I crack the codes, you end the war.

I work in Philadelphia and I commute to work on the bus and then the el.  The el is the elevated train.  I guess it is like a subway but up high not underground.  I does go underground but that is not relevant for this bon mot.  So anyway when you get off the el at the end of  the line Bridge and Pratt in the northeast you go down these steep steps or an escalator.  Kinda like Washington D.C. but not as steep.  I remember one time I guess it was last spring I was walking down the steps behind this guy who had a on a full matching track outfit made of blue and white nylon and a white fanny pack in the front.  It was the kind with the snaps down the legs which I thought was weird.  So anyway when we get to the bottom and we go to thru the turnstill he stops and rips off his pants.  Under the pants he has these short nylon jogging pants and then he starts running out of the terminal and jogging home with his pants stuffed in his fanny pack.  About ten minutes later I am looking out the window on my bus and I see him jogging by.  I guess it doesn't really relate to anything but it makes me like Philly a little more.

Things are slowly returning to normal here at the classy people house.  Some knitting, some sewing.  Lots of reading and general malaise.  The boss has a head cold and the kid is getting ready to crack down and get those college essays done.  I am standing by the door wringing my hands! 

I finished both The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton and Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm since I last posted.  I am still working on An American Tragedy and have started The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton both of which are very good.  I wanted to especially point out that the audio book version of The Age of Innocence on Lirivox is read by Brenda Dayne host of the awesome podcast Cast on.  If you haven't heard her podcast go now!

I am planning my 2010 knitting.  I have two great projects lined up to start I even have the yarn.  They are Matthew Shepard's Seaman scarf for the bus and Valkeryie vest for home.  Links below.  Here are are some photos of one of the frogs I finished for my co-worker's kids. They are super cute and have tennis ball bellys.

Links

Cast on with Brenda Dayne

Ribbit by Susan B. Anderson (rav link) Spud & Chloe blog

 Matthew Shepard Seaman's Scarf by Myrna A.I. Stahman (rav link)

Valkyrie Vest by Lisa Shroyer  (rav link)

Andrew Bird - wow I love him! talk about a man who looks good in knitwear the title of the post is from his song not a robot, but a ghost.

An Eeyore kind of knitting week

What a weird knitting week. I seemed to have been struck with a weird knitting malaise. After knitting over twenty Christmas gifts I was unable to knit anything of quality for the last week. I finished the leg warmers. On Sunday afternoon I realized that I didn’t have anything to knit and for the first time in a long time I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to knit. So I half heartedly started the Apple pear pattern to knit an apple cozy for a gift. The cotton yarn I had was either too thin or too fat and the thing turned out awful. I then decided to take the thinner yarn a bright pink mercerized cotton finger weight yarn and turn it into a neckerchief which turned out horrible I made a mistake in the yarn overs and I lost heart in it when I realized I didn’t have enough yarn. I had this passing idea of using two colors and I decided that I wouldn’t like that idea so it was abandoned. I really need to clean out my knitting bag, get rid of the leftover balls and put away my needles and recharge myself with a fresh new clean bag of knitting!


This fall has gotten to me. I feel like all I do is work and do chores. I am so tired of driving around, doing housework and finishing up things. I haven’t been knitting much and can only eek out a half hour or so a couple times a week for sewing. This afternoon I spent 8 hours doing stuff around the house I sat down to sew and for some reason my machine ate my needle. I got so frustrated that I just abandoned it. Things look like they may be picking up though. I feel in love with the ribit pattern and want to make some frogs for a co-worker’s children for Christmas. I also scored some sweet Irish yarn this week. Mom went to Ireland with her sisters and brought me back yarn! I got 20 balls of a mohair blend for two shawls and 400 grams of very raw, sheepy smelling wonderful Aran yarn. I have been smelling it all day and dreaming about what to make. More on that later….

The problem with legwarmers is that they really need to be modeled. I have decided to spare you Nate’s hairy man legs in the legwarmers you will thank me for it. They turned out well and I am sure she will love them. I promise to be in a better mood next week and have some knitting to talk about.

On the reading front I finished The Golden Bowl this week. I started The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. This is a nice change from the recent subject matter. No love affairs in this one! I am almost finished The Good Solider, I have about 20 pages left and hope to crank it out after dinner. The boss man is working late.

