Major Knitter

Turn a Square

First hat done for Friend #2

It's Jared Flood's Turn-a-Square hat.  You can see where it gets its name from this picture.

Here's the hat folded in quarters.  I checked my gauge and thought I got gauge, but this hat is a little bigger than I would have liked.  I think that I got 5.25 to 5.5 sts to the inch instead of the 5 sts to the inch recommended.  I swear I measured 5 sts to the inch though.  I measured TWICE.  Oh well.  I also doubled the yarn and used a US Size 7 needle.  I know.  I know.  You're shaking your head thinking "and you expected to get gauge?"

Sidelined

My knitting plans have been sidelined due to two very good reasons - except not for two happy reasons.  Two separate friends have been diagnosed with cancer recently.  Never knowing quite what to do, or how to help or offer comfort, I do what I do best - I knit.

I picked out these yarns from my stash.  The turquoise blue is Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in colour 27007 and dye lot 07.  I plan on knitting Grumperina's Odessa (minus the beads) for friend 1.  The second hat is going to try to be Jared Flood's Turn-a-Square hat in Prism Merino Mia - in Thunderclap and 106 for friend 2.

I'll be pouring every ounce of positive energy and prayers I have into each stitch.  I hope these hats will provide some warmth and comfort.  It's what I can do.

Frogging Friday - My Very Own Socks!

I am back in the swing of things.  Whew!  (Now if I could just catch up on my emails I'd feel complete).  My knitting group is back in session; my charity work is back in swing; Scout season has begun; school is settling into the normal routine; friends are resurfacing; and my Craft Clutch (not to be confused with my knitting group) is also back together.  We kicked off our Craft Clutch at my house this morning and Julie asked me about my finishing or frogging every Friday.  While I haven't really finished anything of note all summer, I am catching the knitting fever again and am ready to knit up a storm.  In fact, I found a beautiful blue, purple yarn at Westport Yarns this summer and immediately cast on for a pair of socks for yours truly.  

Shortly after beginning the leg of the first sock, I realized that the Plymouth Yarn - Zino - runs a little thinner than the average fingering weight sock, so I'll have to add more sts to my basic sock pattern and go down a needle size (possibly to a US Size 0!!!) to get a perfect sock.  

With nothing to compare the sock to, it's difficult to tell how small it's turning out, but this sock might fit a 4-5 year old.  I love this yarn too much to not turn them into My Very Own Socks as planned, so I decided to frog them and reknit them.  Fortunately, I hadn't gotten very far.  But at least I have something to present for Finish or Frog It Friday. 

Ah, the ramen noodles of frogging.  I love the way this looks.  Isn't this yarn pretty?  Have you knit with it?  How did it work for you?

Wilma loves having things back to the normal routine, too.  She's thrilled to have people constantly coming to the house.  In fact, she gets a little too excited.  Here she is making herself at home on top of Michelle's bag.  We even asked if Michelle had a steak inside her bag.  Nope, just a cell phone.   Wilma decided it was the perfect spot to sit and scratch her ear (and chew her hind paw).  There's my wackadoodle.  

Google Reader

I've been a loyal fan of Bloglines since 2004 - but just this week I logged in and got this message:

As you may have heard, we are sorry to share that Bloglines will officially shut down on October 1, 2010. 

What's a blogger to do?  Well, I did the only thing I really could do - I switched all my feeds to Google Reader.

Of course, after I transferred all my data manually, I read this article about how to do it easily.  Oh well.  Why do it the easy way?!

Anyway, hop on over to Google Reader and follow me there. 

Wilma Wednesday - Up at the Crack of Dawn

We're in full back-to-school mode here and that means getting up awfully early.  This morning Wilma showed us what we all really think about this adjustment back to reality.

