I'm Easy To Spell

My son brought some schoolwork home from school the other day. There was one paper, his writing practice, that said, simply, "I like my mom."

I was, predictably, very touched by this. I swept him up in my arms, and expressed my delight in his writing. "Oh, I like you, too!" I said enthusiastically. "And look at how carefully and neatly you wrote this!"

He smiled broadly, "Well, I didn't know how to spell 'ice cream,' so I just said I liked you. I could spell that!"

Rather than being properly deflated, I accepted my fate as being second-best to ice cream and easy to spell, and got even with him, the lazy-knitter's way. I cast on zero-effort stripey socks for my boy. It's Socktober, after all, and my Through the Loops Mystery Socks are too tight and the cable pattern requires too much attention during post-season baseball. I needed an easy sock, an instant gratification sock, and I can use the ugliest, cheapo stuff out of the sale bin (and only one skein needed for a pair for a small boy!), and crank out a pair of socks in a matter of days. No fancy yarn, no fancy pattern. Nothing. I don't even bother to match the stripes. So there, kid. Take that, Mr. Easy-to-Spell.

Simple socks, details on Ravelry.

So I get a simple declaration of love to cherish forever, along with a funny anecdote, an enjoyable knitting project, and an all-around great kid. He gets a new pair of socks, and the Mom who makes them. I think it's a fair deal.

A Swirl Cap

How do you thank someone for rescuing you from the blue screen of death? Why, knit him a blue swirl cap! This was a quick knit for Jorge while he was retrieving data and upgrading our hard drive. He deserves much, much more.

Pattern: Improvised on the needles
Yarn: Cashsoft Baby DK and Cashcotton DK
Needles: US5s and US6s


Notes: This is an adult medium cap -- not quite covering the ears. I cast on 120 sts using a 2 color long-tail CO method. I think the effect of the 2 color CO might be lost due to some curling at the bottom, but I do so love this CO. Here is a video tutorial for all those who don't already know this CO. It includes instructions for a rather clever braid as well.



I used a semi-corrugated rib (inspired by the Anemoi Mittens) for the brim:
Round 1: k 1 round CC
Round 2 - 6: [k2 MC, p1 CC]


I then proceeded to work 5 repeats of rows 5 through 29 this spiral chart followed by knitting 1 round MC. (If you use the spiral chart, the brown squares are CC, the white are MC.)

I didn't want to end the colorwork there, so I continued with ... are you ready for this? ... a "lice" pattern for the top of the head. Appropriate for XRK, no? The pattern is simple and I wanted to start my crown decreasing in the 3rd row of the pattern. So the crown looks something like this (white squares are CC, grey squares are MC):



For the double decrease, I used sl2tog, k1, psso. Therefore, round 36 would read as follows:
Knit 10; slip 2 stitches together knitwise, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over; knit 11.



Round 56 is k2tog all around.
I don't always like colorwork in DK weight, preferring sportweight or sockweight yarns, but the softness of the yarns and the quickness of the project won me over!

The Backbou as a reluctant model.

Comfort

I'm going to be honest and tell you that my September pretty much sucked. I am not one of those super-controlling Moms (really, I'm not), but I find it difficult to release my children to the big bad world of elementary school. I prefer them in my supportive and accepting bubble of Mom-Love. And since my firstborn takes a long time to warm up to new situations, there's always a long period of Getting Used To It that requires a lot more Mom-Love and Mom-Listening and Mom-Deep-Breathing than the usual amount. Throw in a case of Back-to-School head lice (yep, it seems the buggers really like us XRK families), car batteries dying at very inopportune moments, serious overscheduling, colds and allergies, the collapse of the American economy, and a flooded laundry room, and I was so ready to see the end to the month of September.

