More Socks

I finished these socks over the weekend. They are "Jewelled Steps" from "New Pathways for Sock Knitters" by Cat Bordhi. The pattern was a joy to knit and the socks fit great! The yarn is Colinnette Jitterbug in color Summer Berries. The photo looks dark and muted, but the colors are really bright and fun. Knit toe-up on size 1 (2.25 mm) dpns.

Sock Madness Round 4 Completed

I finished round 4, but too late. Now I can take my time with the patterns. I loved this round's pattern, but I chose a yarn that had too much color variegation, so it’s difficult to see the leaf pattern on the top of the foot. The socks fit great and are very comfortable. This is my favorite pattern, so far.
This was my first time to knit with Claudia Hand Painted sock yarn and I loved it. It is softer than many other sock wools, and has a beautiful sheen to it. The weight is perfect for my sock tastes and the colors don't pool in crazy ways. I'll definitely keep this one on my mind to buy for sock knitting in the future.

Jeweled Steps Socks

I finished about half of the instep increases on the sock, yesterday. When I tried it on, it was huge! So, I ripped and started re-knitting, this morning. I have about 2 inches finished. I went from the size 9" down to the 8" size. Fortunately, I was able to rip back to just before the last set of increases on the toe so that I didn't have to re-knit the entire toe. The yarn is not pooling as much, and I like the effect very much. When I originally knit the Sock Madness Zombie Socks in this yarn, it pooled horribly. With 64 stitches on size 1 needles, it only pooled a little and I was already happier with the effect, but WOW, I love the effect of knitting on only 56 stitches! I can hardly believe what a great difference it makes.

Crazy for Season's Sock Club

I received the sock yarn for the club, called Slip into Spring. Its lovely, but with Sock Madness, I'll have to wait a little while before casting on.

Sock Madness Round 3 Completed

I finished these socks on Sunday evening. I made it into round 4! I used Elann's Pervian Baby Silk in Banana Cream and Chocolate. They fit well and are very soft.

Surprise Package

When I arrived home, last Friday, I had 2 packages waiting. One from Elann, and the other from Guro. The second arrived from Norway in less than 6 days. The only thing is, I'm not sure why this was sent to me! I'm hoping to get a comment or email regarding this one. There are 2 great yarns, 2 chocolates and 2 fish stitch markers and what I think are 2 buds that bloom when you make tea with them. I'd love to give credit to the exact sender, but am unsure who it might be!
From Elann, I received a dpn organizer. I originally ordered one and was sent the wrong one. It was smaller than the one that I wanted. I contacted them and their customer service was exceptional, sending out the correct one on the same day. I've put my needles in it and it is going to work just perfectly.

ETA: The package was for winning a contest that I forgot about from Guro! Thanks, you did wonderfully putting it together!

Lace Henley Finished!

I finished the Lace Henley, last night. It is beautiful. Since I made it with a mostly cotton yarn, its still drying after the harsh blocking that I gave it. I can hardly wait to post a picture and wear this beautiful sweater.

I found a pattern in the latest Interweave Crochet that I just love, so I ordered yarn and the magazine. I tried crocheting the swatch last night, but after 20 minutes, my hands and shoulder were hurting so much that I've decided to use the yarn to knit the Auburn Camp Shirt from Interweave Knits, instead. I'm so dissapointed as I really love the Butterscotch Cardigan. The yarn I bought is Elann's Peruvian Baby Silk in Seashell Pink. Its a lovely, soft yarn that I am looking forward to knitting and wearing. I'll have to wait a little while to have much time to work on it, though, as I am expecting the next pattern for Sock Madness by tomorrow night. I'll probably cast on for the shirt tonight, any way though! :)

Decluttering the House

Recently I found a Yahoo group, Fly Lady, that has been encouraging me to declutter and really clean up around the house. Two of my favorite sayings from the site are: 1) Why not now? and 2) Set the timer and work on it for just 15 minutes. It has amazed me how much I can get done in as little as 15 minutes. I've cleaned and reorganized so many, many places, drawers and closets in the short 6 weeks that I've been reading her daily emails. I am starting to feel more relaxed in my own home, which I absolutely love. Now, mind you, my home really wasn't very dirty or that disorganized as I was doing an alright job before. However, I was stressed out by how and when I was doing what I was doing, if that makes any sense. I've been reading the testimonials about the various tools that she sells (to keep the website free) and how great they are. So, the other day I decided to place a small order and test out a couple of those tools. This first one, is the Rubba Scrubba. In my kitchen and bathrooms, the cabinet doors have lots of little corners that collect dust and are just about impossible to wipe with a cloth. Enter this handy tool and they're all clean in just 10 minutes! I also used it to pull the cat hair off my favorite wool coat. It worked well for loosening it so that a regular lint brush could do its work in a much shorter time. All in all, I'm hooked! :)

More on the Weather

These last few days have been far more normal for Seattle weather. We've had morning fog, so thick it felt like you could cut it with a knife, so sunny afternoons that from inside it looks like it should be 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and lots of rain. Quite a mix for just a few days, hmm? It has been nice to see the sun and to have the weather a little warmer and more spring like!

Wee Tiny Exchange Package

I received my Wee Tiny Sock from Alice of Florida, this week! She sent not one, but two socks and a set of stitch markers. They're so lovely. I put the larger sock on a magnet clip that I have holding a church calendar on my refrigerator. It really dresses up the magnet. I'm trying to decide whether or not to put the other one on my key chain. I have a tendency to be very hard on those kind of things and don't want to lose or ruin the sock! (By the way, she even blocked these, which is something I didn't even think to do with mine.)

Sock Madness Round 2

I've finished my socks for this round of Sock Madness. My group has 17 out of 20 people done, as of this morning. I loved this pattern and they fit beautifully. When I first received the gauge, yarn and needle statistics (before receiving the pattern) I knew that the yarn that the desinger used, on US size 1 needles would be nearly impossible for me to get 8.5 stitches to the inch. So, I chose a lighter weight yarn and then knit with US size 0s. This made for a near perfect gauge. I love the socks, knit in Elann's Sock It To Me 4 ply. I'm not sure how I'll do with the garter stitch foot, but it sure looks nice! :)

Round 2, First Sock Finished

I finished the first sock for Round 2 of Sock Madness, last night. I was hoping to get the next one started, too, but there just weren't enough hours! I did, however, start this morning while riding into work. I'm hoping I'll get through the first 12 pattern rows, or so by the time I arrive home tonight.

More Crazy "Spring" Weather

Yesterday we had hail and lots of it! They were about 1/2 inch (1cm) in diameter. Even an hour later, it still looked like snow on the ground.