Oh, yea!

OH, yea, we're getting there...I'm down to 7.5 sts/inch at this point...And they're fitting a whole lot better...

 but still not as 'snug' as I would like them to be. So I'm on a hunt for some lantern moon size 1's. With all six needles in the package. That seems to be up for debate these days. According to the company the 5" needles of that size should have six in the package...but two stores in this area only had five. Makes you wonder-huh?

These, though have a gazillion mistakes in the lace ribbing. I know. and for the first time in a long time, I don't care.  This is proof that you shouldn't try to count when you're really tired. Eh? oh well...I'ma going to wear the tar out of them!

Since I still have my Mom's socks here, I couldn't resist the comparison shot. Or you could think of it as showing off two pairs knit in Wildfoote. Are you buying that one? hehe..

Here are the particulars of the socks that I used. From the Little Box of Socks, Wildfoote yarn, and Crystal Palace needles in size 1 1/2 (2.5mm), knitting them two at a time on double points. The yarn you see here, is what was left over from knitting my funky feet shaped socks. The sock it to me chart is very helpful, but I'm liking the way socks feet a little tighter and shorter than the charts and pattern say for my 'sized' feet.

This is what I had hoped to learn, how to knit socks to fit the way I want them to feel. I can do it with hats, but then again, I've knit up a good 500 or so of them over time. Can you imagine knitting up 500 pairs of socks?

I'm game. Bring it on!

Have you...

ordered your copy of the 2011 Dishcloth Calendar yet? I got mine (and my sample knits) back in the mail the other day. I ordered enough for my girls and my Mom besides one for me. Did you know that there are 88 pages here? And that you can now order the digital download rather than just the paper one. So, all of you that like to have yours in digital format, hop on over to www.dishclothcalendar.com and get it now! Just think, no shipping, no waiting for the mail to bring you one, and if you have a kindle type thingy...instant gratification. Me? I'm still debating on the digital deal thingy, but I am thinking about it. But I do so love to flip pages a lot!

ps. it's looking like there won't be a calendar next year. So hurry and get one this year!

It's mid PINK month!

It's Mid PINK month...how's your pink knitting coming along? Here's a little something I knit up the other day. Now...look closer...

 Check out the needles!

They're ChiaoGoo's in (US)7 (4.5mm) that I picked up from Yarns Unlimited on Pico Blvd in Santa Monica, CA the other day. I had gone on an 'Educational Field Trip for Moms' (aka teasing the duaghter's day) with

my friend Cyndi. Everyone, raise your knitting needles to her and wave hello! Not only is she a great friend, but are you ready for this? Mid July she was asking if I could help her learn to knit and she's (sit down for this) already knitting socks! And hats, and baby sweaters, and my favorite question from her went like this. 'Is it OK to buy yarn just because you like it?" followed up by "Can I just lay down in it" when viewing a picture of a stash of yarn. She is fearless! Every needs a friend who happens to knit who will jump in a car with you at a moment's notice to go check out new to her yarn stores, and then 'swing over' to Westwood where we proceeded to send pictures of Diddy Riese to our daughters who aren't able to get there at a moment's notice!

 Yes, we laughed and giggled our way into being bad Mothers for mercilessly tormenting our children over  

 white chocolate chip and Sugar and Cinnamon cookies after being at

 

 Jerry's Deli where I had...

 a reuben (mine was minus the sauerkraut!) and also sent cell phone pictures to my daughter. Yes, I am a bad Mommy. ;-)

While we were bouncing around the stores up here, I found these at Wildfiber. They're called DP Wip Tubes by Nancy's Knit Knacks. (click on knitting and needle tool links) Exactly what I needed in my knitting bag! They're cardboard tubes that will

fit around your double point needles.

And protect your knitting bag from being poked by the needles.

You just slip the blue side over your needles and the red section

over the top of the blue tube until they're a snuggle fit around your stitches! Easy as pie-right? The blue and yellow tube is for storing your double points that you're not using in your bag, too. Sadly they only had the one set on hand, but I'd love to get a couple of more. After all, how many projects do YOU have on your needles at once? Ya, that's what I thought. Me, too!

So, on that note, I'm off to figure out how to get the house cleaned, the kids hugged, and the socks finished while Cyndi and I decide where we're going to go today and tease our daughters via cell phone pictures. What ever did we do prior to having cell phones with picture capabilities? Oh ya, that's right, we drove in circles after school hours putting 300+ miles on our cars taking kids to soccer, baseball, softball, dance, church, band practices every week! Eish,...just thinking about it makes me tired all over again!

