A Perfect Match

Well, I guess this is only going to be a one sock month. These are the brightest socks I've made. I do have alot of yellow and pick in my wardrobe...and they just might be fun to wear! AND I actually got the stripes to match on this pair, I guess that makes them identical twins. And here are the specs for the Sherbert socks: Yarn - Sockotta (45%Cotton, 40% Superwash wool, 15%Nylon), Color no. 566, fingering weight yarn Needles - Size # 1 circular, Addi Turbos Pattern - Basic sock pattern knit top down: cast on 60 stitches; ribbing K3, P1 And, drum roll please..... I had plenty of leftover yarn! Yeah!! Does that mean I'm getting better? I'm definitely using the correct size needles. Now for my next big, life-changing decision.....who do I knit a pair of socks for next? I have 2 or 3 different yarns to knit dear husband a pair of socks, and just bought some yarn today for Son #1's girlfriend a pair of socks. I was really bad today, I also bought some yarn to make the Tangled Garden socks. I'm not quite ready to dye my own yarn yet, so I found something that I thought would work to replicate this pattern . Yep, I picked yarn colors that were as close to what the designer used as I could find in our LYS. They might be alittle bringht, but what the heck. Springtime calls for bright cheery colors, and I'm feeling very springy since it hasn't rained here in over a week. Maybe I should just cast on for 3 pairs of socks and rotate what I knit on? I am still working on the Bookworm Tunic. I am on the neckline of the front now, and wish I could knit faster. I really like how it is coming along and enjoy working with the pattern. Since this is my first pullover sweater (I mean my first sweater), I have had trouble remembering to bind off for the neckline and had several false starts before I figured it out. I have also had many nice comments from the ladies at the LYS when I go on Saturdays to sit and knit. I've posted a picture in case you forgot what it looked like.

I'm off to knit some more, hmmm, continue sweater, or cast on for socks???? I'll let you know what I end up doing.

Sorry about the way this entry posted. I can't figure out how to move the words up on the page....Help....Must.....start......knitting..........

My Bad?

Well, I've been bitten by the joining bug again. I recently purchased Oneskein. If you haven't seen the book yet, check it out. There are alot of good, quick gifts to make. I had to go out of town the other day and visited one of my favorite yarn shops (of course). I got all kinds of yarn for future gift ideas. In fact my boys even commented on the amount of yarn I bought, even though it isn't as much as you would need for a sweater, or an afghan. I have yarn to make cupcakes, sachets and baby bibs. Don't worry mom, I'm not pregnant, and I'm not expecting grandkids anytime soon! I thought the yarn in the top picture would be good for baby bibs. It is cotton and has a bit of a sheen to it. Nothing too fancy for baby bibs, unless you don't plan on the baby wearing it while they are actually eating!

The yarn on the left side is Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino (good for a sachet or cupcake bottom). The yarn on the right is Cascade Fun. It has a little bit of a nubby texture to it. I'm not sure if I am going to use it for cupcake bottoms or the frosting.

I also bought this really cool yarn called Pandora from Trendsetter yarns. It's the next best thing to self-stiping yarn. It is all one color, but at least 3 different types of fibre-stuff combined in one. They had a scarf knitted up with this yarn and it was very interesting. I thought it would be great for May's Project Spectrum. The yarn is 100% Polyamide and the owner of the store told me that it tends to stick to any rough areas of your skin - and my hands aren't the softest. I'll let you know what I think of it when I finish my project. I do like that shade of green and have several things that I think the scarf will go with.

Hopefully, some of the next pictures on my site will be of something besides socks. Although I do love socks, and so do my cold feet. I bought a sweater the other day that was marked down 75% off the original price - because "it isn't sweater season any more." Well, when you live in the Pacific Northwest, it is always sweater season. By the way, I'm still knitting on my tunic. I'm up to the armhole shaping on the front. The back is done. Some people would say it is totally the wrong time of year to knit on this, and if I lived in the desert, I would agree. But when you have to wear your winter jacket and take quilts with you to go watch fireworks on the 4th of July, it is never the wrong time of year to knit with wool!!!

Okay, talking about socks reminded me I better get knitting on my socks for this months sock KAL. I got so excited about being close to 1/2 way done with the second sock, that I forgot to turn the heel before I picked up the gussets! I seem to do that pretty often - the excitement of being close to the home stretch gets me every time!!

