Lovin' It

The focus of my love can be summed up in one word this week....................

SPRING

Especially appropriate today as the temperature is a good 20+ degrees cooler and the sky is low and grey.

Weekend Update

Good Morning All! I'm feeling very chipper this morning after my first night of more than 3 hours sleep in oh.....three nights. I've been suffering with a cold and was trying to fight it without drugs, but I was so exhausted last night I had to give in. I purchased some of the good stuff (pseudo-ephedrine~~I have to be careful taking this due to heart palapitations) from over-the-counter at the store and can breathe again! Yay!!! I still had to sleep sitting up, but sleep I did. It's a bright sunny day here in Virginia, with temps to reach the upper 70s and prospects look good for a beautiful week to come.

Due to the cold/lack of sleep and the general in a fog feeling it induces in me I have not done a whole lot this week. Only hit the gym twice, and had to finish early the second day because I was just whipped. I did do a thorough sift through The Terror's toys and games and carted a bunch of stuff to the consignment store yesterday. While there I caught sight of one of those cool wooden stands with colored bins for storing stuff in a kid's room. Prior to this I've been storing his stuff in a bunch of different bins with lids I've picked up at Walmart. They took up a lot of floor space and didn't look all that nice in the room. As soon as I saw the bin storage system I grabbed it.

Ahhhh, much better! For him and for me. He doesn't like to play in a messy room, but wasn't great about keeping the toys picked up with the other system. I'm hoping this one will make it easier to do a quick clean up before bed each night. (And an added bonus is that it will make a great yarn storage system after he's outgrown it!)

I have done a little knitting, I mention this because I know it's what you come here for, not photos of my kid's room. I've been working on the SSS socks (August 2006 pattern) from Six-Sox-Knitalong in Vesper Petal. I saw the pattern knit up on another blog and fell in love with it immediately. That one was done in a slightly variegated deep red, and I thought my pink Petal would look fantastic using this pattern. I think I may be right. The original was knit up in a yarn that had a definite wide striping pattern, which I think hides the scale-like look of the stitch and competes with the stitch. This yarn and stitch pattern definitely compliment, not compete with, each other.

In other knitterly news, the preview for IK Summer '07 is up and I found two that I'd like to make.

The first, on the left, is the Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt, which is knit in Louet Euroflax Sport Weight (100% wet-spun linen; 270 yd [247 m]/100 g), but I'm thinking of giving the KnitPicks CotLin a try for this top. My budget can handle the top for less than $20, but $60+ not so much. Opinions on this yarn for the project?

The second, on the right, is the Lutea Lace Shoulder Shell done in Classic Elite Sundance (50% cotton, 50% microfiber; 83 yd [76 m]/50 g). I don't know anything about the yarn. It seems sort of thick for a summer top, especially for here in the south. With this yarn we again run into cost as a factor. I know, I know. But the smallest size takes 6 balls of the yarn--I see prices online running $5.50 to 6.50 and up, so we're talking $33 minimum, and I am NO size small. For other budget minded folks, what about KnitPicks Shine for this one. Is Shine too heavy for a lightweight summer top?

Some of the other patterns were more difficult to see the details or too heavy for summertime knitting, but I may be interested in them as fall/winter knits sometime in the future. I'll have to check the patterns out when the magazine arrives.

Spring is calling, so what are doing sitting at your computer? Go on, get outside and enjoy!

Sock Knitting Heretic?

Okay, you guys know I am all about knitting socks. Rare is the time that I don't have at least one pair in progress~~currently there are two pairs on the needles. But recently I've been rethinking what makes a great sock yarn. It all started when I was at my lys purchasing some Baby Ull to use for the Mystery Monkey Socks. The yarn is super soft, btw, and a delight to knit with. Two of the store owners were there when I made the purchase and asked what my favorite sock yarn was. In reply I first asked whether they really wanted to know, since they don't carry it~~said with a laugh. They replied that of course they did. So what do you think popped out of my mouth in answer--Vesper? Socks that Rock? Sock Hop? Sundara? Nope. My immediate answer was..............Trekking. Yes, I said it. Trekking is my favorite sock yarn. I know, I know. I made a huge deal about the Vesper a couple of weeks ago, and currently have a killer pair in Vesper Petal on the needles. I LOVE the stuff. I love the colors. I love the feel of the yarn. I love the way they stripe. But all that being true my first love is still the Trekking. You saw the picture last time; I have enough for five pairs of socks~~the most of any other variety of sock yarn in my stash (Vesper is running a close second with enough for 3 pairs). Why you ask? Why this love for the Trekking?

