Knitting Log for December 6

Anne's Fluted Banister Socks - Done
The yarn is a very beautiful, rich Opal Handpainted #12.

The purple accents don't show on my laptop, but they do on Bob's desktop monitor. Hopefully you can see all the colors and get an idea of the beauty of the handpainted yarn.

I couldn't resist using the left over yarn to knit a matching little pair of baby socks for my granddaughter.

Went to the internet for a free baby sock pattern and found several to use as a guide. I incorporated the Fluted Banister stitch pattern in the cuff so the baby socks would match Mother Anne's.

The socks look so little it's hard to believe they are going to fit. I'm sure they won't fit for very long. Baby Girl is due April 4 so hopefully she can wear them a few times before her feet grow too big for them and/or the weather gets too warm for them.

Six Sox Indecision
Saturday night I stopped at Hobby Lobby to look for 8/0 beads for the Six Sock Knitalong project. I wanted a deep, dark blue which I couldn't find. So I settled on pearly white. By the time I got home, I was sorry I had bought the white beads so I found some dark blues online and ordered them.

For the one pair of beaded socks I knit over a year ago, the instructions say that the beads need to be between two purl stitches in order for them to stay on the right side of the fabric. Our Six Sock Knitalong pattern doesn't have any purl stitches. I'm wondering if the beads are going to be OK just sitting there on top of the flat knitting. At the same time I'm wondering if the socks are going to fit OK without any ribbing.

We're allowed some leeway in modifying the pattern to suit our needs and preferences. I'm trying to come up with an acceptable variation on the pattern that includes some purling and some sort of rib pattern.

So far it has me stumped.

Old Shale Two Yarn Sock
While waiting for the beads to arrive, I'm knitting a pair of blue Old Shale Two Yarn socks for daughter Heather.

The fold down cuff is Opal Cool Ocean 226. The solid blue color emerging from under the cuff is Opal Unisolid 26.

There is whole post worth of information to write about this project, so I'll save it for another day.

Mini Basketweave Toddler Socks for CIC
Karen at Tangles knit a pair of Mini Basketweave Toddler Socks using the pattern from my November 15 post .

This is the first report of anyone knitting something from a pattern I wrote and I was thrilled to see the picture she posted. She made the socks for CIC, making it even more special.

If you use anything found on this blog, I'd love to hear about it. It just makes my day to know that knitters are reading it and getting ideas from it.

Either email me or leave a comment.

Helmet Hat from Knitter's Winter 2004

The Winter 2004 Knitter's arrived on a cold snowy day in very late November. While I was scowling through the magazine, I spotted a pattern for a helmet hat.

Ugly? Yes. Warm? Yes.

Perfect for walking the dogs on this snowy path. Plus, it looked interesting to knit and I happened to have a container of left over Lopi from making CIC vests.

Some of the Lopi even matches my new Squall Parka from Land's End.


Many times when a pattern strikes my fancy the urge to knit it fades rapidly after I look at the picture more closely. This was just a simple, quick to knit hat so I didn't study the Knitter's picture too long.

If I would have looked at the picture with a more critical eye, I would have noticed that the hat is very large on what appears to be a woman with a normal size head.

Since I have a small head, I went down a needle size and cast on without swatching. (Not swatching on small projects is a bad habit of mine that I am uninspired to change.)

The hat still turned out too big for my head.


The helmet knit up fast. The modular knitting was different and fun - until it was time to weave in all the ends.

Hint: When joining yarn for a new triangle, take time to figure out which stitches need to be picked up in order for the new triangle to end in the right place. Or frog like I did.

Only had to frog once before I figured it out.

The extra knitting probably didn't take any longer than trying to calculate the best joining stitch from reading the pattern.

Yes, that does mean that the pattern could have been more helpful. I wouldn't want to be a new knitter and try to knit this helmet with the minimal instructions given for joining the triangles.


The helmet hasn't been washed and blocked yet because it's cold outside and I've been wearing it several times a day when I take the dogs out for a walk.

I'm having dangerous thoughts about trying to shrink it a little. Shrinking is an exercise at which I've never been successful.

I could knit a swatch and see how it felts/shrinks. But then I would have to think about how if I only would have measured my head and knit a swatch in the first place, I might have a helmet that fit better without the extra fuss.

There's a pattern somewhere in an old Knitter's of a helmet hat that covers the entire neck and rests on the shoulders. I remember it being much more ugly than this one, but it might be warmer. Maybe I'll just find that pattern and knit a second helmet instead of knitting an after-the-fact swatch.

Almost Ready to Bead Again

We received our December/January pattern for the Six Sock Knitalong today. I was disappointed challenged to see that it is a beaded sock.

The name of the thing is Pink Beads Sock. The pattern is a neutral colored yarn with a band of beadwork in pink beads. It probably wouldn't be right to post the picture on Stitches of Violet, but if you click here during December/January you will see a picture of Pink Beads Sock.

The picture on the left is NOT the socks for the knitalong. This is the only pair of beaded socks I ever knit, a wonderful pattern called Beaded Faux Cable Anklets by Heartstrings published in the Summer 2003 Heels and Toes Gazette. (Back issues still available for purchase. Click here.)

The pattern was so well written, complete with every helpful instruction and hint necessary for success in a first beaded knitting project, that I couldn't resist knitting these socks just for the fun of seeing if I could do it.

The yarn in the picture is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Sherbet.

Beaded socks are not my style, so I asked Mother if she would like the completed pair. And, like a good Mother, she jumped at the chance. The socks were finished over a year ago and I love to see them on her feet. She wears them with pride and loves to show them off to anyone who will look.

I never intended to knit another pair of beaded socks. Once was enough. 480 beads was enough.

Now I'm faced with knitting another pair. If I keep true to the pattern name, it needs to be another pink pair. It's going to take a few days to get enthusiastic about this project.

The good news is Mom says she is willing and pleased to be the recipient of a second pair of beaded socks, so someone I love wants the finished pair.

The color is a problem. As is obvious from the picture, Mom and I have already done pink. I think the Pink Beads Socks for the Six Sock Knitalong are going to be blue.

I'll start knitting on the Blue Beads Socks as soon as I can get to Hobby Lobby and buy some beads.

Get ready for a bit of bloggy crankiness while I knit a pair of socks with 432 beads.

Please know I'm not really a crabby old lady. I'm grumbling about these socks with a smile on my face. Sometimes it's fun to complain a little.

Winter 2004 Knitter's Magazine

There was a time, several years ago, when one of the highlights of my knitting life was to receive a new copy of Knitter's. I would spend several hours going through it and enjoying the patterns and techniques.

Now I'm seriously thinking of letting my subscription lapse. The quality of the magazine has declined. The patterns are mostly things I could knit without a pattern - if I wanted to knit them, which I don't. What little editorial content there is holds no interest for me.

Still, it doesn't seem right to be a knitter and not subscribe. If I don't have my copy I won't be able to see what so many people on the knitting lists are complaining about.

Oops, that's not true. Knitter's does publish online pictures of the projects in each issue. I really have no excuse to pay money for this magazine. I'm still thinking it over.

While I'm thinking, the Winter 2004 issue arrived.

First thing I had to check out was the much ridiculed Sock Scarf with randomly placed afterthought heels.

In the large picture that goes with the pattern, they show the scarf looped around the neck of a man. He has both hands thrown up in the air as if he can't wait to get that scarf thing off his neck. The look on his face says, "This thing is awful but I'm smiling anyway because they're paying me for this."

After that description, I probably don't need to tell you my opinion of the Sock Scarf? Your opinion may differ. If you make it, keep your sense of humor and expect people to stare and point when you wear it.

Another ugly pattern is the Pick-up Diamonds Helmet Hat. But it sure looks warm, so I sat down yesterday afternoon and knit one out of Lopi. I'm still weaving in the ends so it's not ready for the camera yet. Should have a picture by Friday.

I'm only wearing this helmet in the privacy of my own property while walking my dogs.

Lastly, I'm thinking about knitting the Jean Frost Tea Rose Jacket. Mostly what I'm thinking about is all those bobbles. I'm not sure I want a jacket with hundreds of bobbles, although they look subdued and attractive in the picture. And I'm not sure I want to knit hundreds of bobbles. The effort could turn this into one of those projects that I can't bare to finish.

What do you like and/or not like about the Winter Knitter's?

