Tracey's Journal

New Podcast

2007-10-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-10T14:32:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-09-06T16:38:00.000-05:00

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.

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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

2007-08-29T15:02:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-25T19:15:00.002-05:00

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

2007-08-22T15:07:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-12T14:35:00.000-05:00

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. :)

Happy Saturday

2007-08-11T16:07:00.000-05:00

Today was a wonderful day spent with friends, knitter and non-knitter alike. :) We met, we talked, we knit, we talked, and then we talked some more. We are now all caught up with each other's lives. Our non-knitter friend, (Tammy) needed to go home and cook hubbie a last home-cooked meal before he left for a 4 day trip as an airline pilot for SouthWest. That left Ann and I to go to lunch by ourselves and head over to the LYS as they were having a big sale. After a good long lunch with, of course, more talk we headed to the sale.

We both ended up with a skein each of Noro silk garden, and then Ann also purchased some baby Alpaca which has been calling her name and been fondled every time we go to the LYS. I got some bamboo size US1 dpns, and some new sock yarn. It's called Paca Peds and as you can see by the picture I've already balled the yarn up and it is ready to be knit. I'm going to try it on the new dpns. I'm going to use Judy's Magic Cast-On and do them toe up using the Crazy Heel and Toe technique for the heel.

Of course none of the yarn we purchased was on sale. :)

I have done some knitting on the Koigu shawl, sorry no pics today. I've changed to my 2nd skein of yarn after blending it in and I had about 18" remaining of the 1st skein of yarn. :) I've developed a rhythm now and I'm enjoying the process. I'm just about to start row 30, which means I've reduced the number of stitches per row from 401 to a mere 375. :) It will be a long project, but that's okay as I'm currently in menopause, I don't really need a shawl with all my own power surges keeping me warm. :)

I hope everyone stays cool in all this heat. It's about 104 here not counting the heat index. I'm going to go put my feet up in my chair, sip some iced sweet tea and practice knitting on dpns while hubbie watches Omen. :)

Trying to Beat the Heat

2007-08-07T14:23:00.000-05:00

It's been HOT here! All week our temperatures are 100+. I've been trying to stay indoors as much as possible and not run any errands either. It's been rough as I've had to go to work for the past 5 days.

In my spare time I've been knitting on my Koigu shawl. I had to rewrite the pattern as I needed the center section graphed out and she didn't provide it. It's going pretty good now, I'm working my first color change sequence. :) I don't know if I'll have enough of the first color of yarn (small ball on the left) to do all the color change sequences or not, I'll just play it by ear. :)

Here is a close up of the shawl so far. It's hard to tell without blocking, but I think it's coming along okay.

I am going to make an exception of no errand running to go out and see my 4 year old nephew S.T. at his karate lesson. It's sure to be an enjoyable experience. I'll be watching him with my SIL and my 1 year old niece S.K.

On a health front (don't bother reading any more if you don't want). :) My blood work last week showed an elevation in my insulin levels (3 time normal). My blood sugar levels on the other hand are okay. My doctor thinks there may be a benign (non-cancerous) tumor on my pancreas that is excreting the extra insulin. It would explain why I have hypoglycemia, can't lose weight, am tired all the time and various other problems. My doctor's office is supposed to get me an appointment with an endocrinologist within 4 weeks and order a CT scan to see if I indeed have a tumor. Actually, I'm kind of hoping for one. It would explain SOOOOOO many health problems that I've had since puberty. I'm not looking forward to abdominal surgery mind you, but being off work for 6 weeks would be nice.

Well, I'm off to do a little picking up before heading out to karate. Current temp. is 103 with a heat index of 106. Thank God for air conditioning.

Updated Koigu Shawl

2007-07-28T11:23:00.000-05:00

Well, the Koigu shawl is at a stand still. This is the first shawl I've knit with a chart, and obviously I'm not reading the chart correctly. I've knit 5 rows so far, (see picture at right), but need to rip it back. The only rows that came out right were the knit and purl rows at the beginning. Once I started on the chart nothing came out right. The chart says there is a 9 stitch repeat, but there is a 10th row on the chart. Now, if you divide 401 stitches by 9, you get 44.56. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't know how to knit a .56 stitch. The only thing that makes sense to me is to knit the 10 row repeat for 200 stitches, repeat the 1st stitch on the center stitch, then knit the 10 row repeat for the remaining 200 stitches.

I think I'm just going to rip it all out and start all over again. I cringe when I say that as it takes 30 minutes to knit a row, but I figure it will take even longer than that to tink it, and the odds on my splitting yarn and making a mess are much higher if I tink.

Things may be a little quiet around here for a while. I got put on some new meds, and they are making me very tired. I've also had a bad blood test and I'm waiting to get an appointment to have an ultrasound done and see if I have a tumor on my pancreas. If I do, that would explain why I've steadily gained weight since puberty. If not, they are going to have to do something else, probably more meds, to get my blood work corrected. That also should allow me to start losing weight. So, hopefully it's a win-win situation. :)

Well, I'm off to rip and restart my Koigu shawl. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Started Koigu Shawl

2007-07-23T16:01:00.000-05:00

I have decided that lace knit with lace weight yarn is not for me. At least now right now. I don't enjoy the process, and since this is supposed to be fun, I've put the lace shawl I have started to the side and cast on my Koigu Shawl. Since it is worked with sock weight yarn, it is much more enjoyable to work with. :) Did I mention that I had to cast on 401 stitches? Yes, 401!!! Here is a picture of my progress. I used split rings as stitch markers and marked every 2o stitches with a silver ring, and used a gold ring after 100 stitches. The center stitch is surrounded with beaded stitch markers as they are going to stay there for a while. I have to say it wasn't too bad casting on that many stitches. Needless to say though, I didn't use the long tail cast on. :)

I had a fun time at work today cleaning up a mess that was created over the weekend. Not! I work at Kohl's in the cash office, and we received a change order on Friday. It didn't get entered into the computer as incoming cash, but it was counted during the closing safe count, causing the safe to be over. The girl that worked both Saturday and Sunday knew what the reason was for the huge overage, but did nothing to correct it! We are trying to not work her in the cash office anymore for obvious reasons.

Tomorrow I'm off and have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, but plan on sleeping in a little, taking my car in for an oil change, doing some laundry, and doing some knitting.

