Santa's workshop

Work is going on in Santa's workshop on many small projects, most of which I can't show on the blog.  But, here is a fun slipper sock.  It's a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarns - Scrunchy, Slouchy Slipper Socks. It uses Lion Brand yarn, acrylic, which is great for those that just want to throw everything in the washer and dryer. It's knit with Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick yarn.  I found it in my region at both JoAnn's and Michaels Crafts. It's super soft.  Downside for me is that I'm knitting with size 13 needles which hurt my hands so I'll knit for a little bit and then move on to a different project to give my hands a rest. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th - ours luckily did not include any major fires from fireworks (yet) just many small ones that were addressed quickly. We are in a heat wave - was 103 at the house yesterday, today hotter, tomorrow even hotter, around 113.  I used to say it's not as bad as the east coast because we don't have humidity here but when it's over 100 it's bad no matter what......and it looks to be over 100 every day for at least the next week. 

 

Catching up.......

I am once again remiss with keeping up to the date with this blog. I just haven't 'felt' it in recent years and it's a struggle.  I did get a warp on the loom yesterday for my secret holiday project. Just got started weaving on it and am pleased. The draft is from the Strickler book, page 20, #59.  I'm using 10/2 perle cotton sett at 30 epi.

I've knit two of these hats from the National Parks hat book - it is the Glacier hat.  I actually bought the yarn called for rather than use yarn from my stash. There's enough for another one or maybe two from that yarn. I may make a pair of mittens instead to go with my hat, have put it aside and will decide later. If you're a knitter and haven't seen that book you need to - beautiful book, great patterns.

I finally finished a pair of denim blue socks for myself. They've been on the needles for probably a year. They were set aside while I worked on socks for family last summer/fall. I thought I would finish these on the long drive to and from MT recently but didn't knit more than a half inch.

I started these socks while on the coast this past weekend. I bought the yarn at The Wool Co over there (Bandon) a few months ago. Kelly has a nice selection of yarn and other goodies.  I bought some locally made soap this past weekend in addition to a couple skeins of yarn. 

 
 

Knitting progress............

I finished the 2nd hot water bottle cover that will be a gift. Very cute. I love mine so I hope the recipient loves using this one.  (once again pix are sideways for what reason I don't know as they aren't sideways on my computer)

 I finally finished a pair of black socks, with specks, that I had set aside while working on holiday gifts. I love having handknit black socks but this is the last time I knit black ones, way too hard to see. I can cross these black socks off my to-do list.  In the bottom corner is another pair of socks in progress, always need to have some on the needles to work on when I have down time waiting somewhere. 

Playing with fiber on turkey day......

We're having a very laid back turkey day which suits me just fine. It's harder this year with no family here locally but we're doing fine. I'm playing with fiber and Sam is watching the Commanders, formerly Redskins, our team as we both grew up in DC/MD. I am making a small turkey dinner but got much of it done yesterday, will finish up in a bit and put a spatchcocked turkey breast in the oven which shouldn't take long to roast. 

 

I've got more socks on the needles - this is sock number two of this pair. Kind of weird color combinations but I like them. 

Over a week ago I wound a warp and got it wound on the back beam. Yesterday I threaded heddles, sleyed the reed and got it tied on. Today I started weaving. It's a networked twill with an advancing twill treadling. The left side looks like there's a problem in this pic but there isn't, it's just the way the light is shining in on that side.  After this warp I may go back to a quilt project just barely started way back in March. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

In the pipeline...........

More socks in the pipeline for holiday gifts.  I'm having fun knitting all the socks and my hands haven't cramped up yet so that's a good thing. 

Love these lavendars and purples

These are very fun, have finished the first sock, this is sock #2 of the pair

We spent a few days on the coast escaping the smoke of the valley.  There was still a bit of smoke on the coast and inland just a mile from the beach there's heavy smoke. We have a big fire just to the south of us spreading most of the smoke but then there are also fires to the west, east and north. The AQI (air quality) has been hazardous for weeks, it's ugly out. I hate summer/fire season. 