I was ready for some comfort, and thanks to my husband and his Jewish traditions, this week brought us Rosh Hashanah. I needed to celebrate a New Beginning. I needed to ask for blessings for a sweet new year, and I needed matzo ball soup, challah and a big hunk of Aunt Cookie's kugel. Mr S's Aunt Cookie makes the most astoundingly good kugel. It is sweet and delicious and incredibly fatty and decadently comforting. And it makes total sense, since Aunt Cookie herself is among the most gentle, comforting people I have ever had the privilege to know. I've never shared a recipe here before, but I do believe I owe the world the chance to eat Aunt Cookie's Kugel. It's a basic noodle pudding recipe. I've slightly modified the recipe that appeared in her synagogue cookbook (I xeroxed it in full years ago) to make it slightly less fatty and to reduce the overall size of the dish.

Aunt Cookie's Kugel
This recipe is easily doubled and it is not necessary to be exact about the quantities. It's comfort food.)

4 oz wide egg noodles (I use Manischewitz brand, and I basically use about 3/4 of the bag)
1/4 lb cottage cheese (I use low-fat, but Aunt Cookie never would)
1/4 lb cream cheese (see above)
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick of butter (or less, but don't skimp here)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
optional: 1/3 cup of either/all: golden raisins, dried figs, dried apricots

Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles and drain. Add any dried fruits to the warm noodles. In a separate bowl, cream cheeses together. Add sugar, milk, eggs, and vanilla to the cheeses. Add noodles and fruit to the cheese mixture. Generously coat bottom and sides of a baking dish (probably 8x8 or thereabouts) with butter. Add the noodle/milk mixture, and dot the top with more butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for about 1 hour, until the milk sets and the top begins to brown slightly.

After a meal like that, with candles and prayers and the most comforting of foods, things began to look up. The calendar page turned from September to October. The Phillies are still playing baseball, and the first brisk days of fall are upon us. I finally got to pull out the wool sweaters. The latest, most comfortingly warm and perfect is Pam's February Lady Sweater, knit with Louet Riverstone yarn. Seriously, I love this sweater. I finished it ages ago, and it has been slung over the chair on the bedroom, waiting to be worn. The length is perfect, the fit is great, and the yarn was a great match. I raveled it here if you want details on my mods, which were minimal.

October will be better, I'm sure of it.

Welcome Lyra!

After almost a month without internet or email, I'm back. Our computer, pushed to the edges of it's capacity, gave us the big blue screen and was resistant to our meager efforts to repair it. Enter Jorge, the talented and clever, and husband to Kindnessgirl. As Jorge awaited the arrival of child number four and began a new demanding job, he parked our computer on their dining room table and worked to get us up and running in his "spare time." Isn't that just incredible?

Now our computer is not just running again but better, faster, stronger. And most importantly, baby Lyra has now joined us.

Here is the sweater for Lyra ...


Pattern: Busy Lizzy by Louisa Harding from Tadpoles and Tiddlers (Rowan)
Yarn: Louet Gems, Fine/Sport Weight, Goldilocks and leftovers from a BSJ
Needles: US 2s and 3s


I modified a number of things on this sweater, I'm not even sure I remember all the changes I made. I knit the body together, dividing for the sleeves, and then grafted at the shoulders to avoid any bulk from seaming. This made the colorwork easier and more continuous without any nasty seams to break it up.


I knit the sleeves in the round on dpns then seamed them into the round openings. I am moving away from seaming whenever I can (I'm with Anne Marie -- avoid seams whenever possible). I found the stitch count for the sleeves to be way off and increased to only 57 sts instead of 67. Also, I am in love with the smocking stitch. It has stretch and texture and is just a joy to knit.

This yellow is the truest to actual color.

And the button. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know where it's from via The Yarn Lounge. I love that it matches the flowers (I didn't pick the button until after I had knit the sweater!).


Louet Gems may just become my go-to-yarn for baby things. It's a bit splitty, but finishes so smoothly, shows colorwork and texture well, comes in great colors (this yellow, Goldilocks, is fabulous), and is machine washable and dryable.

So welcome Lyra! We're all so glad you've joined us on this big blue ball we call home!

Knitwear Smackdown: The Marital Version

I thought I'd interrupt the cavalcade of FO posts to get your input about the current sweater on the needles, the Counterpane Pullover.

