Stupid, Stupid Blog

My Blog is mad at me.....I had the audacity to make a blog title
a TAD too long and it messed up my sidebar. After much
weeping and nashing of teeth (and a tip or two from Laura
I was able to get my side bar back).......UNFORTUNATELY I
seem to have lost some of the comments from the previous two
posts. So if you don't see your comment PLEASE re-send!

Thanks so much!!!

We don't get any Trick or Treaters out here in the woods!

So......in keeping with the tradition of the season I will be watching Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin Video followed by the original Halloween with Jaimie Lee Curtis.....oh......and eating Halloween Candy!!!!

I Bring You...SOCKTOBERFEST SOCK........(as in singular)

I bought 2 skeins of sock yarn SPECIFICALLY for my Socktoberfest socks and I had such high hopes of completing two pair of socks before the end of the month!!! But we all know what they say about good intentions!! LOL!!!

I also had the mistaken thought that one pair of circular needles were enough........WRONG.......I got "stuck" with a problem while working on my DH Blue Suede socks and there sat my needles, tied up!!! Took care of that little problem.....I now have I think it is 5 or 6 sets of Circular needles !! LOL!!!

I did finish the Blue Suede socks so I guess that qualifies for Socktoberfest!

This Socktoberfest Sock was knitted on size 3 Knit Picks Circular needles, K2,P2 rib all the way down to the toe. This yarn was hand dyed and as soon as I find what I did with the ball band I'll pass that info along too! LOL!!! I finished the toe using the Kitcheners stitch (decision made by input from my blog buddies, thank you very much....keep those tips coming!!).....It isn't terribly smooth on a couple of stitchs.....will practice a bit on some scrap yarn but I can see already I like the finished product SOOO much more than what I had been doing in the past!

I also took a few minutes this weekend between work and housework to make this!!

Please Hold Your Applause Till The End Of This Blog

Well......will wonders EVER cease??? Yes folks.....she HAS been knitting!!! LOL!!!

I FINALLY finished my DH Blue Suede socks!! HALLELUIAH!!! Please note how the stripes match??? (O.K. I admit, this was completely a fluke that they match)!

I need to do a bit of research on how to finish off the toes so they are smooth and "professional" looking but these turned out O.K.!! Thanks so much to TONNI for helping me understand where I was going astray with my heels!! I am also working on my October Yarn for my main
Socktoberfest socks and will post a pic of that tomorrow when there hopefully will be a bit more to show!

After seeing the sweater that Tonni made, I decided it was time for me to venture further into the knitting "pool" and I want to make a sweater.....we are talking committment here folks!!!! I am typically of the "immediate gratification" group when it comes to knitting.....love those "short n sweet" projects....but for some reason I feel compelled to make this sweater!! I am REALLY looking forward to this because it will mean several shared afternoon/evenings of knitting with Tonni and that is half the fun!!!

I'm not sure when we can get this project started as I have STILL not gotten over the fact that I will actually have to SHARE my body measurements with another breathing soul...(despite her disclaimer, signed in blood no less)......she IS the one with the pattern wizard so once we have that teensy little drop of blood to seal the deal we will get started!!! LOL!!!

WOW, What A Weekend!!

Ginger and her DH had two extra tickets to see CATS on Friday Night and invited Johnny and I to join them. I immediatly "nixed" Johnny going with me and asked if they minded if I brought Princess Cupcake instead! (Montana recently got her first kitten so she was especially excited to see a play about cats!!!

This was Montana's first Broadway Play and she was sooooooo excited!!! We had AWESOME seats, very close to the stage!!

Ginger has got to be one of the most genuinely thoughtful, kind people I have had the joy of knowing!!

Ginger met Montana for the first time at the play and true to her sweet spirit she presented Montana with her very own pair of kitty ears on a headband to wear......black with sequins....which matched her outfit and you would have thought she was wearing her very own "tiara"!! LOL!! Absolutely made Montana's evening!!!! (Oh Ginger if you could only hear Montana talking about you while we stood in line during intermission! You have a new fan!! LOL!!

SATURDAY, Tonni was gracious enough to share a good part of her afternoon helping me work out my latest "issues" I have had with knitting socks on circulars!!

What could be better than sharing an afternoon knitting with a good friend!!

