A New Addition

I have been incredibly remiss in introducing a new member of our family. He's small, he's cute...he's June!

(Not June)

It's actually incredibly difficult to get a photo of a Betta fish in a small "Lavarium" tank. The Lavarium is an aquarium shaped like a lava lamp with different colored lights. Groovy.

June (he's named after Slim's birth month) is the same colors as the Betta pictured above. Quite beautiful blues, purples and reds. I'd like to find a yarn the same colors as June. This one looks nice! And cashmere too!

June lives on the bedside table next to Slim's crib. For a few weeks, I don't think he knew June was there. But then, one day after he woke up from a nap, I saw him cruise over to the end of his crib, stick his hand through and pat June's tank, saying, "aaah laa baa laa ah-ah-ah."

I think that means, "Hi, fish. Have you had lunch yet? Because I haven't and I think Mom should really get out of bed and feed me again."

50 Things About Me

Well, Numero Uno, before the list starts: Garter stitch in the round sucks. Hard. But I went ahead and cast on for the partner to the Welt Fantastic sock. Love the pattern, hate the garter stitch cuff.

I'm also making progress on the fall-colored socks with the Garter Rib pattern. I've turned the heel and am ready to start the leg pattern. It's so easy to remember, it's perfect Metro/waiting room knitting. So I don't feel as under much pressure with it. I think I'll be able to finish it by the end of the month for my KAL.

So on to my list. I saw this over at Knittin' Mom's blog and thought I would give it a go. Haven't done anything like this up here yet.

1. FIRST NAME? Virginia
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I am named after both of my grandmothers.
3. LAST CRY? Okay, I'm a sap: Last week when I saw a commercial about a kid going away to college, and I thought about Malcolm going away to school. You may now point out the fact that he is only 1 year old.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yep.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Bologna.
6. KIDS? Just the one. So far.
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so.
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I mostly blog and write in the kid's daily book.
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Yeah, right. I'd never do that. (ha)
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Tonsils, adenoids, and all of my wisdom teeth!
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I would sky dive, but not bungee jump.
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cracklin' Oat Bran.
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no. (oops)
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Abso-freakin-lutely.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate chip cookie dough
16. SHOE SIZE? 10 wide after pregnancy.
17. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Worrying too much. Obsessively, SOMEONE might say.
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My friends in NC.
19. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? If anyone reads this and wants to shoot it back to me or post it on their blog, I'd love to read it.
20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black track pants and no shoes.
21. LAST THING YOU ATE? Spinach empanada and fried plantains.
22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? South Park.
23. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Cerise.
24. FAVORITE SMELL? Cotton.
25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The Cap’n.
26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Intelligence and sense of humor.
27. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? She’s a great KAL hostess!
28. FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Coke.
29. FAVORITE SPORT? Yoga
30. EYE COLOR? Blue-gray-green.
31. HAT SIZE? Gigantor – 23 inches around.
32. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope.
33. FAVORITE FOOD? Ethiopian. Yum.
34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy endings, always.
35. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIE THEATER? Capote. I highly recommend it.
36. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Green
37. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall.
38. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses!
39. FAVORITE DESSERT? Magic Shell on top of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.
40. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? My sisters?
41. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? The Cap’n
42. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Trawler by Redmond O’Hanlon.
43. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one.
44. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Mr. and Mrs. Smith
45. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Classical music
46. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Stones
47. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Guatemala
48. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Walking the dog, carrying the baby and knitting a sock, all at the same time!
49. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Charlotte, North Carolina
50. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I scammed it, and you can to!

Let me know if you do it, too. Now I'm off to bed!

Nothing Beats Good Sox

The weather has finally cooled off a bit, but I'm still not overly motivated to work on the Sweater That Shall Not Be Named. Bulky alpaca/wool is a challenge even in an air conditioned apartment.

So I'm all about the socks. Not to mention that 3 of the UFOs hanging about are socks, and I can't touch the Cap'n's Debbie Bliss gift until the UFOs are ALL done, so, hey, I'm feeling the sock love.

I went ahead and joined up on the Knittin' Mom's KAL to get motivated on finishing up the socks I've started. Check out all the other participants' socks on her page. Plus I like her thoughts about breastfeeding and high MPG cars!

Speaking of boobage, (I know, you're saying, we were?) the boy has mostly stopped breastfeeding now that he's chowing down on 3 meals plus snacks a day. He had a little milk today, but generally he is even able to fall asleep without it. There are some times when he needs to be cuddled extra, and I'm more than happy to do so, just so he knows that even though the milk isn't flowing, the love is.

OK. Back to work on the sox. Must. Knit. More.

Ooh, Zippy

So yesterday, I had to get to a doctor's appointment, and Oren had to take the Orangemobile into work early. Que un problemo, right?

Hello, Zipcar!

What a nifty little concept. All I had to do was activate my card, and in less than 5 minutes I could reserve a car for the same day. I got the Scion xB "Bapka" that lives near the Potomac Avenue Metro station. If I want, I can even reserve a car back in our old hometown. And the 3.5 hours cost us just $30.

When we were still car shopping, I wanted to check out the xB, but after driving the xA and being incredibly disappointed, we didn't bother. And I am glad. The xB feels Grand Canyon big on the inside, but it feels like it has even less pick-up than my Honda Civic CX did. It is sooo sloooooow. But Bapka was a great alternative to the Pathfinder.

A sad story: Oren bought the Pathfinder not long after we started dating, and it's been everywhere with us, including to Ocracoke for our wedding and Maine for our honeymoon. But it has what the mechanic calls "a rust condition" and is no longer drivable. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get the paperwork together to donate it. Bye, bye, Nissan. We've loved you.

All the other bloggers are talking about the heatwave, and I don't have much else to add but: DAMMMNN. It is hot. It's too hot to knit at the park while the kid plays, as Slim and I have been doing each morning, but I am going to try to do more knitting inside where it's cool.

A Fiber-y Day

Today the family made a trip over to the Textile Museum here in D.C. It was the last day for the "Seldom Seen" exhibit of materials in the museum's collection that have either never been exhibited or haven't been seen in years. Here's a sampling.

The pieces in the collection were thought-provoking. Such a fantastic variety of textiles from around the world, woven, embroidered, looped, etc. The mantle of the shaman from Peru particularly sticks in my mind for the unusual embroidery.

In the interactive room, there was even a chance to spin, except that the spindle was missing its hook. Harumph. But on the other hand, probably a good thing. There would literally be no place to sit down if I took up spinning too. And where would I keep the sheep?

Speaking of knitting, I finished the first fall sock, and being a good knitter, promptly cast on for the second sock. I hope it won't take me as long to finish. I'm going to join the Sock-a-Month KAL so I'll be motivated to work through all my current WIPs and stay focused on going through the stash.

But to distract you from slow knitting, a kid picture:

He's teething, and is a real bear sometimes. I shouldn't complain, though, because he is still incredibly good-natured, considering. Are all parents as fascinated by their kids as we are? He's making new noises, practicing more lu, wu, blu-type sounds with his tongue and lips, and it is hilarious. Sometimes I wonder if he's going to talk before he walks.

Must go. Falling asleep typing. The little early riser is up every day by 6am.

Yarn in a Bag

I'm going to start by saying my husband rocks. He cooks, he cleans (occasionally), he rubs my feet, he buys me yarn.

Whoa, I know what you're thinking out there, Yarn Hos, but you need to step off. Don't make me pull out the pointy needles...

So knowing my obsession, the Cap'n surprises me last weekend with 8 balls of Debbie Bliss Cathay in medium blue and cream. Go ahead, click on the link, the only experience missing is rubbing it up against your cheek.

