Last night after supper I sat myself down on the couch, turned on HGTV (I'm a sucker for House Hunters International), and cast on the second Socks On Fire sock. I can't say enough positive things about the pattern and the yarn, and the colors make me very happy. It's a win-win-win situation.
Who is in charge here? Someone is twirling the days by so fast that my calendar looks like a flip book. It's not me, that's for sure, I'd like to go back to having 24 hours in my days, thanks. In honor of the warmer weather I've put the Khaki Cardi in timeout for the time being and I swear (cross my heart) that I will cast on the second Socks on Fire sock TODAY even if I have to stay up until midnight to do it.
Last night at Friday Night Knitting Circle I frogged my first stab at the Fish Net scarf and started again using bigger needles (10.75 US) and smaller yarn (Patons Silk Bamboo in Bark colorway), also I cast on 10 fewer stitches because the first attempt seemed too wide. Now that I think on it the thinner yarn's making it look about the same width as a necktie so I may find myself frogging the, what, six rows I have OTN and start once again with the requisite 35 sts. I'll take a long hard look at it before I go any further.
I finished Durwood's replacement hat the other night. The man has the biggest head, one of those deceptive heads that's big without looking big, but could have enough of its own gravity to keep a satellite happily orbiting. Just kidding, honey, I'm happy to make you a new hat anytime you'd like. Gotta keep my personal chef warm and happy.
The apple trees in the parking lot behind our house are blooming this week. They look 
so pretty and they give us lovely applesauce apples every fall. The tulips are blooming this week too, at least the ones that the $%#&* squirrels haven't bitten the tops off of are.
Last weekend poor Durwood really was suffering with his allergies. Thinking that pollen had to be all over everything, I decided to wash all his sweats, his favorite fleece vest, his fleece blankie, and the wool hat I crocheted for him a couple years ago that he wears when he's cold in the house. I tossed it all in the washer but didn't troll through the vest's pockets, where he had been storing a wad of coupons. Paper
. Do you know what happens to paper in the washer? That's right; little schnipples of paper all over everything. I tossed it all into the dryer in hopes that all the pieces of paper would come off. Well, they mostly did, but in the process I managed to felt his hat, his beloved hat. D'oh. So I went downstairs, unearthed a skein of navy wool, and started crocheting. I finished it Monday night; it was too small. This is a big-headed man and I had forgotten, so I picked out the well-woven-in tails and fogged it. I got a really big (US M) hook and tried again. I'm up to row 11 of 18, so I should finish tonight. AND I had Durwood try it on so I know I'm on the right track. Whew.
I found this lone skein of sock yarn at Hobby Lobby last week and couldn't resist the colors. It's enough to knit one sock and we all know how much I love mismatched socks.
Hearing from many knitters that Knit Picks needles are sharp, I had to try them especially since I'm working on a lace-weight scarf for the first time.
And since a person gets free shipping when you order $50 worth, I had to order a bit of sale sock yarn.
It was so nice yesterday afternoon that we decided to roast a chicken on the grill so after I lit the charcoal, I took the story I'm working on outside to edit. I love spring.
I had every intention of putting these two pictures onto the previous post and while I was typing those few words, I forgot them. An hour or more after I logged off, I remembered while I was in the basement getting a fresh box of waxed paper. Now, what about that little chore reminded me of posting pictures of flowers I have no idea.
All of the buds on Mom's orchid plant have opened. It's just beautiful, and she's justly proud of being able to keep it alive.
Last night at knitting Zoe asked about some small purple flowers she saw at the zoo last weekend and I thought she might mean Grape Hyacinths. Here are some growing in my front yard alongside some coral-y, pink-y tulips washed with pale lavender on the outside of the petals. Tho
se tulips were a surprise; I bought an unmarked bag of tulip bulbs on sale a few autumn's ago and just planted them. At first I was sorry that they weren't red, or yellow, or red and yellow, but I find that these pink-ish, orange-ish, purple-ish tulips are the ones that please me the most. I had hoped they'd be blooming when DS and DIL come to visit in 10 days or so, but I'm afraid they'll be all finished by then. So, sweet DIL, these make me think of you.
Yes, that's right, scarves, plural. Paging through the book to find the Sea Foam scarf pattern and saw one called Fish Net, knitted in chocolate brown bamboo. I couldn't get it out of my mind and how it'd be cool looking in cotton with seashells knitted into either end. I stopped at Hobby Lobby after work on Thursday and bought a skein 
of brown 50/50 cotton and acrylic and some shells from the jewelry makings department. Then, once I had the raw ingredients in hand, I couldn't resist casting on.
The Sea Foam scarf is going well, too. I switched to metal needles which seem to be easier to work the very thin yarn with.
I also broke down and ordered some Knit Picks straight needles since they're reputed to be the sharpest after Addy Turbos. Can't afford those.
The first one's done! Yay! This is the first sock I've knitted with a pattern on it--and I carried the pattern down the top of the foot too. Well, the pattern tells you to and how to do it, so it wasn't my personal brilliance that figured it out, but I'm pretty stoked about it anyway. I love these colors, so warm and rich. It's excellent yarn too, and one skein makes a pair. This is a nice simple sock pattern for those thinking of jumping in to try knitting socks.
For some reason I didn't do a lot of knitting over the weekend. I don't know why. I did frog that silk and mohair scarf--again. It was pretty but not what I wanted. Zoe had started a lacy scarf last week after seeing what I was doing the week before and hers was all hole-y and open whereas mine was solid, pretty but not what I was thinking of. Then I had a brainstorm. I have a book called Ocean Breezes which is chockful of scarf patterns with a sea theme, and there in that book was one called Sea Foam made for that skinny yarn. So once again I carefully frogged my knitting, separated them into two piles, rewound them into cakes, and cast on. I had thought I might alternate the yarns, doing one pattern repeat and then switching, but I couldn't figure out how to make the idle yarn travel up the side without looking bad, so I just put them together again and cast on. It took me a couple pattern r
ows to understand what I was seeing on my needles and to grasp the symmetry of the pattern, but I got it, and it goes fast. And I picked out another one to do next, I just have to find the perfect yarn and some seashell charms.
so pretty and they give us lovely applesauce apples every fall. The tulips are blooming this week too, at least the ones that the $%#&* squirrels haven't bitten the tops off of are.
. Do you know what happens to paper in the washer? That's right; little schnipples of paper all over everything. I tossed it all into the dryer in hopes that all the pieces of paper would come off. Well, they mostly did, but in the process I managed to felt his hat, his beloved hat. D'oh. So I went downstairs, unearthed a skein of navy wool, and started crocheting. I finished it Monday night; it was too small. This is a big-headed man and I had forgotten, so I picked out the well-woven-in tails and fogged it. I got a really big (US M) hook and tried again. I'm up to row 11 of 18, so I should finish tonight. AND I had Durwood try it on so I know I'm on the right track. Whew.
se tulips were a surprise; I bought an unmarked bag of tulip bulbs on sale a few autumn's ago and just planted them. At first I was sorry that they weren't red, or yellow, or red and yellow, but I find that these pink-ish, orange-ish, purple-ish tulips are the ones that please me the most. I had hoped they'd be blooming when DS and DIL come to visit in 10 days or so, but I'm afraid they'll be all finished by then. So, sweet DIL, these make me think of you.
of brown 50/50 cotton and acrylic and some shells from the jewelry makings department. Then, once I had the raw ingredients in hand, I couldn't resist casting on.
ows to understand what I was seeing on my needles and to grasp the symmetry of the pattern, but I got it, and it goes fast. And I picked out another one to do next, I just have to find the perfect yarn and some seashell charms.