On the Needles November 26

Anne's Socks
It was a busy week getting ready for Thanksgiving. When I had a chance to knit I worked on DIL Anne's socks. This picture was taken this morning. It's now evening and both heels have been turned.

The Fluted Banister Pattern is easily memorized and perfect for short spurts of knitting.

I'm having a frustrating time trying to get a photo of the Opal Handpaint 12 that looks anything like the actual yarn. The actual yarn is vibrant shades of blue with accents of bright purple. The light looking spots are the purple.

I took pictures with the flash and pictures in the natural light and pictures in the sunlight. None of them did the yarn justice. It's the most beautiful, lush sock yarn I have ever knit and I long to show it off to my readers, so I won't give up.

When the socks are done, hopefully by the end of next week, I will try a few more lighting options. Any suggestions on how to make the photo better?

CIC Firefighter Socks
The socks for the Six Sock Knitalong CIC contest are finished, washed, and ready to mail out.

They were knit from Kim Salazar's Firefighter pattern using 30 stitches on #5 needles with Cascade Quatro 100% wool.



Barbie Twisted Aran
No knitting progress on the Barbie Aran. In fact, I'm planning to frog it and start over again.

I sat down one afternoon and redid the front on paper, adding four more stitches across and planning a better transition between the body and lower ribbing.

There are moments of sanity when I wonder why I decided to knit something so complex for my first Barbie pattern. It's possible that after a few more good nights sleep I will decide this project was not a good idea and knit Barbie something much simpler.

No new projects on the needles this week. My new Opal solids are calling to me. They want me to design some socks using the solids and leftover self-patterning Opal in combination. I'm looking forward to doing that and plan to post the patterns.

Candle Flame Shawl

During the spring of 2004 the CIC_Knit List knit shawls for the CIC caregivers.

I knit this Candle Flame Shawl out of worsted weight Peace Fleece.

Using a #9 needle, the result was a nice draping fabric still heavy enough to provide warmth.

It took 16 ounces/800 yards of yarn, and I used almost every inch of it.

If you knit this shawl, remember to save a generous amount of yarn for the garter stitch band that finishes the long side of the triangle. (Experience speaking here. LOL)

I had to frog and make the band narrower than the pattern called for because I didn't have enough yarn left. Turned out I liked the narrower band better anyway.

Peace Fleece is 30% Mohair, 70% wool), 2-ply wool.

They advertise themselves as "A yarn company committed to helping historic enemies cooperate and prosper through trade."

That's great as long as the yarn is nice - and it is.

The Peace Fleece colors are complex and rich. This color is Dusty Rose, a dusty pink with orange and white flecks named after the wild roses that grow high in the mountain valleys of Soviet Georgia.

No Sew Toddler Pocket Vest

A very practical, easy to knit toddler vest is the What's In My Pocket? Vest. Claudia Krisniski wrote this pattern especially for CIC knitting and it has been used over and over again by those of us who knit for CIC.

The fun part about having a pocket is the opportunity to tuck a little toy in it. The unfun part, for me, was sewing the pocket onto the vest.

CIC vests are worn by the kids until they fall apart, and sometimes after they fall apart. I always felt like my sewn on pocket was the weakest part of the vest, especially with little kid hands going in and out of it. So I started making a knit in pocket.



This is how it's done:

The vest is size 2, 72 stitches at 3 stitches per inch.

Knit two inches of k1 p1 ribbing. (Pocket will still work if you prefer the garter stitch bottom border. I like the ribbing better.)

Knit 17 rows after the ribbing.

With a second ball of yarn and a second needle, pick up 20 stitches just above the ribbing in the center of the front. To pick up a stitch, go into it from the top and loop around the horizontal bar of yarn.

Work the following 17 rows in the picked up stitches.
Odd rows are wrong side.
Even rows are right side.
Ssk = slip as if to knit, slip as if to knit, knit two slipped stitches together.
K2tog = knit two stitches together

Row 01 - K3, p14, k3 (20 stitches)
Row 02 - k20
Row 03 - k3, p14, k3
Row 04 - k20
Row 05 - k3, p14, k3
Row 06 - k4, ssk, k8, k2tog, k4 (18 stitches)
Row 07 - k3, p12, k3
Row 08 - k18
Row 09 - k3, p12, k3
Row 10 - k4, ssk, k6, k2tog, k4 (16 stitches)
Row 11 - k3, p10, k3
Row 12 - k16
Row 13 - k3, p10, k3
Row 14 - k4, ssk, k4, k2tog, k4 (14 stitches)
Row 15 - k3, p8, k3
Row 16 - k14
Row 17 - k3, p8, k3

Now go back and knit with the main needle. When you get to the center 14 stitches of the front, knit the pocket stitch and the vest stitch together.

I haven't done a size 4 vest yet, but I'm thinking the pocket for size 4 will be two stitches wider and two rows taller.

Dividing Yarn for Matching Self Patterning Socks

Occasionally I get asked how I get my self-patterning socks to match so perfectly.

The "perfect" match is an illusion, but "close enough" looks perfect when the socks are on two separate feet.

First, let me say that I find exactly matching my Opal socks a fun challenge. For those who find it more frustrating than fun, I see nothing wrong with socks not matching if that is the knitter's intention.

Then there are some yarns with short color bursts where trying to get an exact match will only result in a headache: yarns like Opal Crocodile, Opal Handpainted, Opal Cool Ocean, Regia Line Steps.

For those yarns I just weight the skein on a kitchen scale, wind until half the skein is in a ball, cut the yarn and start winding a second ball.

That said, this is how I get the perfect match as displayed here in the pair of green Opal Magic socks I knit for my mother.

Take the band off the skein and weigh the skein on a kitchen scale.

Put the skein in a slippery bowl with tall sides or a wastebasket so it won't roll all over when winding. I usually wind from the outside of the skein.

Write the color changes down on a piece of paper as the yarn is wound so you can get a feel for the pattern and the repeat. Write whatever it takes so you can recognize the repeats.

It might look something like this:

• White with one inch black blobs
  
• Light green
  
• Light green with navy dots
  
• Dark green
  
• Etc

Use the kitchen scale to determine when half the skein has been wound. Cut the yarn at the end of a color band.

Sometimes when I have a picture of a finished Opal sock, I know where I want the cuff to start, so I make sure that stripe is the last color wound.

The second ball wound is not likely to end at the same spot as the first. But if the socks are going to match, it's necessary to have it end at the same color band as the first ball. Frugal people will have a hard time with this, but there will be a little ball of waste yarn at the end of the second ball.

Once you have two balls, very carefully measure the distance from the caston knot to the end so the second sock is caston in exactly the same place.

On The Needles November 19

CIC Firefighter Socks
The Six Sock Knitalong is having a CIC contest. Everyone who knits a pair of Kim Salazar's Firefighter socks for CIC and posts a picture before December 6 gets entered in a random drawing for a 100g skein of Regia sock yarn.

Kim calls the pattern Firefighter because the stitch pattern looks like ladders.

This picture was taken around noon today. Tonight Bob cooked dinner while I turned both heels and completed the gusset decreases. The socks should be done sometime tomorrow.

The pattern is actually for an adult size, toe up sock. The stitch pattern is a multiple of six. To knit child size in worsted weight Cascade, 100% wool, I've reduced the stitch count to 30. And, just because I'm in a hurry and can knit cuff down in my sleep, I'm knitting it cuff down.

Barbie Twisted Aran
I'm attempting to design an Aran Barbie sweater on size 0 needles with fingering weight sock yarn. The cable looking stitch work is done with twist stitches, hence the name, Twisted Aran.

This is my fun project. Tiny little stitches and trying this and that and doing lots of frogging. I don't promise to have the patience to turn in into a polished pattern to publish. I'm not even sure there is anyone else as crazy as myself who would like to knit such a fussy little thing.

Granddaughter Kimmy is not going to be impressed with all my little twisted stitches. She would be much more impressed with something dazzling and cool.

This version is going to be too tight - if anything can be too tight for Barbie. It's obvious there are going to be other things I will wish I had done different, so I'm planning on knitting a second, nicer sweater out of Aran colored Opal solids. Unless I decide I have better things to do, like knit something Kimmy will actually like.

Barbie Dazzling Red
My Opal red solid arrived. It is very very bright, almost orangish, red. Beautiful!

