Goodbye, Kate

My father always referred to Katharine Hepburn as Kate Hepburn. I got the impression he felt like he knew her, which he didn't. But I guess there was something about her that made him feel she was a personal friend. Hearing about her passing away was a poignant reminder of my father and another link with him lost. She was a magnificent example of what we can all be, if we only dare.

Had a busy weekend. Barbara and Carol came over for lunch, which they provided, and we had a few hours of fun knitting and chatting. I hope we can make this a little more frequent thing. It's difficult to really "visit" when I'm at Skein.

I started a new hat while they were here using the Rowan Calmer that Emma sent a few weeks ago. The yarn is so soft and smooth. I need some more colors for the Multicolor Whimsical Hat that I'm knitting from Hats On! by Charlene Schurch. (This is one of my favorite books for hats.) I think I'll use a different yarn though as the Calmer is a little pricey for my budget right now.

I also cast on for another pair of Plymouth Yarn socks. Sorta bright pastel stripes. If I can keep my computer running I'll try to post a picture when I have a little more done.

On Sunday I went with Joanne to Velona's and to Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. My second trip in one week. Joanne had never been to either place and had been pleading with me to take her so she wouldn't get lost. It was a pretty good trip, except the freeway we started out on was closed down, in both directions, for some kind of chemical hazard. I didn't get anything at Velona's, this time. And at Alamitos Bay I only got a couple of skeins of Regia sock yarn that were 50% off. And we had a neat lunch at the restaurant next door. Sat and watched the sailboats coming and going.

More problems with the computer. All of a sudden I'm running out of memory. Talked to the kind folks at Gateway and we think we have it fixed. So far, so good. And Blogger has fixed the problem I was having with accessing my edit page.

So, all in all, a pretty good weekend. Made some progress on the speckled socks last night. Maybe I'll get a picture of that too.

Open house

Today I have a couple of friends from Skein coming over to have lunch and to knit for a while. I'd like to do this more often but it's a problem since when I'm available most everyone else is working. But Skein is closed for vacation so I'm home on a Saturday.

Of course it means that I have to pay more attention to my house cleaning duties. Ah, the futility of that! But it was good to get some of the things I put off for some other day done. It would help if I didn't have so many knick knacks sitting around. (That's mostly because I have no where else to store them.) And then there's all the knitting projects and the new yarn acquisitions. (I also don't have any more room to store these.)

So I didn't get to touch my knitting at all on Friday. That's probably a good thing is a way. I've been having some pains in my fingers and arms so a day away from the needles is a help. I try to take a break about every half hour and to do the recommended hand excercises. When I was a lot younger, actually even as recently as last year, I thought that all the fuss about hand pains was just silliness and that folks were exaggerating. Well, I'm here to tell you, it is real.

Lisa came over last night and we went to Dino's Italian. Hadn't been there for a while. It was so good to see Lisa again. Actually it's only been two weeks but it seems like months. Anyway, she now has the latest socks and I can start another pair. Or work on the black and white speckled ones that I've had going for a while. (Will they ever be done?)

I also need to start the next shop sample. A child's cardigan from the new Rowan Babies. All Seasons Cotton. Why does Kim Hargreaves make things so tricky? The sweater looks very straightforward in the picture but there's actually a lot of fussing around with shaping and handsewing. Usually I'd just change it but since it's a shop sample I need to follow the instructions fairly closely, except I refuse to sew shoulders together. Viva three needle bind off! Even if I have to do short rows.

Some more

Here's a couple of finished things.

These socks are finally done so you won't get to see them again. And I won't either after tonight. Lisa will take possession of them. I sure hope they fit. I used Plymouth Yarn Reggio and worked from the top down. They originally had a short row heel but I changed to a Dutch heel which I like a lot better. Nearly ran out of yarn. I had a little over a yard left on the first skein and just over a foot on the second skein. I'm going to use fewer stitches on the next ones I do with this yarn. I think they'll fit better too.


