Work in Progress

My brain is only half working I'm fighting a cold but thought I would blog while I had a minute. Time is ticking away till Micheal leaves 3 1/2 weeks till he ships out. All I know is that the house will be quite. I don't think I'm ready for that. Chris isn't home all that much he is working more and more. He just got a part time job painting, he will paint in the evenings and on weekends. This shop doesn't do as many cars as Collision 1 that why it will be part time.

Tony is still working on the restaurant deal, he is going to the bank today or tomorrow. So we will see what happens next. I just wish it would go faster. I know its a long process that has to be done one step at a time I just want to see him at work. He is getting stressed out over this long process. In case I didn't mention it, the restaurant's name is "The Nuthouse Grill" located in Lynden. You can find it here: http://www.nuthousegrill.net/ you can see their menu and a little bit about the business. So this has been what he has been working on. I just wish it would go faster.

My knitting has not been good at all the last few day. I get a few rows done and then I have to rip them out again. But before I got sick I was working on Gentleman Carlos, a sock for Carlos, using a Nancy Bush pattern. I've done pretty good on it even if it feel like the foot will never end. He wears a size 10 shoe, so according to the charts I have to 10 3/4" so that's not that much larger then my foot but it's bigger around. It seem like its taking forever. I have a close up of the stitch pattern, for me this is my vanilla sock pattern its just enough to keep my mind from going numb and not getting bored with straight stockinette.

I recast on the Copper Penny socks for Amanda but I don't have enough done to show the patern so I will knit faster and have something to show later. Well I best be going and try to get some work done around the house before I have the need for a nap. My head is feeling larger by the minute.

So keep those feet warm and those sticks aclickn'.

Happily knitting socks, Bye.

What's Up in My Life.

Hello one and all, I know my blogging has been bad as of late but it's not all my fault, my cousin, whom shall remain nameless, has gotten into facebook. And I'm spending to much time there. Then there is Ravelry, my knitting, e-mails, the job and my family. I can't wait to tell her that there's not enough time in the day to do it all.

My knitting is coming along slowly, but it not all that slow. I'm working on a test knit for Woolgirl and Miss Babs that has to be done fast. So that is what I've been working on. The socks for Amanda where down 5 inches and I discovered it was too small to the frog pond and start all over. I went up a half size in my needles and added 8 stitches. I'm only 2 inches into it this time.
Carlos' socks are about 3" I needed mindless knitting I'm using Gentleman's Fancy Socks by Nancy Bush out of her book Vintage Socks.
I have also been asked to test knit for Emily again. I knit her pattern "Boo Sock Toe-up". This time around it will be cuff down and cables. I am really enjoying cables it sounds crazy but my last few socks that I have done as test knits have been cables. But in honesty I love cables once I figure out which is left and right for the needle. I really should learn how to knit without the cable needle. Life would be so much easier.

For the family: Micheal's time at home is going fast but trust me he is driving me CRAZY. Sometimes I wish he would ship out that day but I would miss him. We have stopped our nightly talks he's never at home, he's at the gym. He decided he needed to get into shape before ship out date. Plus he will get a promotion if he works out and can pass some sort of test.
Chris is still Chris but no more It. I hope. Things just came to a head and he couldn't take it anymore. All his friends couldn't stand her and continued to tell him. His family disliked her and didn't want her around so then he could talk to us because she didn't want to be bashed from us. I guess if she would have been more of a human we would have liked here better. Chris seems much happier now and is home more and is trying to figure out what its like to be home again and to have a life.
Tony is still unemployed his favorite saying lately is "I want a job" "I want to work" it's getting old too. Things with the restaurant seems to be going right along and he seems happy with that. But he still want a job. I told him to go and volunteer his time it would at least get him out of the house and my hair. I'm getting to hate my day's off people are under foot and I can't get work done and then they yell at me when I sit and knit.
Me, well I'm still working this month has been quite but at least I'm still working. My knitting is coming along as I've said. I want to organize my yarn one of these days. I'm still making Knitting bags and have to set up an Etsy site so I can sell them. I've got them in all different sizes.
This month is sock club month and yarn is coming into the house slowly. I am in several sock clubs. Woolgirl Sock Club which I have been in since the beginning is a great club I love the yarn choices she picks out and all the extras are beyond words. I made it into the Loopy Ewe Sock Club, it was a fluky thing, Shair has a lottery for spots in the club, so you know me why not. I got in I couldn't believe it. I've heard great things about the club and she gets different Indy dyers just like Woolgirl. I am also in Hazel Knits Sock Club, its Wendee's first sock club and Gena, my sister, and I have been waiting for this one. I got my first shipment today and WOW. I'm so glad we did this one. I am also getting from Woolgirl her "Wizard of Oz" series kits. They are great kits and I love the yarn, this next kit is Glenda the Good Witch. I will post all the pictues at one time for all these kits.
Now I just need the time to knit I swear there just isn't enough hours in the day to knit. Why o why do I have to work I would love to sit and knit all day. I would have to turn off my computer but I would I promise. But to sit and knit and knit and knit. Maybe one day.
So keep your feet warm and those sticks aclickn'.
Happily knitting socks, Bye

