Socks!

Clearly, I have not spent a lot of time on the computer lately! After all, it is summer vacation, and I have been busy. I have taken 2 young children on an airplane, gone to the beach at the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, TX, seen a major league baseball game, drank margaritas, and visited 2 yarn stores in Texas and bought souvenir yarn (more of that to come). All that was done in 1 week. So this week, I have been recovering, resting, doing laundry, and preparing for a road trip to Colorado, this time as a whole family. So, I have not really had the time to sit in front of the computer. I did however, have some great knitting time! And being as portable as they are, today, is all about THE SOCKS!

I will start by showing you the leftover shorties I finished. I used two different leftover balls of yarn, with my basic sock pattern and a 1.5" cuff, the beautiful Eye of Partridge heel, and this it what I got.



I was also working on Padded Footlets out of the book Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave. I made this out of my leftover Cascade Fixation from my Broadripple socks, and added white to it. I did not pad the foot as the patten called for, but they did turn out quite beautiful and are very comfy!



I also began my May OYT socks. They are out of Noro Kureyon Sock yarn from Japan. It has beautiful colors and changes. I did not want to use the pattern for May, but have fallen in love with the yarn (even though I have to wash these by hand and lay flat to dry - normally, I am a superwash - machine washable - kind of girl). I still wanted to mimic some of the shapes of the herringbone pattern, and ended up with Little Arrowhead Lace by Charlene Schurch out of her More Sensational Knitted Socks book. I did a 1 x 1 rib for the cuff, and then on the leg, every 4 rows I switched which end of the ball of yarn I was working. I then used the outside strand for the short-row heel and toe of the sock. The socks are not at all identical, but beautiful just the same. I am currently working on the foot of the second sock, and am anxious to finish it and have a pair! Aren't the colors beautiful, and the lily next to them when I took the picture fit in just perfectly.




I also had fallen in love with the Cascade Fixation yarn from above, and have managed to hoard quite a bit of it. Most specifically, with the cotton, I think they make awesome summertime socks. So here is my basic short sock with a 1.5" cuff and Eye of Partridge heel. These are what I have called, my Rainbow Shorties.



And then, of course there was souvenir yarn from Texas. I will write more about that soon - but I will be hitting a few yarn shops in Colorado, so the stash will have to grow more first. But while I was there, I picked up some Jojoland Melody yarn from Twisted Yarns. I have used this yarn before in a different colorway for my Rambler socks. This time I have decided to make the Crosshatch Lace by Charlene Schurch out of the same More Sensational Knitted Socks book. I just love watching the colors change and the pattern is working up beautifully. The yarn is soft and yummy, and a lot of fun to knit with and wear.



Well, so many socks, so little time. But wait, I have a 10 hour car trip each way coming up, plus vacation knitting time, yarn shops, mountains, ... :) I can't wait.

Home Sweet Home

What is it about the awe-inspiring and overwhelming response I get every year at the beginning of having two months off? I know that I have several trips planned. I know that I have activities planned to do with the girls. I find myself at that point where I start thinking of all of the things that I need to do over the summer, and all of the things that I want to do over the summer. These two lists are not even close to being the same, and amazingly, I don't think I could do them all, especially the things that need to be done, if I had an entire year off! So now the questions remain - how to I find the happy medium between the two lists? It is one thing to see things around the house and say, oh, I need to do that, and then go off to work for the day, promptly to forget about it. Then you are home and faced with it everyday, and it all seems so overwhelming! And then there are the dreamy moments when I get to think of all the possibilities. Those are fun moments, but there just does not seem to be enough time for them either. We shall see what the summer will bring. The possibilities are endless, but the time for it is not.

(Well, I have probably rambled enough - back to time-outs and doing a few of the things that are on the need to be done list)

I really haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

Okay, May is over now, and life is both hectic and slower. Anyone who knows my schedule will know that the end of May makes me crazy. Every year on Memorial Weekend, is Kansas' State High School Track meet. It is the largest high school meet in the country, and all 6 classes compete for 2 days at Wichita State University. What you may not know is that I coordinate all of the athletic training coverage for the meet. This was my 7th or 8th year doing that - I have kind of lost track. I am always busy getting ready for it, and then am worn out afterwards.

Now that isn't to say that I have not been busy. I have finished two pairs of socks, made a dress and some panties for the little one, made a skirt and shorts - recycling a old pair of jeans that had holes in the knees - for the big one, and nightgowns for both. I have also made a few new bras for me and a new swimming suit. The exciting thing about the suit, is that it is made out of material intended for my Honeymoon (10 years ago), instead it will be ready for my Anniversary trip! If you are wondering, that was before I did any sewing, and Mom had made my wedding dress, 2 bridesmaid dresses, a Honeymoon dress, and a dress for herself, and she lived 500 miles away from me, and the wedding location. Needless to say, I was thrilled with everything that she did, and the suit was just not necessary. So now I got to do something with it!

So, my hands have been busy, but I have not gotten all the photos that I want to post taken yet, and I just have not been able to focus my eyes on a computer screen. But, I did feel like I needed to do some updating. Oh, and I cast on 2 more pairs of socks, and turned the heel on the BBS (Big Black Sock) for the Hubby. I felt guilty that I haven't posted in a while, so, here is that quick update. I will have pictures of projects in following posts. And just in case you were wondering, no there will not be a picture of the new swimming suit, at least not of one in a body, but I am still very pleased with how it turned out. It just took more fabric than it would have 10 years ago.