Crazy times

Hey everyone! So another week has passed by and let me tell you it has been a crazy week around here.

Most exciting, S came home from Indiana for a visit. We had 11 days to just hang out and do alot of nothing together. . . or so we planned. Life of course always has a way of intervening doesn't it?

Friday I came home from work a bit early, around 3:45pm. Now the day before on my drive home I noticed smoke and the whole drive home wondered where the fire was. I got increasingly anxious as I got closer to home and realized that the fire was somewhere close by. No worries though, it was somewhere past our neighborhood (and I never actually did determine exactly where).

So Friday when I drove home and saw another fire, I just thought to myself, well this one probably isn't in the neighborhood either. I started to realize I was really wrong when I turned into the neighborhood and 1/2 a mile away people were out in their yards looking down the street. Yep, the fire was clearly on my block. As I got closer I could see all the fire engines and that the police had our block blocked off. I went to the next street over to park and could see over the houses that the fire was right where our house should be.

You know, adrenaline coursing through your body is not such a nice feeling. I kicked off my sandals and ran barefoot around the corner to our street. Big black billows of smoke everywhere. When I got around the corner I could see the smoke was right over our roof but our house was not on fire (of course the words in my head were "yet").

Apparently, a fire started near the alley of one of my neighbor's house. It burned their garage to the ground and then came into my next door neighbor's yard. The people next door lost two garages and everything in the back yarn (trees now black crispy sticks). Luckily for us, the fire fighters stopped the fire there. One of the garages that burned is within 8 foot of our house.

The good news here is that no one was hurt. Also good, it was only garages and yards that were lost. Scary stuff though to think about my four boys trapped in my house with a fire so close by! They were definitely a bit on the frantic side when we got into the house, but settled down after a few hours. Nothing like smoke, siriens, and lots of people to reassure animals hmm?

Needless to say, the rest of our Friday (and Saturday for that matter) ended up being fire-related. Neither neighbor had electricity so we pitched in to drag some extension cords down so they could at least have a light on at each house. We also helped our next door neighbors (who are in their 80s and were already talking about assisted living even before the fire) with contacting insurance and talking to all the people who show up.

Let me tell you, we have some great fire fighters here. They did a great job and were so very helpful even after the fire. At one point we had 6 trucks here. Which I guess makes sense since in my mind at least three houses were threatened (and damage happened on two properties). Did I mention that there was a large propane tank in one of the garages that exploded before I got home? Apparently that caused quite a noise and threw shrapnel quite some distance.

Nothing like a little excitement hmm?

This photo may give you some sense of what's left of the neighbors' yards (usually there would be a fence along the back there that would block the view of the alley and the yard and white wall of the neighbor across the way.

So after all that craziness, S and I decided we did want to relax a bit on Sunday and what would a trip to California be without a visit to the beach? So early Sunday off we went to our favorite beach destination, Crystal Cove State Park (no roller bladers and starlet-wanna-be-s here!).

This was the view when we first arrived.


Nope, don't adjust your screen ... you're seeing it correctly, overcast, foggy, cold. It was absolutely beautiful! The marine layer was dense and it was quiet and great for sitting in a chair with a sweatshirt on.

A few hours later, in typical southern California fashion, the clouds burnt off and we had beautiful blue skies and sun.


Can't ask for much more that an 80 degree day at the beach in October. =]

So S and I left the beach Sunday and he flew back to South Bend on Monday ... right into SNOW! Laugh ... yep quite the contrast. Sounds like the northeast has a bit of an early winter. I'll try not to rub it in, but I love being here where it will get into the 80s again today.

So has there been any knitting between visits and fires... a little. I started the bulky cabled cardigan by Stephanie Japel (see picture at top). I think I really don't like it. Why do I knit clothing with bulky yarn? It probably will be terrible. Somehow I still haven't decided to frog it yet though. I'm almost finished with the body now (only the body trim to do). I think I'll do one sleeve to see how that looks and then decide. Don't let me do bulky again, OK?

Friends don't let friends knit bulky.

Cable Luxe Tunic done!

Call the press... throw a party ... the cable luxe tunic is done AND it fits!



This was a project that I was really skeptical about when I first started reading about it. Everyone (and I'm not exaggerating, every post I read about it) talked about the problems with the pattern. Nevertheless, I was literally compelled to cast on. It was the yoke and the cables -- I'm a sucker for texture and cables just do it for me.


