Pasties Angel

Now I think I'm really, really done with all my obligation knitting. I volunteered to be a pasties angel for the Knit Girls' spring exchange, and finally finished my backup pasties.

These are Brittany Wilson's Burlesque Fan Pasties, made of Dale of Norway's Baby Ull yarn on size 2.5 needles. The original pattern uses a worsted weight and size 5 needles, but I hardly have any worsted weight yarn in the house - and my recipient likes lavender. So I made the XL sized pasties, hoping to fit a medium. Since they're pasties, I don't think the fit needs to be very precise, as long as they cover what they're supposed to cover.

The pattern is fairly simple to knit - you start at the long edge, and decrease down to the point. Getting the feathers in place is a more complicated process involving fabric glue, scrap yarn, and shaving down the tips of the feathers to have a nice stem. (Hint: do this part outside!) I think more and shorter feathers might look better, but I'm not sure. I'm also not sure if these will be as good for Christmas ornaments as my other pasties.

So that's one more project that wasn't even on the list to check off the list. The list isn't going so well.

I've made a little bit of progress on the Tour de Fleece spinning. I was actually feeling pretty good for a little bit - after some marathon spinning last night (thanks to the Greatest American Dog show) I finished all the red yarn I need to complete my project. Then I weighted it - I've spun 3/8 of an ounce of yarn so far. So that's still enough red yarn, but there's a long way to go before I'm ready to knit my bag. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the 15th as a rest day! I wonder if there are steroids that help knitters?

Tentacles!

Now that my Hogwarts pal has received her package, I can post about the bag I made for her!

The requirement for the swap is to send a kit for your pal to make something - it started with just socks, but it's expanded since some people have a lot of socks by now. Each kit has to include a handmade item for the recipient, and everything goes in a bag - or that seems to be the tradition, at least.

So I wanted a bag design that would be a little bit funky, in honor of the whole Harry Potter universe, and also thought it should be something I've been wanting to try. So I pulled out Cat Bordhi's Moebius Knitting book and made the Jester Tentacles bag for my pal.

The moebius cast-on was a bit funky to learn. It's a simple enough technique, but my needle was too long, and the stitches were stretched out at first. Too short is definitely better than too long for this project. But you only do a little bit of the moebius knitting before opening up slits to add the bag's pouches.

Here's what the bag looks like with the inner pouch finished, and the outer pouch mostly finished. The moebius band forms the top of the two pouches and holds them together. The purple and blue parts are waste yarn, marking where the tentacles and straps will be inserted.

Getting to this step took a lot longer than I expected. Finishing the main part doesn't mean the bag is anywhere close to finished - the straps and tentacles involved a lot of knitting. Bordhi has you go to two circular needles for knitting the pouches and the tentacles, but I didn't want to go buy another circular needle in a size I rarely used, so I tried to magic loop the whole thing. This worked fine for the pouches, but made the tentacles take even longer - I wound up buying a set of DPNs, which made things much easier.

Here's the bag post-felting. Felting Cascade 220 is a bit scary; for a long time there's no change, and then it seizes up all at once. If I'd paid closer attention I might have had a slightly larger bag in the end, but I'm content with the result. I stuffed it with plastic grocery bags to help it dry in the shape I wanted.

The straps didn't felt down short enough - usually I have the opposite problem, so I'd made them extra long. I felted them by hand to get a more reasonable length.

I'd thought about adding something to the end of the tentacles - eyeballs, charms, or bells - but nothing quite worked out for me. In the end, I don't think it needs anything else to help it look weird.

Tour de Fleece

I've sent off my Hogwarts Kit today, which means it's OK to start another project, right?

I'm going to rule this one an acceptable addition to the list, because I'm stashbusting with the Tour de Fleece. I've been working a lot, so I'm joining the pack a little late - but maybe that makes me a backup rider?

I don't really spin much, so I'm keeping it simple. I'm going to spin the yarn to make a replica of the Gunnister Purse. We're going to Pennsic in August - my first trip in 10 years - so this may be my Pennsic knitting project. Or maybe I'll do it for the Knitting Olympics. But I'll try to have the yarn done by July 27.