I love it. I loved it when it came out in the magazine, and I love it now. I think it is Twinkle-esque, Anthropologie-ish, and has the potential to be a really interesting but wearable garment. The construction is simple and unique, and the central motif is striking. Bulky-weight sweaters are very chic right now, and in cream colored yarn, I think it has a classic yet stylish feel.

My husband, on the other hand, is seriously dubious. He thinks its going to look lumpy and, well, bulky. He thinks it's putting a giant X across my bust, or worse, giant flower petals directly on the girls, in a bad way. For a man who rarely expresses anything but encouragement about my knitwear, this was a vociferous objection.

After looking at a couple of FOs on Ravelry, I think it is a really flattering garment when knit with negative ease, so I am knitting the smallest size, placing the central motif so that it sits more below my bustline, and am modifying the sleeves to make them a bit smaller. I don't often take fashion advice from my husband, but I am just not so sure anymore. I am a small person, and have always shied away from knitting bulky sweaters. This sweater will never qualify for nomination for the Sexy Knitters Club, but for a warm winter sweater, I think it will be funky.

Pepe, by the way, thinks it's awesome.

I just don't know!!! Any input?

Cardigan Catch-Up

Here's something I made during the blog hiatus:


It's a little cropped cardi for my Rosebud. My daughter will tell you she's a little bit of a tomboy and a little bit of a girly girl, and that's about right. She's the kid in the frilly dress crossing the monkey bars again and again. The girl with the gaudy cocktail ring on her calloused, dirty hands. It's the girly part of her that understands the need for a little white cardigan in your wardrobe, but it's the tomboy in her that led me to this combination of pattern and yarn.


Pattern: Eyelet Yoke Cardigan, a free pattern from Lion Brand. It's also called the Fresh Picked Cardigan, but it's the same pattern nonetheless.
Yarn: Cascade Sierra, white, 2 skeins

Notes: When she grew out her commercially-made little white cardigan, I knew I wanted to knit her a replacement, but I was really disappointed at the lack of patterns available for kids her size. I know I could have written a pattern, or sized down or up an existing pattern, but I was not looking for a challenge here. I just wanted to knit a cute little cardi for my girl.

Proving that I am not a complete pattern snob, I came upon this Lion Brand pattern on Ravelry. I wasn't totally thrilled with the proportions of it; the pattern calls for 3/4 sleeves, but I think they are a little too short, the sweater a bit too cropped. I realized, however, that sleeves of this length do not need to be pulled up for worm-digging expeditions, and will likely keep the sweater cleaner overall.

Knitters with children, get yourself some Cascade Sierra and make some garments for your children. It is an ideal yarn for kid knits, especially if you prefer natural fibers. It's very easy care. I wash it in the machine on the gentle cycle with cold water, and they lay it flat until it's almost dry, and then throw it in the dryer on low for about 10 minutes, and it looks great! It's an 80/20 cotton/wool blend, so it is lightweight and doesn't stretch like cotton. Having made a sweater with it before, I can attest to its durability. Mr S wears his DGE sweater quite a bit, and there is no sign on wear at all, and because of the wool, it has not stretched out of shape either. Plus, it is an amazing value -- I think I paid $12 total for this sweater. It's a great worsted yarn, really.



Still, though, I'm disappointed that there aren't many patterns for kids her age and size. There's a lot for babies and toddlers, and of course, plenty for adult women, but not a huge amount of patterns for bigger kids. Leave me a comment if you have some good pattern sources for kids -- I need them!

Blog Blahs.

Life has seriously licked our collective asses here at XRK, making it difficult for either of us to blog with any regularity. Ann is experiencing computer issues, and I have been experiencing life issues that are keeping me busy. I have been knitting, though, and I have several FOs to share. I am hoping to get those out of the way over the next few posts, and hopefully, those posts will be a bit more frequent.