Here's the latest shop sample. I had planned on finishing this last night but I ran out of yarn. The pattern called for four skeins but I don't have enough to do the neck and arm bands. I tried picking up stitches just to see what it would be like and it was terrible. Finding the edge stitch is next to impossible. Maybe it will be easier in daylight. Anyway, I'll put this away until Skein reopens. The pattern and yarn are from Stylecraft. The yarn is called Eskimo. It's pretty easy to work with. The pattern is for an adult. I don't know anyone who would wear this though. Too cuddly, cutesy I think. But then I like plain and simple.

Photo Op

So the sun is back, along with the heat, and so I have no real excuse for not adding some photos.

I'm using a Berroco pattern and combining the Interlacements El Paso yarn I got at the Riverside Weaving Conference a month or so ago with some embroidery floss I bought three or four years ago at another weaving show. The floss cuts down on the red in the Interlacements and gives the fabric a more rustic/handwoven look.

Here's a detail of the cable. I haven't worked on this is a week or so but looking at it againg makes me want to get back to it. Both yarns are 100% cotton so I thought it would make a nice summer top but it's working up to look more autumn like. But, hey, it's California! Cotton works year round.

And since I had the camera out I thought I'd show the sock yarns I got on Tuesday.

I got these two yarns at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company at the Marina in Long Beach. The Sockotta is a combination of pale greys and yellows; the Lang is more vibrant with more contrast to the colors but still in a similar color group. I think I'm getting into yellows right now.

But not entirely. I got this yarn at Velona's Needlecraft along with a skein of plain black. It's a new brand to me. I think it's new to them as well. Velona apologized for it being a little more expensive than the other sock yarns. It was $8.50 per skein. The ball of black was only $6.00. I think her prices are lower than other places I've been, for similar yarns.

My car is still visiting with the mechanic. What I thought was going to be about $350 has multiplied and is now going to be approximately $1000. But that's because I also needed new brakes and the 60M service. I think I need a senior discount, something like 90% would work. This is really going to curb my yarn purchases. Well, at least until next week.

Ho hum!

Not much new to post today. I went to Joanne's last night for our weekly knit and chat time. I worked on the yellow shop sample and still have about forty rows to go before I finish the back and can start the assembly.

On the way home from Joanne's I noticed my "check gauges" light was on. My temperature gauge was almost to the danger point. I was able to get home with no apparent injury to the car. So now my car is being refitted with something called a heater core whatever. I'm glad I bought yarn yesterday because I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if I had known I was going to have a $350 car repair bill. I'm also glad I didn't drive yesterday or we would have been stranded somewhere.

Why are yarn shops closed on Monday? Seems like most of the shops around here are closed on that day. Temple City Knits is the only shop I know that is open on Monday. And this week even it was closed. I guess they went to the big TNNA show in Columbus OH along with everyone else. Yesterday I found that Velona is also open on Monday but it's about an hour drive from where I live and that seems excessive for one skein of yarn.

I'm not really interested in most of my projects right now. I want to finish what I have started though before I go on to something else.

Kryptonite

I decided that I would not buy anything today when I went to the shops in Long Beach and Anaheim. I was absolutely certain that I wouldn't. However, yarn shops have a greater power over me than I have over them. But I wasn't really all that bad. Just a couple of sock yarns and some more size 2 dpns. I wanted some of the cotton yarn we saw at Velona's but resisted. Although I may be going back there next week. Someone else I know wants to go and has asked me to go along. I must be strong!

We are not amused

I've been struggling all weekend to resolve a problem I'm having with Blogger. I finally got a response today, which in itself is a surprise. Do you personally know anyone who has ever received a response from Blogger? At any rate I think I can now post again.
This has not been fun and we did not find it amusing.

Not that there've been any really incredible developments. But here's a brief rundown.

The weekend at Skein, without Ann Mary, went well. Her son handled the register and phone without any serious problem. Her daughter came in on Saturday and Sunday and did some shelf rearranging and I think was going to add more shelving after close of business on Sunday. We really need the room. There was a pretty good flow of customers, better than earlier in the week.