I'm also making nice progress for the Dream Swatch KAL. I think I'll have to add more pattern repeats to get the full length - the consequence of stepping down a needle size, I suspect. I still really love this yarn, and this stitch pattern. I'm trying to figure out what else it needs to become - socks, maybe, or a sweater? My wrap looks like it's going to be 3.5 - 4" wide. I know it's going to need a little blocking before it's finished.

And look at this - my very own pasties! Aren't they beautiful? I received them from a generous pasties angel, after I didn't get the original set in the swap. I've also volunteered to be a pasties angel, so you'll be seeing even more pasties as soon as I get out to buy feathers. It's so easy to get hooked on making pasties - now I need to find things to do with pasties. (I know, there's the obvious - but I need other things to do with pasties!)

Catching Up Again

Somehow it's been a busy week. I don't know if that means that I've gotten much done, but it does mean that I've been neglecting the blog. So for some updates:

1. I'm still working on the bag for my Hogwarts sock pal. I think I'll hold off on posting more pictures, just so she can enjoy something of a surprise.

2. I bought some new yarn. I know I shouldn't, but Elizabeth had just gotten the bag in when I was at Charity Knits on Wednesday. And this stuff looked like it's been dyed just for me. And Sam was there, which meant I needed to get my yarn in a hurry. Sam may be a worse enabler than Glennalee - if that's possible.


This yarn already has a purpose; it's going to become a Swallowtail Shawl. One of the other charity knitters had one, and it was just beautiful. But I'm going to try very hard to be good, and not even think about starting this project until I've finished some others.

3. Speaking of finishing - I finished a project today! I also started it today, so I'm not sure it counts. It's a little bitty sock, even too small for Oscar. I think I could get hooked on the little socks really, really fast.


4. And I'll answer the two secret pal questions I've neglected:

What is your favorite summertime drink?
- I like a nice rose wine in the summer. Lately I've been enjoying Chateau Thomas' Verandah Rose, but I'm also fond of Red Bicyclette's French Rose. A summer wine needs to be sturdy enough to drink with meals, light enough to drink by itself, and cheap enough to drink regularly. When I was in DC, I bought a wonderful rose from Best Cellars, but I've never been able to remember what it was.

What did you most look forward to about summer vacation?
- Not being in school, for one thing. And more generally, the long, late summer nights. We'd disappear after dinner and make it home in time for the "do you know where your children are?" announcement that came on before the nighttime news. I don't really remember what we did with that time - play in parks, I think, or just by the river. Nothing terribly exciting - but that was the good part.

Amanda's Sockday

Amanda's Sockday is today. I'm not going to be able to be there, but she'll be too busy getting her socks to see this, so I can go ahead and post the picture.

These are probably the last Turkish socks I'm going to make in a very long time. I love Turkish socks, but after two years of sockdays the picking-up-heels and weaving-in-ends parts are starting to get kind of tedious.

At least Amanda, unlike Michelle, gets woven-in ends. Because we're out of town, I had to finish Amanda's socks early. So after a few days of frantic knitting, I delivered them to River Knits on Wednesday - and even had time to steam them a little. (I wish I'd done that for all my socks. I think they looked a lot nicer after steaming. Usually, I just expect all the tension issues to shake out in wearing - but this makes for better photographs.)

These socks, like most of the others, are from Dale Falk yarn. Most of the patterns are from Anna Zilboorg's Simply Socks, and the dancing figures are from Charted Peasant Designs from Saxon Transylvania. It, by the way, is an excellent book for anyone interested in historical counted-thread work. Unlike most of Dover's other pattern collections, this one gives the source for every pattern in the book.

I'm sorry to miss the last sockday, and more than a little sad to say goodbye to these socks. I think they may be the best ones I've done, although I've had that feeling about all of them. Either I'm continually improving, or I'm fickle.

Hmm...I wonder if there's a way to get all the socks together again? Maybe we need a Sockday Reunion!

Tentacles

I'm in Kentucky, on a trip to celebrate Aaron's father's birthday.

It was a pretty scary trip down - rain almost all the way. Indiana has had way more rain than it needs, and it keeps coming. I was relieved to find out that my Southern Indiana family was largely unharmed by all the flooding, but that's not true for a whole lot of people. And the rain keeps coming.

I'm really glad we got here when we did, because this is what we saw blowing in after we arrived.