Wednesday is our summer crafty ladies get together. We are going to be meeting at Tammy's house this week, and then I have a dental appointment to get 3 or 4 (I forget) fillings redone as they are falling apart. At least I'll have some fun in the morning hanging out with friends and knitting and then a nice lunch before going to the dentist. To be fair, this dentist is wonderful. He is more afraid of hurting you than anything else.

Well, thunder is rumbling outside, so I'm going to get this uploaded and shut down the computer. :)

Finished Harry Potter

2007-07-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

I started and finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yesterday. I'm not going to post anything here that will be a spoiler, so if you haven't read it yet, don't worry. :)

I will say that it was an excellent book and one I'll be re-reading. I laughed and cried while reading it. I'll miss looking forward to the next book. It really is a wonderful experience to talk to other people who are eagerly awaiting the book, then discussing with them after it has arrived. :)

I'll get back to knitting posts this week. :)

Getting Ready for Harry Potter

2007-07-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

Sorry, not much to post. I've been doing laundry, running errands, straightening up the house getting ready for my delivery tomorrow of the last Harry Potter book. I plan to spend the entire day reading.

I have knit a little on my sampler piece. I'm planning on finishing that before I start the Koigu shawl. Of course, the sooner I run out of my first skein of Koigu the sooner I'll "need" to go shopping for more. I really need to be good though. DH and I are going on vacation next month to NY state to visit some family. We are going to stop by Niagara Falls on the way, and spend one afternoon touring the finger lakes wineries. So, I really should be saving my money and knitting from my stash. That way I'll have money to stop at some yarn stores along the way.

To all who are reading Harry Potter tomorrow enjoy. I'll resume posting when I finish the book. :)

Latest Project

2007-07-18T15:56:00.000-05:00

Ann and I went shopping yesterday before going to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Of course it had to be either quilt store shopping or yarn store shopping. Yesterday was yarn shopping. I bought a pattern for a Koigu shawl, and a starter skein. The entire shawl takes 12 skeins, but since it's supposed to be done with 12 different colors, you don't have to worry about dye lot numbers. I'm planning on purchasing a skein or two every time we go shopping and knitting it a little at a time. It starts with casting on over 400 stitches, so I'll have to do that when it's nice and quiet at the house, then I can start knitting. Of course I have a pair of socks on needles already along with 3 other shawls. I guess I just have startitis. :) It's just hard to finish such warm things though when the temps are so high.

After yarn shopping we headed to Opry Mills and the IMAX theater. We had lost track of the time, and only had 35 minutes to get in, buy a ticket to the show, walk down to Johnny Rockets, order and eat. We ate fast, but service was a little slow as they were very busy, and we missed the beginning of the movie. Of course we've read the book, so we know what we missed. This IMAX had the 3-d version, and I have to say it is so much better than the old 3-d with the red and green lenses. I actually ducked several times during the 3-d part. :) I'm looking forward to the last book coming out Saturday. I plan to read all day long. :)

Ann and I are also knitting the sampler from "The Sweater Workshop" by Jacqueline Fee. I got the book for Christmas, but just started the sampler last week. I'm learning so much already and I'm looking forward to knitting sweaters in the round that fit me with any stitch pattern I want. I don't have to be limited to sweater patterns that are commercially made. The first sweater I'm planning on making is for my 4 year old nephew S. I don't know if he will wear it or not, but I'm knitting it in the orange you see on my sampler as it's his favorite color. Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll actually like it. :)

Today Ann, Mom and Tammy and I went to the quilt store. DH, Joe has a cousin who is pregnant with her first child and we are going to visit her next month. I have a quilt top that only needed borders to be finished, so today I picked up the fabric for the borders and backing and I'll get it quilted before we go. I'll post pictures when we get back in case she reads my blog. :)

Sock project worksheet

2007-07-14T14:39:00.001-05:00

Several people have requested the sock project worksheet that I had posted on the Crazy Heels and Toes yahoo list. I asked my DH to make the worksheet for me so that I could carry all the info for my current socks with me and then be able to file it once I was finished and have all my notes for each pair of socks complete and together.

Unfortunately I didn't realize that there were people on the list who didn't own Mary Ann's wonderful book. Therefore my worksheet (which had copyright information on it) was out on the internet to anybody. So Mary Ann took the worksheet out of the files section so she wouldn't lose book sales.

Since the worksheet had copyright information on it I am not at liberty to pass it out to anyone. I'm sorry if you own the book and want the worksheet, I don't have the right to pass it on to you as Mary Ann owns the copyright, not me. I hope you understand.

Famous Sock Pictures and More

2007-07-13T15:47:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd post pictures of my hand knit socks. Of course I have my famous loom knit socks that appeared on the Knitty Gritty episode with Isela Phelps (Purling Sprite). The gray sock (3rd from left) was Isela's design, and also appeared in her Loom Knitting Primer book. The remaining 3 socks are my original design. Since there aren't any patterns out for loom knit socks I made up my own. :) All 4 socks were knit on an EFG sock loom from Decor Accents.

I also have some needle knit socks that I've made.

I prefer to needle knit socks using the Magic Loop technique and knitting 2 socks toe up using Queen Kahuna's Crazy Toe & Heel book. I really like knitting socks as they are very portable, colorful, and who can't use another pair of socks. :)

I've recently started my first lace project with lace weight yarn. I've signed up for the Mystery Stole 3 project, but she doesn't recommend that pattern for beginning lace knitters. So I'm knitting Charlotte's Easy Lace Shawl by Lily Chin. I haven't decided if I like lace knitting or not, I'll keep you posted. :)

I've also started the sampler from the Sweater Workshop book. My friend Ann and I want to knit sweaters in the round (no seaming) that fit. She ordered her book and will be getting started when she receives it. The sampler is knitting up very quickly with worsted weight yarn as opposed to my lace shawl or my current pair of socks on the needle. :) I really want to make some cardigan sweaters, and maybe a wallaby for me. My first sweater will be for my 4 year old nephew S. His favorite color is orange, so I got some UT orange yarn. I figure it will go quickly as it will be small, and if I make a mistake, he won't care. :)

My friend Ann and I are going to see the new Harry Potter movie in Nashville at the IMAX at Opry Mills. I can't wait. Then I have the last book pre-ordered from Amazon, so it will be delivered about 10am Saturday morning. I'm so glad that I have the weekend off. :) Once I finish it DH will want to read it. I hope he reads it quickly as I'm sure I'll want to talk about it. :)

That should catch everybody up for now. :)

My socks are famous!

