Showing posts with label Sock Madness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sock Madness. Show all posts

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Dogs on Thursday with some Sock Madness

So, today is the start of Sock Madness 3! The pattern was release this morning and I cast on during one of my trainings and was finished with the cuff by the end of lunch. I'm enjoying the pattern because it's easy but don't like that it doesn't have a mindless repeat that I can memorize. It's just because I'm lazy and a bit tired lately. I have the perfect person in mind to gift this too when it's done!
The pattern is the Tropical Mer-tini by Ronni Smith. She is very active in the Sock Madness group and I'm happy to be knitting one of her patterns. :) I'm using the Dream in Color Smooshy that was from the frogged Clapotis. It's a pretty green color called Spring Tickle. Perfect time to be using it.

Well..since it's Dogs on Thursday. Here are my pups taking a break to train during their outside fun. They were a bit distracted by the barking dog down the street. :) They are so cute though.
Well, I'm heading back to knit until I head over to my sister's house to help my niece with a knitting project. I'll tell you all about it later and show pictures!

Have a great day and don't forget to go check out this week's very informative DOT post on the blog! Sue did a great post!!

Happy Knitting, spinning, and loving your dogs!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Reversai Socks finally DONE!!! and a case of startitis.

I finished the Reversai Socks for Sock Madness Round 2. YEAH!! These socks are great but they take forever because of all the purling. They are reversible and very comfortable. For my first time doing 2-at-a time socks these were probably not the socks to do it with. I do plan on trying 2-at-a time again but I like the quick results from doing them one a time.

What do you think?? Do you like them?? Special K's feet are so pretty too. hehehe
So...after I finished I wanted to go right to the Bellatrix socks but I need to figure out what size needles to use which I think I've decided to use size 1s for the cuff and 0s for the pattern. We'll see how it goes. I really don't want to swatch. Well..instead of going straight for casting on those socks, I decided to work on my 9-5 socks. OK, I tried them on again and they are really too tight. The pattern calls for 72 sts on size 1s and I was using my 1s for the Reversai socks so I decided to try the pattern on 60 sts on size 2s. I saw that another person had tried this and it worked for her so I just jumped in and did all that knitting in DC and love the pattern but I knew all along it was kind of tight. Well...I was just going to keep working but when I got back and tried it on yesterday I was really unhappy with how tight it is.

My final decision, which I came to with some regret was to frog it and start over. Special K loves to frog my work so he helped me frog the sock and I rolled it all into a ball. Now my question is...Do I wash and dry the sock yarn that I used or do I just knit it up?? I pulled out the other ball of yarn and cast on with that but when I finish I'm going to need to other ball. So, I need some suggestions. What do you do??

So, once I cast on for that, I still want to cast on for the Bellatrix socks. AGAIN I don't want to swatch. I know horrible...but I'm going to just cast on and see what happens.

Another thing is that I don't think I want to finish the Dog Bone Blanket. I'm really unhappy with the pattern and I just think I like the Log Cabin Blanket pattern better. So, I'm thinking of frogging that as well and casting on for the Log Cabin tonight.

I seem to be in a very bad case of startitis. I just want to cast on everything!! I think it will be ok. I might do the Bellatrix socks 2-at-a time so that will be something different.

I'm hoping to get a chance to podcast...as you can tell I seem to be pretty wordy lately! hehehe

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!! Happy Knitting!!!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Catching up!!

This past week has been interesting and I can't believe I haven't written a post in over a week. I think my longest stretch with no post. Well, just to let you know I'm alive and well. I tried to stay away from my computer while on break so I would get out and do more. I spent time at the beach and the pool and enjoyed myself. I knit but not as much as I thought I would.

I did work on my Sock Madness 2 Round 2 socks but didn't make it into round 3. Here's my progress as of the weekend. I've finished both heels and am on the foot. I plan to finish these socks by the end of April. I love the pattern but it's a lot of work. The pattern is called Reversai and it's a reversible sock. The problem with that is there is a TON of purling going on. :) I am enjoying working with the Lorna Laces.
I don't plan to work on anymore of the Sock Madness patterns for now. My next month sock will be the Bellatrix sock from Gigi Silva for the Sock knitters Anonymous group on Ravlery May Sockdown. I already have the yarn picked out and have been waiting to start this pattern. Gigi Silva was the sock designer that passed away in February and she was a wonderful sock designer and started the Socktopia group. She designed the pattern Fawkes that I knit back in November December.

More sock news...I got some sock yarn. My sister Fleas and her family flew out to San Diego to visit my other sister Cris and her husband. I took them to the airport last Tuesday at 4:10 and picked them up late Sunday so she brought me back some gifts. First off was some pretty pretty sock yarn. It's Lana Grossa in this lovely purple. It's soft and beautiful. The other gift not pictured was some wonderful coffee from Panakin. It's one of my favorite coffee places in Encinitas, CA. It's in this old railroad station and they have lovely coffee, tea, and breakfast food. I had my first cup of it this morning and it was delightful.

