moonfrog

May is my favorite month! Time to shake it up a bit with a contest. I’ll start with my little menagerie. These are salt and pepper shakers (and a happy cheese mouse.) I like having fun things in the kitchen because cooking is not always what I want to do.
Do you have some fun shakers in your kitchen? Email me your pictures by Friday and I will show them on my blog. We’ll let any comments decide the winner. Just think, if you are the only one to send pictures — you win! I have some books and some yarn I’d be happy to shake loose as a prize.

I’d also like to invite you to tea. A tea swap that is. I’m late posting this, but you have until tomorrow to sign up. So if you love tea and you love swapping — click here to take you there!

I’ve done more frogging than knitting lately, but I finally have a hat firmly planted on the needles. I even put in a lifeline. That should keep it going for a while.
It’s an Odessa in Rowan Cashsoft. I’m just starting the pattern stitches. It feels good to have something progressing past the first few rows again.
I have done a couple little things that will be posted later. For now, it’s the Odessa all the way!

*Note beautiful flowers from the man. He wanted me to cook dinner, but he said that’s not why he brought me flowers.

This is it. It’s all I’ve managed to finish this week. Well, I’ve actually done a fair amount of knitting . . . and ripping. I hate casting on. Why is it I seem to do it so much? Over and over? Soon there will be a pair of socks and a hat that stay on the needles. No worries. For now it is just the Mouse. The Mouse that was made for someone else. Then Pesto, our resident feline, stole it right out of the bag. Guess I better get going on a replacement.

And then there’s a Bear.

This stylish knitter was sent by my wonderful Felted Secret Pal, my Purling Pixie, Dani! I was totally surprised. My detective work went awry and I had no idea it was her. Thanks for all the fun, Dani! And for this boat-load of goodies!

Hold on to your knitted caps! Besides the fanciful knitting bear (Can you see her tote bag with the cat in it?) there were yellow and pink Peeps and some chocolate eggs that seem to be missing. Hmmm…. I think maybe Dani’s hubby ate them? He apparently held my package hostage in the back seat of his truck for quite a few days, so he must have eaten the chocolate. Yeah, that’s it. Well, maybe not, he’s probably been in enough trouble, but it sure makes a good story.

There were note cards from Piddleloop.com with cats and sheep and monkeys. And flower Post-It notes. And a great knitting journal for keeping notes about my creations. I use my other journal for addresses and techy stuff, so this is a great addition. It has a place to put my own photo for the cover, too. It’s perfect.

There was a yarn kit to make a felted bag in pretty shades of purple Highland Peruvian Wool. There was the Pursenality Plus book with more lovely patterns.

And more yarn, Paton’s Classic Wool, and the patterns to make some of Carol’s bowls. I’ve been wanting to make some of her unique patterns for a long time!

And can you see the pretty stitch markers on the yarn? There’s a close-up at the bottom. These are so pretty and so nicely made.

Whew! See what I mean? I can’t believe all that came out of one box! Thanks again to Dani. What a way to brighten up the day!

Hi! My name is Pesto. Everybody else left town, so I’m just chillin’ here at home. Heh heh… there’s yarn in the basket… no one is watching.

Here’s what the crazy knitter lady told me to write:

• New socks started and restarted, then ripped. Need smaller needles. Going to the “big city” to get some. Be back tomorrow.

Well, I gotta go. My favorite program is on Animal Planet — Animal Cops. It makes me all purry inside when they lock up people who are mean to us critters. See ya!

They are off the needles! I like the colors, but not the pattern. At least not for this yarn. I would make this pattern again in a solid yarn, though. I like the bottoms where the yarn is stripey, but the tops are too busy. But there is something really great about these socks — they’re mine! I had to give the only other pair I knit for myself to my mom due to a very slight shortness in the toe, which bothered the heck outta me!
This has been a great experiment. I started off with Paton’s Little Me Baby Sport yarn (60% acrylic 40% nylon.) Chosen just because it was pretty! This stuff must be really old; I can’t find any links to it at all. Just as well.

First, I needed a pattern that called for sport-weight yarn. When Knit Socks! arrived, I was thrilled with the options it offered and chose the Classy Slip Up pattern.

The pattern calls for size 2 needles, but I knit tight (especially when I’m tense), so sock #1 was cast on size 3 Addi Natura circulars. This is the method I first learned for socks, so that’s where I started….

