Closeknit Is Closed. *Sigh* May 26, 2009

Well, it’s over, the yarn store is no more.  As of 4:00 pm on Sunday May 24, Closeknit ceased to be.  I’m sad.

But, I took the oportunity to spend as much time there as I could this weekend.  I was there on Saturday for about an hour and then there for the entire business day on Sunday.  I’d like to show you all what I was working on during that time, but it’s a birthday present for a little man who’s about to turn one year old.  While I realizes that he probably doesn’t read this blog, his mom does.  So you just get a little tease:

I’m really happy with the way it’s turning out. And I’m loving the yarn. It’s Heirloon Cashmeno that I got a few weeks ago. There were 10 or so balls in the two blue colors and I thought I might be able to use it for a top for me, but there just wasn’t enough. When I was trying to figure out what to make for young master Caleb, I saw this yarn in my tub and thought it would be perfect! Very soft and well made. And a pretty blue that’s not too blue, you know? Manly, but not boring. I think it’s perfect for a little boy.

On Sunday, the yarn at the store was 75% off, so I was able to afford enough Tahki cotton to make Ron a polo shirt. I’ve wanted to get some to make him something for a while, but never had enough money. I believe I ended up spending about $20 to get all the yarn and pattern, which is close to what we’d end up spending if we bought a shirt in the store. Love that! But, I’ve got to finish Caleb’s thing first. Oh, and I cast on for my Tomato last night…and I’ve got to pick out my June socks for my personal sock club….and Summer Of Socks starts in a few weeks…and my future SIL’s birthday is next month…

I’m never gonna catch up.

Go Over Here And Check Out This Contest… May 22, 2009

Sandra is having a contest to celebrate her 4th anniversary.  She’s giving away a gorgeous skeing of sock yarn in her lettuce colorway. 

While I realize that telling all ya’all about said contest, I may be ruining my chances to win, I must be a good knitting friend and share.

 

Enjoy!

FO: Ankle Spring Forward Socks May 21, 2009

The socks, they are done:

Some of you may have noticed I didn’t write a WIP post yesterday. Mostly that was because these socks were my only WIP and I was trying to get them done yesterday and do a FO post instead.

I didn’t make it.

I got to the toe and had to go to bed. Not that I had that much left to do on the sock when I woke up yesterday, but kids…

So, this morning I woke up with plans to get my sock toe done while T was at school. However, D decided to fall out of her stroller face first and see how the concrete driveway felt on her forehead.

She’s decided it doesn’t feel good.

So, instead of knitting the 3 hours that T was at school, I spent that time in the doctor’s office. Yay.

But the socks are done and they’re mighty purty, I think.

Pattern: Spring Forward Socks by Linda Welch
Yarn: Lornas Laces Shepard Sock in Uptown (1 skein)
Needles: US 1’s magic loop
Date Started: May 12, 2009
Date Completed: May 21, 2009
Mods: Because I only had the one skein, I shortened the ribbing to 5 rows, and only did half of the pattern repeat on the leg.

And, I had enough yarn! I was sweating it for a while, though. I don’t have much left, I’m not even sure I have enough to make a square for Mom’s sock yarn blanket. But, that’s ok.

Well, off I must go. All of the babies are crying…

FO: Spring Forward Mother’s Day Socks May 19, 2009

I seem to be notorious for finishing my gift socks about a week late. I wonder why that is?

Well, no mind, I finished Mom’s Mother’s Day socks when I was over as her house last night.

Even though it took me nearly a month to knit these, I really, really enjoyed them. This is my first knit with Lornas Laces and I’m in love. I’m really lucky that the LYS had it so cheap so that I could support my habit. I’ve got enough to do another 7 or so socks. After that, I’m might have to whore myself out to get the yarn I need. ;o)

Mom really seems to like them, which is good. I knew this colorway would be perfect for her. But, she was talking last night about how it might be getting too warm for them. I told her I didn’t spend hours upon hours knitting them for her to set them aside until Fall. No way, no how.

Pattern: Spring Forward by Linda Welch
Yarn: Lornas Laces Shepard Sock in Happy Valley
Needles: US size 1 magic loop
Date Started: April 20, 2009
Date Completed: May 18, 2009
Mods/Notes: I followed the pattern pretty much exactly.

Asparagus, I Dominate Thee… May 18, 2009

(Picture heavy post)

I’m a happy Cristi, see?

Wanna know why I’m so happy? Well, it’s because of my BFF Erin and her husband Rodney and this place:

We fonduded it! Er, um, fondoned it? Hmmm…

Anyway, Rodney won a rather generous gift card at work, so Erin and he were kind enough to take Ron and me out to a most fabulous dinner for our birthday. I took lots of pictures, so, be prepared to get hungry…

First, the cheese course:

There were 5 or 6 different cheese fondues to choose from. It was a difficult decision, but I think we chose the right one. Then came the salads. This was mine, the California salad. Baby greens, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, roma tomatoes, drizzled with a raspberry vinagrette. Yum!