I spotted the Lionbrand Fun Fur at the grocery store and just had to have it. I know that mixing this fun fur and this Opal red yarn is going to result in something that Kimmy will love.

Maybe a Barbie dress and a stole?

Birthday Socks
Now that there are six family members plus myself who want handknit socks, I have to have a way to decide who gets the next pair. So I decided on birthdays.

Only two of the six have a birthday in the same month (October). The two who have never had a pair of hand knit socks have birthdays early in the year, so they will be getting theirs at the beginning of the list. Using birthdays should work well.

This is Opal Handpaint 12, a beautiful blue blend with accents of purple. The purple doesn't show up in this picture. Not sure why. The yarn is much prettier than it looks here.

These are for DIL Anne in Idaho. (John, don't show her this.) I'm using the Fluted Banister Sock Pattern again. I love my Fluted Banister Opal Handpainted 11 socks and am looking forward to working on this second pair for Anne. There should be no problem getting them completed by her January birthday.

Free Sock Patterns for Children

This list is just the beginning of a list of free sock patterns on the internet suitable for CIC knitting.

If you know of any good children's sock pattern links, please let me know and I will add them to the list.

My Patterns
For now there's only one.

• Mini Basketweave Toddler Sock Pattern

Other Patterns
I have not knit any of these patterns.

• Children in Common Sock. Basic worsted weight sock pattern in child sizes S, M, and L. By Helene Rush.
  
• Quick and Easy CIC Sock Pattern. Worsted weight sock pattern with garter stitch cuff. Perfect for using up small quantities of left over yarn. By Elizabeth Durand.
  
• Toddler Size Bulky Weight Socks. Basic bulky weight socks. By KyleAnn.
  
• North Country Cotton Baby Socks. Worsted weight basic baby size socks. Need to be knit in wool for CIC use. From Amy Finley's website. She also has a large collection of knitting help video clips.
  
• Opal Kid's Sock. Fingering weight basic ribbed sock for a small child. Perfect for left over sock yarn. Probably not so perfect for CIC since they are not a heavy wool and CIC is trying to keep kids warm.
  

e-mail Me with your feedback on this list, additional free internet sock patterns suitable for CIC knitting, to report broken links, or just to say hello.

Mini Basketweave Toddler Sock Pattern

Worsted weight socks knit on two circulars.

Size: Small toddler.

Yarn: Approximately 100 yards of worsted weight.
Must be at least 70% wool for CIC.
Socks in picture were knit with 1.5 ounces of Cascade 220.

Needles: 2 - #5 circulars (or size needed to get a firm, solid fabric).any length 16” or longer. (I prefer 24” length.)
3 same size double points for the gusset area. (Optional)

Gauge: 5.5 stitches per inch.

Note: Gauge is not all important for CIC socks. They will fit some child no matter what size they turn out to be. It is important to have a firm, solid fabric as the socks are worn inside, usually without shoes.

Appreviations:
k knit
p purl
ssk slip, slip, knit
p2tog purl two together

Mini Basketweave Stitch Pattern - multiple of 4.

Row 1: knit
Row 2: p2, k2
Row 3: p2, k2
Row 4: knit
Row 5: k2, p2
Row 6: k2, p2

Cuff and Leg
Cast on 28 stitches using the long tail caston.
Join stitches, placing 14 stitches on each needle with the caston tail on the right side of the first row.
First 14 stitches are the heel side, second 14 stitches are the instep side.

k2, p2 ribbing for 8 rows.
Work basketweave pattern for 22 rows, ending after Row 4.

Heel Flap
Row 1 (Right side): Slip 1, knit 1 alternately across the 14 stitches.
Row 2, (Wrong side): Slip 1, purl across.

Repeat the 2 heel flap rows 7 times.
Do another Row 1.

Turn Heel
Slip 1, p7, p2tog, p. Turn.
Slip 1, k3, ssk, k. Turn.
Slip 1, p4, p2tog, p. Turn.
slip 1, k5, ssk, k. Turn.
Slip 1, p6, p2tog. Turn.
Slip 1, k6, ssk.

8 stitches remain on needle.

Gusset Shaping
Note: Once the gusset stitches are picked up, there will be 26 stitches on the heel side needle. This works, as the number of stitches decreases quickly. A second option is to split the 26 stitches between two double points until the heel side is reduced to 14 stitches.

Pick up 9 stitches along edge of heel.
Knit instep, keeping in pattern stitch.
(If you followed the pattern exactly, you will be on Row 5 of the basketweave stitch pattern.)
Pick up 9 stitches along other edge of heel.
Knit 4 stitches from heel, place center heel marker.
Knit 1 round from center heel to center heel keeping instep in pattern stitch.

Gusset Decreases
Knit to last three stitches before instep, k2tog,k.
Maintain basketweave stitch pattern on instep needle.
On first three stitches after instep k, ssk, knit rest of stitches back to center heel.
Knit 1 round from center heel to center heel keeping instep in pattern stitch.

Repeat these two rounds until heel side of sock is reduced to 14 stitches.

Foot
Knit 28 rows (counting from the gusset pick up) keeping instep in basketweave stitch.
Start toe shaping after basketweave stitch pattern Row 3 or Row 6.

Toe Shaping
On heel side of sock k, ssk, knit to last three stitches, k2tog, k.
On instep side of sock k, ssk, knit to last three stitches, k2tog, k.
Knit a round without decreasing.

Repeat these two rows until 8 stitches remain on each needle.
Do the decrease row 2 more times until 4 stitches remain on each needle.
Close the toe with kitchener or three needle bind off.
Weave in ends and admire your work.

Wash socks in mild soap and lay out flat to dry. I use baby shampoo.

Copyright Marguerite Byrne, 2004.
Send comments and corrections to knittingviolet@gmail.com

First Opal Solids Order

Just had to spend some money on yarn today at my favorite online Opal source, Fiber Nooks and Crannys. No affiliation, just quick, friendly, and accurate service.

They are always first to get the new Opal collections up and available on their web site, so when I know a new collection is due I start watching. Yesterday I was rewarded by seeing the new Opal Solids for sale.

Trouble was I had about ten projects in mind for the Opal Solids, and needed to narrow the list down to a reasonable starting amount before I could order. That was my first task of the day today.

I ordered two skeins of red. There's a sock pattern with hearts and hugs I want to knit for someone I love. And red is one of my favorite colors to knit. I always have a use for red yarn.

Daughter Heather asked for blue socks, so I ordered a skein of the bright medium blue. It's going to be paired with some multicolored Opal for a jazzy sock with Old Shale lace cuffs.

I'm knitting a Barbie Aran. Have to say that with a smile because I've frogged it (rip-it, rip-it) several times. The pattern is an original design with saddle shoulders. So far it's been more error than success. The current version is in a light pink Lorna's Laces. I want to knit the final version in off white, so I ordered a skein of Opal Solid ecru.

Will also be using the ecru for solid color areas on socks. Like I mentioned, I have so many - too many - ideas of things to do with Opal Solids.

My son and daughter-in-law, who live across the country, have both requested a pair of Mom's knitted socks.

The Fluted Banister pattern is perfect for socks where approximate fit is the best I can do and it's beautiful in the Opal Handpainted. So, I "had to" order Handpainted #12 and #14 for their socks.

(Darn! After I posted I got notified that the #14 was sold out.)

The picture shows the Fluted Banister pattern in Opal Handpainted #11, my third pair of socks for the Six Sock Knitalong.

The new yarn should arrive sometime early next week. I have projects to finish before then so I will be ready to knit. Have no idea how I'm going to pick which project to do first. Guess I'll have to see which yarn screams at me the loudest.

Fluted Banister Toddler Vest Pattern

Vest is knit in the round from the bottom up.
No seams. No sewing required.

Yarn: 150 yards of bulky weight wool. Vest in picture was knit with Lopi.

Needles: 2 - Size 10.5, 24 inch circulars.
(Second circular is for holding stitches and can be less than 10.5)

Gauge: 3 stitches per inch. 4 rows per inch. (Approximate gauge is OK for CIC. It will fit some child who needs it.)

Finished Size: Toddler size 2 - 4. 24 to 26 inches at chest, 13 to 14 inches in length.

Body of vest from ribbing to underarm
Cast on 74 stitches, loosely.