Ribbit (Rav Link) (Spud Says Blog)

Boy I think I should do bullet points for this post. I don’t know where the time went this month!

First Knitting:

For the holiday knitting I finished the reversible cabled scarf last week. I know I mentioned that it felt smooshed because of the reversible nature of the cables. I don’t know if I would use the pattern again. It does look nice but it has very little knitting fun in it.

I also finished a present for my older brother. Since I started knitting I have been making him hats. He really appreciates the hats and has a weird sense of humor so I can make crazy hats like the watermelon and the candy corn hats. This year I made him a Voyageur or Liberty Hat. It is the hat that the French Canadian fur trappers wore in the 1700 and 1800’s, I made it in a bright red with gray accents. I know he will love it. He is a history buff and fan of weird hats. The man wears a captain hat when he takes the kids out so this is right up his alley. Made splendid in RHSS!

I started a pair of legwarmers for my co-worker. I guess if I was 25 stick thin and fashion forward I would want some legwarmers too. I remember the 80’s so I think for myself I would pass. It is sad when the fashion of your teen years is now retro!

Speaking of RHSS we have resuscitated Team Redheart for the Ravelympics 2010. I am going to co-captain the team this year. So if you are a fan of Red Heart yarns, on Ravelry and want to join us keep an eye out for more info as the Olympics draw near.

College Shopping:
We are continuing to look for colleges for Nate. We have been to Elizabethtown, Haverford and Franklin and Marshall. He likes Haverford College the best so far. I am secretly thrilled but remain objective. We have seven more to go until the tours end along with two college fairs. If the boy can’t find a college by then I don’t know what to do!

Not Knitting:
I have been sewing. I created a little sewing area in the bedroom where I set up my machine and my supplies. I have been working on Velcro snack packs and knitting pouches. I got a huge stack of cast offs from my sister. Her new diet has been a boon to my Morsbag sewing. I plan to do about ten more before Christmas. I have this crazy idea of making bags for everyone instead of using wrapping paper but we shall see!

Quickly: I am reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, (love it) listening to The Golden Bowl by Henry James (what is with this guy and affairs?) and slowly working through The Good Solider by Ford Madox Ford at lunch times only (obviously influenced by James and his affair storylines!)

This is Nate wearing my brother's hat.  Tell me doesn't he look like a man?  I remember when he wore spider man pj's to bed.  Oh wait he still does.  I bought him new pajama pants and he wanted Super Mario and the Justice League!

Cabled scarf pattern (rav link, Lionbrand link)

Voyaguer hat pattern (rav link)

Legwarmers (rav link)

Repot depot snack bags

Ravelympics 2010 - Coming soon!

These are not my beautiful hats

Guess what?  This week's project isn't a hat.  In fact it isn't even knitted.  I made three super cute crochet cacti.  My boss at work loves the southwest and is fascinated by cacti.  Unfortunately she can't seem to keep them alive in pots in her office.  She does have a huge patch in her back garden but can't keep them in her office.  So as a small joke present I made her a cute cactus to sit on her desk.  All are made from RHSS.  I have such a phobia of making one thing and it turning out weird that I always make two or three of anything.  Nate loves the two cake baking habit.  .If one cake turns out ugly we keep it home and send the nicer one out to parties so he always has a cake to eat when he gets home.

Look at Jazzy's hands from playing with the chalk.  She loves it when the chalk is a little wet she says the colors are better.  I agree it does give the chalk a texture like oil painting.

I am also working on a reversible cable scarf for a christmas gift.  I thought I would really like not having a wrong side to a cabled scarf but the cables looks schrunched up and weird.  I am hoping they relax during washing.  No big projects on the horizon except for Jackie's b day sweater which I hope to start next week.

Oh wait I am totally in love.  I bought a copy of Alice Starmore's book of Fair Isle Knitting and decided I must have a cardigan.  That will be my christmas gift to myself and my January project.  I have been dreaming of complex Fair Isle sweaters and gorgeous color combos.  I can't wait to get started but I have to finish my christmas knits first.

On the reading side of things I finished The Wings of the Dove by Henry James and Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler which was a well written thought provoking book especially in the political climate today.  I am now working on Sister Carrie (which is much more exciting) by Theodore Drieser and hoping to start The Good Solider by Ford Madox Ford I am jumping around a bit but I got a free copy so I am going to give it a whirl.

