Something New

I haven't read any good novels in a while. But now I have acquired two new books in two days! This is WONDERFUL! The new Nicholas Sparks book came out today. It looks good! I really enjoy his books, his character development, and the romance of course! He is such a good writer!




I was experimenting with this last night.


This is Knit Picks Palette in Ash & Fog. I think the palette is a little on the thin side for socks. So I have been wanting to try knitting with two strands together. The experiment is working. I like the results. It is randomly marbling. My sweetie likes the colors, so these are for him. He is worthy of more socks! I am happy this worked out, because there are so many color combinations with palette. I am thinking Wood and Bark, Blush and Hyacinth, even Black and White. Maybe even hand dyed and a solid together. The possibilities are endless really. This will be my last official pair of Socktoberfest socks. Although Lolly said she will be keeping the Flickr Group going. Which is good for the inspiration! This was my first KAL and I really enjoyed it! Mostly because of the flexibility. Everyone was knitting their own thing, yet all making socks. Which is good! I tried new things and was truly inspired to branch out even more. Not to say that I will never knit plain stockinette socks ever again, but there will be more variety! Variety is good, in knitting and life!

Wonderful Weekend

The snow storm is definately over. That is what I love about the weather in Colorado, it doesn't stay nasty for long! The sun is back out, the sky is blue, it is in the 60's today. A perfect fall day.

Yesterday I had a little cabin fever. I had been snowed in for two days. My DH finished shoveling the driveway Friday evening. So Saturday morning I got out of the house and went to have coffee and knit. I ran into some friends that I hadn't seen in too long. They invited me to sit and knit with them. We got all caught up on happenings (what are you knitting, how's the family, etc) and had a pleasant afternoon. By the time I left I had finished these:


Watercolor socks
Yarn: MJ hand dyed
Needles: #1 (2.25mm) bamboo
64 stitches
3 inches stockinette after the heel
3 inches 1X1 ribbing
ruffle bind off
(2 rows knit in the front and back of each stitch)

I love the sock blockers. They are the perfect size for my little feet! I had to get my sweetie a set too! His has puppies! Too cute! I ordered them from Chappywoman.





I picked up this book today by Debbie Macomber. It is another book in the Shop on Blossom Street series.

Off to experiment with a new sock for my husband.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Frozen Feast

We are still snowed in here in Colorado.
We got about 3 feet of snow at our house.
But we have time for a Feast.

Appetizer
Create a new candle scent.
Puppy breathe, cuz that is love!

Soup
Name one way you show affection to others.
Cooking a good dinner. I was raised by my Italian grandmother to believe that food equals love.

Salad
What is your favorite writing instrument?
my keyboard.

Main Course
If you were given $25 to spend anywhere online, from which site would you buy?
Knit Picks without a doubt.

Dessert
Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are you going to be?
No dressing up for me. I think that most holidays are for kids.
But if I was, an Eskimo would be appropriate.

Here's a cute puppy pic.
Majc loves to play in the white stuff!
Especially with daddy!

Blizzard

We are having "blizzard like conditions" here in Colorado.


Taken at 6am.


Taken at 7am.

What a difference an hour makes!

Inspired

After finishing my Falling Leaves socks I felt like I needed a little break from socks. So I finished the Neapolitan washcloth.



Just a simple garter stitch washcloth. I know. But I like the colors. It looks just like ice cream, you know, vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. I was thinking, more washcloths, like Mason Dixon style. And to help enable me, Hobby Lobby is having a sale on Sugar 'n Cream.



But then a package arrived in the mail from Shannon. Shannon was not happy with her Flower Power Memories yarn from Knit Picks. I liked it, so we arranged a swap. This is happy yarn! It calls to me! The lovely Shannon also included a vintage crochet hook which I forgot to include in the picture. It is very tiny and will be great for picking up dropped stitches!



It wanted to be socks! It almost cast itself on!



This pattern is a seed stitch rib 4X1. I like it! So maybe all I needed was a 24 hour break to get inspired by socks again!

Then, earlier today I was scanning the Socktoberfest Flickr Group and I saw this and was truly inspired! Here is the pattern for these lovely Pembrokeshire Pathways Socks. They are breathtaking! But yet the pattern is not at all intimidating. A four row repeat - I can do that! Cables and lace. So I have not tired of socks yet, and I probably will always have some on the needles. Although there will always be other projects too. Like a sweater for my sweetie, shawls for me, and yes, washcloths! And even some charity knitting too. But always socks! There is always time for socks! And I am ok with that!

A Day in the Mountains

We took a drive to Divide, Colorado today. We drove around Mueller State Park. What a nice scenic drive. You can see seven mountain ranges from the visitors center. It was a perfect day for it too. Nice clear weather, not too much traffic. We brought Majc and she found a deer. Here are some pics.







See more pictures here.

Ruffles

When I was a little girl, my mom dressed me up in dresses because I was the only girl. This was only for special occasions usually. My threshold for staying clean and playing inside was about an hour. Anyway, remember the little Mary Janes with white ruffled socks?



Well, that was the look I was going for in this latest sock. In honor of Socktoberfest I wanted to try something different. So I made ruffled socks!





Specs:
Yarn: Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co in Fall Leaves
Needles: KnitPicks size 1 (2.5mm)
short row toe up pattern
after the heel 3inches of stockinette
3 inches 1X1 ribbing
2 rows knit in the front and back of each stitch
bind off with the same size needle

I just kind of made this up. I knew how to do a ruffled edge in crochet, so I just kept trying here until I got it right. I like how it looks and it fits nice. Something different, that's what I wanted.

Let's Dine

Friday's Feast time again!

Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage?
Coffee, definately! I am drinking a cup right now!

Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work.
knitting, pics of my DH & Majc, my music

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are?
7, only because at work I have to be "politically correct" and cannot tell it like it is!

Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why?
Don't know, never really thought about it.

Dessert
What stresses you out?
Driving in the snow and ice with some idiot in an SUV tailgating me!
What calms you down?
Knitting and my DH

Favorite Sweater Socks

It snowed again last night.
Can you see the green leaves still on tree on the right?
Gotta love Colorado!

We got 5 - 8 inches depending on what side of town you are on.





The sun came out this afternoon and melted most of it already!

I finished another pair of socks for my DH!



What is that in the background?
My favorite sweater.

Specs:
Magic Stripes
#201 Denim Stripe
64 stitches on KP #1 (2.5mm)
7 inches btwn toe and heel
3 inch 1X1 ribbing

He had them on exactly 1 minute after the picture was taken!
That is why I keep knitting him socks!! DH gets it!

The other socks have been getting attention too!





Both the Watercolor socks and the Falling Leaves socks are up past the heels! Very fun! I have been taking Falling Leaves to work, and everyone likes watching their progress! I really, really like the Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co yarn. It is hand spun and handpainted. It is so soft! I just cannot put into words the sensuality of this yarn! I wish they had a website, but checkbook is happy that they do not! Their email is KGAggen@aol.com in case you want to contact Grace concerning your own stash enhancement.

I am an enabler, I know!

Leaves are Falling

Hello! Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Mine was wonderful and busy as usual!

Friday I finished my second pair of JellyBean socks! Yeah!



Same generic toe-up pattern, but for a good reason. Since they are so randomly striped I can mix and match each pair if I make them all the same. And I had to get them done so that I could start another pair that I have been yearning for.

I met with Kathy and Felicia to knit at one of our favorite coffee shops.



I started the Falling Leaves socks! I love this yarn, it is soft and the colors are wonderful! Just right for Autumn! They look like the colors in the mountains right now! Pine trees and all!





Then today, one of the fun activities of Autumn at our house is the leaf raking event! Majc really enjoys this! She thinks that we put the leaves in a pile for her to jump over and jump in! She is just like a little kid! And that is why we love her!


She is so happy! Look at her smiling!


"Pile those leaves up faster Dad!"

Then I joined in to help!
Afterwards, there was homemade bread and homemade soup! Yummy!
What a perfect Autumn weekend in Colorado!

Feasting, Yarn, and Puppy Pics

Feasting

Time for Friday's Feast:

Appetizer
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend reading other blogs?
Too Many! about 2 hours a day is conservative! if I am bored at work then, well, more! I would say, twelve hours a week is a low estimate.

Soup
Your community wants everyone to give one thing to put into a time capsule. What item would you choose to include?
Hand knit socks!

Salad
What is the most interesting tourist attraction you've ever visited?
The Grand Canyon!

Main Course
If you could give an award to anyone for anything, who would it be and what would the award be titled?
Most Patient Husband in the World to my Wonderful Husband!

Dessert
What do you think your favorite color reveals about your personality?
My favorite color is Purple, does that mean I am regal? or that I just got too old for Pink?

Yarn

This will be my next sock. I love this yarn! I am really in love with it! It is tied with Koigu as my favorite yarn ever! I picked this up at Estes Park in June and it is the main reason that I went to Taos!
This is Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co in Fall Leaves.
I can hardly wait to knit it!



Then I had a stash enhancement from Knit Picks:



Back Row l-r: Memories: Yukon, Smores, Spring Prairie
Front Rowl-r: Essential: Petunia, Cocoa, Ash

Puppy Pics

Random Puppy Pictures:

Watercolor

I couldn't figure out why I liked the color pattern of DH newest socks on the needles so much and why it felt so familiar. Then I was folding laundry and I saw it! This is one on my favorite(store bought) sweaters.



I might have to make a pair for me!

I haven't shown you the socks I am making with my hand dyed yarn.



I am calling them Watercolor. They remind me of a watercolor painting, perhaps by Monet!

Melanie asked:
how do you do your socks? Knit so many rows on one sock and then switch to the other? And.... What toe up pattern do you use?

Well, I do a modified PGR short row toe up sock.



If I have two skeins of the yarn, then I work off the outsides of both. If not, I work off both ends. I do both toes. Then I work on both feet alternately until one gets to the heel. I do not count rows, I measure the length. Then I get the other one to the heel. I do both heels. When I join the heels back to the rest of the sock, I pick up one or two stitches to avoid those pesky holes. Then I knit both cuffs. On the last row before the bind off, I knit with a bigger needle (2 or 3 sizes bigger). Then I bind off with that size or one size larger. The way I knit socks, I have no second sock syndrome. and I don't have to remember what I did on the first one in order to have them the same. That is how I do socks.

The First Snow!

This is what my backyard looked like this morning!
Beautiful!
I love Colorado!!

Taos, New Mexico

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary! Yeah! Four years married! So about a month or so ago, my DH asked where I wanted to go for our anniversary. There was a wool festival in Taos, New Mexico that weekend. We agreed that Taos sounded fun and not too far for a day trip. So we hopped in the truck and went to Taos!

We left in the dark, in the EARLY morning hours!
Here is the sunrise an hour into our drive:



The drive was nice. Scenic and very romantic! I love Autumn! The changing colors, mountain roads, the crisp in the air!

The festival was fun! There were fun booths with interesting wares. Some critters (not as many as Estes). It was smaller, but still worth the drive! We really enjoyed eating Kibees and lamb kabobs while listening to live music! And of course there were stash enhancements!!









We did a little sight seeing in the afternoon.







There was knitting too!



Then we headed back home after a wonderful day and enjoyed the sunset along the way.



For more photos click here to my Flickr page of Taos.

That was a full day! Which was great! I really enjoy our little trips.
But today I just want to relax.....
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!