Join and place marker (left side marker).

k1, p1 ribbing for 37 stitches.
Place marker. (right side marker)

Continue k1, p1 ribbing in the round for 2 inches.
End at the left side marker.

Knit circular Fluted Banister pattern for 4 inches (or a bit longer), ending at the left side marker after Row 4. (Total length, 6 inches.)

Circular Fluted Banister pattern:
Row 1: (k7, p4, k1, p4, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p4, k1, p4, k7) twice.
Row 2: (k8, p3, k2, p3, k2, p1, k2, p3, k2, p3, k8) twice.
Row 3: (K9, p2, k3, p2, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p2, k3, p2, k9) twice.
Row 4: (k10, p1, k4, p1, k2, p1, k2, p1, k4, p1, k10) twice.


Knit four more rows in the round changing the four stitches before and after each marker to purls.

Circular Fluted Banister pattern for the underarm inch:
Row 1: (p4, k3, p4, k1, p4, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p4, k1, p4, k3, p4) twice.
Row 2: (p4, k4, p3, k2, p3, k2, p1, k2, p3, k2, p3, k4, p4) twice.
Row 3: (p4, k5, p2, k3, p2, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p2, k3, p2, k5, p4) twice.
Row 4: (p4, k6, p1, k4, p1, k2, p1, k2, p1, k4, p1, k6, p4) twice.


Circular knitting ends at left side marker.
Markers are no longer needed.

Front Flap
Move 37 stitches of the vest back onto a second circular needle to hold until vest front neck edge is complete.

Knit the Fluted Banister pattern for the front flap back and forth across the front 37 stitches until flap measures 5 inches (or a bit longer).
End after knitting Row 4.

Fluted Banister pattern for the front and back flap:
Right side Row 1: (k7, p4, k1, p4, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p4, k1, p4, k7)
Wrong side Row 2: (k4, p4, k3, p2, k3, p2, k1, p2, k3, p2, k3, p4, k4)
Right side Row 3: (k9, p2, k3, p2, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p2, k3, p2, k9)
Wrong side Row 4: (k4, p6, k1, p4, k1, p2, k1, p2, k1, p4, k1, p6, k4)


Front Neck Edge
k1, p1 rib for one inch.
Leave stitches on needle. Do not bind off.
Cut yarn, leaving 8 feet of yarn attached to vest.

Back Flap and Back Neck Edge
Join yarn at right side.
Make back flap and neck edge the same as front flap and front neck edge.

Shoulder Seam and Bindoff
Turn vest inside out.
Bind off 4 stitches on the left shoulder using 3 needle bind off.
Without breaking yarn, bind off across the vest back neck edge VERY LOOSELY, stopping with 6 stitches remaining on needle.

Turn vest and bind off 4 stitches on the right shoulder using 3 needle bind off.
Without breaking yarn, bind off across the vest front neck edge VERY LOOSELY and weave yarn into left shoulder bind off.

Turn vest again and finish binding off the back the same as the front.

Make sure the neck opening will pull over your head before you cut and weave in the ends.

Wash the vest in mild soap (I use baby shampoo) and cool water.
Lay out flat to block and dry.

Fluted Banister Sock Pattern

Copyright Marguerite Byrne, 2004.
Send comments and corrections to knittingviolet@gmail.com

Basketweave Toddler Sock for CIC

One sock down and one to go. These little socks knit up very quickly on #5 needles and worsted weight wool. This pair is Cascade 220, a 100% wool that flows off the needles.

It's a bit of a challenge to come up with different stitch patterns to put on the cuff. With only 28 stitches around, the pattern needs to have a low number of stitches and rows in order to look good. (Hum, maybe I can prove that theory wrong. I'll have to work on that.)

Also, my feeling is that it's best if the stitch pattern has some elasticity in order to fit a variety of foot shapes. I've read that the young children do not have their own clothing assigned to them, so a different child may be wearing the socks each time they are washed.

The little basketweave pattern meets the above requirements and is interesting and fun to knit.

I will write up the pattern and post it here sometime within the next week. I can test knit the pattern while knitting the second sock and have a pair ready to send off.

Fluted Banister Vest Completed

The third sock in the Six Sock Knitalong is the Fluted Banister. After knitting a pair of Fluted Banister socks for CIC and a pair for myself, I knit a CIC toddler vest incorporating the Fluted Banister pattern and sent the socks and vest off to CIC.

Shortly after that I heard from Laura Gallagher, the designer of the Fluted Banister Sock Pattern. She requested the pattern for the Fluted Banister Vest and I didn't have it written down.

That incident was one of the inspirations for starting this blog. I wanted a place to write my patterns down and share them with whoever would like to use them, especially knitters knitting for CIC.

With that in mind, I knit another Fluted Banister vest for CIC - this bright pink one. And, while I was knitting I recorded the pattern. If all goes according to plan, the pattern will be posted here on Stitches of Violet sometime Monday.

What is CIC?

CIC, Children in Common, is a group of parents who adopted children from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. They were so shocked at the conditions in the orphanages that they banded together to try and help the children that had to be left behind.

It's estimated there are about 700,000 children living in orphanages there. For a complete picture of all that CIC does, go to the CIC link. My affiliation with CIC is through knitting.

Winter indoor temperatures in the orphanages hover around 45 Fahrenheit (that's 7 Celsius). That's why CIC requests heavy knit sweaters, vests, socks, in at least 70% wool. I use 100% wool.

The greatest need is for wool worsted weight socks and wool bulky weight vests for the very young children. The older children are taught how to knit for themselves.

There is also a need for donated knitting needles.

The knitted items are sent to a central location (Kathy’s garage). They are then packed into suitcases and taken directly to the orphanages by couples traveling to the area to pick up a child they are adopting. This prevents the donations from being "side tracked" and sold, never making it to their intended destination.

CIC-Knit is a Yahoo group focusing on the knitting efforts to help the children. It has approximately 400 members. We share news about great yarn sales, appropriate free patterns on the internet, and motivate each other to keep knitting by having an occasional knitting challenge.

Barbie in Opal 2002

A few months ago Susan posted a free seamless Barbie poncho pattern. I left it on the table when granddaughter Kimmy came to visit, and, sure enough, it resulted in a request to knit Barbie a poncho - or two.

This poncho was knit with a fingering weight sock yarn, Opal 2002, using #2 double points.

The pattern would work well in any striped yarn. Since it is knit in one piece (no sewing), there is no problem getting the stripes to match.

I bindoff tight and had to re-bindoff the neck three times before I could get it over Barbie's head. The last, successful time, I used a 10.5 needle for the bindoff. The poncho neck is still a tight fit.

If I knit this pattern again, I will either leave more stitches for the collar or leave the collar open in the front to make it easier to get on and off over Barbie's hairdo.


Barbie needed a dress to go with her poncho. Since I still had some Opal 2002 left over, what could be more fun than to knit one up?

This dress was knit with the Basic Tube Dress pattern from Judy Gibson's Barbie Wardrobe.

I used #0 needles and 40 stitches around.

The dress is a little tight. Barbie has the figure for it, so she's not complaining, but if I were to make the dress again I would use #1 needles.

Judy's pattern gives instructions for making the dress with any yarn and any gauge that is suitable for Barbie. It provides three different lengths: ankle length, knee length, and short.

Other patterns in Judy Gibson's Barbie Wardrobe include

• Rainbow Ball Gown
• Lacy Pink Party Dress
• Ragg Hiking Socks, knit on 00 needles with four ply fingering yarn split into two plys.

Just Starting Out

Welcome. This blog is under construction. Please come back occasionally to see the changes.

This is my new blog to post knitting related topics.

On the sidebar, I plan to post:

• Links to free patterns for CIC knitting
• Original patterns for CIC knitting
• Links to Barbie patterns
• Original patterns for Barbie
• Original sock patterns
• Whatever strikes my fancy

My goal is to update this blog once a week or more frequently if there is something knitting related to post.

My non-knitting blog is Seasons of Violet, which gets updated a minimum of three times a week. Would love to have you stop by Seasons of Violet and get acquainted.

Free Patterns

Old Shale Two Yarn Sock Pattern



Basketweave Ribbing Sock Pattern



More Fun Than Cables Sock Pattern



Shetland Lace Rib Sock Pattern



Mini-Basketweave Toddler Sock Pattern



Cozy In Cables Toddler Vest Pattern



Cozy In Cables Toddler Sweater Pattern



Cozy In Cables Big Kid Sweater Pattern

Friday Five On Halloween

Here are the Friday Five questions for today.