Still learning...

On Saturday I went shopping for a wedding dress with and for my middle daughter. After wards we ended up at the mall where I worked on the sock while the others all went in separate directions to shop with old gift cards.

 

I even tried it on a bit. It's coming along!

(sorry for the pour cell phone pictures...I've GOT to get a new phone soon!)

See? Hugged two more kids. It's always a good day when I can hug a kid. It's a bonus week when I can hug more than one these days. Still waiting to hug all four in one day. *sigh* It might be awhile.

**Double sigh** I only got these down to 7.5 stitches per inch. How in the world do people get socks down to 10 stitches per inch? I don't think I'll ever get that small a gauge! Good grief!

Still trying to wrap my head around...

Oh, ya, I'm hooked-big time. But I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around some of you who have commented and are just that good, to get your socks down to 10 stitches per inch! Oh, my goodness! And here I thought 7 was freakin' fabulous! But I think I just might have a clue why...

The other project that I've been working on? Is with size (US) 15's (10.0mm)-just a 'wee bit' larger than these (US)1.5 (2.5mm) sock needles! Learning to get the right 'feel' of a much smaller gauge has been an interesting journey. So.much.more.to.learn!

I say, Bring it!

When I grow up I want to be....

called a sock knitter!

Back on New Year's Day of 2007, I (for the first and only time in my life) gave myself two resolutions. The first was to learn to knit with multiple colors using intarsia and fair isle, and the second was to learn to knit socks. I've been practicing them ever since. 

And so today, I give you a pair of socks. Not just ANY socks. But socks for my Mom! This past summer her yellow slacks were one of her favorite pairs she picked to wear over and over again. When I walked into The Stitching Well, some Wildfoote yarn jumped right out at me and was the perfect color match for Mom's slacks. (yes, she wears slacks, not pants-there is a difference. She's 82, after all.)

I like the way the socks show up in this picture....

And this one...

But this picture shows the color much more accurately. Here are the particulars...

"Island Fudge" socks by Phyll Lagerman in her Michiganisms! line of patterns,  in women's large for size 11 narrow feet. Lantern Moon's sox stix in (US) 2 (2.75mm) needles, knit two at a time, Brown Sheep's Wildfoote 50 g wool (times two skeins) in SY-34 Lullaby color. They have not been blocked, yet. I need to find some sock blockers first. Then they'll be washed and blocked before I give them to Mom. Now, I also have to talk myself into waiting until her birthday in December to gift them to her. That might be the biggest problem yet! I'm terrible with hand knit gifts, I tend to want to give them asap. But then, I'd have to knit something else up in the meantime. See my dilemma?

Yes, I will knit these socks again, only in a much smaller size for me as well as many of her other sock patterns. After all, a Michigan girl HAS to have a slew of Michigan themed socks, right? Even if I only wear them for 2 months out of the year!

So, what did I do last night?

Cast on another pair of socks, but this time they're for me! I'm dropping the needle size down to a (US) 1 1/2 (2.5mm) on this pair. My feet aren't either size small or medium, but somewhere between the two. So, my hope is that if I knit the size medium directions with a smaller sized needle, pay attention to the actual length that I need, they just might feel like 'real socks'.

Every time I go into another yarn store, I go and touch their knitted socks. My aren't as 'tight' a gauge as I've found. Yet. So I keep asking what their tricks are. Smaller needles! Duh! I knew that, it's called...are you ready for it? Gauge.

Here's the particulars for this pair of socks: Lace Rib socks from The little box of Socks (don't you just loveeeeeeeeeeee Charlene Schurch's patterns?) Crystal Palace double point needles in (US) 1 1/2 (2.5mm), Brown Sheep's Wildfoote wool two 50 g skeins of SY-47 Surf Board Blue.  I have others that I'd like to knit socks for, but want to practice on my feet, first getting that 'just right' fit. Why?

Because I either need to send my relatives to China and have them start practicing foot binding, or find some smaller footed family members. Here's my size 6 1/2 wide socks next to Mom's 11 narrow socks. Can you see a difference? 'Just a bit', 'eh? I think it's a wiser idea to practice sock sizing on smaller feet. But what do I know? I'm still learning.

It's PINK Month-Show YOUR PINK!

PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK!!!!!!!!

 

In honor of My Mom, My Auntie, and all my survivor friends and my daughters so they can stay healthy! Support your favorite brands raising money for research! Go PINK!!!