steves old seater

I didn't make much progress this weekend on my February socks. I'm still decreasing the gusset stitches on the first sock. I'll take it to work with me and work on it during my lunch break.
However, I did make some progress on an old UFO. I started a sweater for Steve, maybe 2or 3 years ago. I'm using The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns, by Ann Budd. The back and front were finished, and most of one sleeve. The wool is Cascade 220 purchased at Woolbearers in Mount Holly, NJ. Color number is 9446. It is a lovely heathered chocolate brown with flecks of red in it. It is gorgeous. Unfortunately, upon inspection, there was a hole in the sleeve down by the cuff. Not a man made hole either. It looked like moth damage. EEEEKKK!!!! I looked carefully at everything else and couldn't find any other damage. I frogged the sleeve, skeined the wool and soaked it in Eucalon along with the sweater back and front for an hour. I hung the wool to dry, blocked the front and back, and am currently knitting back up the first sleeve. The problem now is cat hair. The sweater pieces were in a basket and obviously Minka Louise and Mary Agnes were using it as a bed. After the pieces dry, I'll have to get out the lint roller and get to work. Nothing is ever easy, is it?

Friday night we babysat for Lily Rose while Stevie and Amy went to a party. Lily was in bed asleep, so I was able to finish my New Blue Coat Hat made from knit picks Elegance, a soft lovely baby alpaca and silk blend. At least my head will be warm during this cold spell.

awesome weekend

This has been an awesome knitting weekend. I finished my New Blue Jacket Gloves. Knitpicks elegance is so soft and the colors are gorgeous!! I finished my pink and black cozy. I love the slipstitch pattern. But because I was too lazy to look for my size 5 needles, I used size 6. One needle size larger really wouldn't make any difference, right? WRONG!! It looks great, but its really too big. Oh well, another lesson learned, AGAIN!

The February socks are coming along nicely. I finished the heel flap on sock 1 and I am picking up the gusset stitches. I used eye of partridge heel flap with garter stitch edging that Just Mary used. It looks terrific on the socks she is making and it looks great on my socks too.

finished

Just finished my January socks, and ahead of schedule. Tomorrow I will start my February socks. I'm using Lionbrand Sockease, in a lovely bright pink with touches of purple and lime green, that my dear friend, Mary Kay gave me for Christmas. But now her name is no longer Mary Kay. It's Just Mary.

Cozies and Socks

The iPod cozy is finished and looks great. It was fun to knit and everyone at work went crazy for it. Now I am knitting up ten tons of cozies!! As far as January socks go, I was almost finished the first one, and was decreasing for the toe when I discovered a funky stitch a couple of inches back, right under the foot. Now to be honest, if the socks were for me, I would have ignored it. But since they are for Mom, I frogged the 2 inches, reworked the foot, decreased the toes, and now I'm kitchnering together. The girls at knitting night really like how its turning out. Mom will too.

iPod Cozy

OK, so here I am sitting on my behind watching football all day and knitting. I started out this morning with my January socks. Almost immediately, my left hand and fingers went numb. I had to stop knitting and flex my fingers several times. Then the same thing happened in my right hand. Steve said I should stop knitting for a few days. Well of course,I can't do that. Knitting is breathing to me. So I switched to a size 8 needle, some hand spun wool and angora and knitted up a square. Folded it diagonally, filled it with catnip and sewed it up. Voila!! Minka has a new toy.

Now, I am waiting for the Eagles game to start, and I am swatching Morehouse Merino and Naturespun to make an ipod cozy. I can't decide if I want to use the double moss stitch or the Rosette stitch from Barbara Walker. I want a firm, rather thick texture, but I don't want it felted.

I didn't make much progree on the socks today, but the numbnesss in my hands subsided.

January Socks

My first January sock is alittle more than half done. I am almost finished decreasing the gusset stitches. I cast on 54 stitches, did a few rows of garter stitch, then a 3x3 rib for about 2 inches. I increased 2 stitches for a total fo 56 and proceeded down the leg for 7 inches using double moss stitch.

Heel flap 21/2 inches, then my favorite part of the sock: turning the heel. Then my least favorite part: picking up the gusset stitches.

I carry this sock with me at all times and bring it out whenever I have an odd moment or two. Tonight we were out at the local diner with Mom, and I started knitting while waiting for our food. Mom is quite used to seeing me knit, but this time, she made a huge fuss over the green and purple tye dye yarn and asked if I would make them for her. Well, Mom never asks me to knit anything for her, and when I have knit something, she usually will not wear it. I'm hoping these Janusry socks will be the exception.

Luckily, I have another ball of Tye Dye in my stash in a different colorway that I can make for myself.