2005 Knitting Awards

New granddaughter Sydney was the number one highlight of the year.

The Sweetest Knitting Memory Award goes to the three pair of Opal Handpainted socks worn by John, Anne, and Sydney Anne the day they left the hospital and went home together for the first time.

I didn't know they were going to do this, and, when I got the picture, I cried. What a perfect way to include a new grandma who had to be 2000 miles away on this momentous occasion.

More details here.

The Most Fun in Knitting Award goes to the Shetland Lace Workshop given by Liz Lovick on the EZasPi Yahoo List.

Most of the workshop happened while I was busy traveling to Idaho and suffering a mother board and harddrive replacement. I still found time to play around swatching the lace patterns, and ended up with a lovely, soft alpaca Shetland lace sampler scarf.

More details here.

The Most Useful Knitted Item Award goes to this ugly but soft and warm alpaca helmet hat I whipped up one day last autumn.

Even on nasty, snowy, cold days I walk the dogs a minimum of three times. This hat goes on first, before my Squall Parka. I pull the helmet chin up over my mouth and snuggle in for a comfortable stroll.

More details here.

Lastly, the Most Disappointing Yarn Award goes to this Lavold Silky Tweed for the reasons listed below the picture.

• I bought the yarn on impulse and paid full price for it. It wasn't cheap.
  
• The basketweave stitch is limp and not well defined at the gauge I used, 22 stitches/4 inchs.
  
• I had to watch my stitches constantly and knit slowly because the threads in the yarn separated as I was knitting. Every time I would knit at my normal speed, I would split stitches.
  
• There was little to none give to the yarn and it hurt my hands and wrists to knit with it.
  
• Now that the sweater is done (I finished it out of pure stubbornness), it is shedding those little pieces of tweed every time I wear it.
  
• Did I mention that this was the most expensive item I knit in 2005?

For more information on this project, go here.

Wishing all my readers a wonderful, fibery, healthy, happy 2006.

How Did That Happen?

Weight problem emergency!

After noticing that my jeans were a bit snug, I got on the scale this morning. That was a serious reality check.

Dieting started immediately afterward.

Note the cute little Tickerfactory ruler and marker over in the sidebar. Wednesday is weigh-in day and my goal is to lose 14 pounds.

My body doesn't like to give up its extra weight, so I'm not going to stress myself out with an end date goal. As long as the trend is down, I'll feel successful. Or at least as successful as someone can feel who let 14 pounds sneak on her body.

I'm very disappointed with myself over not catching the weight gain earlier. How did that happen?

Knitting Log for December 28

What a nice, peaceful, quiet week this has been as I enjoy my Christmas gifts and knit.

Pattern: Basic Sock

Yarn: Opal sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Color: Lollipop 1012

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

Anne's birthday socks are ready to mail to Idaho, just in time for her January 10 birthday.

Lollipop is one of my favorite Opal collections. This 1012 colorway is designed with Anne's favorite colors.

My next birthday socks will also be Lollipop in shades of blue for Son John's birthday in March.

Pattern: Aguave by Katherine Hunt in Summer 2005 Knitter's

Yarn: Knitpicks Shine, 60% pima cotton, 40% model

Color: River

Needles: Addi Turbo #4

Gauge: 24 stitches/4 inches in SS after washing

This yarn drapes, this stitch pattern drapes, and I finally gave up trying to get an accurate gauge swatch.

I'm knitting a fabric I like, plan to wear it over a turtleneck or tank, and optimistically think it will be just fine.

Realistically, I'm a little concerned.

Pattern: Simple ribbing, 40 stitches around

Yarn: Cascade 220

Color: Royal blue (actual color name unknown)

Needles: Clover bamboo

Gauge: 5 stitches/inch, 8 rows/inch

These are the fifth CIC socks knit for the January sock challenge. One more pair to knit to make my goal of six pair by the end of January.

Merry Christmas

To all my online friends and readers: Wishing you a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate - or don't celebrate.

Tonight, Christmas Eve, we are going to my mother's apartment for a family dinner and gift opening.

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, DH and I are spending home with plenty of good food, our three furry loved ones, and all our new books, yarn, and chocolate. We'll be watching it snow, feeding the birds, napping, and relaxing. I'll be doing a little knitting.

That's just the way I like Christmas to be. The only thing that could make it better would be to have the Idaho family here.

Take care, stay calm, and have fun. It will all be over soon.

New Yarn on the Doorstep

Not one, but two shipments of yarn were on my doorstep when I got home from a yummy lunch out today.

The blue Shine arrived from Knitpicks

As mentioned here, I swatched the blush color Shine and found it to knit up to a perfect DK weight.

Unfortunately, the river blue Shine looks more like sport weight. I'm not sure it's going to work for the pattern I want to knit. Bigger needles isn't an option. I want a snug fabric in this yarn so it won't sag.

One thing is for sure, it didn't do any good to knit that blush swatch because I'm going to have to swatch with the blue as well. It's very different from the blush. Sigh.

There's a lesson here. Maybe if I write it down, I'll remember it for next time.

Different colors of the same yarn may possibly knit up to different gauges. Always swatch in the color I'm going to be knitting.

The two odd skeins in front are Andean Treasure, a sport weight alpaca. I bought them to play with and also so I could see the colors. That dark red (embers) is super gorgeous. They're both so soft and snuggly can hardly keep my hands off them.


In another box was 20 skeins of antique rose Peruvian Highland Wool from Elann.

Note the swatch on top. It was knit from the same color and even the same dyelot as the 20 skeins, and it's right on gauge. I'm ready for the Follow the Leader Aran Knitalong starting January 1.

For those of you wondering why I bought so much wool, I didn't want there to be any doubt about having enough to finish. The left over will make thick and warm CIC socks.

Those Things That Marguerite Makes

At doggy school parties they call these "Those Things That Marguerite Makes". I assume, since they get sought out and eaten, that is a compliment.

