Ups and Downs

TOE UP SOCK (as opposed to cuff down)

I saw an internet post recently that asked the question we have all asked ourselves (as knitters).  Why knit socks toe up?  Answer: Because it eliminates the Kitchener stitch.  Need I say more?  I never do toe up socks; I don't know how and have only made the tiniest effort to learn.  Usually people just say the advantage is that the you get to try on the sock as you go.
That's not near enough incentive for me to learn a new technique.  Plus, doing a toe up sock would require that I do a short row heel.  I don't usually do the heels 'short row style' (that sounds weird) because I'm too lazy to count back and forth  so I just go with the afterthought heel as the name implies; so I can think about it later. :-)  But to eliminate the Kitchener stitch toe is beyond enticing.  Practically seductive.   Can't you just see a little sock puppet winking at you?
I tried the technique out tonight with some light pink bulky yarn on size 8 bamboo needles.  I used the figure 8 method, if you're curious!

So I'm learning something new.   I'm always game to learn something new if it's beneficial in some way.  If it helps my brain clear out cobwebs or if it has some purpose.  I hear that some of the smartest people in the world do crossword puzzles to exercise their brain.  And the really bold and smart guys do the puzzle in pen.  That's gutsy!  Trying my hand at toe up socks may not be gutsy, but at least I've made the effort!  (Patting myself on the back.)

Cuff Down Stocking

I have been offered a new job recently that has some real schedule benefits and a little better pay.   I'll be learning a couple of new things, but mostly getting to know new people and that is always good.  Strangers are only strangers until you get to know them better.  I've met quite a few new people lately, and it always surprises me how quickly you can come to like someone you've only recently met. Its so important to always be open to new things and welcome changes, even if they're a bit scary.  You'd be surprised at how wonderful it feels to shake a hand, get a smile, and/or become aware that someone is genuinely happy to meet you!  Hooray for looking toward the future!! Better days are always ahead.  Don't you agree?

These are the good ole days

Earlier today my father in law told us the story about his girlfriend in the 1940's named Boots and another friend, House.  Tom had been somewhere hanging out with the other two and as he went to kiss Boots goodnight, his mother and brother drove by and shined the car lights on the smooch.  Tom's brother convinced him later that he'd embarrassed their dear mother~!  (What a rat.)
My husband and I were looking at each other during the story and realized it'd never been told before.  Those were the good ole days, we thought.  But I had a little check in my brain that said wait a minute.  These are the good old days.  Life is what you make it.  We can't just wait around for good things to happen, we have to get busy enjoying the small things while working through the big things.   Enjoy life with the people you love, and take advantage of every single minute, every breath.  Then someday when you're 85 you'll have some funny stories to tell!

This morning, since I was off work today and its been weeks since I went to the garage to mess with my drum carder, I fiddled around with some of the wool I dyed at the last spinning get together.  I spun some purple/yellow Mohair and will try plying it with some gray Romney wool.  Pictures soon!

And I finally, finally got around to closing the toe on the stocking and picking up the heel stitches.

It's been about two months since I got the inspiration for this hot little project, and at least a full month spent knitting.  I pray that I'll finish it tonight so that tomorrow I can start something else.  I know you're eating popcorn every time you read this blog, wondering what the outcome will be.  Like a great mystery movie,  the suspense is building.  Well, now you can switch to the Skittles, because we've finally reached the montage scene in the movie where the characters dance and smile and laugh while cool music plays in the background.  It's a great way to move things along so you can get to the good part.  And here it is.  All but the heel; feast your eyes!

It feels good to see the light at the end of the tunnel (no train in sight).  Closure is always good, cause it means something new is just around the corner.

The pot calling the kettle Mac

So I'm sitting in the living room with my hubby watching a documentary about Mac people and their devotion to the brand.  I was privately cringing at the way they talked about their love for all things Apple (including Steve Jobs) and their borderline cult characteristics.  I asked my husband (who is a Mac user) if he thought they went a little too far, and he said no. Okay.
While watching the documentary I was also surfing the internet on my non-Mac laptop.  Checking out the comments and pictures from Sock Summit, I came across the video for the flash mob at the event.  It was clear that I had no room to talk, and I shut my mouth.  Hundreds of knitters holding skeins of yarn in a water-ballet type of dance in a public square with "Time of My Life" playing over the loud speaker.  Obsessed is obsessed, no matter what you're talking about.  Sorry dear!