So I started with the cabled yoke -- which is what initially drew me to this sweater. Love the garter stitch top and the cabled section. Once that was done it was down to the body. I loved the top but will admit I wasn't in love with the body as it finished up.


After a bit of a break, I picked the sweater back up and started on the sleeves. After at least one false start (maybe two, I've repressed the memories), off I went to sleeve island. The first sleeve was slow. You know the feeling (I know you do), you knit and knit and knit and you feel like you're no closer to the end. Then at knit-night, suddenly I was at least half way through the first sleeve and I felt the end was possible.


A dedicated weekend of knitting and one sleeve done! Now I love the sweater. Having that long sleeve just pulled it all together. The second sleeve came together in no time and Saturday I cast off and wove in the ends!

I had fun with this sweater and am pleased with the finished project. I made mistakes along the way (the slipped "stripes" between the cables -- see my last post), but also learned how to fix my mistakes. I made a few modifications to the pattern, based on the helpful hints I picked up online and am just tickled pink with the outcome.

Final verdict... a winner!

Cable Luxe Tunic (a Lion Brand pattern)
size Small
Cascade 220 (7? skeins)
Color 8407 (a greenish grey) Lot 0999
US 8 circular needles
Cast on May 14, 2008
Finished October 18, 2008


Modifications:
Quite a few.

I started with the cabled yoke which is knit flat from side to side and then seamed together. I next picked up stitches and knit the garter stitch top of the yoke. With these two parts I could try the sweater on as I went to make sure the fit was working. From this point forward, I knit the rest of the body of the sweater in the round. I picked up stitches from the bottom of the cabled yoke and knit the whole body of the sweater in the round. By knitting in the round I was able to fit another cable repeat under each sleeve (there isn't a stretch of filler as would be the case if knit flat and seamed). I also knit the sleeves in the round. With a little trial and error I simply started with the right number of stitches rather than doing the strange increase the pattern recommended. I also calculate the number to cast on so I could do an even set of cable repeats around the whole sleeve (again no filler stretches where the seam would be).

1st an errata from the pattern -- row 11 of yoke: p7, 3/3LC, 3/3RC, p7

Other changes... all found by checking out bulletin boards and suggestions given by others.

For the 3/3 LC Cable: Row 3 knit as a 3/3 LC after the center cable, Row knit as a 3/3 RC before the center cable

For the 4/4 Center Cable: Row 3 knit as 4/4 LC, K4; Row 9 knit as K4, 4/4 RC

For all sizes, the pattern indicates that you are to continue in pattern as established increasing 1 stitch in each of the center 14 purl sections every row 3 *2 more times*. I only increased once more so that I wouldn't end up with too much of a bell bottom to the sweater. It probably would have been ok in hindsight to have done both increases recommended, but I was cautious.

Last, the pattern did not specify how to do the slip stitches between the cable columns. After some trial and error I decided to slip knitwise with the yarn held in back.


Ravelry details here.

I love free time!

Really! Not working on Saturday or Sunday is fabulous! And you know what happens when I don't have to work? I get to knit... yeah!!

So instead of short choppy sleeves on my cable luxe tunic, as previously promised, I get to show you a whole sleeve!


Don't you love how when I stand sideways like that you almost can't tell I still have one more sleeve to go?


Oops.. yep, not quite done [hehehe].

It's taken me awhile to get back to the sleeves on this little one (ok... not so little, actually a pretty big project). I took it to knitty group two weeks ago and again last week and that seems to have been the motivator I needed to keep going (well that and that amazing thing of unscheduled hours in the day). Thursday night at group, I pulled the one sleeve I was working on onto my arm and, wow, I realized I was almost half way done! OK... maybe this won't be a never ending sleeve after all, I though. Several dedicated hours later... yeah ... one sleeve done!


Here's an up close shot of the body. Now if you compare the body to the sleeve (or that picture to the one above or below) you might notice something unusual. The "stripe" between the cables looks different.

When I started this pattern, I was never able to see an up-close photo of the sweater. Compelled to knit it, I nevertheless plunged on. The stripe is made by slipping a stitch every other row and knitting it on the remaining rows. Of course the instructions never said whether you slip as if to knit, as if to purl, with yarn in front, or in back. These little things bother me. I picked a way and off I went with the pattern resulting in the stripe you see in the body above.

