Organized!

For a long time I have envisioned a wall hanging to hold my knitting needles. A long time. I had my DPNs in a mason jar just thrown in there. It looked all crafty and cute but is a pain in the butt when you are trying to find five of the same needle. The circulars were kind of in a bowl but that really wasn't working and then they were kind of clipped together on a clothes pin; that Really wasn't working. Finally I sat down and came up with this. Then there was the cutting out the pieces and the folding the pieces and the sewing the pieces. Sometimes I find sewing to be So tedious.
But here it is in all of its glory. Pockets for the DPNs and for the circulars.
Separated by size. I do hope to tag them but we'll see.
All the circs hanging down all pretty. I really thought I had a size 10. I guess not.
The back muslin like stuff is an ex-hemp shower curtain. The blue is something I picked up in a remnant bin forever ago. My favorite color and my favorite flower.
Now the question is will I be good and put the needles neatly away in their pocket when I'm done? Here's hoping!

At Home

It's been a busy week. Finally today we stayed home.

in the basket(s)

Totally inspired from SouleMama's post. Except for me we are talking baskets. Though this mostly stuff you've heard about. Not startitis here. I've been fighting it.....First off the sock basket, or the upstairs basket which is almost always a sock. I haven't shown off this basket yet; I got it from my mom for Chanukkah isn't it pretty! And of course the Angee sock; the second one if you want to keep track.
Second is the downstairs basket. This holds everything else; poor overwhelmed basket. On top you can see a commissioned bit of knitting. Won't bore you with golf covers. Under that you can see the sweater. And under all of that is the Forest Path Stole. Remember that thing?

And finally not really a basket but a bag is the scrap blanket. Slowly, slowly this thing is getting sewn together. The squares live in the bag. When I want a square I blindly reach in and grab one. Often if you are sitting next to me I will ask you to pull out a square; whether you want me to or not. All in the name of Random!

Soup and Sweater

Clean out the fridge soup with dumplings and the front of the sweater. Lovely things on a winter's day.

My First

My First Yarn. wow..... I'm quite happy. I mean no it's far from perfect or anything. It's a little over spun in places and very uneven. But it's my first. And it's yarn. I made yarn.
Fiber is from Lulubeans; actually I got the kit from her. I've drooled over her yarn for a long time and took the plunge with fiber. It's about 66yds of worsted to aran weight yarn. I'm thinking cowl.

Connecticut

So remember how I said I wanted to do a dishcloth for every state Mr. Gnome and I have lived in together? Yeah, see how that was back in 2008 and this is the second state. This year to get more dishcloths (because I really could use some more and because there are so many cute ones out there) I have instigated a monthly dishcloth knit for myself. Sometime mid month The Bug will pull a piece of paper out of a bag and on it will be the next dishcloth. This month was "state" which keeps me making the states in order we lived in them. Connecticut. The first state we moved to. The first state I lived in without my parents near by. We lived in this state for a little over a year. We both feel that was long enough.

The Problem

The problem with socks being the take along project is you get to this point where you start to suspect that the foot has reached it's desired length. But you really would rather try it on to make sure. But you are sitting in the Science Museum while your kid is in a class. You really don't want to take your shoe and sock off right here. Even as that crazy lady playing with string and sticks you know that would be odd. But what if it's too long and you have to rip out? What if it's too short and you have to rip out?Pay no attention to the woman taking off her shoe in the corner.

Neapolitan Pancakes

Chocolate Pancake batter and plain pancake batter cooked together. The chocolate is just using chocolate soy milk so it's not really all that chocolaty.

Then topped with warmed strawberries pulled from the freezer. Chocolate, vanilla (sort of) and strawberry.
We only have half a bag of frozen strawberries left from May's strawberry picking.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

A bit of a hat I made for Mr. Gnome. It's hand spun camel down. Fancy. Warm! Basic, basic. We're still watching Lost and I finished the squares for the blanket! Wooo. Thus I needed a sightless project. I tried sitting still I really did. I don't know how people do it.
The Bug has been big into making clothes for some paper dolls. She uses what she has to trace out the pieces then cuts them out and colors them. Good times.
Desperate knitting out times resulted in me using the caribeaner (Blogger and I don't really know how to spell this....sorry) from my key ring as a stitch holder. Totally worked, only a few people laughed at me....