It's cotton, it's silk, it's sin in a ball.

And it's in a bag right now in his closet.

That's right. I'm banned (!) from using it until I get my other projects finished. What kind of sadistic person hands a fiber snob some of the most lovely yarn ever spun, says "it's all yours," then takes it away??!?!

The Cap'n.

It's supposed to be "a motivator" to get past my Knitter ADD. It's supposed to be the fiber carrot for this slow knitting donkey. So until I finish up some of the other projects (OMG, there's too many!!), no dreaming about the Picovoli. No thinking about the Cathay pattern book. Forget the cute Mimosa tanktop. I can't yet use the leftovers as a cute little belt.

It's good thing I love him. Otherwise yarn makes a nice garrote.

Actual Knitting Content!

Hello! All apologies for the excessive exclamation points! But really! Actual knitting content!

So I was going back over the blog for the last month or so, and I realized that there were too few yarny pictures for a knitting blog. And I love yarn. And I have been knitting, albeit slowly, so I figured I would provide some updates.

So this is the first of a pair (I hope!) of Garter Rib socks from the Sensational Knitted Socks. I love this stitch pattern. Charlene Schurch is a genius. I'm about to start a regular K2P2 ribbing at the top because I don't know how much the Garter Rib stays up by itself.

(OMG: I just saw a promo for the Animaniacs on DVD! I LOOOOOOVE that show. Must. Have. DVD. "What are we goin' to do tonight, Brain?" "Same thing we do every night, Pinky: Take Over the World!")

This is a flashy, close-up photo of the stitch pattern and the colors. It's a Schoeller + Stahl yarn, Limbo, in the kolibri (any German speakers out there?) colorway. I have really enjoyed watching the colors change as it goes. It is, I believe, a 3-ply yarn where one of the colors changes at any time, so the stripes fade into each other really well. The wider than usual yellow/orange band is where I joined the second ball.

I bought three balls of it at Yarns Unlimited in Bloomington when I was there in May. I'm using Brittany US Size 6s, so think boot socks when you imagine these. The wool is so soft and warn. It's going to be wonderful to wear. Since I knew I would be knitting boot socks for one of the men in my life, I figured I would need more than the recommended two balls. I don't think I'll use the three balls completely, but probably most of them. And these are... wait for it... wait for it...

Christmas presents. Wha? Are you still there? Did you hit your head when you fell over? I'm not saying who these are for, and they might be the only ones that get done, but whoo-hoo me!

And these?

Magic!

Loop!

I'm hoping to cure the SSSS (Severe Second Sock Syndrome) I'm in by knitting two socks on one circular with Magic! Loop! I *Heart* Magic! Loop! And the yarn...I want to eat it. Maybe it'll help settle my stomach. It's Claudia Handpainted in Caribbean Blue. I've used this yarn previously for the Chocolate Cherry socks, and it's gorgeous.

FYI, the Chocolate Cherry socks still await blocking, but now that Wendy says she doesn't, they may go to their new home without. Not that a certain someone needs any kind of wool socks in this kind of weather.

I'm trying to keep my spirits up on the Caribbean socks by reminding myself that I'm getting two done at once, becuase they are moving sooooooo slllllooooooooowwww. Again, I can't tell you who these are for, but again...Christmas presents. Yay me!

I knit on these for a little bit while on the Chinatown bus up to NYC while Slim slept. Slim was a good soldier the whole way there, even with an unexpected stop in the Chinatown in Philly. We ate, read books, played ball and he napped while I knit.

And I'm proud to say that I must be looking citified because when we reached New York, I'm getting the stroller set up to put Slim in, standing in the middle of the busy Chinatown market, and a college-age kid who got off the bus after me comes over and asks, "Do you know the way to the Metro?"

You bet I do, kid. You bet I do.

Slim and Momma on the Chinatown bus to NYC

Boy or Girl?

It's a good thing I studied gender quite a bit in my women's studies classes back at UNC. Because it does not matter how much blue I dress this kid in -- he can be head to toe in it -- and someone on the Metro will ask:

"How old is she?"

I usually just say, 13 months, and move on. He is a pretty little boy, and I don't care if people think he's a girl. I know that has no impact on his self-image, which right now consists of saying NO as often as he can.

It's partly because people think he looks like me. So "they" think "he" is a "she." Whatever. As long as he's happy. And he's happiest throwing food, chasing the dog and avoiding any semblance of a nap.

So knitting content around here has been awfully slow. Not much time. We've had visitors, and the babe isn't sleeping well. And this weekend we're headed to NYC for the D family reunion. I'll try to get some knitting done on the Chinatown bus, but only if Slim falls asleep.

I admit I haven't yet taken pictures of my OTN projects. A little ashamed of the number, I guess. I'm almost done with one of the fall socks and I got out an oldie but a goodie, and am going to try to get it finished up this month.

The stress level has been elevated, probably a yellow on the official scale. But it's approached orange and red the last few days. Maybe a nap would help...

Stick-To-It-tive-ness

Y'all!

Look at what came in the mail yesterday!

I've spent the better part of my free time today reading all the class descriptions and trying to get a feel for the calendar. I know I can't afford to do the whole thing, but maybe I can save up enough for a couple of classes.

And the market...ooh, y'all.

I am still honoring my Stashalong commitment, and haven't used up my July free day yet. I wasn't planning to, after meeting with our financial advisor the other day. It's enough to make you cry. Me cry, I mean. Upon hearing his recommendations, I decided to buckle down and try to make it all the way through to November without taking any more free days.

It's not like I don't have any yarn. In fact, I've been rather enjoying shopping my stash. But that's led to another problem for me: Knitting ADD.

Like I mentioned before, I have about six projects on the needles. I think to keep myself honest, and maybe to give myself a kick in the butt, I'll take photos of all the OTN projects and post them up tomorrow. I think I need to log a win in the FO category to get myself motivated.

Anyway, onward and upward...

A Quiet Day

No pictures today, so you visual people will just have to imagine what I'm talking about.

I walked down to Murky Coffee on 7th St SE with the dog while in-laws, Cap'n and Slim snooze at the house. I got to sleep til 8am (yes, EIGHT IN THE MORNING) today, so that must be why I'm so alive at this late hour of 7:30pm.

It's a warm, warm evening, still probably in the 80s, and one of the two other dogs on the patio here at Murky's just left. The other Aussie, as a matter of fact. Blonde mutt is still resting nearby. Mia is amazingly tolerant so far, which reminds me to knock on wood. She's usually a bit dog aggressive, so I'm surprised there's not been more barking already.

Like I said, it's sweating weather, even though the sun has already set behind the buildings. The city hangs on to the heat for longer. I like the peace and quiet of having some knitting/blogging time.

I'm Magic Looping two socks on one circ. The stats: Claudia Handpainted in Caribbean Blue on US1 40" Addi Turbos. I'm using this tutorial. At some point I've already screwed up because the first stitches are not on the same rounds. I don't think it will make much difference, though.

Today, the family took a trip over to the Holocaust Museum, my third time there. I took charge of Slim so that everyone else could take their time to look through. He was an incredibly good baby today, and I still had time to see some of the exhibits I had not yet seen while he napped in the backpack.

It's a somber place, and I cried again at one of the video testimonials by a survivor. She described the selection process as they arrived by train at one of the camps. One of the Jewish workers warned her mother to take her grandchild from her daughter. So the old woman went to her daughter (the sister of the survivor), and told her, "I've just learned that women with children will be able to have an easy time watching the children, while the others will have hard labor. You know I can't handle hard labor." So before her daughter could argue, she took her grandson and was pushed by the guards to the other line. Before she was moved on, she called out to her other daughter (the one telling the story), and said, "Take care of your sister." Because she knew, that by taking the grandson, she had ensured her daughter's survival and sent herself and her 2-year-old grandson to death. They were both gassed.

