First Day out of the New Year

Last year you could count on one hand the number times I left the house for a non medical appointment.  This year as part of the resolutions goals is a determined effort to get out of the house.  So Hubby had strict instructions to take me for a drive.  The camera was charged.  We had a lovely time out and came home just as it got wet and windy.  While sitting in Morrisons carpark waiting for him to pick up a few things for dinner I played with my newish camera and got photos of a sock I completed last October.  It was one of the first things I completed since picking up the needles again after the long lay off.

Waiting in Morrisons Carpark

The Sock is Jaywalker by Grumperina. The yarn was part of the stash additions I picked up from Yarndale in September 2013.  That was one of three outings I had last year.

The yarn is Lang Yarns Jawoll Magic Dégradé and of course I would like some more for the stash. 

Thinking of Autumn

Today's socks are definitely at touch of autumn in their colouring. They are the well loved pattern called Nutkin. Originally they were going to be for me but then halfway though the middle of the first sock I acknowledged that they were going to be a little tight on me. As the next person in the house who they could fit had gone to bed I could not finish the first sock off that evening as I needed to check the length of the foot.

I should learn to read the pattern introduction properly as it did warn me that the foot was 8 inch diameter. She jumped at the thought of this pair of socks being for her incredibly long foot. I am a 8.5 to 9 (27cm to 27.5 cm) shoe depending on the style while daughter come in starting at 9.5 (28 cm). She has skinny ankles and long thin feet where I have a very very good grip on the ground. I am 9.5 inches round the ball.

That is a long foot as the legs are 4inches.

Daughter has been wearing the round the house unblocked and I have finally managed to get a photo on them. There are little flicks of colour in the brown but she loves brown so it is a win win. There was just a little bit of crispness in the morning that indicates that autumn is on its way. While I have to get some more sock knitting done I also have to do some lace knitting cause I am getting WAY bored can you tell I am channelling some teenager lingo. Off to go an rattle round in the stash and look at patterns on ravelry.

Zig Zag socks

So that is another pair of socks down.  I really did not like the colour changes in the Zig Zag. Now have half a ball of it but I will be good and use it. I have a test knit and it is the right weight. I don't think the colour change will be supportive for the cables in the pattern but why not have a test knit to prove that variegated yarns are not suitable for the pattern. I could be completely wrong but it somehow I don't think I will be.

The stash down is continuing as I am now looking at what yarn we have left and what I can use it for. I also need to get some items done for the autumn. My God woman England is the middle of the warmest three days of the year and you are already thinking about autumn.... I  know I know but you have to be prepared. I am also planning to catch up with my A-Z knitting but I need another knitting project which is not 2.50 mm needles.

Update on the A-Z KAL

I have had a couple of socks sitting in the one sock cast on hiatus for a while.  But this week I managed to restart a pair from scratch.  I had to rip them back and start them again with a larger needle.

Tickle Tickle

Do you know how hard it is to photograph your own feet? Son took his life in is own hands when he decided to tickle my feet while I was taking a photo.  I am not someone whom you even think about  attempting to tickle my feet cause I dont like it.  So this was my L pair of socks as the pattern is Lakehouse Socks by Yasmin Kock for the A-Z KAL.

Galloping Grasshoppers

My A-Z KAL knitting has been slightly stalled for a while. I was good at casting on but actual knitting on and finishing was a bit stalled. Life and all that jazz got in the way. I had managed to finish of the D socks - Dublin bay a couple of weeks ago. These socks were supposed to be finished in February that is only two months late. I had cast on E a little late so according to the official list these were taking a bye but I had cast them on. I just did not do the official KAL group thread post in time.  The E socks are one sock done.  

The colour work pair Fishy Fishy aka F pair are stalled in the first sock I have not even made it to the first heel of the sock.  The H and I socks have been cast on but there has not been much progress. But But But my G socks are done. These were a pair of galloping grasshoppers. I had cast them on and only just got to the pattern section of the gusset. After being in hiatus land for quiet a while, a couple of weeks is a while for me, I sat down on the Friday afternoon of the Royal Wedding (after sleeping in) to look at where I was at knitting wise on these socks and went foo bar as I dropped a needle out and managed to pull the work at the same time. So it was a quick rip back a couple of rows to about the second row of the toe.  Yes these were toe up socks.  Managed to get Sock 1 redone on Friday evening and then got Sock 2 done on Saturday evening.  That was not bad for me.  Photo on Sunday 1st May. It has just taken me almost a month to finish this blog post and actually up load the photos to the blog and Ravelry.

So the Galloping Spring Hoppers were made out of Regina which I seem to have a lot of in my stash.  Stash down 2011 is still in progress.  The pattern is called Grasshopper Twists and the cuff length is 4" for this boof foot at 8.5 UK Ladies.