Since the toe of the Christmas stocking is not yet sewn up, I can only say that I've been busy.  Poor excuse, but it's mine and I'm stickin' to it!   I was given a bunch of cucumbers and decided to try my hand at pickle relish.  I don't quite have the hang of the food processor yet, so all the little cubes are more like little Jenga pieces.  The blade slices the cucumber then makes strips, I'm supposing for french fries, but these would be awfully small french fries.  Anyway, the tomatoes were a lot easier to can.  You just dip them in boiling water, then ice water, slip off the peel and drop in the jars.  The pickle relish took me about three days, which says how not-Martha Stewart I am!  But its done, and I can take that one off my bucket list.  (Okay, it wasn't on the list originally, but I just wrote it on the list in my imagination, and crossed it off.)

 This has been so much fun, and I'm so glad to be able to take advantage of the veggies from friends who know what they're doing.

Knees and Toes

Tennessee morning

The top of the stocking starts just below the knee (obviously) and completes at the tip of the toe.  I finished  the foot portion of the stocking today with a row of hearts and made terrific progress on the toe decreases.  I said toe (singular) and I mean it, because there will not be another toe to do!  What a beautiful thing.  NO Second Sock Syndrome.  When it's done, it's done. ( Okay, except that I will need to pick up the stitches for the afterthought heel.  But then,.....THEN it will be done.  I mean it. )

I am gathering inspiration for the next stocking, and have lots of ideas, but nothing set in stone.
 The beauty of this stocking was that the patterns all lined up exactly and there was no fudging on making certain fair isle motifs fit into the number of stitches in the sock.

Four pages of inspiration!

I think there are around 72 stitches, which may not be a prime number, but does set some limits on the patterns. 

Tonight I have to change the subject and brag a bit.  We went out for pizza with my daughter and her husband and his family to celebrate the end of his educational career. Goal met!  He took the bar over the last two days and is finally done with school, after having been a student since age 5.  Most of us never know when we're finished, because we have no clearly defined goals.  I admire the hard work, effort and student loans that are behind this degree. (If he passes, that is - we won't know till October!  But I'm sure he will.)
There are a few other good things on the horizon for our family, and I will say, it's about time!  When the most hopeful and joyous thing in your life is a Christmas stocking, you're hard up.  So glad to have some things to celebrate!  Hallelujah and woo hoo!  So, just for fun, and to get you in the mood, checkout this video about Knees and Toes from some more ESL friends!  It sounds like they're from Tennessee, but it sure doesn't look like it.  ;-)

All I've got is a snowflake!

This week has been busy, preparing for and moving my father in law in to our house.  He is such a joy to be around and has a childlike quality at times; lighthearted and very kind.

Truly without a sense of guile or selfish ambition.  He's a writer, artist and all around good guy. We are honored to pay back this man in such a small way for all the years of sacrifice that he made for his family.

So with the preparations in mind, you'll understand why I only got a row a snowflakes done on the Christmas stocking!  This has been such a fun thing to do, with a lot of creativity to play around with.  Here is a piece of wrapping paper I've kept as I worked on the stocking.  Isn't it lovely?  Maybe I'll use red and white for the next one!

I have also spun the tiniest bit of gray wool - water for a thirsty soul, and I have GOT to make more time to spin.  It is such therapy for me!!!

My house tends to be a pretty creative place. My husband is a songwriter and musician.  I met him in 1983 when his band played at my college's chapel service.  The band was a religious group that toured year round and lived predominantly on a bus.  He had toured before that group with secular groups and was intrigued with this new kind of Christian music.  He soon after devoted his career ambitions to a much more religious purpose and later enrolled and graduated from the college I was attending.  I was there learning 'how to be a missionary' which I now think is a misnomer.  Anyway, several years later he was teaching a guitar class at a seminar for church musicians and one of his students was Gov. Mike Huckabee, the Fox News contributor!

Jamie and Mike 1993

We watched Huckabee interview Benjamin Netanyahu tonight and I remembered this photograph, which I stumbled upon while cleaning up house for my father in law's arrival.  A lot of water under the bridge since then!  I had the privilege of traveling with my husband over the years, and one of my biggest honors was to visit the Philippines with him.  Here is a snapshot I took at a stadium; it was very hot and humid that night and people had walked literally for hours to attend this concert, many of them barefoot!

10k Filipinos singing a song my husband wrote - what an exciting night!

P90X or PX90?

I mentioned to my daughter that cleaning house is as good as PX90; and she laughed and said, "You mean P90X!"  What would I do without people like her to set me straight on critical things like these?  The difference between agave and guava.  The difference between almond milk and Almond Joy.  Where have I been?

One thing I am unanimous about is my one, lonely knitting project "on the needles" as we knitters say.  This Christmas stocking is now sporting some great looking red berries and holly leaves and a whole row of Christmas trees!  Whaddya think?