Another start...........

 Another pair on the needles of the socks I'm knitting for holiday gifts.  I finished pair #2 the other night, started pair #3 last night. I love how this one is turning out.  I'm using a solid gray for the cuff, heel and toe.  Getting a lot of sock knitting done in the evenings while we watch Suits on Netflix - we're hooked. 

In other crafts I'm working on small holiday gifts here and there.  Hoping to get a warp on the loom soon but need to finish up a couple of other projects first, feeling very scattered. Would love to get holiday gifts finished up in the next 2 months so I can get back to a wall quilt I had taken a class on. 

Moving right along.......

I'm moving right along knitting socks for holiday gifts. I finished the pair I started last week, now have another pair on the needles. Also working on some other small gifts. 

Not much else to say.  It's hot, but not as hot as it could be, that's coming this weekend. Just like every summer we're in extreme fire season - fire just a bit to the west occasionally throws some smoke in our direction but it's mostly blowing the other direction. Counting down the days until the end of fire season. I hate summer. 

 

Sox in progress.........

I've decided I need to knit a number of pair of sox for holiday gifts so no idle hands around here for the foreseeable future.  Here is the first - I'm down to the instep on both pair, have them going at the same time so it's easy to match up where I start and stop in the pattern for contrasting cuff, heel and toe.  Also working on some other gifts but can't post them here..........

 

I am remiss. I meant to post these socks earlier in the week but totally forgot.  Neighbor Jill in the knitting group I was invited to last year gave us all a ball of holiday sock yarn at the beginning of the year and we're to create something with it for this upcoming holiday season. I made these slouch socks - love them. I only had a little bit of yarn leftover so made a little ornament for her, a tiny basket of yarn complete with yarn balls and knitting (on toothpicks).  Picture is sideways, don't ask me why...........

Took this picture last weekend at The Wool Co in Bandon (on the coast).  I went to visit Kelly, the owner, and saw this in the yard - it had been put up to celebrate knit in public day the weekend before. I love it - hope it lasts for a long time.  Of course in visiting I bought more 'stuff' I didn't need but what does need have to do with anything.......

 

Sox on the needles

Last year I think I only knit one pair of sox, or maybe I finished a pair from the year before and then knit another pair - can't remember right now.  Recently I decided I need a pair of black handknit sox so went searching through my stash and found this fun black yarn with specks (will take the 2 skeins I have). I haven't gotten very far and they'll be a long term project to cart along with me places......although it would be nice to wear them this winter.........

Still working on quilt blocks - think I have 34 now, not sure how many I need, at least 60 but probably more. I'll figure that out shortly.  I've been listening to the audio version of Outlander's book 7, An Echo in the Bone while I stitch. I downloaded it from the library so only have so much free time to listen to 46 hours, I 'think' I'm going to finish before it disappears from my Kindle. 

I've signed up for a quilt class in Feb/March. It has points and curves so I'll be learning new stuff. It's been so long since I've ventured out for any kind of class or workshop - I'm so looking forward to it.  I have finally gone back to my weaving guild meetings as of this past Saturday - nice to see many who I haven't seen since the start of covid.  I did wear my mask though with illnesses on the rise in our area. 

Cheerful.......

Very cheery socks started yesterday.  as tempting as it is to just keep knitting away and finish them quickly I'll be saving them to work here and there when in a group or waiting somewhere. This yarn came with another small skein to use for the heels and toes. Good to get back to knitting.........

 

Socks finally ready for feet.........

 These socks are finally ready to be worn.  I started these sometime last winter from a skein of sock yarn gifted to me by a friend..........then they got set aside as with many things this past year.  I pulled them out recently and finished them up.  Now I've got a pair of brown socks, which I needed.  On to the next pair to go on the needles - bright cheery colors. 

On the loom & needles.........