Please don't tell them how easy these are to make.

Need a quick, rich sweet bar to round out your holiday cookie plate? Here it is.

Butter Pecan Turtle Cookies

2 cups flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter - needs to be soft, at room temperature
1 cup pecan halves

• Mix well.
  
• Pat firmly into an ungreased 13 X 9 pan.
  
• Spread pecan halves evenly on top.

2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

• Heat with constant stirring until boiling.
  
• Boil for 1 minute.
  

  Note: I do the heating and boiling in the microwave.
  1 minute - whip with whisk - 1 minute - whip with whisk.
  You can tell when it starts to boil and thicken.
  Then, give it 45 more seconds, whip with whisk, and it's done.
  In my microwave the total procedure takes 4 minutes.

  
  
• Pour over crust and pecans.
  
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

1 cup milk chocolate chips (not semi-sweet)

• Sprinkle chips over top immediately after removing from oven.
  
• Chips will partially melt, but still look like chips. That bothered me at first, but it's OK.
  
• Cool slightly and cut. They're much easier to cut when they're still a bit warm.
  
• Enjoy.

Knitting Log for December 17

While knitting away on the boring Opal Lollipop socks, I've been day dreaming about 2006 projects, which resulted in some swatching.

This is Knitpicks Shine a 60% pima cotton, 40% modal blend in color Blush.

I bought one skein of it to check out the color and the feel of the yarn.

I was hoping for a pastel pink. The color is bright bubble gum pink. I won't be buying any more of this color unless one of my granddaughters just has to have it.

The yarn was easy to knit on #5 bamboo needles. I made a large swatch to test if Shine would hurt my hands like most cotton yarns do. It didn't.

Knitpicks calls Shine a sport weight yarn, but I think it's a bit heavy for sport weight. On the stockinette swatch, I got perfect gauge for a DK weight yarn, 22 stitches over 4 inches after washing in the washer and dryer.


The stitch pattern on the larger swatch is for the Aguave sweater designed by Katherine Hunt and published in the Summer 2005 Knitter's.

This pattern calls for DK weight cotton yarn, and, once again, the Shine worked almost perfectly to the DK gauge.

In fact, the swatch results were so much to my liking that I just ordered 14 skeins of Shine to knit Aguave in River (dark blue).

This could be the beginning of the end of my Guidelines for Knitting Peace. I need to be very careful or I'm going to have too many projects going at once.

The Follow the Leader Aran Knitalong (FLAK) starts January 1. Keeping up with the group is going to be my number one priority. Unfortunately for my planning, I don't know how fast the pattern is going to unfold. Janet, the designer, is going to be knitting just ahead of the group, and I would imagine she is a fast knitter. On the other hand, she has many simultaneous projects, a newsletter to publish, and two children to slow down the FLAK pattern installments.

There is also an Anniversary Pi Knitalong on the EZasPi Yahoo List starting January 22. My thoughts on joining and what type of Pi shawl to knit are still so muddled, I'm not going to write any more about it now.

Has anyone noticed a lack of pictures of a finished Hanover Jacket? It's been sitting in the back room for more months than I care to admit to, so I'm not going to look up when I finished knitting it. It needs the sleeves set in and the side seams sewn. That's all. It's been screaming at me lately, so I think I'm going to sew it up soon.

Why do I avoid finishing garments once the pieces are knit?

Party Report

Normally doggy school has a strict "no sniff" policy. But party night wasn't a normal night and the dogs seemed to know it. There was plenty of sneaky sniffing going on as we tried to get all the dogs to sit stay for a group photo.

Sunny is not a party dog. She didn't like the noise or the sniffing and she did not want to stay with the group, so trainer Gail sat on the floor with Sunny and held her for the picture.

What Sunny really wanted to do was to sit on my lap and watch. That's how she spent most of the evening, so she had a good time once the picture fracas was over.

See those three fingers in the foreground? That was my futile sit stay hand signal.

At the time this picture was snapped, there were many people yelling "stay". Most of the dogs stayed most of the time, but I don't think anyone got a picture without at least one human included as they put their dog back in position.

Susan, mom to a chow mix named Millicent, told me she had three great pictures of my butt.

Pappy is a party dog. He participated in the sneaky sniffing and would have happily lead a pack of dogs on a romp around the room if I had allowed it.


Several weeks ago the dogs drew names to exchange inexpensive gifts.

Sunny received this dish on a stand from Ramon, a standard poodle.


Pappy got this cute Papillon ornament from Marcy, a bull terrier.

Designer Dog Prepares for Party

Sunny, our mixed breed dog, will no longer stand for being called a mutt. She heard people at doggy school talking about designer dogs, (cockapoos, schnoodles, golden doodles, etc) Since Sunny is a princess and is allowed to make declarations, she has declared herself a third generation designer dog.

We're not sure what breeds have gone into her design.

We adopted Sunny when she was seven weeks old and weighted two pounds. She was living in a pen with her two sisters. One sister looked something like a poodle, the other sister looked something like a Jack Russell terrier. Sunny looked something like a Papillon puppy.

Her foster home called her a Papillon/terrier mix, but they were guessing. She's not delicate like a Papillon, and I suspect she might have some Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mixed in with her design instead of Papillon. But then where did she get her beautiful, tri-color Papillon tail?

Part of the fun of having a mutt designer dog is guessing what breeds are in there. We're going to have a lifetime of fun guessing with Sunny.

Tomorrow evening is the doggy school holiday party. We're having a potluck dinner and teacher Gail is planning doggy fun for us.

Instead of having the party during class time, Gail is having a combined advanced class party on Wednesday when no other classes are scheduled. Since I have a dog in each of the two advanced classes, that means I'll be there with two dogs.

Sunny and Pappy think of doggy school as a night out with Mom and without the other dog, so it could be a bit shocking for them to end up at doggy school together.

