The sock situation

The sock situation here is what the Brits would call dire.

Well, I think it is, anyways. Maybe it's really the sock-desire situation, or the sock-yarn-stash situation.

Let me elaborate.

• I have one pair of socks almost done, and that is a good thing, as there is a special date associated with them, but I can't tell you more about that right now.
• I have another pair of socks mostly done (a heel and a foot to go). This pair was started months and months ago, and really, let's get on with it.
• I have obtained yarn for three more pairs in recent days... and I already had too much sock yarn! I want to use some gaudy stuff to make plain socks, and some plain stuff to make lace or cable or some nice patterned socks, and I have a bunch of yarn and a bunch of patterns and not enough time.
• It takes me a long time to make socks, unless I just plow on, neglecting everything else, and there are other things I want to knit, too!
  
• Okay, I'll end this bullet list, now, and show you a picture.

I could have taken this picture on any recent sunny day, but now it is grey and damp out. I even had to put a plastic bag down under the yarn on the table.

(I'm not complaining really, as it is warm, and the ice is slowly slowly melting, and I have seen green things, in other people's gardens.)

Whatever... The pink I got from Haley, and will become socks for Elaine one day. The others I got in a swap from Heather, and I really want to knit up the rocking multicolour one at the top.

This was meant to be the year of socks for me, but I have, you know, other things to do as well. For example, the Felted Tweed is now in a big laundry basket in the living room, staring at me whenever I pass by.

Me and moss

I've always liked moss, you know...

Here's some moss and grass from the West Coast of BC.

Here's some from Mull, off the west coast of Scotland.

Wouldn't you love a shawl that looked like that!?

And here's some of my mossy wool!

For more on moss, you can check out today's London Daily Nature Photo, for moss on a lovely rock with pinky orangey purply black and white bits...

Vesuvio in the snow, and other things

February and March have been the months of fire in this year's version of Project Spectrum. I have not really been paying attention, but when we flew out west, I took this funny stretchy wool (the red is even called Vesuvio -- how's that for fiery?) that I got long ago when Mary Mary Quite Contrary was getting rid of yarn.

I used a lot of the yarn she gave me for charity blankets and this red and black vest was destined to be sent to Zimbabwe, but Elaine may have claimed it! It's a tad short on her, but being made of super stretchy yarn, it'll fit around anyone... It may yet get in the box, but I've decided to make a simple vest of my leftovers of Denim, just in case!

Not very exciting so far, is it?

It's going to have a bit of garter stitch checked texture on the front, but otherwise just straight stocking stitch. I have only a few balls, so I'll do what I can. A few stripes of lighter denim may find their way in.

Wait and see....

I've been working on the ribbed socks with the Kaffe Fassett yarn. One down, one barely started, and there is in fact a deadline on these babies. There's nothing like a sock-knitting deadline to get one thinking of other projects...

I got started with the Felted Tweed, on the cardigan with wacky stripes. The original has mohair and angora bits, and I did think of getting some fuzz to add in, but decided this was not the occasion for getting yet more yarn! There are stripes of garter chevrons, stocking stitch chevrons, and some multicoloured straight bits.


I ... don't like it.... I don't know if it's the colours together, or the tweediness/texture thing, or what. But last night I saw this great shawl at Mustaa Villaa, and I'm thinking a lot about that! I think great spreads of these colours would be better than the bitsy-ness of this sleeve.

Ah well, finally both kids are back in school after March Break, so I have time to, you know, get the kitchen straightened up and the towels washed and maybe a bit more knitting now and then!

Happy eggs

We don't do much about Easter here, but we do like our brightly coloured eggs!

And some of the weekend's other activities include bike riding and ice bashing.

Both at once!

Note the sunny side of the street, in Elaine's picture, and the shady side of the street, where Arthur is bashing!

The northerners will get crocuses and snowdrops and even daffodils, long before the ice is gone from our front yard.

But we get a nice shady porch in the blistering heat of August.

If we last that long...

And the socks go on

The blue socks are on the go again.

I've turned the heel and just have the (enormous) foot to go.

It was nice and sunny yesterday, with clean white snow for a photo background, but I neglected to take a picture till it was dark, so you get the indoor flash shot. Today is also sunny, but still below freezing and I'm blogging in my jammies here.

I'll knit some more and get another picture when I have more to show.

Knitting coral

I'm sure some of you will already know about this if you are on the same mailing list as I am... I think it's a remnant of the Knitted Wedding! In any case, I got this notice today from Rachael Matthews and thought it was very cool, although I am not in England to participate.