When I started the sleeve, I thought I did the slipping the same way, but apparently not. What I did was slip as if to knit with the yarn in back. I realized that this was the way that was probably intended. I struggled with whether I should continue in this "right" prettier way, or continue the sleeves in the old way (to match the body). After trial and error, I could not figure out how to replicate the old look (ok.. I didn't try that hard...but I did try a few times). I decided, who cares, and knit on with the prettier look.

After finishing the first sleeve this weekend and realizing that I really DO like this sweater, I decided maybe I needed to do something with the body to be a bit matchy.

Laddering up the sweater though? Was I ready for this frightening endeavor. Seems almost worse than steeking... no sewing there to hold the sweater together. I DO like this sweater though. I plunged ahead, starting on the back, figuring I only had to do a couple stripes on front and back to be good enough.

And you know what ... it was easy!


Here's the last stripe right before it was fixed. You can see that the laddered stripes to the left and right of the old version aren't quite as tight as they would have been if done correctly from the start, but I figure I can fix that with a good bath.

Joy... nice stripes all around the body and one sleeve done. Now I just need a few more dedicated hours for that other sleeve! Cold weather's coming and I want to wear this sweater!

It's easy being green!

Now isn't that a face to love? I found this guy in a thrift store a few weekends ago and just couldn't leave without him. Somebody put some love into creating this guy!

It's nice to have another smiling face around here (since I'm still all grumpy about the amount of work I have to do!). Want to see another one?


Foster kitty, Zinn ... well he's made himself right at home (and plumped up quite a bit from when we first took him in). This is what my weekend mornings often look like... me trying to read the paper and Zinn making himself comfortable in the center of things. It's so good to be the center of attention!

=]

Time meltdown ... and cowls

Don't let that calm face above fool ya ... things have been crazy around here.

Yesterday I saw a great photo on a blog of a clock spinning out of control. That's how my life has felt for the past two weeks. Time must be running faster than normal because I just can't keep up!

Work, the major culprit in my time management problems, has been insane. This weekend I spend all day Saturday and Sunday in the office trying to catch up (literally ... 9 hours saturday, 8 hours sunday). I'm pleased to report that some of the largest projects were completed. Oh yeah... did I mention that I worked until midnight last night as well? [sigh]

Nevertheless, all this productivity makes me believe that I've earned the right to take a short work break now to blog. After all ... it has been weeks!


So what knitting have I been doing since last we spoke? Well amazingly enough, despite all that work, I did finish two cowls.

Now I must confess that when cowl-wildfire was spreading throughout the blogosphere, I just didn't get it. They didn't look very warm -- not big enough to really cover up enough skin to be very helpful I thought.

Then I stumbled across this free pattern. Humm... a giant, squishy, warm looking cowl. Now that got me excited. Even more exciting... I had left over yarn from Fantine that I could use. Bonus! So I sat down one evening and ... unbelievably... a few hours later I had a cowl!

Well now that was easy wasn't it. Maybe I should try it again?


Version number 2 was finished later that weekend.


I cast on slightly fewer stitches for the second cowl so it wouldn't be quite as large and think it's a nice alternative to the really big and squishy cowl.

Both have kept me company this past weekend when I was trapped in the cold office, by myself, typing at the keyboard to earn a few cents [cackle ... cackle.. cackle .... do I seem insane yet?]

So looking for a quick project... want a big, squishy cowl ... this might be the project for you too!

I have been slowly making progress on the cabled luxe tunic ... maybe I'll show you my short stubby sleeves next time!

Hope time's treating all of you well.

Chunky Knit Cowl by Erica-Knits
2 skeins Lion Brand Jiffy Solid for each cowl
Heather (for the first cowl) & Black (for the second cowl)
US 17 circulars
Grey cowl Cast on September 24, 2008
Grey cowl Finished September 24, 2008
Black cowl Cast on September 25, 2008
Black cowl Finished September 26, 2008

Modifications:

For the grey, slighly larger cowl, I knitted 31 rows for my cowl resulting in a FO that’s 16” long (11” wide at top and 16” wide at bottom). It’s not long enough to be used as a hood, as the pattern calls for, but makes for a very warm, snuggly cowl.

