair will go missing before winter is over – they usually do). They’ll be needing them for sure! I’ll likely stay with an old tried and true basic mitten pattern as they knit up quickly and the pattern is a familiar one. And the slippers need knitting up very soon. Sooner rather than later!

In the interim, though, Ethan’s socks are coming along. I’m ready for binding off the first sock and the second has been cast on (that little bit of yarn on the needles perpendicular to the cuff.

Don’t mind the table cloth; it isn’t dirty. The streaks are old paint stains; this is my crafting tablecloth. I’d rather have spills and stains on it than on my nice fabric tablecloths – I should get a new one, though. This one’s rather ugly. I digress.

This is where the title of this post comes in. The finale would be the bind off. I’ll be using Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, which originally appeared in the Knitty Fall 2009 issue.  There is also a You Tube video of the technique, by Cat Bordhi, for those who would prefer to see the bind off process in action.

Now, all I need is a foot to try the sock on. After that, it’s working towards the Grand Finale… a finished pair of socks!

Edited to add: IT FIT!!! Perfectly! On to sock #2!

FLK… Almost One Down

Just a quick, short post today. Yesterday, being November 11, I spent the day indoors, working on the Fish Lips Kiss socks for Ethan (in addition to some laundry, dishes, and general tidying around here while John was at work). Progress was definitely made. All I need now is one of Ethan’s feet so I can see how it fits him.

This was taken around lunch time, after I’d started and frogged the toe three or four times I wasn’t happy with how it was coming out. For this one, I used the toe pattern suggested by the Sox Therapist on her Ravelry page. For the cast on, I used Judy’s Magic Cast On, which I like quite well.  As you can see, I’m knitting a very plain, “vanilla” pair this time, stocking stitch for the entire foot and knit/purl ribbing up the leg.

I took this around dinner time, just after I’d finished the heel but not the one inch of stocking stitch above the heel. As of bedtime last night, I’d finished about 1/2″ of the ribbing (it’s difficult to knit ribbing while watching The Voice!). The foot was all done on two circulars but I’ve switched to double pointed needles for the leg. I’m simply more comfortable with dpns than with two circulars.

The heel came together very quickly and looks pretty good, if I do say so myself and I LOVE that there is no gusset, no stitches to pick up, no wraps, none of the usual sock stuff. I will admit, though, that I’m leery about starting the second sock until I can see how this one fits Ethan’s foot. It fits the cardboard form perfectly so I should be okay but I’m sure you’d agree, I don’t want to do all the work just to have to frog two finished socks (or give them away).

When this one is on his foot, I’ll be sure to take a picture. Then I’ll start the second sock.