But there's a silver lining to every cloud, right? And light at the end of tunnels? In this case it's more of a wooly lining, kept at Stone's Throw Artisans. We discovered this little Georgetown gem thanks to Ravelry, and since I'd lost a needle for my Audacity socks, we really had to make a stop. And look around. And so I picked up some Wildfoote yarn, too - a new brand for me!

The Audacity socks are only a backup project. Right now, I'm working on my bag for the Hogwarts Swap - it's the "Jester Tentacles" bag from Cat Bordhi's Second Treasury of Magical Knitting. I checked this out awhile ago from the library, and it fell under my "three copies" rule (if I see more than 3 projects that I'd be tempted to photocopy, I definitely need to buy the book). But this is my first attempt at Moebius knitting, and so far it's going reasonably well.

The cast on was a little tricky, because it's easily possible for your needle to be too long, and I don't think the book really indicates this. I used a 48" circular needle, and the Moebius band was seriously stretched as I worked it. This isn't a problem for something that's going to be felted, but if I keep up with this I'm definitely stepping down to a 36" needle.


Her directions also require you to buy a lot of needles - using a 16" circular for the basket or bowl portions, and then 2 circulars as you decrease. Since I rarely use anything larger than size 4, I don't want to buy a whole bunch of bigger needles. So I'm using magic loop - it's slower, but it keeps the needle purchases under control. So far the bag is progressing nicely, the directions are perfectly clear if followed one step at a time, and I'm looking forward to the finished product.


I haven't completely neglected the Audacity sock. We
were in Indianapolis on Wednesday night to check out a potential wedding caterer, and the sock saw this at a nearby bar.


The really amusing part? This seems to be the main concern. What kind of people visit this bar, if noise is their biggest problem?!? Wouldn't "don't crash airplanes into the roof" be a better courtesy to offer the neighborhood?

Secret Pal 12

I've given in to temptation and joined Secret Pal 12 - another international exchange of knitting goodies. I know I have enough knitting stuff already, but it's so much fun - and I've gotten to know (or re-know) several other knitters while doing this, so that part has been really nice.

So here are my answers for the Secret Pal 12 questionnaire. I have similar sets of answers from Secret Pal 10, the 2007 Hurricane Sock Party, and Secret Pal 8.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Natural fibers, especially 100% wool, especially when it's superwash. I'm not a big fan of synthetics, although I'll use them when appropriate (I'm knitting a bunch of acrylic preemie caps right now). I've still never tried knitting with linen.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a nice holder for DPNs that was a gift from Darlene, but most other needles and hooks are not so much "stored" as "scattered".

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting about 28 years. I learned in Bluebirds, from my aunt, and from a book (it took a few tries). I'd call myself an advanced knitter. I pick things up from books pretty easily, usually.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, my Amazon wish list is here. I'll have a wedding registry soon, but there probably won't be much yarn on it.

5. What's your favorite scent?
light florals - lilac, lavender. Anything fresh and crisp - I'm not such a fan of the heavy stuff.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I eat sweets occasionally - usually cookies and pastries more than candy. I like all kinds of things, especially candy with nuts and/or mint, and prefer dark over milk chocolate. Chocolate is a migraine trigger, so I only indulge in the good stuff.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I spin a little, with a drop spindle. I do lampwork, embroidery, other needlework, and I sew. We're a pretty crafty household - while I'm writing, my boyfriend is bottling some homemade hard cider, and sewing a leather pouch.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like a little bit of everything, although I'm not very cool, musically. When the "Yes, we can" video for Barack Obama came out I knew enough to guess that the people involved were probably famous singers, but couldn't identify any of them. I can play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Blue, green, purple. I'm usually not a big fan of browns and 70s colors, but I wouldn't say there's anything I can't stand.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my fiance right now, but he'll be moving away in the fall. We have two VeryBadDogs.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats, and mittens. I haven't worn a poncho since I was 5 or 6, but that's more a reflection of my commitment to big knitting projects than of my taste.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks! Bags are cool too, and I'm trying to get going with shawls. I really NEED to make shawls.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Socks for a sockday exchange, something for the Hogwarts exchange, preemie caps for charity, the Kauni Cardigan, and I have a bunch of WIPs that I can't touch until I finish the sockday socks.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes! Like to make 'em, too.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I'll use both. Usually I turn to straights, but circulars are great for on-the-go projects. Bamboo is my favorite material, but I'll use others.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
32 years or 11 years, depending on whether we're talking about knitting, or needlework in general.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Race Day, and the 4th of July

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Fish, a few hedgehog-things, and random stuff. Someday I'll get into glass collecting.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
No subscriptions. I can't think of anything in particular - but new stuff is always fun!

