more socks, sewing, etsy?

I wore another new pair of socks today. My blackberry blackrose socks. I apolize the bad photo. It is raining here again and a flash is my only option to not have blurry pictures. They are a skosh too long. But, that just means any accidental machine washing and drying won't ruin them.

I had a fun time last night playing scrabble on facebook with my sisters. We don't see nearly enough of each other, what with me living 6 hrs away. It was nice to "spend some time" with them, even if virtually. Even if I got my keister handed to me on a plate in the second game.

I got my Halloween skirt 75% done last night. Actually, 75% is probably generous. I still have to do the waistband and hem. And unpick the side seams a bit so I can fit my hand into the pockets! I showed it to B this morning (I'd left the remnant of the fabric on the table last night) and he thinks it's great. I sure hope it fits.

It's probably very illogical to think that a custom pattern drafted from measurements of myself that I took myself wouldn't fit, but there you have it.

My mindless knitting these days has been some cowls from sweater leftovers. I'm thinking of listing them on Etsy. What do you think?

And, progress on the Brick socks. Two repeats done (and one added at lunch after this picture was taken). I'm really enjoying the pattern. I think I'm going to knit every pattern in the book!

new project, new socks, a gift

Here's the ribbing on my newest socks. The pattern is Rick by Cookie A. Yeah, I know it's a man's pattern. So what? I don't see any men in my life wearing socks with intentional holes in them. I'm nearly done the ribbing. Can't wait to start the leg chart. I'm thinking of casting on some simple socks for mindless knitting, but I do have a number of Christmas presents to get started on. I only have 2 months!

I wore my Wicked socks today. They're a little too wide in the leg, but the yarn feels wonderful! I'll definitely be investing in some more Knit Picks Imagination when I'm buying yarn again.

I also started a sewing project last night. I drafted a pattern for an A-line skirt with pockets to wear for Halloween. It's black cotton with neon green bats. I have to get it cut out tonight and start sewing or I won't have it done by Friday for B's Halloween party at school.

Here's a snap shot of a granny square I whipped up earlier this month. It's going to be a gift which is why I altered the image at picnik.com. That was fun. I need to do more crochet. It only took a few hours. Now I need to find the matching fabric and finish the whole project.

some things to remember about my son

Earlier this month, B brought home some Scholastic book club catalogs. He calls them his book magazines. We decided to buy him a few books. He picked out a bunch of Halloween books, one five-pack and two stand alones. They arrived last week. We were very excited to have new books and have read them ad nauseum this last week. What I wanted to remember was this, B walking into the house from the car with the books in his hands saying "I'm so happy."

Wednesday, B got a no homework card in his folder (which I think I've since misplaced) and I wasn't clear on the concept or why he had got it. He said he was nice, but couldn't provide details. So, I wrote his teacher a note asking her about how it worked and letting her know B couldn't explain why he got it. Seems that one of the pre-K classes had left over cupcakes and gave them to the Kindergarten class, but they only had 5 and B's class had 6 kids that day. B offered to share his cupcake without being asked, so that everyone could have some. His teacher gave him the card so he could skip math homework one night when he wanted to.

Saturday morning, I was lying on the couch with a blanket over my head fighting off a visual migraine when B brought over my glass and cuddled with me.

We took B to see "Where the Wild Things Are" Saturday as a consolation prize for soccer being cancelled again. The movie upset him, although he couldn't express that he was being a whiny brat because the movie bothered him and put him in a bad mood. But, since his nap Saturday put him in a better mood, he keeps drawing crowns and has learned how to write Max.

blackberry Wednesday

Except for the lens flare, the color looks excellent in this shot. Don't they really look like blackberries in the textured portion?

I've started the heel flap on sock two. Time to buckle down if I'm going to get this pair finished this week.

socktoberfest

That thing I was coming down with last Tuesday was a cold. I stayed home Wednesday and haven't been doing much since.

I've been quietly participating with socktoberfest this year. I finished those Wicked socks and cast on for blackrose. Sock one was completed in less than a week (although, I need to re-work the toe). With my cold last week, I didn't make much progress on sock two until this weekend. I'm half-way through the leg.
My goal is get them finished this week and cast on a pair from Cookie A's Sock Innovations. The pattern I'm going to use is the reason I bought the book.