My Knitting

Thought I better give an update on my knitting. I have been working on the rest of my Christmas socks for the crew. I now have just 3 pairs to go and I want to get them done. I have a pair of socks to make for Amanda, she picked out this yarn: it is from LoneSome Stone Yarn their Mountain Feat, Shades of Plum a very soft Superwash Merino Wool. I think I'm going to use a patten out of Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn, Copper Penny Socks by Nancy Bush. The socks begin with part of a simple lace pattern from an Estonian knitting book, adding seed stitch columns between the lace. It has a half-handkerchief heel shaping and a French toe shaping. It also uses a double-start method, I don't know what that is but at least I will be learning something new.I have to make a pair of socks for Carlos, I had to go out and buy yarn. His favorite color is in the blue family and I need yardage. So off the Apple Yarn Store in Bellingham to search. I found this yarn from Cascade yarns Heritage Hand Painted Sock Yarn, 75% Merino Superwash and 25% Nylon, color 9825 its a soft blend of blues and purple blended it looks really nice so I hope this works out. The yardage is 437 yards. As for a pattern I don't know yet what I'm going to use, maybe you all could give me an idea, just leave a quick comment. I don't want to do a plain vanilla sock, I would like some pattern to it just to keep it interesting I have to make a size 10 men's.

Then for the last pair of socks I haven't picked out the yarn but I thought about doing a stripped sock of some sort. I have lots of self stripping yarn that needs to be used.

I have finish this pair of socks for Debbie, The Rapunzel's Braid. The new owner loves her new socks. I love how they turned out. I did change the pattern slightly by changing the heel to a partridge heel instead of the slip stitch heel. Other then that the socks are to pattern. This a great pattern and it is well written Thank you Ruth.

I have several request for more socks from the crew. One of the girls what me to make her two more pairs so she can send the to Guatemala to her family. Someone else will pay me to make her freind a pair, don't people know that they can't pay me to make them, I make them out of love.

Micheal is now in the Army, he has changed his job that he was going to do. He found out that he is color blind so that let means he can't be a mechanic, a handyman or in the infantry, which is good to me. He is going to be a MP, I can't see him being a Policeman but that was one of the only or a short list of jobs that he could do. He will be shipping out on March 19 and be heading for Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. It is a fort just for military police.

Well it's getting to be a long post and I have to get back to my knitting, I'm almost done with the test knit that I was working on a while back.

So keep your feet warm and those sticks aclickn'.

Happily knitting socks. Bye.

Did You Know

What do you know about the yarn you are using? I love the feel of Merino wool, it's so soft and knits up so well. I does feel good on my feet. So I thought I would research and spend some time on From Sheep to My Foot. What I didn't realize was how much there was so it will take sometime to go through all that I have learned. I wish I could work with the wool to yarn to learn first hand what it is to make yarn. So here goes.Merino

The Merino is the most economically influential breed of sheep in the world prized for its wool. Superfine Merino's are regarded as having the finest and softest wool of any sheep. That is why we love it on our feet, for its softness.

Merino wool is finely crimped an soft. Staples (pieces) are commonly 2.5 - 4 inches long. A good quality Peppin Merino ram produces up to 18kg. Basic Merino types include: strong(broad) wool 23 - 24 micrometre, (a micrometre, to express the diameter of a wool fiber, the lower microns are the finer the fibers. Fiber diameter is the most important characteristic of wool is deterring its greasy value.) Medium wool is 19.6 - 22.9 micron, fine 18.6 - 19.5 micron, superfine 15 - 18.5 micron, ultra fine 11.5 - 15 micron. Ultra fine wool is suitable for blending with other exclusive fibers such as silk and cashmere.

The term Merino is widely used in the textile industry. But in the dress goods and knitting trades the term "Merino" still implies an article made from the very best soft wool.

In Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the western United States where sheep are bred for their wool rather than their mutton, Merino sheep dominate. Australia produces about 80% of the world's Merino wool. Merino is an excellent forager and very adaptable. It is bred predominantly for its wool, and its carcase size is generally smaller than that of sheep bred for meat.

Well that a little bit on the merino sheep. Now I have to go back to reasearch To learn about sheering. Till next time.

Warm Weather and Life

Not much has been happening around here. The sun is shinning today and I got a picture of an Eagle that has been roosting in the Maple tree. This morning there was 3 birds sitting there. They look so majestic, it is a sight to see I never get tired of seeing them or hearing the sounds they make.

I have noticed that the daffodils are coming up so it looks like maybe spring is on its way. It always make me feel good. The next sign I look for is the green on the raspberries then I know that spring is really here. So hurry up spring and get here. I am so ready for the sun and a little bit more warmth.

Tony been working on the roof, with the big Northeast winds we were having a lot of the shingles blew off and he replaced some and then they blew off. So he was up working doing what ever a guy does on the roof just so it won't leak. He is still not working and is going stir crazy, want to do something but doesn't know what to do.

Micheal has decided to join the Army and will be going down to Seattle on Sunday to take the test and physical. He will be sign his contract for 4 years and has decided he want to learn to be a handy man, so if you have something broken we will know who to call. He will ship out the first part of March to do his basic training, 9 weeks, in Jacksonville NC and then he will go straight to training, for 12 weeks in I don't remember. He will get to come home then for 2 weeks. I guess we will all have to say a little pray for him to get through all that. We here all support him in his decision I know it wasn't an easy one for him. Abby's not 100% behind him and has been givig him a lot of grief. But he can't find a job so this was a choice he has made.

The other morning I had to run back into the house to take this picture and that is what I'm going to leave you with. So have a great week and I be back later, keep your feet warm with wool socks and keep those sticks aclickn'.

Happily knitting sock, Bye.