2007-07-09T17:47:00.000-05:00

Did you see the Knitty Gritty episode today on loom knitting with Isela Phelps? If you did, then you saw my socks. :) All 4 pair of socks that were shown were loom knit by me. :) I'm so excited! My socks are famous. :)

I've needle knit several pair and I'm going to get some pictures made and posted to prove it.

House Cleaning

2007-06-19T15:48:00.000-05:00

Well, today is spent cleaning the house in preparation of friends coming over tomorrow. We have a group that gets together every week during the summer. Unfortunately during the school year we can only manage once a month. We call ourselves the Crafty Ladies. We meet at each other's house, and for the summer we are going to meet here. During the school year we don't meet here, but at the other girl's houses.

My Mom is part of this group. She is currently hand quilting a project. My friend Ann will probably be working on the socks she is knitting for her nephew. I taught her how to knit 2 socks toe up using the Magic Loop. That is now my preferred method for socks. There is no Second Sock Syndrome (SSS) that way. I use Queen Kahuna's Crazy Heel & Toe Method. She teaches you how to knit 2 socks at once with any weight yarn and any size needle and to fit any size foot. I'll never knit socks any other way. There are no stitches to pick up, no wrapped stitches and it is so easy. You can make a short row heel, or a heel flap. I highly recommend her book if you are a sock knitter. :)

The floor should be dry now, so it's off to the bathrooms for me. :)

Lazy Day

2007-06-18T16:34:00.000-05:00

I've been poking around the house getting little accomplished, but enjoying the day. :) I don't go back to work till the first of July, so I'm enjoying some much needed down time. I haven't even knit today, but I'm sure I will once DH comes home and we eat dinner. We'll kick back in the living room and watch TV, and I'll knit. I'm currently working on a scarf for a good friend who doesn't knit. It's about half way done. I also have a shawl on the needles, but it's only about 1/4 of the way finished, and lastly I have a pair of socks I'm working on. I knit them 2 at a time, toe up and I'm currently working on the cuffs. I'm sure I'll finish them after the scarf. It's just not sock weather right now, so there isn't much incentive to hurry. :)

On a quilting front, my SIL gave me some fabric and asked me to make a quick quilt for an old friend of hers. I've purchased the backing and binding, but still need to get the batting and I'll get it sandwiched and do some simple quilting and it will be done.

In September I'm going to Shipshewana, IN to meet some of an on-line quilt group I belong to. I'm going to take my friend Ann with me. She also quilts and knits, and we always have a great time whenever we're together. :) Besides, she'll need a little get away as she is a school counselor and will be happy to have the rush of school beginning over with. :)

BTW, I've added links on the sidebar for the videos that DH and I did on loom knitting. I figured it'd be easier on people to find it that way. :)

Sorry for the long silence

2007-06-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

It's been a long year at my house. I was having trouble at work right before Christmas and ending up taking a sideways move to a job with less pressure. I like the new position (it's actually the position I started in 5 years ago).

Then I had trouble getting my depression medications regulated. After several months of trial and error that is now under control.

Then I needed sinus surgery, but while awaiting surgery, there were some problems with my pre-surgery blood work. After making an appointment with a hemotologist my MIL had a massive heart attack. My appointment was canceled, and we spend 8 days driving 30 miles one way to the hospital where my MIL was in ICU. She needed surgery to correct her heart, but she wasn't stable enough to undergo surgery. They had to keep her sedated to help relieve the stress her body was under. She was hooked to a ventilator to help her breathe, and had over a dozen different medications going into her. After the 7th day of no improvement we had to make the hard decision to removed support. They kept her under sedation, but removed everything else, and she took her last breathe within 15 minutes. She went very peacefully.

As some of you may remember we lost my FIL in September and my MIL never fully recovered from his loss. As you can imagine the holidays have been extremely difficult.

After the funeral I called and rescheduled the appointment with the hemotologist and everything was fine. :) God is good. He put the obstacle in my path so I wouldn't be recovering from surgery when my family needed me. I've since had my sinus surgery and everything went well. My recovery was going well until I developed a nose bleed. DH took me to the ER (because of course it was after office hours). The ER doctor couldn't get it stop because it was DEEP in the nose. After 5 very AWFUL hours my ENT doctor who did the surgery came in and put a clotting devise in my nose. That was THE MOST PAINFUL thing I've ever endured, and I've had 7 surgeries. I'll spare you the grossness of it.

After that, I was on SEVERE restrictions. DH put more restrictions on me than the doctor did. I guess after just losing his Mom he was scared to death. I am fully recovered now and have been given the go ahead to go back to work. :)

I'm going to try and do better about posting. I've been busy knitting though. My needles have been going. I've knit 4 or 5 pairs of socks now, untold numbers of dish cloths, and I'm currently working on another pair of socks, a shawl and a scarf. I have yarn and a pattern for a sweater I want to make in the near future. I'll try and get some pictures made and posted. :)

My Adventures with Needles Continues

2006-11-27T22:15:00.000-06:00

I've continued knitting dishclothes, but I've advanced to patterns. The first dishcloth was a basketweave pattern.

Here's a close up:

Then I proceeded on to a cabled dishcloth, obviously still in progress.

Here is a close up of it:

And then I started on a sock.

I had tried knitting before with double pointed needles, but I found I didn't enjoy it at all. So, I tried the Magic Loop method. I don't have the book yet (it's on my Christmas wish list), but I did do some reading on-line and found enough to get started. This is my sock so far.
I'm looking forward to learning a new way to knit the heel, as all my previous socks have been loomed and were done with a short row heel.

There is quite a difference between the size 10 needles for the dishcloths and the size 1 needle for the socks. I'm enjoying both though. Of course I need to be knitting more dishcloths as they are for presents and I currently only have about 6 done instead of knitting on my socks, but the socks are calling me. :)

What I'm Thankful For

2006-11-23T11:48:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate that today. :) I've been thinking about all that I am thankful for, and I wanted to share that list.

First and foremost I am thankful to be alive.
Second I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ.

