Scarf and Snow

Granddaughter Sydney's scarf is done.

I also finished a pair of socks for her in this yarn and decided they were too ugly to send, so I'm in the process of knitting a different pair. The problem? It's this yarn. I'm having an impossible time getting even stitches for some reason, and the color bands are way too long for socks. One of the socks was all purple, and the other sock turned to blue on the foot. I thought it would be OK, but on second thought I could just imagine a five year old declaring she wasn't going to wear those socks that didn't match.

I dislike this yarn very much. The wide color bands are impossible, it's fuzzy, grabby wool, and there are tiny little knots occurring frequently on just one of the three plies. As I mentioned above, I'm having a problem getting uniform stitches. I'm not sure why this is, but I'm blaming it on the yarn.

The yarn is better suited for a scarf than socks, and I like the way the scarf turned out. It's long enough to handle the long color repeats and it's going to be soft after I rinse it in some hair conditioner.

Pattern: One-Row Scarf by the Yarn Harlot.

Yarn: JojoLand Melody superwash wool, fingering weight. Using two strands held together.

Color: MS28, purple

Needles: US #7.


According to the weather forecast I listened to, there was not supposed to be snow yesterday until evening. When I woke up to two inches on my car (there was already six inches on the ground), I didn't think much about it, cleaned the car off, and took Pappy to his doggy dental appointment.

Dogs get drugged for teeth cleaning, and he needed an extraction so he got drugged even deeper. They told me I could pick him up about four, but the snow kept coming down all day, sometimes heavy, and I was concerned about not being able to get out of the driveway if the snowplow went by and piled road snow at the end of it.

How awful would that be? To have my dog stranded all night at the vet's instead of in my tender loving care?

About two pm I finally panicked and called to ask if I could pick him up early. Sure, they said, as long as I didn't care if he was groggy. He's only fifteen pounds and easy to carry, so off I went hardly able to see out the car window.

Pappy and I got home about an hour later and it stopped snowing almost immediately.

It didn't matter if he was still semi-drugged. Pappy was more comfortable sleeping it off at home and I was more comfortable having all the family back together again.

Wednesday Wings - Turkey in a Tree

So far this winter I haven't seen any turkeys in our yard, but a few days ago I noticed a flock of them crossing the road to the neighbors bird feeders.


The neighbors dogs must have barked, because the turkeys came flying back across the road, into the woods, and perched high up in the trees.


After the rush to leave, this is the only one that was still visible from my window. It always amazes me to see these big heavy birds fly.

Simple Woman's Daybook for January 11

These writing prompts are available from Simple Woman's Daybook where each Tuesday we're invited to join in celebrating the beauty of everyday moments around us.

FOR TODAY January 11, 2011...

Outside my window...


A Fox Squirrel is figuring out how to get some peanuts out of the peanut feeder.

I am thinking...
That eventually New York City is going to have to realize they need a better plan for dealing with the snow. Because it is going to snow there.

I am thankful for...
My cozy, warm house and that there is no critical reason I need to leave home if the snow keeps coming down.

From the kitchen...
Enjoying Buttermilk Oven-fried Chicken, easy to make and very tasty.

I am wearing...
Jeans, a lilac fleece long-sleeved tee, hand-knit socks, and slippers.

I am creating...


Last night I started on DIL Anne's scarf. This lovely Merino wool yarn is pleasant knitting. I'm enjoying the process.

I am going...
To participate in one of those yarn swaps where a box of yarn arrives, you take out what you want, replace it with equivalent yarn that you want to get rid of, and send the box on to the next person. Since I'm tenth on the list. I don't expect to see the box for a while.

I am reading...
North of Havana, the fifth in the Doc Ford series by Randy Wayne White.

Very well written books that build on each other as the series progresses. Need to be read or listened to in order for the maximum enjoyment and understanding of what is going on.

This is my second time through the series, something I hardly ever do.

I am hoping...
My project to clean out and reorganize the file cabinet is closer to done than it looks like it is with papers spread all over. My goal is to have it completed in January so I can concentrate on the taxes in February.

I am hearing...
My little dog Sunny snoring quietly by my side. Pappy, my other little dog, is on my other side kicking me as he dreams about something that requires moving his legs.

Around the house...
The radiators are quietly circulating hot water to keep us warm and cozy while it's cold and snowing outside.

One of my favorite things...


Garden catalogs on a frigid, snowy day in January.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Tomorrow is grocery day, but we have enough food so I don't need to go if the roads are too slippery.

