Plain ol' boring socks...

Ahh..finally finished a pair of socks..these are for my brother Jim who (only) wears wool socks.

As far as I know he is the only one in the family who wears handmade and will pay dearly and go to extreme lengths to get a pair! (I don't know what to ask for, for knitting these...just joking Jim.Heehee)

You see my Granny knit the boys socks every Christmas and for some reason Jim loved them. The rest could have cared less...probably preferred store bought...so these are a treat for Jim. I know I should knit for him more often but I really, really hate knitting plain old forever no pattern, no funky yarn sox for men.

However, I did see where Silfert at

http://stitchtunes.blogspot.com/ was extolling the virtues of yarn called 'Zauberball' and said most of the men she had shown the colours thought it was cool!!! So check it out for the guys (old and young) in your life.

Pattern:- I cast on 64sts and did a knit 2, purl 2 rib for about 45 rows and then umm....another 50 rows of plain knitting. To break up the monotony I knit the double stitch short row heel.

I finished the foot with 60 rows plain and started the toe....TaDa..

Needles:- Sz#2.5

Yarn:-Patons Kroy 4ply Colour:-Gentry Grey

I will get these sent off today.

I will move on to something more challenging 'tho I'm still slogging on with my 'Truly' shawl.

A little aside...A few years ago I went into a Wool Shop in N.Ireland and asked the clerk (I found out she was the owner) where they kept the sock yarn (wool) as they call it. She looked at me astonished and said,

"Why would anyone bother knitting socks when you can buy 3 pair for a pound in Crazy Prices."

I went back to visit the same store last month. Unfortunately the store was going out of business but ironically they now carry sock wool!!!!

Go figure.

Happy knitting.

Mags.

Lost

Seems like I've lost all incentive to knit....and blog.

Thankfully I haven't yet lost the will to buy sock yarn.

Happy knitting.

Mags.

Saying goodbye..

Two weeks ago I said goodbye to my Mother. Now I don't think I'd mention this on my blog but she was a fellow knitter.

I would love to say she taught me to knit..but no..I learned from a friend.

In October 2007 she bought a sweater at a 'Charity' shop. She painstakingly ripped the thing out and decided to knit a cardigan. She never used a pattern and she never ever swatched and heaven forbid, she never heard tell of blocking.

This cardigan is the last thing she ever made. Here she is knitting it and here is a pix of my daughter wearing the cardigan.

I will miss you Ma.

Mags.

All occasion cards....for knitters.

A couple of weeks ago a few folks had a secret swap at 'Socknitters.'

One of the items you could send was a homemade card. I did not participate, but I did think about what kind of card I would like to enclose to a knit friend.

Here goes.

These are so cute..click on the pix to enlarge.

Using sock yarn and Sz#00 I made a little square using a few stitches.

I slipped these on dressmaker pins..you know the ones with coloured heads (I did blunt the tips using wire cutters)..and using double sided scrapbook tape stuck the swatches to the cards. And there you have it! One card says "hello" and the other says "thank-you."

I will make more. My (kind, generous, loving) daughter helped with the cards! (Thanx Cath.)

Happy knitting.

Mags

Bears and booties!

Now I'm not much of a game player but Silfert at http://stitchtunes.blogspot.com/ included me as one of her five! She had been tagged to put up the 10th., picture in her 1st., folder!

Now I will do the same....

As you can see I live on a 'dirt road' in rural Pennsylvania. I hate living on a dirt road but I love where I live..now that's a contradiction...but the road is so dusty in summer, rutted and like a wagon track in spring and we are usually snowed in during the winter because dirt roads are not a priority! That about sums it up.

Okay, the advantages...I can cut myself off from the world. I don't have to go camping, and my world is teeming with wildlife.

The evening I took this picture I had been barbecuing and the smells outside of cooking were wonderful. I imagine the neighbour's mouth was watering! So it's no wonder the bear stopped by.