1. What was your first Halloween costume?

I have no idea. How about the first Halloween costume that I remember? When I was in the sixth grade (mid 50s) I was a safety patrol. For rainy days the school supplied wonderful light colored flowing cape style raincoats with hoods. I remember talking our advisor into letting my friend and me borrow two of these raincapes to use as ghost costumes on Halloween. I think it helped that my friend's dad was the sixth grade teacher.

This costume was wonderful because it solved the annual conflict created by having a wonderful Halloween costume and then having to wear a coat over it. In SW Michigan it is traditional for it to rain and/or sleet and/or snow on Halloween.

In case you are wondering, it is raining as I write. But it is too warm to have sleet or snow, so that is better than other years.

2. What was your best costume and why?

My best costume was for Hoe-Down Day, not Halloween. Hoe-Down Day was a homecoming week event at Marshall High School. My freshman year I went as an alien. I dressed in green and used green food coloring on all my exposed skin. Several of my teachers recalled this costume years after I graduated.

3. Did you ever play a trick on someone who didn't give you a treat?

I don't remember any time when I didn't get a treat except for the people who weren't home or didn't want it to look like they were home. I've always been a rather peace loving, law-biding person. Plus I was too busy eating candy to bother with playing tricks.

4. Do you have any Halloween traditions? (ie: Family pumpkin carving, special dinner before trick or treating, etc.)

Halloween is not a special holiday for us. We live way way in the country and never have had a Trick or Treater visit us. I do have a very bright orange turtleneck that I wear to work on Halloween with black chinos. That's the best I can do.

5. Share your favorite scary story...real or legend!

I can't lick an envelope without thinking of the story my friend Russ told me about someone who licked an envelope and then "hatched" a cockroach from her tongue.

Supposedly while licking an egg-infested glue strip on an envelope, she got a paper cut. The cut got "infected". When she went to the hospital to have it examined the doctor made an incision to release the pus and a roach crawled out.

Happy Halloween!

Pray Before Committing

There are many worthwhile causes and projects needing to be done in this world and the Lord doesn't expect me to do all of them. One of the rules I have for myself is "Don't agree to any optional project until you've prayed about it for three days."

If I would have followed my rule, I would not be facing four large empty shoeboxes in the front seat of my car that need to be wrapped and filled with toys and personal items for Operation Christmas Child.

My church is doing this project. When I first saw the announcement, I gave a moments thought to doing a shoebox and then moved on to thinking about something else.

The next week my friend Sherry mentioned that she had four shoeboxes and she had such fun shopping for the kids. I was easily caught up in her enthusiasm and next thing I knew she was bringing me three shoeboxes and I was asking my friends at work for more.

Now reality has settled in. I don't want to do this. I hate shopping. I won't digress into all the reasons I hate shopping, but one of them is physical pain from being on my feet too long. For that reason, I do most of my shopping online. This project can not be done online.

Since receiving the shoe boxes, I have prayed about this project. It's now obvious that this was my idea, not His idea. It's also obvious that since I started the project, it is now my responsibility to finish it.

I know I'm sounding like Scrooge here. Please know that I do many things to help other people. This project was not mine to do - until I made it so of my own free misguided will.

I will wrap and fill four shoeboxes. I will pray that the contents please the children who receive them. I will start praying to not resent the time and effort I am going to spend on this project. I will try to remember in the future to follow my own rule: pray BEFORE committing.

Three New Psychological Syndromes

Ever notice how some widows will go on about their deceased husband as if he was the most perfect man that ever lived? When you know he wasn't and you know that she knows he wasn't? I call this the Dead Husband Syndrome. Pity the second husband if she ever marries again.

Lately I've been diagnosing with amusement that myself and others have the Dead Husband Syndrome about Pharmacia, our former employer.

Pharmacia no longer exists. It was eaten by Pfizer. Pfizer has been very thorough about making sure that everything Pharmacia is eliminated, including many of the employees. Those of us who are still around indulge in conversation about the good old days and how it used to be. Pharmacia is remembered as the perfect employer. We have no memory for the things we used to complain about. This variation on the Dead Husband Syndrome is called the Dead Company Syndrome.

Many years ago when I first started working as a COBOL programmer, there was a programmer named Nanct who couldn't program. She was a friendly, attractive, pleasant woman. Everyone liked her. Since I was new to office work and office politics, I watched in amazement as my coworkers talked about how poorly Nancy was treated by management. As far as I could tell, all management wanted was for Nancy to write some program code that worked.

One day management gave Nancy a simple programming assignment and told her if she wasn't able to do it they were going to have to let her go. She couldn't and they did. The whole office was in an uproar for days. Poor Nancy! How could they do this to poor undeserving Nancy? Not a soul would listen when I timidly mentioned that Nancy didn't have a clue how to program. All they could talk about was how unfairly she was treated.

Since then, when co-workers are completely blind to the fact that a fellow employee is incompetent, I mentally think of it as the Nancy Syndrome.

Since all three of these syndromes are caused by human nature, there is no cure. If you would like to contribute to my psychological research, leave your observations in the comments.

Friday Five On Sunday

This Friday Five came from sister Carrie. She let me change the questions a little to make them more fun to answer. Thanks Carrie.

1) Name five books (excluding the Bible) that you've read in the last five years that you really loved.

• Harry Potter (all of them) by J. K. Rowling. A work of genius unfolding in our time.
  
• A Painted House by John Grisham. I was sad when this book ended just because there wasn't any more of it to read. I think it is his best.
  
• The Christ Clone Trilogy by James BeauSeigneur. An "end times" book a thousand times better than the awful but popular Left Behind series. The Christ Clone Trilogy is a well written story by an intelligent author. It is good reading for anyone, not just Christians.
  
• The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny. I gave this to Bob for his birthday several years ago and he read it out loud while I knit socks for him. It is actually ten books combined into one volume. An excellent science fiction saga.
  
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - a masterpiece in presenting Christianity. I admire the intelligence, thoroughness and logic of C.S. Lewis.

2) Name five favorite television shows from the past.

• Mary Hartman Mary Hartman
  
• Startrek (the original)
  
• The Dick Van Dyke Show
  
• Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser
  
• Hill Street Blues

3) Name five movies that you have watched more than once.

• Shirley Valentine
  
• Star Wars
  
• Harry Potter (all of them). I've only watched these once, but plan to watch them again and again.
  
• The Graduate
  
• ET

4) Name five music albums that speak to your soul.

• 25 Treasured Hymns by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Tennessee Ernie has a voice like I imagine God might sound if God did signing. My friend Russ played this CD for his mother while she lay dying in the hospice. Horrible thought. But if I had to go through an extended death experience I would like to do it to the voice of Tennessee Ernie.
  
• Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf. Definitely not boring. I feel young again when I listen to it.
  
• Conversations by Sara Groves. The whole album speaks to the heart.
  
• The Best of the Mamas and the Papas. Nobody sings like Mama Cass. So sad when she died.
  
• Simon and Garfunkle in Central Park. Great singing and great songs.

5) Name your five favorite current cartoons. I read these five favorites online everyday along with runner up favorites Curtis, Sally Forth, Zits, Baby Blues, Big Nate, and Arlo & Janis.

• For Better or Worse
  
• Luann
  
• Frazz
  
• Grand Avenue
  
• Ben

Far Side gets honorable mention as a great cartoon memory from the past.

Am I the only person in the world who never liked Peanuts?

This May Not Be What You're Looking For

Now that Seasons of Violet has Bravenet stats, I'm able to see how readers get to my blog. It would be interesting to know what they think when they get here, especially when they get here while looking for something else.

Last week I had a visitor who did a Google search on "Kalamazoo Christmas Parade". It just happens that the number one entry on Google for "Kalamazoo Christmas Parade" is Seasons of Violet. No doubt that person was looking for information about the parade - maybe date and time. Imagine their surprise when they ended up looking at a Seasons of Violet post about a calendar with scenic dog poop pictures. (October 12 post if you missed it.)

Two different readers arrived at Seasons of Violet by doing a Goggle search on "Pfired". The number one entry on Google for "Pfired" is Seasons of Violet. Is this fame or what?