Thursday morning Pappy goes in to have his teeth cleaned and checked. He's an old dog, so it's possible there will be an extraction.

Friday is Aqua Arthritis, gentle exercise in the warm therapy pool to relax and prepare for the weekend.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


A Christmas tree for Charlie Brown.

Chat Back for January 8

Responding to comments left since the last time I did Chat Back.

Dorothy asked . . .

So how do they distinguish gourmet meal worms from regular meal worms??

I think it's the price. Gourmet mealworms come in a pull tab can and cost more than regular mealworms.

The gourmet mealworms were a Christmas gift. Once they're gone, the Bluebirds will have to settle for regular mealworms bought bulk at the pet store.

Can you hear me laughing as I write this?

---

Kathy asked . . .

My machine wash sock yarn from KnitPicks felted and I have not bought from them again. It has been a few years. Are they better now? Have yours felted???

The only Knitpicks sock yarn I've knit in the past few years has been two pair of Felici for Mom. They're still looking great and I know she machine washes them. Very colorful and fun to knit. You can see them here.

Be sure and buy superwash wool with nylon sock yarn. Once I bought some Knitpicks Gloss, fingering weight 70% Merino Wool, 30% Silk for socks. It was not machine washable at all and didn't wear well on my feet.

---

Judy S. asked . . .

That's one pretty sock! Looks hard though...... Is it toe up?

All Cookies patterns are cuff down.

With all the hundreds of pairs of socks I’ve knit, I’ve never knit a toe up. Keep thinking I’m going to do it and I even bought Wendy Johnson’s Toe-up book. It just hasn’t happened yet. I’ve got the fit of cuff down refined for myself and all the people I knit for, so I’m reluctant to try something new.

As for hard? Cookie’s patterns are very detailed and easy to follow, at least for me. She never tries to save print space by shortening her instructions. She does use charts, though. I know some knitters don’t think they can follow charts. Some of the socks like Pointelle have a left and right with different charts for each sock.

---

Kathy asked . . .

I am going to get out and buy a bird feeder tomorrow. I want one that is mostly squirrel proof.......are you laughing???

Yes.

---

NMjewel asked . . .

Please post a picture of your photography set up. I'd like to see what you use and where it is in the relation to the feeders.

Usually I'm sitting on a loveseat about twelve feet from this window with my laptop on my lap. Like right now. When I see something interesting at the feeders, I pick up my camera, turn it on, and take pictures.

I have a Canon Powershot S3 IS, 6.0 megapixels, 12 x 15 zoom lens, and image stabilizer - all standard with the camera.

Mine is four years old. It wasn't an expensive camera - about $300. I'm sure newer models and better models are available now, probably cheaper too.

I take lots of pictures, select the best and delete the rest.

I admit to not knowing how to use many of the camera options because I get such good results with the point and click. I do use the zoom, of course.

This picture was taken from the loveseat without using the zoom. Most of the bird pictures I post are taken with the zoom and cropped using Zoombrowser, the software that came with the camera.

Sydney's Semi-Purple Yarn

For the past few years there has been an extra gift bag in the Christmas box from Idaho labeled "Mom birthday". Son John, DIL Anne, and granddaughter Sydney go to a yarn store and all pick out some yarn for a pair of socks for themselves and Sydney picks out yarn for a pair for me. (This year my yarn is Clifford Red.)

Anne's birthday is January 10, and some years I actually get her socks knit and in the mail by then. This year there were complications. The yarn she selected wasn't suitable for socks, she decided she would like a scarf instead, and I needed to find and order two more skeins in order to make the scarf long enough.

Figuring the dye lots were going to be different (they are), I didn't want to start the scarf without all four skeins. So, I decided to start Sydney's socks.


Sydney picked out her favorite color, purple. A very pretty skein indeed. Someone told them one skein would be enough for a five year old, but Sydney is four feet tall, needs her socks 48 stitches around, and wears a size 1 shoe. I didn't think one skein was going to make it.


So, I ordered more yarn. Four skeins of more yarn figuring there might be a dye lot problem with the Idaho skein and I may want to knit the socks from two of the new dye lot skeins. Then I planned to knit Sydney a matching scarf with the Idaho yarn plus a two more skeins of new yarn managing dye lot challenges by knitting double stranded.

Surprise! The new four skeins arrived and there was pink and blue showing!

For a second I thought they sent the wrong color. But no, the label color was the same as the Idaho yarn. Then I dug down into the Idaho skein and found pink and blue under the visible purple.


The color bands are very long. I'm knitting Sydney's scarf first to get a feel for how they go.