Now I need to set aside half the stitches for the afterthought heel and then do the foot.  Probably a snowflake and some other holiday or religious symbol.  Most of the designs in my book call for more than two colors, so I'm pretty limited unless I get out another pattern book. Maybe I should.

I have spent the better part of the last week moving everything from my office/study downstairs to my daughter's old bedroom upstairs.  My father in law will be moving in with us this weekend and we have just set aside a space for him on the first floor.  A cozy room with a bed, computer desk, bookshelves and a reading chair.  I sure hope he likes it! 
And the good thing about my office being upstairs is that I have to take the stairs every time I want to get on my computer.  Who needs P90X?  Watch out Jersey Shore.

After moving everything upstairs, and moving a bed and a few extra things into Papa's new room, I also had to clear out a couple of closets for his clothes and empty the space under the sink in the bathroom that he will be using.   Actually it's been good for me to once again purge and 'cleanse' my cabinets and storage areas.  I have such a tendency to hang on to the past.  Sometimes we just need to let go of the old stuff and embrace the new.  Here's to the future!

Charkha-tack

Judy and Brenda M.

Yesterday I went to a special spinning group meeting hosted by a couple of dear ladies, Judy and Brenda M. We had Dye Day and came away with blue fingers, red shirts and bags of dyed wool and yarn!

Onion Skin Dye

I love going to these because you lose track of all the other stuff that's going on in your life.  Pots of dye boiling on burners, tubs of wool soaking in water, and wee-little ladies watching and stirring like a bunch of kids making mud pies.

Natural vegetable dyes

kool aid, food coloring and various other dyestuffs

Natural dyes

We have so much fun, and even have a little pot luck lunch to boot.  Our hostess made a Thai shrimp dish with rice that was to die (dye) for! There was potato salad, fruit salad, hummus and pita chips and iced tea.

Susan, Laura and Brenda M.

Judy!

I also bought a briefcase sized Charkha (shark-a) and got a free spinning lesson from Laura who sold me the wheel.  I've been wanting one, but they are around a hundred dollars and I just couldn't see paying that much for something I didn't even know how to use.  What an answer to prayer!  What a great Friday!

My $25 dollar Charkha

Today I spent some time weeding and picking green beans at the garden.  I had given up on them, but went yesterday and threw myself into whacking the weeds until I found the plants.  Hallelujah, there were green beans all over the place.  And still loads of tomatoes and cucumbers.  I hope to can tomatoes tonight; haven't done that in years!

Tennessee Green Beans

This next week my hubby goes back out of town on family business, and I'm not sure how long he'll be gone.  His dad is having surgery and  will come back to stay with us after his recovery.  The time has come for Papa to be here in TN with us on a permanent basis.  We are excited to have him here; if he doesn't mind putting up with his son's guitar playing all day!  Papa's room will be right under DH's guitar studio, where he works.  (Might not need those hearing aids after all.)

I am saying good bye to my little home office/ fiber room, but saying hello to a brand new space upstairs in my daughter's old bedroom.  Having an empty nest always means more closet space!!  Whoopee for me!

The Lone Ranger

This week I've been given the opportunity to flex my social muscles.  DH is out of town on family matters and I am left with the car keys, so to speak.  My work schedule opened up so I filled my social calendar with all kinds of girl-y things.  Ladies Bible study last night, lunch with a friend the and the icing on the cake; yes, you guessed it, spinning group on Friday!  We are having a dye day, where we all bring our natural wool, dyes, pots, etc and have at it for as long as we can take it.  The last dye day was absolutely memorable.  I am really hoping for nice weather and some super good results.  Being a lone ranger for a few days doesn't have to be all bad.  Here's hoping my husbands t-shirts are not all tie-dyed when he gets back!


The Christmas stocking is looking pretty good if I do say so myself.  The patterns seem to look good with just two colors and I'm resisting adding a third.  I think it's kind of classy and understated, don't you?

The next stocking will definitely be something with a little red and may have as many as four colors, but I don't really have a theme in mind yet.
My daughter has been helping me update my make up lately and we chose an eye shadow palette with four colors the other night.  While they are all 'understated' colors, the application of those colors left a lot to be desired when I tried to do it by myself the next morning.  Somewhere between raccoon and Ozzy Ozbourne I would say.  Why did I ever think I could manage this kind of challenge on my own?  What a disaster!

I remember the summer between 7th and 8th grade when I had a similar experience.  Up till that time, my make up consisted of clear lip gloss.  Then I met Rhonda from New York (whose mother was a belly dancer) who knew how to apply make up! She was my good friend and was willing to teach me the ways of the world. We put away the Bonne Bell lip smacker and got out the bright blue eye shadow, Maybelline mascara, frosty rouge and what looked like Sharpie eye liner.  Boy was I a sight!  I thought I looked pretty good until I went downstairs and my older brother laughed his head off.