Tuesday I had a visitor who got to Seasons of Violet by entering a Google search for "picture pile of dog poop". This time Seasons wasn't the number one entry - but still, is this really how I want to be found?

Wednesday someone got to Seasons of Violet by doing a Google search for "WWJD bandaids". Seasons of Violet came up second on the Google list. WWJD was in my October 14 post and bandaids was in my October 17 post. This points out the futility of using the general Google search for two separate words. The advanced Google search will let you specify that the two words be an "exact phrase". But why would anyone want WWJD bandaids?

In case you're wondering how much information I get on my readers, don't worry. Your identity is safe. I can't tell who you are. For a direct hit, I get your OS and browser information and the IP address and name of your ISP. If you come from another internet site, I get the name of that site. If you come from a Goggle Search, I get to see what you were searching for.

Something tells me that people searching for "Kalamazoo Christmas Parade" or "Pfired" or "picture pile of dog poop" or "WWJD bandaids" didn't find what they expected in Seasons of Violet. Hopefully they were entertained for a few minutes before they left to try elsewhere.

Why The Parade Is Safe

Last fall Sunny was new to her Briarwood Advanced Hobby class. We didn't know the people or the dogs very well. One of the dog owners convinced Gail, the owner of Briarwood, to enter Briarwood dogs in the Christmas Parade. Gail wasn't very enthused about it, but decided to give it a try.

At the time, we were working on teaching the dogs to jump through hula hoops. When Gail asked who was going to be in the parade, she mentioned having the dogs jump through hula hoops. A dog can't jump through a hula hoop while their owner is holding their leash. I was not going to have my precious dog off leash, downtown, in a loud crowd with unfamiliar loud noises all around. I said we couldn't make it.

At the first post-parade class, I heard the story of what happened. Briarwood was placed by a band in the parade staging area. A band member clapped the cymbals and the group from Briarwood quickly came up with a Plan B that didn't require any dog to be off their leash, not even for a second. They did the simplest heeling drills: left turns, right turns, about turns. The crowd cheered and clapped and thought it was wonderful.

Now Gail loves doing parades. Briarwood Advance Hobby dogs, including Sunny, marched in the Doo Dah Parade last spring as the Poop Patrol. We had pooper scoopers and did fun drills, formations, and skits with the dogs 100% on leash.

This fall when asking who was going to be in the Christmas Parade, Gail mentioned that all dogs would be 100% on leash. I'm going to be walking along behind the rickshaw with two leashes in my hands. Fraulein, the German Shepherd pulling the rickshaw, will also be on leash.

There are two Advanced Hobby classes. Sunny is in one and Pappy is in the other, so we know all the people in Advance Hobby now. They are all dog lovers and we all watch out for each other's dogs. Sunny and Pappy will have lots of extended family there if anything unexpected happens. Three of them work as vet assistants. I consider the whole thing very safe or I wouldn't do it. The dogs love doing it or I wouldn't do it.

Little Pieces of Good News

My Kalamazoo manager (who is not really my manager but has the assignment of watching over me and acting like a manager because my real manager works for Pfizer in New Jersey and has only met me once) showed me an email written by my real manager to his superior requesting a January 9 Pfire date for me. Both my real manager and my pseudo manager are the nicest of guys. I had asked for the January date and it had been tentatively agreed to, but this is the first concrete evidence I've seen that it is really going to happen. If it does happen, I have 44 more working days until I get Pfired. This is good news.

My blood pressure was 116/69 at my doctor's appointment this morning and I got taken off my blood pressure medicine. That was one of my goals in losing weight and it was very satisfying to have it happen. I'd had the dosage cut in half this spring so my current dosage is very low and can safely be eliminated. One of many health incentives to never gain that lost weight back again.

Sunny liked riding in the rickshaw. She sat in the rickshaw box looking like the princess that she is. While I pulled her around and around, she watched her classmates practice their stunts for the Twelve Dog Daze of Christmas - dancing, singing, leaping, carrying rings. I think she was glad to be in the rickshaw.

Updates on Life

Updates on Life
German Shepherd Fraulein's mom and dad brought the rickshaw to doggy school Thursday night so I could see it and we could decide if Pappy and Sunny are riding in it for the Kalamazoo Christmas Parade. I think it's a "go". The box in the back is about eighteen by eighteen and eight inches deep. Pappy got in it and Fraulein pulled him around while I gave him little pieces of turkey dog. He was thinking he wanted to jump out, but as the little pieces of turkey dog appeared in front of his mouth he decided to stay in it and keep eating. In a few minutes he was relaxed and thinking that riding in the back of a rickshaw might be OK after all.

They left the rickshaw at Briarwood so Sunny can try it out on Monday night. She is a little more skittish about some things than Pappy is, so I'm curious to see how she does with it. Fraulein won't be there to pull her, so I'm going to try and recruit a human to do it. The rest of the dogs are learning to dance and/or leap and/or carry golden rings. Sunny and Pappy get off easy with just learning to ride in a box.

Mom's Beaded Socks are done and delivered. I left the toes open until I was sure they were going to fit. After the birthday party was over, she tried them on and I finished them up and took pictures. See Mom's Beaded Socks Album in Picturetrail. I'm very happy with the way they turned out. A fun project.

Next knitting project is not started. I'm still deciding what it's going to be. Opal Inspiration with eyelet lace I think.

Granddaughter Kimmy is turning eight on Thursday and the maternal side of her family had a party for her on Saturday hosted by Great-Grandmother, my Mom. It was a nice family get together and resulted in some good pictures of family members. For the interested, the pictures are on Picturetrail in the Kimmy's Birthday Party Album.

I think it's interesting that the contents of my refrigerator and freezer inspired more comments and funnier comments than anything else I've written about. Read the comments on the Friday, October 17 post for some interesting thoughts on preparing food and how to submit winning recipes in recipe contests.

Mom's Pink Beaded Socks

Pictures From Kimmy's Eighth Birthday

Friday Five Five Things

Here are the Friday Five questions for today.

FYI: 1 Weight Watcher point equals approximately 60 calories. It's more complicated than that, but at least that gives you a clue.

1. Name five things in your refrigerator.

• Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese. Yummy. 1 point per wedge. One wedge easily covers eight Triscuits.
  
• Red seedless grapes. I use them for diet snack food. 1 point per cup. Great for stress eating when I just want to keep sticking things into my mouth.
  
• Brie with herbs. Another low fat treat to have on my low fat Triscuits. When I open up the brie, the dogs all flock to the kitchen. And yes, I do give them some and they love it.
  
• Oscar Meyer no fat hotdogs. These are very tasty. 1 point each.
  
• Smuckers low sugar strawberry preserves. 0 points unless you use way way too much.

2. Name five things in your freezer.

• Aunt Millies low fat split-top honey bread. Tastes great. 1 point per slice. I wrap a piece around an Oscar Meyer no fat hotdog for a 2 point meal.
  
• Lean Cuisine frozen entries.
  
• Healthy Choice frozen dinners.
  
• Skinny Cow peanut butter ice cream sandwiches. Very yummy. Creamy and satisfying. 2 points.
  
• Eddy's ice cream. Not mine. Really.

3. Name five things under your kitchen sink.

• Terry cloth rags.
  
• Dish towels.
  
• Red Juice from the Clean Team. A strong biodegradable cleaner.
  
• Blue Juice from the Clean Team. A mild biodegradable cleaner.
  
• Lime Away. A rust and lime remover.

4. Name five things around your computer. (I'm answering for my work computer.)

• Pens and pencils.
  
• Telephone.
  
• Paper. Pads, scraps, Post-its, printouts.
  
• A cute ceramic old-fashioned doctor in a red bow-tie about four inches tall holding a giant tube of Upjohn Mycitracin. A souvenir from three mergers ago when we were The Upjohn Company.
  
• Daily Dog Fancy calendar. Today's picture is a Sheltie in a pile of leaves.

5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.

• Deep Woods Off.
  
• Scooby-doo bandaids.
  
• Mycitracin.
  
• Tinactin.
  
• Dental floss.

What Would Jesus Do About This Tee Shirt?

After my post on Christian blogs, I did find some blogs written by intelligent Christians who know the Bible and aren't legalistic. It's been a blessing for me to know that they exist.