I didn't have a whole lot of time for knitting. I'm about half way through the back of the current shop sample and hope to finish the whole thing tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

Speaking of tomorrow. Carole, Mendy and I are going to Velona Needlecraft and Alamitos Bay Yarn Company for a quick update on what's happening there. Mendy has never been and I think she'll really be impressed. Carole and I have been a few times but we're always excited by visiting these places.

Last Friday I was working on the shop project and thinking about what I was going to do in the evening. A young woman came in and said "I'm looking for yarn to make Becky's swatch." That really got my attention. It was Julie and her husband. What a fun time we had, not only in looking at all the possible yarn she could use for Becky's swatch but in talking about the blogs we read. And I got a first hand report on the sweater she's making. We both agreed that Norah Gaugham is one fine designer. Anyway, the whole thing was a treat!

Mea culpa and other stuff

Well, actually, I was wrong when I said I'd never seen that heel shaping before. It's in the Folk Socks book. I guess I just hadn't paid any attention to how the Dutch Heel is made because I didn't particularly like how it looked. I'm still not wild about it but it made an interesting side trip.

I went to Skein early yesterday so Ann Mary could get away for a while. Her son came in to cover the register and phone while she was gone. She'll also be away for the rest of the week starting on Friday. So I'll be there with her son. This could be a disaster as he doesn't know anything about knitting or yarn. If I get busy with a lot of students it's going to be hard to cover the sales floor as well. I've done this before and it's not a lot of fun. Since the shop will be closed for the next couple of weeks there may be a crush of knitters trying to get their fixes before it's too late.

I delivered some yarn to Dorris last night on my way home. Dorris is 90 years old and is no longer allowed to drive so we don't get to see her as often as we'd like. She tempted me with some Petit Sirah but I had to leave as I wanted to get some more work done last night. I'd like to take her out to do her errands but she can't get into my Blazer. So once in a while she hires someone to drive her around or her daughter will take her out. That's about the only time we see her at Skein. The last time she was in she ordered some Galway in a color we didn't have in stock. She showed me a picture of her younger sister and asked me to write a pattern for her. So I dropped that off with the yarn last night. Hope it's the right size.

I'm going in early again today so I can spend some time with Mendy. She was in yesterday and we got her started on finishing. Showed her how to do the mattress stitch. That was exciting. I love how she just absorbs new information! I'm not sure what we'll be working on today but whatever it is will be fun. I'm going to try to put together a mini yarn shop crawl sometime next week if she can make it.

Got another student started on making cables. Why are people so afraid of this? I'm pretty sure I learned how from a book. There's just something so logical about it that I can't imagine why people find it difficult. But I guess that's how I felt about turning a heel, until I tried it. Which I also got from a book. No complaints! The more people I teach the more money I get! And it adds to the list of people who knit.

And I finished the front of the latest shop sample and cast on for the back. Picture soon. Also worked on the current sock project. Am ready to do the toe and to find out if I have enough yarn. The Plymouth sock yarn doesn't have as much yardage as most of the other ones out there. It's going to be close. I had about 8 yards left when I finished the first sock so I can use that if I don't have enough for the second sock. But I'm planning on reknitting the first one since I don't like the short row heel. Seems like the Dutch Heel might take a little more yarn than the short row. Or maybe the second skein is a little short. I should know by tonight.

Such a heel!

Here's the new heel shaping I'm trying out.



The only place I've seen this particular approach is in a Stahl sock pattern book. The heel flap is worked in stockinette with a knit stitch at the beginning of every row. (I used a slip stitch instead.) I worked 22 rows. To turn the heel, knit to six stitches past the center, SSK or SKP, turn. Slip the first stitch, purl 12, purl 2 tog, turn.Repeat these two rows until you have used up all the stitches. (The number of stitches past center will vary depending on how many stitches you have. I had 32.) You end up with a narrow band that is 14 stitches wide. Pick up along the edges of the heel flap (number of stitches depends on how many rows you've worked) in the usual manner. Decrease at the end of needle one and beginning of needle four (or three if that's what you're using), work two rounds even. Repeat the last three rows until you're back to the original number of stitches. Well it makes sense to me. I'm not sure how comfortable it will be with those decreases along the edge of the band but will find out soon enough.