The rest of the list is in no particular order:

My loving, supportive husband (who just yesterday went with me to get a knitting needle I had to have from a shop that is 60 miles round trip from our home. Yesterday BTW is the most heavily traveled day. We drove into Nashville to find this knitting store. Did I forget to tell you I've never even been there, so didn't know exactly where it was? Just to find out they didn't have the needle that I wanted, or any needle in that particular size. Did I forget to mention I didn't call first to check?) He just laughed when I came out of the shop with no needles, but of course a skein of yarn. After all how I could I go to a new knitting shop without buying yarn. And of course I'm now signed up for their mailing list. :)

Sorry I kind of got off track there. Here is the rest of the list:

My family who now all live here in town.
My friends who love me and whom I love.
The skills God graced me with.
My house.
My car.
All of my material possessions.
My job.
My DH's job.
My health. While it may not be the best, I am alive, and mostly pain free.
My computer to keep me connected to friends.
The internet from which I've been able to get information and learn so many new things.
The money to heat/cool my house to a comfortable temperature.
The money to purchase new tires for my car this month.
The money to spoil my nephew and niece. :) After all, what are aunts for? :)
Having my nephew and niece here so I can see them and share in their life.
My brother's wife who is so generous with her spirit and sharing of her life and time so we can have a wonderful relationship with her and her children.

There are probably many, many more things I could list, but I have to get busy with the things I'm taking to my Mom and Dad's for our Thanksgiving dinner.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and if you are someone who enjoys going out at the crack of dawn to shop the sales Friday morning, please be considerate of those employees who got up at least an hour earlier than you to go in to work. They are working as fast as they can to get you checked out. Also, if they store runs out of something, please don't yell at the employee, they have no control over how many items come in. Just take it in stride and thank them for checking. :) Can you tell I work retail? I'll be getting up at 2am to be in to work at 4am so we can open up at 5am. So don't forget what the holidays are really about. :)

Purls of Hope

2006-11-13T14:04:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine Denise is helping Katrina victims. If there is anything you can do to help her out, please visit her site. Thanks.

Knitting with Needles

2006-11-13T10:57:00.000-06:00

I've finally mastered knitting with needles. I've had a block on doing this for so long. I learned to crochet when I was 8, and as a result knitting seemed so hard. There was no little hook on the end of the needle to help hold the yarn as you made each stitch. I ended up splitting the yarn, fighting with the yarn, and generally not having a good time. Since this was supposed to be enjoyable I put it aside and decided I couldn't do it.

Well, all my attempts at making a gauntlet without a pattern on my loom has lead me to try needle knitting again. I was at a friend's house Saturday and she helped me with some problems I was having and suddenly knitting was fun. I borrowed some needles from her and cast on Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth yesterday and finished it yesterday and cast on a second one. Guess what everybody is going to get as Christmas presents this year. :)

I'm still going to loom knit, especially socks since double pointed needles and sock yarn seems like torture to me, and I really do like the sock loom. I have the pegs numbered for easy pattern following, and the yarn doesn't slip off the pegs like they can slip off the double pointed needles. :)

Well, after all this typing I'll share the picture of my first needle knit project. :)

Loom knitting update ie the saga of the gauntlets

2006-11-13T10:40:00.000-06:00

I've been quiet on the blog for so long because I've been trying to create a flip top mitten. I figured if I could get a gauntlet to fit, then I could attach a flip top mitten to it and I'd be a happy camper. So I went searching for a pattern for a loom knit gauntlet. I found several, but they either didn't have a thumb (which I wanted), or they were knit with bulky weight yarn, which I didn't want to use. I wanted to use some of my pretty sock weight yarn.

So, I decided to adjust a pattern I found by Jessica McConnell. I don't remember where I found it, or I'd give you a link to it. Her pattern was for mittens knit flat then seamed together once you were done. Well, I didn't want to make the entire mitten, so I made some adjustments to make it a gauntlet. I also decided that I didn't need to do a gauge swatch. I thought my stitches per inch were the same as what the pattern called for. (Bet you can guess what happened). Yep, WAY TOO small! In fact, it fit my 3 year old nephew pretty well. In my defense since it was being knit flat I didn't know how bad it was till it was WAY too late!

So, for the second gauntlet I determined my gauge from the first gauntlet and tried again. This time was okay, just a little too big. I could probably wear it, but I wasn't happy with it, so I made more adjustments to the pattern and tried again.

The third gauntlet was much better. It actually fits! I still did a bit more tweaking of the pattern for it's mate, but just a little, probably not enough that anyone but me will notice. The mate is still on the loom and when it is finished I'm going to attempt to put the flip-top mitten on. :)

Here are all 3 gauntlets in order of creation:

Here is the 3rd gauntlet. Notice how it is a little baggy above the wrist? I moved my increase stitches on my 4th gauntlet and I hope that takes care of the baggy part. :)

My niece is teething

2006-11-13T10:29:00.000-06:00

My niece is less than 4 months old, and she is already cutting her pre-molars.
She hasn't cut any other teeth, but she is starting with the pre-molars.
Poor thing is too young to have the coordination needed to hold a
teething chewy in her mouth to get relief. 2 of the teeth have already
popped through, and it looks like the other 2 are trying to come in
as well. She is such a trouper she doesn't complain much, and
doesn't even drool much. :) Here's a picture of her
chewing on her Grammie's finger.

Halloween Pictures

2006-11-13T10:16:00.000-06:00

Here are pictures of my 3 1/2 year old nephew enjoying the spoils of the holiday dressed in an outfit that his Grammie (my Mom) made, and my 3 month old niece.

Knitting with Needles

2006-11-12T20:23:00.000-06:00

I've actually started knitting with needles. A friend helped me out with some pointers and I started and finished a dishcloth today. I'll get some pics posted tomorrow.

I've been busy knitting and looming away even though I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on developing a pattern for flip-top mittens made with 2 strands of sock yarn on a small gauge loom. I've got the gauntlet part finished and am working on the second one then I'll figure out how to do the flip-top that I want. :)

I've also designed a new sock pattern that incorporates a slip stitch. I'm hoping to get the pattern written up and up for sale on Isela's Loom Knitting Design site this week.

I've made some changes at work as well. I used to be in charge of all the hiring at my local Kohl's store, but it was getting to be entirely too stressful for me. So I moved back into the cash office. It's the same pay, but the hours are much earlier, 6am normally, but at this time of year when we open earlier it can be as early as 4am! I don't get as many hours in the cash office, but I'm using that to my advantage to relax and de-stress before the holiday chaos hits. :)

I've also been able to spend more time with my parents, SIL, nephew and niece. That has been wonderful. My nephew is 3 1/2 and my niece is almost 4 months old. My SIL and I meet at my parents every Wednesday for lunch and an afternoon of visiting. I'm so thrilled they live so close now.