Next month, which will be here before we know it, I need to cast on for Christmas presents and my dad's birthday sweater.

I've also started knitting up a few things to try to sell on etsy. I'm not planning on making profit or much of a sideline of it, but I figure it's one way to clear out stash.

light posting

I was away for the weekend, Hubby's 15th college reunion and now I seem to be coming down with something.

I hope I feel better tomorrow, I have a sock to show you.

you're not getting the next FO today

Sorry about the blog silence yesterday. I had meetings all day.

I've decided to hold the next two FOs to parcel out over the month. This is a particularly good strategy since my WIP pictures turned out horribly this morning. If I have that problem again, I'll just post an FO.

I do have a picture of a quick solution I had for a problem with my new WIP. Blackrose has a lace inset. The lace varies a lot from row to row, so I didn't think I'd be able to commit to to memory and needed to be able to have the chart handy. This is a problem with commuting. So a little hack.

I took an old name badge, cut the chart down to size, and can clip the chart to my bag in front of me on the train or the project bag next to me on a seat.... wherever I can quickly glance at it to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing. A piece of cardboard and a rubber band complete the hack and allow me to track the rows as I go. It's not beautiful, but it works!

the thing with a hiatus is

You have a lot to post about when you get back.

I started these socks back in May. Originally, they were going to be plain, then monkeys, and then something different because they were too narrow as monkeys. All I did was take my usual plain sock pattern and add a travelling garter bump (by occasionally purling in the round). I put them aside at the heel on sock two sometime in June. I just picked them back up knit the heel, gusset, foot and toe from last Friday on. I'm so glad these are finally done. I was really hating them when I had to rip and reknit the heel shaping.

I cast on some new socks this morning. I'm knitting Blackrose in Blackberry by Impulse of Delight. The skein is the last yarn I've purchased this year (I bought it in May). The dye lot I have is darker with less gray and more semi-solid. Pics tomorrow.

I have 2 pairs of socks to repair, so the new pair and those repairs are my Socktoberfest goals. I will be deliriously happy if I can cast-on another pair of socks by month's end. I'm not planning on knitting anything but socks this month.

I do have a few other FOs to share this week (MiL's birthday sweater and a baby shower gift)....

jumping back in with an FO

Wow, over three months without a post.

I'm jumping back into the blogpool with an FO.

Mom's birthday sweater. The second Ariann I've knit. It only took three weeks!




















When I started it, I didn't set a goal of completing in the three week span from cast-on to my parents' visit this past weekend. But, I got it done anyway.

MIA

I've been so very busy at work and home has been crazy, what with a work trip last week and going away two weekends in a row. I hope to post something soon, but who knows! I'm understaffed at least until June 30.

random

1. finished sewing a pair of pants for B. They're too big, but he likes them. I need to adjust the elastic in the waistband.

2. making progress on my revised sock plans. I wish I could work on it right now.

3. it's my wedding anniversary today. 9 years. We're not doing much to celebrate today; Hubby's taking me to Wicked in July.

4. going to vermont this weeknd. Baby sis graduates from college. B's just too excited (so am I)

um, please

Could people please take some ownership for their own projects, please? I know I'm the boss, but there are over 300 projects on my budget, I cannot know what is going on with all of them at any given moment!

In other news, the monkey socks are no more. I wanted to try it on to see if 5 repeats was good or if I should go 6 as per the pattern. Wouldn't go over my heel. I'm thinking about something else.

This is my mother's day gift. Hubby took B out shopping Saturday morning and this is what he picked. It's not something I would have picked out for myself, but I love it.


This was an impulse purchase. It's Imagination sock yarn by KnitPicks in the Wicked Witch color way. I was going to come up with a sock design from the 365 knitting stitches calendar like I did for Widow's Weeds, but last week I just couldn't wrap my mind around math. So, I started a pair of simple picot socks. But the yarn rebelled. It wanted to be something else.
It really wanted to be a flying monkey (which scared me nearly as much as the munchkins when I was a kid). So, Saturday, I printed out Monkey from knitty.com and cast on. I'm into the fourth repeat. So far so good.

plans

Here are my plans for this week:

tonight, re-start B's Yankee socks (too short and need to add an other color), finish sewing the jacket I started in March, if time mend my Yankee socks and widows weeds

wednesday, wash fabric for next sewing projects (clothes for B)

thursday, cutting party for those B clothes


That all depends on if I lose my mind over this stupid work situation that just won't die before then.

clean-up, clean-up, everybody clean-up

It took me nearly 5 hours and it could still use some work, but it was a pleasure to sew in here last night.