Sorry about the crummy photo. There's no sunshine today, at least, not yet.

Just stuff

It's been a kind of mixed bag sort of day. I spent the morning cutting and pasting. I moved all the blogs I read from my Yahoo site to IE. Yahoo just doesn't get it. I still don't understand why I can read comments and connect to links when I'm using IE and yet Yahoo just freezes. So I have the speed I want and it's easier using IE. But it took several hours to move everything. And I found several new blogs that I've added to my daily list. Plus a couple that Yahoo just wouldn't let me add to my bookmarks.

Also spent some time on the phone with Gateway and Go Daddy (formerly my site host) and I hope I got some billing issues straightened out. You just never know. The people I talked to seemed quite competent but that's what I thought the last time. So I'll just have to wait and see when I get my next credit card statement.

And I finished tidying up the balcony where I have my new lemon tree. Did some minor pruning and threw out some pots that were too damaged to be reused. There were a couple of bluejays that were very concerned when they saw me out there.

I only managed a little knitting today but I'm going to Joanne's tonight so I'll get a couple more hours in. We haven't met for about three weeks so this will be a fun evening.

Post Father's Day Post

Saturday was a very busy day at Skein. It had been alarmingly slow all week but Saturday was jammed. I worked with several new knitters. So I didn't get much time to spend with the group of knitting friends that came in. Taught a couple of ladies how to work with dpns. They were so excited and felt so advanced! But I had to convince them first that the premmie hats they wanted to make could not be made on circulars, even though the pattern called for them.

Sunday was not as busy even though I had a table full of knitters. Mostly they were there for the socializing. The first one to arrive made some made some very negative comments about the shop sample I'm working on. She thought the yarn was just too fuzzy for an adult and that it should only be used for children. She went on and on. I told her that not everyone would feel the same. Almost immediately there was another customer who thought the sweater was just the coolest thing she'd ever seen. And then another knitter came in who is using the same yarn. Well, I guess you had to be there. But she kept her opinions to herself even though we were both secretly laughing.

Since it was Father's Day the conversation included some reminiscences about our fathers. I'm afraid I got a little carried away in talking about my dad. I got a little more emotional than I am want to do. Still feeling a little embarrased. I had to change the subject very abruptly. Our memories of other people are often memories of ourselves. Our own feelings and recollections of what we experienced at the time. So talking about my dad, and what he was like as a father, really stirred up a lot of stuff that I don't always enjoy remembering. (Which I have no intention of going into here.) There are a lot of things I would like to have done differently in my life. I wish I had spent more time with my daughter when she was growing up. I wish I had been more aware. Omissions can cause as much damage as overt acts. I love my daughter. She is my chief joy in life. And she's a lot like me.

Unlike life, knitting can be revised. I've decided to rip the last pair of socks and redo the heels. Not a lot of progress on anything over the weekend. I started a new pair of socks using some Patons Paint Box sock yarn. I like the color a lot but I cast on too many stitches and the sock was going to be way too big. So that's been ripped. Anyway, I just wanted to see how it would look knitted up. And now I know.

It's Father's Day, almost

Here it is, late on Friday night. Lisa just left for home after taking me to dinner and gifting me with a wonderful lemon tree, which I've been wanting for a long time, and a couple of jalapeno pepper plants, which I didn't know I wanted but am very happy to have. She's a great kid and my pride and joy, just as she's always been. Look! I know she's a grown woman but that doesn't mean I can't tell her to drive carefully and to get some rest. I almost forgot. She also brought six bottles of premium wines. One of which I can vouch for as being superb.



So, I didn't forget the camera today. Here's the latest completed shop sample. A child's top in Katia Rumba and something else, the name of which I forget. The lower part is the Rumba. It's a very simple knit but is quite cute. We didn't have a four year old to model it. The background is a shawl made from Berroco Furz.

It was quieter today than yesterday. Looks like the weather is turning around and becoming summer after all. I hope tomorrow is busier. I know I have a student as soon as the store opens but I'm not sure after that.