Well, I'm off to play some more and I'll get the pics taken and posted later. :)

Diamond socks

2006-09-11T06:56:00.001-05:00

These are the socks that were designed by my DH Joe. He came up with the pattern and made the graph in Excel. It is just knits and purls, so it is easy, but it sure looks great. :)

Cables and Lace

2006-09-11T06:56:00.000-05:00

These are the socks that I designed. Mom really likes them, so they will be her's. I followed Isela's cable directions and it was so easy. :)

Finished socks

2006-09-10T21:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I've actually been able to get some knitting done. I've finished 2 different socks (not pairs mind you, but single socks ).

One sock is my design and the finished pair will be for my mother, and the other sock is my DH's design and I'm not sure who the final owner will be. :) I don't have time to get the pictures up tonight, but hopefully tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be back to work for DH and I after having this past week off because of my FIL's passing. I hope my desk isn't totally trashed, I guess I'll find out in the morning.

Life back to normal???

2006-09-08T17:19:00.001-05:00

Well the visitation is over, the funeral is over, and life will go back to being as normal as it possibly can be when you've lost a close family member.

The visitation was Wednesday, and it was the longest night of my life. We got there a little after 2pm and stayed till 8pm. There were family members, friends and co-workers there. There were flowers and plants everywhere, and in the casket was my FIL. We all decided to dress him in his normal clothes, not a suit, so he was in a polo shirt and pants, and he was holding his rosary. Tucked into the casket was a pack of chewing tobacco, his glasses, his Dale Earnhart cap, and hard candy. The funeral home did a fabulous job with him, and were SOOOOOO good to us.

The funeral was Thursday. Tom Buffington and I did the readings at church, and the ceremony was very nice with music picked out by my SIL Jeannette. Then came the funeral procession to the gravesite, but we took the long way around so he could see the house one last time. :) The Air Force color guard was waiting for us at the gravesite. They showed Papa Joe the utmost respect. When Taps was played on the bugle I started crying. The lt. who presented the flag to my MIL Hattie had a tear running down his face and got a little choked up. The only part I heard was that he was presenting the flag on behalf of the President of the United States. After that I broke down and couldn't hear anything else.

We then went back to the church where the ladies had prepared food for us. There were about 75 people there eating. After lunch we headed back to my in-laws with the family. 2 of my FIL's brothers were able to come down, as well as 1 sister, 3 sisters-in-law, and 1 niece. The only remaining sibling was a sister who couldn't come down due to health reasons.

It has been a long hard week, and here we are coming up on the weekend. I don't like to think about what my desk will look like when I get back on Monday, or what my DH will have to deal with since has not been able to replace his assistant yet. He is the only person who knows how to do his job now, so he will have to try and catch up on a week's worth of work when he gets back.

I would like to thank everyone who has sent me e-mails giving me support and prayers. I wish I had the time to contact each one of you individually, but I'm afraid that is impossible.

I'm looking forward to sitting down and relaxing with some knitting. Maybe I'll even have time to do that this weekend. :)

Sad Day

2006-09-04T15:41:00.000-05:00

This morning we were awakened by my sister-in-law knocking on the door. My father-in-law passed away this morning. He was found on the floor by his bed. It appears to be a heart attack. He was only 77 years old. He had gallstones, but otherwise was in good health.

Needless to say we are all in shock with the suddenness of it all. Today has been spent making phone calls, going through paperwork and crying. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. He served in the Air Force for over 20 years and will be having a military funeral. His service will be at his church. We will be going tomorrow to make the final arrangements as they were totally unprepared. We are going to pick out the gravesite as well as the casket.

This is a new experience for me as I've not had a parent pass away yet. It's only been distant relatives and grandparents, and other have taken care of the arrangements. My MIL (mother-in-law) is handling things fairly well. She is of course shocked, but trying to get things taken care of. My DH is helping with the paperwork aspects, and us girls (my 2 SIL's and I) are trying to help with decisions on where and when. Everything is being democratically, and as the only in-law, I even have a vote, (I guess that's what you get after 20 years of marriage).

Prayers would be appreciated from all who do pray, and good wishes from those who don't.

P.S. Please forgive any spelling errors. :)

Catching Up

2006-08-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. It's been a bit hectic here. My father-in-law spent almost a week in the hospital and we're still not sure what is wrong. He has developed a VERY BAD and PAINFUL case of gout in his left wrist. He has a bone spur on his right shoulder. He has a gall bladder FULL of gall stones. He can't walk without a walker due to the pain in his hip. And the the piece de resistance (yeah, I know I don't know how to spell that) his heart has an irregular beat. They tried doing a procedure on his gall bladder last week and it set his heart off even worse, so everything else is on hold till they get that under control. He is on an antibiotic to help his kidneys as they were having problems too, and the meds are giving his hallucinations. My poor MIL is beside herself. My FIL doesn't remember anything about the hallucinations and he was very agitated during it and my MIL was a little scared as my FIL is much bigger than my MIL. Prayers would be appreciated.

It was also DH and my 20th wedding anniversary on the 16th. We went out for a nice VERY late breakfast/lunch at Cracker Barrel, then on to the hospital to see my FIL. We were there till dinner time, then we went to Wal-Mart and got some DVDs and some food, then went to Sonic for dessert, (yes, dessert before dinner). :) AFter all, how often do you celebrate 20 years of wedded bliss. :)

Thank goodness we had the rest of the week off, so we were back and forth to the hospital and hanging around the house relaxing. Tomorrow it is back to work for both of us. DH's assistant turned in her notice and her last day was Friday, so DH is by himself. He has the entire responsibility for all the computers, printers, faxes, phone lines, timeclocks, etc. He went years without an assistant so he can handle it, but it means no more relaxing vacations not worrying about work. When he isn't there, it doesn't get done, it just piles up, so it's not really much of a vacation when you still have all your regular work to do and all the work that didn't get done while you were gone to catch up on as soon as you get back to work.

Oh well, I didn't mean to ramble on. It's late and I need to get to bed. I did finish up the second sock of my first lacey socks. I'll try and get pics posted in the next few days.

Larger close up picture of toe

2006-07-30T15:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a larger picture of my Kitchener stitched toe. I can now do this with every pair of socks. I discovered what I was doing wrong, so all my socks will now have perfectly stitched toes. :)

Blue lacey sock finished

2006-07-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the full picture of the latest sock. It is a pattern of my own creation. One thing I would do differently next time is to put a row of knit stitches before starting the short row toe. This was made on my Decor Accents EFG sock loom with Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn I won on e-bay.