Well, first, let's revisit the first pair of socks I made for myself. Here they are in all their glory, hot off the needles on January 1, 2006. Since then I have worn them.....LOTS. At least two to three times a week for all but the hottest months of the year. I have them on right now, and ya know they look just as good now as they did then. They wear like iron, like iron, I tell you. (With some of the other more expensive yarns, which haven't been worn nearly as much, I have experienced felting~~from wear, not washing, fading, holes, just to name a few angst inducing situations for a sock knitter.) And the cool variegated striping~~what's not to love?!? Trekking has jacquard, as well more traditional striping yarn, but I am enamoured with this type. Hence the other 5 pairs worth in my stash. Another plus for me is the price. I can get just about two pairs of Trekking socks for the price of one pair made from the luxury sock yarns. Yeah, as the time for Math Guy (soon to be College Dude) to leave for school looms closer and closer, I'm becoming more budget minded. Trekking is definitely not a budget buster. Don't get me wrong, my love for the Trekking isn't going to keep me from the occasional splurge on a great luxury sock yarn. But my go to yarn is definitely the Trekking. Does that make me a sock yarn heretic?

Lovin' It

Here's what I'm lovin' this week:

• Summer sheets
• Trekking yarn
• Blue skies, dry roads, warmer temperatures, and time to get out on my bike
• Knitting night
• Project Spectrum colors
• Progress on a long set aside project (fronts and back complete)
• The rarely-heard-in-the-wild call of a teen saying, 'That was a good meal, Mom!' (Heard over a dinner of pot roast, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans last night.)
• Flowering dogwood against a clear blue sky
• Naptime :o)
• Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen Fun read.
• A cool place to visit: Pemberley There is a group read of Pride and Prejudice starting April 29th!
• Yarn cupcakes

He Arose!!!!!

Alleluia, Christ arose!!!!

Easter Weekend in Virginia: A Photo Essay

Because who needs words when you wake up to this?

What I'm Lovin' This Week

I've been reading Love Thursday over at She Knits Shizknits for a few weeks now and just love the idea of really thinking about the things I love. Sometimes it is very easy to focus on the bad or only remember the things that annoy me. Today I want to focus on those moments in time that I otherwise may take for granted.

This week I'm lovin'

• The whirring sound of the road under my bike's tires
• An eagle's majestic soaring
• The voice of a tired 4 year old, 'Mommy, I need to 'nuggle with you.'
• Open windows
• Frogs singing amongst the cattails at night
• Swinging under the maple in my backyard on a warm spring afternoon
• The completion of one project and the contemplation of another
• The chaos of Lincoln Logs all over my living room floor
• The hand of my eldest reaching out to hold the hand of my youngest as they walk ahead of me into the doctor's office
• New books to read
• Peace and quiet at the end of a long day

French Market Bag

I added this one to the Projects in Progress section of my sidebar without mentioning it in my blog itself. While blog surfing last week I came across a recently finished version and felt (no pun intended) I needed to make one of my own. I've had the yarn for eons it seems, so it was time to pull it out and get started. My initial plan was to use some recycled yarn from the monstrosity sweater I made Mr Fix-it way back when, but that concept went quickly out the window when I realized I had enough feltable yarn in the red family to do the whole bag. I started out with the bulkiest yarn for the bottom--KnitPicks WOA Bulky, courtesy of Opal as a prize in a contest she held in the fall, I think. The next section up is KnitPicks Sierra in Cranberry, then two skeins of Manos in a wonderfully fall looking variegated, and finally two skeins of KnitPicks WOA in Cranberry. I purposefully used smaller yarn as I went up the bag in the hopes that it would pull the sides in a bit.

Details:

Pattern: French Market Bag by Polly Outhwaite in Knitty

Yarn: Manos, WOA Bulky, WOA, Sierra (approx 510 yds)
Needle: Size 7 Addi
Start Date: March 29, 2007

Finish Date: April 3, 2007

Modifications:

• Used yarn of different gauges in an attempt to get the bag to pull in a bit at the top so that items wouldn't just spill out.
• Knitted longer handles for easy over the shoulder carrying.
• Made the body of the bag deeper to be able to carry more.

The top picture shows more of the shape of the bag~~I have a ton of stuff crammed into it in that photo, so it is very roomy. The photo on the left is more accurate colorwise.

Thoughts: Surprisingly enough this one turned out just as I wanted. This is my first felting project, so I was a bit nervous about it in that respect, otherwise just mindless knitting. Just what I needed the last 4 or 5 days. The body of the bag shrank a lot in depth, but not much in width (23 wide x 15 deep prefelting~~ 20 x 10 postfelting. The 10 inches is just to the top of the dark red I used for the bottom. These measurements were taken when the bag was totally flat on the table.) The straps also drew in a couple of inches, but I had hoped that they would. I'm not sure if this will become my knitting bag or just be used as my everyday hauling the stuff I need around bag. I love it! I have more planned as Christmas gifts. Yes, I know, it is so 2004, but better late than never.

In the works:Guess what arrived on Monday, right before I headed out the door to SnB! My backordered Vesper sock yarn!!! Isn't it wonderful?!?!

Also purchased (with store credit I've been hanging on to) on Monday: On the left we have five skeins of DB Alpaca Silk (35% off, thank you very much! This stuff is unbelievably soft!) for a scarf from Victorian Lace Today for my mom for Christmas, and on the right are 3 balls of Baby Ull for the Mystery Monkey Socks designed by Rebecca. I hope to get these cast on tonight before Lost starts.

It's been a wicked day, I think I'll head out to the swing for some quiet time with Mr Fix-it before it's time to start dinner.