The dogs drew names for gifts. Pappy drew Sundance, a very young Australian Shepherd. Sunny drew Downy, a mid-sized designer dog who got her name because she was found lost and starving trying to get warm under the outside dryer vent.

Sundance and Downy are getting identical gift bags containing:

• Bubble Buddy, a scented bubble blowin' dog toy
  
• Three jars of bubble juice scented sizzling bacon, peanut butter, and Bar B Q chicken
  
• Can of Merrick's Venison Holiday Stew, a wonderful tasty dog food containing venison, red jacket potatoes, carrots, zucchini, sugar peas, and apples.

Trainer Gail is getting her Opal Lollipops. The fact that she is the only person outside my immediate family to ever get a pair of hand knit Opal socks from me testifies to my appreciation for the great job she does with the dogs.

I'm taking the camera to the party. With two dogs to keep track of, I may forget to take pictures. But I have good intentions.

Kimmy Gets Her Present

There hasn't been any knitting for the last few days, which makes it rather difficult to write a knitting blog.

Even my most faithful readers don't want to see the new inch or two knit on the Lollipop socks - not that I've knit an inch or two, because I haven't.

Yesterday there was a break in the snowfall so I headed east, picking up Mom in Kalamazoo and driving to Battle Creek for lunch with daughter Heather and granddaughter Kimmy.

I had planned on taking pictures of the four generations of us having lunch, but we were so busy yakking and laughing that I forgot until everyone had their coats on and we were ready to go.

Then I shot this picture of Kimmy with her birthday (10 years old!) present I delivered from John, Anne, and Sydney in Idaho, and my camera batteries went dead.

The gift is a case full of cosmetics and accessories for pretty young ladies. Kimmy loves it, which is good because I sacrificed my favorite nail scissors to fly it to Michigan.

I KNOW you can't take nail scissors on a plane. It was before dawn and I was trying to close my suitcase with Kimmy's gift in it, so I plucked out my cosmetic case complete with nail scissors and crammed it in my carryon bag. Oops.

Early Morning Snowy Dogwalk

This morning I grabbed the camera when I took the dogs out for their first walk about 8 am. All three had a great romp in the six to eight inches of snow we have, and now they're back in bed sleeping off the cold and the exercise.

The snow is gray looking because there is no sunshine. The days are short, so it's barely daylight. The sky is overcast and dark.

Glory, the queen of the house, is almost ten now. Her blackness makes it difficult to get a good picture of her, but she does show up well against the snow.


The little dogs hop through the snow like kangaroos.

Sunny's curly chest is a snow magnet. The snow gets picked up by her hair and immediately turns into solidly affixed iceballs. That's why she willingly wears a coat that covers her chest and her tummy.


Pappy has a thick, warm, straight coat that repels the snow. He will happily plow through snow that's over his head and dive into snowbanks looking for rodents.

Fortunately, we don't have that much snow - yet.

Opal Lollipop 1012 Socks Started

Pattern: Basic Sock

Yarn: Opal sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Color: Lollipop 1012

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

There is much sock knitting going on in knitting blogland, and I'm no exception. It seems like a good way to finish up the knitting year and is helping me get a start on my gift socks for 2006.

These are daughter-in-law Anne's birthday socks for her early January birthday. The Lollipop 1012 has all the colors she likes - navy blue, black, deep red, dark green. I'm letting the self patterning yarn create the beauty without the help (or interference) of a stitch pattern.

Converting Shoe Size to Sock Length

Looking at a shoe or foot size chart for knitting gift socks can be very confusing, at least to me. If a foot is 9 inches long, how does that translate into length of a sock measured flat?

I have women of all shoe sizes in my family. Here is a sock size chart I keep in my sock notebook based on my experience knitting for them.

The measurement listed and number of rows listed is the length from the gusset pickup row to the beginning of the toe decreases.

The number of rows given is for my sock knitting gauge of 10 rows per inch. If your sock knitting gauge is different and you want to count rows, you will need to recalculate.

Shoe size 6, 6 inches, 60 rows
Shoe size 7, 6.4 inches, 64 rows
Shoe size 8, 6.7 inches, 67 rows
Shoe size 9, 7 inches, 70 rows
Shoe size 10, 7.4 inches, 74 rows
Shoe size 11, 7.7 inches, 77 rows
Shoe size 12, 8 inches, 80 rows

Which Color for the FLAK?

The FLAK (Follow the Leader Aran Knitalong) officially starts January 1 on the Aranknit Yahoo list. Many knitters, including myself, are looking forward to getting started.

Janet Szabo is designing a top down Aran just for us. Our first assignment is to buy yarn and get gauge in whatever filler stitch we're going to use.

Since Janet is using Elann's Peruvian Collection Highland Wool, I hopped over to Elann to check it out. And what did I see? Colors, oh so many beautiful colors that it took me two days to select seven colors to see in person.

I ordered two skeins of each color and plan on knitting CIC socks with this yarn. But first, I'm going to knit a few swatches, get gauge for the Aran, select my favorite color of the seven, and order 1900 yards of it for my FLAK.

The swatch in the picture and the partially used skein above the swatch are Antique Rose. Today it's the leading contender for my FLAK, but not by much. And I reserve the right to have a different favorite tomorrow.

I would love a sweater in each of these seven colors. Darn. I was hoping a few of them would be disappointing to make the color decision easier.

Above the partial Antique Rose skein is Orange Brandy. To the left of the swatch is Dusty Rose. In the upper right hand corner is Autumn Peach and Candy Cane Red. To the right of the swatch is Dusty Teal and Celadon.

Which is your favorite?

Saturday Fun for December 3

Quiz Time for Princesses
After spotting this quiz on Birdsong's Blog, I couldn't resist giving it a try.

The questions brought a smile to my face. Haul out your imagination and have fun with it.

Sorry guys. Unless you want to be a princess, the quiz won't work for you - but scroll down a bit because everyone can have fun with the Chocolate Math.