I finally was able to make an invisible toe closure with the Kitchener stitch. I've very proud of that. :) It moves seamlessly from the body of the sock to the toe. :)

Here is a close up of the lace pattern. Yes, that is my very white pale leg under there. My legs haven't tanned in years. :)

More Pictures of my niece Sam

2006-07-23T19:15:00.000-05:00

Joe and I went to visit my brother Tom, SIL Sarah, nephew Sean and newest niece Sam. We took lots of pics and I've posted some below to show her off. :) She is such a chunk, but she is the best baby. She isn't even a week old and she is sleeping for 4 hour stretches, which is unusual in a breastfed baby. Not that Sarah is complaining. :) Sam is so much easier than Sean was at the same age. Sarah is grateful she is so easy as she had a very rough pregnancy.

Ok, let's get to the pictures. Here is Sam being held by her Grammie (my Mom).

Here is Sam being admired by both Grammies. Sean was thrilled that he had 2 Grammies at his house at the same time. :)

Here we have Papa and Sam (can you say Princess?)

Here we have Sam getting her first manicure by her Mom.

Here we have 2 pictures of the Little Princess. Note the matching blanket and outfit. :)

Blue Lacey Sock

2006-07-19T20:44:00.000-05:00

Here is a pic of the latest sock. I designed this pattern as well. It is knit with Cherry Tree Hill yarn on my Decor Accents EFG sock loom.

My new niece is here!!!!!

2006-07-19T16:31:00.000-05:00

My new niece Samantha(Sam) Kathleen made her appearance today at 9:57am. She weighed in at 10lbs. 10oz. and 21" (Sarah is very happy she delivered her by C-section). :) I have some pictures in no particular order.

This one is my Dad and Sam:

This one is my nephew Sean who is 3 years old (the new big brother):) He got to see Sam, eat an ice cream and he was ready to go, poor kid was bored. We wouldn't let him poke Sam in the head, or bounce on Mom's bed, so he was ready to go to Papa's house. :)

This is my Mom and Sam. Too bad she isn't a proud Grammie. :)

This is a picture of me and Sam. I was the first one to hold her besides her Mom(Sarah) and Dad(Tom, my brother)! I was so excited. I wasn't able to be there for Sean's birth since he was born in West Virginia and I live in TN. So I was really excited to be there to hold Sam on her birth day. :)

This is my brother Tom holding his new daughter. I think she has him wrapped around her little finger already.

I didn't post any pictures of the new Mom as I didn't think she would appreciate it. I'll get pictures of her up in a couple of days when she isn't sooo exhausted from surgery. I didn't get a picture of Sam's other Grammie holding her on my camera. I did take one on her camera though, so at least we have it. :) I'm sure I'll post more pictures later. Right now I'm going to go cool off with a nice glass of iced homemade lemonade. :)

Lacey sock finished

2006-07-15T19:41:00.000-05:00

Well, the lacey sock is finished. I actually finished everything last night except for closing the toe. I really like working with this Cherry Tree Hill yarn. I'll get the pattern written up soon and posted to Loom Knit Designs.

Close up of lacey sock

2006-07-14T13:30:00.001-05:00

This is a close up of the lacey sock. Who would have thought that holes in your sock is a good thing? :) Of course I never thought when I set up this blog that I would be taking so many pictures of my feet and legs! :)

Lacey sock progress update

2006-07-14T13:30:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of my lacey sock so far. I'm really happy with the pattern, but it has more stretch that I realized. I could have omitted the ribbing on top and just started right away with the lace. I probably could have gone down a loom size as well. Just one more reason to look forward to Decor Accents EFG Wonderloom coming out soon. :)

Lacey sock leg portion complete

2006-07-13T00:52:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest pic of my lacey sock. I have finished the leg portion and will start on the heel next. I really like the way the purple is striping. You can't see the lace as well in this picture as I needed an extra hand to stretch the sock and DH is sleeping. :) I'm hoping to finish this sock on Friday and I'll get better pictures up then. :)

Lacey sock progress

2006-07-12T14:44:00.000-05:00

Here is the start of my lacey sock. I have created my own pattern for the loom. I'm using Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. I unfortunately don't know the name or number of the color as I won this from e-bay. I'm knitting it on my EFG sock loom from Decor Accents. I'll post updated pictures as I can.

Explanation of short row heel

2006-06-24T14:43:00.000-05:00

I've had so many people ask me questions about how to do the short row heel on the Decor Accents' EFG or FG sock loom I decided to post a tutorial here. The following tutorial is an explanation of Isela Phelp's ribbed sock short row heel pattern.

The directions are written for a 48 peg loom. I found it easier for my first few socks to run an extra copy of the decreasing and increasing page for my loom size so I could check off each box on the chart when I finished a row.

The first row of your heel will be pegs 1-24. You will knit pegs 1-24 take the loop off peg 25, wrap the peg put the stitch back on, leaving 2 loops on peg 25.

Knit back on pegs 24-2, take the loop off peg 1 wrap the peg put the stitch back on, leaving 2 loops on peg.

Knit pegs 2-23, wrap peg 24, leaving 2 loops on peg.

Knit pegs 23-3, wrap peg 2, leaving 2 loops on peg.

Knit pegs 3-22 and continue on following Isela's chart till you knit your last decreasing row of pegs 16-10, wrap peg 9.

You will then have finished decreasing and you will start increasing.

To start increasing knitting pegs 10-17, when you come to the 1st peg with 2 wraps (peg 17 for your first row) you will knit 2 over 1 on that peg.

Knit pegs 17-9 (yes you will knit peg 17 twice, this prevents holes in your heel), knitting 2 over 1 on peg 9.

Knit pegs 9-18, knitting 2 over 1 on peg 18.

Continue in this manner until you have knit your final row of pegs 25-1. Once you have knit your final row of pegs 25-1. You will be finished with your heel and you will start knitting in the round again down the length of your foot. You will need to allow about 1 1/2" for your toe section, so stop knitting 1 1/2" shy of the length of your foot.

Once you have knit your foot section you will begin your toe section. It is exactly the same as your heel. The only difference being once you have finished your decreasing and increasing and are back at peg 1 you are finished knitting. You then have to stitch up your toe.

There are several methods to stitch up your toe. Isela's pattern calls for the zig-zag removal, but I prefer the Kitchener stitch.

I remove my stitches onto 2 knitting needles and use the Kitchener stitch to close up my toe. Your stitches will match as long as you put 1/2 your stitches on one needle (in your case pegs 1-24) and the other 1/2 on the other needle (in your case pegs 25-48).