During my spring break, I spent a lot of time relaxing and doing nothing that I needed to do. I started cleaning one day but only got around to reorganizing my stash. :) I had more yarn that needed to be stashed away so I went to the dollar store and bought more bins and ziploc bagged the yarn. I organized all the bins into sock yarn, scrap yarn, misc yarn, discloth yarn, and fiber. Yes, I have a fiber stash!! Special K thinks it's funny that I call it my stash...he claims it sounds like my drug stash. I have no valid response so if anyone can help me with that one that would be great. hehehe. Here's a picture of my stash....it's not that big....yet. :)
So....my week back at work started and I am tired and not happy I'm back. The only saving grace is that in two weeks I'll be in DC with the 8th graders. I'm excited to go back. Will be my third trip in a year. I went with the class last year and with Special K the week after that. I love the city and all the culture and history we see. I need to plan my travel knitting and make sure what buildings will allow me to bring it and which ones won't.

Well....Monday I got home from work and I was tired and Jack and Abigail were very excited that I was finally home. I went to put my purse and things that were in my hands down...I forgot I had my cup of coffee from the morning that had a little bit of coffee still at the bottom in my hands. I tipped it into my purse and got coffee on everything. It wasn't much but my purse was wet and smelled like coffee. My ipod sock got some on it too so I decided to wash it. Well since I was washing one handmade I figured why not wash all my socks too. So, I got them all out and it was sock washing day! Here's a pictures of them all laid to dry.I still can't believe I've already knit this many socks since I started knitting them last September. My first two pair took me forever. The first pair are for show because the toe didn't hold up and I haven't fixed them. They are all so pretty laying there.

Last night Special K and I went to the home opener at Tropicana...the home of the Rays. I know that they are still the Devil Rays but I swear if you don't notice the Devil Ray on the arm they kind of look like the Sun Rays. :) We had a good time and it was nice to get back to watching some baseball, eating hot dogs, peanuts, and having a cold beer. The Cubbies aren't doing that bad this year. They need to pick it up but they are 4 and 3. We need them to go all the way this year!! Lets go CUBBIES!!

Tonight is knitting night and the plan is to cast on for the Dog Bone Blanket, which I'm doing as a baby blanket for my friend Kelly. There is also a KAL on the Barknknit Podcast Group on Raverly. If you want to join us, please go over and let us know. If you'd like to participate but are not on ravelry, feel free to email me and let me know. :)

Well...hope everyone is well. I'm back and plan to post more and keep you all up to date.

Happy Knitting!!

PS...regular scheduled posts will resume next week.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Thankful Tuesday!

Thank the Lord for SPRING BREAK!!! The only reason I like teaching is for the time off. That is sad I know but it is nice to know I don't have to go back to work until Monday!! I am thankful that I have a week off!!

This was my set up today in the sun!! My ipod and my socks!
They released the Sock Madness round 2 pattern on Monday as a pre-April Fool's Joke since they had been saying they were going to release it on Tuesday. They are evil but it worked out perfect because my plans fell through and I got to spend time casting on. I decided to do them 2 at a time and since it was my first time doing it this way I used instructions. I love it.

This was my cast on and a couple rows. I'm way past the ribbing and half way through the repeat.
I also sent out my Wee Tiny Sock yesterd. It's cute. I had to knit it twice. I hope my pal likes it.
Well...please everyone pray for my brother, Roro who is driving across the country with his dog Apollo. He's moving from Manassas, VA to San Diego, CA to live near my sister Cris. Please keep him in your prayers as he travels alone with his dog.

Happy Knitting, Spring Breaking, Swapping!!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter!! and Sock Madness socks are a FO!

Pattern: Zombie Socks by Sheryl Giles
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Copperbeach.
: March 13 2008
: March 21 2008
Comments: I finished the Zombie socks for Sock Madness 2. These are my March socks and the fastest socks I've ever knit. It took me a week and a day to finish the pair of socks. The first sock was fun to knit and then the second was stressful but I sat down Friday evening and finished them. I was shaking by the time I reached the toe and knew that I might actually make it to round 2, which I did. I was #34 in my division to finish and 40 in each go to round 2. YEAH!! So, I'm going to figure that the 2nd round socks are my "April" socks. I hope I like the pattern.

Last night Special K and I colored eggs. Yes, we are silly. :) Special K did the two eggs on the left and I did the ball of yarn and needles. There were more but I liked these the best.

Hope everyone has a great Easter or Spring day!! We are heading to dinner(lunch) at Special K's step-mother's parents house. I was put in charge of fruit salad....I'm still "new" to the family. It's OK though...for now I guess I really don't want them to know I actually cook. :) After that we are hoping to stop by my sister's house to see them. They of course planned their lunch at the same time. Go figure. This always seems to happen to me. I just hope to see them for a bit.