Dear Knitters,

You are all invited to participate in an exciting
project to be
displayed at the Southbank Centre, London, this
summer.

The Crochet Coral Reef is the brain child of
Margaret and Christine
Wertheim, co-directors of the Institute for Figuring
in LA. Crochet
and coral are the only ways to explain hyperbolic
space, a very new
discovery, and possibly the construction of the
whole universe.

I am not going to attempt to describe to you how and
why, because
Margaret and Christine explain it so beautifully on
their website
http://www.theiff.org where you can learn about
plant life, maths,
space, and follow their easy crochet patterns.

This project also raises awareness about how sick
our coral reefs are.

The Crochet reef is currently showing at The
Chicago Cultural
Centre, but the London Reef will be exhibited in the
main foyer of
the Royal Festival Hall from Wednesday 11th June -
Sunday 17th August
2008.
The thing is....WE HAVE TO MAKE IT FIRST!
Everyone can join this project and make some sort of
coral. Remember
no two plants are the same and there are NO RULES!
Any yarn, any size
and any colour is fine. The Southbank will be
holding crochet circles
through the summer and check the Prick Your finger
events page for
free workshops. The deadline for your named
contributions is 2-8pm on
Tuesday 6th May 2008 in the White Room, Spirit
Level, Royal Festival
Hall, or post to Cathy Woolley , Learning and
Participation,
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX or deliver
it to Prick Your
Finger. For a contribution form, e-mail
ukreef@southbankcentre.co.uk. or pick one up from
PYF.

And for tips on knitting with plastic bags (much
encouraged) go to
http://prickyourfinger.blogspot.com and we will show
you an easy way
to chop them up.

LETS MAKE IT HUGE! I'll send you more info as I
receive it.

Love Rx

Party time

I have just returned from the parental homestead, where we celebrated a bunch of birthdays, but mainly my dad's 90th! Actually, his 89 and 11/12ths, but what the heck. Other recent birthdays include Arthur's and mine!

Arthur and I flew out of here on Friday morning but my brother had to wait till that evening, when he got stuck due to a wee bit of a snow storm, and a wee bit of traffic problems on the 401. I think they arrived at the airport about 3 hours after their plane left... This provided great entertainment for the westerners as Toronto's crazy weather is always interesting when you've shed your winter coat and the sun is shining!

I have a nephew I haven't seen in ages, and he brought 4 of his daughters, who provided a bunch of craziness for Arthur. The poor boy would have been lost and adrift without some little girls to hang out with, at the party and in the hotel pool!

And, while watching the Food network at night in the hotel, I finished the 2-row scarf. A bit short, a bit scratchy. Photo by Arthur, naturally.

Now to find some groceries, do some laundry, look at the snow... Ah, speaking of groceries, we learned about the bakery in Castlegar where you can buy chocoladehagel! And we got ourselves some, and some vruchtenhagel, too! It's our cultural heritage, so, absolutely necessary! For the kids, you know....

March goals

I guess it's time to get a bit organised again here. Who knows what I thought I would be knitting, but the truth is, I've got so far off track, I'll just make it up new now.

I do have 2 pairs of socks on the needles. I am going away for a few days and will take one of them with me, but I am not confident that I'll get a lot done. The ol' wrist is still not perfect and tiny dpns are a bit challenging. (When the smoke clears, I will ask the doc about physiotherapy, because having a semi-functional right hand is a real nuisance.)

Although I'm not doing much with sock needles, I have been knitting up a storm with the leftovers of the birthday sweater. Many half-balls of lite Lopi and scraps of Kureyon were left, and while the blues and browns have been mitered, though not yet felted, the greens have become a scarf.

Yes, I know I have more than enough scarves, and yes, I know this is not the softest yarn to have around one's neck. What the heck, it's pretty, and I'll think of something to do with it. Wash it in Eucalan and give it to someone who needs it. And when I am done, there will be no piece of Kureyon longer than a foot or so in the house. I bought some of this stuff in 2001! I wish that dark green didn't just happen to meet up with the brown there, but I ain't ripping this out to rearrange it!

Other things under consideration: I'll take some of the red yarn I used for the lacy scarf and the pattern for a "head snug" on this trip and see what comes of it. I'm a bit leary of gauge here, but we'll give it a whirl. Maybe I'll even take other red yarn, and pay attention to Project Spectrum!