We shared some AWESOME Wine from Tonni's collection along with some really good cheese and crackers!! Not to mention all the little "purls" of wisdom she shared with me about sock knitting.....little things I would never think about but make a big difference to the finished sock!! (I hope I can remember them all!!) LOL!! Gee.....I would REALLY hate to have to go back for another afternoon of knitting lessons!!! LOL!!!

I was so surprised and touched when Tonni gave me this gorgeous skein of Blue Moon sock yarn!!!! Aren't the colors GREAT??!! This will be my first experience with knitting with such nice yarn!! I was so tickled.....and a little embarrassed because all I brought her were some plastic bags to store yarn in!! LOL!!!

Tonni, it's very humbling to me to know I was thought of and VERY MUCH appreciated!!

I have a couple of socks to finish up and hopefully by then I'll be worthy of knitting with such nice yarn!!! Tonni knits the most incredible socks and if I can be just HALF as good a knitter as she is I will really think I have accomplished something!!! (She also showed me a sweater she knit that I absolutely loved!!! Ragland oversized sweater with a single cable down the shoulder and arm.....REALLY NICE)!!!

What a GREAT weekend!!

WANTED!!!

I am looking for a pattern like the ornaments shown above, or similar. I have seen the lace patterns and while I like the look of the lace ornaments I REALLY like these. If you know of a pattern like these or similar would you please pass on the information?

Many Thanks!!!

Socktoberfest Sock Started.....FINALLY!!!

FINALLY I have something on the needles to contribute to Socktoberfest! And to THINK I bought 3 different yarns for this KAL!! LOL!!! What WAS I thinking!!!

I should be able to finish this pair of socks by the October 31st...........hopefully!!

I have had technical difficulties with DH second Blue Suede sock......(translated means I have knit the sock to the point where I join the heel, mess it up royally, rip out, make a mess, have to rip completely out and start over........X 2)!! I really wanted to finish the Blue Suede socks before I started the Socktoberfest socks!! Also, I only had one set of needles.....but I now have another pair.....wooo hoooo.....two socks going at once!!! I'm outa control here!! LOL!!!

I now have the Blue Suede sock knitted to the the point where I have completely messed up in the past and have this little fella on hold till I can meet up with Tonni so she can give me a refresher course on this part!! I know I am doing something very simple but for the life of me can't figure out how to correct what I am doing wrong!! The first sock was a breeze!!

It is interesting how the Socktoberfest yarn is striping at an angle.....I'm not sure what makes the yarn slant rather than go straight like the self striping yarns I have used in the past.

This yarn is REALLY pretty, vibrant fall colors, although the picture looks sort of washed out. I bought this yarn from Ebay, Fearless Fibers, 100% Superwash Merino Wool, size 2 circs.

Hopefully in a few days I'll have a bit more to show!

Work has been incredibly hectic, not much time to knit....boo hoo!!!

Follow Up Post

I wanted to share the beautiful flowers that my DH sent me Monday. I guess I'll renew his contract for another year!! LOL!!!

I have so many wonderful people in my life, so blessed that I wanted to take a minute to express myself!

I can't begin to list all the dear friends in my life........I hope you know who you are!! So many old friends, new friends and friends I have not had the pleasure of meeting face to face, yet I feel close as if we lived right next door!! How was I to know just a few months ago that a "blog"....(which I had never even heard the term blog).......could bring me in contact with so many wonderful people!! Nor would I have ever thought that learning to knit would expose me to a community of such wonderful people too!!!

Gifts are fun to receive, no doubt, the cake is yummy, but the friendships and relationships that I have are by far the most precious gifts to me!!

Thanks so much to my "sneaky" friends who are some of the sweetest girls in the world!!!

Will try to knit tonight.....I do have some new yarn......ahhh......so much yarn......so little time to knit!!!

NEW Knitting Book!!!!

Look what I got yesterday! I have about 7 or 8 books in my knitting collection but this one I must admit is one of the best ones I have seen!! This book has SOOO much information in it and has great instructional pictures! I have read about Intarsia....this book has some really good, easy to understand pictures!!

The stitch library section has so many stitches I have never seen!!

Best of all? The book was a gift from my mother.....for my birthday.....which is really strange since I stopped counting birthdays 3 years ago.....(I figured 45 was a good age to be so I have decided to stick with it) !! LOL!!

We had a wonderful lunch yesterday, mother made chicken and dressing (which is the BEST in the world!) with all the trimmings and a very pretty Cake.....but since there is only a slice left over for breakfast I can't share it with you!! LOL!! Life is short....eat cake for breakfast!!!!