This week I got another towel warp on the loom - I've been weaving bright colors this last year so decided to go with more subdued colors this time and I love them.  Actually the reason why I chose these 3 warp colors was because I had mega cones of each of these 8/2 cottons. Of course I've hardly made a dent in those cones but at least I'm using some of it. The first towels I'm using a pale seafoam green weft and love it. Original plan was to use the 3 colors in the warp for wefts, I may still do that for some of the towels but right now I'm loving weaving this seafoam.  This is a two block twill.......seems I've been loving weaving two block twills this last year too.

And here's what's on the needles. A friend gifted me with this Malabrigo sock yarn over a year ago, I kept it right on my sewing table trying to decide what to use it for. My original thought was a knit shawlette but I just hadn't found the perfect pattern yet.......that I already hadn't knit. Then I decided on socks and I'm so glad I did - I love the way they're turning out. The pattern is called Tidal Wave Socks.  I have knit these before and love the pattern. Here's the link to the pattern on Ravelry.  Just enough to have something to think about while knitting the leg portion but not so much that I can enjoy watching tv in the evening. 

This morning I blocked the cowl I knit a few weeks ago, when it's dry I'll share a picture of that.  Now off to throw the shuttle on that towel warp.........

 

This and that.......

I have gotten a little bit of fiber time. I'm nowhere near where I need to be to keep my sanity but I'm trying to work toward getting back to what my normal had been for 2+ decades. How did life change? I need for it to change back, at least partially back to what it used to be or 'funny farm' here I come.

I put some handspun on the loom recently for a double weave/width afghan. Color is not quite right but it's close, and that was after working on it. Newer version of my old camera takes terrible pictures colorwise, just don't get it. Anyhow, that skein on the top is the weft.

Here it is in progress. The join is on the left hand side. When this comes off the loom it will unfold to be twice it's width, which is around 42" before washing.  I'd like to think I would get it off the loom today and be able to start twisting the fringe but I've also got 3 fruit trees to prune and I need to help Sam get the bird netting over the garden structure.

I finally finished a pair of superwash merino/bamboo/nylon socks that have been on the needles for probably a year. A project that I'd just pick up here and there when I needed to grab a quick project to work on while on the go. They feel super soft, with our weather these may not end up on my feet until next winter. Time to get another pair of socks on the needles for my on the go, no thinking necessary, project.

At the sewing guild meeting last week we learned about Swedish weaving, which is not really weaving (as we weavers know) but embroidery on huck fabric - the embroidery sits on the top of one side of the fabric. This is my sample in progress. I think I may be pulling my thread to tight - looks fine but once washed it may pull.....I need to consult my fellow guild member to find out. This is very fun and very addictive......the last thing I need is something else fun to do as I don't have the hours to do what I want but that's ok, I'll fit it in somewhere, sometime.  I'm thinking I need to make myself a couple of towels, maybe even make a few gifts for later in the year.

Busy week ahead.  I'm hoping to find time to start winding a warp for bumbaret towels although I'm learning life gets in the way all too often. All those colors of 8/2 cotton are calling to me to make super colorful towels.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

 Here is Day 4 of the 12 Days spin-a-long. I love how each days colors are a progression in color from the day before.

The second sock of Sam's Christmas sox is finally finished. It's harder to find time to knit on them without him seeing since he's semi-retired and works from home much of the time. So, the one finished sock was in his Christmas stocking - second one still on the needles until yesterday evening. Next up on the needles is a new knit cap for him as I noticed recently he needed another for beach walks.......but I'm not behind on this knitting, it wasn't to be a gift, recently saw the need. 

Career sox finished

I can't tell you how long these sox have been on the needles - maybe two years, I really can't remember. I was in-between projects so thought I'd finish them up. Now they're ready to wear if we ever get cool weather.