The Grand Poobah and I had eaten dinner. I decided to go out and make sure the gas to grill was off! (I'm sort of an a** about these little details!) I went out and was shocked to see a bear sauntering thru the yard! I rushed back indoors and yelled, "Honey, there's a bear in the yard!" The Grand Poobah said, "You must be mistaken...are you sure it's not a big dog? He came out and was impressed. He had never seen a bear that close before and he had grown up in the Allegheny 'National Forest,' where there are quite a few roaming the woods. I'd say the bear weighed near 200lbs.

I had the presence of mind to pick up my camera (because pix speak volumes.) It was just starting to get dark.....and I just never thought about adjusting for brightness etc.. So ta-da if you look carefully you can see that bad boy! Here is the 10th pix of my 1st folder!!! Not the greatest but..you can click on the photo for a closer look!

Happy knitting.

P.S. Speaking of knitting. I made these booties/sox? for a friend.

Yarn:- Heart&Sole colour 'Green Envy.'
Needles:-Sz#1
Pattern:-36sts.
Cuff. 3 knit followed by 3 purl rows.
Short row double stitch heel.
Hope they fit.
Love them!
Happy 4th everyone. Stay safe!

'Truly' in the Doldrums..

I am in the knitting 'doldrums'.....um...I want to knit something, but waste hours looking at patterns and decide to do nothing. Right now I'm sorta sick of everything. I hope these feelings don't last!

Finally 'tho I picked something to knit , and 'ta-da' it's the 'Truly Tasha's Shawl" by Nancy Bush. I'm using Sz#4 needles.

I had some Noro Kureyon, colour#184 in my stash. I love the way this is knitting up..all the colour changes, however I'm not crazy about the under-spun sections of yarn..but I can live with it!

I just needed something mindless and the shawl is mostly garter stitch with a lace edging that is also the bind off. So it's moving along nicely and I'm on ball #4 already!

I am watching Wimbledon this week and next. I grew up watching tennis...it was all we could get on T.V. and I've always been hooked!

Happy knitting.

Mags.

Pattern

Candles

The stitch pattern for these socks was taken from “Mon Tricot 1030 Stitches Patterns” and adapted to work circularly. (Page#79. Title:-Candle Pattern.)
Materials I used:
Yarn:- Fingering weight. I used Zoe Sock color Sapote.
Needles:- Double Pointed Sz#1 or to get gauge
Gauge:- 11rows=1inch; 8stitches=1inch.
Size:-Women’s Small/medium. Will fit US shoe size 7/7.5 or European size 38.
Abbreviations used:-
K=knit
P=purl
Ssk= slip 2 stitches separately as if to knit and then knit these 2 stitches together.
Yo=yarn over
K2tog.= knit 2 stitches together
Dec.=decrease
Sts.= stitches.







Cuff:-
Cast on 72 stitches. Place stitches on 3 needles, 24 stitches on each and join for working in the round. Work 14 rows *twisted rib* [ Knit 1stitch through the back loop (tbl), purl 1 st..]
Leg:
Start *candle pattern :- over 12sts and 20rows*.
Row#1-*k1,yo,ssk,k7,k2tog.,yo* repeat from*to*.
Round#2; and all even rounds *knit* around.
Round#3 - *k1,yo,k1,ssk,k5,k2tog.,k1,yo.* around.
Round#5 - *k1,yo,k2,ssk,k3,k2tog.,k2,yo.* around.
Round#7 - *k1,yo,k3,ssk,k1,k2tog.,k3,yo.*around.
Round#9 - *k1,yo,k4,ssk,k4,yo.* around.
Round#11- *k4, k2tog.,yo, k1,yo,ssk,k3.* around.
Round#13- *k3,k2tog.,k1,yo,k1,yo,k1,ssk,k2.* around.
Round#15 -*k2,k2tog.,k2,yo,k1,yo,k2,ssk,k1.*around.
Round#17- *k1,k2tog.,k3,yo,k1,yo,k3,ssk. *around.
Before starting round #19 move the last stitch on needle#1 onto needle#2 and the last stitch on needle #2 onto needle #3 and the last stitch on #3 onto needle #1 (This keeps the pattern in line!)
Round#19 -*slip1, k2tog., pass the slipped stitch over, k4,yo,k1,yo,k4.*around.