This is the "office" side.

This is the "sewing" side, it also houses the tv.

Office side cleaned up. Yes, I know the box in the left corner still needs to be cleaned up, but that's all hubby's stuff.
Sewing side after. All those boxes on the left, except for the one mostly out of the frame on the bottom contains my fabric stash. (The one mostly out of the frame contains 14 years of photos to be put in albums.)
I'm no Fly Lady. The room could still use a lot more organizing, but it's useable now and more than one person could be in here at a time.

Now, to get onto sewing up that stash

too much

Just spent the morning clearing out the office/sewing room. I have too much! I'm bringing three bags of yarn downstairs where the yarn stash is stored and there are boxes and boxes of fabric still in here. At least you can see the floor and I sorted the fabric a bit (for B in one box, quilting in another, lt apparel, hvy apparel, etc.). I'll post before and after pics on Monday.

B and Hubby are at soccer practice, although no coaches showed up. Least they could do is e-mail us if they're going to cancel. When they get back, we're heading to the neurologist for a work-up on B (language delay).

sad bargains

The Point Knit Cafe in the West Village is closing today. They lost their lease and the fire sale started on Monday. We weren't able to get there until today and the place was nearly cleared out.

I got 14 skeins of Classic Elite Solstice (cotton and wool) in orange peel, 2 skeins Kraemer Natural Skeins from Jeannie (420 yds fingering merino/nylon), and 1 skein Arucania Ranco in Pink (wool/polyamide).

The pink will become a scarf for my sister that likes pink. Something funky and not ordinary. She's not 2x2 rib scarf girl.

I'm not sure about the Kraemer. I may use it for M-i-L's birthday or hold onto it as sock blanks.

The Solstice will eventually become a summer cardi for me. That's why I got the buttons to match.

My friend Jen's been a more regular customer at The Point than I have, but we were both sad to so it go.

flashing

So, while B was out running around at soccer on Friday, I did this. I got a wee sunburn. Sunscreen next week.

I love how the heel flap on sock 2 is flashing.

In other news, my basement stairs are now safe again and we're well on our way to replacing the WC down there.

It's going to be a busy week. We've got game 7 of the Devils' playoff series tomorrow, Yankee tickets for Thursday (my first trip to the new stadium) and tickets to CDC's Peter Pan on Friday.

I had to bail on a work dinner for tonight. No way I can do dinner until 10 and the rest of this stuff in one week. Good thing it wasn't a mandatory work function.

Hubby and I put the bedroom air conditioners in this weekend. It was over 90 Saturday and Sunday and he just couldn't sleep.

bad mother award

I get the bad mother award this week. I do not know when my son said his first word or what it was. Hubby thinks it was Dada. I know he wasn't speaking at 13 months and that he had a small vocabulary at 18 months. I spent time this morning looking for his baby book and there's nothing in it. I've done a worse job filling in his baby book than my mother did mine.

Hubby does say that he remembers B started talking earlier than he did. (At least that's what his mom told him.)

This was prompted by the SLP asking for some of Billy's milestones. He crawled right before he turned 9 months and walked right before he turned 13 months. He gave up bottles before 15 months.

I know we were all concerned about the lack of speech. I blogged it. He pediatrician was worried about his vocabulary at 18 months, but he must have improved enough to appease her because we didn't do anything at the time about it.

Anyway, I'm home today. Mr. Handyman is fixing my basement stairs (very important as our tv room is down there) and this afternoon I'm taking B to soccer practice. It's going to be neraly 70 degrees. Woot woot.

I'm off to go sew now. Enough time on the Internet for today.

ikat

I finished my first Yankees Ikat Sunday night watching playoff hockey (Devils won in OT). Pretty quick sock for me 6 days or so.

My favorite thing about these socks is the way the colors flash at the gusset and toe.
The gauge seems really loose to me. When I put the sock on the stitches really separate, but it's just over 9 st to an inch. I guess I've got too much negative ease. Oh well, onto sock two, which is approaching the end of the hem.

You'll probably see more of this yarn. I'll be making a pair for B from the leftovers. He said he'd like a pair when I asked him.