And pretty too! (It didn’t stay pretty for very long, though)

Next was the main course, the meats. I had originally taken pictures of the meat plate, but Erin brought up a good point that a picture of raw meat isn’t all that pretty. So, here’s a picture of our meat cooking with some veges in the Mojo broth:

I can tell you what was on the plate, though. It included chicken, filet minon, top sirloin, shrimp, and pork. All of the meats were marinated special and delicious! They also gave us dipping sauces, but I didn’t need them. The flavors from just the meat and the mojo fondue were enough.

What we did was put the meat in the broth for two minutes and it cooked up perfectly! While we waited for our meat to cook, we took pictures of us:

Of our dinner companions, Erin and Rodney:

And of our waitress, Erica:

She was fabulous! Lot’s of fun, and she even complimented me on my socks I was knitting. (I had to fight the urge to tell her it was easy to knit them. Why is it that knitters feel the need to lighten the wonder that is our craft. It’s takes a lot of practice to be as good as we are and we should tell people, “Hell, yeah, it’s hard! But it’s worth it.”, when they ask.)

I digress…

After the meat course came the best course of all. You guessed it, chocolate!!!!!

(The only real reason for fondue, right?)

And to dip in it:

And, yes, it tasted as good as it looks…

(Couldn’t you just die?)

Ron got the last of the chocolate after we ran out of things to dip in it.

And, the aftermath…

It was the most fun I’ve ever had in a restaurant! A perfect birthday gift from a wonderful friend. Thanks so much, Erin and Rodney!

Oh, and for those of you who were wondering, yes, there was knitting…

I’m Weak… May 15, 2009

I’m sorry.

I blame it on Ron.

No, really, this works, hear me out.

You see, I fought the urge to work on that toe all blasted day. And it was a fight, let me tell you. That thing called me name incessantly. But I fought it.

I started the sock monkey that I was supposed to start two weeks ago and I worked on Mom’s sock. I got as far as to finish the heel flap on Mom’s sock.

But, then, after I’d put the girls to bed, and the house was quiet, and I was alone…Well…

Here’s how it worked. It was about 15 minutes before Ron was supposed to get home. I needed something that would take up that time, but not over. I couldn’t work on Mom’s sock, because I had finished the heel flap already and the heel would take longer than 15 minutes. I couldn’t work on the sock monkey because that was all the way in the front room. So, I had to work on my sock.

You see how that was the perfect solution, right?

Yeah, it was perfect, I could just work on it until Ron got home and then put it down again. That way I wouldn’t finish the sock or anything, I would just be filling up a few minutes of spair time. And it was the perfect plan, except for one thing.

Ron was late.

And when he did finally get home, he wanted to read for a bit.

Next thing I knew, I was ready to kitchner.

Well, when I realized what I’d done, I immediately put the sock away. I haven’t kitchnered it. I’m going to save that for if I actually do have to substitute yarn for the toes. It’s much easier to tink when it’s still on the needles than it is with the ends weaved.

I wonder if I might ask the sock experts in the reading audience a question. I had said that I had gotten a pair of tennis socks out of one skein of Cascade Sassy Stripes. That has 218 yards to it. Lornas has 225. So, I thought that I had plenty of yarn because I still had a small ball left over from the Cascade.

But then I realized that I did the Cascade socks on 2’s and am doing this sock on 1’s. Do you think that will make much of a difference? You think I’ll run out?

I Almost Succumbed… May 14, 2009

I did. I’m ashamed.

I was working on my little ankle Spring Forward sock last night, telling myself that I was just going to finish that last repeat and then stop.

And I did the last repeat….

 

…and then started on the toe.

I know!

But, two rows in, I found an error in my toe and had to rip it out.

I took that as divine intervention.

And I stopped.

I have a problem, I tell you!

Wonder if they have a 12 step program for people like me.

And here is the yarn I have left:

Man, I hope I have enough! This skein has a similar amout of yarn as that Cascade Sassy Stripes I used for my purple ankle socks. And I had plenty yarn on those socks. I dunno why I’m worried. But, the worry is helping me fight off the need to finish that toe, so it’s probably a good thing. (I do have some Knitpicks sock yarn that is a similar colorway. Similar enough that, if I had to, I could use it for the toe and it wouldn’t be too obvious. So I’m pretty well covered if I do run out of yarn.)

Ok, everyone, say goodbye to the pretty sock. We will see it again when I have finished Mom’s.

(Cannot explain why it came out looking Christmas green and red in this photo.)

An Update On My List. May 14, 2009

Wow, three posts in one day! Can you handle it?

What can I tell you? I only had to watch babies for half the day, so I’m taking advantage of the quiet.

Some of you may remember back in January, when, in this post, I made out a list of projects I wanted to get done.

