New Podcast

Vicki Howell (host of Knitty Gritty) is starting her own podcast. It's called Craft. Rock. Listen and will begin on November 1st. Spread the word. :)

Finished 1st Sock Club Socks

I know it's been a while since I've posted. I've been on 2 trips and came home and got REALLY busy at work. I work at Kohl's and we opened a new store the next town over. My old boss transferred to the new store and I volunteered to help train her new cash office associates. I've had some really LONG days i.e. 10+ hours, but I think they've all got the hang of it now. :)

On a knitting front I joined a local sock club at The Neighborhood Knit Store in Hendersonville, TN. The first pattern we got was Lola Walking Rib Socks from Schaefer Yarns. We of course used Schaefer Lola yarn to knit the socks. I had never knit socks with yarn that was this thick. I was a little afraid that the finished socks wouldn't fit in my shoes, but there is no problem. :)


I started the socks on 9/26/07 and finished up today 10/10/07. I used my new Harmony needles from KnitPicks. I also followed the Crazy Toe & Heel method for my socks and just used the walking rib as the stitch pattern. I knit them 2 at once, toe up, magic loop.

I really like the color changes in the yarn. I think I'll be knitting some more socks with Schaefer Lola, especially since they knit up so fast. :)

I'm Back!

We had a wonderful vacation in New York. We visited with family, did some site seeing and RELAXED! We went to Canada to see Niagara Falls, I'm international now. :) That is the first time I've ever left the country. I have a video clip of the falls.



I hope you enjoy. I'm off to put my feet up, I went back to work today and my feet aren't happy. I'll post pictures of the BSJ tomorrow. :)

Leaving for Vacation

Hi everyone. I just wanted to drop a line here and let you know that I'm going on vacation in about an hour. :) We are going to Syracuse, NY to visit family, the finger lakes area in NY to visit wineries, and we're going to stop at Niagara Falls on the way home.

I did finish knitting the baby sweater all that is left is sewing the shoulder seams, weaving in the ends, and sewing on the buttons. I won't be able to finish that today, but I'll have time to finish it before I give it to the expectant Mom. I'll take pictures then and I'll post when I get home. :)

I won't have computer access while I'm gone, so no posts till I get back. :)

P.S. Congratulations to Kathy S. who was the winner of the random drawing for the EFG wonderloom. :)

EFG Wonderloom for Sale--SOLD

Here is a picture of the EFG Wonderloom for sale. SOLD The loom is a Decor Accents original. It is no longer in production. It has never been used, and we don't smoke or have pets. The original sale price was $68 plus shipping, and I'm selling it for $68, and I'll pay shipping.

This loom will get approximately 8 stitches to the inch, (your mileage may vary) using sock/fingering weight yarn and the knit stitch. Perfect for making socks for your entire family as you can adjust the loom to any number of pegs you desire. The ruler in the picture is a 7" ruler.

As you can see the pegs are the original metal cotter pins which are nearly indestructible under normal use.

I'm collecting names of interested people and will draw a winner using a random number generator on Monday evening (giving those who can only access their e-mail at work a chance). If you are interested in this loom and haven't dropped me a line, please e-mail me directly at: t carsto at g mail dot com. (Don't forget to remove the spaces and replace the at with @ and the dot with a .).

Baby Surprise Jacket

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. It's been so hot here that not much has been happening. This is either the 3rd or 4th week of 100+ temperatures. I'm so looking forward to our trip to Syracuse NY. We will be leaving a week from today. :)

I have been knitting despite the heat. I have 2 pregnant people in my life right now and I decided I wanted to knit Baby Surprise Jackets (by Elizabeth Zimmermann) for them. I went to the LYS and purchased the required yarn on Friday the 17th, and finished the first jacket on Tuesday the 21st. I also purchased more yarn on Tuesday and cast on the 2nd jacket. :) Both of the babies are due within the next 4 weeks. I'd also like to knit them booties, and maybe a hat for the northern baby. :)

If you've never heard of a BSJ, I have pictures to show you. :) Elizabeth Z. is a genius. Her clever shaping makes it possible to knit a sweater in one piece with only 2 shoulder seams to sew when you are finished knitting. This is what it looks like before you fold it.

