And here they are, my knitting and non-knitting friends (insert imagined drum roll here, please) the finished Koigu PPPM socks! Yes, they are finished and on my feet as we speak. It’s sort of pathetic, I suppose, that I finished them at o-dark-thirty this morning and then planned my outfit around my new socks. Sad, but true.
What’s even sadder is how immediate was my desire to cast on another pair of socks. And the winner is (another drumroll, please) basic stockinette socks in Regia Jacquard with purple, blue, and grey stripes. I was all set to try something a tad more complicated, like the Peaks ‘n Valley socks from Knit Socks! but since this here is a self-striping jacquard I decided that anything with a pattern would just fight with the jacquard striping. I’ll save the Peaks n Valleys for the Jawoll.
Knit on!

Do you knitters out there ever feel like you’re entering a knitting time warp? I’m talking about a space of time where suddenly you have accomplished a huge chunk of your project and you’re just not sure how it happened! Last night I sat down to work on the koigu sock. At the time I was still working my way down the leg. See this picture? I put the needle at yesterday’s starting point. By the time I put the sock down for the night I had finished the leg, knit the heel flap, turned the heel, picked up the gusset stitches, finished the gusset decreases and knit a few rounds of the foot. I’m not the world’s fastest knitter (nor am I a particularly slow knitter) but I think my accomplishment last night was pretty cool. Especially since it took a month to finish the first sock. I’m already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with this one and I only started it last Wed.
So now the possibilities of new socks are running around in my head. There’s the purple self-striping yarn I bought ages ago to go with my purple fleece top, there’s the unidentified handpainted sock yarn I bought at Knit Wits last month, there’s several different colors of Sock It To Me that I bought from elann and there’s some Lang Jawoll Sock Yarn in a blue stipe and that has reinforcement thread which I’ve never used before. Then there are the patterns I’ve been wanting to try, like the mismatched striped socks from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush and the Best Foot Forward pattern from Knit Socks! by Betsy McCarthy. Oh my, such possibilities, I don’t know how I’ll choose!
I will definitely be inspired to knit on!

I have been lax about posting, but I do have knitting to report. I finished sock #1 of the koigu socks last Wed. It’s quite nice, but suddenly Mason has taken an interest in this yarn. I have to hide the bag from him or he pulls the finished sock and ball of yarn right out of the bag and throws it around the room. Not good.
Last Tuesday I made another buttonhole bag, this one for my stepdaughter, Jessica, as an Easter present. It came out really cute – of course, I forgot to take a picture of it – and I put Jessie’s and Hannah’s Easter candy in their bags and gave them to them on Saturday. They were very excited and Jessie was going to use her bag when she went out Saturday night. Success in knitting is a good thing.
The Charlotte Bronte Shawl is coming along, but one row takes almost 15 minutes to complete. Sigh. And, I don’t think I have enough yarn, even though I bought what the pattern calls for. I’m going to have to try and get more but I don’t know if I can order it with the same dye lot. Sigh again.
Saturday was the knitting group at the Bridgewater Public Library. This is a great group and everyone was working on something different and fun. We all gabbed about everything under the sun and the time just flew by! I was told that the yarn shop in Mansfield is moving and she’s having a sale. Gee, I need to go to Mansfield, I think.
It’s a rainy day and perfect for curling up on the couch with knitting. Too bad I have to work for a living!
Knit on!

Last Thursday I started the Fiber Trends “Flowers on the Go” Felted Bag. I finished it on Saturday, surprisingly enough. I used Filatura di Crosa 127 Print yarn, a very soft and pleasant yarn to work with. I did not make a felted gauge swatch. Me, living dangerously. Hunh.
I felted the bag on Sunday morning while making breakfast. After one cycle it was still not felted enough, so I set it again. I sort of forgot about it and didn’t check it until I heard the buzzer on the washing machine sound. Whoops. It’s very felted now and much smaller than I wanted it to be. I think my cell phone will fit in there but not much else. See what happens when I live dangerously? This, my friends, is why Carole likes rules and shouldn’t try for the devil-may-care approach to knitting. It’s cute and I like it but I’m a tad disappointed in the size. Size really does matter. And the very subtle striping becomes just too subtle once it’s felted. It almost looks grubby not striped. Ah well.
Last night I started the Charlotte Bronte Shawl and I can tell already that this is going to be a long fezzle. This yarn, Peruvian Collection Baby Silk from elann is beautiful – very soft and the color is called “Mocha Cream.” But, lotsa tiny stitches don’t make for instant gratification. I may just have to make another buttonhole bag to satisfy my need for finished objects!
Knit on!

