Well, clearly I've not been here in a year, nearly.

The sock knitting has resulted in several pair for ME. That is good. Many are worsted weight (thick, if you are not a knitter) so that I have warm feet at night in bed.

Mom wears her pink shawl all the time, and the yarn is holding up really well in the nursing home laundry. Acrylic is good at this.

There wasn't much Christmas knitting. I was sick, sick, sick. Many gifts were awarded later, as they got done.

Currently, back to shawls and making a shrug for myself.

That is all.

Much knitting is occurring this summer! The air conditioning is ON.

I finished one pair of socks from "New Pathways," the first pattern, little baby socks. Photo coming. They were much fun and very quickly knit. Found yarn for the second baby socks in my stash, but have yet to make them.

A pair of baby booties, baby socks AND thumbless mittens got finished. They will be a baby shower present in August - a barter was made for these (the giver bought me lunch! Very worthwhile).

Mom's pink birthday shawlette was finished ahead of the deadline. It is very soft and warm, and I hope to post a photo of it soon.

MOP Summer of Socks continues. I have two pair on the needles right now. Both are traditional top-down socks, which I wanted to try along with Cat Bordhi's less traditional styles. I've got Cascade worsted superwash socks going on size 4's - an Easter-ish colorway , which I've only started four times and have finally settled on a 44 stitch count in a four stitch beaded rib -  and Trekking XXL socks going on size 1's, 64 stitches, at a gauge of nine stitches to the inch - I was going for eight stitches and seem to have overachieved on knitting to a tighter gauge, but they fit.

I'm fascinated by sock knitting, even if it requires knitting to a particular gauge. I love all the parts of sock knitting, so my brain is quite caught up in it. I wake thinking of socks and go to sleep planning socks.

Other events in the Summer of Socks - I gathered up all the sock yarns I've bought through the years and put them in a bin beneath the bed. I'm well set for sock yarn. Egads. Clearly I must use some of this up, and delightfully I'm excited to do so.

And I did more measuring and realized that I have high insteps, wackily high ankle bones (freakishly so, actually) AND a narrow heel. Knowing all this, a sock with a traditional heel flap, knit extra long (almost 1/3 extra), AND with a very narrow heel cup seema great way to go to fit my feet. I hope that Cat Bordhi's sock architectures will fit, too, but if they don't, I'll know why.

Mostly, I'm knitting sock earrings. I've got my own design to knit them flat and then seam up the back, which goes fairly quickly. Bartered two pair and sold one (which I should go knit) and made two pair for me. Plus I made a really cute sock mitten, for which I kept notes.

So I'm feeling productive AND organized. Yeah for me!

Another year of neglect for the blog, but not for lack of knitting or crafting.

For gifts for Christmas last year, I focused on knitting hats for everyone. I've been hat-phobic and decided to conquer the things. All went well - I think the hats were well received and fit well. There may have been a scarf or two.

This spring I focused on futzing around with stranded knitting and am finishing a couple projects in that vein. One hat with skulls is nearing completion, but languishes.

I'm making my mother a shawl which has a deadline later this month. The shawl is a very simple garter stitch Faroese shawl in bright pinky-peach, horrifyingly acrylic to allow it to survive nursing home laundry. Worked on Addi Turbos, the acrylic is actually fun to knit with.

For my next challenge, I'm announcing, here and now, my own personal Sock Summit 2009. No waiting for instructors, no registration necessary. Plans are to have a summer-long knit-along of my very own. I love the idea of having handknit socks but haven't done much making of them lately. Spouse Charming felted a lovely pair I knit for myself years ago, but there's lots of superwash wool to combat his desire to do our laundry.

I have just finished a lovely purple pair of socks for sleeping in, but they're a bit loose around the ankles. Comfie, though. Mission Falls superwash wool, bought in Bloomington-Normal. One skein apiece.

For MOP Sock Summit 2009, I intend to knit my way through Cat Bordhi's "New Pathways for Sock Knitters." I'll be focusing on learning her techniques and trying to fit my own flat-arched, high instepped footsies with some lovely woolen socks.

Heaven knows, the sock stash could use some reduction!

In addition, I'm pleased to be making class samples for classes at String Theory in nearby Glen Ellyn. I'm to teach there this fall and have finished making a pirate from Claire Garland's "Dream Toys." A mermaid from the same book is on the needles and going well so far.

Toots may have to visit the classes, and Tillie and the other doll from "Knitted Babes," who has yet to grace the blog.

Here's to summer knitting!

I'm trying to decide whether to revive this blog, or forget it.