The Traditional Princess

You are generous, graceful, and practical with both
feet planted firmly on the ground. You tend to
be a little on the old-fashioned side. You
value home, hearth, and family life and love to
be of service to others.

Role Models: Snow White, Maid Marian

You are most likely to: Discover a hidden talent
for spinning straw into gold.


What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork (Original Music is BACK!!!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Chocolate Math
Elaine shared this with the EZasPi Yahoo List and told us to spread it around.

I love figuring out why these things work. You only have to figure out why it works if that's part of the fun for you.

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH---DON'T CHEAT

Don't tell me your age; you probably would tell a falsehood anyway-
but the Hershey Man will know!

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH
This is pretty neat.
DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!
It takes less than a minute
Work this out as you read ...
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!
This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you
   would like to have chocolate(more than once but less than 10)
   
   
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
   
   
3. Add 5
   
   
4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator
   
   
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1755 ..
   If you haven't, add 1754.
   
   
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.
   You should have a three digit number
   
   • The first digit of this was your original number
     (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).
     
   • The next two numbers are YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2005) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND
WHILE IT LASTS.

Thanks Elaine! Now I know how old I am. How did that happen?

Knit Unto Others - Four

Knit Unto Others, a short, two week Thanksgiving knitalong where we knit to warm those in need of warmth.

My Knit Unto Others goal is four pair of children's socks for CIC.

Here's the last pair. They were finished on Monday, two days before the knitalong deadline of November 30.

Yarn: Cascade 220, 100% wool

Color: Royal blue

Needles: Clover bamboo premium circular knitting needles, #5.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 7.5 rows/inch

Pattern: Basketweave Ribbing

(multiple of 8 stitches)

Round 1: k3,p,k3,p
Round 2: k3,p5
Round 3: k3,p,k3,p
Round 4: k3,p5
Round 5: k3,p,k3,p
Round 6: k3,p5
Round 7: k3,p,k3,p
Round 8: p4,k3,p
Round 9: k3,p,k3,p
Round 10: p4,k3,p
Round 11: k3,p,k3,p
Round 12: p4,k3,p

Comment Questions

Beth asked . .

Your socks always look so nice in photos. Did you make your own kids'-size sock blockers?

Yep. They're cut out of corrugated cardboard. I have to be careful not to bend them. Other than that, they work great for picture taking.


Carol asked . .

What did you have to eat on Thanksgiving? You never did say.

It was a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner with seitan in place of the turkey.

According to the Kroger Food Guide

Seitan is a chewy, protein-rich food made from hard winter wheat that resembles meat in texture and taste.

I won't go so far as to agree it tasted like meat, but it was very good.

Brother-in-law John spent most of the day in the kitchen. We woke to the smell of fresh baked bread and he made enough so we could have some for breakfast. He also made mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, carrots, squash, brussel sprouts, and pumpkin pie.

One of the appetizers was green olives stuffed with a generous sliver of fresh garlic clove. Normally I don't care for olives, but this combination was a mouth watering zinger. Outstanding, but not for the timid eater.

The meal was delicious and lovely.

I was so busy smelling, tasting, talking, and enjoying that I forgot to haul the camera out and take a picture.

Knit Unto Others - Three

Knit Unto Others, a short, two week Thanksgiving knitalong where we knit to warm those in need of warmth.

My Knit Unto Others goal is four pair of children's socks for CIC. Here's the third pair.

Yarn: Cascade 220, 100% wool

Color: Royal blue

Needles: Clover bamboo premium circular knitting needles, #5.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 7.5 rows/inch

Pattern: Simple ribbing with a four stitch, four row cable down each side.

The socks are knit on 36 stitches, 18 instep stitches, 18 heel stitches.

Tomorrow is the last day of the knitalong, and the fourth pair of socks is done and waiting for its turn in front of the camera.

Are We There Yet?

I'm home! Sister Doris and her DH John put much thought and effort into making sure we had a nice, relaxing, pleasant time in their beautiful new home in the woods of Virginia. And we did.

It was a lovely, family time with plenty of good food, good chat, and good company.

The airports were a nightmare. No one should be surprised by this, as Thanksgiving is the busiest travel time of the year in the US. In SW Michigan we also have the weather factor. Mother Nature was feeling cranky.

Wednesday morning I white knuckled it 20 miles to Mom's apartment in Kalamazoo to pick her up. The roads were covered with ice and it was snowing.

For those of you who aren't familiar with sliding around on slippery roads, white knuckle driving is when you grip the steering wheel tightly, thereby turning your knuckles white, because you instinctively but erroneously think you can prevent the car from sliding if you hang on tight.

Kalamazoo to Detroit, scheduled to take off at 10:25 am

Mom and I both brought books to the airport. Turned out we had plenty of reading time.

Chicago and Detroit were sending planes to Kalamazoo that couldn't land. They would circle for a bit and then head back to Chicago or Detroit. Since those were the planes we were scheduled to fly out on, there was no service to Detroit.

Every time a flight was cancelled, the disappointed passengers had to leave the secure area, stand in a long line at the ticket counter, get rescheduled, and then go back through security.

Finally at 1:30 Northwest brought in a big plane that could handle the weather and all the accumulated passengers. We boarded and headed for Detroit where most of us had totally missed our connecting flights.

It was the first plane to land and/or take off from Kalamazoo that Wednesday. It took 20 minutes to get to Detroit. Not even time to get up to full altitude or serve a beverage.

Detroit to Charlotteville, Virginia, originally scheduled for 1:30, rescheduled for 9 pm

We sat in Detroit for 7 hours waiting for the next plane to Charlottesville, which of course was delayed. We boarded about 11 pm and arrived in Charlottesville after midnight.

Charlottesville airport turned out to be very small, even smaller than Kalamazoo. Our plane held 30 passengers on very hard seats and had propellers.

What a joy to see our family standing there waiting for us. They whisked us to Scottsville and served us tea at 2 am before showing us our comfy beds.