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm about to start lace design, and moebius knitting. That should keep me busy for awhile. Sometime I want to try double knitting.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes! My feet are 8.25" around and 9.25" long. I wear a size 38 Birkenstock.

23. When is your birthday?
June 15

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
VeryBadDogs

Pasties

Here's something you don't knit every day:

Knitted pasties. For the Knit Girls exchange on Ravelry.

These are Brittany Wilson's Starfish Pasties, made with some of Lion Brand's "Thick -n- Quick" Chenille yarn. Normally I wouldn't use such a thing, but I was a little worried that wool pasties might not be too comfortable. The beads in the center may make them look more like flowers than starfish, but the shell charms I'd planned to use just didn't look as nice.

Why pasties? "Why not?" seems to be the motivating factor in the exchange. That, and all the naughtiness complaints every time shows an inch of skin. These are intended to cover about an inch and a half of skin - did you know that pasties come in sizes?

I do have to say that the pasties exchange is really cheering my feminist heart. Lots of women are modeling theirs with pride, and very few of them fit the modern standard of feminine beauty. I don't think I'll be posing for any pin-up shots with mine, but they'll be a lot of fun to have.

They're definitely fun to knit! You can complete a set of pasties in about an hour - choosing a pattern took longer. It's a real shame I can't use these as Christmas gifts for the whole family.

Secret Pals

This is a long-overdue report on our River Knits Secret Pal Reveal Party, but since I haven't made any significant sock progress I need something to cover.

So back in December, we hosted the party to end our fall Secret Pal exchange. For Aaron, this meant lots of cleaning and cooking so his apartment could be taken over by a bunch of women he doesn't know. For me, it meant getting cool stuff. And he'll be out of town for the Super Bowl, so I won't even be making up for it later.

Lots of cleaning. It's really the major benefit to entertaining - that it forces us to actually put stuff away. Since I hadn't really done this since moving, the incentive was a good thing. And I was surprised by how much there was to do - did anyone know that lampshades have to be dusted and de-furred? Can you see the line between the fur and no-fur sections? And remember, Aaron's not even getting any yarn out of this.


So once all the cleaning and cooking (roast beef, potato soup, and rum cake - guess what I made?) was done, everyone had a good time. Even the dogs were reasonably well behaved after an initial burst of energetic greeting - I don't think anyone had food or yarn stolen. There were lots of neat gifts, including some cool handmade things - but I'll let the recipients post about them.


And with all secrets revealed, I learned that my Secret Pal, the creative creator of the "Very Bad Dog Proof Sock Jar," was the fabulous Heather. She organized and was my giftee in the first River Knits Secret Pal exchange - I think the ante has gone up a bit since then, since I wound up with this lovely book. Not only is it a stitch dictionary, which I don't have and need, it's even focused on the textured patterns I like best. That may not stop me from collecting the rest of the set, but this is definitely the best start.

Thanks, Heather! I hope everyone had fun with Secret Pals, and that we'll all be able to play again next year.

Something Fun, and Something Funny

There was a new project waiting for me in yesterday's mail! My ply-split braiding kit from Linda Hendrickson arrived, so of course I had to stay up all night playing with it.

Ply-split braiding is a traditional technique that's fairly new to Western textile geeks. A braid is made with several twisted cords, which are drawn through each other between their plies. It makes a firm, flexible fabric, and can be done in all sorts of shapes. The Star Ornament here is from Hendrickson's book, Great SCOT!, and she also sells a nifty little kit with all the cords you need to make an ornament. The little spiral design is from my kit leftovers, and its pattern is explained on Hendrickson's webpage.