Crochet Cacti (rav link)
The Art of Fair Isle by Alice Starmore
Heberian Yarns Hubba hubba I am in love with these kits.

Suprise another hat!

 This is the Opus Spicatum beret by Kelbourne Woolens.  I love that the designer is local and the hat is super cute. I did their Give A Hoot Mittens a few months ago.  I only wish I could afford the recommended yarn.  I made this hat for Jackie who rides her bike to work in the winter and needs a warm yet bright hat so that the dilberts driving and half paying attention see her on the road.  I love the way the pattern works up.  It is very fast, easy to memorize and makes for a dense yet pliable fabric.  I am working on a second one is light blue and white.  I highly recommend this pattern.   I of course used RHSS for two reasons.  One I am classy like that and two machine wash and dry!

Onward!  I am still working my way through the modern library list.  Wendy you are so right some of the books are boring.  Life is too short to read boring books.  I am enjoying Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler and am getting more interested in The Wings of the Dove.   I am pattern shopping for a waistcoat pattern.  Mom is heading to Ireland in the fall and is going to bring me back some wool.  Oh boy I can't wait.  I want something very classic or traditional so I am drooling over all my aran pattern books I collected when I first started to knit.  I think I am ready to dive into those again. 

Oh and Kitty who was called Marley but is now called Kitty loves to assist in blocking of hats, especially the all wool ones.  Next time I promise no hats.  I am starting a crochet project for a friend at work!

Opus Spicatum (rav link)
Kelbourne Woolens (check out the other patterns, I love the vest)

Now an even classier Classy People House

So today is my birthday. Nate being a great son and a computer whiz has made me a new banner for my blog. This one features the offical Classy People model J.R. and is my favorite color green. If you are a cph fan and read it in a reader bust out and check out the banner. Of course adding a banner has led to an overall desire to spruce the joint up so I did some tweaking on the colors and side bar background. Thanks Nate. I hope you don't think your act of being a good son will spare you the humilation of modeling hats ands scarves for me. I am just glad I raised you to be comfortable with yourself because I have a whole slew of ladies hats that need modeling!

Speaking of hats....
Here are a few more hats done in the never ending wool ease gray left over from mom's Tree of Life Aran. I swear that I only had four skeins left over but it seems to go on forever. I did two pairs of mittens and at this time four hats from it and still have one skein left!

The first hat is the Sneaky Snakes slouchy beret I did for Becky. I made the cabled beret for her mom. I think it is fun to make matching hats but a mom and teen age daughter don't always (ok never) like the same thing. The Sneaky Snakes is nice and floppy and looks good perched on the top of the head. The cabled beret is more classic and grown up. I think my aunt will appreciate the tradtional irish cables and the neutral color. A perfect set for a rock on girl and her exasperated mom!

I also did the Valentine's cable hat for my cousin's step daughters. Both have long straight hair which looks good in a beanie style hat. I love the cabling on this one it, is girly without being in your face.

In other news I am still reading Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and listening to The Wings of the Dove by Henry James. Oh boy what a snooze fest! I have friend who studied victorian literature in college and even he things James is boring! I nodded off on the bus with my knitting in hand listening to this drone.

That crazy guy at the beginning of the post is an acorn squirrel with a moustache that Jazzy I made during her sleepover. It is supposed to be Nate if he was a squirrel. I can totally see it.

Cabled Beret (rav link) free from Caron

Valentine Cabled Hat (rav link) from the new Knitscene

Sneaky Snakes (rav link)

August is for hats!

Let's see what I have been up to lately.

Knitting hats, lots of hats.  So far this month I have knit five hats and am half way done a sixth.  Hats are super fast and easy to knit.  Oh I conquered my fear of the tubular cast on thanks to some good directions over at Knitty.  I like it but not as much as the long tail cast on.

Planning a birthday sweater.  Some one is turning 30 this year and despite what she is hoping for is not getting a moo-moo for her birthday.  I have been virtual yarn and pattern shopping and loving it.  I really like that itch you get when you set your mind to starting a big project.  We have decided on the Fairly Easy Fair Isle from the Stitch and Bitch Nation book by Debbie Stoller.  I fell in love with that book when I was a new knitter and still have a soft spot for it.

College shopping.  Nate is getting ready to start his senior year of high school.  I know don't get me started on that.  So we are looking at schools and  I am making spreadsheets and asking everyone I know what schools they like.  We went from 80 to 30 to 15 to 10 which we hope to visit in September and October before he decides what he wants. 

