Butterfly Socks

The Butterfly socks started out as a blank dyed at Christy's at our knit group dye day.



They emerged from the cocoon and taken flight to be a unique pair of socks.



Specs:
Judy's Magic Cast-On
cast on 24 stitches
increase every other row to 72 around
short row heels
8 inch cuff
2X2 ribbing inch
switched to turquoise
3 rows in pattern
modified Russian bindoff



These are my first pair from a sock blank. I really enjoyed making them and can't wait to start another pair!!

No More Naked Teapots

I have always been a coffee drinker. First thing in the morning, after dinner, I drink coffee any time, all the time. I love coffee, my Senseo, my pods. But ever since our visit to Celestial Seasonings last month, I have been drinking tea almost every evening. It is nice, relaxing.

I bought a tea pot at the gift shop. It is a cute, little 2-cup pot. Just the right size for hubby and me.



But it just looked so.....naked!
So, I knit it a cozy, a little teapot sweater.



It took a couple tries to get it just right, as all teapots are not the same size or shape.

I generally made it like this:

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Cavern
Needles: size 3 Addi Turbo 16inch
Pattern: here

Modifications:
1. instead of the yarnovers for the spout opening, I cast off 10 stitches and knit them back on the following row.
2. I left the top open for easy tea making (hubby made that choice). So I did 2X2 ribbing at the top with 2.5mm dpn's



I love this Teapot Cozy!
It fits my little pot perfectly!

And I learned a new skill, always a good thing. This was my first time doing the Picot Hem. It added a nice finished touch.

I see more teapot cozies in my future!
They are fun and a quick knit.

I think I need to go make a pot of tea now.

The Front Yard is Done!

My wonderful husband and I planted some junipers and small evergreens among the rockscape these past few weekends. We have finally achieved the look we envisioned.
It is done, done, done!

Here is the finished result.
(click on pic for larger view)





Dog added for scale:



I really like the junipers we picked out:



We are going to keep them trimmed and small, just like the evergreen trees.

Another pot of flowers was added (7 total):



What a feeling of satisfaction to have it "just right" at last.
So what is next, the back yard, but not until next year.
We need a break!

(more pics of the yard here)


Knitting

Also done:

Boyfriend Socks



and Trekking socks

Waldo Canyon

Last week Hubby and I went for a hike in the mountains of Colorado. We heard good things about Waldo Canyon. It was about a 7 mile hike in rugged terrain. The trail was marked well with signs along the way. We grabbed a day pack and took the dog along. It was a great day outdoors with spectacular views.







We prefer to hike in the fall season, the colors are breathtaking!





More pics here. Or watch the slideshow here.

If you are a hiker here in Colorado, or planning to visit, check out Waldo Canyon. It is not an easy hike (rated moderate), but it was very rewarding. We are thinking about our next hike.

On the knitting front.

Remember Dye Day from last month when Christy and I created the Butterfly sock blank. Well, I started knitting it up into socks. They are very unique and I love the result!