The finished picture above shows the clever shaping. You can even see how it gets a little wider after the waist to allow for the diaper. :)


This picture shows the BSJ half folded. I have to admit while I was knitting it I had no idea what was what. I've had to fold it several times to see how she did it. I've started my 2nd jacket in solid blue and I have some yellow for stripes. I've only knit about 12 row on it, so there isn't much to show. :)


Joe and I had a wonderful time on our anniversary. We didn't do much at all, but we enjoyed sleeping in, and the extra time with each other. :) My Mom (thanks again Mom & Dad) dropped off a BIG basket from Heavenly Ham that we ate on for a while. :) It was nice to have something great to eat without heating up the house. :)


Joe got me several sets of dpns and 2 knitting DVDs. The DVDs were the "Baby Surprise Jacket" by Meg Swanson, and "A Knitting Glossary" with Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swanson. Everything came from Knitpicks. :)

Thank goodness for the DVD because for some reason I was having trouble reading and understanding the written pattern. This is very unusual for me as I usually have no trouble teaching myself from books alone. But knitting has been different from the start for me. I've needed to watch clips on-line, or ask a friend or watch a DVD. Maybe it's just because I'm getting older? I don't know. :)

My friend Ann's birthday was yesterday and we have plans to spend Saturday together to celebrate. We don't know exactly what we are doing, but lunch and knitting are definitely on the list. :) It really doesn't matter what we do as we always have a fun time together no matter what. :)

I haven't been knitting all day (I love my Wednesdays off from work), I also made a cherry pie. I have no idea what we are going to have for dinner, but I know what's on the menu for dessert. :)

Picture Update

Well, I said yesterday I'd give you pictures, and boy do I have pictures for you. :) Let's see, first up is the Koigu shawl. As I said yesterday I'm on row 30, and I think it turning out great. Here is it slightly stretched out on a pillow so you can see the design better. Now that I've re-charted it I'm finding it much easier to knit. :)






I also started a new project yesterday. I'm knitting a sock with dpns for the first time. I have to say that I'm enjoying the process. It seems like I've really mastered something. Of course DH Joe said when he saw the bamboo needles that I could have gotten a dozen of them for $1.00 at the store, they're called skewers he said. Of course I wouldn't have expected anything else from him. :) As I said yesterday I'm knitting them with Paca-Peds yarn. It's a blend of 20% Superfine Alpaca, 65% Superwash wool and 15% Nylon. It sure feels nice and is knititng up nicely. Has anyone else used this yarn? How does it wear? I really like the color, it's called "Singin' the Blues" #601 if you are interested. I love the way it knits up. I'm planning on knitting these is stockenette stitch. I figure it will be an easy take along project, especially for break time at work. :)

I also tried a new cast on method. I took pics to show you how Judy's Magic Cast On differs from the Queen Kahuna's Aloha Cast On.

This is the Aloha Cast On. See the ridge of purl bumps? It's an easy cast on, but I wanted to see if I could find one that didn't leave that tell-tale ridge.













I did find one, it's Judy's Magic Cast On, and it is easy also, but as you can see, it is a seamless cast on, and you don't have to use a piece of waste yarn, or go back and tighten anything up, it's just as you see it here. :)

I prefer Judy's Magic Cast On, and I plan on using that from now on.

On a health front, I've gotten all my test results and there will be no need for surgery. I do have new meds to take, and will be seeing a nutritionist in a few weeks. We'll just have to see how that goes. In the meantime, I'm planning on enjoying my weekend, and I'm looking forward to next week as Joe and I have a short work week as we've taken a long weekend to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. We aren't planning anything special except to stay cool and enjoy some time off together. :)