Don't sit under the apple tree....

Before I get to the knitting progress, I have to show off a little.  Here is my little apple tree with lots of fruit all over it!

I'm so thankful that there is little maintenance with this thing.  I have neglected my whole back yard this year and it shows.  All except for the apple tree that has only required rain and sunshine.  I did some pruning but today, and it looks a lot better!

The rest of the yard is full of flowers and greenery but it's like Jumanji out there - crazy vines and leaves, weeds and odd looking flowers.  I asked my friend last night what this thing was that had taken over a neglected flower bed.

She said it sounded like a Passion Vine and I looked it up; she's right. Not sure what variety it is, but  it had  taken over the place and was very unruly.  I had to dig a little to get rid of it today.  The "fruit" was only seed-filled pods and the flowers only last a day or two and then they're gone.  What a mess.

Okay, here is the knitting up date.  Big whoop.

But it's progress, nonetheless.  I charted the letters on graph paper and am adding a small cross and snowflakes.

I may add a reindeer, but that will be later.  The absolutely best thing about a Christmas stocking is that there is no second-sock-syndrome.  It's like a work of art that you don't have to duplicate.  One is enough!  Now that, I like! Why paint two Mona Lisa(s)?   (Did I just compare my stocking to the Mona Lisa???)

Its beginning to look a lot like a Christmas stocking

Listening again to a great business book by the Arbinger Institute, and knitting the first exciting rows of my very first Christmas stocking!  I bought the yarn while out of town this past weekend - four great colors.

The pattern is inspired by the how-to video from Knit Picks, although I can't find this particular pattern anywhere.  So I have improvised by starting with the basics from my new Christmas stocking  book.

Knit Picks video tutorial

Then using some motifs from a favorite book of mine, The Harmony Guide to Aran and Fair Isle Knitting.  I've implemented a simple 2x2 rib to start with, after casting on 72 for worsted weight yarn on size 6 needles.

The yarn is acrylic Red Heart soft and the colors are Wine, Dark Leaf,  Honey and Mid Blue.  I would say the blue is more like a Williamsburg Blue if you ask me. The honey is very close to Bit'O'Honey candy, if you can remember back that far!

I was able to spend some quality time with my niece and nephew and in laws this past weekend and really enjoyed our Independence Day celebration. Here we all are at a local pancake house; we always seem to have breakfast there.  Great food and great service!

I was stung by a bee while floating in the pool, and I haven't been stung by a bee since I was really young.  We all fantasize about going back in time and being youthful again, but we forget that there were as many bad days back then as we have now, we just tend to downplay them.   I'd forgotten how much bee stings hurt and how irritating they are.  God forgive me (and pardon me neighbors) for the cuss word I let out!  OUCH.

Knitters Review

Years ago I signed up to be on the Knitter's Review mailing list, to receive their newsletter via email every Thursday morning. KR reviews new yarns, tools, techniques and books for knitters. It was always such a treat to see their name in my email box and have an excuse to grab a cup of coffee & read the latest poll and yarn review.

Today the market is flooded with commercial and boutique yarn stores, knitting websites, blogs and podcasts  out the wazoo, but back then, this was groundbreaking stuff for knitters like me.  KR also had a great forum section on their website; also the first of it's kind for knitters, as far as I know.  You can still go to the website after logging in, ask any question you like and get a pretty good response from somebody who's been there. (Mind you, this was before FB and Ravelry.)  When my husband and I took our trip last week, we wanted to get a better idea of what local yarn shops would be the best to visit, so I checked with the KR forum !  Thank you Clara Parkes, pioneer woman!

 This is 4th of July weekend and we will be taking our annual trip to my in-laws' house in Birmingham, AL for a pool party and family get together - the family is growing and this year we add one more. Woo hoo! We cook out, swim and listen to music by the pool, or hang out inside and watch movies.  A very American holiday!

And speaking of holidays, it would be so cool to make a trip to Joann's to get some yarn and start on my Christmas stocking. When I get home from work I just don't have the energy to drive back into town to shop. I guess I could order online, but I really like to feel the yarn and see the color in person before I buy it.   Bummer.

I've pretty much completed the purple pillow top, as of yesterday.  That makes two pillow tops that will need fabric backing, and that definitely means a trip to Joann's is in order.   I guess it's true what they say:

Fortune cookie: ESL at its best!

And before I go, I have to share a little something from my garden - peas in a pod, squash and cucumbers!