The blog is experiencing some growing pains, frankly. Mo gave some serious consideration to dropping out completely, but now is thinking of coming back. Ann and I continue to be busy with the kids, even though they are all in school again. With flickr accounts and Ravelry, I'm feeling less like blogging about my knitting, as it feels redundant and time consuming. I think many knit bloggers have been experiencing similar malaise about their blogs, and that's just where the XRK knitters seem to be at this point. There may be some changes: we've considered a platform move. I've considered writing more about life when knitting just isn't doing it for me. For now, dear readers, all of you that remain, we ask that you stick with us through this period, and when we have something to report, we'll let you know.

In the meantime, here's a long-finished, FO, about which I have little to say. Now, if you happen to be expecting a baby and happen to be married to my brother-in-law and live in San Diego and want to be surprised about your baby gift, read no further. Everyone else, carry on:


Rav details here.

It's a February Baby Sweater, knit in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. I knit it with fingering weight because I wanted it to roughly fit a newborn. My new niece will be born in November, and for the first few months of her life, it will be chilly in her hometown of San Diego. The gauge was not all that off, as I used US4 needles, but it should not overwhelm her little newborn body. I had to add the booties and the hat because they are so stinkin' cute, and I had the yarn.

I have two more sweaters to share, plus a cowl and hopefully a finished pair of socks to share in the near future. If I ever get around to blogging again.

Sock Blahs

After seven years of knitting, I am ready to announce that I am officially A Product Knitter. I know, I'm slow. It took me so long to figure it out because I really do enjoy the process: the thinking, matching yarn and pattern, the act of stitch after stitch after stitch. I take great pleasure in the materials of my craft, and I think the fact that often I choose a project simply because I want to try a certain technique or because I've decided a yarn's time had come to be knit confused things for me.

But socks made it clear for me. At some point, I decided I wanted a drawer full of handknitted socks. I wanted to go through a winter wearing nothing but my knitted socks. I wanted enough socks that I could do handwash the socks once a week or so, and still have enough in the drawer while I got around to doing the laundry. I wanted durable socks, socks that matched my clogs, really pretty socks, orange socks, neutral socks, and socks to wear with sneakers. I was obsessed with patterns and yarns and the combination of the two. I made tons of socks. I gave many pairs away, but ended up with about a dozen pairs of socks for me. I had all the socks I wanted and needed.

And at that point, as a Product Knitter, my interest in sock knitting dried up, as did my desire for sock yarns. Sock patterns no longer excite me and swell my Ravelry queue. Remember my torrid affair with Nancy last summer? I'm so over it. I've got the Sock Blahs.

I'm not hanging up my size 0 dpns by any means. I'm still knitting socks, and I doubt that I'll ever give them up for any length of time. We all know that they are great travel knitting, car pool knitting, purse knitting, and since socks wear out, I'll have to keep rotating in new pairs. My stash still overflows with lovely sock yarns which will have their time to be knit.

This skein of Sunshine Yarns in Neapolitan, for example, came to me as part of a destash from Laura, and it sat, wound, in a drawer, for at least a year or two until it's time had come. The yarn is highly variegated, very likely to pool, so Jaywalkers were the obvious solution. No offense to a classic pattern, but knitting Jaywalkers is symptom of serious Sock Blah.

Right now, I'm obsessed with sweaters. All I want to knit are sweaters. Baby sweaters and Lady Sweaters. Cabled sweaters and tweedy sweaters. Cardigans for Rosebud, and maybe a stripey pullover. A vest for Pepe too. Mostly sweaters for me, though. I've actually finished two that I'll be sure to blog about soon, and that cardigan for Rosebud is already knit to the yoke.

Brooks Farm Acero, 3 x 1 rib. More blah.

But it seems that Mr S also wants a drawer full of handknit socks. For those readers new to the blog, Mr S has size 13 feet. I guess now every pair is even more an act of love, since his feet are big, he wants boring socks, and I've got a bad case of the Sock Blahs.

August Rain and a February Sweater

Alternate Title: Look Ma! No Seams!