Fall's coming

Forgot to take the camera to Skein today. That makes two consecutive days. Will try again tomorrow. I've already put it with my bag but that's no guarantee.

It was very quiet today. I worked a lot on socks and then started a new shop sample. I'm making a short top using Naturally Eskimo. I've made a child's scarf with this already. There are a few new patterns for adults available now so we're doing one of those. Just a simple v-neck top in stockinette on size 6 US.

Some of the new Anny Blatt and Bouton d'Or yarns arrived today along with the fall pattern catalog for Bouton d'Or and a couple of baby pattern books. The baby patterns are really cute. They yarns they call for are not all that care friendly and are pretty pricey. We're looking at substituting possibilities.

If you like really complicated patterns you might want to look at the Bouton d'Or book. There are several that I could see making but they would each be a whole season's worth of knitting. And I think they're generally too heavy for our climate.

My favorite yarn in the shipment is Mango from Bouton d'Or. It's not brand new (last year I think). It's a sport weight cotton/synthetic blend. Some of the baby patterns are made in this as well as a few simple tops in this summer's catalog. It's really beautiful. There's just something about the color. Even though the yarns are plain they look exceptionally rich. And we got the first of the fall yarns. Already?

Marg doesn't have a blog

Or not that I know of anyway. But we've been exchanging emails about the short row heel quandry I've been finding myself in. She's been really helpful, and patient, and I just wanted to thank her publically. And Stasia has been extremely geneous with her support as well. That's one of the best benefits of blogging. That, and all the new friends I have made.

I did get some knitting time last night. I finished the shop sample, at least the knitting part, and will put it together today while I'm at Skein. I've already crocheted one of the sleeves in place and knit on the rolled neck band so I only have maybe half an hour's work to complete it. There is still no sunshine in these parts so I'll try to get a picture using my flash.

I managed about 10 rows on the Interlacements top. This one will definitely have to wait for sunshine. I've completed the first 26 row cable pattern and am into the second. I think there will be about 5, maybe 6 repeats of the pattern to finish the back. Should be one less on the front. Still agonizing over whether I'll have enough yarn. I agonize a lot. Part of my charm. So I'll wait until I finish the back and then I'll know. But what if they're out of the yarn by that time? See? It just keeps going.

Not what I expected

Another rainy morning. Not much planned for today except some knitting on the shop sample, the Intelacements top and maybe some socks. Supposed to go to Joanne's tonight. That all changed when Joanne called to say she was not feeling well and would not be going to Skein in the afternoon and wanted to cancel for the evening.

So I went to Skein to cover for Joanne in case there were any drop in students. When I got there the rep for Berroco yarns was there. I got a chance to see the new colors they have for fall in the yarns they already have in their line. I missed the presentation of the new yarns but I got a quick glimpse of some of them. They have a new one that is very similar to Chamonix but is less expensive and has more angora. The colors are not very exciting though. And there's another new one that I think is called Mabley. It looks very interesting. Lots of thick and thin with some nice color ways.

I didn't get to see much of the Lang line that he also reps because I had a couple of customers to deal with. And then I tried to handle a couple of Chinese ladies whose English far exceeds my Chinese. So that was a little rough. Sometimes Ann Mary had to break away and help out. But it was lots of fun and a couple of very nice sales. I spent some time showing one of them how to do a cable cast on and how to work in the round on circular needles.

We picked out some new patterns from Fiber Trends and Mari (I don't know this company) that I think will be good for fall. Several things for felting and even for crochet. (Note to self: teach yourself to crochet before it's too late.)

So the rep ended up being there all day. He didn't finish until just before six. But I think it was worth his time. Ann Mary ordered enough to be entitled to a couple of sweater samples.

So now I'm home and will try to do some of the knitting I didn't get done this afternoon. I'm using Intenet Explorer right now instead of SBC. I seem to be able to read comments using this browser even if they are slow to open. I don't know if posting from here will help. I really appreciate all the suggestions and good wishes I've been getting.

A little update



This is the first of the Plymouth Yarn socks, still in progress. I have done a little more on the second sock since I took this picture last week but I'm not quite to the heel. This is my first short row heel. I think I wrote about it last week. I'll do the second sock the same way but I'll find another way to do it the next time. Just don't like those eyelets!