The only difference between the heel and toe is that you don't start knitting in the round when you finish the toe, you close your toe. Your seam will be on the top of your toes, but if you use the Kitchener stitch you won't truly have a seam. I have pics on my blog of the zig-zag removal and the Kitchener stitch. I used both methods on my first pair of socks and I like the look of the Kitchener stitch much better, and I don't think it was any more difficult to do either.

Side view showing short row heel

2006-06-14T18:41:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of the same sock showing the short row heel. You can see the heel protruding from the body of the sock since I continued to knit the heel, but not the body of the sock. You knit 1/2 of the diameter of the sock decreasing a stitch at the beginning and ending of each row till you reach the peg designated in the instructions as your last decreasing peg, then you start to increase at the beginning and ending of each row until you are back at peg one. Then you will start knitting in the round again to knit the length of your foot. I hope this has answered some questions for some people. :)

1st sock of 3rd pair completed

2006-06-14T17:59:00.000-05:00

This the finished sock. This sock is made from Knit Picks Simply Stripes yarn. I knit 20 rows of K2P2 ribbing, 45 additional rows till I reached the heel, knit a garter stitch heel, 70 more rows till I reached the toe, then I knit the toe and sewed it together with the Kitchener stitch. I can't wait till cold weather so I can test all these socks out. Right now in TN it is getting into the 90's during the day, and if we're lucky dropping to low 70's at night. So bare feet are the way to go right now. Besides with my own personal summers (isn't getting older grand) I want to stay as cool as possible. :)

Close up of garter stitch heel

2006-06-14T17:54:00.000-05:00

Here is the garter stitch heel close up. It really feels nice and cushy. :) I can't wait to get the other sock done so I can wear them. I will finish up the heel on the mate tonight I believe, then I have to knit down the length of this LONG (compliments of my Dad) foot. :)

3rd pair started

2006-06-04T14:17:00.000-05:00

Hi y'all. I've started my 3rd pair already. I told you I was addicted! :) This pair is also done with Knit Picks yarn. The color is a little off in the photo. What is showing up as blue is actually a pretty purple color. I'm planning on making the leg portion a little longer this time, and doing the heel with a garter stitch. I'd love to learn some new ways to knit socks. I'm currently doing a short row heel and toe. If anybody comes up with a stitch pattern for the leg besides ribbing or plain knit stitch, or another way to knit the heel and toe besides short rows I'd love to have a copy, hint, hint. :)

Removal for Kitchener Stitch

2006-06-04T14:03:00.000-05:00

This is my sock over half way removed from my loom in preparation of doing the Kitchener stitch to close my toe.

2nd pair of socks

2006-06-04T14:02:00.000-05:00

This is the 2nd pair of socks I completed. This was also done on the Decor Accents EFG sock loom. I used Knit Picks yarn for this, and try as I might, these are still fraternal twins. :)

1st pair of socks finished

2006-06-04T14:01:00.000-05:00

This is my first complete pair of knit socks. I knit them on Decor Accents Extra Fine Gauge sock loom using the ribbed sock pattern written by Isela. The yarn is Lyon Magic Stripes. As you can see they are not idential twins, but are fraternal twins. :)

Kitchener Stitch

2006-06-01T13:19:00.000-05:00

There have been a few questions on how I finish the toe of my socks. I do use the Kitchener stitch. I divide my loom in half and remove each half onto a knitting needle, then proceed with the Kitchener stitch for needles. I don't do the Kitchener stitch directly from the loom.

You do not need to know how to needle knit to do this. You are going to be removing the stitches from the needles with a tapestry needle, so no needle knitting involved. :) The link I provided above (the title) has a wonderful video on how to do the Kitchener stitch. I hope that helps, if you have any further questions, just ask. :)

Demo videos of sock heel

2006-05-29T15:22:00.000-05:00

My husband and I have made 2 videos of how to do short row sock heels. The pattern is Isela Phelps of Decor Accents ribbed sock pattern. It can be found here: Ribbed Sock Pattern The loom I use to make my socks is also from Decor Accents and they can be found here: Sock Looms I use the extra fine gauge sock loom for the socks you see on my blog.

The videos were done on a Knifty Knitter loom so you could better see the stitches. They are fairly long videos, so please be patient while they load. Please remember that Isela's pattern tells you exactly how many pegs you need to do your socks based on your loom size. This is just a demonstration of how to increase and decrease. You do the same increasing and decreasing for the heel as well as the toe. I like the Kitchener stitch to sew my toe seam. You can do a Google search if you need directions on that. :)

Decreasing Sock Heel Video

2006-05-29T15:14:00.001-05:00

Increasing Sock Heel Video

2006-05-29T15:14:00.000-05:00

Second pair of socks

2006-05-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I've finished the first sock of my 2nd pair. I knit this one with Knit Picks yarn Simple Stripes. It is much softer than the Lyon Brand Magic Stripes yarn I used for my first pair of socks. I wish I made the leg portion a little longer on these. I had plenty of yarn to do it, but I was in such a hurry to get to the heel portion I couldn't be bothered to knit the leg any longer. The next pair will be longer. :)

Close up of Kitchener stitched toe

2006-05-29T15:07:00.001-05:00

1st sock of 2nd pair

2006-05-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

What temperment am I?

2006-05-22T16:46:00.000-05:00

I took a temperment test and I thought it was pretty accurate, this is the result:

You Have a Melancholic Temperament

Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything.
You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life.
You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you.

Given enough time alone, it's easy for you to find inner peace.
You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life.
Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times.

At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you.
You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others.
You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult.

What Temperment Are You?

Close up of Kitchener Stitch

2006-05-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

This is a close up of the 2nd sock. I used the Kitchener stitch to close the toe and I really like the way this toe looks. It wasn't any more difficult than the zig zag method I thought, and it sure looks lots better. I found directions to do the Kitchener stitch here:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/misc.php

Close up of Zig Zag Stitch

2006-05-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

This is a close up of the first sock. The toe was stitched together with the zig zag method. It was a little lumpy for my taste, and since it was done with the self-striping yarn the color of the stitch was different than the sock color which doesn't help matters.