I knit with the Jiffy held double to be comprable to the called for yarn (thick n quick).

For the black cowl, I cast on 10 fewer stitches than recommended by the pattern so it would be a bit smaller. I still knit 30 rows and the final cowl ended up 12” long, 10” wide at the top, and 12” wide at the bottom. Maybe I knit at a somewhat tighter gauge this time? It still a good size, just not quite as voluminous. The black cowl is also Jiffy, held double.

Ravelry details here.

Ah cables

Many, many (no really, I do mean many) months ago I started a cabled aran afghan. Inspired by a Knitty Gritty episode, I wanted to learn to do cables. Why not just jump into a hugh project to do so [snort]?! I never was very practical with such things.

When I think about it, it in fact may have been the first project I started that wasn't a scarf. A walk down memory lane suggests that I started the first square in September, 2006. Two years ago!

The great thing about a big project is that you know it will take a long time. For me that's definitely been these case. Now I just describe this as one of those projects that is leisurely ... non time demanding ... used as a filler.

Don't believe me?! [laugh]

Truely, this is one of the few projects I've worked on that doesn't feel pressured to me. I don't feel like I "have to finish." With sweaters and socks I just want "to be done." With this, it's a multiple year project ... and that's OK.

It's funny, when I first started this project I was definitely a newbie. In fact it was only after I finished either 2 or 3 squares that I realized that, without meaning to, I was knitting through the back loop every time. Yep, having re-taught myself from books, I didn't realize that there was a difference between knitting into the front or the back of the loop. The back of the loop just seemed like the right way. Somewhere along the knitting trip, I had this realization.

The afghan is 16 squares all 12" by 12". It may be interesting when I'm done. Knitting through the back loop everytime pulled my work in a bit. I'll have to see if I can block those early puppies out a bit. Otherwise, I may have to work another panel wrong so I can at least have one row all the same size [grin]!

Five squares done ... 11 to go. Maybe I'll be done by the end of the decade.
=]

Scott's Sweater

Yeah... my first sweater for S is not only finished, but it fits! When we were in South Bend we did the fitting, discovered my strategy for sleeve length worked (yeah!), and all I had to do was weave in sleeve ends!

A few days later in Columbus, time to model the new sweater.


S wanted a basic, plain jane sweater and this one fit the bill quite nicely. I really like the ecological wool I used to knit this sweater. The color is a nice balance of greys (with bits of white). It was soft to knit with and I think will wash up even softer.


And you know what.... I'm so proud of S, he washed and blocked his sweater himself! I was going to do this for him before I left but we just didn't have time. So he sent me these pictures today.


The sweater got a good soak.

The burrito method of drying the sweater was followed (I'm sure including stepping on the burrito but I didn't confirm this... grin).


And then the sweater was laid out to dry. We're hoping he'll get another inch or two in the overall length of the sweater from the process. All things considered.... we have a winner!

Easy Bulky Sweater for the family #30 (ravelry link) by Melinda Goodfellow

(roll neck and sleeve, ribbed bottom; plain -- no cable)
3 skeins Cascade Ecological Wool
Grey
US 8 & US 10 circulars and dpns
Cast on April 1, 2008
Finished August 31, 2008

Modifications: none.

Details on Ravelry here.

Travelin'

This past week I flew up to Indiana to visit S at his new diggs in South Bend. We did the tour of Notre Dame (that's the Basillica above) and even carved out some time to relax and take it slow ...


OK... we weren't the ones taking it that slow, but we did spend a time out in Amish country and got to see lots of folks travelling the old fashioned way, by horse and buggy. Beautiful countryside out there in Indiana. Great old barns and houses.

After a few days in South Bend we got in our little Prius and drove to Columbus, Ohio to visit S's mother. Our trip was quite nice, but ended with a bit of a bang.

My parents live in Beaumont, Texas -- that's where Ike just came ashore. They evaculated to avoid the storm and from what the neighbors say, the house didn't sustain any serious damage this time (unlike Rita when it took 6 months to repair tree damage). S and I were watching the storm news there in Columbus to keep an eye on things. Little did we know we were in for our own hurricane-like weater.