Charlottesville to Detroit, scheduled to take off Saturday at 4 pm

While waiting to board in Charlottesville, we were informed that every NorthWest computer was down in Detroit and nothing was able to depart or land there. Computers were out for an hour and we got to Detroit 10 minutes before our flight to Kalamazoo. The gate we needed was about a mile away.

Detroit to Kalamazoo, scheduled to take off at 7:30 pm

How perverse is this? The first flight we were late for was the first flight of our trip that left on time.

Lunch had been a vending machine bag of potato chips. There was no time for dinner and no time for a stop at the restroom.

We ran through the airport as fast as we could go, and we were the last two people to board.

Here is where an amazing good thing happened. In anticipation of dashing through the airport, we had checked our luggage for the trip home. In some miracle of airport efficiency, our luggage also made the quick plane transfer and landed with us in Kalamazoo.

After gathering our luggage, unburying the car from under the snow, and paying our ransom at the long term parking gate, we headed across the street to McDonald's for a chicken sandwich and hot fudge sundae.

We agreed it was a wonderful trip and headed home to rest up before starting to think about Christmas.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US readers.

Early Wednesday morning Mom and I are flying to Charlottesville, Virginia where we will be picked up by Second Sister (I'm First Sister) and taken to her beautiful new home in Scottsville. Third Sister is driving in from North Carolina with Griffin, her dog, to join us.

Second Sister hasn't told us what we're having for Thanksgiving dinner. Since Second Sister, her husband, and Third Sister are all vegetarians, it will certainly not be the traditional stuffed turkey I'm accustomed to.

Any body worried about Husband Bob? He's staying home with the dogs and having a turkey with all the fixings. I'm making Green Dream for him before I leave. Green Dream is a tangy lime jello salad with pineapple, cream cheese, marshmallows, Miracle Whip, and Cool Whip. It's the perfect complement for turkey, especially cold turkey.

I've been making Green Dream for over thirty years, so I guess that makes it a family tradition. Even the family members who don't like it expect to see it on the table.

We're due to return late on Saturday night, so there won't be another post until Sunday.

Knit Unto Others - Two

Knit Unto Others, a short, two week Thanksgiving knitalong where we knit to warm those in need of warmth.

My Knit Unto Others goal is four pair of children's socks for CIC. Here's the second pair.

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes

Color: Violet

Needles: Clover bamboo premium circular knitting needles, #5.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 7.5 rows/inch

Pattern: No written pattern.

The socks are knit on 30 stitches, 15 instep stitches, 15 heel stitches.

The stitch pattern is a multiple of 6 stitches, 6 rows.

Row 1: p,k2,p,k2
Row 2: p,k,yo,k,yo,p,k2
Row 3: p,cross2,p,k2
Row 4: p,k2,p,k2
Rpw 5: p,k2,p,k,yo,k,yo
Row 6: p,k2,p,cross2

Special instructions for cross2:

• Slip 2 knit stitches as if to purl, popping corresponding yarn overs off the needle and letting them drop. The result is 2 elongated stitches on the right hand needle.
  
• Grab the rightmost elongated stitch with the point of the left needle and lift it over the leftmost elongated stitch and onto the left needle.
  
• Slide the remaining elongated stitch onto the left needle.
  
• Knit the crossed elongated stitches onto the right hand needle, being careful to keep them in order.

When working the heel, the purl stitch from the heel needle was moved to the instep needle. The heel was worked on 14 stitches. The pattern was continued down the instep with 16 stitches, each row starting and ending with a purl.

Knit Unto Others - One

Knit Unto Others, a short, two week Thanksgiving knitalong where we knit to warm those in need of warmth.

My Knit Unto Others goal is four pair of children's socks for CIC. Here's the first pair.

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes

Color: Violet

Needles: Clover bamboo premium circular knitting needles, #5.

This is my first project with bamboo needles, and I found them to be more comfortable for knitting worsted weight yarn at a tight gauge than Addi Turbos. In fact, I knit these socks in one day without my fingers hurting.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 7.5 rows/inch

Pattern: No written pattern.

The socks are knit on 32 stitches, 16 instep stitches, 16 heel stitches.

The stitch pattern is a multiple of 16 stitches, 6 rows.

Rows 1,3,4,and 6: knit

Rows 2 and 5: k, ssk, ssk, k,yo,k,yo,k,yo,k,yo,k,k2tog, k2tog,k,p

When working the heel, the purl stitch from the heel needle was moved to the instep needle. The heel was worked on 15 stitches. The pattern was continued down the instep with 17 stitches, each row starting and ending with a purl.

Early Winter in SW Michigan

The snow that started Wednesday kept coming down until we had about three inches on Thursday morning.

The first snow of the year often melts when it hits the ground because the ground is still warm. This snow didn't.

The first snow of the year often melts the next day when temperature rises above freezing. The temperature didn't rise.

It's Friday, we still have snow, and winter is officially here.


Pappy likes the snow unless the temperature dips to the single digits and his feet get cold.

He knows if he picks his feet up and whines, I will carry him back to the nice warm house.

It's not that cold yet, so he's having fun looking for rodent tunnels in the snow.

Knitalongs in the Snow

Margene and Carole are hosting a very short, two week Thanksgiving time knitalong to remind us to share our knitting talents with those in need.

I don't do many knitalongs, but this one is right on target with my desire to whip up some CIC socks for the kids, so I signed on. I plan to start knitting this evening and hope to complete four pair of CIC socks during the next two weeks.

Click on the button if you want to join. Any charity knitting done in the last two weeks of November counts. Your choice of charity.

Next Wednesday Mom and I are off to Virginia for Thanksgiving at Sister Doris's beautiful new Scottsville home. Sister Carrie is meeting us there, so it will be three sisters, Mom, and my very outnumbered brother-in-law John.

Since we're doing airplane carryon luggage, I decided the time was perfect to stop at the yarn store and pick up some non-metal knitting needles.

