Catching up a bit

Wow, it has been a long time, hasn't it? Well, I have a good excuse, sort of... We moved. Yup, packed up our house and plunked our stuff in another house... and we aren't done yet. We are working on our house and living in temporary quarters, so when our house is ready...
We get to move again!
Sounds fun, doesn't it? Yeah, really, it wasn't.
We also have extra people with us, my parents are now living with us. So... here we are in Podunk, USA and all I can tell you is...
I think I like it.
No, no, I don't have a fever, I'm not delirious. I really do think I like it.
Except that I fell when I took the kids tot he park, I tripped while pushing the little princess on a swing, and I've sprained my wrist, so no knitting for me...
The kids even like school. Except the Little Princess keeps asking why they don't pray at this school. Public school is a far cry from private, Christian School.
I've got no pictures for you, either... Life has been a bit busy since we've moved here to Podunk, I'll try to do better.

Silent too long

Yeah, Life has gotten busy once again and I've neglected my blog. I just can't seem to get used to the kids only being in school half a day. By the time I drop them off and get home, I only have 2 hours to get anything done before I have to leave again to pick them up. I can't believe my kiddos are in Kindergarten! Don't they look cute in their uniforms?

The Little Prince taught himself to read over the summer, so he is bored in school. My Little Princess is beginning to read now, too and she is so proud of herself! They have just started "reading circles" so we should soon know at what grade level they are reading at, but the little prince was reading Aesop's Fables on the way to school the other day.
Oh! Look at their feet in the picture. that girl child is wearing women size shoes already! We think she will be tall like daddy. She certainly has a good foundation.

On the knitting front... I've gotten out my Autumn shawl to work on again. Entrelac is so much fun! I've also been knitting socks for my parents. Even though my dad's feet are smaller than KISA's, I think his socks are taking longer. He likes the cuff tall (7 inches) and I'm carrying the ribbing down the foot because his feet swell. It seems like endless ribbing as a result. I don't have pictures, I need to take some.

Socks - Or, Tight knitter Laments

So.... I decided to start my dad's socks today. I usually have a pair of basic socks going as mindless knitting and we drove out to The Country today to show my parents the "new" house. It's a 2 hour drive one way, so I wanted some mindless knitting for the car... and I ordered a nice LONG KnitPicks needle and I want to wait for it to restart mom's socks, so hey....

Anyway..... Dad's socks.

I'm using a skein of Trekking XXL (Color 102) that I had in my stash. I figure I should get pretty much the same gauge with this Trekking as I did with the Trekking socks I just finished, so I got my socks and my handy dandy knit check (that I can find because a wonderful swap partner attached it to my bag she made me!) and check my gauge...

I used size 2 needles (2.75mm), know what my gague was? 9 stitches to the inch.

Man, I'm a tight knitter!

So I measure dad's ankle. 11 inches.

Yes, I'm knitting socks, for an average size man's foot (his ankles to swell, though, but he wears a size 9.5 shoe) and I STILL had to cast on 100 stitches. I'm getting about 10 rows to the inch and he wants his cuffs about 7 inches.... I only got about 2 inches knit today. Come to think of it... I have 120 stitches in the fingering weight forever socks I'm making for KISA... so dad does have huge ankles, doesn't he?

I think I'm going to give dad a break tomorrow and take mom to dialysis. I can sit and knit, KISA will be home to watch kids (so I get a break from them, too, and KISA gets to spend time with them) and dad gets a break as well....

Hey, it works out for everyone.
I'll try to get pictures later....

Oh, and why am I restarting moms socks? i found a big old hole in the cuff. I'm guessing I dropped a stitch and didn't notice it. I'd finished the gusset and I've decided that I will pull the knitting out to the problem in the cuff and re-knit that sock for me, then restart mom's socks without the purl bumps so I can pattern the sock into the foot for her....

Knits and Purls and Lace, Oh my!

Well, the lace shawl is now at the Texas State Fair waiting judging. I don't expect to win anything, but I so wanted to enter! Plus, now I have an excuse to go look at that section of the fair and skip the auto show that I am forced to see each year because my husband and son enjoy looking at cars. I actually have a picture of my son kissing a vehicle one year from his stroller. We didn't tell him to do it, he just did. If memory serves, it was a pick-up... I'll have to find that picture.

Anyway....
So this is what I'm up to now.... I finished a Lacy Mock Cable sock that I started a year ago. It still needs a mate....
So did I start said mate to sock above?
No.
I started this instead...
It's a ridged feather sock from Sensational Knitted Socks.... it's for my mom. She saw me knitting these socks (below) and wanted some socks, too.... so I took her to the LYS and she picked out some On Line supersocke Cotton Beach color (947) exactly like a skein I have in my stash (it's even the same dye lot!)
So maybe we will have matching socks! I'm using the magic loop on these, and it's my first time knitting socks with ML.
But hey, check it out... 2 pairs of socks and they are both lace!

Oh, yeah, these are the socks mom saw. They are just your basic sock knit with Trekking XXL. I love them, and I think I ahve enough yarn left for a second pair just a tad shorter.Trekking XXL may be my new favorite sock yarn. I wonder how it would look for lace?

See ya later, Grandmother...

This is a picture of my grandparents on their 60th anniversary July 4, 2004. My grandfather, Papa Joe, passed away about 6 months later...
My Grandmother passed away yesterday, although Alzheimer's stole her from us years ago.

So, today, she is reunited with her Joe and and she is with her Lord in Heaven.
Today she can again remember how to do the things she loved to do... Cook, Sew, Quilt, Crochet...
Today, she can remember who she is, and she remembers those she loved.
So, Grandmother, we'll see you when it's our turn, and I hope you'll have some fried pies waiting for us!

Final product

Okay, here it is, off the blocking boards and hanging in my yard. I'm very pleased with this...
So I entered it in the Texas State Fair!


I so don't expect to win, Knitting Rose has entered her Friendship Shawl and surely that will place, its gorgeous.

Here is a close up.

The little princess loves it and wants me to make her one. She is doing well enough knitting, she may be able to make herself one soon!


I'll try not to bore you all with pictures of this again tomorrow....

Block head

Yup, I'm a block head!
I'm blocking my shawl as we speak. it was an interesting undertaking with a very curious 5 year old future lace knitter watching and asking a zillion and one questions (including when I'm going to make HER one! LOL)
But, here is the shawl blocking on the bed.

I think I may need a new outfit to wear this with... and Friday is my 10th anniversary so I may just wear this to our big anniversary bash (AKA going to the movies).

Here is a close up of the motif. I'm not sure If I like it so much because it's my first lace project, because of the colors (these aren't mom's colors so she won't try to steal it from me! HA!) or because of the leaves....


Is it fall yet so I can wear wool?? Oh, no, it's July... in Texas... and triple digit heat!