Project Spectrum Update

First of all, Happy Easter ! Wea re not having a "typical" Easter. It has rained off and on all day. We are zooming towards 80 inches of rain for the year in our area. I have been busily working on socks for the April sock-a-month KAL and Project Spectrum. They are bright and cheery which is just what I need with all the cloudy days and rain that we have been having. I finished the first sock, one more to go. I have alot of yellow tops in my closet, several even have some light pink in them, so I should make quite the fashion statement, don't you think?? (If I don't get arrested by the fashion police first!) This past week I have been busy making a CD with orange and yellow theme music. Anjo was nice enough to share the list of songs that she came up with. She was definitely inspired by the colors for Project Spectum for this month (see her post for 3-29-06). The songs that I ended up with were a little different - I ended up pputting more Beatles songs on my CD, plus Orage Blossom Special by Johnny Cash, and Lemon Tree by Peter Paul and Mary. It was alot of fun, and I can see why Anjo enjoys making CD's/ My jewel case for my CD isn't going to be as fancy as hers, but I did get some fun paper to decorate with from the local scrapbooking store.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter!

Join, being careful not to twist

Okay, I do feel a little twisted for joining another group. But Project Spectrum sounded like fun, and everyone else is joining (976 people the last time I checked), and I didn't want to be left out!! Besides I just started some yellow and orange (and Pink) socks for the sock-a-month KAL, and it "just happens" to be the right color for April's Project Spectrum. As you can see, I got my camera back, the hotel must have mailed it right away - I called them on Monday, and received it on Wed.

These are the yarns I got at Web-sters in Ashland. The pictures don't do the yarn justice, but in the picture on the left is Koigu KPPM, color no. P416L. You can get a better idea of the color here. The Koigu is so soft, I can't wait to knit it. I believe I will use the Crusoe pattern for this yarn.

In the picture below, the yarn on the left is Kumo's Socki, color #ZZ-LJ014. It is 80% wool and 20% nylon. I believe it is hand-dyed by someone that lives fairly close to Ashland. I was thinking that this would be a good yarn to use for the Jaywalker pattern.



The yarn on the right is Lorna's Laces fingering weight in the color Seaside for my first shawl. The yarn is 50%silk, and 50%wool. I am excited about that project, but will need some help learning a provisional cast-on. I am going to use the Leaf Lace Shawl pattern by Fiber Trends. I have had the pattern since November when I went on a shooping expedition with a friend, and have been looking for just the right yarn. I think I will enjoy knitting the lace pattern.


Well, I guess my blogging time is over. The kids are on Spring break this week, and as usual, I have someone chomping at the bit to use the computer.

Weekend Fun

Well, my husband and I had a wonderful weekend away from the kids, and the dogs. We went to Ashland, OR and stayed at the Ashland Springs Hotel. It is very nice inside and does make you feel like you are going back in time. They have quite a bit of scaffolding up on the outside of the building to work on the outside. The room we had was a bit on the small side compared to more modern hotels, but it had a lot more charm with a french country theme. They had a very nice complementary continental breadfast and they were good about re-stocking supplies as needed. All-in-all it was a nice change from the big chain modern hotels.

We walked all over the downtown shopping area of Ashland on Saturday. Of course I had to visit the yarn shop that I had heard about. I did some Stash Enrichment while I was there. Unfortunately I don't have picture to show of the yarn that I got because I lost my camera. I kept looking for it when we got home in my suitcase, the car, the trunk and in my knitting bag and couldn't find it anywhere. So I called the Hotel on the off chance that I had left it in the room. Well, I hadn't left it in the room, but it was found by some honest, wonderful person in the parking lot and the hotel is going to mail it to me.

The yarn shop that I went to was The Web-sters. They have avariety of things to choose from for knitting, crocheting, weaving, or spinning.

Saturday night we went to a play at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre and watched the play Honky Tonk Laundry. The play was alot of fun. They serve dinner if you like at the theatre before the show. You can also order drinks, appetizers, and dessert. The dessert is served at intermission. All food is billed separately from the play tickets. Another plus was that the theatre was less than a block from our hotel, so, needless to say we walked to the show.

We decided not to eat at the theatre. The restaurant that we ate at (Tabu) was only a couple of blocks from our hotel. They serve "Nuevo Latino Cuisine". We were the first customers of the evening, and the service was good, as was the food.

After dinner, we walked around some more to let our dinner settle before going to the show. On Sunday, I paid for all that walking up and downhill and had some very sore muscles. It was nice to be able to get outside and walk and not be rained on. So far this year we have had over 70 inches of rain. Keep in mind our rain year starts in June.

Today actually looks like it is going to be a nice day. I have already mopped floors, run a few errands, made some calls, started preparations for dinner tonight and I'm going to the LYS soon to knit with friends. Whew - I think I have spring fever! The sun is out and I plan on taking Brinkleigh my Golden Retriever for a walk later this afternoon. I think she needs the exercise after being cooped up in the house so much! Okay, I need the exercise too!