This is what they had - Clover bamboo premium circular knitting needles. I scooped up two #5s, planning to knit mindless CIC socks while enjoying my family's company over the Thanksgiving holiday. The cords seem a bit stiff, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem with the worsted weight wool.

In January, Janet Szabo is hosting an Aran knitalong on the Aranknit list. It will be one of her patterns designed especially for the list, knit top down, and provide detailed instructions for inexperienced Aran knitters.

I've been wanted to do an Aran for some time now, and this sounds like the perfect opportunity. I'm daydreaming about yarn and colors I might use. I think it's a go.

Winter blew into SW Michigan today. High winds and some snow.

This morning I went grocery shopping and while loading the groceries into the trunk, the trunk lid blew down on my head. Ouch!

Before taking the dogs out for their afternoon walk I was highly motivated to haul out my Squall Parka and gloves. And, of course, I wore my new helmet hat. Warm. Very cosy. Nice.

Doggy School Lollipops

Pattern: Basic Sock - see below for details

Yarn: Opal sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Color: Lollipop 1010

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

Sometimes, like now, I like to knit self-patterning socks in a basic pattern with an attempt to have some ribbing for good fit and some wide stockinette bands to show off the yarn stripes.

These socks are a Christmas gift for Gail the dog trainer. All I know is her shoe size, so I wanted to knit in as much fudge factor/ribbing as possible and still have them a little prettier than just plain ribbing all the way down the cuff.

Here is the ribbing formula I used:

• Cast on 64.
  
• k2p2 ribbing for 20 rows - starting with p, k2, p2 .... p so the ribbing matches up with the pattern to follow.
  
• Instep: p,k3,p,k3,p,k14,p,k3,p,k3,p (32 stitches)
  
• Heel side: k3,p,k3,p,k3,p,k8,p,k3,p,k3,p,k3 (32 stitches)
  
• Carry the instep pattern down the foot.

The **TOPIC TUESDAY** question on Opal Chatters List is:

Have any of you used socks as an extra gift by using the SOCK as the container for some other little goodies?

If so, how have you used your socks as "gift wrap".

What a great idea and so obvious once I read it. Now I can have fun finding little somethings to stick in Gail's Christmas socks. One sock can be from Sunny and the other from Pappy.

Sunny and Pappy have their doggy school Christmas parties four days apart.

Maybe I'll give her one sock per party and let her wonder what to do with the first one for four days before she gets the second one. Or would that be dangerous? She might throw the first sock out before knowing there's a second sock.

Maybe the socks need to stay together?

What do you think?

The Birthday Question

Your Birthdate: January 20

You are a virtual roller coaster of emotions, and most people enjoy the ride. Your mood tends to set the tone of the room, and when you're happy, this is a good thing. When you get in a dark mood, watch out - it's very hard to get you out of it. It's sometimes hard for you to cheer up, and your gloom can be contagious. Your strength: Your warm heart Your weakness: Trouble controlling your emotions Your power color: Black Your power symbol: Musical note Your power month: February

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Everyone in knitting blogland is posting this - what would you call it? Blogthings calls it a quiz. I call it a question.

About a week ago, I went to the What Does Your Birth Date Mean? question. My results were so NOT me that I didn't post them.

Today I feel left out of the fun, decided to do the question again and post the results. Please don't think the results describe me.

My emotions are under control, thank you. I'm naturally blessed with the ability to keep my mouth shut and stay kind and polite even when thinking evil thoughts.

My moods do not set the tone of the room. In fact, I'm an introvert and tend to be very quiet and invisible in a gathering of people. I prefer my friends one at a time.

Maybe my whole life would have turned out different if I had known February was my power month.

The best thing about February is that it's short. I usually spend February hunkered down waiting for March, the month the snow melts and signs of spring appear.

February is a great month to wear black, though. Now what do you suppose I need to do with that powerful music note to make the world a better place?

All the Leaves Are Down

This was taken about ten days ago.

The trees were showing their last bit of glory waiting for the next windy day.

The windy day arrived, the air filled with leaves - leaves falling and swirling.


This picture was taken today.

All the leaves are down. Those of us with dozens of trees and acres of land are wondering why we don't live on a small lot in town. Or, maybe I'm projecting my feelings onto my neighbors.

Anyway, I think town people take that leaf cleanup thing much more serious than we do. They have leaf bags and leaf pickup date deadlines - no matter if the leaves are off the trees yet or not.

We have leaf fires and compost piles. On cold short days when we'd rather be indoors, we think it's perfectly OK to leave those leaves until spring. After all, it's not like the leaves are going to smother our grass. Grass doesn't grow in the heavy shade.

Anybody want to come rake a bit?

Helmet Hat

When I first saw this helmet hat in the Fall 2003 Knitter's Magazine, my first thought was: That is one ugly hunk of knitting.

My second thought, immediately following, was: Boy, does that look warm.

Being a pragmatist, the thoughts of how warm this helmet would be quickly overrode all thoughts of ugliness, and I added it to my list of things to knit.

It didn't get done for last winter, but this week I pulled out the magazine and knit one up in alpaca. It's going to be perfect for wearing under my parka hood when I walk the dogs.


Pattern: Turns Ahead Helmet from Fall 2003 Knitter's Magazine

Yarn: Knitpicks Decadence, 100% alpaca

Color: Tide

Needles: Addi Turbo #6 and #9

Gauge: 4 stitches/inch, 5 rows/inch

The pattern has two sizes, child and adult. The neck measurement for the child size is 11.5 inches, 14.5 inches for the adult. My neck size is 12.5. My head is small.

Both sizes have the same stitch count. The child size is knit in worsted weight with #8 needles. The adult size is knit in bulky weight with #10.5 needles. I decided to wing it with bulky weight yarn and #9 needles and use the child size plus 10% for the lengthwise measurements.