It's hard, having a child and thinking that people had to make choices like that all the time. I cuddled Slim a little tighter.

After the museum, I fixed chicken schnitzel for everyone, and everyone immediately passed out after dinner. It was emotionally draining experience today.

So now, it's a quiet night. And it's good to be able to enjoy life.

Four Things About Me

I finally got hit by a meme! Yay! So here it is online instead of by email, since I've never done this before on my blog.

Four jobs I have had in my life
1. File clerk
2. Copy editor
3. Newspaper reporter/columnist
4. Nonprofit executive

Four places I'll visit this summer
1. Duck, N.C.
2. Bloomington, Ind.
3. Monticello, Va.
4. Ocean City, Md. (I hope)

Four places you have lived
1. Mooresville, N.C.
2. Seymour, Ind.
3. Akron, Ohio
4. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Four TV shows you love to watch
1. Big Love
2. Seinfeld
3. CSI
4. Absolutely Fabulous

Four places you have been on vacation
1. England
2. Guatemala
3. Mexico
4. Canada

Websites you visit daily (I'm such a knit stalker)
1. Crazy Aunt Purl
2. Yarn Harlot
3. Grumperina
4. Sugar Bunny Boulevard

Four of my favourite foods
1. Chocolate chip PopTarts spread with extra crunchy peanut butter
2. Cap'n's cooking
3. Ethiopian food
4. Chicken parmigiana

Four places I would rather be right now
1. Ocracoke, N.C.
2. Cabo Pulmo, Mexico
3. Cuddling with my honey
4. Knitting

Feel free to respond if you haven't done this one yet, and link to your blog in the comments. I'll come check it out!

Knitting? What Knitting?

I'm a little blase right now about what's on the needles. Tonight I'm hoping to get started on the second toe of my first Magic Loop socks so I can move forward with two socks on one circ. I'll let you know how that goes.

It's not like I don't have plenty to work on. I do. The baby blanket, the baby hat, the fall socks, the tank top, the sweater, the cream swatch, the Magic Loop socks...Part of the malaise is a sinking suspicion I have about the tank top. (Sorry Cap'n!) I don't think I'm getting gauge. I may need to start over. Ye gods.

Anyway, Slim and I have been hanging out with relatives as my mom and some Indiana friends came to visit, and now Cap'n's father and father's wife are here. We had a lovely lunch today at a Washington "power" spot, The Palm. We didn't have any "famous for D.C." moments, but I was pretty busy keeping Slim from emitting any ear-splitting screeches in the ears of the powerful and important.

It was pretty interesting hearing the stories of Cap'n's dad growing up in Cleveland with his pals, two friends he's known since elementary school. All of them also served in the Army. Things have changed a lot over the years they've known each other.

As a matter of quirky coincidence, one of the Indiana friends who was just here is a girl I've known since elementary school. Her mom (who was also here) and my mom were best friends in high school and have always been in touch. It's good to have that continuity in life.

The Palm has some fancy digs, with cartoons of the "famous for D.C." who have dined there decorating the walls. Perhaps you'll recognize the name on this one, though the face is obviously from happier, less convicted times:

Isn't it the case that the infamous are almost more fun than the good famous?

Cunningham had a live-aboard yacht called the "Duke-stir" docked here at the Washington Marina. And he complained about the crackheads running D.C. because he thought they were on the take when he didn't get the slip he wanted for the boat.

Okay, crackheads did run the city for a while, so he wasn't far off there. Yet he was on the take way more than any of the relatively small timers at the city level. Guess the guilty always are the first to point fingers, huh, Randy?

So we had lunch with the Duke-stir looking over our shoulders and missed the Cap'n, who traveled at the last moment to Wilkes-Barre to cover the massive flooding there. We were lucky to be on the second floor here in D.C., but the two unfortunate basement dwellers in our condo building had to deal with 3 inches of water. Hopefully the sun is out tomorrow for the family trip to Monticello, Jefferson's home.

Slim says, "Rrrarr! Fear me, Duke-stir!"

That's No Blarney!

Look at that beautiful stack of yarn! Tivoli Celtic Aran all the way from the Old Country, thanks to my wonderful stepdad, who is, unfortunately for him, back at work in Ireland until July 13. When he went the first time, all I asked for was yarn, and boy did he deliver. Apparently, with some difficulty, as yarn shops aren't that common in Ireland.

The only weird thing is this is the first yarn I've ever encountered that does not have a gauge recommendation. The ball band says use a 5mm (US8), but it doesn't say what you get with it. I'm swatching with a US9 because I knit tight. We'll see how it comes out. I love how the fabric looks knitted up. The yarn is a lovely light cream color with grey, black and brown flecks in it.

Honestly, it seems to call out for cables, which I haven't tackled yet. If anyone has some pattern suggestions, I'm all ears.

P.S. I also finally signed up for the Stitch and Bitch (Bite me, SFSE@!) DC group, and I hope to get to do some KIP-ing with other knitters!

Pride and Prejudice is My FAVORITE Book

Which Classic Female Literary Character Are you?

You're" Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen!
Quizilla

Committed KIPper (Or the Knitting Serialist)

I love to knit in public. And I love the fact that there are so many places in D.C. where I can just whip out my knitting and not have to worry about it.

Today alone, I knit:
1. In the Metro
2. In the physical therapist's office
3. At a sidewalk cafe

I have even knit while walking the dog and carrying the baby in the backpack and while sitting on the bench at the park. And the funny thing is, I've never had the experience that a lot of people talk about, of people asking what I'm doing. It's like I'm in my own little world.

It certainly helps that I can drive and take the subway mostly everywhere. I've only driven twice in the past two weeks.

Of course, my tank top is still chugging along. Only 3 more repeats to go on the lace border til the 3-needle bindoff (which I've never done). I mostly worked on that today. And I need to get moving on the Magic Loop socks to see if they're going to work. And I need to up on finishing the fall socks, and the baby blanket, and see if I can make a baby hat out of some leftover yarn...

I've not exactly been project monogamous lately. I don't even want to count how many are on the needles now. 6-ish? Eek. Must. Knit. Faster. No photos right now, but to distract you:


A very cute baby and dog photo.

Slim's latest thing when we're feeding him (something he doesn't like, of course) is to turn his head, stick out his bottom lip in a pout and say "Na."

I had no idea it started this early.

So Pretty, So Loopy

It is fitting that my new favorite knitting activity has "loop" in the title. You know, like me? A little loopy!!

That little hat sitting on the top of the very pretty Caribbean Blue colorway from Claudia's Handpainted Yarns is the start of a toe-up sock on one US 1 32" Addi Turbo. (Insert Brenda Dayne sound here...very zoomy.)

I used two resources last night to impetuously cast on for this sock. I already had the Fiber Trends booklet as a reference, and then I found this page also. (This one is pretty useful, too.)

Y'all. Why didn't you tell me Magic Loop was so easy?

(Sidenote: I can hear Cap'n asking right now about the tank top. Don't worry, it's coming along nicely. I've memorized the lace border pattern. But I may need an artificial deadline to get it finished. You know, from one journalist to another, we work better with deadlines. )

You will note that the main online reference I used shows you how to work two socks at once. Whoo-hoo! I am currently facing second sock syndrome doing the Welt Fantastic, so I'm into anything that will get both socks done at once. I also have a couple balls of yarn that I'm not sure how far they will go. So I figure with Magic Loop I can do both at once, get the longest socks possible and not let any yarn go to waste.

