Sock Solutions...

I knit my friend's sock, started the second one then realized I didn't have enough yarn...silly me was doubling a fingering weight to create a dk weight for the pattern, but 'duuuuh', the pattern required just over 1 ball, and I was doubling...that means I should have had 3 balls in my stash at the very least!!! So, I have options:

1) frog, wind and use the yarn for standard sock pattern

2) frog just the length to fit MY foot, and make a second sock in another colour so I have a mismatched pair of bedsocks (no problem to me!)

3) use the single sock for another purpose?

but, after chatting at our Knit Night (every 2nd Monday evening at the Bent Mast), everyone agreed I should make a second sock in another colour and give them to my friend because they are boot socks afterall and then she can wear 2 colours (it's a anthroposophical colour thing that I don't understand yet). Her daughter had stopped by Knit Night and agreed that I should give her 2 different coloured socks... she also commented on the knitting as looking interesting - so, I gave her a set of needles, some cotton yarn to get started on a cloth for the daycare...she's now hooked - one of the others in attendance mentioned to me that her facebook comments said "What HAVE YOU DONE TO ME - I'm hooked - need to go out and buy myself knitting needles!!!" Interestingly, each new knitter makes their first few discloths for the daycare, then when they get good, they start making them as gifts for friends/family so the daycare has some misshapen cloths, but it doesn't matter, it's all good for washing little faces!

BTW, I did go out and buy some dk wool/nylon yarn to make a different pair of socks for my friend - I don't know about mismatched socks yet....maybe for her birthday it'll be funny...

Playdates and boot socks...

We had a playdate this morning (lil k and I). Met up with the friend who had knit lil k his socks (see post) and her dd. I thoroughly enjoyed myself having someone to chat with at the park watching toddlers doing their thing in the playground. She said she hasn't knit since dd was born and is sorely missing it!!! Strangely enough, I've been knitting MORE since ds was born!

I had finished ds's socks last night, and he had them on this morning for a brief stint until I asked that we put his slippers on to keep the socks from getting dirty - silly momma, he now is afraid to get the socks dirty so took them off :( Didn't get a chance to even take a photo of them on the feet! (will do that tomorrow!)

So now that my other friend asked for a pair of boot socks like lil k's, I've spent a good chunk of time stash sifting and pattern surfing to decide to make her a pair of the 'International Socks of Doom' from last year's Sock Wars. It took me 3 cast-ons, but I'm now knitting happily along using 2 strands of Paton's Kroy that I picked up from the church thrift shop (2 skeins for $1 ).

But now I'm feeling guilty - I've now made 2 pairs of socks for lil k, one for me, one for a complete stranger in sock wars, a pair for my dad, then now I'm going to make a pair for a friend before I make a pair for DH? He's already bugged me about the fact this coming September will be 10 years since we met and I have YET to knit him a sweater (or even a vest he pleads!). I have made him one pair of felted slippers in all the time we've known each other...so I look at these socks on the needles in this 'odd' brown colour (not quite brown, not taupe, not sure what it is, depends on the light)....and I think to myself that this sock is a unisex pattern, so perhaps I should make them for him? I knit along and think about it more, I could knit my friend a different pair of boot socks. I knit some more and know that I really don't want to knit the same thing twice. I know, I'll make them for dh, and find another pattern for her, besides, I think she'd prefer the turquoise wool/mohair I have peeking out the top of my laundry basket (yes, I have a laundry basket with yarn in it! Another complaint of DHs, but that's a story for another day).

Boats and socks

My friend Ralph has a boat. He likes to fish. I've been in the boat once, we spent all of 11 minutes fishing, and instead spent the rest of the day playing good samaritans to 2 other boaters in distress. That was about a month ago. Yesterday morning (Wed), he invited me out in the boat to fish again. He managed to catch one pink and lost 5! Weather was cloudy but very nice and even though I didn't get a fish, I managed to get 3/4s of a toddler sock done!

Last night I finished the sock, but dear lil k was sleeping and even though I was very tempted to try his sock on his sleeping tootsie, I decided it wasn't worth the consequences of him waking up at 10:30pm!!!

So at breakfast this morning, we tried on a sock and lil k went "ooooooh, where's my other sock?" He's only 2.5yrs old...

