Cool Summer Footies

White lace and promises....
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton Stretch, 41% Cotton, 39% wool, 13% Poly, Colorway #8010.
Pattern: Footies by Louise M.
Needles: #1 (2.25mm) dpns
Comments: I totally love this pattern and its result! I wasn't sure I would like such abbreviated socks. They're quick to knit, the pattern is easily memorized without a lot of yarn/needle contortions. It's written for two circulars, but since I don't care for the dangle and tangle of that needle configuration, I used double points. Just right for summer--tennis, anyone? Golf?
Maybe I'll just fritter away on Ravelry! I'm real good at frittering...

Seeds on Socks

I may be in love with the seed stitch. Yarn: Louet Gems, 100% Merino Wool, colorway Aqua.
Pattern: Personal pattern
Needles: #1 (2.25mm) dpns

Comments: More seed stitch on a sock. I think Louet may have some of the most beautiful solid colors offered in a sock yarn.

Slouch Socks

Yarn: Cestari Sock Collection, 75% Cotton, 25% Wool Colorway Timberwolf Gray
Pattern: Personal Pattern
Needles: #1 (2.25mm) dpns
Comments: I cast on 56 stitches for these socks, as 64 was just plain too big, and because it's mostly cotton, the yarn does not have a lot of elasticity.
When first knitting socks, I really wanted to do a pair to replace the cotton slouch socks I had in the 1980s. They rolled at the top and were so soft and comfy I never wanted to take them off. These are not quite as slouchy as those were, but they are every bit as comfy--or more so. They don't have lovely cables and lacy, intricate stitches. But they are honest, hardworking socks.
And can you tell--I have already bonded with them.

Geek Alert! A Calendar to Mesmerize

The Uniqlo calendar is fun! I saw this today at Snowangels. You can add it to your iGoogle, MySpace, Facebook, etc. They don't have Minneapolis, but they have several other USA cities.


And check out the clothes (specifically the footies) at their clothing site.

Floral Surprise

A friend from my knitting club brought this bouquet of peonies to me yesterday, and I wanted to share it with you. Isn't it lovely? Reminds me of June weddings in small towns years ago.

Thank you, Deanne!

Door County Bling!

Have you ever been to Door County? If not, you must go. It's a vacation area in the Wisconsin peninsula that has been spared all commercial chains. My friends and I had fabulous weather for the days we spent together!

We visited the Peninsula School of Art:

Had a lovely dinner at The Whistling Swan (and I highly recommend it)...

Found a fabulous new yarn shop called Red Sock Yarns...

Added to our Trollbeads bracelets (it's all about the bling)...

Had dinner at Alexander's (and I highly recommend it, too)...

Savored several ice cream cones at Not Licked Yet--Oh My!...

Oohed and aahed over the sunsets from the front porch at Edgewater...
And did a pitifully small amount of knitting...Still knitting...

Dotted Swiss

It was a yellow dotted swiss dress with purple sequins at the neckline. The ballet recital was performed with friends dressed alike on the same stage two-time Grammy winner Maria Schneider graced as a schoolgirl and musician extraordinaire many years later. Thick, dark blue velvet curtains with gold trim hid our teacher, Mrs. Palmer, at the sidelines expertly dancing the same steps in case anyone forgot them.

I never wore the dress again. Did I grow out of it? I don't remember. Most likely my mother, the fashion expert of our family, deemed it not worthy of my wardrobe. But I never forgot it and that magical night.

Sometimes you get inspiration from memories. This is one of those times.Yarn: Regia Cotton, 41% wool, 34% cotton, 25% Poly, colorway 122.
Pattern: My personal pattern, with the Seed Stitch Border.
Needles: #1 (2.25mm) Kollage square dpns.
Comments: Color is faded on the two lower photos, but the top one is pretty true. I cast on 60 stitches for these, rather than 64 because they have some cotton and they might stretch out as I wear them. Also made sure they were of a length that I could fold over to wear as anklets. The square needles have disappointingly developed some wear on the edges near the points.No purple sequins for these babies!

Lacy Mock Cable WaRshrag

This is as true I can photograph the peachy pink color in all its unblocked glory:
Pattern: Lacy Mock Cable Cloth (Ravelry Link) by Vaunda Rae Giberson.
Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream, colorway #18046
Needles: #6 (4.0mm) straights
Comments: Loved this pattern. It moves along quickly and looks really pretty when finished. The pattern has an skpo (slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over), and after two pattern repeats, I tried an ssk (slip, slip, knit) stitch instead, and that seemed to look a bit smoother as a left-leaning stitch. However, it's a waRshrag/dishcloth), so any scrutiny it might be subject to would be minor, if it happened at all.In service!This turned out to be about 8" x 8," which is a nice size, as they grow a bit when wet. Do you like waRshrags large or small? If you have a favorite waRshrags pattern, click on "comments" below and tell me about it.

It's a WaRsh

Think this is the end of my warshcloths (dishcloths, for the uninitiated)?*
Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream cotton, yellow #00010 and Ombre #00227
Pattern: Top two cloths are my personal pattern, bottom one is the Ball Band Pattern, or here, and is also found on the inside of the Peaches & Cream label.
Needles: #7 (4.5mm) straights.
Comments: These are such a quick, satisfying project. It's one I used to do lots of, especially while traveling. They make wonderful, useful gifts.

*I'm making more.
Stay tuned...

Warshrags!