I am loving the Magic Loop, but I'm only on the toe increases for the first sock. Is there a connection? Once I get those done, I'll put it on a holder and do the other sock toe. The foot (AHEM, feet) should be no problem.

However, you think it might be a problem that I've only skimmed over the instructions for the heel and gusset? You know, the difficult parts when you're only doing one sock at a time on the tried and true DPNs? Hmm, I think that might say a lot about my personality right there.

Anyway, between the easy start of the Magic Loop and a glorious hour and a half to myself while Cap'n took Slim (Malcolm's new nickname) to the park, I'm feeling more confident today. I think because everything moves at a snail's pace when I'm with baby, I was starting to think I'm a bit of dimbulb, slow in every way.

I've been thinking of making some life changes that require a modicum of brains to pull together my thoughts, and really after a year, I don't know if I can blame it on mommy brain anymore. Maybe I should read the book so she can tell me that I really am smarter if all my grammar skills have been replaced by memorizing the collected works of Sandra Boynton.

So I needed a pick-me-up, a kick in the shorts along the Stuart Smalley line of thinking. Thank you, Magic Loop, for providing one!

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, my needles like me!"

(She says to the echoing ether...)

My Time At the Doctor

Does anyone else feel that your kid's pediatrician spends as much time checking you out as she does the kid?

Oh, no? So it's just my paranoia?

That's nice.

Yesterday was Malcolm's 1-year checkup, which he passed with flying colors. Let me just stress that right up front: He's a very healthy kid. We're incredibly lucky. I appreciate every day that I don't have to deal with the horror and stress that parents with sick children have to go through, and I wish that no child had to deal with health problems EVER.

But (and you knew there was one)...

He's small. Percentile-wise that is. 19 lbs 7 oz and 29-1/4 in. That would be 10% in weight and 50% in height.

I know that I'm filled with neuroses and I'm fine with that, really. But this is the kind of thing that makes me wonder if I'm a good mother. Am I feeding him right? Is he getting enough exercise? Enough sleep? Enough toys? Enough sunlight and Vitamin D? What???!??!?

At this rate, he won't be in a forward-facing carseat until he's a year and a half old. Which doesn't rank high on the list of priorities in life, but still. Perhaps lacking better things to worry about, I'm creating one. (At which point my entire family chimes in: "YES!")

Whatever. I am thankful that he is healthy. He does his little crabwalk across the apartment and is starting to chase after the dog. He loves his books and he loves throwing things. He has a great sense of humor, and he's on a great sleeping schedule.

In 16 years after his voice changes, and he hits his growth spurt and defies my ban on playing American football, I'm sure I'll look back on this time and laugh.

He's a Magic Loop, Man

(With apologies to Heart...)

Hot late night not long ago
When I was not so strong you know
A pretty yarn came to me
Never seen wool so blue
I could not run away
It seemed we'd seen each other in a dream
It seemed like he knew me
He looked right through me
"Cast on now, girl" he said with a smile
"You don't have to love me yet
Let's get knitty awhile
But try to understand
Try to understand
Try try try to understand
I need a magic loop."

Through the night we made a Figure 8
Knit and made one left and right
Never think of tinking
Addi Turbos last forever
10 o'clock passed to 11
Tried to realize it all

DPNs say they're worried
Moving on in a hurry
"Come back to bamboo, girl" they cried on the phone
"Too soon to lose my sock yet, my needles should be your only!"
"But try to understand, try to understand
Try try try to understand
He's a magic loop, man
He's a magic loop"

"Knit on with me, girl" he said with a smile
"I cast my spell of love on you a woman from a child!
But try to understand, try to understand
I'm a magic loop!"

Pictures to follow later...

My Husband, The Enabler

That's him there, the handsome man in the purple shirt and white hat at the helm. My husband, the enabler.

What I Love About Love, Part I: You make each other better people. You encourage each other to chase after the things that make you happy.

Oren has always wanted to learn how to sail, so earlier this month, he went out for sailing camp at the Washington Sailing Marina. After sinking the boat on the first day (no, really), he managed to stay on top of the water and pass the exam. He will be referred to as "Cap'n" from now on.

Cap'n has been incredibly supportive of my knitting habit and showed his love for me this month when we went down to Duck, N.C., for a wedding. (I didn't know it at the time, but a fellow blogger was the mother of the bride! Hi, Liza!)

As predicted, I used my Stashalong Free Day for Souvenir S-E-X at Knitting Addiction. It was AWESOME! Jeanne and Brittany have an amazing selection of yarn, including several that I had read about but never seen, including recycled sari silk, 1824 wool from Mission Falls, and Cherry Tree Hill's sock yarn.

Oren walked around the shop with me checking out the yarns, and he's the one who found a swatch of the Plymouth Royal Bamboo knitted up and washed. I had no idea what it was at first, but quickly fell in love. So did he. So much so, that he helped me find a pattern to use it for (Gina Wilde's Picot Camisole from Interweave Knits Spring 2006) and pushed me to buy it.

Here is the progress so far:

Thanks, Cap'n. I love you, too.

My Husband Thinks They're Ugly

Oh well. Good thing I'm not making him any more socks.

Here are a couple of FOs:

To your left in this tour of Ginny's Sock House, a pair of toe-up socks on 56 stitches with the Openwork Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks. Bless you, Charlene Schurch. They were made with Claudia's Handpainted Yarn in Chocolate Cherry. The photo doesn't do the color justice: It really does look like chocolate and cherries.

I have not yet blocked them, but was thinking about making these sock blockers and jumping in tonight. I'm a little nervous about blocking. eek. I think I have a deep-seated fear of water.

And the Exile on Lonely Sock Island, a Welt Fantastic chevron sock, also from SKS. It's in Heirloom Jigsaw 4-ply yarn from Yarns Unlimited in Bloomington. I used 4 metal Boye dpns, and I must say: Garter stitch in the round on 4 dpns is FROM THE DEVIL. It is making me drag ass on casting on for the second sock. Must get over garter stitch hump, which only happens to be six rows wide.

If I do this sock pattern again, I will definitely do a ribbed top instead of garter stitch. I really wanted this pair of socks for myself, but alas, it fits my foot just barely. So it will be a gift to someone with smaller feet.

I've decided that from now until Christmas/Hanukkah (Did I really say that?) I'm not going to say who will be the deserving recipients of knitted goodies, since I know the fam is reading up on the blog. You're welcome to guess, but I'm not spilling the beans. Also, pleas for knitted wear are also welcome.

More updates to follow, including some summer wear for me!

Happy 1st Birthday, Malcolm

About this time a year ago, the midwife was starting me on a pitocin drip at UNC Hospitals.

It had been about 28 hours since my water broke and about 15 since I checked in to the hospital. I was uncomfortable, before I really learned what uncomfortable was about. All the pacing up and down the halls wasn't getting labor going any faster. The pitocin kicked it up a notch, but it wasn't until 8:39 p.m. that Malcolm first put in an appearance after hours of, let's just say, unpleasantness.

All's well that ends well, and June 14 brought us a healthy, sweet-faced baby boy.

Today is his birthday, and we'll celebrate him, but this year in particular, before he realizes that it's his special day -- it's also the first anniversary of my labor. (I know, I know, self-absorbed much?)

Having a baby has been life-changing. All the cliches people tell you are true. It changes how you sleep, how you eat, how you walk, how you talk. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know what I'm doing. I just try to make him happy and keep him healthy, and hope that my neuroses just stay that -- mine.

I wish I could know that I'm doing this parenthood thing right. That there was some guarantee that everything you try and everything you do will be the right thing for this kid, that it will help him grow up safe and healthy and happy and with everything that he wants out of life.

