Whoo Hoo!!!

Late Friday night, I finished the moebius! The weekend being what it is around here-this is my first real opportunity to update the blog. So-I finished with time to spare! A sweater was so totally unreasonable, I get a little woozy thinking about it. I was knitting at stoplights as it was.
I used Brown Sheep's Nature Spun worsted weight for this-I had it in the stash-wish I'd had some sport but, alas. It's a little bulky, but I still really like it. I wore it twice yesterday to church and it is warm and cozy and not so thick that it's aggravating. I did the I-cord with a strand of NS fingering weight and a strand of Katia Ingenua (I think that's what it's called) held together. I like the slight fuzz on the outer edge-very subtle.

I'm re-heeling my crayon regia socks before starting T's brown basics. I should finish this afternoon. Peasant heels are a good thing! Up to this point, I've not done any darning/re-knitting of my hand knit socks. They just got thrown out. I have this weird disconnect with my socks once they are off the needles. I love and wear them, but I somehow forget how long it took to knit them and just toss rather than resurrect them. Something like how mothers forget the agony of childbirth. Only that never happened to me. Somehow it got switched with me and I just got the sock amnesia. Too bad.
I'm also planning some MAJOR knitting on the FLAK-I've really let it go since KO started and am looking forward to seeing some progress. Especially since, even though I knit almost daily, I have zero hand knit sweaters in my possession. I need to get on the ball here.

Edging ahead

I wove the edges of the scarf together last night while trying(not) to watch the Women's Free Skate competition-this may be the reason that the grafting looks a little...odd. I may have lost track a few times. I REALLY wanted to get this done before Saturday, because for some reason I get nothing done Sat. or Sun. This time I have to-'cause I am determined to finish this thing in time!

After listening to a friend rave about the Rosetta Stone language program, I sent off for the demo CD. J and I did a few Spanish lessons (I was pleasantly surprised at how much I remembered) and then I tried Russian. Now that is a whole 'nother ball of wax! Yikes! That shot down my secret ambition of learning it one day. Simply not possible. My gray matter is no longer capable. I was OK until I switched the program over to see the written words as well as hear the native saying them-my brain just seized up totally. Anyway, I'll be sticking with Spanish-maybe French will replace the Russian on my Someday list. That's me-the perpetual student! I simply love learning new things-one of the reasons I enjoy homeschooling so much.

Here, let me help you...

Knitting lessons are harder than I thought-and I was prepared. With that said, they are both doing pretty well. C is doing more sts alone in each session(I'm still holding the yarn) and J started today and worked a few on his own, too. This will really help their fine motor skills! I knit T's washcloth for him last night-he is delighted with all things orange, so it's a big hit.
I read the last of Dee Henderson's O'Malley series yesterday so that derailed my knitting efforts substantially. I had resisted it for almost a week. Real progress! Thank goodness I'm a fast reader. No more novels for a while though-I'm helpless in the face of a good story.
I still have about 10 " left to go on the moebius-should be OK-barring calamity! We'll see how much I can get done tonight.

Maybe one...

I hit 40" last night so I did take a pic-here it is in all it's glory. I tossed it onto the tail flapping dog to give a sense of size. Please disregard the shifting scarf and the feet at the bottom of the shot. Not my best photo.
Since I've spun up all the Romney that I have combed up, I'm back at the purple Colonial. Should finish this bobbin soon!
I've started flipping through the sock binder. Not a good sign. So far, I'm resisting. I keep telling myself only (?) 20" more and then I can edge it and cast on-T's brown Sport and Sock pair is next!
I've pulled out the menus again. I always do when I get into a boring rut. So tonight it's Beef Tips in onion gravy(A Taste of Home recipe), buttered noodles, and peas. Probably a spinach salad, too. Haven't had this lineup in a while. I may make a fudge sauce for some ice cream we've got languishing in the freezer. For some reason no one is eating it-could it be the temps? Oh, well, a hot fudge sauce should take care of it!
C and I started on her washcloth yesterday and, lo and behold, she just ran in with it-guess that's all for today-I have a knitting lesson to give!

Progress

The Moebius is a little over 20" now. There's really no point in posting a pic-it's mind-numbingly boring to look at. I'm starting the second skein today and deciding what sort of yarn I will use to edge it. I'll probably just add a strand of black mohair but I'm still toying with the idea of a multi-colored one just to liven it up a little.
I've been doing some spindle spinning with the Swan in the last few days. I've got some lavendar Romney that I'm working up to knit into socks for C. Spindle spinning is still something I enjoy, even though it bugs my shoulder if I don't take frequent breaks. Better posture would help, I know! I used the Emily and the Bosworth to sample the Polwarth for the FSKAL-the Emily with the carded wool and the Bossie with the combed-pretty interesting results! While the carded was a pain to spin-the Emily was slow enough to yield a fairly consistent yarn overall, while the Bossie was SO fast that although I enjoyed spinning it far more, the resulting yarn was actually not as good. Hmmm. Apparently, I have some work to do in this area. I think I'll set aside a small amount of fiber for spindle spinning once this Polwarth is done-oh, and the Colonial top and the Targhee blend that I ALREADY have going. Uh, huh. I know.

