KT

Miss posting. More soon.  Anybody still out there?

xoxo-

KT

Fall has absolutely arrived here.  We live in the the woods and there are many beautiful deciduous trees.  This means in the summer we have a very leafy view and when autumn shows up and the trees lose their leaves, our view changes dramatically.  Yesterday, this happened in about twenty minutes.  We sat in our kitchen, watching the wind and veritable snow storm of leaves and now we can see further into the woods.  Beautiful to watch the transformation.

Knitting my Trick or Treat Swap socks was great fun.  They remind me of Good & Plenty candy.  The Good & Plenty socks are knee socks and the cuff can be worn either up or down.  They are knit out of Socks That Rocks, Medium weight in Rhodonite.  The colorway isn’t available currently, it appears. They are knit top-down and each sock weighs about 100 grams. Left over was 68 grams from one skein and 72 grams from the other.

The Good & Plenty socks are on their way to my Trick or Treat Pal and I am a bit sad to see them go.  Hopefully she will like wearing them as much as I enjoyed making them.

They are finally done! 

Shoe size: Men’s14/15

Yarn: Socks that Rock Heavyweight (Better part of TWO skeins)

Color: Henpecked

Needle size: Addi #3. 2 circs

These are freaking HUGE.  They are a gift for a very tall friend, who threw down the gauntlet when he said: "Oh no, you don’t have to knit me socks".  Riiight.

I knit the entire first sock then realized I did not have enough yarn to complete the second one, so I ordered more.  And of course, though the same colorway, the second was far more intense than the first.  This would be why on just about every single yarn label on the planet, it is advised to buy enough yarn at one time to complete your project. So I ripped back the toe and the foot AND the gusset AND the heel flap and reknit them with the second skein.  Then I knit the top of #2 with skein number one and the bottom with skein number 2.  Balanced.  Phew!

Anyhow, they are done and to be gifted today.

And if they don’t fit, he can darn well frame them.

Often, I labor under the impression that my knits have to be superstars.  Tricky, show-off knits.  Usually, when I suffer this delusion I find myself not knitting but rather fretting about what I could or should be knitting.  These thoughts do not promote productivity or calm. It is just plain exhausting.

Part of my time this past summer had been spent knitting one of the most poorly written patterns that I have ever encountered. It was not a difficult pattern, just really truly frustrating (a decent tech editor would save the day), and it has sent me running for the simple.  In the round, stockinette with lovely hand painted or hand dyed yarns are terribly satisfying right now.

Done is better than perfect and warm is much better than worrying.  I LOVE this sweater.

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay

Color: 118

Skeins used: 8

Needles: Knit Picks Options, wood size 10

There is no pattern for this sweater, just features and measurements that please me.  The extra long neck, the very fitted arm scye, and the very long ribbed arm cuffs with thumb hole all tickle me. 

A Redefined Superstar, I’d say.

Last Tuesday was the first day of school.  Upon returning home, my newly minted Kindergartener and Second grader demanded to know how far away Halloween was.  Both then promptly began running around planning our Halloween Party (which up till that moment, I did not realize we were having) and rooting through the garage looking for streamers for the house.  They both wanted to decorate the house RIGHT THEN and leave it up until Halloween.  We have had several planning meetings and will be making a trip to Ben Franklin to eyeball what we might want for the party.

Last night, talk turned to costumes. Sketches were drawn, logistics were discussed and Angus was convinced that being a fire truck (not fighter- truck) again was not the best course of action.  I have made fire truck costumes in the past, very successfully- who said studying sculpture in college wouldn’t be helpful? So the fire truck nixed, I tried to sell him being a sky scraper.  He nixed that.

Angus has been learning how to knit, so as a lark I suggested that he go as …

A Giant Ball of Yarn

Loving the idea, Angus started drawing sketches.

The show stopping question:

Me: "Angus, you really need leg holes- where are the leg holes?"

Angus: (teary) "No, Mom, I do NOT want leg holes.  No way, Jose!"

Me: "Well, how do you expect to trick or treat?  You want Mom & Dad to roll you around the  Neighborhood?"

Angus: "That is perfect, Mom!"  (pause, scratches forehead) "Or you could just build a steering wheel into my giant ball of yarn. Yep, I think  that would be better.  Thanks Mom!"

Ten years ago, I turned thirty and the seven days later I got married.  To say that I was out of my mind nervous, crazy, and excited is understatement.  Turning 30 weighed heavy, heavy heavy on my brain, so much so that I made everybody swear that I was 29 at the wedding, not 30.

My husband of ten years (we say HA! to all the nay sayers!) is even more wonderful than the day I married him.  I do not regret my choice for a second, though when I married him it was a huge leap.  Yes, marriage is always a leap and my personal leap seemed rather large even by marital leap standards.

Turning 40 has been fantastic.  Nary a qualm.  For a minute I thought maybe I was pushing the thoughts away and I was wrong.  From where I stand today, life is sweet.  Being a wife and a mother is soul satisfying in a way I never knew it could be.