But I know there aren't any guarantees, and I'm crying writing this. I just want to be the best mom I can be. I hope he knows that when he grows up.

And this growing up thing is killing me. I had "a moment" last weekend after we put up the big crib in the bedroom. Prior to this Malcolm's been sleeping in the co-sleeper, which is great, but now that he can pull himself up on things, I kept waking up in the middle of the night afraid that he had catapulted himself out of bed.

I looked at the crib and saw the first steps he was making to his independence. Then he would be off to school, to college, to work, to living all the way across the country busy with his own life and family. Not that I'm overly quick to make assumptions or anything. I started missing him already.

I want to remember every moment with him. Every nonsense babble and every smile. Every poopy diaper and every cry. I want to be able to tell him when he’s older how he liked to throw everything he could get his hands on (future ballplayer maybe?) and how he liked to grab the dog’s leash and “help” walk her from the stroller. I want to remember the names of his favorite books and the songs that make him laugh.

It’s been an amazing year, and Malcolm has been one of many changes that happened (left job, sold house, moved to a new city). He is the best by far, though.

I love you, baby.

Worldwide Knit In Public Day

I almost forgot! Here's the link. It's June 10th, and I don't know if there are any Washington, D.C., area events planned, but I hope so. If any other D.C. knit bloggers want to get together, please let me know!

FO' Sho

I really have finished things while I've been gallivanting around this month.

First, the organic cotton dishcloth out of Pakucho yarn, a present I won from Carol at Infiknit. I used this free dishcloth pattern, which turned out such a wonderful traditional dishcloth. I might have to make myself a couple. It was a present for my sister's wedding shower, along with a really cool-looking cutting board from the Blue Ridge Cutting Board Company at Eastern Market and some lemon verbena hand and dish soaps. She has promised a pic, as I forgot to take one at the great unveiling.

Then I finished my stepmom's socks out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in the rainbow colorway.

I'm calling them the "Happy Feet" socks. The variegated yarn did a really funky pooling pattern, and I only made them anklets because I wasn't sure how far the yarn would stretch. I really had fun knitting with this yarn, and I think the socks turned out so sunshiny and happy. I hope they make her feet happy too!

I used the Elongated Corded Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. Speaking of, I went ahead and joined the KAL for the book, because it's been the basis of all of the stitch patterns I've used so far. Check it out.

I'm loving socks right now. I have to resist casting on for more before I finish the pairs I've already started. The chevron socks are moving along on the first foot, but I'm dreading the Kitchener stitch toe after a messy graft at the heel. OzKnitter passed along a link that I hope will help. She used the same yarn that I'm using for some really cool socks.

Well, I'm off to bed since the fam is off to Duck tomorrow for a friend's wedding this weekend on the beach. I'll probably try to do most of the driving. I'm debating whether to use my June Free Day in the Stashalong to find some Souvenir Yarn at this store I found, Knitting Addiction. The only problem is then I'll be done with stash enhancement for the month by the 5th. Eek! Don't know if that's such a good idea.

Love Me, Love My Stash

It's the end of Month 2 in the Grand Stashalong Project here at Casa De MuthaKnitter. Let's check in with our contestant:

Me: THIS SUCKS!!!

But not too hard. I actually feel like my appreciation for each individual yarn project has increased, and I've started to enjoy shopping out of my stash. Much like I have appreciated my real shopping days.

I never posted my April Free Day haul:

(Insert picture I can't find here. aaauuggh. Think sock yarn.)

So moving on, to the May Free Day haul:

A lovely Schoeller + Stahl Limbo yarn in a colorway that I'm too lazy to look up right now. Think socks.

A beautiful handpainted yarn locally produced in Indiana. My May Free Day also could qualify for a Souvenir Yarn Day since I spent it in Bloomington, Ind., while visiting my sister and the lovely folks at Yarns Unlimited. Think yet more socks. (Sense a theme?)

I must apologize for my sucky photo-taking skillz. It's embarrassing. Really. I think I'll sign up for a digital photography class at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, site of the abortive knitting class this winter.

Also I picked up my first self-striping yarn, which is going into the Welt Fantastic chevron pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. Alas, the picture still resides in the Canon, as my downloading patience has waned.

But the wonderful, marvelous, simply groovy thing about this Stashalong is that I have WON some sock yarn from the Lovely Laura on Sugar Bunny Boulevard. Check out this Spicy and stripey goodness:

As I said, my photo skillz do sucketh. Check out Laura's etsy shop for some real photos of the Spice colorway. But like I said, I WON. I WON, I WON, I WON!!! I NEVER WIN ANYTHING!!! Think, oh I don't know, you guess.

Other yarn presents have been forthcoming, but as I can hear the family coming back from their walk, it is time to post this puppy and move on to lunch preparations.

Think socks. I dare you not to.

Back Home Again

... not in Indiana.

We're falling into our routine again after our Southern and Midwestern trek. I'm not going to count up how many hours Malcolm, Mia and I spent in the car because it would sound too impossible. NC to IN to NC and back to DC again. Phew.

There's much to blog about, not the least my second pair of socks FO, the AWESOME package of sock yarn waiting for me when I got home and the amazing store where I used up my May Stashalong Free Day on in Bloomington.

I'm sorta all over the place right now, so I'm going to head to bed and try to get more organized tomorrow. I'm feeling so overwhelmed right now.

Knitting On the Road, Part II

I have no idea if my ancestors ever walked these fields with babies on their back and knitting in their hands. But I'd like to think they did, and that I can claim their heritage.

After a rough night with the kid (up every two hours...when does this end?!?!?), I did not feel like walking the dog and baby. But we set off anyway, kid in Snugli backpack, dog checking out the new smells, me with knitting in hand.

There was a little frost on the car windows, and you could see the dog's breath. But walking briskly, I felt a little bit of the tightness in my chest go away and I started to warm up.

The project I'm working on is this organic cotton on Size 6 Addi Turbo 16" circulars. At first, slippery cotton + slippery needles = unhappy hands, but I've gotten into the rhythm of it. I don't like how the plies of the yarn separate, but the finished fabric is so soft I think it's worth working with.

Also, I love the overall statement about using organic cotton. Apparently, a shit-ton {very scientific term meaning lots and lots} of pesticides each year are used to spray cotton plants. And the person who is getting this as a gift will appreciate that, too.

The project is simple, just knit stitches and a few decreases/increases. It was like walking meditation today. Speaking of, in a very cool visit to Yarns Unlimited in Bloomington, I picked up Mindful Knitting, and I can't wait to get started on it.

Which reminds me, I posted to the Stashalong blog about my April free day, and now I have to update everyone on my May free day, which I've already used (godhelpme).

But, y'all.

If you could have seen the inside of that store, you would have been lucky to walk out of there with less than a couple hundred dollars worth of yarn too. Colinette, Malabrigo, Brown Sheep, Rowan, Manos. I wandered around a bit in a daze, so those are the only names I could remember. Some of the locally dyed stuf was the most spectacular of all.

I got this great sock yarn I had never seen before: Limbo from Schoeller + Stahl and Heirloom Jigsaw. Now I'm reading and re-reading the Chevron sock pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks to see if I can understand how it works. I also bought a locally dyed sock yarn.

Really, can I find 3 more hours a day to just play with yarn?

A First Second Sock

...Pair, that is.

The camera quality is not ideal, but as you can see from the moving toy car in the background, I was being distracted.

These are Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in rainbow knit on Size 5 Takumi bamboo DPNs. It's the yarn I got at Stitch DC to learn on for Karida's sock class, but I finished Oren's Paton's socks first because I promised him the first pair of socks I made. The above picture captures the color OK, but it's not quite as technicolor in real life.