We're finally getting some much needed rain. Not a lot. But a calm, steady sprinkle. The air is cool, the windows are open, and the kids are at art camp for the morning. Ah. I'm happy with the quiet, the garden is happy with the rain. Now, on to the baby sweater ...


Pattern: February Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmerman (Knitter's Almanac)
Yarn: Socks That Rock, medium weight superwash merino, Jade (the color is closer to the above photo)
Needles: US 3s


I began this project during the Olympic swimming week. I finished in about 5 days and discovered that although I had altered the numbers due to gauge and cast on more than it called for, I had failed to alter the numbers for where to place the sleeves. This was a big mistake (damn that Michael Phelps). I never noticed until I had cast off (damn him and his intoxicating racing).

I rushed to TYL to see Brilliant Melanie, could anything be done to save it? I already knew the answer, and she could see that I just couldn't stand tearing it out. She sent me next door with the kids as she ripped and rewound for me. Aren't knitting friends the best?

I reknit it in EZ's numbers since my gauge really wasn't off that much and now, she is a thing of beauty.

Modifications: I am so over seams. I know that I'll have to deal with them again, but anytime that I can avoid them, I will. Even though this sweater doesn't have many seams, I knit the sleeves in the round to avoid sewing them up. No seams, none, nada, zippo, zilch.


Also, I slipped the first stitch of each row to create a nicer edging. I toyed with the idea of crocheting a little picot edge, but decided that the plain edging was simple and beautiful. The exquisite buttons are, my favorites, from Danforth Pewter via TYL.

The next few projects will also be baby things, since my friends and family evidently just can't keep their pants on. Will you people please stop procreating and let me knit myself a sweater?

Summer Green

Determined to enjoy my last two weeks of summer, I bring you a quick-and-dirty FO post:



Pattern: 65-6 Lace Top in Safran with short sleeves by DROPS design
Yarn: Reynolds Sunday Best, 5 skeins, and all but a teeny bit of the 6th

Comments: This is my second DROPS pattern, and like the first, it is a pattern that assumes some competence from the knitter, and as the knitter, you must fill in some technical details in the instructions. For example, when forming the scooped neckline, the instructions are for short-rows; you stop knitting in the round, and begin knitting back-and-forth, while knitting one fewer stitch on each neck edge every other row, but nowhere does it say to wrap-and-turn. Trust me when I say that your neckline will look terrible unless you wrap-and-turn. My advice for DROPS knitters is to listen to the inner knitter, and assume that they've left out some details. And wrap your short rows.

I usually make sweaters with no ease or negative ease, but this sweater is meant to be blousey, and the eyelet pattern requires a camisole or tank underneath. The secret to not being overwhelmed in a top like this is for the armscyes to fit perfectly, but many of the raglan sweaters I had made in the past had way too much fabric under the arms. I am petite, with narrow shoulders, but I do have a rack, so to fit my bust measurement in many patterns, I end up with raglan seams that are way too long. My fix was to speed up the raglan decreases by decreasing every row instead of every other row as soon as I began shaping the neckline. I'm really pleased with how it worked out; it's the first time I remember being satisfied with the length of a raglan seam on any top I've knit.

I ended up with a number of stitches on my needle that corresponded to nothing in the pattern; I had fewer stitches than even the smallest size. Luckily, a gathered neckline is extremely forgiving, so I just followed the instructions for the eyelets on the neckline and bound off. Even with these modifications, though, it slips off my shoulders a bit and requires frequent cinching of the ribbon.

I don't have much to say about the yarn: it's fine. It's drapey enough for the pattern, but seems to be holding the ribbing so far. I was hoping for more of a kelly green, and ended up with exactly a match to my grass. Such are the perils of buying yarn online.



In all, a satisfying knit and a cute, wearable summer top.

Birth Matters

A few months ago, my very good friend Melissa, a doula, asked me to donate a shawl for a charity auction. I said yes, first because it was Melissa, also because I had the time, but most importantly because the auction supports a wonderful organization: Birth Matters Virginia.