The buttonhole bag is done and felted and it is absolutely the cutest thing going! The stripes of yellow and lime green are really bright and the purple on the bottom will keep it from getting grungy and it looks just like an Easter egg! If Spring ever arrives in cold Massachusetts this bag will be just the thing! I can see how this little object could be addicting, I’m already contemplating color combos for the next one.
So, not that anyone needs to hear another cat story, but, Mason and his obsession with my knitting is getting wilder all the time. Yesterday, I put the buttonhole bag on the kitchen table to take this “before” picture.
The thing wasn’t on the table for more than 2 seconds and along comes Mason, plopping himself right down in the middle of the darn thing. It’s like he knows I have this blog and he insists on being a part of it! So I obligingly took a picture to satisfy him, but no one needs to see another picture of Mason lying on my knitting. (if you really can’t resist seeing him, click here) He didn’t sit there for long, just long enough to make his point that he is far more beautiful than anything I might possibly be knitting. The truly ironic thing is that I would happily knit him his very own [substitute something cat-appropriate here] but he would probably ignore the heck out of it! You know cats – if it’s not mine, I want it, if it’s mine, I will ignore it. But I digress . . . so, I snapped the photo and threw the bag in the washing machine with 3 pairs of old jeans. Two cycles later it was nicely felted and very fuzzy and I just love it!
Dale came home yesterday morning just as I was finishing said bag and he was shocked that it was already done. It is cool to start a project on a Tuesday and finish it on a Wednesday, doncha think? Nothing like instant gratification to make a knitter’s day! Anyway, I love that my husband is so easily impressed and I’m sure not going to tell him that double strands of Lamb’s Pride knit up wicked fast! He thinks I’m a genuis and why spoil a good thing like that? I also love that he is so totally clueless about the prices of knitting needles and thinks that Addi Turbos are a great deal. Hey, don’t ask, don’t tell, right?
I have good news and bad news on the Charlotte Bronte Shawl. The bad news is, I knitted a gauge swatch last night and it came out too small. The good news is, I need size 3 needles and, shucks, I don’t have that size so I’m going to have to buy some. Hunh. Might as well buy Addis as it will make my first lace-y shawl type thing so satisfying. And, at least according to Dale, they are so fairly and reasonably priced. Sigh. The sacrifices I make for my craft.
Since I have nothing else on the needles right now (except for the long-suffering, boring as hell to knit Einstein coat) other than the koigu socks, I picked them up and worked pretty far down the toe. The first sock should be done soon and I’m not loving the koigu as much as I thought I would. It’s okay, the colors are pretty and all, but I don’t understand why people are so crazy about it. It feels more like cotton than wool and it’s not all that soft. I’ll save my final judgment for when I actually wear the socks but I can’t picture making another pair out of this yarn.
The Plymouth Country Cranberry Quilters meet at the library and today they were doing a Civil War reproduction fabric swap. They thought it would be interesting to hear me speak about reenacting so they invited me to talk to them this morning. I brought a couple of dresses that Wendy made, my Quilted Winter bonnet that Sarah made, my slat bonnet, my corset, the knitted sontag and socks that I made, Dale’s CDV, some books, things like that. It was really fun! The ladies seemed to enjoy themselves and they laughed a lot so I guess I was funny. At least I hope that’s why they were laughing. Talking about reenacting made me realize how much I miss it in the Winter. I am sooo ready for the season to start! There’s lots of time for knitting at reenactments and so I’ll just say,
Knit on – Civil War Style!

I cast on the felted Button Hole bag from the Mason-Dixon Knitting Blog on my brandy-new size 15 Addi Turbos this morning. This was after I divided up each skein of my Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride worsted weight in the vibrant colors of purple, yellow and lime green into 2 equal balls for each skein so that I could knit this project with 2 strands of the same color yarn. By the time this was done I was quite eager to get on with the knitting show, if you know what I mean. Well . . .I knew I would like Addi Turbos. I knew they would be exceptionally smooth and slick and super-fast. I knew I would feel oh-so-special when I used them. Here’s what I didn’t know: that I would want to immediately replace every circular needle I own with an Addi Turbo! Geez-oh-man but these needles are amazing!!
I restrained myself (slightly) and only ordered 3 new addis from Knit Witts. I need these to start the felted bag from Fiber Trends and also to knit any future booga bags. Good-bye, forever, Clover Bamboo Circulars with the sticky spot where the join is. To quote a line from one of my favorite movies, this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

And here he is, Mason the Wonder Cat, sound asleep on the latest Booga Bag on Saturday afternoon. He really makes himself “at home” with my knitting. The bag is almost done, by the way, only a few rows to go and then the I-cord and that’s that.
Yesterday Dale and I went for a drive to Plymouth. Of course, I had a hidden agenda as I wanted to check out the yarn shop, Knitting Treasures, that Marianne told me about Saturday night. We did find it, right in downtown Plymouth, but, alas it was closed. Who ever heard of a yarn shop being closed on Sunday afternoons?!? I guess that’s when we are supposed to be home knitting not out shopping. I will have to head back during the week or on a Saturday because (of course I peered in the windows) it looks like a very promising shop. It wasn’t a wasted trip, though. We poked through a couple of antique shops and the water was a beautiful blue and it was actually over 40 degrees, a small miracle these days.
Today I’m wearing the finished clapotis to work. I feel a little silly but everyone has assured me that it looks very nice. I’m striving for that devil-may-care attitude towards scarf wearing but it’s a struggle!
Knit On!

