Christmas is sorted!

Well, at least, I think so.

I bought a bunch of pumpkin pie scented handmade soaps at the pumpkin patch that we went to last weekend.  So, I’m going to knit a bunch of wash cloths and give those out, probably to co-workers and Emma’s teachers.  I’m going to knit Fetching for my boss/co-worker and something for my sister.  I can’t say exactly what, on the off chance that she reads this.  I give my brothers and sisters a Christmas ornament every year, so this year I’m going to knit them each a small sock and make it into an ornament.

The socks will be easy and fun, as will the Fetching, but I’m not looking forward to the washcloths.  The cotton I have is Peaches and Cream, which is great for washcloths, but doesn’t have any give.  The good thing is that they’re small so they don’t take very long.

I can now cross one more thing off my list.

Poor Lily

I’ve been reading The House of Mirth. I really like it, but I can’t help feeling sorry for Lily. She’s 29 and must get married. I was 29 when I got married. Thank goodness I didn’t have to marry purely for survival, but I confess that at times I felt the desperation (and heard the biological clock ticking) that she felt.

I’ve gotten the last of the Blue Plate Specials.

I love the colorway and I’m looking forward to seeing how it knits up. In the package I also got a stitch marker from ZeroMarker that coordinates with the yarn, as well as some fabulous lip balm and a small plastic tote. I also got several discount cards from the various Etsy vendors that she used. With Christmas coming up, those will come in handy. I’m so happy I joined the club. It was my first one and I’ve been wary. What if I hated the yarn? I’m finding that I’m picky about the yarn I use. What if I hated the colors? I must say, it’s been a pleasure to work with Khris and I’ve been very pleased with the yarn and the extras. I’ve been so happy that I’ve signed up for the next Blue Plate Special, which will run February-April. I’m also kicking myself for not signing up for the Happy Holidays Club she did for Oct.-Nov. I’ve learned my lesson.

I do read, I promise!

I’ve always been a reader.  I can’t imagine my life without books.  But, I was always the kid in school that did the book reports last minute, or the one that signed up for the summer reading program at the public library, but never “read” enough books to get the prizes at the end of the summer.

I read a lot, but it’s always been about the reading for me.  It’s not about filling out a form, or even updating a list of the books I’ve read.

I started this blog to talk about knitting.  There is no one in my life that loves knitting the way that I do.  Frankly, I think they get sick of hearing about it.  I also wanted to talk about the books I’ve read and to keep track of them.  The knitting part is easy, but the reading part has been more difficult.  The main problem is that I read faster than I update this blog and I can’t be bothered trying to remember what book I finished and when I finished it.  So, the list is out.  I had good intentions, but it just isn’t practical.

I have been reading.  Not as much as I would like.  With my work/home/knitting schedule, my reading time is limited to reading in bed, after LouLa is asleep and after I’ve gotten about an hour of knitting time in.  Unfortunately, that means that I sometimes read for less than 30 minutes before I fall asleep.  The good thing is that I’m a fast reader, so I can get through a book or so a week.

My latest reading spree has been the fantasy books by Jennifer Fallon.  They’re very good, full of political intrigue and backstabbing.  She does well at character development, which is important to me.  So far I’ve read two books in one of the trilogies, and the first book in another trilogy.  (Another reason I can’t keep a list of books is that I’m horrible with remembering titles and authors)

Right now I’m reading The Divide, by Nicholas Evans (author of The Horse Whisperer).  It’s okay, and it’s a quick read.

I have checked out The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.  I loved The Age of Innocence.  The problem is that I need to be in the right mood to read that kind of book.  There’s no telling if that will happen after I’m done with The Divide.  If not, I’ll get another Jennifer Fallon book.

Pictures!

We went to a pumpkin patch today and picked out two pumpkins. They also had pony rides, which was the main attraction for LouLa. That’s the nice thing about living where we do; going to a pumpkin patch is only minutes away and has become an annual tradition. Right now I’m baking Apple Crunch with Macintosh apples bought from the farmer’s market this morning. Have I mentioned how much I love Fall?

I finished the Fly Super Sport Socks earlier this week. My new socks are in Mountain Colors Bearfoot. I’ve used it one other time and I have another skein of it. It’s very soft and is nice to work with. It’s not what I would call squishy, but it’s still quite nice.