Watching Project Runway!  Love it but it made me realize how awful the Fashion Show was.  At the time I was deluded into thinking it was ok but compared to PR it sucks.  Sorry Isaac nothing personal.  I don't even mind that it is on Lifetime all though all those lady specific commericals and ads for Army Wives gets to be a bit much.

Reading and listening to audio books.  Since last time I finished reading The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner and The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler.  I am reading Catch-22 (which is kick ass funny) and listening to Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (which is a nice collection of interconnected short stories)  I also scored a copy of Darkness at Noon.  So after two months I have a very respectable 8 out of 10 on the list so far. 

Here is the best hat of the bunch.  I made this chullo for my 4 year old nephew Luke.  He loves bright colors and hoarding things.  This should fit the bill.  I made hidden pockets in the earflaps for him to hid his candy and cars and stuff that boys like.  I made it out of RHSS so it can be washed and dried all winter long. 

PSA ladies Lion Brand has made all of the patterns on their website free so go crazy!

Luke's hat: Cozy Canuck Chullo (rav link)

Fairly Easy Fair Isle (rav link) Possible yarn choice Bernat Alpaca

Knitty directions for the Tubular Cast On and other great cast ons

Project Runway and Project Rungay now called Tom & Lorenzo still snarky!

Lion Brand Yarn website get those free patterns

A brief update

I have been knitting hats this month.  I already finished 2 droplet hats from Knitting Nature, a Toque for Nate and a Marsan Watchcap for Andrew.  Things are clipping along on a Chullo for Mr. Luke.  I am decreasing for the top and should be finished by the end of the week.  I am planning on two slouchy berets to round out the end of the month. 

I have also been reading and listening like crazy.  I finished Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man this week and started The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler.  I am also still working on The Sound and the Fury which is really good but I got bummed out by the chapters narrated by the brother Quentin.  So I have completed the first five titles in the Modern Library list.  Onward to the rest of the 95.

On a happy family time note we had family movie day today.  The ladies (myself, sister and Jazzy) went to see Ponyo and the boys went to see District 9.  I remember when family movie day meant we went to the same movie but that is what happens when you have teenagers.  The movie was very good and well done but what do you expect from a Hayao Miyazaki's film?  We then went to the buffet and had some sushi and watermelon!  Boy is it crazy hot in the city right now.  Poor J.R. is drooling and panting like crazy.  I gave him a haircut last week with the boss man's clipper and he looks great.

Here are some snaps of Nate wearing his Toque.  He really likes the hat.  I made it from bulky black wool blend that  I had in the stash.  I think it was left over from when I did the cabled purses a few years ago.
I made the two droplet hats from the handspun I won during the Mitten Month thing on Ravelry.  I got two hats one full size and one slightly smaller from the two skeins I had.  One will go to Amelia and the other to her mother for christmas.

Ponyo Trailer
Laire Toque (rav link)
Droplet Hat from Knitting Nature (rav link)

Molly Bloom is a knitter!

Wow today I finished Ulysses by James Joyce. What a roller coaster. I have to say that I really enjoyed reading it. I guess I was in the right place to be able to devote the time to get to know the novel and delve into it. Some parts were rough to digest but I dug in and kept reading. I have to say thanks to the internet I found some great analysis of the book and it did'nt hurt that I listened to the audio version and read the book at the same time. I was able to get more out of the book. Oh and Molly Bloom is a knitter she mentions knitting three times in the book. So let's take a look at the list and see where we are:

1. ULYSSES by James Joyce (done)
2. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald (done)
3. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce (reading right now)
4. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov (done)
5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley (done)
6.THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner (reading right now)
7. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller (bought a copy)
8. DARKNESS AT NOON by Arthur Koestler (looking for a copy)
9. SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence (done)
10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck (done)

So I am reading The Sound and The Fury right now and I am loving it. It is such a fascinating book. I also got a audio copy of Portrait of the artist and will do the same thing I did with Ulysses.

Here is a finished object from the WIP Wrestlemania event. I did this for my big brother for his birthday. He digs weird hats! Nate is modeling it for me!

Luche Libre (rav link) It's from Son of Stitch and Bitch by Debbie Stoller.

Modern Library's 100 best novels

LibrVox (free audio books)

I'm on Facebook! No J.R. is not on there yet.