Going Jesus is a blog written by a church secretary who sells tee shirts and other items that say wtfwjd? at Cafepress.

wtfwjd? is a clever combination of the two popular acronyms WTF (What The F**k) and WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?). I've been chuckling over this acronym for several days now. I think Jesus might very well laugh at it, too.

I've always thought WWJD? is a stupid question. How are we supposed to know that? And, if we did know, what makes anyone think we are supposed to do the same thing Jesus would have done? He may have been fully human, but He was also fully God - complete with ability to do miracles. We are only human - members of a fallen race. I don't think it's expected that we know what God would do. I think it's impossible that we do what God would do.

Short digression: I do think it's possible to know what God would have us do or not do. There is a big difference between doing what God would Himself do and doing what God wants us to be doing.

I would not wear a wtfwjd? tee shirt. It's not because I think it's offensive to God. I would not wear it because it would offend many nice, sincere Christians who don't agree with my conclusion that it's humorous and benign.

Christian or non, I'd love to hear your thoughts on wtfwjd? Please leave a comment. If you are shy, you don't need to use a name and/or email. They're not required.

Monthly Doos and Pappy Update

Looking for a unique Christmas gift?
Check out Monthly Doos - the 2004 dog poop calendar. Slogans: "Everything is dootiful in its own way." and "Monthly Doos. When you care enough to give a crap."

It's a beautiful calendar with a gorgeous scene for each month accentuated with a pile of dog poop. The calendar has "Loads of fun facts, quirky quotes and stories about the lore of dung, as well as portraits of the offally sweet mutts who made the mounds."

This is only the second year for the Monthly Doos. According to the back cover it's back by popular demand. "Monthly Doos 2004 is a craptacular follow-up to our steamingly successful first effort."

The calendar is published by - who else? - Watch Your Step Productions. They have a very nice website Monthly Doos complete with buzzing flies. You can see all the pictures and read more of the text. I found it too funny to be completely gross. It's worth a visit to the website even if you don't want to buy a calendar.

Watch Your Step only sells wholesale from the website. Unless you want a minimum of six, you will need a retail source. I got mine from SitStay, another great site to visit if you have a dog you love.

The calendar I bought is going to be a Christmas present for Gail, the dog trainer and owner of Briarwood Dog Training. What better gift for someone who inspired me to march as part of the "Poop Patrol" in the Doo Dah Parade last spring?

Weekend report
The weather this weekend has been so beautiful. I've taken advantage of it by going on many walks with the dogs. All in all it's been a very restful weekend. Next weekend Kimmy is coming over, so it will not be restful. In fact, I need to be careful not to get over tired this week so I'll have some energy left for Friday and Saturday.

Little by little I'm working on this blog to get it the way I want it. This weekend I installed another hit counter. This one is from Bravenet and seems to be working great. The stats are much better than the Blogger hit counter I had to rip out in order to get the comments to work. You can see the count tally at the bottom of this page. If you visit more than once in 24 hours, it only counts you once. I like that.

Pappy went to the vet Saturday for his annual checkup and shots. He's very healthy now, even his teeth. The vet estimated his age to be four years old. When we adopted him last November she estimated his age to be five. Maybe we should all start eating dogfood.

Tit for Tat

Before I ever had my own laptop I joined a Yahoo sock knitting group from my PC at work. Someone in the group was knitting a pattern from the Knitting Curmudgeon web site so I checked it out and was fascinated by her writing, her thoughts, her life, and her friends. I went back to read more again and again. It was my introduction to blogging.


The Knitting Curmudgeon is an excellent blog. I still read it even though we have different philosophies of life and she frequently insults things that are dear to me, including my faith and the wonderful ladies in the Socknitter group.


Her blog is described as "not for the faint of heart". Her posts critiquing knitting publications, knitting lists, and knitting designers are very well written and I almost always agree with her. But let's just say she doesn't seek out the kindest way to express her opinions. And don't go to her site if a little bad language offends you.


The idea of having my own blog originated with reading the Curmudgeon. I thank her for that.


She’s currently going through a difficult season of life. I pray for her. She would probably find that insulting and offensive. Sounds fair to me.

Friday Five on Sports

I went out to the Friday Five (no longer active) website to get the questions for today. At first glance I thought today's questions were boring. But once I got into answering them it was fun and brought back some good memories.

1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones?

• Not usually.

2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes?

• Joan Benoit Samuelson: Won the first women's Olympic marathon in 1984. Now mother of two and still running. Does charity work in Maine.
  
  
• Florence Griffith Joyner - FloJo: World record sprinter with eye-catching outfits and four-inch fingernails. She was awesome in so many ways. Died in 1998 of a severe epileptic seizure. So sad.
  
  
• Steve Yzerman: Over a decade as Detroit Redwing captain. He's been there for the bad years and the good. Always a hard worker and a class act.
  
  
• Derek Jeter: Yankee shortstop who grew up in Kalamazoo. His mother used to work in my building and we ate lunch in the same cafeteria. Does that make me famous?

3. Are there any sports you hate?

• I hate any sport that someone expects me to play. See question 5.

4. Have you ever been to a sports event?

• Olympic Track and Field Trials in 1988, 1992, and 1996. That's where I saw Carl Lewis and FloJo. Also Jackie Joyner and Mary Decker Slaney.

5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play?

• I'm a near-sighted nerd. Do I need to explain more?

Bonus Friday Five from Mother
In the Wednesday comments, I wrote the following update on the plans for the Briarwood Dog Training entry in the Kalamazoo Christmas Parade:

"I just found out tonight that Gail wants Sunny and Pappy to ride in a rickshaw pulled by Fraulein, the German Shepherd. That means I'll be walking and holding their leashes."

This got Mother curious about everything and on Friday she responded with a set of five questions. How handy! So here is a second set of Friday Five submitted by Mother:

1. From where is the rickshaw coming? Who's got one?

• Denise, a woman in Pappy's Advanced Hobby dog training class, has a rickshaw. I believe her husband made it for Fraulein, their German Shepherd, to pull. She is going to bring it to class next Thursday so I can see it.
  
  
• It was Denise's idea that Briarwood do the Christmas Parade. She is making twenty-six gold capes for our group to wear in the parade along with matching neck scrunchies for the dogs.

2. Who is going to control the German Shepherd?

• Denise will have Fraulein's leash. Fraulein is a mature, intelligent, well trained dog. Fraulein is friends with Pappy, but she doesn't know Sunny yet.

3. Are Sunny and Pappy still going to have their carseats wrapped as Christmas gifts?

• Doubtful. I don't think there is room in the rickshaw for the carseats. The dogs may be in wrapped boxes or maybe not. We have to see how it works the best.

4. What makes Gail think the German Shepherd wants to pull this putative rickshaw a mile or two through the cheering masses??

• Fraulein pulled the rickshaw in last year's Christmas parade, so she is experienced.

4. Or that Sunny and Pappy are going to sit still for it??

• They don't have to sit still. Gail wants them to be the "Two Naughty Papillons" in the Briarwood 12 Dog Daze of Christmas. She wants to see if we can get them to jump in and out of the rickshaw. Yes, I will be holding their leashes.

The Briarwood parade application has been sent in so The 12 Dog Daze of Christmas theme is final. The execution of the theme is still in the planning stages. There will be practice sessions and many changes to come. Stay tuned and don't worry.

Dreaming of the Future

Last night I had a dream where I had two kneecaps on each leg. I kept staring at them and I couldn't figure out where the extra kneecaps came from. Then someone explained to me that double kneecaps happen when you get older. I never knew.

The real physical changes that are happening as I get older are almost as mystifying as double kneecaps even though I did know about them. I've been studying elderly people since I was a child. I used to work in a geriatric nursing home. My aging body should not be a surprise. Instead it seems to be one surprise after another as it happens to me.

Gray hair. Wrinkles and sags. Hair in strange places. Memory lapses. Trifocals. Aches and pains. More aches and pains. Yikes!

I'm learning what it means to be "long in the tooth". It means that food is going to visibly stick to my teeth and I'm going to have to act like an old person and pick it off. Yuck!

Even with all the usual signs of aging present, I have to keep reminding myself that I'm almost sixty because it seems impossible. When I say it out loud it makes it more real. It's like I'm plugging myself into reality.