Well, I was thinking about that list today and wondering what I had accomplished from it, so I decided to post here an update. (it’s really more for me than you, but if you enjoy reading my lists, then feel free.)

Here is the original list:

1. Fingerless glove for Ron Done 1/25
2. Handwarmers using leftover Alpaca I did one, decided I didn’t like it, and let T have it to play with.
3. Hey Teach! for Mom
4. Second Noro sock Done 2/20
5. Sweater for me (pattern yet to be picked out)
6. Ribbed Lace Bolero for Rayanne
7. Transition Gloves and Socks
8. Fuego Socks
9. Leyburn Socks
10. Fix baby sweater for lady to remember late mom by Done 4/3
11. Finish Cinnamon for Morgan Done 2/24
12. Make booties for D

So, I’ve managed to knock off a good portion of it. Obviously I still have work to do. But, in my defense, I have done nearly 6 pairs of socks, a helmet liner, a baby sweater and most of an adult blouse that wasn’t on the list.

But, as the original list is now invalid, I must make a new one. Here it is, again in no particular order:

1. Hey Teach!  or blouse for Mom
2. Tomato for me
3. Bolero for Rayanne
4. Transition Gloves and socks
5. Leyburn Socks
6. Fuego Socks
7. Socks for T and D
8. Sock Monkey
9. Finish Caleb’s blanket
10. Finish T’s sweater

I think that’ll do for now. Of course, something else will come up and I’ll have to adjust the list again. But, I’m fluid…somewhat.

Arg, I need to knit faster!

WIPs Are Fun! May 13, 2009

So, since ‘ve already posted my FO about Uncle’s socks, you know that they won’t be in this WIP post. Mom’s socks, however, will be.

As you can see, the first one is complete, (ends weaved and everything) and the second one is started. I’m about one pattern repeat from starting the heel. I should have had these done. There’s really no good excuse for it. I mean, I finished Uncle’s socks two days ago, so why haven’t I gotten further on Mom’s?

This is why…

I couldn’t help myself. I’ve been carrying the yarn in my bag for over a week and it’s been calling to me. After I finished Uncle’s socks, I couldn’t deny the urge anymore. I told myslef I’d just cast on and do the ribbing, but I knew that wouldn’t be enough.

Then I said I’d do the half repeat for the leg, but I couldn’t stop there.

So, I figured I’d do the heel and then stop, but the gusset was calling…

Now, I’ve finished the gusset and am one short pattern repeat from starting the toe. (see what I mean about pattern socks?!)

And, since, I’ll be on the toe, I might as well finish the thing out, right? Actually, I won’t do the toe. I want to make sure I have enough yarn for the second sock and would rather have two toes made out of another yarn than have one sock with a partial foot and toe done different.

For those of you who are very observant, yes, I did take these pictures this morning and am much farther in the sock than they show.

Once, I get to the toe, I promise I will put it down and finish Mom’s sock. I swear!

Well, probably…

What can I say? At least I’m honest about my problem…

FO: Guitar Man Socks May 13, 2009

Well, I was a week and a half late, but I finally managed to finish Uncle’s birthday socks.

I really enjoyed making this pattern. I think that having a pattern repeat that I only have to repeat a few times in the sock tricks my brain to thinking the thing’s going faster. The way this pattern worked, each diamond shape was an inch long.  That was one pattern repeat. So I was able to tell myself that I only had to do the pattern four more times and then I could start the toe. To my brain, that sounded a lot better than I had four more inches left. The last pair of men’s socks I made were plain vanilla socks andthey seemed to go on forever. These went really fast, I felt.

Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that the last pair I made were for a 10.5 size foot. Uncle has small feet for a man and only wears an 8. But we’ll blame the quickness on the pattern. It’s my blog and that makes me happy. *L*

Uncle seems to really like them too, which is good. He’s not afraid of bold colors and often wears bright shirts. he also loves to match his socks to his shirts, so I’m thinking of getting a good red or yellow or maybe even green mix to make some Christmas socks for him. He deserves better yarn, though. This pair was Red Heart and you could tell. *yuck*

And, not only does Red Heart not feel as nice as quality yarn, there wasn’t enough of it for a full man’s sock. Uncle has small feet, remember, and I had only a little ball left after substituting some Cascade Heritage for the toes and heels. I figure I had enough left to do a heel…maybe. But if I had been making socks for Ron, who wears a 10.5, or my other uncle in Texas, who waers a 12, there’s no way I would have had enough yarn. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for to get a full sock out of one skein, do you?

Pattern: Guitar Man socks from the 2009 Knitting Pattern A Day callendar
Yarn: Red Heart Heart and Soul with aloe in the Toasted Almond colorway and Cascade Heritage in navy for the toe and heel
Needles: Size US 1 magic loop
Date Started: April 28, 2009
Date Finished: May 11, 2009
Mods: Well, other than changing up the yarn for the toe and heel, I pretty much followed the pattern.