At $5.30, the kit may seem a bit expensive for a handful of perle cotton cords. But I think it's well worth it for a first project. Good cords make the work so much easier. I want to make my own cords so I can work through some of my thread stash, but for the first time around I'm glad I only have one thing to screw up.

The book itself sells for $8.00, including shipping. She doesn't do phone or credit card orders, and doesn't do rush shipping - although she mailed mine fairly quickly, and e-mailed to let me know it was coming. I'm very happy with the book, although I'm not sure if everyone would be. If you prefer learning in person, it might be better to let the book supplement a class. There are a lot of "do this like you did before" instructions, which means you have some reading to do if you just want to pick a first project at random. But everything you need is in there, and if you're more inclined to work through the book everything would go more smoothly.

Here is what I learned about ply-split braiding:

1. When making cords, tension is important. You must be able to keep the cords under fairly firm tension while you're twisting them, or they'll twist where you don't want them to.

2. While it's possible to make cords with a hand drill, it takes a long time. In the future, I'm pulling out the power drill.

3. You don't need much counter-twist. The yarn takes care of that itself; you just have to control it.

4. A latch hook (for drawing cords through each other) isn't necessary, but it makes things go faster.

5. Very sticky tape for the ends of the cords is good, but you can get by with anything. Even knots are OK, although they slow down working.

6. Having your yarn licked by a dog at any step of the process makes it more difficult to use.

This ornament represents, at most, a couple hours' work. I suspect it was really much less, but I spent so much time making more cords that it's hard to be sure.

My only criticism of the book is that there's not enough of it. There are so many neat projects to be found on-line, and I want to know how to do all of them. Fortunately, Hendrickson offers a remedy, in the form of a nice collection of basket kits and patterns. I'll probably be ordering one of them soon.

In other news, I can finally let the truth out about my SP10 Secret Pal. I've been spoiling The Other Amanda, of Have Yarn, Will Travel. Out of the 700+ participants in Secret Pal 10, I got paired with one of the few knitters I know who's moved away from Lafayette. It's hard to be secret when you've been at the same sock club. I'm glad Amanda finally found me out, since it's been hard to keep quiet on something this funny.

I'm also amused to note that I had two Amanda-pals this summer, thanks to the Hurricane Sock Party and Clothesknit Amanda.

So now I don't have any exchanges going except for Sockday club, and the next sockday isn't until August. That leaves me more time to start new projects, right?

Secret Pal 10 Reveal

There was something waiting for me when I got home last night....

Hey, it's the reveal package from Secret Pal 10! Wonder what's inside?


All kinds of goodies, as it turns out. Four different yarns, some tourist goodies from Oklahoma, a lovely picture frame for dog pictures, a handy gauge gadget, two knitting bags, and a beautiful little potpourri pouch. Wow!

Notice that the potpourri pouch is so beautiful that the dogs want to check it out, even if that means risking smelling good.


Here are a couple highlights. This cute little fish-shaped massager didn't make the group picture, because I was so excited by the other goodies that I didn't notice the dogs had carried off one bag. The bag was marked 'For tired "knitters shoulders,"' and it definitely falls into the "Just what I needed!" category. I've already put it to good use. And it's fish shaped. How cool is that?


Then there's the yarn. These two skeins are destined for something special, although it make take me a long time to figure out what. The brown one is from JR Alpacs, "raised, sheared & spun in Oklahoma!" The multicolored one is a wool-and-silk blend from Mystical Creations Yarn.

I know what will happen to the other two - they're destined to be socks! The beige ball is from Yarn Art, and the blue one is Opal's "Frosch" (frog) color. I don't see much frogginess in the color, but I love the pattern pictures. It's going to get stashed away to be my emergency project the next time I have to travel suddenly. Going on a trip without enough knitting is not something I ever want to experience again.

(Yes, there's space for an aside here. This happened to me once - I went on a 3-week trip with so little notice (and so little stash) that I only had one work-in-progress with me, and I finished it in the first few days. So there I was with nothing to do on long bus rides. The flight home was even worse....no knitting, I'd read all my books, and my teaching responsibilites were over. For the first time I can remember, I had about 12 hours - one very long afternoon - with nothing to do....and nothing I should have been doing. It was weird. I didn't like it. This yarn will prevent that. I feel secure.)