I want to get everything done and in the mail ASAP so socks and scarves can be worn before Idaho winter is over, so Idaho knitting is top priority.

I'm going to go do some of it now.

Pattern: One-Row Scarf by the Yarn Harlot.

Yarn: JojoLand Melody superwash wool, fingering weight. Using two strands held together.

Color: MS28, purple

Needles: US #7.

Busy Bird Feeders

It's our turn to get some snow. It started in earnest about 10am today and seems to be coming in bands, occasionally giving the impression it's letting up when it's just catching it's breath.

Fortunately I went grocery shopping yesterday and picked up 80 pounds of sunflower seed. And, we have plenty of dog food. There are places I'd like to go, but no place I have to go if the roads are bad.


The weather brought the birds to the feeders. It was too dark and cloudy to get good pictures, but I managed a few mediocre shots.

I was pleased to see a Marsh Wren after not seeing one since last winter.


Two House Finches on the top, two Goldfinches on the bottom.

Now I'm off to knit so there will be something to post about tomorrow.

Here We Go Again

It's a new Cookie A. sock pattern book and a new selection of sock patterns I just have to knit. Practical or not (mostly not) they're challenging, they're fun to knit, and they're a treat for the eyes.


Yesterday my Knitpicks order arrived and I've been drooling over Knit.Sock.Love ever since.

Why pay shipping when you can buy a little more and get free shipping? So I filled out my needle collection a bit and bought an interesting looking skein of Stroll handpainted sock yarn.


The color name is Kindling Tonal, a beautiful mix of warm browns.


Knit.Sock.Love is artistically photographed with multiple pictures per pattern. Each pattern has one picture that's nothing but the sock, large enough so all the detail can be seen. I really appreciate that.

The pattern above is Pointelle. It's going to be my first sock knit from the book in some lovely Old Rose Slackford Studio Stalwart Sock yarn.

But first I have some Idaho knitting to do. More about that next time I post.

Calling All Hungry Buebirds

What does a loving husband of 35 years give his wife for Christmas?


Doesn't every woman want Fluker's gourmet meal worms?


The meal worms go in this lovely gift from my mother, a Bird's Choice Recycled Bluebird Feeder - Blue Roof.

I've had the feeder out since the day after Christmas. So far no takers.

The bluebirds are off wintering in the woods, but they do make occasional forays back to their nest boxes in the back field. I may end up moving the feeder to the back of the property to see if I can attract their attention and then gradually move it closer to the house so I can watch them out the window.

It could be I won't get them eating out of the feeder until spring. Normally I would prefer they eat our overabundance of live insects, but I want to have them used to the feeder by next winter.

Chat Back for January 1

Responding to comments left since the last time I did Chat Back.

Kellie asked . . .

Have you ever thought of writing up your patterns and offering them for sale on Ravelry?

I have noticed a lack of gansey patterns available and wondered why there aren't more. Maybe I'm just out of sync with current fashions and trends. The patterns I see in current knitting magazines would support that theory.

When I knit a gansey, I pick a background stitch, cast on, and pick the next level of stitch patterns as I go up the sweater. Few notes are taken except on scrap paper to do gauge/measurement math. For me, this is fun.

Writing everything down, test knitting, calculating different sizes, etc is very time intensive work. I don't want to ruin my hobby by turning it into work.

---

Judy S. asked . . .

What is your source for the designs, or are they original? Have you seen the Advent Calendar scarf pattern? I thought of you when I saw it.

I have a collection of stitch pattern books and a big part of the pleasure of knitting a gansey is searching through those books. When looking for a gansey stitch pattern I know how many stitches and/or rows are needed and what shapes might go with what I've already knit.

The Advent Calendar scarf is gorgeous. My knitting plans book is full right now, but the scarf is in the back of my mind as something I would love knitting. It would be a super fun knit with all the different stitch patterns.

Did you see the one knit by Kathy in Iowa? So lovely!

---

NMjewel asked . . .

Hmmm, and the gansey, and PJ's... Aries??? AND your profile photo. If I was a bettin' gal... You aren't Aries by any chance?

I was born under the sign of Capricorn and fit the Capricorn profile pretty well: Practical and prudent, ambitious and disciplined, patient and careful, humorous and reserved.

Your question had me Googling "Capricorn colors", which turn out to be dark green, gray, black, and brown. Nothing about Clifford red, which just validates my low opinion of zodiacal types and horoscopes.

---

Dorothy and Beadknitter asked . . .

Have you tried looking for the yarn on Ravelry?