Dublin Bay Socks

Well I had four different socks on the double pointed needles and I could not face casting on another pattern until I shifted at least one of the half finished socks off the double pointed needles. Also I think the word "Divorce" may have been banded about if I brought even more double pointed needles of the same size.  Hubby was a little concerned about the number of hedgehogs that I had laying round the house which he could accidentally stab himself with. 

Not the greatest photo but they are done. These socks have been knitted in some ubiquitous Regina that I had knocking around so they are a destashing pair and the pattern is  Dublin bay Socks.  I would do the pattern again but I think a plain or strip rather than this mottled variegation would have been better. The camera has gone awol again and I am definitely blaming one of the children again. I know who to blame but they are denying it of course. "No Mum I have not seen your camera since I used it for my assignment and I put it back in the cupboard." Yeap right the same sort of put it away like the clothes on your bed room floor. Not well enough in my book.

Ok so I have three other patterns of socks on the needles so I need to get cracking some more so I can catch back up with the A-Z kal. I need to cast the next pattern on by the 22nd so I have to get a shifty on. Lets just say I am a little behind....

Mission Impossible 2

I managed to get the first mission impossible knitting project completed fairly rapidly (Saturday to Wednesday).  I started to look round at jackets to go with the skirts. The skirt is almost finished but I basically have to have some daylight hours with the blocked skirt, my sewing room and with myself together at the same time to put the skirt lining that daughter has requested into the finished knitted skirt.  She actually took the skirt up to the fabric shop without mother to get the lining and choose the buttons by herself. So now it is just a case of doing this finishing and then she will be set for Greece in less than three weeks actually almost two weeks.

Mission Impossible 2 is the creation of a matching jacket to go with this skirt.  For a while there I did not think I would get there but daughter finally made a decision on a pattern. Thanks to all those who suggested patterns but she has gone with a Kim Hargraves pattern called Darcy which I will have to do major adaptations to make sure I fit her almost Amazonian body. Well at 6'2", its Amazonian to me and now it is most definitely a knit down to the wire job.

In between the pattern decision making process I also managed to finish the possum yarn socks that I started earlier in the month. Said daughter has done that thing she does with all things that I knit which are green. She has gone "I Want" "Can I have please MOMMY!!!!!!!  Pretty Please??? When Zoec sent me the yarn I warned her that daughter would do this.  Zoec also suggested the pattern as well which is Cachoeira by Kristi Geraci.

Wangi - dont they look like waterfalls

I am halfway through the d pair of my a-z kal socks and want to get them finished before my yarn for the e pair arrives. I am only a couple of days behind but I think the MI2 knit the peplum moss stitch jacket also known as Darcy will cause the next pair of socks to run late as well. I think the name had something to do with the selection as Pride and Prejudice is also a well loved novel.  She even has the good taste to prefer the Colin Firth production.

Getting little things done

The last couple of weeks have been a series of little steps followed by more little steps. I have finished of my third shawl for the year but still not blocked any of them. The weather here has been that dank and damp I am sure they would never dry and unfortunately my laundry monsters keep growing so I have no space in my tiny galley kitchen cum laundry to have a couple shawls blocking.  Let alone one on blocking pads. I have also had issues which the camera ie a number of individuals have borrowed it an not returned it to the kitchen cupboard. I only got it back today when I threatened to cut off the food supply chain. Remember teenagers like to almost inhale food.

Dishcloth wise I had my arse kicked by a couple of dish cloths but I am restocking our supplies of these and general tea towels.  I need to get some more linen so I can make some more tea towels for glasses but that will be for another day.  It must be the start of spring cause I have the urge to do some major spring cleaning.

KAL = Knit along. The status update on what is going on this sock project wise.  I had gotten a little behind on the A-Z kal but in the last week I have finished off my B pair of socks. The pattern is Blackrose sock by Suzi Anvin. I called my project on ravelry Róisín Dubh. I thought it was appropriate for this project in oh so many ways.  For those who can not work out Róisín Dubh = Dark or Black Rose in Gaelic and is a famous political song from about the 16th century. The song in lyrical form talks about the trials and tribulations of the English rule.  For the song in English see further below.

Slightly too big.

I had a slight gauge issue because I did not do a gauge calculations so the socks are slightly large but leave it to J. He will shrink them for me the first time he accidentally washes them in the laundry as he has not got the whole idea of colour and temperature sorting after over 20 years of doing laundry. I think he just gets frustrated and tries to shove everything into the one load.  It is at least one thing a week that he manages to shrink.  Son is complaining about a t-shirt that has suddenly gone short on him. 

All those years of ballet are paying off mother
 I can point my toes for photos.

This Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Stärke 6 that I also did the last shawl in.  The wool is one of those long colour repeats and it moves from white to pink to green as you can see on the right foot heel in the picture above. I have also completed sock one of the C socks in the possum wool that Zoec sent me last year and I am even doing it in the pattern she suggested Cachoeiva.  Daughter is already eyeing them off to the point she tried it the first sock on before I had even knitted the toes. The second sock has been cast on and I hope to get rid of this sock project this week. For my next sock pattern for the D which was supposed to be started last weekend I have chosen a fairly simple one. I need something which will let me catch up.

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Róisín Dubh

Little Rose, be not sad for all that hath behapped thee:
The friars are coming across the sea, they march on the main.
From the Pope shall come thy pardon, and from Rome, from the East
And stint not Spanish wine to my Little Dark Rose.

Long the journey that I made with her from yesterday till today,
Over mountains did I go with her, under the sails upon the sea,
The Erne I passed by leaping, though wide the flood,
And there was string music on each side of me and my Little Dark Rose!

Thou hast slain me, O my bride, and may it serve thee no whit,
For the soul within me loveth thee, not since yesterday nor today,
Thou has left me weak and broken in mien and in shape,
Betray me not who love thee, my Little Dark Rose!

I would walk the dew with thee and the meadowy wastes,
In hope of getting love from thee, or part of my will,
Frangrant branch, thou didst promise me that thou hadst for me love-
And sure the flower of all Munster is Little Dark Rose!

Had I a yoke of horses I would plough against the hills,
In middle-Mass I'd make a gospel of my Little Dark Rose,
I'd give a kiss to the young girl that would give her mouth to me,
And behind the liss would lie embracing my Little Dark Rose!

The Erne shall rise in rude torrents, hills shall be rent,
The sea shall roll in red waves, and blood be poured out,
Every mountain glen in Ireland, and the bogs shall quake
Some day ere shall perish my Little Dark Rose!

Pair A of the A to Z sock Kal done!

Well I managed to do the first pair of this challenge in about five days (four and a bit). The bit was finishing the toe this morning before work. I had to Kitchener the toe on the last sock before I could promptly put them on my feet. Hubby, J, was laughing his arse off at me because it was "Yes I know you want to leave for work but I can’t until I finish this sock as I have to wear this sock today". J does not have the sock issue that I have such as the requirement of clean fresh socks on a regular basis.  I am lucky if he changes his sock on his short false leg once in a month.  So here are the new pair of Artichokes in Lavender Cairn from the Yarn Yard that are currently blocking on my feet. Ta Da!

Of course the Dawg had to get in the picture

Excuse the teal pants I know I have a greater number of colours on today (over 5) which the fashionistas would be horrified about but sod it. It is snowing again and I am going to be warm. Yes, I have red shoes in winter and I wear these shoes to death. I may have to get a new pair of shoes from Kumfs (aka Ziera shoes) soon as these poor buggers have been worn now for almost three winters, so they are starting to get a little old. The teal pants are my fleece lined pants so on snow days I find them to be obligatory.  Photo wise we have been struggling to get light to support the taking of photos.

Dusk hits us at about 3:15 pm

I did have one clean pair of socks in the sock draw for me this morning but between getting the daughter, Ry, to the train station so she could get to college and getting home to see my son, Rh, leave for school they magically appeared on his feet rather than mine..... Hello!! I ridiculously thought that my colourful socks which in no shape or form meet the uniform code of either black or grey socks would be safe from the nortious sock thief. Rh has gone to school wearing a pair of teal and yellow variegated handknit socks in the standard vanilla sock pattern. I had been certain that his burgeoning teenage masculine identity as a 14yr old would ensure that I did not have the sock thief problem anymore with this type of handknit sock. Plainly I was wrong but heyho that is part of motherhood according to my teenagers - "You are always wrong".

More details of the Artichoke socks

I am concerned about the state that this pair of vanilla socks will be in when I get them back because he most definitely has the male issue of smelly feet.  What is it about adult and or almost adult male feet that makes them smell so much?  It has been a bit of shock that he has developed this trait and it is just another reminder that he is no longer the cherubic baby I used to carry in my arms. That smell, the antisocial behaviour and the communicating with grunts.  Smelly feet is just something I have not had to live with over the last twenty odd years with his father since he has not had his own feet since he was slightly younger than the boyo. 

J with his short leg on.

There are some advantages being married to a bilateral leg amputee as rubber feet don’t tend to sweat and smell horribly along with the need for only about five pairs of socks for the whole year. The only reason for the five pairs is so that he can have two socks in five different colours as he only wears the one leg now. He used to be a two leg man when he was young and vain but he finds it easier to swing walk (short leg and under arm crutches). Since he is only ever wearing one sock at any one time he always has a spare in the draw when it wears out.  His socks are more likely to wear out and be composted before they ever get into the washing pile. It is the stump socks which you have to look after carefully just like hand knitted socks.