A fairly slow weekend at Skein. The cooler weather didn't seem to motivate many people to pick up the needles. Too many end of year school activities probably. But I did get to see a number of the "regulars". And I finished the first sleeve of the shop sample I'm making. I should be done by Wednesday and will add a pic then.

I'm writing this using my old dial-up connection. I haven't yet figured out or fixed the problem with the DSL. I installed the new memory but that didn't fix whatever's wrong. I can post from there but I can't add pictures. And I still can't read comments so I have been going with the dial-up. I'm glad I didn't discontinue my MSN connection yet. I've already spent a couple of hours today on the phone with a very nice lady at SBC. We thought we had it fixed but it's still not working correctly. This is not fun.

I just wanna go there

It has been gloomy here all week. The whole day it looks like 6AM on a winter's day. I think the sun broke through for a couple of hours late on Tuesday and hasn't been seen since. Not good for picture taking.

I haven't done any sock knitting for a couple of days, except for a few rows yesterday morning while I was exercising my blog reading rights. I may go do a little now before it's time to get ready to go to Skein. Last night I did some swatching with the new Interlacements yarn I got at the weaving show. It's very pretty and I got the gauge on the recommended needle size. Tried a couple of stitch variations but decided I think it looks best in plain old stockinette. Then I added a strand of embroidery floss. I have several thousand yards of this nice copper colored floss that I got at another weaving show a couple of years ago. The two fibers are both cotton so they should behave okay together and I like the look. I went up a couple of needle sizes and got pretty close to the gauge for a Berroco pattern that I think I'm going to try. So I cast on and worked about 10 rows. Seems a little stiff on the smaller size needles but maybe when I start the main body it will be looser. If that doesn't work out I'll just rip the whole mess and try something else with it. But I'm definitely going to use the two yarns together. I may have to order another hank of the Interlacements in order to add sleeves. I was assured that would not be a problem when I bought the original hank.

Skein will be closed for vacation (and annual trip to TNNA convention in Columbus, OH) the last week of June and until the day after the July 4th holiday. So I'm wondering if I can put the finances together to take a trip somewhere. I've been reading, assiduously, Bess's journal of her trip to England. Not that I would actually be able to do this but it sure makes me want to. I'd also like to go to Maine and see Clara's new shop and just see the other side of the country. The first ocean I ever saw was the Atlantic, at York Beach. For a kid who grew up in the middle of the continent (Arkansas) that was a pretty unforgettable experience. But then I'd also like to go to Michigan. I've never been there but I read Lynn's blog every day and also Sarah's journal and I think it would be so good to meet these two dynamic women and spend some time seeing all the sights of Ann Arbor and East Lansing. But I probably won't do any of these trips. I might go over to Scottsdale AZ and see my sister and her husband. But Scottdale in June is hot! So I'm just thinking about this. Maybe I'll go to New Mexico instead.

My memory isn't what it used to be

My blogging experience is suffering a lot these days. I am still not able to read comments or, in most cases, able to connect to any of the links in the blogs. I tried going through the Knitters ring last night and got part way through when everything sorta stopped. That's when I have to CAD (control, alt, delete) to get restarted. Anyway, I feel like an eavesdropper not being able to participate actively. I can go over to my MSN browser and read comments but I still can't respond. If I try to send email from there I get sent back to SBC Yahoo or sometimes everything freezes. I never know which it's going to be.

So anyway, last night I was checking my email and getting ready to sign off when there was this perky knocking at my front door. It was the UPS man delivering the additional memory I had ordered. I think it was already about 7:30. So, I'm thinking WOW! I can do this tonight and everything's gonna be fine. Not so!

Gateway sent me two boards with 128 each. Turns out there is only one slot available in my PC. So I call them up and ask them to send me a new board with 256 on it. No problem but I have to wait until the morning to call the sales department to do this. So I put everything back together and move the desk back to the wall.