I ended up ripping the part I made in class back down to the toe and going up to 48 stitches, instead of the 40 called for in this toe-up pattern. Then I decided to accent the foot with a stitch pattern instead of doing plain stockinette, so I used the Elongated Corded Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. (This blog has a lovely close-up picture in a solid color so you can see the pattern better. That was beyond me the other day.)

The yarn is mad soft. I actually like how the pattern pooled the red/blue/purple together and the green/orange/yellow together. It's pretty random striping in just stockinette. And the pattern is super easy to remember and keep track of where you are, but is still fun to knit.

And I finished off with Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind-off after an abortive attempt to remember the K2,P2 bind-off from Vogue Knitting. That cast-off and I did not get along AT ALL on the first pair of socks I made, and not having my entire knitting library with me while traveling, I couldn't find the exact instructions again.

For some reason, EZ's bind-off wasn't making sense to me when I was first doing it, but then something clicked and about 3/4 of the top edge of the sock looks very, very good. You can sorta see it in this blurry picture here:

Bottom left, icky poo. The rest of it, even steven. Though a little tight. I still need to work on casting off more loosely.

So this one sock is now residing in North Carolina as a late birthday present for my stepmom. I just cast on last night for the second one (thereby avoiding the dreaded SSS {Second Sock Syndrome}) so hopefully I can get it done this week while the aunties amuse the boy.

Will have to update more later about Stashalonging. So far I'm faring well, but I better keep busy for the rest of May because I've already used up my free day. (Eek!)

Knitting On the Road

Technically, this was not knit on the road. This hat (aka Malcolm's Conehead Hat) went on a road trip with my sister Laura after this conversation:

Laura: (on seeing the hat hanging on the coat stand) "That hat is so cute."

Me: (busy puttering in the kitchen)

Laura: (walking over and feeling the hat) "I love this hat."

Me: (trying to feed the baby peas)

Laura: (picking up the hat and checking it out) "Oh my God, this is so cute."

Me: (cleaning up peas from the floor)

Laura: (trying the hat on in the mirror) "I love this hat!"

Me: "What? It fits you???"

That's right, folks. The hat I knit for the 10-month-old boy fits my 17-year-old sister's head, and isn't cone-shaped when it actually fits. I think it means his head is big. Or hers is small.

Anywho.

I'll make another post about my first FO on the road.

On the Road Again

I'm writing when I should be knitting or sleeping.

I'm almost finished with the first of the Lorna's socks. My problem is that I picked up a couple of extra stitches on either side of the gusset to close the holes and now that I've decreased back down to where theoretically I should have 48 stitches again, I have an extra 4 stitches floating about. The Ms. Schurch's advice is not clear to me exactly where I should decrease them down. So I'm fudging it.

My MawMaw has found me two cool knitting books at yard sales, and the boy has a new car to wheel around on. I'll try to post a photo tomorrow. He only goes backwards so far. Pretty funny.

The drive down from DC was good over the past couple of days, but I think I'm going to crash soon. Tomorrow I'll try to post more photos.

Smooches from NC.

Feet, Feet, Feet

"In the house, and on the street, how many different feet you meet!"

(With apologies to Dr. Seuss)

Here they are: my very first pair of socks. I am inordinately proud of them. I've described them in previous posts, but I can't say enough about the toe-up pattern. It's easy to understand and makes a nice sock. But I wouldn't have been able to do it without the lovely folks over at Stitch DC.

I'm curious to see how the Paton's Classic Merino wears as a sock. Anyone out there used it before and know?

What is it about socks that are so addictive? I absolutely can't stop staring at Nancy Bush's books (and this one, because it's important to DREAM BIG) and the Sensational Knitted Socks. I've already got another pair on the needles, and I can't wait to start more.

Maybe it will be a Rockin', Sockin' Christmas/Hannukah for the family this year.

Packing My Knit Bag

I'm about to head out to visit family in North Carolina and Indiana, and it has taken me longer to pack my knitting bag than it did to put together a suitcase full of clothes for me and the boy.

1. There's the current sock project, which I hope to take a FO pic of this weekend. It's the Lorna's Laces worsted in rainbow, and it is fantabulous. But the only problem is, I don't know when to quit so that I have enough for two socks. There are only 225 yards in the ball. Anyone?

2. There is a wannabe sock project from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. Ooh. I can't wait.

3. There is a surprise family gift from some organic cotton yarn I won from Carol.

4. There is a cotton tank top project that I'm trying to design from Elsebeth Lavold Cable Cotton that was on sale at Stitch.

5. There is the baby blanket that never ends. (Actually, I'm just over halfway.)

Like I'm really going to finish 5 projects in 2 weeks. But I'm resisting throwing in a couple more balls for socks. Because socks don't really count, right? And, I swear, the nearest yarn stores in Indiana are Hobby Lobby and Michaels.

I'll be trying to blog from the 'rents' computers. Hopefully with the aunties around to amuse the boy, I'll get in some more time on the needles.

P.S. A big HOORAY for me because I made it through April with only one SEX (stash enrichment expedition) at the yarn store, per the multi-month rules. I haven't folded on my Stashalong commitment yet! One month down and six more to go.

Making My Day

You ever have one of those days? Where nothing's really wrong, per se, but you know that you really ought to be paying bills and cleaning, and your husband isn't helping, and the kid is being demanding, and the dog is chewing things she shouldn't, and you just don't feel right?

And then an angel (or a Sugar Bunny as the case may be) comes and makes your day?

It's so fun to have your very own sock pusher!

To start out with, I committed my first act of subway knitting yesterday on the Metro coming home from our cousins' in Greenbelt and was able to finish my first PAIR of socks in the evening. As soon as I get photos of them on the hubby's footsies, I will post them. I used Paton's, this toe-up sock recipe and the Purled Ladder pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks on the legs. I think he likes them (he wore them to bed when he got home from work finally).

Speaking of, his work schedule is a large part of my frustration through the day. He's always been a workaholic, but before we would at least spend some quality time together in the evenings. Since he's working nights, the time he's around during the day is packed with errands and feeding/playing with the baby. And baby is moving from two daily naps to one nap, so he's much more of a handful now.

I don't want to air any more dirty laundry on the blog, so let's just say today was ripe for some good news. Laura felt sorry for my Stashalong commitment, so in addition to the unloved sock yarn she was giving away, she is throwing in a skein of her hand dyed sock yarn from her etsy shop. So go say hi to her and her cute kids, buy something at her shop and tell her thank you from me!

Oh, and my cousin had Baby Samuel, and the blanket is not quite half done! Eek. So, new baby cousin may get a hat or something quick if I can't get cracking on that blanket. Especially since I just wound up the organic cotton I won from Carol for a secret family gift.

What can I say, I'm luckier than I think. I have to remember that on a daily basis.

P.S. I Need a Ball Winder

And a swift, while we're at it.

Fair to Middling

This is going to be one photo-ey post 'cause I gots lots to report. So here goes:

A boy, his hat and his dad's handknit sock, in their natural environment: the slide at the park. You would think I could dress him in something fancier than his pajamas and a hoodie, but you'd be wrong at 7:30 a.m. I wanted to get some good light on a few of the FOs I'm most proud of. The boy first, of course. At his 9-month checkup last month he weighed 17 lbs. 13 oz and was 28 1/2 inches long.

The Conehead hat was actually completed a while ago. After the too small top-down one (gifted to my cousin's baby), I started a brim-up one from Kids Knitted Hats by Cabin Fever. I used some Brown Sheep Company Lamb's Pride in worsted weight. It was originally intended for illusion knitting, but that ain't ever happening.