Third time's the charm

or so they say. And you know how I feel about They.
This is the ripping out of the sock for the second time. The first was because I needed to go down a needle size. No big deal it happens I'd only done about 12 rounds. But I was at the library when I came to this realization. The Bug can spend an untested amount of time at the library. I usually knit and people watch during all of this.
This second time of ripping was because I was looking at the pattern and noticed something about ribbing and a ribbing chart (it's Cookie A.; charts for everything). Ah yes ribbing, it is a sock isn't it.... For some reason I went straight from casting on to the setup chart. Now I've done the ribbing, the setup chart, the two and a half repeats of the leg chart and the heel turn. All is going well.

January DAL

This month's Dye a Long theme was Polka Dots. I hadn't done any dying in a while, burnt out the alongs weren't as interesting to me. But polka dots. Fun!
I soaked the yarn in vinegar and water. Then spread it out on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil. Mixed some food coloring with vinegar and water. One Red, one Yellow, and one Blue; primaries so if there was some bleeding of overlay all would be good. Then The Bug and I flung the dye onto the yarn with paint brushes. It's fun to fling dye!
Then I covered it in tin foil stuck in the an oven set at 180 for 20 minutes. Turned off the oven and let it sit for about an hour before taking it out and removing the tin foil to let it cool.
And here it is reskeined and a bit bleached out by the camera. It's going to make some fun socks.

Fire And Ice

The color of Ice and as warm as Fire.
These were a great fun quick knit. Cables and Mock Cables! The pattern was Very well written. Lots to follow but still easy to understand. Yarn was Cascade's Lana D'Oro I got this in the goody bag at the Stitches Pajama Party. Knit up on size 4s giving me a mitten size between the small and the medium, just right for my hand measurement. I fully plan on wearing these today.
Pictures by The Bug.

{this moment}

As inspired by SouleMama.
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wanderin' Around

Back in September; at least I think it was in September, something like that, an idea struck me. It struck me so hard I had to frantically wind up a ball of yarn before we left the house. Now for some time I've wanted to make a pair of socks where the cables were determined by some sort of outside force. Making it random without me having to think too hard about the random thus negating the randomness. I know I think way to hard about random. I like random. The thought that struck me an hour before we were all going to go somewhere (don't ask me where I'm not even sure of the month) was I could cable the turns we made on our outings. Cable Right for a right turn, Cable Left for a left turn. Brilliant!
Months later here is the first sock. It came inside only for the heal turn and the toe decrease. Now Obviously I'm talking about the outings in which it is all three of us and Mr. Gnome is driving. I'm not that crazy.
Yes, we fall into the sexist rolls of Mr. Gnome driving when we are both going to be in the car. It's his only time in a car and it keeps him in practice. And it lets me knit.

Quilt!!!!

When all the layers were sewn together and the quilting was ready to commence I had to decide which squares to quilt. I didn't feel that every singe one needed it. So from each side and each corner The Bug and I tossed ten buttons across the surface.
Where each button landed I placed a safety pin to hold it all together and to mark which squares would be quilted. If a button landed in a plaid or otherwise printed square it was tossed again. If it landed in one where there was already a safety pin I put in a second to have to squares quilted in that square. A third time meant the button would be re-tossed. A lot of thinking for making something random but that's just the sort of person I am.
And here it is finished!
The back is two sheets cut and sewn. You can see here how very lumpy and not squared it truly is. sigh....
Attica approves.

5 Day Shawl

This is the last knit of 2010. I started it on December 25 and finished it on December 30. Well finished knitting it had to block and then I just wove in the ends today. So whatever.
I had intended it for myself as a shawl or wearable as a scarf. But really the color is more the Bug. I wore it this morning just around the house. The Bug kept asking if she could wear it. Finally I gave in....maybe we can share it.
It's Simply Pretty Shawl Version 2 made with Plymouth's Shire Silk.

New Year/New Month

New Year New Sock. As has become the tradition I cast on for a sock today. Angee from Sock Innovations. I did the setup rounds for the sock then started on the Fingerless Glove Fanatics January KAL, Fire and Ice. Pictured with these beauties is OMG Oven Baked Onion Rings from Appetite for Reduction. Don't worry we had burgers and a salad with dinner too.
Nothing like starting the year with a sock from my favorite sock designer, yummy cables, and a meal from my favorite cookbook author.