I believe every birth to be a celebration and every mother a goddess no matter how a baby enters the world -- by cesarean or vaginally, with or without drugs, in a hospital or at home. Birth Matters Virginia is working to create a more supportive culture for pre-natal care, birth, and post-partum care.

And now, here is the shawl -- modeled by the beautiful and stunning Kindness Girl. Doesn't she rock pregnancy?


Pattern: Ene's Scarf by Nancy Bush from Scarf Style
Yarn: Knitting Notions Classic Merino Lace in Aubergine
Needles: US 5s

Notes: Although I was quite intimidated at the beginning of this (CO 375 sts - eek!), once I passed the border it was quite enjoyable. Since I've been a lazy knitter this summer (Fran and Katherine can attest to the fact that I didn't knit much even at Knit Night!), I did have to push it into high gear for the past 4 days to get it done on time.


This yarn is fabulous. I bought it at The Fiber Festival in Montpelier and I will buy more this year. It is soft, light and the kettle dyed color is incredible. Here is a link to their website - I was able to load the page last week but seem to be having a bit of trouble today.


Many thanks to Kindness Girl for the modeling!


PS And thank you Fran for the canning information -- I'm going to try to pickle some cukes this weekend!

Random Posting

As you can see, I am still embracing my summer laziness in the posting. I have a couple of almost-FOs to show, and I will make a concentrated effort to sew buttons, weave in ends, photograph and post in the next week or so.

I didn't, however, want to let the week go by without posting something about Jody's new venture, Knotions Magazine. The patterns (Oak Leaf Socks are gorgeous!) are lovely, and Jody writes clear, incredibly helpful technical articles to really help tweak your knitting. I have long considered her a Certified Knitting Genius, and am lucky to call her a Friend as well. She has worked long and hard on this new project of hers, and it is clear she has put a lot of thought into making Knotions a magazine knitters will love, including a wide range of sizes, clear charts and schematics, etc). I know it has been out for a few days, but I just wanted to alert all three of you out there still reading to go check it out if you haven't yet.

My sister is not a knitter (yet), but she loves the Phils. And knitters. Well, me, at least.

This week was Stitch and Pitch at Citizens Bank Park. This summer has brought Phillies mania to my household. I've been a casual Phillies fan my whole life, but this year, I have been converted to True Believer status. My son is an absolute fanatic, waking up every morning to check box scores, and making passionate running commentary on the games. Mr S has also embraced the Phils, the first time he has chosen Philadelphia team as his own. The Montco Sit and Knit group has quite a few lifelong Phils fans, and so it was quite a pleasure to be among my people: knitters AND baseball fans.

Lazy

Every season has something to recommend it. Winter has its woolens and hot cocoa and cozy evenings by the fire. Spring has its air of anticipation and energy, all colors and new life. Fall has its stately colors and crisp mornings, fresh-picked apples and Eagles football.

Summer has large swaths of nothingness, and I love that. Sitting on the beach for hours, doing nothing. Well, reading, building sand castles, swimming, collecting sea shells, but mostly, doing nothing at all productive. There's the pool and the library and the mini-golf course, there's a little summer camp maybe and some whiffle ball in the backyard, but there are countless hours of lazing around, with nothing to show for it except maybe a sweaty pitcher of lemonade, a few more chapters read, or a few more rows knit.

This is my way of explaining my absence from the blog. In embracing the laziness of summer, I've just not been motivated to photograph and post. But I have been knitting. And today, on this lazy Sunday that will involve no more than a swim, a pedicure, and perhaps the making of a chocolate cake, I have the inclination to post.

There's been some sock knitting (a single Jaywalker), some baby knitting (just needs buttons), some sweater knitting (this one's almost done), and a finished cowl.


I've finally submitted to the siren song of the knitted neck tube. This yarn, the Fibre Company's Road to China just screams to be made into a cowl. Luxuriously soft, with those incredible color variations of the Fibre Company's for which you pay richly (or snatch up for 50% off at MDSW), this is a very special yarn. I used the Aspen Cowl pattern, and two beautiful skeins of malachite Road to China. I have several other cowl-ish yarns in my stash, and upon seeing this picture in my flickr stream, my sister (ecokate on flickr)  instantly requested one. So look to see more cowls in this is space in the near future.