Next, I thought I’d try the Brittany birch double-point needles I bought — just to see how they work. (Another reason to use size 3, since that is what I had.) I am very proud of myself– sock #2 was completed totally on the DPNs! They were a bit awkward at times: in the beginning and then when I was doing the foot and toe on just 3 needles.

The next progression…with friendly advice from my knit-buddies, I swapped my 2 circs for one Magic Loop. It’s a nice method with just one needle to worry about and no dangling ends. At this point in my experiment, I grew weary of the Addi Naturas, which have a nasty groove at the join that grabs my tighter-than-they-ought-to-be stitches. This sent me to the LYS to get Addi Turbos — one 24-inch and one 40-inch for the Magic Loop.I was happy with that until I had to think too much about where each part of the sock should reside. I’m glad I learned how to do the loop, because it will come in handy when I only have one needle and want to make a little rounded thing. The pressure on the needles and my being more familiar with the 2-circular method sent me running back to the way I had learned. I borrowed a second Turbo from Mom and finished up that sock in record time.

The second sock, being half done, wasn’t far behind. Amazingly, my gauge remained the same on all the needles — tight! Really, I was able to relax and loosen up a bit, but size 3s were perfect.

I got a pretty good feel for the structure of double-point knitting, the meaning of needle 1, needle 2, etc. I connected better with the parts of the sock (instep, gusset, etc.) This will help a lot in converting sock patterns to my final choice — two circulars. I hope to add two-on-two as a regular feature. I’ve tried it, but need more practice. Toe-up was a failure first time around, but will be added later.

There were several reasons for making these particular socks.

• They work for two KALs: Red Hot Sizzling Socks! and Cirque du Socks.
• I wanted some handknit socks for my own cold feet!
• I wanted the pleasure of knitting socks.
• I wanted to know for sure which method I really like best.
• I needed practice before using some nice yarns that I don’t want to mess up!

I still have the Sixth Sense Sox from the Six Socks KAL on the size one DPNs. I haven’t decided if those will continue or be replaced by another, more desirable knit. I will probably take a break and knit a dishcloth. There’s a new pattern I need to try. Spring break is coming to an end and I haven’t even started half of what I wanted to get done!

On a technical note: I am switching domain hosts, so there might be interruptions in my signal. The last straw was when my current host added a lovely QuickBlog feature — and knocked my blog right off my domain! Whatever! I had already researched my move and that was all it took. Bye bye! I hope the move will be smooth.

Have a lovely weekend!

PS I added the picture differently so it will show up during the techy transition. (How embarassing to have a naked page!)

Sock #1 is done! Uh, that would be the one that was on Magic Loop…that somehow fell onto two circulars. Hmmmm…more on that later. The double points have flapped and turned the heel of sock #2. Pictures and comparisons when all is done.

I have been working on two special projects. All I can share for now is the lovely green and purple cotton yarn I am using. I love this combination of colors.

The white “bluebells” were found in a corner in an out-of-sight part of the back yard. The sun finally showed his face for two days in a row. Amazing! So cuttin back the dying bluebells and weed whacking in general has begun. It was nice to be outside, but it sure cuts into the knitting time.

And check out my cute little spring wallet! I just adore this dancing frog. I prefer to carry a wallet or purse on a string most of the time, instead of a full-size purse. This fits the bill for me.

Heather has a survey she is doing for school. If you knit socks, go help her out with some statistics. Cool project! You could also win some yarn.

That’s it for today. The sun is calling. Hope you are feeling springtime in your neighborhood!

One Bit
Carrie shared this Literature Map on her blog. You can type in the name of an author and it will show who is similar in a cool, moving-text map.

Two Bits
Thanks to Nessie for pointing out this contest at Kat’s.

Name 5 places other than your house or a knitting store where you have knit…

One…in bars while hubby played music — many times!

Two…at a HOG (Harley Owner’s Group) meeting.

Three…in the bowling alley — see post below.

Four…in several hospitals.

Five…on a plane.

Six Bits … A Dollar!
It took me years to figure out what my dad meant when he chanted this. Two bits, Four bits, Six bits, A dollar! The bits were quarters. I find it fascinating how words come and go from our language.
Leave me a comment with some Old-Fashioned Words that you remember.

Socks are almost done!

First it was Midnight Madness (aka Midnight Free for All) at the LYS. Good progress was made on my new secret project as a group of knitters chatted and tried to knit.

My favorite moment of the night was during a lull in coversation as everyone tried to count stitches and concentrate on the task at hand. A lady close by leaned over and whispered to someone, “I wonder if there is knitting in heaven? I hope so.”