Talked to sales this morning and they tell me that they don't have a board that has 256 that will fit my computer. After I tell the guy that I'm supposed to be able to have up to 512 he checks again and, sure enough, they do indeed have what I need and they even have it in stock. And furthermore, he's not even sure that what they sent me would have worked in my computer.

So the bottom line is that he's sending me a board with 256 and I'm sending the other two back. That will be another week. I'm feeling very apprehensive about this whole transaction. Still wondering if I should have just gone out locally and purchased what I need. But now I'm thinking if I use something other than a Gateway product and it blows up my computer I won't have any protection. So I'm just going to wait for the new board.

But it's not all bad. I can now read in about an hour what it used to take almost three hours to do. Now I can add more blogs to my daily reads.

Skein was frantic yesterday afternoon. Everyone comes at once. And I was sort of on the edge of coming down with something. (Whatever that was went away after a couple of hours. Ann Mary said it was an allergy, or food poisoning.) So after I got everyone sorted out and settled down things got a little better. I was so happy to see Mendy again. She brought in a couple of skeins of yarn that she had purchased elsewhere (it's okay, Mendy.) and we put together a couple more shawls. And special ordered some colors we did not have in stock. I didn't have time to touch my own shop sample project until the very end of the day and only got a few rows done. No sock knitting at all.

A new grandmother came in just before closing. She's Vietnamese/Chinese. It was a lot of fun to listen to her and Ann Mary discussing how new mothers should be fed and cared for. They definitely don't approve of the modern ways. They should have at least a month of bed rest and be fed lots of chicken made with wine and vegetables. And someone else should take care of the baby except when he/she needs to be fed.

Maybe I'm just bored

For those of you who asked my eye is nearly recovered and the extraction at the dentist's was practically without event. So now I have no drama to report. Well, there was this tractor/trailer that arrived at 5 this morning to replenish the Carl's Junior that's on the corner near where I live.

I'm not tired of sock knitting but I'm beginning to feel the need for something that doesn't require stopping four times per row. I have a small project for Skein in the works but I really want something a little more stimulating. I suppose I should work on some of the sweaters I've started for myself. There's the CRAP project (cabled, raglan, aran pullover) that I haven't touched since the winter. And a cotton pullover that I got about halfway through the back of, last fall. And a couple more wool pullovers that were started the winter before last. Or maybe the lace shawl that was supposed to be a Christmas gift last year. But then I have lots of yarns that I haven't tried yet, including lots of sock yarn.

I did make some pretty good progress on the second sock last night. But there are three other pair that are only just started. It's probably a good thing that I don't have any more size 2 dpns available.

Another sock saga

I tried to add a picture today but due to the current status of my DSL connection,well, you know.

Anyway, I finished the first of the Plymouth yarn socks and have started on its mate. I used a short row heel for the first time. The pattern I followed doesn't seem to compensate for the slipped stitches in any way so I have a nice little row of eyelets. So I'm on the lookout for a different technique. I know I've seen some that call for wrap and turn and some that call for yarn overs that get knitted together later. Are there other possiblities? I used the wide toe shaping from Folk Socks and I think I like that best of all the ones I've tried.

The second sock is not going to match the first one by any stretch of the imagination. Well, the colors are the same. The pattern repeat in this yarn is so long that I would probably not have enough yarn to do the second sock if I tried to find the same starting point. I did not use a contrast yarn for the toe and heel and I barely had enough to finish the first sock. Seems like when I use a contrast heel and toe I end up with left over yarn that is too much to throw away but not enough to do anything with.

Woe is me!

The saga continues. Still waiting for my additional memory but am gradually getting all my favorites and email addresses moved over. And learning how to navigate the new home page. I am really missing the chance to leave comments and to link to photos in the blogs. So enough about all this already!

Not much to report on the knitting front. Made some progress on the shop sample and my current sock project. If the weather is nice tomorrow I will try to get some pictures and see if I can post them.

I have a dentist appointment in the morning that is not going to be much fun and, as if that weren't enough, I have a sty. Ann Mary thinks it's an allergy. She thinks most things are allergies. Personally I don't care what it is. I just want it to go away.