But the bigger question is, "who's in the package?" Or at least who's revealing her identity - no actual Secret Pals were shipped. My fabulous SP10 pal is Mimi of mimiwontonknits. She's a retired realtor, a grandmother, President of her local knitting guild, and a wonderful Secret Pal! And yes, she lives in Oklahoma, which explains the cards, the toothpick holder, and the red knitting bag from her newest Local Yarn Store. She even sent a picture of herself, a really great idea and something I wish I'd thought to do for my pal.

Thank you, Mimi! I've felt wonderfully spoiled this summer.

Going the other direction, I'm getting ready to send the final reveal package to my own pal. My latest FO will be part of it - this little crocheted bead bracelet. And what's that beautiful blue background? It's the heel of my Braided Rice Sock, which will have a mate any day now!

Elizabeth's Sockday

Today was Elizabeth's sockday, and I finished her socks just in time! These Turkish socks are made with Dale of Norway's Falk yarn, using my own pattern. I'm toying with these diamond motifs for Turkish socks, hoping to come up with a system that gives a lot of flexibility for pattern design, but cuts back on the need for swatching and charting. This time, I knit both socks at once, so I wouldn't run out of yarn. I'm really happy with the way the colors worked together, especially since I'm not even sure why I had some of the colors here.

We gathered for the sockday at O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers, a new bar in Lafayette. The restaurant was kind of disappointing - if I think the food portions are too small, that's a bad sign. I might go back, just because there was a dessert I would have tried had it been better described - a mint chocolate pie that came across more like one of those disgusting "death-by-sweet-cheap-chocolate" concoctions in the waitress's description.

There were 7 pairs of exciting socks there, plus the ones everyone was working on. I'm sure pictures will appear soon.

And, as promised, I cast on Sidewinders as soon as I got home. This project started with a swatch - only the third one I've ever made. I'm a little concerned, though, that it won't do much good...this doesn't really look like it's meant to go 1/4 of the way around my foot, does it?

This is Part I, with a beginning of the toe shaping in Part II. The toe shaping doesn't show because it's being held down by the yarn, since the whole sock really wants to curl. I'm using a Regia 4-ply sock yarn (Brazil Color) that was a Secret Pal gift from Elizabeth - how's that for a way to celebrate her sockday?

Come on Down!

Normally, I'd feel like a real slacker if I spent my mornings watching Daytime TV. But this Friday, Bob Barker retires after 35 years of hosting The Price Is Right. Who doesn't get nostalgic about Bob Barker? I'm feeling a special kinship, not just because I had my pets neutered, but because his last show airs on my birthday - does that mean that The Price Is Right has been on as long as I've been alive?

So I decided to commemorate this with a new knitting project. (Actually, this is just a handy excuse for a project I've been itching to cast on.) In honor of one great television personality, I pulled out the yarn named for another - the "Ed Sullivan" soysilk from Conjoined Creations. I decided some time ago that this yarn was destined to become the Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl(.pdf pattern), so it was just a matter of casting on that one measly stitch and getting started. Which I did. Four times.

So this is the result of two days' work, but it's only one day's progress. I didn't think I needed lifelines until I was fairly far along. I was wrong. But I like the way the pattern is working out, and the repeats in this yarn are short enough that nothing wonky happens with the color.

For this week, I'm only going to knit on the shawl during The Price Is Right (I did squeeze in a little knitting during Alton Brown last night, but that was making up for all the mistakes). I'll see how many snowdrops I can make before Bob reminds us to help control the pet population one last time.


In other news, now that she has her box, I can reveal that my Hurricane Sock went to Amanda of Clothesknit. Amanda has three children, and she homeschools, so I don't know how she has time for knitting. Then again, if I had three children, I'd never wind my own yarn balls again! It was loads of fun to shop for Amanda, and I hope she won't have to test any of the supplies in a real hurricane. I'm also collecting things for the final package for my SP10 pal, so I hope she'll be pleasantly surprised.

And last, I've had to add to the Knitting Goals list. #19 is reasonable enough - my Hurricane Sock (I'm calling it the "Nile sock") needs its mate. But #20 is pure indulgence. I just saw Nona's Sidewinders sock, and I must join the fun. I know exactly which yarn I'm going to use. I'll start this as soon as I finish Elizabeth's socks - and I may even swatch, since Nona says it's important. So I've finished two goals, but added two more. This could be a bad trend.