Yes, looked there first. I didn't see any stash with enough Hot Rod Heather for a sweater.

---

Judy asked . . .

And I'm wondering, could you feel the earth quake?

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake centered in Indiana had Kalamazoo residents and others in southern Michigan feeling the shake Thursday morning, but I didn't notice. It happened around eight am, which is a busy time around here with the first dog walk of the day and doggy breakfast being served. It's very possible the earth shook a little and I though it was just an excited canine.

Mom in Kalamazoo, who has quiet mornings, did feel it.

---

Kathy asked . . .

Did you design the hat pattern? It is very pretty.

Thanks. It was a design of convenience.

I didn't set out to knit a hat. The goal was to knit a round swatch Elizabeth Zimmerman style. I wanted to include some stockinette and some cables and some ribbing to see how the yarn knit up. And, it knit up into a hat with cabled ribbing.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my readers.

Wishing you many blessings in 2011.

Clifford Red

A while ago I bought two skeins of Knitpicks Andean Treasure, 100% baby alpaca, in Hot Rod Heather. It was on closeout sale and I though if I liked the color I would buy enough for a sweater.

Just looking at my skeins, I wasn't impressed with the color, didn't order any more, and now it's a discontinued color.


Then I did some swatching with it, shown above, and fell in love with the color.

So . . . Does anyone have 15 or more skeins of Andean Treasure Hot Rod Heather they'd like to sell? Please email me.


Last week I was wearing the red hat (above) and my red Land's End Squall Jacket at the grocery store when a little boy about two years old pulled on my arm and said, "mumble, bumble, ump, dog."

I greeted him and asked him to repeat what he said so I might understand. He repeated, "mumble, bumble, ump, dog."

Then his mother appeared and translated, "You look like Clifford the dog."

Now I can't wear my red coat without thinking I look like Clifford. But, that's OK. It's a pleasant thought.


One of my yarn Christmas/birthday gifts from Idaho was more red yarn. This is On-line Cosmo, 75% Merino, 5% cashmere, and 25% nylon.

I'm thinking maybe a pair of Cookie A. socks from Knit.Sock.Love which should be arriving any day now. Or maybe a scarf to complete my Clifford look.

Simple Woman's Daybook for December 28

These writing prompts are available from Simple Woman's Daybook where each Tuesday we're invited to join in celebrating the beauty of everyday moments around us.

FOR TODAY December 28, 2010...

Outside my window...


The squirrels are eating bird seed.

The sun is shining, but it's cold out there.

I am thinking...
I am ready to start blogging more often now that Christmas is over.

I am thankful for...
A newish hardware store nearby that sells large bags of bird seed at a reasonable price and has strong people willing to carry them out to my trunk.

From the kitchen...
We have so much food in the house that grocery store day tomorrow should be an easy in and out. If we weren't short on a few critical items, I could just stay home.

I am wearing...
Jeans and a pale green sweatshirt with a winter scene embroidered on the front. And, of course, handknit wool socks.

I am creating...


Still working on the Red X Gansey. The front is done to the bottom of the neck opening. It's time to put the neck stitches on hold and knit up to the shoulders on each side.

I am going...
To make some resolutions for 2011. One of them is the same I half-heartedly made for 2010 and then ignored.

I am reading...
Whatever I pick up from the library tomorrow.

I am hoping...
And wishing all my readers a blessed 2011.

I am hearing...
Nothing except DH's oxygen concentrator churning away.

Around the house...


Outside there's only about an inch of snow and the forecast has that melting before the week is over. However we won't be without for long. It's going to rain, freeze, and, for a grand weekend finale, snow.

One of my favorite things...
Is a pair of red fleece pajamas with embossed dogs that I got for Christmas. They are so soft, comfy, snuggly, warm, and cheery.

I got some other favorite things for Christmas as well: A bluebird feeder, a knitting book, yarn, earrings, and white chocolate truffles. Will be blogging about those things in the next few days.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
It's a quiet week. Bible Study Fellowship is on Christmas break until mid-January and the heated pool where I exercise is down for maintenance until 2011.

Today Mom and I went to lunch in Kalamazoo and then successfully shopped the furniture sales for a new chair for her.

Wednesday is grocery shopping day with a stop at the library. Thursday is haircut day. Friday, New Year's Eve, we're staying home and may or may not stay up to see the new year in.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Stubborn oak leaves are hanging on until closer to spring - and we're a long way from that.

Red X Gansey Back Done

This past week the back of the Red X Gansey got completed.