News on the knitting front . . . Friday I went yarn shopping! I needed another skein of Cascade 220 to finish the clapotis so I called my friend Sharon D. and we headed to The Wool Patch in Middleboro. Sharon hadn’t been there yet and I think she enjoyed the shop. I got my skein of cascade and also some Lamb’s Pride Bulky to make a felted “button hole” bag. There is an “unpattern” for this on the Mason-Dixon Knitting Blog and it looks like fun. Plus, I really like felted projects and haven’t done one since I got burned out on Booga Bags last Christmas. I also picked up an Addi Turbo size 15. Seems like knitters everywhere rave about these needles, it’s time to see if the price is worth the hype!
Sharon, meanwhile, is learning to knit socks on 2 circs. Not something I can help her with and as I am fan of double-pointed needles myself. So we left Middleboro and headed to Hanson to the yarn shop where she took her sock lessons for a refresher course in picking up gusset stitches. Of course while Sharon learned, Carole shopped. I got some Noro Kureyon to make . . . another Booga Bag! More felting = more fun. I also got a needle for needle felting, something I would like to try but really know nothing about. Not that knowing nothing about something has ever slowed me down before. This was all in the middle of a snow storm but that didn’t slow down the determined knitters/shoppers!
Yesterday morning I finished the clapotis. Waaa Hooo! I went out last night with some friends from work and really wanted to wear it but I chickened out. I’m sure I’ll work up the courage at some point but that French attitude isn’t something I’m real good at adopting. But I love the way it looks and the colors are vibrant and I spent many many hours on the thing so I am going to wear it.
As soon as the clappy was finished I cast on for the Booga Bag. This is a gift (can’t say for as who she reads my blog. Ah ha – now you’re all wondering, could it be me?!?!?) and it’s a short clock so I’m anxious to get it done. I hate deadlines but I don’t think it will be a problem to have this finished in time. Especially since I really got a lot done yesterday, all while watching women’s college basketball. It was snowing and the woodstove was warm and it made for a very pleasant afternoon.
Speaking of warm woodstoves, I believe I’ll head there right now and pick up the booga bag!
Knit (and felt) On!

You know that picture from the other day? The one with my cat, Mason, looking all cute sitting in my lap? Well, it should have a big red circle and line through it because yesterday he was very naughty. Apparently, he was not pleased with the lack of attention he received Tuesday night while I was working on the clappy. So, yesterday, he pulled said clappy out of the basket where I store my works in progress. He then proceeded to spread it out, got himself all comfy on it and went to sleep. When Dale got home yesterday, there was Mason, sound asleep in the middle of my knitting project. Dale, being Super-Husband, picked it all up and promptly forgot to tell me about it until last night during dinner. I rushed through the rest of my dinner to see what horrors Mason had wreaked on my project. He had pulled out about 20 stitches! Thankfully, that was the only damage and I was able to fix it quickly and without too much stress. Needless to say, when I left for work today, the basket with the clapotis was safely stored in a different room. Cats are resourceful, though, and I wouldn’t put it past Mason to go in search of more trouble!
Last night our regularly scheduled quilting program was interrupted by a Longaberger basket party, so I brought my socks along with me. I finished the heel and I’m working on the gusset now. Lois was knitting a sweater for Halle and Sharon D. was knitting a sweater for a baby-to-be. I think the Hungry Quilters are going to have to change their name to the Hungry Knitsters if this keeps up! Sharon H. had lots of yummy snacks, including some Longaberger spreads for crackers, and cheese, and cookies and fruit and veggies with dip. Of course, I had some of everything and I bought two baskets. So I shopped, I knitted and I ate. Not a bad night a’tall.
Knit on!

My blog software is now Movable Type and it’s being hosted by knitblog.com. I love the new layout and style! The buttons and logo are awesome and really capture the look I want. Thanks, Missa, for making it so cool!
As for knitting stuff, the koigu socks are about 5″ long today. Only another 1/2″ to go and I’m ready for the heel flap. I worked on them most of Saturday while trying to sell Hannah’s reenacting clothes at the swap meet.
I worked on the clapotis a lot last night and I’ve dropped 8 stitches now. My cat, Mason, interrupted me around 9pm. He will tolerate my knitting for a time but then he gets impatient for my attention. He’ll bat at the yarn or push the project out of my lap to make room for himself. He’s cute, though, so I don’t mind too much!
I need to start a secret project, can’t talk about it until it’s finished . . . but it’s a quick deadline . . . Easter!
On the reading front, I started March by Geraldine Brooks yesterday. I was reading the afterward (see the 100 things about me list) and was pleasantly surprised to find out that Ms. Brooks is the wife of author Tony Horwitz – he of Confederates in the Attic fame. This certainly explains her interest in Civil War history as it’s a rather big departure from the subject of her previous novel, Year of Wonders. That one was about the plague in 17th century England. Anyway, this new book is great and I like her style.
Knit on!