I can't go into all the fire updates because it's just too much to write and it's too depressing and downright scary. The fires surrounding our area and are growing by leaps and bounds. The fire closest to us is the top priority fire in the nation but only has a fraction of personnel fighting it compared to other fires a 10th of it's size - the west is overwhelmed with fires and there is just no more support coming. There are so many fires and so many fires with evacuations. Here we have been told they will do their best with what they've got - not a warm & fuzzy feeling. The smoke is in the hazardous stage at our house, so thick that there is very little visibility, no air support working the close fires as they can't fly due to the smoke. I'm not sure how many hours one would have to drive to escape the smoke at this point. It smells of smoke inside the house even with it being closed up and the a/c running - there's no escaping it. We did get over to the coast for a bit but the smoke eventually made it over there too. Doing the rain dance here hoping for the fall rains to come earlier rather than later this year.

It's been a long time......

 It's been a long time since these socks were cast on........can't say exactly how long since I'm too lazy to go back and look on this blog but somewhere around 1 1/2 years, give or take. When I pulled out my knitting bag and saw that I was still on the first sock I decided they needed to be knit and off the needles. I love feather and fan but I didn't really enjoy knitting the pattern in these socks........so glad they're done........

So, a new pair of socks are on the needles and is this color way ever fun. These and another pair in a different color way will be knit as simple socks, as in no patterning. These won't be on the needles as long since I can knit on these even while in the car. These and the other color way in this Regia Fluormania are to be gifts but I'm loving the bright colors so much I might have to buy another skein to knit myself a pair.......how cheery would these be on a dreary winter day.........

On another note - fire season starts tomorrow......we're in our third year of drought......it's going to be another long ugly fire season.........

On the needles.......

I finished knitting a slouch hat the other evening and looking in my knitting bag I found around 1" of this sock on the needles so I pulled it out, figured out what I had done months ago, and got to knitting on it last night. It's a feather and fan pattern, I'm using some Opal yarn from my stash. This may go on the back burner again for a bit as I want to get back to knitting on the felted bag in the evenings and there are a couple shawlettes waiting in the wings..........

Forecast for 107 seems to have been downgraded.......maybe 104 instead........no matter, it's still hot.

On the needles.....

Last night I got some new socks started.....always need a pair  of socks on the needles to grab to work on in meetings or on the go. This is Opal sock yarn, I think the pattern is from the book Socks, Socks, Socks although I can't remember at the moment, it's a simple feather and fan pattern that I wrote down and keep in my sock knitting bag. If anyone is interested in the pattern please let me know and I'll go look it up to make sure that's the book it's out of.

Status quo......

...... for days we've been promised temps would get above freezing, hasn't happened yet, today it was frozen fog with a high of 30. And tonight into tomorrow morning the forecast is for freezing rain.......on top of the snow........that's not melted.......one bit.......just venting.......   

Today I put together more felting kits and got them back up for sale in the etsy shop. After that I started a fire, got disc 3 of The Vikings out of the Netflix envelope and sat down with my knitting. I finished up the first sock, got started on the second, these are to go in Sam's Christmas stocking finished or not.

Irritation of the day - 15 phone calls, only 3 of them from family ( 3 is a lot for me), the rest all recordings.......and most of them while I was deep into watching The Vikings which I kept pausing in order to answer the phone.

Funny of the day - Sam asked me if I'd start up both vans as they're sitting outside the garage in the frigid cold covered in snow, the older one has an old battery too. Old van started a little slow but ok, left it running for a while - the front end is in front of the garage partially under the deck so no need to clean off the front windshield, just the back one. The new van is sitting around front in snowville where the only tracks are Bailey's, mine and assorted wildlife. I started it up, left it running around 15 minutes then went back out to turn it off. Sitting in the front seat with the door open I thought I'd turn on the windshield wipers......a windshield with 6" of snow still on it......can you see what's coming next?!  Yep, before I could shut the door all that snow was pushed off the side right in on top of my lap, in the pockets on the door and all over the floor. I swear Bailey was laughing at me. I hope you got a laugh out of picturing me doing that.........I was happy to share..........