Unfortunately, the sock is slightly too short to be a 'knee sock', and I don't want to rip apart the toe and reknit (anything to avoid frogging), so instead I'm almost finished the second sock, will let him wear them once they're done, and in all likelihood, I'll start knitting another pair, slightly longer, for the wedding...

Oh, and btw, ended up knitting 2" with the Galway on Tues night, and knew toddler tender tootsies would NOT wear that sock, so frogged it, and wound the skein of purewool crudo into a ball. It is so very, very, very soft and lovely to knit with. I originally didn't want to use it for fear of the sock felting - but oh well, better he be willing to wear soft sockies, than complain about itchy feet...

I now have requests to make adult versions of these socks...I've been carrying them around with me - it's amazing how much knitting time one can find waiting in lines, sitting chatting with friends, sitting on a boat waiting for the fish to bite, etc

Wee kilty ordered

Well, lil k has a kilt ordered for him to wear at my brother's wedding! It's only a 12" long kilt it'll be sweet! Now he needs white knee socks. The lovely lady at Touch O' Tartan said we should not try to dress him like an adult with jacket, kilt shirt, kilt hose, etc...but...this gives me an excuse to start a new project!!!! Wee kilty hose!??

So yes, DH is away, I dove into the storage and fished around looking for all my plain wools, wondered about using the Galway Irish Wool, the 100purewool Crudo, or the Henry's Attic Kona Sock yarn that I haven't gotten around to dying yet....

I came out with two skeins (decided against the Kona). No, I'm not going to make mini kilt-hose - instead I'm just using my Galway irish wool in the toddler spiral tube sock pattern In plain wool, they'll look so perfect with his kilt!

Shhhhhhhhhhhh, I'm not supposed to start a new project...but then, that's what DH gets for going away to volleyball

Socknitters are the nicest, most creative people

I have these socks for lil K, love them, they're so soft, and were a gift at my baby shower. A friend made these (one of the first pairs of socks she had knit after taking a sock knitting class). But lil people get such little wear out of the beautful baby things made for them (case in point, the bunting bag I made for bringing baby home - at least it was too big for him when born, but he quickly outgrew it in his first month!!!)

Anyways, I was debating what to do with the socks when I was clearing out outgrown clothing. I didn't want to give them away, but didn't want them sitting inside a baby album (again, case in point, what the heck am I going to do with the shoes that *I* had as an infant, totally didn't fit lil K, that's for sure??)

I thought long and hard, and wondered about re-using the yarn in a spiral tube sock for toddlers so that they would get more wear, and still he'd have his handknit socks...so I posted to the group to get feedback before asking my friend (in case it would have been outrageously rude!!!)

Some thought it was a great idea, some thought it should be saved for my son's son, but someone came up with a wonderful idea that really works for us!!! Putting them on our Christmas Tree!!! Now considering the fact I'm singing Jingle Bells year round, I love the holiday season, nearly kill myself coming up with surprises and tokens of holiday spirit in unusual places, why didn't I think of this????

I must be getting old...

Did I ever tell you about the time I played Santa in our apartment building and left a stocking with goodies on everyone's door??? It was a small complex, so I didn't break the bank, but no-one ever figured it out (I got a gift too ). Hmmm, perhaps mini-socks with candycanes would be nice on my tree this year.....DRATS!!! I now have another new project....

Russian join

Oh I'm really beginning to like joining my balls of yarn this way!!! There's nothing that depresses me more than finishing a project, I'm all excited, and then I have to weave in the ends So from one of the many knitting lists I belong to, I decided to search out this method of joining, and wow, this makes my excitement in finishing a project all that much better 'cause as soon as I cast off - quick glance at the item and it can be worn/used immediately!!! I love it!

And for those of you in my little world who don't knit, this means anything that I knit for you that involves more than one ball of yarn can be yours as soon as the item comes off the needles!

Guild Newsletter

Got an article published on my knitting and how knitting is incorporated into the curriculum in a waldorf school...however, it was in the Victoria Knitter's Guild June 07 newsletter Unfortunately they aren't at a point of posting their newsletters on the website. I've had a number of people comment on how they liked the article...I was just more impressed in my research that my darling toddler will one day be able to say knitting socks for his momma is actually "Homework" .

http://www.victoria-daycare.com/VKGNewsJune07.pdf - we posted the newsletter to the daycare website for now.