Yep, half way across the country in Columbus we experienced hurricane strength winds in a bit of a freak wind storm. Partly related to Ike and partly related to a cold front that was blowing in, the winds were crazy. Trees came down all over town and I saw three trees pulled out of the ground with exposed roots. Nothing like a bit of excitement. Needless to say my flight was cancelled (the whole airport was grounded for hours), so I had an extra day of trip.


That last day of trip was spent doing what else but cutting up trees. Nothing like a little he-man business for the boys hmm?

A great trip, despite the excitement!

Next time, finish photos of S's sweater which, I'm pleased to report, fits!

Fantine

Well after feeling like I was barely ever finishing a project, I have another finished sweater. Guess there's something to say for knitting big chunks of a project and then putting it aside for awhile. It takes much less time to finish "a sweater" when it's already half done!


Here she is ... Fantine. I really was drawn to this pattern when I found it on ravelry some time ago and had to explore around a bit to find the pattern. I started the project in June and then just put it aside for a while. I think other things came up (including that big men's sweater deadline). This weekend with S's sweater done, I pulled Fantine out of the pile and was off the needles in no time! That chunky yarn ... man does it knit up fast!


I love the cabling details around the edges of this sweater. They help to liven up what could otherwise be a very simple sweater ... and quite similar to the anthropology inspired capelet I've knit before.

I decided this weekend that rather than knitting the 3/4 length sleeve, I'd go for full length. My office is COLD in the summer, and I stay COLD in the winter, so I can wear sweaters almost year round. Extending the sleeves was easy and it let me put the cabling detail at the edges of the sleeves as well.

A simple pattern for a quick cover up. I've been wearing it in the office today and give it an A.
And my photography ... well that gets a grade of "credit" on the credit/no credit scale ... my first attempt with the self timer since my resident photographer now lives half way across the country!

(oh yeah... I cut my hair short too ... it was time for a change).

Fantine by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes of French Girl Knits
(scoop neck option, and generally followed the 3/4 length sleeve directions with modifications)
5 balls Lion Brand Jiffy Solid (held double when knitting to get gauge)
Silver Heather
US 8 circulars and dpns
Cast on June 4, 2008
Finished August 31, 2008

Modifications: Knit sleeves to wrists and put one repeat of cable pattern in before binding off.

Details on Ravelry here.

Now the most amazing this.... I only have one unfinished object left! I started on the sleeves of the cable luxe tunic last night and am going to work to get that one finished. Then there are many choices for the next project ... strangely I'm very drawn to more sweaters!

Woops

Sorry S ...


looks like somebody else has claimed your sweater.

Giggle, giggle, snort, snort

Take a look at this ... it's worth two posts in one day!

Woopie!

One large men's sweater, all knit up!

Last thursday at knit group I set a goal to have this sweater finished before I went to South Bend in September. Amazingly, here I am a week later with a completed sweater (almost). I still need to do the side seams and have a try-on to make sure the sleeves are long enough. I think there is a good chance that I may have to make them longer. Without the sweater recipient here (see comment re. South Bend above, grin), I had to go by some measurements I took the day before he left.

My notes say his armlength is 25 inches. The sweater pattern suggests 22. Hmmm.... ruler error or unusually long arms? I compromised, knit 23" and am prepared to rip back the cuff and knit more length if needed.

I hate to leave without a modeled photo though ...


Use your imagination... 100 pounds heavier, almost a foot taller, and having much longer arms!

South Bend here we come!

So close

I find it amazing how time just keeps whizzing by whether I'm watching or not. How is it possible that it is almost the end of August? What happened to the first half of 2008?!

The last couple of weeks have seemed quiet ... but I'm not quite sure where they've gone. S is now settled into his apartment in South Bend. Cute little place from the photos he's sent. I'm looking forward to my visit in a couple of week so I can see it first hand.

His cross country trip went well; it sounds like he had lots of fun stops along the way (visiting his dad, grandparents, and our friend slo).

So what can I have been doing in the two weeks since he left? Beats me ... maybe time really is flexible and I've been through a worm hole. Work has been busy ... new student orientation, finishing up busy work .... stuff. I guess I was a bit sick for a couple of days too and took some half days off work so I could nap. But other than that? Not sure where time went.

I have been making some progress on S's sweater though.