Here was my dilemma: The boy's head. It is big. Big like his momma's. Mine's 23", his is 18", by my measurements. This is the same size as a 2-year-old's, according to knitting patterns, though his pediatrician has never said, "hey, your kid's head is freakishly large for his age." Which come to think of it, is probably a good thing.

The pattern called for worsted weight wool to create a baby-size hat, and larger needles and chunky weight wool to create a larger hat for an older kid, which I thought would better fit. So a couple of awkward calculations later, and I came up with a modified pattern to use worsted weight and still create a larger hat.

I didn't quite get the hat height thing, though. For some reason, I thought I should knit straight for twice the amount of the Fair Isle patterning before decreasing. Thus, the conehead look. And the fact that he'll still be wearing the hat when he starts elementary school, if his father doesn't lose it before then. Oh well, bigger is better than too small, right?

And yes, I did say Fair Isle. This is my first Fair Isle project. And I know knit-iquette demands that I show the stranding. It's a little too tight, and it pulls up the garter stitch brim. Thanks to Ms. Stoller, I figured out how to do the two-handed Fair Isle. So technically, this is also my first "English" work, too. Cool, huh? However, I don't think I got the yarn dominance trick down yet. That'll have to come in my next Fair Isle project.

Daddy's sock was next off the needles, thanks to Karida at Stitch. I tried to follow this pattern, but somehow ended up with an ankle hole that barely fit three fingers. So I signed up for an in-person class, which I cannot recommend enough, particularly at Stitch. Marie, Karida and Brigitta and the whole crew there are so welcoming and sweet. It was great.

I started the sock class with Lorna's Laces worsted in rainbow, which I love, but it was a little too much for hubbo. They will probably end up as a gift to my MawMaw. So I went back to using the Patons Classic Wool in deep olive, thinking that would help him fit in a little more around the campfire. Apparently, though, that was all the thinking I should have done.

The prospect of K2,P2 ribbing sounded incredibly boring to me after the excitement of turning the heel and ending up with an ankle that would fit a normal human foot. So I thought he might like it if I spiced it up a bit with the Purled Ladder pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks (a simply sensational book).

If you ever think a man who isn't gay or otherwise stylish wants something fancier than the basic, ribbed, storebought sock you were basing your very first sock on, you'd be wrong. Oren's not crazy about the Purled Ladder pattern. I think I fantasized about too many Nancy Bush socks, and there was no way a plain ribbed sock would do. So now I'm working on the ribbing of the second, and I hope to have it done by the end of the weekend. I want to make one from this book next with some of this yarn I found at Stitch.

Off the needles next was a long-standing WIP. After I finished the previous top-down hat and sent it to Hadley, I wanted to make one for baby Claire, the next new cousin in line for a handknit. So I started it, but let it sit for awhile as I tackled other projects. I figured if I didn't get to it soon, she'd outgrow it and the season would be too warm to wear it.

I used the same great pattern, which I love for its ease. This time I used TLC Cotton Plus because I thought it would be lighter for summer. I modified the pattern and added an eyelet round just above the stockinette roll brim. I used I-cord to make a ribbon bow. You can see what Malcolm thinks of it, but I like it.

I do hope it fits her.

Wow.

I have been busy. I haven't even mentioned the reading, the writing, the planning, the visiting.

Woof. I gotta go to bed.

Belting One Out

What have I been doing you ask? A righteous question, given that I haven't been blogging. So first let me distract you with a photo of a belt I made for my sister with this pattern and this yarn. I am now trying to quickly produce a second one in fuschia before my sisters arrive on Thursday so I have presents for both of them.

Otherwise, there's been some serious knitting, lots of reading, some writing (!), family visiting and lots of keeping up with baby. Speaking of, he calls. Or cries, as the case may be.

More tonight.

Well, It's Started...

I have been knitting lately. It's just been so busy with Oren's cousin visiting and my parents from North Carolina up, I haven't gotten a chance to write about it.

And maybe I'm a little sad...a little blue. I did it to myself, but it had to be done. I've gone and joined the Stashalong. The little button on the side confirms it. And here is my pledge:

I vow not to purchase yarn from April 1, 2006, to November 1, 2006. *(See Stashalong for rules)

The Stitches East conference starts November 2 in Baltimore, and I've heard that is the place to go nuts for yarn. So if I can make it until then, I figure I can really splurge. We're trying to save up for a house and pay off credit cards, so yarn purchases will have to wait. Boohoo. Yarn gifts on the other hand...does Amazon have a yarn and knitting book wish list?

I think I have about 20 projects that I could work on in my stash between now and then. I'm not taking part in the Flash Your Stash day because my husband reads this blog and, hey, I'm not that crazy. But there's the WIPs and a couple of scarves, a hat or two and some baby sweaters. And the socks. I definitely have to make some socks.

So in other yarn news: Karida's sock class at Stitch was awesome, and I hope to soon have the first sock FO to post on the blog. It's not going to be on the yarn I used in class, but Oren will have his camping socks yet. The yarn we used in class (Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock...love, love, love it) will go to some socks for my MawMaw. The problem is that I only have one set of Size 5 dpns for both projects.

Well, let me finish the laundry and straightening up before the bebe wakes from his nap. Will update later tonight after my final "knitting class."

In Like Flynn on a Schwinn

Hip, hip, hooray! I'm a proud new member of the Knitting Blogs webring. Welcome to any new visitors. It makes for a great 4-month knitaversary (March 14) and 9-month birthday for Malcolm (June 14).

All day I've been thinking about what this means for my blog and how I want to use the blog, what goals I have for it, etc.

The main purpose of my blog is to open myself up to the connections between knitting and motherhood and creativity. Knitting and motherhood are such tactile experiences. You have to be persistent, willing to learn and able to switch horses in midstream if something's not working. In other words, you have to be creative.

The good thing about knitting is that you see results a lot faster than with motherhood. I want to set up a photo gallery like some other blogs have to keep track of the FOs. I'm not a total photo whore, but I do love me some knitting pictures. (Goal #1)

Speaking of other blogs, I do have to give a shout out to some of my inspirations. I want to grow up to be just like: Stephanie, Kathy, Laurie, Wendy, Ann and Kay, Lolly and Franklin. Goal #2: A blogroll, which will consume my knitting time, but I do love reading them.

I need to stay in touch with the creative force, especially on days like the last few, when Oren's working a lot, the baby is restless and the dog has to be taken out more frequently (too many chicken bones scammed from the sidewalk will do that to you, Mia). Sometimes I feel like the tedium, the routine, the mundane is close to overwhelming me. And I wonder what difference I'm making in the world.

But then I figure out a new technique (whoo-hoo, I-cord!) and I can feel the juice running through me. Or I Meet Delores, and I can't stop laughing. And ideas for writing and knitting and traveling and photographing start running through me, too.

I find the more I write, the more I read, the more I knit, the more I want to do it all. I want to take that urge to create and teach Malcolm that it is the most important thing he can do. I want to be creative in showing my love to him, to Oren, to my family, to my friends. I want the creative force to overwhelm the destruction in the world -- the destructive lure that always calls.

I'm going to use this blog to inspire myself and to remind myself that I am a creative person. As long as I keep affirming that, I can stay focused on the present moment -- on mothering, on writing, on knitting, on loving, and on creating with all my being.

Knit on.

Terror on the High Needles

Have been watching Blackbeard: Terror At Sea while knitting. The excitement is very conducive to fast knitting, just not accurate knitting.

I've had to rip back at least 14 rows on the sweater while watching, 6 of them twice. I forgot to put two selvedge seams outside the armhole decreases. Then I tried to go too far with the yarn at the end of one of the balls. I now need to add two new balls (I'm "striping" the yarn to get around having two different dye lots), so I decided to take a break.

