How Can I Have an 18 yo?

Impossible as it may seem to me, it is all too true!
Today, my firstborn is 18!
Happy Birthday, I love you!!!!

Serpentine Socks for Sockamania

Pattern: Serpentine for Sockamania July, 2007
Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Bitterroot Rainbow
Needles: Addi Turbo 1 and 2
Start date: July 15, 2007
Finish date: July 29, 2007

Details: Loved the pattern, but need to learn to cable without a needle. I tend to use a small crochet hook for cabling, but it's a pain. You'd think with all the cabling I've done I would have learned already. I modified the heel, which calls for a heel flap/gusset for a toe-up sock, but I wasn't sure I'd have enough yarn, so I reverted back to my old standby--the afterthought heel. Toe is also different than called for in the pattern--I just used Turkish cast-on and increased every other row until I had 64 total stitches. I did decrease a bit on the sole side of the foot, as the sock wasn't fitting snug enough for my taste. After I added the scrap yarn for the heel, I knit another repeat and then increased the sole side back up to 32 stitches and started the cable pattern the whole way around the sock. I went up a size needle for the last 1.5-2 inches of cuff just to make sure it had enough give. Bind off, is just a regular bind off--I tried the one I used on the Monkeys, but it was too loose.

Love the yarn too! Very warm due to a tiny bit of mohair. I have one more skein in the stash, but will have to look for other colors that strike my fancy.

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In other fibery news~~I am almost to the final 12 row repeat for The Girlfriend Ripple. Just 14 stripes to go. I'm hoping to have this finished by next week.

No work has been done on MS3--see above.

Neither has any work been accomplished on the Mystery Sock Monkey Socks. Again, see above.

This afternoon I hope to get my 2 stripe goal finished on the ripple and then at knitting night I'll work on the Sock Monkey socks.

August 1 marks the beginning of Sock a Month 4 KAL, as well as the Ravelry based Sockdown: Ravelry. For both KALs I will be knitting the same pair of socks~~ River Rapids by Sockbug in Briggs and Little Sport. At least that is the plan. We'll see how things go.

I'm Honored!

Twig totally shocked and honored me by bestowing on my little blog the

award!!!!

Thanks Twig!!!!!!!

It is now my pleasure to pass the award along to five worthy recipients:

1. Trek because she's been with me as a regular reader/commenter from virtually the first day I posted.
2. Kim of Knotty Purls. A member of our local SnB who keeps all of us in stitches!
3. Abigail of 1870 Pearl, sock knitter extraordinaire!
4. Opal of The Akamai Knitter, a fellow lover of socks, lace, and ripples!
5. Theresa of Knitting Underway because the first time I came across her blog it was in search of this sweater, and she has been inspiring me ever since.
   

Rock on ladies, rock on!

If I had them to give, all of you in my bloglines subs (all 134 of you) would have received an award for inspiring me to stretch myself beyond what I know I can do.
You all rock in my book!

MS3

I told you I joined Mystery Stole 3 designed and led by Melanie at Pink Lemon Twist. To say that the KAL has been well-received is an understatement of epic proportions! Last I checked there were over 6500 knitters signed-up to knit this project (sign-ups closed on July 6th, so don't even try to join now.) Some hover around the site waiting for each clue to be released on Friday mornings, so they can have the clue finished by Saturday morning at the latest. Others, like yours truly, are taking their sweet time to knit the stole. Hence the Mystery Stole Slow Bee button on the sidebar. So far three clues have been released. This is the current incarnation of my MS3--at the end of clue #1. I had hoped to work on it this evening when I got home from SnB, but I'm too tired, and I haven't even printed out the next clue yet. So it can wait until tomorrow.

My current foray into lace knitting has not been without its bumps. I've had to rip back several rows twice--the first time after working on the stole while at SnB last week, and the second the next day. Virtually all the ladies I knit with will tell you you can't knit lace at SnB and not expect to rip out half of what you knitted the next day. So yes, that did happen to me, but it wasn't because of working on it at knitting night. I would have made the same mistake(s) no matter where I worked on the stole because seemingly, I cannot count to 3, 4, or 8. I learned last year when working on a shawl/stole with a lot of knit stitches between increases and decreases to count the number of knit stitches and write it in the first knit stitch box of that section. Well, in two places on one row and one place on the next I proved that I cannot count. Sigh. When I sit down to write in the number of knit stitches on the clues to come, I will make sure I double check my count. Every. Time. Lesson learned.