Love you all to bits-

KT

The most beautiful flowers from the three guys.  Between the colors, the textures, and the variety of flowers, I am beside myself. 

Yesterday I was treated to flowers, handmade cards, a corsage made by a seven year old and breakfast in bed.  Angus scrambles a mean egg.  Duncan told anyone who would listen that he buttered the toast with the BIG knife and stirred my coffee  A LOT so it was EXTRA delicious just for MOM.

Then a great and remarkable thing happened- nobody rushed off.  We were all doing our own thing, together.  Someone was on the computer, conversation distance from someone else who was knitting while staring at the flowers while two small someones weaved in and out.  It was delightful.

STR (shocking, no?) Medium weight (shocking, yes!) in a Rare Gem which was purchased at camp. While each Rare Gem is well, rare- I was able to score 2 skeins that were very similar.  Perfect for knee socks. 

Thank you so much for all the encouragement last week for my nerves and Angus’ health.  Your well wishes and thoughts really helped prevent what was sure to be an enormous anxiety attack. We are all much better this week, which is good because I could use a little boring right about now.

Love you all to bits.

Oh Darlene! Darlene, Darlene, Darlene- you are a doll.  Holy Moses, that gal gives GOOD sock swap.  My May Day Pal is Darlene of Yarn Collectors Anonymous (and AKA Crazy for Yarn in Alabama) and she is wonderful.  Poor Darlene has been positively fretting that my package was lost.  When she shipped it from The Great State of Alabama on May One, the said it would be 7 to 10 days.  Ten days on the nose. And worth every second of the wait.

I want to go slow so as not to miss anything, because there  is a LOT and also wanting to go fast because I am SO excited!

First the haul, minus the socks because as really great the haul is, the socks are magnificent.

Clockwise from 9 o’clock (let’s see if I can actually pull this off):

A great lined notebook- clearly meant for knitting notes while on the go!

Sticky notes & a magnetic note pad- more note taking- good idea with the Mama addled brain!

Cute sheep card.

A very well hidden napkin caddy with great Orange Parrot Tulips on them.  Darlene those are one of my ALL time color/flower combinations.  You nailed it.

Coffee!  From Birmingham.  Oh how I do love Alabama.

Trekking in color #135.  Perfect!

The Trekking is next to 2, TWO really great tulip themed draw string bags- perfect for the on the go sock knitting!

Some beautiful stitch markers from Alabama Fiber Dreams.  They are small and perfect for socks.  Plus they are lime green & orange.  So me!

Then tissues with flowers, a super cute watering can key chain, flower seeds, a soak sample and some note cards. Very needed- all.

A very pretty and dare I say ladylike coffee cup.  I will take care that she will not get roughed up by our Pacific Northwest brutish coffee cups.

And finally some STR Medium weight (Yay! Medium weight!  I have enough Heavyweight to sink the Titanic, so variety is welcome) In the color "Mesa" which I have never seen before.  It is well documented, my love of STR!

And now, my friends.  Calm yourselves.  Breathe in, Breathe out.  You are not prepared for the absolute perfection that are my socks.  Darlene you are a marvel!

Thank you so much Darlene.  I am positively overjoyed with my perfect colors, perfect fit, perfect length socks.  They are a thing of wonder and I could not have picked something more perfect for myself.  Thank you for all your care and kindness. You have my heart.

Good Gravy, I am exhausted. Craig is traveling- back Friday.  Angus’ diabetes is acting a bit crazy these days.  He is fine and safe and hopefully this rough patch will be short- lived.  He numbers were high last night and even the fast acting insulin I gave him didn’t seem to help. 

Been up since 4am, fretting, administering insulin, testing blood sugars, drinking coffee and well, fretting more.

Too tired to knit even though I could use a bit of a simple repetitive task.

Today would be a perfectly wonderful day for my May Day Swap Socks to show up.

Here’s hoping!

Love you all to bits.

xoxoxo

Thanks so much for all the fun guesses about Mom’s true age.  She is tickled beyond belief.  Her birthday isn’t until May 18 but she is starting to celebrate tonight with a party thrown by some of her dear friends (whom I adore) in her honor.  Apparently they have been cooking for days and it should be quite the affair.  Wish I could be there, sadly I don’t have the freedom to hop a flight to Los Angeles at a whim. Right- children, fever, husband out of town, diabetes.  Crap!

We have a Winner!  Actually, there were two correct guesses Jill & Frieda!  (Jill please email me with your 411 and preferences at kt at theeislers dot com- Frieda- I totally know how to find you). You will both receive a skein of BMFA Knitters Without Borders and an additional skein of BMFA in a weight  & color of your choosing from the stash.

And now- drumroll………………………………………………………………

Hold onto your hand knit socks- my Mom is turning……………………..

SEVENTY!

She is truly beautiful and amazing.  Her outsides are not nearly as wonderful as her insides. May we all look half as good at 70.  Mom, you are a wonder and we love you.