So far I've been able to accept and deal with the manifestations of aging. It's what is yet to come that concerns me. How bad is this going to get? What if I really do end up with four kneecaps?

And A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Briarwood Dog Training is going to have The 12 Dog Daze of Christmas for it's entry in the Kalamazoo Christmas parade. Sunny and Pappy are going to be Two Papillons in place of Two Turtle Doves. This should be fun. We're supposed to have parade practices and float working sessions. Mom has agree to be photographer, so I will have some pictures after it's all over on November 8.

Both dogs have a grooming appointment the day before the parade so I only have to keep them clean for 24 hours. Even that will be a challenge with Sunny. She has curly hair that works like a dirt magnet when the ground is wet.

In my cube at work I have a Papillon calendar. The October Papillon is a cute little fluffy puppy. Every time I look up I WANT IT. It won't happen. Three dogs are plenty. And two of them are almost as sweet as a puppy anyway.

We've had several hard frosts already. The tender plants are looking done-for. I'm looking forward to being in the garden much more next year. It needs my attention. It's looking remarkably well for the neglect it's suffered the last few years.

I'm working on a 100 Things About Me page. So far I've got about 60. Writing 100 things about me is more difficult than I thought it would be.

One of my daily laughs occurs when the Blogger spellchecker doesn't recognize the word "blog". It wants to replace it with "bloc". Wouldn't you think . . . . .?

Mom's Beaded Socks

My family has a long history of receiving unwearable knitted garments from a loving grandmother. Just the word "knit" can cause some members of my family to start laughing. I haven't offered to knit for any of them. They've suffered enough. Therefore, I was very surprised when my mother asked me for a pair of hand knit socks.

Originally I planned to knit lacy stripes for her and even purchased the yarn. Then I mentioned I wanted to try to knit a pair of beaded socks for the challenge of it. The problem was that I didn't think I would ever wear them. Mom is an artist type. She said she'd like a pair of beaded socks. So that's what we are doing. I'm having fun knitting and she's going to have fun wearing.

As of tonight, both cuffs are done on Mom's beaded socks. 480 little beads have been knit in and I'm extremely pleased with the results. What fun! And someone I love is actually going to wear them! Mom even bought some Capri pants so the socks will show. I can hardly wait to finish them.

Please Don't Make Me Do It Again

Imagine that you've just finished a creative project that took eight plus hours and now you're ready to move on to your next creative project. But you can't because you have to go back and do an exact replica of the project you just completed.

That's the feeling I get when I finish knitting one sock and it's time to start the second sock. This feeling is so common with sock knitters that they have a name for it: SSS - Second Sock Syndrome.

Starting that second sock after the first one is complete is a bore. The challenge of the pattern has been met and conquered. Now it's time to get on to the next challenge, to see how some other yarn and stitch pattern look together, to do anything but knit an identical sock.

I avoid SSS by knitting both socks at the same time. I start one sock, knit a few inches, and then start the second sock. I grab the shortest sock each time I sit down to knit. By the time one of the socks is done, the other is almost done and I have a pair.

Some sock knitters have complicated methods of knitting both socks on the same set of needles at the same time. I do it the simplest way possible - on two separate sets of needles with two balls of yarn. Each sock in process is an independent unit.

Please Release Me, Let Me Go

57 more work days until I'm Pfired. I need to do this countdown in order to have the reality of the situation sink in. Soon I will be unemployed/retired after twenty-five plus years of working full time.

Most of the time I smile when I think about it. But there are little niggling worries, too. What will it be like to have all that freedom? All that time? No structure? No paycheck?!!

Will I really be a better housekeeper when I'm not working? Will I stay up too late and sleep in too long? What will I have for lunch? I've been buying lunch at work for twenty-five plus years.

I plan to spend the first week vegging out: sleeping in, reading, knitting, messing around on the web. After that I will need to add some structure and routine to my life. Surely I have the self-discipline to do that. Don't I?

Now that I've spit out my niggling worries in this blog, it's time to show some confidence about this major life change. All - yes every single one - of the former workmates who have been Pfired/retired before me are loving it. They are finding new interests, doing new things, and looking ten years younger when I see them. I plan to do the same.

Friday Five - Cars

While surfing around today, I found a site that has the Friday Five. Five questions to answer in your weblog. (Friday Five no longer exists.)

Friday is past, but here goes anyway. I'll check the questions out again next week and see if I want to do the Friday Five on a regular basis. To be truthful, I found answering to be a little boring. Maybe that's just the thing for a Friday.

Friday five - two days late
1. What vehicle do you drive?

• 2000 Toyota Camry Classic Edition

2. How long have you had it?

• Bought it in March 2000 mostly paid for with the money from my Y2K bonus. The company offered all its computer people three months extra pay if we worked hard and made it through Y2K without any negative impact on the business. What a deal.

3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle?

• My Camry is a very practical car without many extra features. The coolest thing in it is two doggy carseats in the back. People are always pointing at them and asking about them. The little dogs sit in them so they can see out the window. Plus it keeps them safe and secure. The seats are anchored in with the seatbelt. The dogs wear a harness and are tethered to the seat belt. The dogs get very excited everytime they see me pull out the harnesses. They love going on rides in their carseats.

4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle?

• It doesn't have four wheel drive. Four wheel drive is very handy in the Michigan winter. The Camry does handle well in the snow and ice though.

5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now?

• Toyota Highlander or 4Runner, but only if the ride was as comfy as the Camry's ride.

Little Doggies Gotta Go Somewhere

Little doggies gotta go somewhere October 4, 2003
Background: Sunny our Papillon mix and Pappy our Papillon are small dogs. Both are under fifteen pounds.

Sunny weighed two pounds when we got her as a puppy two years ago. There was no way we were going to let that little thing go outside without one of us being by her side to protect her from the wildlife and raptors - or maybe even a big insect. Our solution was to Wee-Wee pad train her.

For those of you who don't know - and I'm guessing that's most of you - Wee-Wee pads are like human baby disposablele diapers without the crotch folds. You lay one on the floor. The dog squats on it and pees and/or poops. Then you dispose of it and lay down a new one.

This worked great and saved us from freezing our butts off during the winter of 2001-2002. Then in the late fall of 2002 we got Pappy. He was a mature Papillon rescue dog with many shyness and fear issues. We don't know what happened to him before he ended up in rescue. We do know that he got passed around to at least three different rescue organizations and he has physical scars from his past life. He was housebroken however, and this wasn't the time to try to teach him different.

Because of Pappy we ended up getting lots of cold, healthy fresh air during the winter of 2002-2003. Sunny always went out with us and she learned the joys of going potty outdoors.

Now Sunny prefers to go potty outside. She only uses the Wee-Wee pad when it's raining or when the timing of the trips outside don't meet her requirements.

We still don't let the little dogs go out by themselves. Same reasons with the addition of a coyote spotting on our property.

This morning I was sitting and knitting and Sunny asked to go outside. It couldn't have been more obvious what she wanted. First she went over to the Wee-Wee pad and wadded it up into a ball. Then she turned around and glared at me. I got the message. We all went outside and she pooped like a big dog - in the grass.

Pappy is well adjusted now and we've been debating if we should try to Wee-Wee pad train him for the winter. I don't think it's going to happen. I think we're going to have another winter with lots of cold, healthy fresh air and exercise.

Happy Birthday Bob and Frost

Happy Birthday Bob!!!
Love you, so we won't talk about how old you are today.

Baby it's cold outside
September in Michigan is usually very beautiful. Just a little bit of coolness in the evenings. Nice sunny days, the leaves barely starting to turn.

This September was cold. We had to turn the heat on. But this morning took the cake. October 2 - two weeks before the average SW Michigan first frost date - and there's ice on everything. It rained last night and then the temperature went down to thirty degrees.

When I took the dogs out for their morning walk the frozen grass was crunching under my feet. When I went to get into my car, the doors were frozen shut and I had to scrape the windshield. Yuk. What's next? Snow?

Shrinking Violet
Monday I wore a pair of size 10 slacks to work. I bought them about two months ago and have been trying them on every week waiting for the time when they looked decent enough (meaning not too tight) to wear out of the house.

Today I ordered four more pair of size 10 slacks. When they get here, I'm purging my closet of all my too-big slacks and I'll have something different to wear that fits for each day of the week. Feels good. Official Weight Watchers weight loss is at twenty-seven pounds.