Soft cowls like this almost make me eager for cool mornings and crisp afternoons of autumn. But this autumn, my youngest starts kindergarten, and my beautiful years as a mother at home with small children really do come to an end. So I think I'll hold on to these lazy, do-nothing-together days as long as I can.

Perspective

I cast on for Ene's Scarf (Ravelry link) last week. This is the first time I'm knitting a lace shawl from the outside in, so to speak. Casting on 375 stitches just about made me insane and the whole project seems so daunting. But then we discovered that the kids brought back lice from Norway. Thus began hours upon hours of combing hair and laundry.

As a pleasant summer break from the nit-picking, we drove out to the country to pick peaches. Then came the endless peeling, pitting, and canning that nearly put me over the edge.

Now, after 15 quarts of preserves and 2 lice-free girls, Ene's Scarf? Not so intimidating after all.

Re-entry

I've been back from Greece for close to two weeks, and have been busy reconnecting with my real life again. It would take weeks to share all the stories of once-in-a-lifetime, pinch me moments, like watching the sunset over the Aegean from the deck of a sailboat, learning Cretan cooking tricks in a 200 year old olive oil factory, or eating the best gyro ever, so if you are interested, check out the pictures here on my flickr set. I've tried to annotate them and share a few stories there.

Besides celebrating our tenth anniversary on a rooftop in Athens, drinking (too much) raki in Crete and marveling at ancient Greek ruins nestled in beside modern soulless apartment buildings, we relaxed and reconnected, enjoying some rare, extended kid-free time (who were being spoiled beyond limit by their grandmothers).

And I didn't knit a stitch.

Norwegian Lagoons

So. As I promised, the socks that I knit in Norway. Now I truly knit three socks since I frogged an entire completed one that I had rushed. It didn't fit over R's foot. Not an insignificant problem. I was experimenting with calf-shaping and I guess I took it a bit too far. R has skinny calves but big feet. Am I wrong or is this a challenge?


I ended up decreasing stitches up at the top and then increasing them again before the heel. It works alright except it does take her a while to get them on (but then she's not that quick about any aspect of getting dressed). The pattern is a strip of crisscrossing cables down the front and back.

Since the colorway is Lagoon and they did remind me of the gorgeous water of Norway, I am calling these the Norwegian Lagoon socks.

R loves them and she is so excited about wearing them -- unfortunately she'll probably grow out of them by the time fall arrives here in Virginia. So I may have to start another pair for her soon ...

And here is a gratuitous picture of the midnight sun in Henningsvær at 1:30am.

Travel Knitting

I was very indecisive about which yarn to bring with me on this trip. It had to be a sock yarn because of course I would be knitting socks (easy to pack, easy to knit) and it had to be beautiful because I'd knit nothing else for two weeks.

After pulling out a number of skeins of Socks That Rock and Lorna's Laces, I settled on a skein of Colinette Jitterbug in Lagoon. Brilliant! It's a stunning yarn and practically sprang onto my needles!

I knit these socks all over this spectacular country.

At the Pangarden's Waterway where the girls blissfully spent almost two hours in freezing cold water playing with locks, shutes, and water wheels.

At the Kvikne's Hotel in Balestrand -- by far the most gorgeous hotel on our trip in the middle of the Sognefjord.

Tired and travel weary at the train station.

And in the place the rock climbers call Paradise off Kallestrand in the Lofoten Islands.

Next post I'll show you the finished socks!

Back Home

Here I am knitting in the wilds of the Lofoten Islands

... and jet lagged. I don't know how Liz is feeling right now, but I could sure use a nap. Hope Greece was warm and beautiful! Norway was cold, very cold, and beautiful. I'll post more soon when I can sleep more than 4 hours in a row ...