Well, now that my socks are off the needles, it feels great. I knit two rows on my wedding shawl and worked on the Greenery Hat. I also spun a little bit of yarn on a wheel I'm borrowing from my friend Sean. I got frustrated and stopped but I had a little bit of fun. I also got a bunch of stuff in the mail, including the book Start Spinning from Maggie Casey. It's wonderful by the way, but it would be incredible to have her here to show me what I'm doing right or wrong.

I also got my order from SonnyandShear.com. I'll post up pictures this afternoon. I LOVED it. They are such a great company. I'll talk more about them later. :)

And anyone waiting for a podcast that will be up tomorrow afternoon. I'm planning to record tomorrow on my day off for "Easter Monday." I teach at a Lutheran school so we have Good Friday and Easter Monday off.

Happy Easter!!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Prize and Sock update!! Thankful Tuesday

I'm still working on the sock. This picture is my progress on Monday afternoon. I've finished a couple repeats since then and am almost at the heel. The first sock flew by but now this second sock is killing me. I still have a chance to move on to the next round because 28 people have finished so far in my division. I love the pattern though!!Last week I also got a prize in the mail!! It's from a contest over on Michelle's blog McKnitter. She's a Florida knitter. :) I loved the prize. A purse, a skein of Ewe-phoria Yarns Sock It To Me Superwash Yarn in Pacifica, and pattern for River Valley Socks from Anni Designs. She also included this really cute sock bag that I'm pretty sure she made herself. It's so pretty and I love the fabric.
Fun prizes!! Ok...so I'm hoping to finish this sock soon and so I can get back to relaxing knitting and spinning. I haven't worked on anything else lately since starting this sock.

Thankful Tuesday this week is thankful that my blood test came back and everything is good. All my levels are normal. My uric acid levels are actually low to normal so I don't have gout. My blood sugar, cholesterol...all normal. :) YEAH!! This makes me very happy!! I'm healthy! So, today I'm very thankful that I'm healthy.

Hope everyone is well!!!

Be Thankful for today is a new day!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Pay it forward recieved....and an update.

I received my Pay It forward gift from Lisa from Plain Jane Creations. She sent some beautiful handmade stitch markers that she made. I love them. You can't really see them that great so I'll take another picture and add to this post. The card was great too. It says that Life is an adventure in giving. Thank you very much Lisa!! I loved your gift!!

This also reminds me that I really need to get my packages out. I'm a step closer. I've cut the fabric for the gifts now I just need to sew them. I hope to have them out soon.

This weekend has been spent sick and sneezing. I was feeling better by Sunday and decided to meet up with the knitting group but I could not stop sneezing. I was trying to finish the first sock for the Sock Madness and I couldn't stop sneezing to knit fast enough. I went home and took a hot shower and laid back in bed and knit. I felt better a couple hours later but I felt like all I did this weekend was be sick. Ugh. I'm glad I'm better today.

I hope everyone is doing well. I didn't podcast this weekend because of being sick but plan to this week. I'll keep you posted. :)

Happy Knitting!!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Sock Madness and DoT swap Questionnare.

So, I've been knitting away and this is as far as I've gotten. There are 5 people who have knit both socks!! OMG. At least only 1 has finished in my division and the first 40 people in my division moves on.

Jackjack is so patient with me shoving my foot in his face. His snout is so cute!!

Spring Secret Swap Questionnaire:
How many dogs do you have? 2 dogs
What are her/his/their names? Jackjack and Abigail Grace
What are her/his/their favorite toys? Jackjack likes ropes and Abigail Grace likes stuffed animals or balls
What are your favorite treats? Anything yarn related. Sock yarn is my favorite. I'm learning to spin on a spindle so fiber is fun.
What are her/his/their favorite treats? They both like bones!! Love them. Abigail is allergic to chicken, turkey, and rice so that limits the type she can have.
What are her/his/their/persons favorite colors? Jackjack likes anything blue and Abigail is pink. :) And mine is red.
What allergies do you and/or your dog(s) have? Abigail is allergic to chicken, turkey, rice, a cotton.

I am excited this swap has started!! Yeah for doggie swaps!!

Ok...back to knitting and resting and getting better. (tonsils still a bit sore) May need to take break for dinner..oh I mean supper.

Happy knitting!!

Dogs on Thursday on friday!!

Sorry I'm late on my DoT post. I have been sick and blogger would not post pictures yesterday. So...here's a pic of my pups in our old apartment. They are so darn cute. :) Hope everyone who's interested has gone over to the Dogs on Thursday blog and signed up for the Snuggle Project we still need some people.

Today has been spent home sick. I'm feeling better than I did yesterday but still have a sore throat and a fever. I've also been knitting frantically on my sock for Sock Madness. This is a shot from yesterday. I'm almost at the heel now. I love the pattern. I'll take another picture this afternoon when the sun comes out a bit more. I'm really glad I picked this yarn too. It's Collinette Jitterbug in Copperbeach. It has splashes of red and blue and it's SPOOKY. :) The pattern for the first round of Sock Madness is Zombie Socks.

Have a great day!! Happy Knitting!