This type of sweater is so much fun to knit. Never (well, hardly ever) boring because of all the different stitch patterns. And, I get to browse through all my stitch pattern books to find what I'm going to knit next.

The front will be a repeat of the back except for only going up one of the center patterns in order to leave enough room for a neckline. The sleeves will have repeats of the stitch patterns in the body, so my stitch pattern browsing is over and I can just knit it until done.


I think the design in the center looks like a poinsettia, but in all the Gansey knitting books it's called a starfish. It's probably just the red color that's making me think of Christmas plants.

Pattern: Designed as I knit from the bottom up. I've been calling it the Red X Sweater unofficially. Now I've officially named it the Red X Gansey because of all the Xs in the stitch patterns.

Yarn: Knitpicks Cotlin. 70% Tanguis Cotton, 30% Linen. DK weight.

Color: Moroccan Red.

Needles: Options #3.

Gauge: 6 stitches/inch, 8.5 rows/inch in pattern.

Knitting Books on My Wishlist

My bookshelf is heavy with knitting books and I try to be careful about adding to the collection. I want my knitting books to be only those I will use over and over again.

These two made it on my Christmas wish list this year.



I love knitting topdown, especially sleeves. I'm hoping this book will add to my top down abilities.

In general the reviews indicate the technical information is excellent and well written, but the specific patterns are not my style. Since technical information on top down knitting is scarce, I think this book will be a reference book keeper in my library.

Caution though, this is not a review. I haven't read the book yet so can't vouch for its content.




Cookie's book is a have to have. I've read it's a gorgeous book full of beautiful sock pictures. I want it just for that, even if I never knit a sock from its pages. But no chance of that happening.

Many buyers, especially unsuspecting buyers, are disappointed that twelve of the nineteen patterns in this book have been published elsewhere. Including Monkey.

I've knit many a Monkey sock and will probably knit more. There's something reassuring to me about having the pattern in a book. Forever and ever.

Then there's the seven new Cookie A. patterns. How many can I resist knitting? If the past is any indication, not many.

And finally, I believe in rewarding excellence. Cookie is a genius sock designer and I want her to thrive and be prolific. I'm honored to support her by purchasing her book.


Any knitting books on your list for Santa?

Chat Back for December 11

Responding to comments left since the last time I did Chat Back.

With many thanks to the readers who ask me questions so I have something to blog about on Saturday.

Kristinbc asked . . .

I love the picture in your blog header. Did you take it?

AND
Stringplay wrote . . .

Nice header. New? Or did I not even notice the other day? All three deer look posed for photo.

Thanks for all the kind comments on the blog's new header picture of three deer looking down the road.

I took the picture out my front window last March and used it in this blog post.

It was an amazing lucky shot to catch the deer posed like that and have the light be right for a good picture. I was waiting for the first significant snowfall to use it as a header. We've had a few of those now.

---

NMjewel wrote . . .

You are so lucky to see deer that close up. I know they nibble down things that maybe you'd like to grow.

My philosophy about living in the country is that if you're not prepared to live in peace with the wildlife, you should stay in the city.

You can try to fight nature. You can drive yourself nuts trying to shoot/kill/eliminate the wildlife you don't like. You can poison yourself and your family trying to eliminate things like mosquitoes, ticks, blackflies, spiders, ants, and . . . it's a long list. But in the end, nature is going to win.

One common mistake people make when moving to the country is to built a rustic cedar home. The woodpeckers peck holes in their siding. Big holes. Sometimes the holes are big enough to pull the insulation out.

Oops, I think I'm off on a rant. I'll stop now.

---

Judy S. asked . . .

That doesn't look like a grey squirrel; is it?

The common name is Fox Squirrel. They're very similar to the Gray Squirrel except for being auburn color and having a different range. They have beautiful, bushy tails which you can't see in this picture because it's covered in snow.


We also have many Little Red Squirrels. They are about half the size of the Fox Squirrels and ten times as hyper.

It was a Little Red Squirrel that chewed its way into the house to get sunflower seed when I let the feeder run empty in August. Read about it here.

---

NMjewel asked . . .

Why are the colors a different weight?

I've read that different dyes react differently with the base yarn, but I don't actually know the answer to your "why" question.

I can say from experience that it's true, however. Even Cotlin, a cotton/linen blend, was much softer in light blue than the deep red I'm knitting now.

The gray Andean Treasure is much fuzzier than the red Andean Treasure I swatched. That makes it a heavier yarn even though both colors are sold as DK weight. I was able to knit the red comfortably at sport weight gauge, 6 stitches/inch. The gray needs to be knit at 5.5 stitches/inch or even 5 stitches/inch.