Knitpicks calls Decadence a bulky weight yarn. I don't agree. It looks and knits more like a worsted weight yarn. Using #9 needles, I got a loose, floppy fabric that was perfect for a helmet hat, but unacceptable for a sweater. I haven't tried this, but I'm guessing on #7s Decadence would knit up at a worsted gauge of 5 stitches/inch.

The guessing on gauge and size was successful. It fits my head snug but not too tight.

The pattern is an exercise in shortrows. It was quick and fun to knit. At the medium speed I knit, it took about four hours.

Bring on the cold winds of winter! (I don't really mean that.)

Marguerite Needs . . .

Here's a silly little game that's been popping up all over Blogland. I couldn't resist.

Google "[your first name] needs" and post the ten best results:

1. Marguerite needs new routes for commuters.

How amusing!

From Wikipedia

Marguarite is a free shuttle service Stanford University offers to its students, faculty, staff, and the general public. Named after one of Stanford family's horses, Marguarite operates a few dozen bus shuttles throughout the university and the nearby town of Palo Alto, California.

According to the Marguerite webpages, the shuttle service serves 135 stops on or around the campus; in 2004-2005, it carried some 1.2 million riders; and it runs approximately 64,000 hours a year.

Note the misspelling of Marguerite. It happens frequently. The most common misspelling uses a "q" in place of the "g", Marquerite. Sigh.

2. Marguerite needs you to come play with her today! ...
She is lovable and sweet, though she requires an owner who can handle her large size!

Happy to report that Marguerite has been adopted from the Lexington Humane Society.

3. Marguerite needs nursing home care.

How sad.

4. Marguerite needs someone to love and respect her for herself.

Doesn't everyone?

5. Marguerite needs suggestions for speakers. She also needs help with calling sponsors, soliciting table reservations, set up,. guarding the prize table, ...

Marguerite needs some assertiveness training.

6. Marguerite needs someone to talk to.

But it's not easy. Her phoneline is usually in use with her laptop dialup.

7. Marguerite needs to give me more treats.

Is one of my dogs writing a blog I don't know about?
Is that how all the dog hair got under my keyboard?

8. Marguerite needs to have a rest for a while.

Please send a cleaning team and a lawn crew.

9. Marguerite needs to be reported on to the welfair for taking money from welfair.

Snitch!

10. Marguerite needs to be planted in drifts or used as filler between other more substantial plantings.

Oh, that explains what's wrong with me lately.

Tutti Frutti Done, Lollipop Begun

Pattern: Rainbow Ripple by Linda Dziubala

Yarn: Opal sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Color: Tutti Frutti

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

They're done and they're mine! They are a bit looser than I like, but not enough to part with them. I love the colors and the stitch pattern.

Ah yes, the pattern. So many of my readers asked about the pattern. I got the pattern from Linda nine months ago. At the time she was calling it a test knit. I emailed to find out if the pattern was ever published, and didn't get an answer, so there is no way to share this copyrighted pattern. Sorry.

If you are an experienced sock knitter who would just like a clue about the stitch pattern, I can do that with a clear conscience. It's a variation on Feather and Fan.

The pattern repeat is 15 stitches, 6 rows.

Row 1: k, ssk, ssk, k, yo, k, yo, k, yo, k, yo, k, k2tog, k2tog, k
Row 2: knit
Row 3: same as row 1
Rows 4,5,6: knit

These Opal Lollipop 1010 socks look washed out next to that bright Tutti Frutti, but they're a pretty pastel.

No pattern for these. I'm knitting them plain stockinette with some ribbing down the sides to help the fit.

They're destined to be a Christmas gift for Gail, Sunny and Pappy's doggy school teacher.

Frogging Tote

This arrived in the mail shortly before the big computer crash and trip to Idaho - one event very bad and the other event very good, but both very distracting, so I'm just getting around to enjoying my new bag.

First off, it's so cute. The slightly smiling woman is standing in a friendly frog pond where the frogs are helping her unravel her knitting. Rip-it, rip-it, rip-it.

(For those who don't know, "frogging" is knitter slang for ripping out knitting that didn't work or has too many mistakes to continue. It's named after the frogs who say, "Rip it, rip-it, rip-it".)

The caption says, "Frogging Is A Fact Of Life." Isn't that the truth?

Second, the bag is 15 x 15 x6, much larger than I thought it would be when I ordered it.

Third, the bag is much prettier and brighter than my picture. You can enjoy a better picture at Artemis Imaging - great service, fun products. No affiliation. Just felt like showing you my new bag this afternoon.

Diane of Artemis Imaging is a member of my EZasPi list. She also sells t-shirts, throws, sweatshirts, notecards, and mugs with the frogging design. Plus, she has some other great designs such as the "At Least My Stash Is Legal" picture. Would make a great Christmas gift for a knitter. Hint. Hint.

Answer Me This . . .

I don't usually do memes, but how could I not do this one after Elaine named me as one of her favorite knitblogs just before she tagged me?

Declaimer: Answers to these questions may change by the day - or even the hour. These answers only apply to the moment I typed them.

What is your all time favorite yarn to knit with?

If we define "favorite yarn" as the yarn I buy over and over and over again, my favorite all time favorite yarn is Opal sock yarn. It's pretty, practical, fun to knit, and it wears like iron. In addition, Opal has a great Yahoo List, Opal Chatters, that I enjoy very much.

Your favorite needles?

My circular needle collection is loaded with Addi Turbos and I use them for everything.

I want to try some of the beautiful wood needles, but I'm so afraid for my budget if they're as nice as I think they're going to be.

The worst thing you've ever knit or crocheted?

I've knit many awful things which I choose to forget and will not mention. Here's one I still have in my wardrobe.

A few years ago I knit Modern Romance, the February lace sock in the Sock Calendar, out of red Opal Crocodile II. The lace doesn't show because of the Crocodile and the Crocodile doesn't look pretty because of the lace.

After a lot of work - I even carried the lace pattern down the instep - I ended up with one of the ugliest pair of socks I own. Even though they are knit from a lovely lace pattern with lovely yarn, lovely plus lovely resulted in yuck.

