fullofstitches.com Blog

That’s my whole excuse for not blogging lately. That, and when I spend time actually doing things, I end up with little time to write about it.

Nephew Z’s birthday party was Saturday. We had a great time at the river! Then, we drove up to Papa’s house (FIL) and had a pleasant visit. It was so cute, Friday the children got up and packed their suitcases and were watching the clock like hawks waiting for Daddy to come home and take them to Papa’s for a sleepover! They had to wait a day, but they were so happy!

This morning, I started the Queen of Diamond Gloves from Knit Picks. They’re coming out cute and would fit great in the right gauge.. and if I had distorted fingers.. Apparently, I missed something when I placed my markers and the back of the hand side grew, but the palm side grew more slowly. There’s no reference in the directions on how many stitches end up between the markers, so I had hoped that I hadn’t really blundered.. Then it became more obvious. The thumb seems okay, but the pinky is using half the palm stitches instead of being on the end… I’m half tempted to just finish it as is and let the children have it for the dress up box. I haven’t taken any photos yet.

Barb gave me some Bamboo yarn when she was here last. I think it’s Regia Bamboo (I’ll have to get up to look, but at the rate I’m going, I won’t make it back to actually post this today). I used knitty’s Widdershins pattern again. I should have gone up a needle size, so I used a k2p1 ribbing and made them longer to have enough fabric to stretch. I started the first from the outside of the skein and the second from the inside and knit till there was just enough to bind off. They fit fine, I’m getting used to the color.

A couple weeks ago, we went to the LYS. TJ asked me to make a sweater from “Gold, Silver, and Copper” for him. He drew me a picture so that I do it right. We’ve discussed it and I’ve begun.

I’ve got a few repeats of the stripes done. Each stripe is 1 inch. I wonder how long I should make it..

I started the Summer Garden Socks on our drive this weekend. Turns out that I’m starting to knit more tight than I used to, so they’re a little snug. Will have to rip and reknit. I may just rip and use on a different patten, but this is a neat knit!

I’ve decide to join the Six Sox Knit-along. I’m really excited because some of the socks look really interesting. Right now, they have a neat lightning-lace going on. I won’t be making these ones because I read what the name means:

“A Horcrux is defined by Rowling as a “receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality.
A Horcrux can be made from any normal object: Lord Voldemort used a diary, a ring, and other objects as Horcruxes. Horcruxes may be concealed for security, but if discovered are vulnerable to destruction…”

It took me weeks, but I had actually started a pair. But I’m feeling rather convicted now that I read that. I don’t support the whole Harry Potter thing, the Bible teaches not to have dealings with magic. So, I won’t make these socks (even though, one might argue, they’re just socks) because they represent magical items.

If you’d like to join SixSox, a new pattern should be out in just a couple weeks. Plus, many of the older patterns are on file at the group.

I found the Regia Bamboo sock that I’d been working on and hope to have a pair of those made in time for the next pattern. Or better, get those and a pair from one of the older sixsox patterns done!

Not Quite..

Originally uploaded by fullofstitches.

It’s one of those days, I think.

I’ve got another 2-3 inches to go before I reach the proper length for my Schottische Kilt Hose. I just ripped out the heel and reseated the needles.. Now I can’t find my working needle!



Better news, though: the children love No-Bake cookies!
(adapted from Betty Crocker Cookie Book)

1 cup (6 oz) chips: semisweet chocolate or peanut butter chips
1/4 cup liquid sweet: light or dark corn syrup, or maple syrup, or honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup nuts (they call for peanuts, we used pecans)

In a saucepan, heat all ingredients -except oats and nuts- until smooth, stirring to keep from burning. Remove from heat, add oats and nuts, and stir until well coated. Place onto wax paper (on a cookie sheet or in a container) by rounded spoonfuls. Refrigerate until cooled (if you can resist- this lets the moist ingredients soak into the oats), and enjoy!

First Socks of 2007

Originally uploaded by fullofstitches.

Too close to the work. Do you get that feeling? Stitching away muttering to yourself, “What was I thinking?” or “I must really hate myself…” But, you persist. Finally, you get to the end and, bracing yourself, put the work where it belongs..

And, it looks good.

These socks fit me! This is the first pair that I’ve made for me that fit me! And, they’re toe-up! And, from this distance, I like the stripes.

(I had to brighten the picture, this was taken in the dawn’s early light. Some flecks of red in the dark stripes can be seen.)


Pattern: Widdershins from knitty.com
Yarn: Lion Brand Magic Stripes - Lumberjack
Size: 54 sts
Needles: US1 dpn

HELP!! I’m trying out an old pattern free on the net called “Knitted Sock, Adapted For a Child Three Years Old.” I’ve gone through the half mile of ribbing and am to the pattern. It alternates a lace pattern and knitted rows. The 3d row is *wrong*.

The sock is 96 sts:
‘1st’ round works a multiple of 12 (stays 96),
‘3d’ works on a multiple of 17 sts -keeping a multiple of 17:
K1, Tf, K2t. K1, Tf, K3t. Tf, K6, K2t. Tf, K2. Repeat.
which I’m reading as: k1, yo, k2tog; k1, yo, k3tog; yo, k6, k2tog; yo, k2.
‘5th’ worked on multiple of 12 again, and
‘7th’ works on multiple of 12.

I’m thinking eliminate an extra knit stitch on ‘3d’ and keep all other rows multiples of 12 somehow. Does this sound about right? 8 repeats on lines ‘1st,’ ‘5th,’ and ‘7th,’ and 6 repeats on line ‘3d.’ Has anyone actually made this sock?

Oh! I think I just found my mistake! I can’t read!! Seriously, though, should I reduce the K6 to K5, or just drop the last st from the end of the repeat?

