31 October 2006

Socktober already on it's last day?

I have a serious case of STARTERITIS. That is why I need to follow Sarah in extending Socktober (see this entry: http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/6626188). I still have the blue socks (child's first socks) with sock one close to the toe; I have started the witch socks that are due today for Petra's contest but due to work and the need to concentrate on two charts simultaniously that is far from the heel, but will look cool, maybe for next years Halloween; the yellow socks have not been touched at all, but will make nice mindless commuter knitting once I get over my love affair with Thujas; red Thuja for myself was started and is on it's way to the toe for the first sock.

Cross Stitching is even worse. I had a bunch of WIPs already: Flight Show, Reading Dragon, Santa (only beads missing), Fall scene, Heart by M Designs, Name Sign for my friend Monika, seahorses were all in different states off unfinished. Now I have added a Michael Powell's Mini design and by Heart in Hand Pumpkins. The last one might actually get finished stitching as it is fairly straight forward with lovely space died threads. But then it will join my Plant Kindness design in the cue to be finished. May be My Guy's father could make a frame for the kindness design.

Sewing: I need to finish my pj top as it is getting colder again. I also want to add some stars for friends and family to my christmas giving.

Christmas shopping will need to be done within the next 4 weeks, because I am NOT going shopping after 1st of December. I go to christmas markets, but for the Gluehwein not for shopping. So this Santa will have to make a list and check it twice.

30 October 2006

What season am I - fits

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times...
You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings
Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

24 October 2006

Stitcher's Question of the week

This week’s SBQ was suggested by Vash and is:

Which way do you stitch, i.e. do you stitch /// followed by \\\ on top, or the other way around \\\ followed by ///? Are you left- or right-handed and do you think that this affects the way that you stitch?

I stitch \\\ followed by /// and I am right-handed.

My Guy socks done

In a fit of very concentrated knitting I finished the My Guy socks yesterday evening. Now they just need a little bath and they are ready for his Halloween birthday. I actually liked them very much once I had them on my feet and already bought yarn for another pair of Thuja from http://www.knitty.com Mine will not be the worlds most boring tan, but red tweed like socks. But they have to wait a bit.

Yesterday I cast on for my witch socks for Petra's (Woll Normal) witch contest. I am not sure I can get the one required sock done in time as it will not be mindless, but it will be fun even if it takes a bit longer... I am starting of with picot which I have never tried with a provisional cast on, another thing I have not really mastered yet. At least the cast on came off so I am now ready to knit the two set of stitches together. Then a bit of lace and some twitsted stitches... Actually I have a second idea that would be great, but that would probably require double knitting and I have never tried that either.

Sharfika is on the second ball and growing nicely. This was my project in front of My Guy while I was knitting his socks. If you only required a short scarf you could stop already, but i plan to wear mine with my navy winter coat and want it longer. The other day I realized that I had accidently switched to cables every 8 rows instead of the 10 in the pattern, but since I have done this since the second crossing, I will just keep going and make the last one a ten row repeat for symmetry.

No stitching done lately even though my fingers itch after seeing the Just Cross Stitch Christmas 10th anniversary book and some recent magazines.

13 October 2006

Sharfik in pink = Sharfika

In preperation of winter and considering it is October and therefore breast cancer awareness is heightened I have cast on a Sharfik in a lovely slightly blueish rose. It fought me from the start: the set up row went wrong, then I did the first and last stitch wrong on the right side row while correcting the miscounting in the set up row, the yarn does not like to be cabled with three stitches across and I can not count to ten for the pattern repeat. To add insult to injury I was very doubtful at the beginning about how that whole thing would look. But now I am fine with the look and the pattern and I have made peace. There will be a pink sharfik here, I call it sharfika, because it is so girly. I am not sure if Grumperia's dad will like his many scarf so transformed...

The My Guy socks were ripped to the ribbing and restarted with the pattern from Thuja in knitty.com. The first one is now past the heel and great commuter knitting.

Last Saturday I was at my parents and went with my mom to her patchwork groups UFO day. I finished sewing up the ship and kaleidoscope blocks, so they can make a baby quilt if a kid will show up. I got advise on what to use for the binding in my ninepatch quilt, but have not actually attached it. And I started a star for a table "runner" (I do not know what it is called, it is for decoration and to put stuff like tea pots on.). I finished the star on Sunday and added the backing yesterday, so at least I have one FO.

I am still knitting on Bob even though the weather is by now decidedly autumn and I will not need a short sleeved sweater for a long time. But the yarn and the color make me happy and I am approaching a finished project there as well.

10 October 2006

Socktober 06

A bit late but here we go:

When did you start making socks? I have no idea, but it must have been in school during home ec as I am sure I knit the first pair before I graduated from high school.
Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? My mom defenitly taught me as she was my home ec teacher and I learned all my early crafts from her. We still share a love for handicrafts, but mostly she does patchwork these days.
What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? I have no idea as this is more than 20 years ago.
What would you have done differently? Probably nothing, but I can not say for sure.
What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? In Germany we do not have the wide varity of hand died and variegated luxuries, but I particularily enjoyed Regia Silk.
Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I have tried DNPs, 2 circs and the Magic Loop and have returned to my 5 DPNs. I love circs for other things, but not for socks.
Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I have only done one short row heel when I also tried toe-up, it was okay, but I prefer flaps as they are more mindless for me. However I like the flap with slipped stitches since I found them on the net.
How many pairs have you made?
No idea, I think I have ten pairs in my drawers, 2 in My Guy's and I made a pair as a gift for a friend at some point.

04 October 2006

My Guy sock started

I have started the socks for My Guy yesterday. I changed my mind about the pattern I would use, but am still unsure if I decided on the right one. The sock is much wider after the ribbing and I am not sure this will work out, but I will knit a bit more and then reevaluate them. Maybe instead of a knit purl pattern I should use something that is more like ribbing... I am not going to do cables with it though as I have already noticed that it splits and that is not good for cabling without cable needle.

03 October 2006

Socktober has started

I am looking forward to doing some sock knitting this month in celebration of Lolly's socktober festival. I have two pairs on the needles that I want to get done and a third pair that I need to cast on and get done for My Guy's birthday on Halloween. I also want to rework the pair he got for last years b-day as they were too long (and possibly too wide, too). The ones on the needle are both on the first sock: blue cotton Child's First Socks that live at My Guy's place and yellow Opal socks in Twin Rib that I had to rib the heel back because I did not remember that I had more stitches on the fourth needle and needed to take some of those into the heel to get the requisite half of the numbers.

Unfortunatelly I am currently in love with my little cross stich project and the socks remain ignored. I need to cast on for My Guy's socks so that I can take them on the train. I dislike casting on there as I tend to have needles slip out when wrangling the dnp porcupine through the inital set up. Afterwards I love my DNPs.

01 October 2006

Another new project


I could no longer resist and have started the Michael Powell Mini Spanish Cottages 6 from an old Just Cross Stitch. The pircture shown is the one from the magazine, I only have done a tiniy bit on the tree and the houses. I love Powell's work and this one reminds me of our vacation, even if we were in Italy and not in Spain, the feeling was pretty much the same. I have in a current WOCS another of his Minis, this time from Greece.