What sweater you might ask? Well it would be a good question since you haven't seen it since April. When S realized he was moving to the land of cold, we agreed I'd knit him a wool sweater. Way back in April, after I finished the body of the sweater, it seemed like no harm, no foul to take a break and work on a few other things. Enter the black hole of the time continuum and here I am in August. It seemed like I should pick this project back up [snort]. My goal is to have it finished for my trip in two weeks... very do-able now that I've finished the right sleeve, neck, and half the left sleeve. I'm soooo close to being done!

Amazing what a few (ok... many) dedicated hours of knitting can do in making progress on a large men's sweater. I figure I have to get it done though... once he comes back to LA he may never wear it again [laugh]!

Other than a bit of knitting, I've also done a bit of organizing in the past week. You know what it's like ... your closet gets to that point where you can't find anything anymore? For me that's confounded by the fact that my yarn stash lives in my clothes closet. After S left I decided I needed to do a little cleaning up. And now look ...


It's not the most beautiful of organizational systems, but boy can I find everything now. Yarns bundled together in big ziplocks all tucked into their new home. No stray skeins lost somewhere on the floor of the closet. Perfect. And the clothes (which you can't see .. they're to the left and right on hanging rods and on a shelf above the caddies) ... all nice and tidy too. I now have a big stack of donations ready for goodwill as well as a smaller pile of acrylic yarns I'm going to donate as well.

Now I just need to find a bit more time to knit up some of that delightful stash!

Trinity Stitch Baby Jacket

As I've mentioned before, we had a rash of friends who are having babies this spring/summer. One of those babies arrived months ago, one is so close to coming out that mom can't wait (3 cm and holding as of right now - wed afternoon), and the last is due later this month.

With one gift left to deliver, I knew I needed to get to knitting. This last gift goes to a classmate of S's and I realized four days before it had to be done that it *had* to be done or it wouldn't get delivered to the mom-to-be. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Yep a binge of a different type... a knitting binge.


The trinity stitch baby jacket. One of my friends from knitting group has knit this sweater twice now and inspired me to try it out. At my last group meeting (5 days before the impending deadline) I decided this was what I should knit and I purchased the yarn. I must have been a bit omnicient because the next day was when I realized I only had 4 days to deliver the gift. Good thing I bought that yarn!

I cast on Friday evening (8/1), knit part of the day Saturday (I had to work part of that day), knit all day Sunday, and finished it up Monday morning. Buttons were purchased and sewn on Monday night and a gift was ready for its new recipient.

I really like this sweater... very easy, but quite charming. The trinity stitch trim around the edges of the sweater are really great in my opinion. The yarn is also soft, soft, soft.

Pink... well not the color I would typically choose for a baby gift, even with a girl expected, but this was the nicest color they had at the shop and I think it does look great with this charming little sweater.

And to top it all off... look at these little buttons!


I figured that as long as I was going girly, I would go all out. Polka dotted, pink chicks. Delightful!

If you're looking for an easy little project, this one is a winner.

Cormo Trinity Stitch Baby Jacket by Margaret Heathman from

Spin-Off, Spring 2008

2 balls Plymouith Yarn Dreambaby D.K. (50% acrylic microfiber, 50% nylon
Pink (color 0103 lot 63435)
US 6 circulars and dpns
Cast on August 1, 2008
Finished August 4, 2008

Modifications: No changes to pattern; did use a store bought yarn versus handspun and used the size needles recommended by the ballband, US 6s. Overall, my sweater came out about the same size as the pattern recommends, but the sleeves are a little shorter and chunkier than the original knit and the body below the sleeves (versus the body above where the sleeves are separated) is a bit shorter than the pattern indicates. I thought this made the sweater a bit cuter in the long run anyway.

Ravelry details here.

North Dakota knitting... wool socks of course!

Yep... I know you never thought these would get finished (or that you'd hear about any knitting I've been doing recently), but taa daa... my third pair of finished socks!

When little Zinn, our foster kitty came to live with us, I needed a small project to work on ... you know something to do while I hung out in the kitchen with him. These socks seemed like the perfect project. Between a few evenings with Zinn and some quality knitting time on the plane to North Dakota, a second sock was finished!


I've seen many people rave about Trekking, and I will say that I like the finished socks alot (they are soft and squishy), but I didn't LOVE knitting with it. I found the yarn to be very twisty (meaning it would constantly twist back on itself as it came off the ball) and a bit splitty.