 

*Y*A*W*N*
 

Missing Mojo Knitting

I read Hakucho's blog today and loved her pile of washcloths which she self-describes as very boring.  OK - hand knit washcloths might not be cover girl material for Vogue Knitting, but I find that they definitely have their place in the knitting world.  In fact, I find dishrags (as I call them) very comforting.  My Grandma Grace used to make them and I remember having them in my house as a child.  Of course, when I moved out on my own, I developed the "wash dishes with a sponge - not a dishrag" habit so rarely use them these days.  But I still like knitting them.  I especially like knitting them when my knitting mojo ups and leaves me, which it often does in the summer.

I knit nearly a dozen dishrags this summer with leftover cotton yarn.  I tried some new patterns, stuck with my old favorites and had fun.  I know.  They're just dishrags.  But they can be fun.  I also enjoyed using up odds and ends of yarn.  I actually cleared up some space on my shelves.  

Now I just need to remember where I put my knitting accessory pouch with all my crochet hooks and darning needles so I can weave in the loose ends and call these Finished Objects.

There Is Hope

This week while knitting a pair of olive green Scout socks, Secundogeniture asked me if the socks were for him.  I looked at him and said "No, you said you were done with handknit socks."  He looked at me sheepishly as if to say "that was just a show" or "that was just a phase, will you please keep knitting socks for me?"

So last night I gave Secundogeniture the Madder Ribbed Socks I finished this summer, which is a good thing since he originally picked out the yarn for this pair of socks just prior to making that dooming statement about not wearing handknit socks again.

It looks like we may be in business again.  (Yeah!)

Hot Potato

Thursday was Rosh Hashanah and there was no school in Westport, so BF and I decided to take the boys on an educational tour.  Believe it or not, they actually enjoyed it.  We went to visit the Wise Potato Chip plant in Berwick, Pennsylvania.  

We got to see two sides of the factory - the side where they make the corn-based snacks (Cheez Doodles; Cheez Balls; Cheez Doodles Crunchy; Onion Rings, etc) and the side where they make the potato chips.  We happened to see them making the All Natural Potato Chips in traditional and ridgies shapes.

The potatoes arrive daily and are first inspected, washed, scrubbed and sorted.  These potatoes were in the ground just a day or two ago!

Here are the washed potatoes heading to the next station (washing again and slicing).

Here are the potato chips coming off the conveyer belt

Here are hot, delicious potato chips ready to go through an amazing quality control inspecting machine before being bagged and sent to the warehouse for delivery the same day or next day.  It's simply amazing to see how quickly the whole process works - from potato in the ground to chips on your store shelf.  

We all had a wonderful time.  I just love seeing how things work and how things are made.  Tasting Cheez Doodles and All Natural Potato Chips hot off the press, er, line, was the surest way to bring a smile to our faces.   It was an experience we're not likely to ever forget.  Thanks Wise!   

 

Voila!

I proudly present my Friendship Yarn

 

This is very near the true color, except that my yarn is slightly more bold in real life.  You can see the mulberry (purple), tiger lily (orange), and chestnut (brown) colors blending so nicely together.  I honestly never would have guessed my yarn would turn out so beautifully.  

Now I can hardly wait to finish one of the three pairs of socks I currently have on the needles (I know - how did THAT happen?) so I can cast on for my Friendship Socks.  It will probably still be a week away, but I can hardly wait.

I went on Ravelry to see what other people had made with Ingrid's Footscray un-dyed yarn and found many wonderful socks.  Then Ingrid's pair of Primavera Socks (by Natalja of Sonnentaler blog) jumped out and grabbed my attention.  I think this yarn wants to be a pair of Primavera socks.  I don't think next week can get here fast enough.
 

Wilma Wednesday - New Cuddly

Wilma got a new stuffed animal this week. She's so cute with her little piggy.

She sleeps with it always.

Don't even think about taking it from her.

You can see Little Piggy and Girly Girl were a match made in heaven.  Well, at least Wilma's tongue nearly matches Piggy's snout.  Same color, right?