They're on some cardboard sock blockers I made before I got the nice sock blockers I use for pictures now. That doesn't help them look any better.

And, if ugly isn't bad enough, the heel is too short and when I do wear them they slide down in my shoes.

Your most favorite knit or crochet pattern? (maybe you don’t like wearing it…but it was the most fun to knit)

I've knit a couple of tops where I started out with a lacy ribbing on the bottom. Then, I picked a lace pattern from BW and knit about four or five inches until I got tired of it. Then I picked another lace pattern from BW, etc until it was done. Total fun.

Most valuable knitting technique?

I use these little plastic pins to keep track of my knitting.

They're used for:

• Row counters. I slide a pin into every 10th or 20th row and I always know exactly where I am. That's what the pins are being used for in this picture.
  
  
• Row counter for multi row stitch patterns. I slide a pin into the first row of the pattern. Then, when I have to put my knitting down, it's always easy to count up a short number of rows and know exactly where I left off.
  
  
• Row counter for decreases or increases. Same idea. I slip a pin into the last one and it's easy to see how many rows I've knit since the last decrease or increase.
  
  
• Markers. I slide the pin in between two stitches to mark a side seam or loop it around a stitch to mark a center stitch.
  
  
• Anytime I need to mark anything for any reason and sometimes when I want to mark something for no good reason.

Best knit book or magazine?

The Barbara Walker Stitch Treasuries. I can spend hours and hours looking thought them.

They work as a unit, so I'm not going to try and pick my favorite except to say it's not the fourth.

Your favorite knit-a-long?

The CIC_Knit List knits for children in Eastern Europe orphan homes with inadequate heat.

Knitters from all across and up and down the continent knit a total of 321 toddler vests and sweaters in September and October. It was my pleasure to tally them up and thank all the knitters who contributed.

We also knit worsted weight wool children's socks for the kids.

If you think you might like to do some easy quick wool knitting that will make a big difference in a child's life, there is more information here.

Your favorite knitblogs?

There are so many good blogs, blogs where I consider the blogger to be a cyber friend, that I hesitate to answer this question. In fact, I'm going to rephrase it:

Name a few knitblogs that you have been reading over six months.(This version of the question is not an official part of the meme.)

There. That's better. I can do that.

A View From Sierra County Knitting, yarn reviews, burros, culture, nature, and a positive cheerful view of life.

Missouri Star Lace knitting, Aran knitting, adorable baby granddaughter, dogs, and a positive cheerful view of life.

The Woolen Rabbit Knitting, spinning, rabbits, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (sometimes there are puppies!), and a positive cheerful view of life.

I am in awe of all three of these ladies with their multiple interests and talents.

Your favorite knitwear designer?

Alice Starmore. It's not that I actually knit her designs, but I have some of her books and consider them the ultimate knitting eye candy.

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)

This has to be my socks. I have about three dozen pair and I wear a pair every day. On grungy days, like days I'm working outdoors, I wear the socks I like least. I wear my favorites to church on Sunday.

OK, now to tag the next victims, but only if they want to do it.

Birdsong
Dorothy
Kim

Upjohn Pumpkin Torte

Looking for a wonderful holiday dessert?

Back in the 80s when I started working for The Upjohn Company, the cafeteria had a chef who made wonderful things from scratch. The Upjohn Pumpkin Torte is one of those wonderful things. It's a rich, heavenly dessert. Takes a little effort to make but it's not difficult and well worth the effort.

I'm posting this well advance of the holidays so you'll have a good excuse to make it twice. After all, you do have to make it once to try it out before the big dinner. Right?

This recipe was created to be sinful. Don't try to change it into something healthy. For the intended results you need real butter, real sugar, real cream cheese (not lowfat), real eggs, and whole milk.

This is the original recipe with my changes, suggestions and notes in parens.

Mix the following 3 ingredients together. Press into a 9 x 13 pan.

• 1 pkg graham crackers - about 10 (I use 1-1/4 cup packaged crumbs.)
  
• 1/3 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 cup melted butter (Use the real stuff.)

Mix the following 3 ingredients together and pour on crust. (I use electric mixer to get it smooth.) Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

• 2 eggs
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 8 oz. cream cheese (pre-softened to room temperature)

Cook the following ingredients to a boil. (I microwave it two minutes at a time, whisking after each two minutes. It's hard to tell when "boil" happens in the microwave. Mixture will be noticeably thicker.)

• 2 cups pumpkin (I use 15 oz can pumpkin. NOT pumpkin pie mix.)
  
• 3 egg yolks
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• dash salt

Stir the following into the pumpkin mixture while it is still hot. Let pumpkin mixture cool.

• 1 envelope plain gelatin
  
• 1/4 cup cold water

Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff. Fold gently into pumpkin mixture.

• 3 egg whites
  
• 1/4 cup sugar

Spread pumpkin mixture onto cheese layer.
Top with whipped cream.
Chill.

(I use real whipping cream whipped with a couple of tablespoons sugar and a teaspoon vanilla.)

No nutritional information. If you have to know, you shouldn't be eating this.

Tuesday Tidbits for October 31

Happy Halloween!

I always get a chuckle when I see one of these crashed witches.

In the fourteen years we've lived in the swampy woods, we've never had a trick or treater come to the door. So tonight Sunny and I are headed to doggy school like we always are on Monday evening. We're pretty predictable.


Sydney isn't going trick or treating tonight, but she does have a costume.

Here she is dressed up like a Hershey Kiss. And, believe me, she's sweet enough to eat. Wish I could gobble her up right now.


Questions From the Comments
Judi M. asked how the poochies fared while I was gone.

The dogs stayed home with husband Bob, who is even better at spoiling the dogs than I am. But they did miss me and put on a great show of excitement when I got home.

Mary T. asked how I go about dividing my Opal skeins in two.

Just happens I wrote a post on that last November. Click here for the whole story.