Downsizing

I finished the second CIC sock Sat. morning and now have nothing but the KO scarf and FLAK going. I should keep it that way until the scarf is done, so T's socks are waiting for a couple of weeks. I knit a few rows on my FLAK this weekend and like how it is coming out. I do want to find a quiet moment this afternoon and reverse the center horseshoe on my FLAK back. Something I thought about doing when I began but just plowed ahead...Oh, well-better late than never.
I'm pacing myself with the KO scarf-I figured if I knit 5" a day then I should be OK to meet the deadline. That's a lot of knitting for me-esp with the combing for the FSKAL which I started this AM. I'm combing up 3 bird's nests and then spindling it and comparing the two yarns. Carded? Combed? Which will it be? I'm really not happy about the amount of waste that is coming off the combs but I have a feeling it will be worthwhile.
I took the 3 oldest dc to Hobby Lobby on Sat-they picked out yarn for washcloths not realizing that THEY will be knitting them. Hee Hee. Well, of course I'll do T's for him. And then Mother's Day gifts will be taken care of for about the next ten years! Wouldn't that be great?!? I happen to LOVE knitted dishcloths. I guess I should try to teach them to knit before I get too hopeful...

The beginning

I started the scarf-it's been a busy day here-I had two of my friends over for lunch with their five dc so that swelled the ranks to NINE children in my humble abode. We all had a great time. Talked recipes, cooking, and I don't know what all.
When the dust settled, I got B up from his nap early, sent him off with Mark to the Dr. and sat down to start knitting. I think after 4-5 rows I'm settling into a rhythm-not so many mistakes and tinking back. For some reason I had the hardest time not switching to K1, P1. Weird. Probably all the kid's socks I've been knitting.
For the FSkal-- I've decided in favor of the Polwarth blend, but the sampling revealed that I will be combing the roving before I am able to spin it. I guess I'm hopeless.

Little socks

I'm knitting a pair of CIC socks from the leftovers of C's sweater. I really want to get them finished and T's cast on before the Knitting Olympics begin. The pattern was one I had printed from the Internet years ago but never knit up. The short-row heels were new to me and took two tries to look normal. I'll probably use this heel a good bit now that I've learned how to do it.
I joined the Faroese Shawl KAL since I've wanted to make one FOREVER. I have some Andean Treasure but the color is dark red(Embers) and for some reason I had a white shawl in mind. Kind of like that Merino/Alpaca/Angora/Great Pyr roving in the storage closet. Or maybe the Polwarth/Kid Mohair/Angora-it's a bit whiter in color than the Merino. Hmmm...perhaps a bit of sampling is in order!
The Andean Treasure was originally bought for a Pi are Squared shawl but then I changed my mind and decided a scallop stitch cardi might be better-don't really wear shawls THAT much, really only for church-but I'm still not sure. I do really like that shawl, and I'm afraid a cardi in 100% alpaca would stretch out in time. A nice dark red shawl might be just right for snuggling up with a good book. Right now, I'm still using that pathetic acrylic afghan I made way back when-before I discovered the joys of wool and became a fiber snob :~)
I'll be pondering these things while I knit the moebius for the Knitting Olympics! I haven't even started swatching!
I'm off to finish these socks...

Finished!

I stayed up until 1 am last night finishing C's sweater. I was less than thrilled with the finished piece, so I redid the neck. It was a bit too tight. I wish I had spaced the seed stitch stripes out more on the body-it would be a bit more interesting visually. Otherwise, it's fine-a good casual sweater. She's delighted with it.

I did a little combing this morning. More of the Corriedale from Wooly Acres and some Romney that I bought at SAFF a couple of years back and dyed it with Kool-Aid. I have no idea how I got that shade. Probably a little Cherry/Berry Blue combination. That's what I buy the most.

I got some more cookbooks from my extended family. I love their minimalist ways. I'm especially excited about the old Betty Crocker and Good Housekeeping ones-oh, and the Taste of Georgia looks great, too. Any local Junior League type cookbook where the names of the contributors(after the recipe) are listed like...
Mrs. Ray Sewell(Edith)
...is sure to be a hit with me. Women who weren't afraid of being known as Mrs. Bill Smith are probably a good example to follow in the housekeeping dpt. These women don't need to watch shows like How to Boil Water. I'll bet they even wash their walls and ceilings. Definitely going to try some of those recipes.

A little poetry

A Mother's Prayer

I wash the dirt from little feet, and as I wash I pray,
"Lord, keep them ever pure and true to walk the narrow way."

I wash the dirt from little hands, and earnestly I ask,
"Lord, may they ever yielded be to do the humblest task."

I wash the dirt from little knees, and pray "Lord, may they be
the place where victories are won, and orders sought from Thee."

I scrub the clothes that soil so soon, and pray, "Lord may her dress
Throughout eternal ages be Thy robe of righteousness,"

E'er many hours shall pass, I know, I'll wash these hands again;
And there'll be dirt upon her dress before the day shall end.

But as she journey's on through life and learns of want and pain,
Lord, keep her precious little heart cleansed from all sin and stain;

For soap and water cannot reach where Thou alone can'st see.
Her hands and feet, these I can wash-I trust her heart to Thee.

B. Ryberg