What a Jewel!

My Hurricane Sock Swap package came last night - courtesy of the wonderful Darlene, owner of her own wool-eating dog named Max.

I think I got a little teary-eyed when I saw the socks. I can't believe she went to this much trouble for me. It's no secret that I've been longing to try Socks That Rock, but Darlene managed to track down my longed-for but unavailable colorway, Jewel of the Nile. All the Socks that Rock yarns are beautiful, so I'm falling in love with the names - and just like my Turkish Socks eventually got a surprise trip to Turkey, I'm hoping that maybe these socks will one day invoke an Egyptian voyage. Even if they don't, they're beautiful socks. She knitted a simple rib pattern - just enough to be interesting, while still simple enough to show off the sock colors. She thoughtfully left the toe ungrafted just in case I wanted to make something different (never!), but I'll finish that, and I can't wait to start on sock #2!


There were all sorts of other goodies, too. The mixed nuts and gummy bears probably won't be saved for hurricanes, since I don't want to have to wish for (or wait for) a hurricane to hit Indiana! There's another skein of sock yarn, in a beautiful colorway that is absolutely unlike anything I have in my stash. The second Nile sock will be made on the two circular Knitpicks needles, with funky purple cords. And there are two DPN storage cases - a big one, and a smaller one for travel! I needed these so much. It's no longer enough to take along a knitting project when traveling - ever since reading about the Yarn Harlot's horrible Chicago-Ann Arbor experience, I've made sure to take extra knitting, and spare needles just in case I buy yarn while I'm away. I hope I'll get lots of chances to use the travel case, even as I look forward to not having to travel to visit Aaron much longer.

It's probably redundant to say I'm thrilled with my Hurricane Sock package, but I'll say it anyway. Thank you so much, Darlene! Give Max a big snuggle from me and his wool-eating comrades.

Goal #8, and a bonus FO

Just in time to mail off my Hurricane Sock Pal's package, I've finished another project - pouches for my Hurricane pal and my SP10 pal. If you're absolutely sure you're not one of these people, click here to see the finished project.

Both pouches are from Kumiko Sudo's Omiyage: Handmade Gifts from Fabric in the Japanese Tradition. I love this book, and I've made many of the projects over and over. My own knitting accessories travel in a fish pouch, as does my jewelry. I have flowers for jewelry and other stuff, too. My sewing kit is shaped like a cicada - a handmade souvenir of our 17-year cicada summer of 2004. And just about everyone who's received a handwork-themed gift from me has one of these pouches.

Part of the fun of having a Hurricane Pal with very different interests is that I get to try something new. I've always wanted to make one of the "Village Girl" doll-shaped pouches, but I couldn't think of anyone who would want one. My pal, however, is really into kid-oriented stuff, so I hope that means this pouch will suit her well. It was fun to make, and it's one of the larger desighns, which is probably more useful.

I even completed a project that wasn't on the "to do" list - this felted box from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I started it some time ago, in an attempt to use up leftover yarn. It's the 20-stitch box, but made with worsted instead of bulky, so it's not very big - about 8" on a side. It turns out to be exactly the size of one of the Glad disposable containers, so it could be a handy insulator or a fuzzy snack bowl. It always feels good to finish something, even if it's not on the list.

Broadripple

I wanted my Hurricane Sock Pal's sock to see something of the village it was named for - and I wanted her to see where the sock was from - before it heads off to its new home. So yesterday Karen & I took the sock out for a night on the town, and showed it around Broad Ripple village, a neighborhood on the north side of Indianapolis.



The Central Canal runs through Broad Ripple. It was originally intended to be a significant link in a nationwide chain of canals, and advertisers boasted that one could make the trip from Indianapolis to the then-independent city of Broad Ripple, and back (all of six miles each way), in a single day! Now it provides a nice place to walk, and to see some wildlife. So the sock helped feed ducks, a traditional kids' pastime...



and geese. I think the goslings are really cute, but packs of geese can be pretty scary.