Broken Knitting Rules Make Broken Needles

Over Thanksgiving weekend I decided to celebrate having all my Christmas knitting done. There was a box of Knitpicks Andean Treasure baby alpaca in the corner calling my name. 16 skeins of Mystery Heather (dark gray) and two skeins of Hot Red Heather.

Since I needed to swatch the anticipated gray sweater in the round, I decided to knit a hat. And since I only had two skeins of the red, I decided to knit the hat out of the red, thereby breaking a basic rule of swatching:

Always swatch with the color that's going to be used because different colors knit up at different gauges.

I had fun knitting the hat, so I finished off the weekend by swatching my plan for the neckline. In red. Breaking the same rule.


A few evenings later when I was tired and not thinking clearly (there always has to be an excuse when stupidity is admitted publicly), I decided that even though my swatches hadn't been washed, I could at least cast on the lower ribbing in gray and knit for a while before going to bed.

The gray yarn is nothing like the red. It's much fuzzier. Knitting it on the same size needle, #3, the knitting was so tight I could hardly move the stitches along. The cabled ribbing didn't show through the fuzz.

But being tired and brain dead, I kept going until all the pulling separated the needle from the cord. Another rule of knitting:

When something feels awful in your hands, especially something as wonderful as alpaca, just STOP knitting and replan the project.

After some sleep, I admitted the gray isn't going to knit anything like the red. It isn't going to knit at the same gauge. I need to use a needle several sizes larger. I need to knit a new set of swatches. And, I need to plan a different sweater to make this yarn and me happy.

Snow, Squirrel, Socks, and Snow

It finally happened. The nice weather ended and the excessive Lake Effect Snow we've been promised has begun.

Lake Michigan is warmer than usual this year and that has supersized the Lake Effect Snow we're getting.

Even 20 miles east of us (and 20 miles further inland from Lake Michigan), they're having much less snow and they even had some sunshine today. Not here.

Sunday I drove to church on slippery roads. When I left home, I told DH I would be careful and drive so slow the people behind me would hate me. I did drive slow, but no one hated me. They didn't want to drive any faster either.

On the way home I drove through two different whiteouts and it was so slippery my car would hardly steer. Corners were taken at about 5 mph. At least I had enough sense to stay off the interstate where they had the same problems and less control of their vehicles. Six miles south of home on I-94 was a 25 car pileup and there were several other interstate chain pileups reported.

The weather forecast is for this to go on and on for at least another week and pretty much for the rest of the month and into January until the lake cools off. After that we'll just get "normal" Lake Effect Snow.


I've been shoveling snow and I'm tired and weather stressed, so I've been knitting on simple socks. These are for me to wear in my boots and around the house to keep my feet warm. Plus, I wanted to use up this yarn.

Pattern: Basic cuff down sock pattern on 60 stitches. k3p1 ribbing on cuff and instep.

Yarn: Trekking 172.

Needles: Options #1, 2.5mm

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

Gail's Socks Done and Befuddled Cardinal

With the completion of Dog Trainer Gail's socks, I officially declare my Christmas knitting done.

Pattern: Basic cuff down sock pattern on 64 stitches. k3p1 ribbing on cuff and instep.

Yarn: Regia.

Color: Kaffe Fassett 4255.

Needles: Options #1, 2.5mm

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch


The Cardinals that come to our feeders do not like to eat upside down or cling to the side of a feeder. That leaves them befuddled about how to get to the suet.

Some of them eventually figure out how to perch on top of the suet feeder and lean over to grab a bite. They're only able to manage this when the feeder has a fresh suet cake coming right up to the top.

This Cardinal hasn't figured out the leaning over part yet, but he's got the right idea.

Wednesday Wings - Downy Figures Out the Feeders

We're in the middle of a Lake Effect Snowfall today, our first of the season. The birds are flocking to the feeders.

For some of them it's their first winter and they need a little time for their bird brains to figure out how the feeders work.


This male Down Woodpecker thinks there should be something for him to eat in this mesh, but he's puzzled about what and where it might be.




Maybe if he tries a different side?


After circling the entire mesh nyjer feeder and not finding anything at four inches above the top level of the seed, young Downy decides to sit up on the hanger and think about it for a few minutes.


Next he flies over to the suet feeder where he doesn't have any luck finding something to eat either. At this point I'm laughing out loud.


Ah, he's got it figured out. I knew he could do it.