The Blue Sky bulky is so soft when it's knitted up. The two dye lots make the body of the sweater look like a jewel with slightly different colored facets. The only problem is that moving the bulky yarn over Size 19 Addis makes my hands hurt after a while.

I finished Mary's faux suede rose-colored belt. I like how it turned out, and since I have quite a bit more left, I cast on for a kerchief to match. I'll have to start Laura's next. It's in the fuschia colorway. I think I'll post pictures when both are done.

Solution to sock dilemma: My saviors at the LYS. Karida is teaching a toe-up sock class next week, and I'll be there. Once I learn the basics of socks from the toe up, I'll tackle the top down, including my dream project: Nancy Bush's Norwegian Stockings.

Tangent on Blackbeard: I've been fascinated with Mr. Teach since I was a little girl and my dad took us on the long ferry ride out to Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke was Blackbeard's hangout and the place where, legend has it, he died. His quartermaster, William Howard, settled on Ocracoke, and the Howard's Pub is still the cornerstone of the island.

I had forgotten about the history I had learned of the island when Oren and I first went there. But it was part of the attraction when we decided to get married on Ocracoke in 2003. Wouldn't it be cool to have a knitted pirate hat to wear next time we go there?

Mohair Is Back

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with
others, doing your share without being too
weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely
refuse to change your position once it is
set, but that's okay since you are good at
covering up your mistakes.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I think I may have the sock dilemma solved.

F-ing Sock

The title pretty much sums it up.

F-ing sock.

If anyone can tell me how the hell not to end up with an ankle hole that is half the size of what it should be, please let me know. It seemed like everything was going okay, the short rows (I had a little help from Interweave to figure out the wrap-turn thing) were working, but then I finished knitting back to the gusset increases, and ta-da...it didn't freaking work.

Now I've pulled out so many stitches, I have no idea where to go from here. Did I pull out the gussets? No idea. Is the heel gone? Oh yeah ba-bee.

F-dash-dash-dash.

It does not help that I am generally feeling what one would term "malaise." I don't feel like cleaning, budgeting, laundering, dusting, sweeping, etc. It takes all the energy I have to play with and take care of the baby. Why? I don't have a daily job, which used to be the focus of my nervous energy.

Maybe that is the answer. I would be neurotic no matter what the circumstances. Ha. That's funny, huh?

Oh yeah.

F-ing sock. I blame it entirely.

Serious Start-itis

Along with visits from Indiana, New York and L.A. relatives, the Chinatown bus ride, MoMA, and the wreck of the Orange-mobile, I have been stashing away yarn and developing a serious case of Start-itis, as recently diagnosed by the Yarn Harlot.

I just finished Stephanie's book, right around the time the Knitting Olympics wrapped up. Kudos to her for a brilliant idea, a wonderful book and general all-around knitting greatness. She's got good Yarma.

On to my Start-itis. Until recently, I had 5 -- count 'em, 5 -- projects on the needles. A summary:

1. The Warmest Spoil Me Sweater of Buttery Goodness in the Whole Wide World (TM) with the Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky in teal and orange duotone. Love the yarn texture, don't love the way I have to bully the yarn around the needles. Back is done, front is half done. I really need to push on this.

2. Elizabeth's Baby Blanket in TLC Cotton Plus white. I cast on the long edge, so even though I have three box repeats done, I've got 6 more to go. I also figured I needed to buy another skein, but it's in another dye lot, so I'll have to see if I can stripe it to blend it in.

3. A SOCK. Let me repeat, A SOCK. In Patons Classic Wool Merino in deep olive, which I bought a while back to attempt socks for Oren. I had been intimidated by the DPNs until now, and then one evening as I was drooling over sock patterns online, I stumbled onto this pattern, realized I had the same wool and dpns, and cast on. Actually, I think I had seen this pattern before and bought this yarn because I wanted to learn how to do a toe-up sock. Then promptly forgot about it. Serendipity is sometimes how you create it. I'm at the gusset increases.

4. Nifty Knitted Belt V.1 in Lion Suede's rose colorway. (I also bought fuschia.) On "my" show, they had this belt pattern, and I thought my youngest sisters would like it, being hip and all that. I love the drop stitches but for reasons of not paying attention, I haven't been able to stay on pattern as well as I ought. Still it ought to be my FO #8 soon, though.

Wait, wait, wait, Ginny, did you miscount? You've only posted 6 FOs on your blog.

Well, #5 on the WIPs list has crossed over to the win column.

5. As modeled by the boy, Spiral Top Down hat knit with Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora from less than one ball. I guess one double point project wasn't enough. I used Brittany Size 6 Birch needles, which could not be more comfortable. I love me my Addi Turbos, but wood needles feel so natural and yummy.

The yarn, while soft and washable, did get on my nerves a bit though. It does not hang together like wool, so I kept sticking my needle through the middle of the strand, which meant some snags developed. Then, once I was done, I found this review. Hmm. I originally found this yarn on sale at Stitch DC in the cream and red, then bought some more red at the Georgetown store's anniversary sale. I still intend to make Malcolm a sweater from the 7 balls I have left. Just have to find a pattern.

So the hat was originally supposed to be for the boy. However, as you can tell, Monsieur Pumpkinhead is right at the limit for the hat. I used the calculator and his head measurement and everything, but I guess his head is bigger than I measured. Since he can't wear it, I believe I will gift it, maybe to my cousin's new baby.

Will update on my stash enhancement next...

So Much to Say

Meanwhile, a picture worth a thousand words, as they say.

This is my Safta. My very first, my one and only Safta. Safta is Hebrew for grandmother, and it's true, I actually have four grandmothers by blood and marriage that I love very much. But Sonia is my only Safta.

As soon as I met her, the week before my wedding, she treated me and Oren just like family. Which Oren is, to a degree. We finally tracked it back to determine that Sonia's late husband's grandfather and Oren's great-great-grandfather were brothers.

But family is how you find it. Sonia and the rest of the Garins are our cousins, pure and simple. And when I started the Feather and Fan pattern scarf from Scarf Style out of the ripped remains of my first abortive attempt at a scarf, I thought it might be nice if I could get it done for Sonia's birthday.

I had plenty of the two Rowan Kidsilk Haze colors I used, but soon ran out of the Manos del Uruguay wool because of the width the scarf turned out to be. After harassing my LYS for a couple of weeks, I finally found it at my other LYS (the benefits of living in a big city). Truth be told, Springwater has a giant selection of Manos.

So in the week before her birthday party, I knitted like crazy to be done with Sonia's scarf. All she wanted on her 86th birthday was for her two children, three grandchildren, two in-laws and cousins to show their creativity. I started working on this scarf before I knew that, but it fit perfectly.

And of course, it wasn't done when I got there. So listening to everyone's stories and songs, I stitched the final few rows. Stitched in love and warmth and family togetherness. My mom and stepdad were in from Indiana too, and they just added to the gathering.

My sixth FO is one that I will never forget. Not only was it the first yarn I ever purchased, but it was my first repurposed project and first lace stitching. And it was given to my one and only Safta, with love.

Will try to post more later about the rest of the excitement over the last few weeks...lots of visitors, traveling and one car wreck.

Turbo-Charged...and Back

You are "turbo" charged.Fast moving and classy, you get things done with
power and grace. Your expensive tastes can
be deceiving, since what you really value is
quality and efficiency. As you're careening
around those corners in life, finishing a
dozen knitted objects each month, stop and
smell the roses. Don't miss the beauty of
process!

What kind of knitting needles are you?