Now, about the pattern. So far it is gorgeous! I fall more in love with it with each clue. I'm using a slightly heavier yarn than Melanie suggested, but I had it in the stash and wanted to use it. It's the remaining cone of Colourmart cashmere leftover from my Sampler Shawl of last summer. I know in the photo the knitting looks rather loose. The reason is that in its present state the coned cashmere most closely resembles string. This is due to the amount of oil in the yarn. Once washed in very, very hot water and Dawn, the yarn blooms and becomes oh, so soft! I'm accounting for that blooming in my choice of knitting this yarn on size 6 Addis. The beads I am using to embellish the stole are 6/0 beads in light amber. Melanie does not call for us to prestring the beads as they are used sparingly. She recommends the use of a crochet hook to attach each bead to its stitch before knitting the stitch. I, however, have listened to the wisdom of the knitters on the yahoogroup and am using Super Floss (Mint flavor optional) leftover (unused, of course) from The Teen's time with braces. This stuff is a real treasure for knitters who want to add beads to their projects. The fuzzy end of the floss holds the beads securely in place on the floss--no errant beads dribbling off the end of the floss with this baby! I preload this end with 10 or so beads and keep it nearby while I work. When I come to the next stitch that needs a bead, I just run the smooth end of the floss through the stitch to which I want to attach the bead, slide the same end of the floss through the bead and move it down the floss. Gently remove the stitch from the left needle, slide the bead down the floss and onto the stitch. Replace the stitch on the left needle and knit as normal. Easy Peasy!

I'm sure you'll be quite tired of my stole updates by the time I finish MS3. I promise (cross my heart) to only show a progress photo at the end of each clue, and then the big reveal at the end, all laundered and soft! Can't wait!!! Trouble is, I have that pesky ripple to finish. Must. Crochet. So. I. Can. Knit. Lace.

Monkey Socks

My modified monkey socks are finished! Yay! They are my first pair for Summer of Socks 2007. My goal is four pair.

Details:
Pattern: Monkey Socks by Cookie A.; do you really need the link? Oh okay, here ya are.

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Wild Cherries, gifted by Trish in Knitter's Tea Swap 1 last May (The yarn made a super pair of socks! Thanks, Trish!)

Needles: Addi Turbo size 1 40" circ (increased to size 2 for the last two inches)

Start date: June, 2007

Finish date: July 16, 2007

Modifications: Toe-up--but it's me you're reading, so that was a given, right? Knit all purls, changed yo to M1. Short row heel. 15 total repeats of pattern--7 on foot and 8 on the leg.

Thoughts: LOVE them!!!! Nice and snug even though worked over 64 stitches. I love the non-holeyness. Wonderful color and fun pattern. I may have to make more Monkeys, but I have other patterns I'd like to try first.

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My focus will turn away from socks for the time being because I have another ripple to finish. I'm a little more than 1/3 of the way through the 60 colored stripes on The Girlfriend ripple. My goal is at least two stripes (4 rows) per day. Any time leftover will be spent on MS3 (post to come soon) and a new pair of socks. Likely the latest installment from Sockamania or Socktopia (both of which I have just recently joined. It is the Summer of Socks after all!)

Speaking of socks, check out this kewl sock bag from Knitting Ewe (These are to commemorate Sockapalooza 4, but I am not participating this time. However, I AM working on a Sock Monkey Sock, so I thought the bag would be oh, so appropriate.) Once I saw how cute the bags were, I couldn't resist! And they are reversible!!!! With each you see the main color with the bottom folded up so that you can see that too--side A on left, side B on right. Cute, huh?!? Go get one!

Ripple #1 Complete!

Here it is in all its rippliness! College Dude's ripple blanket is finished!

Details:

Pattern: Soft Waves from 200 Ripple Patterns by Jan Eaton (#19, I think)

Yarn: 17 balls of Cascade 220 superwash in various colors. Each color was used three times in 3 rows of dc

Hook: Size H

Finished size 55" x 75"

With this yarn and hook size I started with 195 chains, but probably could have gone a bit wider. The photo at left shows the blanket spread out on my full bed, so it should hang down a bit on each side on CD's twin at school. The length is perfect for him. I am very, very pleased with the results, and I think he is too. While I have enjoyed working on it immensely, I am taking a week break from The Girlfriend ripple to focus on socks.......and lace.

Yep, as you can tell from the sidebar over there I caved and joined Mystery Stole 3 (actually I joined way back when it first opened, but had not planned on working on the stole until fall. That is until yesterday......I swatched.......and bought beads. I'm a goner!) The KAL is now closed to new members, but you can follow the progress on lots of MS3 by clicking on the pattern in Ravelry or by checking out the Flickr pool here.

Today, however, is for socks. I hope to have progress photos on Tuesday of the Monkey socks up past the short row heel. I may even work a bit on the second Mystery Sock Monkey sock. It's hot here in Virginia--pushing 100 today. Yet another reason to put off the ripple and work on socks......in the air conditioning!

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes on our anniversary!!!!