The Forty-Five Dollar Socks

My friend gave me a pattern that was published by a yarn company. Had I bought that brand of yarn (Opal) I would not be in this mess. But instead I purchased a hank of Koigu in an awesome color. I naively thought I could knit two socks with one skein. Wrong!

I realized I would need another skein so I went back to purchase a second skein and the store was out of the color. Then, after I turned the heel, I realized I wouldn’t even finish one sock with one skein so I would need a total of…THREE.

The owner of Yarnin’ Around in Gresham found two skeins at a store in Ashland and kindly ordered them for me. I reimbursed her plus shipping and handling. First skein = $12.25. Two more @13.00 = $26.00. Shipping = $7.00. TOTAL = $45.25.

I will finish these and wear them every day for the rest of my life.

Giant Granny

As I may have mentioned, I can’t read crochet patterns and I don’t know one stitch from another. But I can make a Granny Square. If I don’t think about it. Once I get going, I can’t stop or I’ll forget what I’m doing and I won’t be able to start again. So instead of an afghan made of lots of squares sewn together, I have one GIANT Granny Square. Pretty cool, though?

Yarn Yoga Challenge Swatch

Here is the pattern for the Challenge Swatch due February 19, 2007. The challenge is there is no photo so you won’t know if you are doing it correctly or not. Good Luck!!!!

Tweeded Mock Ribbing

Cast on a multiple of two stitches using size 8, 9 or 10 needles and any worsted weight yarn.

Row 1: *wyib sl 1 purlwise, k1, yo, psso: Repeat from * to end of row.
Row 2: purl

Secret Code:
(If you don’t understand this…check out a stitch dictionary or look in Stitch ‘n Bitch for directions.)

wyib: with yarn in back
sl 1 purlwise: slip stitch as if to purl but don’t
yo: yarn over
psso: pass slip stitch over

Circle of One

Here are some comments on knitting from my book, Down Home Musings. This is the still-not-finished afghan I mention.

Today is cool…a faux Fall day. There’s a nice breeze here on the porch, and I am sittin’ and knittin’ and enjoying the peaceful morning. When I stay still I have some avian visitors. Louie and Winkie are the pair of cardinals that make their home here, and they come to the feeder several times a day. Knitting is a quiet activity and does not seem to disturb them. In the spring, I leave scraps of colorful yarn out for them to put in their nest. (That little spot of day-glo orange helps me locate the nest among the branches.)

You might think that knitting is an “old lady” thing to do. I am an old lady…but actually I have been knitting since I was a small child. My Aunt Clara used to come from her home in Chicago to visit us each summer and she always had her knitting with her. She gave me my first pair of needles and started me on a craft that has provided me hours of pleasure.

I love the feeling of soft yarn sliding through my fingers, the joy of watching the stitches come off the needle and become a garment, the sense of accomplishment when I am finished. The rhythm of knitting soothes my soul and settles me down when I am over-whelmed by life and its responsibilities. There is always a project in the basket beside my chair and I can pick it up and knit for a few minutes or an hour or an afternoon. It’s portable and goes with me when I travel (although I can no longer take the needles on the airplane).

I do other fiber work as well. Crocheting, needlepoint, weaving. But knitting remains my stalwart best friend. It has brought me hours of entertainment and satisfaction, and I hope the things I have made have been useful to those who received them. I tried to organize a group here in town to meet at the library and knit shawls for cancer patients or blankets for the homeless. No one was interested. “Too busy.” “Too hot.” “Better things to do.” “Don’t know how.” “Not in a rocking chair yet!”

So I am my own “circle of one” here on my porch. I feel a sense of communion with other women elsewhere who enjoy this craft, and I am grateful for the happiness it provides me. I sent a shawl to my friend in Maine who has terminal cancer. She says it gives her comfort and she thinks of me when she wraps herself in it. Today I am working on a multi-colored striped afghan to use up some scrap yarn I found when I cleaned out my storeroom. It will be a bright spot next winter and remind of these days on the porch. Maybe help me find my own nest.

Bag Lady in Training

This photo speaks for itself. This is Skye Louise the little kitten adopted from the Shelter last November. She is growing into a beautiful cat with an engaging personality. She loves to steal my knitting needles. Do you think I should make her a bed?

Bag Ladies Rule!

Yesterday I acquired yet another bag in which to tote my knitting about. This one is a gift from Time magazine as a bonus for renewing my subscription. It looks to be just the right size for the Copper Afghan. Red and black. Kinda squarish. Zipper side pockets. Large zipper opening on top. This makes something like eleven dozen bags of varying sizes and shapes and functions that I use to contain my projects and keep them ready to grab-and-go at a moment’s notice.

There is a bag for all seasons, a tote for all reasons. Big and small, roomy and cramped. Filled with pockets and zippers and buckles. Some people have stashes of yarn or fabric. I have a Stash of Bags!

Mostly I want these for knitting projects. But I also use them for my “Activity Kit.” This is the stuff I want to take with me whenever I go anywhere that might involve waiting or down time. Riding on the Max for example, or waiting at the vet’s. In my Kit you will find a knitting project (small), a paperback book, a Sudoku puzzle book, pen, pencil with eraser, notepad, granola bar. This is in addition to the bag that serves as my “purse” which contains all manner of necessities along with my cell phone.

I became a Bag Lady when I lived in San Francisco and didn’t have a car. Riding the Muni taught me how to travel light but with everything I might need in case I was stuck somewhere for a long period of time. I continue the tradition to this day.

Missin’ My Sis

During that last year of her life, we did quite a bit of knitting and crocheting and needlepointing, and those items are treasures now. We found a knit/crochet pattern for a shawl at Pacific Five & Dime on Irving in San Francisco. I knit a brown triangular shawl and she crocheted a red one. Then we gave them to each other. When I toss this shawl around my shoulders I feel her love even after all these years. She died in 1984. I don’t know what happened to the brown one I made. Her daughter-in-law might have it.