1st Pair of Completed Socks

2006-05-21T15:27:00.000-05:00

These are the first pair of socks I knit on my EFG sock loom from Decor Accents. I used Magic Stripes yarn for these socks. They fit very nicely. The stripes don't exactly match from foot to foot, but hey, they are hand-made. :) They are thin enough to wear them with my Birks, but heavy enough to keep my feet warm in the winter. I finished these socks Friday night, 5/19/06 and started my 2nd pair the next day. :) I can't wait to finish them as I'm knitting them with yarn from Knitpicks. :)

1st Pair of Socks Complete

2006-05-21T01:08:00.000-05:00

I finished my 1st pair of socks!!!! They are in the dryer now. As soon as I can I'll be uploading pictures of them too. I sewed the short row toe together with the zig-zag method for the first sock, but didn't like the look, so for the second sock I removed it from the loom stitch by stitch and put each stitch on knitting needles. Half the stitches were on one needle, and the other half were on the second needle. I then used the Kitchener stitch to sew them together. It is seamless looking. I'll definitely be using the Kitchener stitch from now on. I found great directions at http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/misc.php

I highly encourage you to try it. It isn't difficult to do, you just have to get the hang of it. :)

Knit 1 Purl 1 stitch

2006-05-21T01:07:00.000-05:00

If you listen to this video I'm sure you'll realize I live in the south. :) Believe it or not, I've lost most of my accent. :) I hope this video helps you. If you'd like to see any other videos just ask. My DH has already asked what we are going to video next. :) I think he had more fun doing it than I did. :)

Knit 1 Purl 1 stitch

2006-05-20T13:26:00.000-05:00

My DH and I took a video of me demonstrating the k1,p1 stitch, and I plan on uploading it here. I'm using my EFG sock loom from Decor Accents. I'm only doing a short section because I prefer the k2, p2 rib stitch for my socks. Well, let's see if this works. :)

2nd sock and this one fits. :)

2006-05-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

More sock knitting

2006-05-10T15:02:00.000-05:00

My new EFG sock loom came from Decor Accents on Thursday May 4th. I of course started knitting right away. :) By Sunday I had knit enough to try my new sock on, and IT FITS!!!!!!! I'm so thrilled. I'm trying to finish this sock so I can get the 2nd sock started this weekend. I'm using Magic Stripes again for this sock. Everybody says that it softens after washing, and I hope so since it is a little scratchy. I'm just so happy that I can knit socks that fit me. :)

I've attached a couple of pictures. One is the entire sock (at least so far), and the other is a close up of the short row heel. See Mom, no holes! :) I'm using Isela's pattern and it is so easy to follow. Thanks Isela. :)

Finished sock

2006-04-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

Finished sock

2006-04-15T10:28:00.000-05:00

Finished Sock

2006-04-15T10:23:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished my sock. I stayed up till 1:30 this morning to finish it, but I had to go to bed before I could post. :) I have to say, that even though it's a little tight, I'm happy with it. I've ordered the next size up loom and plan to use my Magic Stripes on it when I receive it. In the meantime, I'm going to try some Knit Picks yarn on my current sock loom. I figure I can always give someone a homemade pair of socks if they don't fit me, but I'll never know until I try. :)

I definitely hooked on knitting socks. :) It's very portable, doesn't lay in your lap and make you hot, and it's so neat to watch the stripes appear. :) Besides, how many hats, scarves and afghans can you use. :)

Yet another sock update

2006-04-12T22:23:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone. I've been knitting every spare moment I've had. I was able to try my sock on tonight, and I hate to say it, but it's pretty tight. I was able to get it on, and maybe with a stretchier yarn it wouldn't be any problem, but I think I'll be able to give these away. :)

I used a 9" EFG DA loom and my foot measured a little over 8 1/2". The sock measures 7 3/4" around. I'm using Magic Stripes yarn and I'm knitting a U or flat stitch.

I just wanted to let everyone know so they will have a better idea of which loom size they might need. :)

Yet another sock update

2006-04-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

Another progress update

2006-04-12T22:22:00.000-05:00

Progress update on sock

2006-04-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

Hi y'all,

Well the sock is going well. I've turned the heel and I'm knitting down the length of my foot. Of course it's a long foot, so that will be the longest part to knit. :) I'm so proud of my heel though. I followed Isela's ribbed sock for fine gauge looms and I have no holes in my heel as some people have reported with other patterns. Isela's pattern can be found at http://decoraccentsinc.com/RibbedSocks.pdf I can't wait to finish this sock and start on the next. Sam and Isela you've created a monster with your new extra fine gauge sock looms. :)

Close up of heel

2006-04-11T09:35:00.001-05:00

Progress so far on 1st sock

2006-04-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

1st sock

2006-04-08T23:52:00.000-05:00

Well, my 1st sock is coming along nicely. I received my Decor Accents Extra Fine Gauge sock loom on Friday and started my 1st sock Friday night. :) I've been knitting off and on all day. I love my new loom. The stitches are nice and small. I'm using Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn. I think making socks is my new love. :) I've used colored braces rubber bands as stitch markers. They work very well and are free. :)

Close up of 1st sock

2006-04-08T21:55:00.000-05:00

1st knit sock

2006-04-08T21:53:00.000-05:00

Post-felted! What happened????

2006-03-26T12:50:00.001-06:00

I don't know what happened to this bag. It was supposed to be 100% wool, but it sure didn't felt at all. Anybody have any ideas?

Post-felted

2006-03-26T12:50:00.000-06:00

I love these bags, they are so cute. The red one fits my phone perfectly. All I have left to do is sew on the buttons. :)

Pre-felted bags

2006-03-26T12:46:00.000-06:00

First Felting Project

2006-03-25T23:12:00.000-06:00

Well I finally took the plunge and did some felting. I used Crystal's flat bottom bag method (http://crystalkini.blogspot.com/) to make 3 different felted bags with 3 different brands/types of yarn. I did one with Patons classic wool (red), and one with Jo-Ann's Sensations Bellezza Collection Dolcetto which is a wool/cotton blend (purple/pink), and the final one with Jo-Ann's Sensations Bellezza Collection Tesoro which is 100% wool (purple).

The Patons did great, as did the Dolcetto (blend), but unbelievably the Tesora (wool) stretched all out of shape and grew at least twice as big. I would have thought the wool/cotton blend wouldn't have felted well, but it felted beautifully. I've also got a small bag going, and I'll get pictures of it up soon. :)

March 17, 2006

2006-03-17T15:57:00.000-06:00

This is my first post to my first ever blog. I'm hoping to post pictures of my various craft works. I'm not usually a very verbose person on-line, but hopefully this will change that. :)