These 20 rows make up the pattern. Work for desired length for leg.
I knit 3 complete patterns 60 rows.

Heel Flap:
Purl back on 35 stitches for heel flap and dec. 3sts evenly spaced; *p7,p2tog.,p8,p2tog.,p7,p2tog.,p7.* You now have 32sts on heel flap.
(24 stitches remain on needle#1 and 13stitches remain on needle#2=37sts. for instep to be worked later.)
Work the 32sts on the heel flap for 28 rows.
*Row#1- Slip first stitch purl wise and knit across.
*Row#2- Slip first stitch purl wise and purl across.
Turn heel:- (Round or French heel)
Slip 1, knit17sts, ssk, k1,turn
Slip 1, purl 5sts, p2tog, p1, turn
Slip 1, knit 6sts, ssk, k1, turn
Slip 1, purl 7sts, p2tog, p1, turn
Slip 1, knit 8sts, ssk, k1, turn
Continue working one more stitch until all stitches have been worked, you should have 18sts left on your needle.
Shape Gussets:-
Knit across 9sts., start another needle knit the next 9sts, then pick up and knit 14sts along side of heel flap, plus 1 or 2 extra stitches in the gap.
Knit pattern over the 37 instep stitches as follows.
Row#1-( k1,yo,ssk,k7,k2tog.,yo)2x’s more (3 of the 12st pattern), and end with one knit stitch.
Using another needle pick up 1 or 2 stitches in the gap and then pick up 14 along side on the other side of the heel flap and then knit the last 9 stitches.
You are back at the center of the heel. This is where all rounds begin.
On needle #1- you have 9+14+2 (extra sts.)=25
On needle#2- you have 37 sts.
On needle#3- you have 2 (extra sts)+14+9=25.
Row#2=On needle#1 work to last 3sts., k2tog.,k1sts. On needle#2Knit across instep sts.
On needle#3 Knit 1st.,ssk, and knit to end.
2sts decreased.
Round#3- Needle #1Knit all sts.
Needle#2-(K1,yo,k1,ssk,k5,k2tog.,k1.yo)2 more times, end with a k1.
Needle#3 -Knit all sts.
Continue to decrease every other round until you have 18sts, on needles #1 and #3.
Follow the candle pattern across the instep as written above, on the 37 instep sts., for rows, 5-7-9-11-13-15- 17-*19*, ending with a k one stitch.
*Please note row#19 has different instructions than stated above*.
Row#19 (instructions for instep) Knit 2tog.,k4,yo,k1,yo,k4, then slip1, k2tog., pass the slipped st over, k4,yo,k1,yo,k4 then slip 1, k2tog., pass the slipped stitch over k4,yo,k1,yo,k4, end with a k2tog.. ( 37sts )
Continue in pattern as established until foot is desired length.
I knit 60 rows total.
On row #20 I decreased the extra stitch on the instep I now had 18/36/18 stitches, 72sts total.
Toe:-
Round#1
On needle #1-Knit to last 3sts (k2tog.,k1)
On needle #2-(k1,ssk) knit across to last 3sts., (k2tog.,k1)
On needle #3-(k1,ssk) knit ‘till end of round.
Round#2
Knit sts on needles #1-2-3.
Repeat these two rounds ‘till you have 20sts left. 5/10/5
Finishing:-
Knit across 5sts on needle #1. You have 10sts on needle #3 and 10sts on needle #2.
Cut yarn leaving a 12 inch tail.
Kitchener these sts. together.

Knit sock#2…

This is the first pattern I've ever written out and I hope there are no mistakes..but you never know! Please let me know!

Happy knitting....please don't claim this pattern as your own! (Thanks!)

Mags.

.