Last I posted, I was a yarn shop employee. That store has gone out of business, and I'm still knitting, but my crafty brain is spending a lot of time at weaving with Weavettes, and quilting and sewing.

So If The Blog Resumes, there will be more variety of content.

That could only be good, couldn't it?

Wake me if the guys from "Girls Gone Wild" show up...

Toots called. She's gone away with some friends for Spring Break.

She said she'd be home by the time I finished this lace shawl.

I'm nearly done.

I hope she's all right.

We tried to steer Toots away from celebrating St. Patrick's Day, but she felt it was HER holiday... something about "The Wearing of the Green" and how she was ALREADY green.

She snuck out of the store early Friday night. Saturday morning when we came in, she looked like this.

We've checked her vital signs. She's going to be fine, just as soon as her Martian metabolism figures out what to do with alcohol.

When Toots was released from federal custody (because she couldn't provide ANY information about Planet Four), she was placed in the custody of Miz Tillie. When Miz Tillie signed up to do foster care, this wasn't quite what she had in mind. She is doing her best to explain our planet to Toots, but finds that she needs a little knitting time every day to unwind.

Miz Tillie is pictured with her fabulous mitered tote (she was the first to finish hers, after the pattern was published) and is wearing her Einstein coat, possibly the smallest one every made.

She has a tendency to lose her needles from time to time, but is otherwise a prolific AND proficient knitter. We sell her new needles from time to time, and her hairdresser rescues a few from her coiffure once a month.

Technical details:
Pattern for Tillie from "Knitted Babes"
Hair by La Gran Mohair
Mitered tote and Einstein jacket knitted from Bernat's "Impressions" yarn, tragically no longer in production

A little belatedly, we present Toots in her holiday attire:


Toots begged for a peppermint dress for Christmas, and matching peppermint earrings. She wanted a peppermint coat and muff, but her dresser had to finish knitted presents for several other folks instead.

It was snowing the day she headed to Kool Knits, so she stole Barbie's boots.

Pattern for Toot's Peppermint Sheath Dress:

The dress is knit flat, on the bias, and then seamed together.
Needles: Size 10 (10" long single pointed)
Yarn: Party, 87 yards per ball. 1 ball red, 1 ball white
Stitch pattern - stockinette on the bias:
Row 1: Purl
Row 2: K1, Kf&b (knit front and back of same stitch), K46, K2tog, K1.
These two rows are the stitch pattern for the whole dress.
With red Party, cast on 51 stitches (I used invisible cast-on, but other methods could work).
Work 4 rows red.
*Work 2 rows white, 2 rows red, 2 rows white, 6 rows red.*
Repeat between * one more time.
Work 2 rows white, 2 rows red, 2 rows white and ONE FINAL ROW of red.
EITHER work Kitchener stitch through first and last rows (preferred method)
OR
Bind off last row of stitches and then seam them to the cast-on edge.

Toots's arms were pulled through stitches in the dress - no actual armholes were made. For the turtleneck, an extra piece of Party ribbon was threaded through the knitting and tied.

When Toots first arrived on Planet Three, she was stunned by the simplest of things. One of her greatest fascinations was with water. Plain ole H-Too-Ohhhhhhhhhh.

The idea of LIVING IN WATER obsessed her for some time. (We've hidden the Disney video of "A Little Mermaid" from her. We don't know who showed it to her, and we'd better not find out.)

As we can't tell if she has lungs or gill slits, we've been keeping a close eye on her - locked the bathroom door, too.

Then Toots learned about Halloween and Hans Christian Andersen in the same week (the "H" volume of our encyclopedia has gone missing and she's not talking), resulting in:
http://www.pbase.com/cosmo_dk/image/51685553

There was considerable explanation about the need to wear a costume. Toots felt that she could simply pose in the nude, as the Danish mermaid statue doesn't appear to be wearing anything. As we were expecting young, impressionable children trick-or-treating at the store, we needed her to be a bit more modest. She was delighted with her top. Perhaps all the Knitting for a Cure made her a little too focused on breasts.

We're still explaining Trick OR Treat to her. She keeps hoping for both.

After consuming her Hershey's Kiss, Toots got hold of a Tootsie Roll, which she is convinced is named for her. Please don't anyone tell her about the movie "Tootsie." (We've hidden that movie as well.)

Toots is still happily ensconsed at Kool Knits in Naperville, Illinois.

(Toots' wig is my homage to Knitty.com's Hallowig from last year. The rest is terrifying original. Madonna has nothing on Toots when it comes to bras.)