Broad Ripple used to have a railroad, the Monon line, running through the middle of it. By the time I was a kid, there was just one train a day, except when the Fair Train was running. Then we'd keep a close eye on the train schedule so we could go smash pennies on the tracks. There are just a few hints of the railroad left - I remember when someone lived in this caboose, but now it looks deserted.



Eventually, the railroad tracks were torn up and sold for scrap. I spent my high school and college years playing on an abandonded trestle, which probably should have been included in the "Bad Things I Did" post. After much debate, the old rail corridor became a hiking trail, and it's very popular. I still miss the old trestle, and the blackberries that grew along the tracks. The Monon trail joins up with the Central Canal towpath; two obsolete forms of transportation providing recreation.



I had some important shopping to do, so we stopped by the Three Dog Bakery, and the sock pretended to be a dog, enjoying all the treats. I could not believe how good the place smelled. And it turns out that the Oreo dog treats are just the sort of thing Max needs, so he was very grateful to us and the sock!



We gave the sock a chance to check out the canal...




...and some of the weird artwork. The city has designated Broad Ripple as a "cultural district," which seems to require the installation of weird art.



Broad Ripple is best known for its nightlife. The main drag, Broad Ripple Avenue, is mostly restaurants and clubs. There's a funny story about the time my brother, when he was about 10, rode into the village with his best friend and wound up in a long conversation with a woman of dubious reputation, and perhaps profession. Once it was well after dark and they still hadn't returned, my father was dispatched to find them. He couldn't escape the conversation either, so it was long past midnight before everyone was home. I don't know if she was chatting on the clock, or if prime earning hours for these ladies are really more late night than evening.



Our last stop was at one of my favorite hangouts, the Broadripple Brewpub. It's in a neat old house, just off the trail. So the sock bellied up to the bar...



....checked out the tanks....



...and had a beer (I helped with this part). Thus fortified, it's ready to head south, looking for a new home - and maybe even a mate!

Battening Down the Hatches

For the first time, I'm getting ready for Hurricane Season. That's not really hard to do in Indiana, since it's not as if I need to tape up my windows or anything.

No, here inland, the #1 Hurricane Preparedness Priority is finishing my Hurricane Sock Pal's sock. And here it is, all ready to go.

She seemed pretty flexible, and I didn't find anything that looked absolutely perfect for her, so I decided to go with something with a local tie. This is Broadripple, designed by Rob of ThreadBear Fiber Arts. It's knit in Regia Crazy Color, which makes perfect sense if you know Broad Ripple. Incidentally, Rob has a blog named after his dog. But that's not why I picked the pattern. And I'll bet his dog knows the difference between wool roving and doggie treats.

This, for the record, covers #1 on my list of knitting goals for the summer. So far, so good.

Last Minute

I only have a couple of days left in Germany, so we tried to squeeze in some last-minute fun. We got up this morning and headed to Bremen, for lunch in their c. 1450 Ratskeller. Aaron not only bought me a delicious lunch, he thoughtfully held up the sock so I could take its picture in front of a 18th-century wine barrel. The Ratskeller offers delicious food and wine, in a delightful setting. Bremen's weather didn't quite compare, so it wound up being a 40-minute train ride just for lunch


When we got back to Oldenburg, we figured out that tomorrow is a major holiday, Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day). Oops! It turns out that everything is closed for Himmelfahrt, and I'd planned to do all of my shopping tomorrow. So with just a couple of hours to spare, we descended upon a rain-soaked city center to squeeze in two weeks' worth of delayed souvenir shopping. This is the result.

16 skeins of yarn, including some delightful Italian cotton, a bamboo blend, and a fun Regia sock pattern. I couldn't resist the sets of double-pointed needles held together with rubber socks, so one of them joined the stash. A little bit of this is for my Hurricane Sock Pal, but I'm afraid the rest is all mine, my precioussss.


Just in case that wasn't enough yarn, let me show this. Or show off. Aaron's been watching the yarn sales, so when he found this nice thick wool blend for 50 cents a skein (yes, that's 50 cents. You can see the price tag.) he snapped it up. Bringing the grand total to 22 skeins of yarn acquired on this trip.


And yarn wasn't the only thing I bought. I've been trying to avoid collecting too much stuff, and I just assume that anyone I might buy gifts for is doing the same. But chocolate is a consumable souvenir. We may or may not wait until I return to do the consuming.