Our Memorial Day plan this year was to spend the weekend with friends at their island on Rainy Lake, Canada. Unfortunately, the shed that housed their generator burned and they spent the night putting out the fire! We are so grateful they didn't get hurt and that they were able to save the cabin.

We were on our way up north when we got the news, so we diverted and spent the day in beautiful Duluth, where I found some yarn for much-needed dishcloths (does "warshrag" sound like an expletive?).The cotton socks I'm working on, atop the lovely lingerie bag I found at an antique shop.
And more yarn in rich burgundy color.
Also, I'm thankful for the soldiers who paid the price for the freedom I have...

Flowers Everywhere

Well, not everywhere.
A few spindly tomatoes...And some Hosta...
Temperatures can fluctuate from 60 to 95 degrees and back again in a matter of hours in Minnesota. It's not boring, that's for sure!

Blue on Blue

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Moody Blues colorway (main color)
Meilenweit Lana Grossa Colorway 1316 (contrasting color)
Pattern: My personal pattern
Needles: #2 (2.25mm) dpns

Comments: Because the yarn used for the main color is all merino, I felt the sock yarn with a bit of poly would be nicely sturdy for the toes and heels--and a touch on the cuffs.

Yarn acquired at the Minnesota Sheep and Wool Festival at Lake Elmo.

Project Revival

One last photo of the tulips

I have revived this scarf, started in January, and it's not too much further along than it was in this post.

The yarn is light and lovely and soft to knit. It's an easy project--maybe too nice to end.

It will be a sparkly scarf, not a cold weather one--but that's all right since it will be used as one would use a necklace to accessorize an outfit.

The socks in progress are quite similar in color.
I guess you know I'm still knitting.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's a Mother's Day gift I received from my son. It's a beautiful Bougainvillea Bonsai! The pink part is actually a specialized leaf surrounding its tiny flower.

There are some directions with it, one of which is to remove a third of the roots every spring. I had an asparagus fern once that was so root bound that it cracked the pot open. Maybe I should put a reminder on my calendar to de-root my bougainvillea next spring.

If any of you readers have experience growing bonsais, I would appreciate any tips you can share. In the meantime, I think I already over-watered it. So I will be reading up on how to care for it.

It's What Mothers Do.

I'm missing my mom this Mother's Day weekend. If you still have your mom on this earth, please give her an extra hug for me.

For mothers everywhere (and animal lovers, too), you'll have to endure an ad before the video--sorry:

Springtime in Minnesota

Just a little Spring beauty...Blue flowers fading fast...
Hosta greens...
Red tulips lasted a couple weeks this year, and they're almost done now.
The delicate Bleeding Hearts...
Our ground is mostly clay and I've struggled with this weed/flower garden for many years. A pesky invasive white-flowered chive plant (not shown--it doesn't deserve photo coverage) inherited from the previous homeowner has vexed me from day one. I have blue-flowered chives that play nicely with the others, but the white chive hops...even to the other side of the house! It doesn't find a space of its own--it likes to nestle within my pink baby's breath and other favorites.

It took me awhile to get rid of the Snow on the Mountain; can anyone tell me how to rid my world of these pesky white-flowered invasive chives?

Two on the First

Two pair of socks on May Day.Yarn: Pagewood Farm hand dyed sock yarn Denali in colorway Mardi Gras
Pattern: Facted Rib Socks from The Little Box of Socks by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott.
Needles: #1 (2.25mm) dpns.
Comments: As you know from my previous post about this pair, I love the pattern.

The yarn seems to compliment the pattern with its color and springiness. I keep photographing the texture.

And these brown socks are a lot less interesting, but wonderfully utilitarian, sturdy and warm.
Yarn: Schoeller Esslinger Zimba Top, colorway #125
Pattern: My personal pattern
Needles: #2 (2.75mm) dpns
Comments: The yarn seems heftier than regular fingering weight, and I cast on only 56 stitches for these. I toyed with the idea of making a sock monkey out of this yarn.
Then I envisioned a monkey face added at the top of the leg.Finally decided they'll just have to be house socks. Coordinating with my Nick & Noras.Could monkeys knit?

Needling

Somewhere along the line expensive knitting needles became must-haves, and I have my share of those.

At my house you will also find a goodly amount of Susan Bates and Boye colored aluminum needles. Rather than stash them away in a needle holder, I like to display them. Because they are colorful. Because they are useful. Because they remind me of my earlier knitting. Because I didn't have to mortgage the farm to own them. Just because.







You won't knit merrily along for 20 rows before discovering that you are using two different sized needles with these beauties because you will most likely notice the difference in color--at least after a couple of rows.

Call me old-fashioned. I consider it a compliment.

PBS Videos

Just a quick post to let you know that PBS has many of their full length programs available for you to watch on your time.

See PBS Videos. Yay!

Thermal Texture

The texture on this sock has captivated me. It makes me want to dive into my stash and find another yarn to knit up in this very pattern. It reminds me of thermal underwear--a fabric I really like--which you see in outerwear as well. If this was done in an off-white, would it look like thermal underwear?

Seed Stitch Border for Socks

Because I received a lot of nice comments about these socks, and in particular the simple seed border, here's a freebie.

Instead of printing a whole pattern for a mostly plain pair of socks, here's the graph for the seed stitch border used on my "Kind of Blue" socks.

Feel free to use this border on your favorite sock pattern--it works well with an even number of stitches.

I'll add the pattern to Ravelry too, so if you use it, please link to it or to this post. I'd love to see your finished project. Thanks!