Ditto

Meet Ditto! I finished this today. Overall I am pretty happy with the way the pattern knit up. The only issue I have is the fact that it is too small for me. The last two Norah Gaughn patterns I knit the Ram's Horn and the Origami Cardi came out too big so I decided to make a size smaller. Now it is too small. Anyway I love it. The yarn is Red Heart Eco-Ways in Cinnabar. It is a recycled yarn that is very soft and smooth. I would recommend it.

Ditto from Berroco

Eco-Ways Yarn from Red Heart

100th post

This post features the most wonderful Tiger's Eye Scarf. I knit this one in the second skein of yarn I got from Three Fates Yarn (link in the last post) The colors are so lovely pinks and purples very girly but not too girly. The pattern was fun to knit and a little scary. At one point you do a four yo to create the large holes for the eyes that is both scary and fun. I haven't blocked either one of the scarves but they look great so far. A few early christmas gifts done in advance. Things are pretty quiet here at the classy people house. I have been knitting on my Ditto and am almost finished. I have 3 1/2 inches more of the yoke and the button bands to go. I even bought buttons in advance. I guess I am avoiding my last and final WIP for the Wrestlemania event. The dog bag from Andean Folk Knits. I started the thing like seven times and cannot get the thing right. I feel like I should finish it. I put the pattern on Ravelry no one else knit it yet. If I quit it what does that say about me?

Tiger's Eye Scarf (rav link)
Ditto by Berroco - I saw Norah wearing it!

Cockcarracarra

This week I am on vacation. I just needed some time at home. Work has been crazy and probably will be for a while. Budget and staff cuts are hard to deal with. So I am having a mini mental health vacation. Today I worked on my knitting, watched ANTM and spent the day relaxing with J.R. Both the men were working today so it was quiet and nice.

I have been knitting like crazy, mostly because of the Ravelry WIP Wrestelmania event which is still going strong. I finished this scarf called Liesel, my Tiger's Eye scarf and a ski mask for my brother so far. I am also more than half way finished my Ditto sweater. I am up to the yoke with the body and sleeves done. Now it is very heavy and pops the needle tips off all the time. I love the color and how fast it is knitting up.

This Liesel is a great scarf. I fell in love with the pattern when I first learned how to knit but had so many problems with it as a new knitter. I put it aside and when I was trolling Ravelry I found it again. The yarn is so nice. I got it in the Earth day swap when my partner punked out and never sent my package. Moirae who was the mod sent me two skeins of her hand dyed yarn she sells on Etsy. This color way reminds me so much of Monet's Waterlillies.

Work continues on Ulysses. I am enjoying it more than I thought. I did have to go back and refresh myself on the Odyssesy but after that smooth sailing (ha ha) I am at chapter 14 which from what I read is the the most difficult chapter in the book. I plan on tackling it in small chunks. I do love the way Joyce makes up his own words as a writer I guess it kinda was his job.

I have also become obsessed with Cowichan or Salish sweaters. I want to make one so badly. I have been emailing with a woman on Ravelry who made the most beautiful Cowichan with a buffalo on the back which I am envious of. I have been trying to track down the pattern book and may have had some success. I will keep everyone posted.

Tomorrow's plan is to finish my last wip a dog bag from Andean Folk Knits, work on my sewing and maybe get some water ice. It is fun to have the day wide open.

Monet's Water Lilies

Three Fates Knitting

Liesel (rav link)

Cowichan Sweaters or this blog has some awesome photos (Nate loves The Dude)

Done and undone

Meet the Hep Cat. My most complex crochet project to date! Boy is he cute. I made him for Ashley. She share custody of Kitty with her ex and sometimes gets lonely for him. The cat not the boyfriend. I was showing her the book and she said make me a Hep Cat. So I started in April worked like crazy, gave him a time out and he fell asleep. I woke him up for the WIP Wrestlemania event on Ravelry. He competed in the Slingshot event which was any toy. I made him out of RHSS because I am just that classy. Enjoy his awesome bells and cool beret. Do not I repeat do not point out the fact that his eyes are not level. Instead note the awesome cute toes.