Nevertheless... a nice pair of finished socks I think. Nice subtle socks, a deep rich color.


Three pairs down ... I wonder what socks I'll do next?

Rotating Rib, Garter Rib Socks
Garter Rib Sock Pattern by Charlene Schurch from

Sensational Knitted Socks
1 ball of Zitron Trekking (XXL)

Color 77 (self striping blue)

US size 1 dpns

Cast on (in spirit) January, 2008
These socks have much more of a history than 7 months though. I know I cast on sometime in 2007, probably in July if I had to guess. I have a picture of the cast on with its 5 measily rows from October 2007. The first sock was started on in earnest in January though so that's the "birthdate" I'll use.
Finished July 31, 2008

Modifications: I used Charlene Schurch’s four stitch ribbing pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks and a rotating rib pattern (ala the Harlot): regular 2x2 ribbing, but moving the ribbing over one stitch every 10 rounds. This is a top-down sock pattern. I cast on 72 stitches with 9 stiches per inch gauge.

Ravelry details here.

North Dakota

OK... time to catch up. How 'bout a brief review of my visit to North Dakota?

[the badlands ... Teddy Roosevelt National Park entrance]

The image above is what I thought North Dakota would look like, and I was not disappointed. There were amazing landscapes to see and terrific blue skies. OK... I'm skipping ahead of myself here though... I should tell the story chronologically shouldn't I?

I went to North Dakota for about 9 days on a business trip ... but... North Dakota *was* the only state in the US that my mom has never visited. How can you let an opportunity like that pass you by. We decided to take advantage of the timing and I tacked a short "vacation" to the end of my trip during which time my mom, dad, and sister joined me for a brief tour of North Dakota.

My trip was to Bismarck with a couple of brief stops across the Missouri river into Mandan (its sister city).

After I finished my work (very productive, thank you very much), my parents arrived Friday evening and, after a dinner, we decided to take a paddle boat ride down the Missouri river.


Did I mention it was a sunset cruise?


Very pretty views, nice cool breeze. Definitely the right time of day for a drive down the river. Saturday was the day for my preferred activity... a trip to the badlands.

We drove to a little town called Medora first, walked around the town which is sort of an old wild west set up, and then toured the Chateau deMores, a hunting lodge built in the 1800s and frequented by Teddy Roosevelt. Interesting place, very nice views.


Now for anyone in the know, I should point out that we skipped the Medora Musical (snort) and pitchfork fondue (steak fried on the tongs of a pitchfork... eww -- check out a link for a pic). These events should give you a flavor for Medora though ... very City Slicker-esque.

Then we drove into the badlands... specifically to the edge of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This was the view I was hoping for. Here's another perspective to go along with the picture at the top, both pictures taken from the Painted Canyon Visitor Center.


Great heaps of rock, I would call them mountains... they were at least mountainous. Very pretty.. worth the trip. Hard to imagine how the pioneers traveled across the nation going west when this is the kind of stuff they came across. A horse drawn wagon would have had a wee bit of trouble traveling this route.

We wandered around the rest of the weekend visiting museums (the Heritage Museum at the state capitol grounds having a GREAT dinousaur exhibit with bones collected in the region) and seeing the sights. Fun.

You know what sight I didn't see? No LYS. Not a single one in Bismarck or Mandan. How could this be given the general climate and profusion of snow in the winter? Boggles the mind. Next time, the knitting progress made on the plane.

Binge

It happens every once in awhile, and hit hard this weekend ... a reading binge!

A couple of weeks ago I saw more than one post about the book Twilight. I thought with more than one mention it must be good so I went to my library catalogue and ordered up a copy through interlibrary loan. Friday afternoon (after S left for his trip remember) I stopped by the library to pick up my copy. Twilight was done by Saturday midday. I read it again before the end of Saturday and went by my local book store to get the rest of the series. Long story short ... Monday night I finished the fourth book. Yep, four books, four days (and technically I did read the first one twice so maybe that's like 5 books, and I did work Friday and Monday).

Crazy stuff. I blame being home by myself. =]

I would definitely recommend Twilight if you like teen age - vampire love story type of stuff. Nothing too heavy or too literary here, just an easy fun read. The other three books are also good. They are a bit more of an adventure story. After all, you can only drag on a "are the human and vampire going to kiss or not" story for so long.

Have you read anything good recently?