I’ve been working hard away at knitting up these socks for you. I’ve been watching oh so closely as the colors pool and swirl and do odd things. I remembered that you wanted them shorter, but hadn’t read ahead in the instructions before beginning them. There’s calf-shaping for the original 8.5 inch legs and you only wanted 6 inches. Well, I had to finish the shaping to get to the right stitch count for the heel/foot area.

I know your like a fashionable Diva. I don’t want these socks to be a total and utter disappointment to you. If you don’t like them now, tell me.
(and I’ll keep them )

Isn’t that swirl cool? (my toes look funny because they’re curled on the edge of the coffee table)

And, check out the children:

This is TJ’s version of botany class. He keeps an eye on the garden and brings in good eats. Here, he’s slicing up one of our bell peppers to share with the girls and me.

I was working on making AuntGerry’s socks when my dear husband IM’d and asked if I wanted to go to a concert. I asked who was playing, Beck he replied. Isn’t that a beer, I asked.
(Gerry’s socks earlier - better light)

So, I packed the children in the van and headed to his work. I stopped by Chipotle, grabbed some dinner, and brought that with. They had a stage set up in the midst of the main campus.
(Ben’ll appreciate the signage -though I can’t read it at this size: “Yahoo Hack Day”)

We ate in the break room in building A, then went upstairs for something at Ben’s desk. He wandered out on the bridge between buildings for a view and we ended up staying there for the concert. There were only a couple others there, mostly for pictures. The children had free run of the bridge and were dancing and running around.

They had these puppets of the band and their own stage in the middle (see men in black) The screen mainly showed the puppets, though they did run around with “Puppet Cam” on and show the band and audience a couple times. Whatever the band was doing, the puppets were immitating.

TJ had me buy a pumpkin to make a bird feeder a week or so ago. It’s been sitting on my counter as an extra paperweight since. So, on Monday or Tuesday, whilst awaiting my Sock Wars fate, I cut it up and steamed it. (Note: it’s easiest to peel the pumpkin *after* it’s been cooked) When it finished steaming, I skinned it and mashed it and put it in a container in the fridge. This morning, I was able to get to the store to buy more milk -we were out- and when I returned home I made Pumpkin Muffins:
(note to self: 2cups= ~16oz can)
There were a dozen to start, but the children and I ate them all up! They were so good!

Last week, I’d started on a ’sampler’ from Ethnic Socks & Stockings by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. Last night, I pulled the second one out again. I’d only finished to the row above adding waste yarn for the heel insert. I started looking around for my little ball of green that I’d been using and realized that it was the same yarn that I’d used in the green almost Sock Wars socks that I’d ended up finishing for Ben.

That pair had eaten up *all* the balls of Jo Sharp green that I’d had lying around. There was no more of that green!

I started looking around and found the Arrrrgyles. They were using a green yarn.. It wasn’t far off the Jo Sharp! A bit more celery than sage, and smoother, but when it’s just for the leaves, who’s really going to take notice? I pulled out 2 lengths, folded each in half so that I could knit the 2 ankle motifs with doubled strands and got to work. Before going to bed, I had those leaves done and had begun the red for the flowers.

Today, I finished the sock legs and turned it inside out to weave in the majority of the ends. I found a tiny ball of the original green in there!!!! It was just enough to work the heel motif and tip! Now, I won’t worry about them wearing out at different rates because they’re worked in the same yarn. I did, however, forget in the mean time what I’d done to the first heel.. this time I followed the directions a tad bit better and it came out fine. I’d made the decreases on the heels 1 stitch away from the joins on the first, so I did the same on the second. But, I know I did the decreases in a weird order on the first sock to make it deeper.. Oh well.

I’ll have to get them on BB sometime, she does make that a challenge! We’ve been running around barefoot all summer and now that the mornings are cooler, socks are becoming required. Perhaps there’s too much Aunt Sue in her and she just doesn’t want to let the summer end!

That’s the official time that I completed the socks. All ends were woven in.

After some initial frustration with the green socks (um, I didn’t follow the ribbing pattern..), 3AM Sat I found this in my stash:

Ain’t he sweet? My poor hubby stood there while I rolled the yarn into 2 balls (he nearly fell asleep standing). Then we went to bed. After feeding children, etc, about 11:30AM was the actual start time of Socks of Doom - take 2.

Beware the fluff of DOOM!!!

What did I do different from the pattern? First, I flipped the heel flap. When I start with a knit row, there usually ends up being points where the gussets join the end of the flap. So, I turned my work and started with a purl row, ended with a knit row. Therefore the heel turn started on a purl row and ended on a knit row eliminating that pesky ‘knit back across’ that makes the points. Second, at the toe I was just shy of 8″, doing another pattern set would put me just over, so I knit 1 round then began the toe decreases.

Then I crocheted on the fluff…

I will mail these as soon as I can.

They also qualify for the Mystery Sock Pattern knit along. I joined a while back and haven’t found a pattern otherwise that sounded good and hadn’t been knitted a bunch. I knew this would end up being a pattern without a picture, so I planned on the SockWars pattern being at least 1 pair towards this knit-along.

(sigh) I have to start over… I was so close and then I had to go and read the comments on the blog and my error was brought to light. I’ve been working K3P1/K1P1 ribbing. It looks nice.. It’s just wrong.

On the plus side, those who questioned the sizing can quit worrying quite so much. My error isn’t far from the original ribbing, may be less stretchy, yet it fit well on both my husband’s foot and mine! I think it’s a tad snug to pull on past his heel, but once on it fits comfortably he says.. He wants them..

(longer sock is on Ben’s foot).