On to other things. I have decided after listening to the Gives Good Knit podcast to look up the Modern Library's 100 greatest novels of the last 100 years and start to read the ones that I didn't read yet. Number one was Ulysses by James Joyce. Ahhh my bookiest arch nemesis! I have been trying to read this book for ok I will say it 20 years. Nate's dad bought me a copy of the book when we were dating and I never got past chapter 4. So I decided to download an audio copy from Libravox. I find it easy to listen to and follow along with a print copy. It also helps to read some of the analysis of the book to better understand the stream of consciousnes thing he has going on. I am not going to say I will work my way through the list but I am starting out with good intentions. James Joyce is my undone but I will crush that book's skull if I have to go back and get a master's in english to do it!

Modern Library's 100 Best Novels (1-5)
1. ULYSSES by James Joyce
2. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
4. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
I've read 2,4,5 I am working on 1, and 2.

Hep Cat from Amigurumi Super Happy Crochet Cute by Beth Doherty (rav link)

Modern Library 100 Best Novels List

Gives Good Knit podcast

Libravox audio books

Also check out Wendy's blog she posted a top 100 book list in March of this year and is currently working on a project in which she is trying to read a book about each state.

http://itsjustme-wendy.blogspot.com/

Let's get ready to rumble

Do you remember the big wrestling craze of the 80's? My younger brother was obsessed with wrestling. He love Hillbilly Jim and Rowdy Roddy Piper. He had these action figures that my older brother called dolls to get him all worked up. He had my dad take him to the car show so he could meet wrestlers. Why is Andrea talking about wrestling? I joined the WIP Wrestlemanina 2009 event on Ravelry. I have four unfinished objects that I want to finish before I start some new sweaters. So what we do is we tag our UFOs with wrestling themed tags and spend the entire month of July working on UFOs exclusively. I am competing with Team Redheart again. We kicked but during the Ravelympics so we reformed to bring our acrylic based smack down to the people!

I have my hep cat, tiger eye scarf, dog bag, and the lucadore mask for Mike to work on this month so I hope to busy.

Speaking of RHSS smackdowns I made two pairs of arm covers for my cousin and her co-workers work chairs. I knit two rectangles using a basketweave pattern and wove a pull string through the edges. She just put them on the chair pulled the string underneath and created a very classy chair cozy. I guess you get to a point as a knitter that people think you can make anything. Oh wait I guess I can. Here is the red set. I also did a black set for her co-worker.



I also finished Liesel scarf but haven't blocked it yet so no photos. I have been knitting but don't have much to share. I also have been sewing. I did 5 totes for Morsbags, and 6 drawstrings. I made them out of recycled scrub tops I got from my sister and cousin. They turned out cool, I kept the pockets on the totes so they have front pockets which is handy.

I made a few coffee cakes, some herb and fruit infused waters and spent some time stalking the blue jays out back. I made orange-basil, lemon-basil, lemon-rosemary, and lemon-mint. We have a mating pair with one baby. He is so cute with his white head! He looks like a freak and I like that!

WIP Wrestlemania 2009 (rav link)

Liesel Scarf (rav link)
Morsbags my pod is called eco-friendly bensalem

Check these puppies out!

So I had this great idea. I would try to knit a pair of socks during my eight hours flying to CA. I had a lay over in Houston dot dot dot. So I got out the only sock yarn in my stash. It is Lorna's Laces I was gifted during the Yoga Swap. It is in a wonderful teal color varigated with light blue and grays. I love the yarn and was hording it. I tried socks last summer and made the practice socks in Ann Budd's sock book but I hated the whole flapping heel and picking up stitches thing. I felt like it was too out of control for me. But I have been pattern stalking some awesome sock patterns on Ravelry and decided to try my hand at socks. So I did a search for the yarn and the Jaywalkers by Grumperina were suggested as an easy pattern. So I took the plunge and I made some socks. On tiny size one bamboo needles that made me feel ham handed but I did it anyway.

Here is my finished sock along with it's fledgling mate at Valley Forge on Memorial Day.

Two socks how awesome! They turned out great I had one small hole on the second sock where I picked up stitches but I did a small repair and you can't even tell.

Here is a snap I made the boss take of my first sock. I was sure I wasn't going to finish the second and I wanted proof that I made at least one sock. How weird are my feet? In yoga class they call them monkey toes. Our instructor said I had awesome toes for yoga. Sister would be so grossed out by my foot on the internet for sure!

HEY JACKIE I MADE A PAIR OF SOCKS!

Pattern Link (ravelry) Jaywalkers by Grumperina