The colors are quite a bit darker than the picture shows. The colorway is definitely fall colors. It actually reminds me caramel, another favorite of mine. I’m using the Undulating Rib Sock pattern from Favorite Socks. It looks nicer when it’s actually on, but I’m not thrilled with it. There’s nothing wrong with the pattern, it’s just not fun for me to knit. I’m doing the foot in stockinette, to spare me a bit. The pattern calls for a size 4 on the upper leg and a size 3 on the lower leg and foot, with a gauge of 9 stitches to the inch. I didn’t do a swatch, but used a size 1 on the upper leg and then switched to my trusty size 0s. It’s fitting nicely, even a tad loose. I’ll probably decrease a little extra on the foot, to get a snug fit.

The Wrap Cardigan is still on waste yarn and I haven’t done a thing with it since last weekend.  I need to try it on again and make some decisions.  Do I put in some shaping?  How much longer should I make it?  Will it even fit?

I picked up some Rowan Big Wool and a nice pattern from Gina.  I was going to make it for my sister, but she has a lot more in the chest area than I do.  I would hate to make something for her and not have it fit.  So, I think I’ll make it for myself.  I have something else where fit isn’t much of an issue to give to her for Christmas.  I really need to get serious if I’m going to do any Christmas knitting.

No pictures-Ugh!

I was all set to take some pictures, only to find that my batteries were dead and we don’t have any AA batteries in the house.  So, this blog will be picture-less for the day.  I’ll try and make up for it with witty and amusing prose, but I can’t promise anything.

The Wrap Cardigan may or may not fit.  I put it on scrap yarn today and tried it on.  I’m close to binding off the bottom.  The big worry is that I’m a bit “hippy” (to say the least), and I’m not sure how the final product will fit over my ample assets.  My pear-shaped sisters know what I’m talking about.  I could add some shaping if needed.

I’ve been busy using the gift certificate from The Loopy Ewe.  So busy, in fact, that I have become a Loopy Groupie!  After six orders, you get a large, clear plastic bag (it’s much nicer than I’m describing it), and other goodies.  I got two skeins of Regia Bamboo yarn, which is very exciting for me.  The colorway is blues with some tans, which will make perfect Christmas socks for Josh.  The really cool thing about being a Groupie is that I’ll get emails telling me when new yarns will be put up, so that I can be one of the first to snatch them up.

My other new yarn:

-Tiny Toes by Interlacements in Tapestry (100% Superwash Merino Wool, 185 yards per skein).  I bought this mostly because of the colorway name.

-Urban Gypsy in Adrianna (100% Superwash Merino Wool, 200 yards per skein).  A very pretty combination of blues, greens, and purples.

-Alpaca Sox by Classic Elite in Granny Smith (60% Alpaca, 20% Merino, 20% Nylon, 450 yards per skein).  This is pretty much the exact same color as some CTH that I have.  The alpaca should make it interesting to knit with.  It’s not very tightly spun, and I’m not sure how I’ll like that.

-Scarlett O’Hara by Yarn Love in Robin Hood (60% Merino Wool, 30% Bamboo, 10% Nylon, 410 yards per skein).  I bought this purely because of the colorway name.  It’s really pretty with apple greens, light blues, and browns.

I’ve been thinking about Christmas knitting.  I’m going to knit a little something for my sister for sure, but I’m not sure how much else I’ll get done, apart from Christmas socks for Josh.  I really don’t have a lot of knitting time and I don’t want to stress myself out.  I may do a couple of pairs of Fetching for some co-workers.  They are easy and pretty quick.  I thought about doing some washcloths for LouLa’s teachers at daycare and wrapping it up with a nice bar of soap.  I guess it’s all about time and how much of it I want to devote to making gifts.  What do you all think?  How much time will you put into knitting for others this holiday season?  Have you found it’s been worth it?

Loopy Haul

I got my order from The Loopy Ewe on Monday. It was a happy day.

Misty Mountain Farms Jubilee in Mossy Hollow. It’s 100% superwash merino with 400 yards per skein.

Sock yarn by The Knittery in the colorway Summer. It has 490 yards and it 100% Merino Wool.

Apple Pie sock yarn by Apple Laine in the Painted Daisy colorway. It’s 50% wool, 20% mohair, 20% silk, and 10% nylon with 190 yards per skein.

I’ve been making great headway on the cardigan. Of course, my gauge is messed up. The pattern calls for 18 stitches over 4 inches on size 8 needles. My gauge swatch was about a half a stitch smaller on size 6 needles. I thought that would be fine. Now that I’m knitting the sweater, I’m at 22 stitches over 4 inches. I just can’t win! I’m about 3 to 4 inches past the armholes, so I tried it on last night and it seems to fit okay. I’m going to keep going and hope for the best.