For my "non-birthday" My sister gave me a gift certificate to the LYS!!! (oh darn....guess I'll HAVE to buy more yarn!! LOL!!!) My mother also gave me some $$ which I am going to save toward my trip to Maine.....which unfortunately isn't scheduled until NEXT Fall.....oh well.....got to start saving now!! I also got a REALLY pretty cake plate from Williams Sonoma which I love, Philosophy bath gel and some $$ which will also be deposited in my trip fund account from my baby sister.

I will post a pic later of my blue suede sock with my black sheep of the family.......and NO it isn't a relative!!! LOL!!! I just finished the heel flap last night....I have GOT to get this sock finished.....I need the needles to start my Socktober Sock!!!

I am most grateful today for my family, I have a plethora of friends and a wonderful husband...what more could a girl ask for???

:) :) :)

Socktoberfest Questionaire

Socktoberfest Questionaire

Well here it is October 3th and I STILL don't have my socks cast on for Socktoberfest! I needed to finish the Blue Suede sockmate but I ended up with a major mistake and ripped the entire thing out.....and I have this insane desire to finish this pair before starting another pair! Somebody PLEASE stop me!!Guess this means I am going to have to break down and buy another set of circs to use for socks!!In the meantime here is a list of questions from Lolly's blog for the socktoberfest members to use.

1. When did you start making socks? About 4 or 5 months ago.

2. Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I took a class for making socks using DPN and Tonni taught me to make socks on circulars which I must admit my first sock was GREAT.....the second sock...well....in a fit of incredible stupidness I totally messed up had to rip out the entire second sock......I'm thinking I might need a refresher!!! LOL!!

3. What was your first pair? A striped pair using yarn from Knit Picks How have they "held up" over time? Well.....since I just learned to make socks this Summer I haven't actually worn them yet but I did darn all the holes pretty good so hopefully they will hold up!! LOL!!

4. What would you have done differently? Not much as they were a "learning" sock.

5. What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? All I have used is Knit Picks yarn so far but my socktoberfest sock yarn is a hand painted yarn!

6. Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? Knit on Circulars.....Circs rock!!!

7. Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) WELL......I have only made one kind but I'm not sure what it is!!!

8. How many pairs have you made? 2 pair completed...working on my third pair!!

YIPPEE It's Soctober!!!!!

I am SOOOOO happy it is FINALLY Socktober.....I mean OCTOBER!!!!

I just love OCTOBER!!!

I love all the pumpkins, gourds, mums, all the fall decorations that spring up around town and in neighbors yards! I love to see the colors of the trees as they change....never fails to make me happy!!! I love nothing better than being outside on a crisp, cool fall day and have the wind suddenly blow creating "leaf rain"!! Visiting the local produce stand for all the great apples!!

Oh wait.....I live in Alabama and it is usually in the 80's...hmmm must be thinking of November...oh well.....STILL love October!!!!!!!!!! The temperature is cool somewhere and the leaves are turning!!!

And I can't forget my favorite holiday...Halloween!!! Even though we don't get a single trick-or-treater here in the "woods" I still enjoy it!! (One year when Princess Cupcake was younger I made a spook house in my attic for her!! But alas, she is too old for such foolishness now)! Boo Hoo!

I must admit that I watch Charlie Brown' Great Pumpkin every year and I have a copy of the original Halloween that I enjoy watching......this was the first scary movie I ever saw at the theater....and it was a drive-in at that.....especially frightening!!! Of course now it is silly, cheesy, but the campiness of it makes it all the more fun to watch!!

I am excited to be a part of socktoberfest!!!! I purchased the yarns shown above from Ebay.....took a chance. I couldn't believe something so cheap could actually be nice but I was pleasantly surprised!! The yarn is a dk weight which I think I like fingering weight better but I couldn't pass on these!! The one on the left is appropriately named "October" and the one on the right is "Autumn". The Autumn yarn was disapointing in the color but then again it was quite inexpensive and I can use it to make DH a pair of socks....you know how guys just love dull, drab colors....besides he is color blind so he'll never know the difference!! The colors of the October yarn make up for the Autumn yarn!!

I will probably only get one pair of socks made for Soctoberfest so I'll be using the October yarn, not sure if I will rib or straight knit the body of the sock (that is the only two patterns I know).....but I'm looking forward to finishing DH Blue Suede sock so I can get started on the Socktober/October sock!

Looking forward to seeing all the Socktoberfest participants contributions!!!