Carpe Diem!

It's an incredibly beautiful fall day today, and I've taken the day off.
Carpe diem! (Seize the day!)


As it's close to the end of the year, it's time to use up those vacation and personal days or lose them!

Here's a picture of a basket which I finished last week. I love the round shape, double rim, and the color, but the rim was a real struggle. It took hours, and some boiling water to shape up this rim.



One of my favorite colors is red, and it's not much of a coincidence that the colors in the basket are similar to the multi-colored yarn selected for these socks.

Rainy Saturday

It's very windy and rainy today; a great day to stay in, snuggle up with a warm afghan, and knit. I started a pair of socks with Cherry Tree Hill, a color called Winterberry. It's made in Vermont, and is 100% superwash merino. Great yarn; it's so smooth and silky. It's a bit pricey, but it takes so many hours to knit a pair of socks, that the quality of the yarn is more important.

Will post sock progress tomorrow, today is for a bit of housework, knitting and, who knows?

Tiger Lily knows just how to spend a day like today. :)

Autumn Saturday

A heavy rain and high winds on Friday blew down many of the beautiful autumn leaves, and today is sunny and cool. The bear which I had photographed on Wednesday was missing something important: a smile! He's looking a good deal better. I'll keep him until I make a few more; one may go to a coworker whose wife is expecting, one to a neice, and the rest to a police program which gives out stuffed animals to children who have experienced trauma. More bears and more knitting (including socks) to follow.

Knitted Teddy Bear

I'm not sure why I knitted this bear. I was planning on starting some socks, until I stumbled upon a cute teddy bear designed by ax174, on her blog, "Blah Blah, Blahhhing". Had a little trouble with the ears (not sure if I did them right), but everything else went well. Great use of scraps of worsted weight yarn, and knits up pretty quickly.

Gotta Love Sundays

It is one of those terrific Sundays! A beautiful, crisp, autumn day. The trees are just beginning to change color here; it's peak color in Northern New England, but it's a few weeks from happening here. It's a relaxing day; time to spend with family, catch up on hobbies (and even housework). Or, perhaps, to loaf around and take pictures of one's socks!



Just finished the red toe-up socks with the cable pattern. It was an interesting new technique. Although I had little difficulty in doing the Turkish cast-on and knitting the toe, the knitting itself was too tight, and off from my usual gauge. Had to tear out the first toe, move up to a larger needle, and the next try was much improved. The heel with the wrapped stitches looked better on the second sock; I think that I'll look for another way to form the heel.


Here's a picture of the first try at the toe and the improved toe:

Socktoberfest Questions

When did you start making socks?
I made my first pair a couple of years ago.


Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I taught myself from free patterns and many tutorials which I found on the internet. Nancy Bush's book, "Knitting on the Road" was a good source for different techniques.


What was your first pair? I used a self-patterning Regia yarn using a free pattern that I found on the internet. It was a cuff-down pair.


How have they "held up" over time? Pretty well; they have been washed and worn many times.


What would you have done differently? The first pair, I changed to stockinette stitch on the cuff. Now I prefer all ribbing on the cuff for a tighter fit. I also prefer cable socks, or socks with ribbing continuing down the top half of the foot.


What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? I've enjoyed Regia, Opal, Cherry Tree Hill, and KnitPicks Essentials. There are so many different brands, and many more to try out!


Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I've never croched socks, but have crocheted afghans. My preferred method of knitting socks is two (16 inch) circulars. Favorite kind of needles are currently KnitPicks. They are so reasonably priced, and I love the points, and everything about the needles. I also have Inox and Addi Turbos.


Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) The flap heel.


How many pairs have you made? It's hard to say; I've made socks for friends and family, and also quite a few pairs for me. A guesstimate would be between twenty and thirty.

First toe-up socks

The yarn and pattern are part of a swap sent by Colleen. Have been busy, and have had little time to work on them. The first toe was too tight; I took it apart and switched to a larger needle and had a better gauge. It's much better to test one's gauge first, but I don't think many knitters actually do. Used the turkish cast-on directions from FluffyKnitterDeb; she has nicely written (and illustrated)directions. Everything progressed nicely until the heel. Not sure yet if I like the wrapping technique to form the heel. I've made so many socks from the cuff down that I didn't even have to think about how they were made. It is a nice break to make some lady's socks with cables, though. Only time will tell if I convert to toe-up socks.


Tiger Lily looks on from the lower deck.