Tosh laughed and replied, “Yeah, there’s knitting in hell, too. And it’s all with yarn and needles you hate.”

Another knitter chimed in, “And it’s all gauge swatches!”

So much for concentration! It was hilarious. I had to frog a bit the next day, but it wasn’t bad since I was crocheting.

Then it was knitting in the bowling alley. At least it wasn’t the bar! A friend’s birthday party and I still managed to start the heel of the Sizzlin’ Sox.

I’ve adjusted to the double-points pretty well. I try to arrange them “just so” to make it easier to manage. At the end of each section I put the needle I just used under the other needles to prepare for the next section. The heel flap is ready and waiting. The other sock is magic looping away. I’m halfway done with the heel flap on that one.

And then there is this one. The first double-points were so long that they were difficult to handle at first, so I started a kind of trial sock using the SixSox kal pattern, Sixth Sense. The little toothpicks, um … size 1 DPNs are easier to work with and gave me some good practice. The bigger needles don’t feel so awkward now.

So I have three socks in the works. It is a beautiful sunrise on Easter morning. I’m enjoying the peace and warmth. And the coffee! Time to get ready for dinner with the family. Have a great day!

My last few projects have all used yarn from my stash. Of course, it helps when I have new yarn from my secret pals to keep me going. I crocheted another chemo hat this week using a nylon/acrylic blend called Nobo (Walmart brand) that was sent to me by my SP7, Lori. This hat is very soft and silky. I really like how it looks, too.

And today is the last day for the April contest over at Caps for a Cure. There’s a little guessing game with a prize of Manos Cotton Stria yarn. As soon as the contest is over, two of the four skeins are mine to make another hat. I’m looking forward to knitting with this very soft and pretty fiber.

I was totally surprised and very pleased to win the project contest on the Knit the Classics group. There’s a winner each month, and my backscrubber and washcloth project won for March. (You can see the project under the March 27th post.) There’s a great prize coming soon.

I’ll have an update on the Sock Experiment soon. It now consists of two pairs of socks! It is progressing nicely. As usual, I am learning a lot. Happy Friday!

I haven’t been keeping up with the monthly dishcloth kal for the last month or two, but managed to finish the mid-March cloth. It is a watering can, but my designs do not show up real well. I wonder if that is another result of my too-tight tension? I’m still tickled that I have tulle to match for making scrubbers.

The sock experiment is coming along slowly. I have added the Magic Loop method to the mix. Nessie, Lori , and Tosh all love the Loop, so I figured I must try it. I do like Rebecca’s thinking — use one method for the cuff and another for the more technical bits. I might end up doing that.

As for the Loop, it works great on the cuff. Having used the two-circular method, it is a natural progression. I do feel a bit of extra tension on the cable at times, but the real test will be the heel. The DPNs are coming along. I have to encourage myself mentally to keep on with them through the heel. It is tempting to switch to two-circs for familiarity’s sake.

I hope to pick up the pace on these socks now. They are really a warm-up for the Sixth Sense socks for the Six Sox Kal. I didn’t want to jump right in when I’m feeling a bit rusty with the sock-making. This experimental sock is also my first sock with a pattern other than stockinette or ribbing.

I cast on another chemo cap last night. It’s crochet — something I can do without thinking. Sometimes I just need a break from all this learning!

The Felted Secret Pal 2 swap has come to an end. Our wonderful hostess, Lu, did a great job keeping things organized. She asked a question each week to spark conversation and awarded a prize to someone who responded. One week I won the prize and she sent me some Dalegarn Heilo yarn I’ve been wanting to try. She also sent me a coupon to try Adagio tea, so I ordered their brewing cup and sampler pack. I really appreciate all she did for us.

I finally got my RSS feed link to work, so anyone can subscribe to my blog by clicking the button on the top of the left sidebar. Now that I know how to use Bloglines to keep track of updates, I can visit them more often.

The sock experiment is moving along. I appreciate all the feedback. The Addi Turbos from my LYS turned out to be the wrong length, so I have to return them. He gave me 20-inch instead of 24-inch. The only problem with that is that is where the needles themselves change size. I really need more to hold onto! If he doesn’t have the right size (which I think is why he gave me the wrong size) I might just get a 40 incher and try out that Magic Loop. I suppose now is the time to do it. Right? I’ve been meaning to try it anyway and I don’t think it will be difficult to pick up.

Here’s a nice tutorial that even says it won’t be hard. I like the sound of that! Actually, I think I’ll go give it a trial right now. Have a great day!