Lacy Scallop Socks - finally finished!

The second Lacy Scallop is finished:


2nd Lacy Scallop sock

so finally I have a pair:


Lacy Scallop socks

Pattern: Lacy Scallops from Sockbug
Yarn: Schoeller & Stahl Socka Color in Marine Blue shade 9094
Needles: 2 x 2.5mm Addi Turbo circulars
Started: April '06
Finished: 30th January '07


Lacy Scallop socks

I nearly managed to get them to match but after matching the picot cuffs it went wrong somewhere on the leg of the second sock


Lacy Scallop socks

My first ever lace project but after the first sock I put them on hold as I competed in the Knitting World Cup & made Oriel another lace pair of socks. Typically with lace the WIP looked nothing like the finished object & this photo taken on Sunday shows how different they look before washing & blocking.

Update on stressed dogs

Thank you everyone for the lovely comments in the last post. I've worked out that it was probably Annie who ate my notions bag.

She's always been a bit of a stress head & doesn't have much confidence. Blue is full of confidence & an alpha whereas Annie is at the bottom of the pack & needs constant reassurance.

Therefore the changes in the house due to us putting it up for sale were too much for her. She's already more relaxed & both dogs are really happy to have their beds back in the kitchen.


Annie relaxing

They're both happy to drink the Rescue Remedy in their water so hopefully that's helping too.

I've bought another notions bag from Ebay & it arrived yesterday. The first thing I did was to spray Bitter bite on the zip!

It was Yvonne who introduced me to these pencil cases & IMO they're perfect for knitters:


My new notions bag


Main compartment with my knitting notions in


Notions bag with hooks, cable needles & other bits

If you look closely at the photo above you can see the teeth marks in the grey hook under the pen. I'm not sure if it's usable, others have gone in the bin as they're were too chewed Luckily I store my Clover Soft Touch crochet hooks in a different container so they were undamaged. I'll be replacing all the damaged tools over time but a replacement case was essential

Which do you want first?

The good news or bad news?

When presented with this question I always want to get the bad news over with in case it involves something really sinister.

To a non knitter this wouldn't mean a thing but I wasn't impressed when I saw the remains of my notions bag scattered amongst the dog beds:


my dead notions bag

The yellow twisted lump at the front of the photo is the remains of my 12mm gold sparkly addi crochet hook & the Kipling Monkey has definitely seen better days. Some other hooks are still usable but have suffered the odd tooth mark & small balls of sock yarn destined to become life lines have been sucked & loved to death. I've swept up the silver zipper teeth but know that I'll be finding them for weeks to come particularly when I'm not wearing any slippers.

And the reason for this carnage??? Apparently my dogs are stressed! We moved their beds when we put the house on the market to a place where they could be whisked away quickly if we had a viewing on the house & this meant that they had free run of the downstairs. Not good. So far 3 scatter cushions have died & now my notions bag whereas previously they hadn't chewed anything for years. So they're back to being confined in the kitchen & the Bitter Bite is out in force. I'll also be buying some Rescue Remedy tomorrow & will be 'doctoring' their drinking water.

And the good news?

Well if I hadn't have come home to the news above I'd still be bouncing with glee as only a knitter can. Today I took delivery of the last part of my Christmas present from DH:


Closed yarn swift

Isn't it beautiful?


hand crafted wooden yarn swift modelling Knitpicks Gloss

It is wonderfully crafted & DD is pleased as she no longer has to suffer being a 'swift' as I wind skeins of yarn into usable 'cakes'.

It will be kept far far away from Airedale noses & teeth I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear

24/01/07 ETA
If you'd like to order your own beautiful hand made swift you can contact Claire via email

27/04/07 ETA
You can now see the Swifts & other products here.

New blogger

I've finally managed to move over to the new blogger but had to unsub from the Scarf Style KAL to do it. Now I need to sign up again & work my way around the new features.

I also finally found all the comments that went AWOL a year ago - a grand total of 47 & only 1 was sp4m So all have been enabled & the moderation thingy is working now so no more lost comments.

We spent the weekend sifting through our stuff in preparation for the big move & we've now got 13 bin liners of shredded paper piled up to the ceiling in the hall! It's hopefully going to a dog who is kennelled outside but is allergic to hay & straw but if it's not collected by tomorrow we're going to try & squeeze it into the paper recycling bin - I think DH is being a bit optimistic there myself!

Boxes are being numbered, catalogued on a spreadsheet & given a coloured label to indicate which room they should be put in on moving day - but I'm sure we'll still lose stuff. However I'm taking no chances with my stash - it's staying in MIL's spare room to be collected by me once we've moved. That way it'll stay clean & I know exactly where it is

For Kim & all other dog lovers - here's an Airedale fix:


Annie wrapped in a towel after her bath

I groomed the dogs last weekend so shaggy monsters are no more. Annie absolutely loves to be rubbed in a towel & looked so cute & her nose so big that I couldn't resist that shot!

Had to be mine.....

Airedale Terrier Stitch markers


close up



for scale



check out the paws!



They were handmade by this Etsy seller & I can thoroughly recommend both the product & service

Ending Single Sock Syndrome

Last year I knitted one Lacy Scallop sock sock, just one. I got interupted due to the Knitting World Cup & never did go back to make a pair. So I've finally started on the second sock:


Lacy Scallop sock

It's a very easy pattern to memorise & was my first ever lace project as I didn't fancy a scarf or shawl. It is however weird going back to a pattern having knitted other sock patterns in between. My resolve to knit toe up socks from now on is strengthened by the discovery that the first sock only weighs 40g so I could have easily put another pattern repeat in on the leg.

And now for something completely different. I've been reading Crazy Aunt Purl for a looooong time & wanted to point out the similarities between her Sobakowa & our Monet:


Monet

Both stunningly beautiful but full of ATTITUDE & god help the cat, dog or human who gets in her way

New Year, New Start!

Finally after our disastrous Christmas I've got some good news:

We've got a buyer for our house & have had an offer accepted on one we like

The slight hitch is that the buyer is already a pain but the Estate Agent is being firm so hopefully she'll keep him on track.

So DD will be going to the school of our choice rather than the awful school where the girls who bullied her previously will be going. Plus we'll be moving away from the trampoline next door

Yarn Over Cable

My first FO of 2007:


Yarn Over Cable socks

Time taken to knit: December 25th to January 8th with a few interruptions
Pattern: Yarn Over Cable from Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: 100g Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe K8294 which was a gift from my friend CL in Canada
Needles: 2 x Addi Turbo 3.5mm circulars


Yarn Over Cable socks

This was the first time I've done a short row toe & I cast on the first sock whilst watching Stormbreaker as DD got it for Christmas. I managed the short row heels without any hassle but so far prefer the heel flap that I used in my Oriel socks.


A heel shot!

I've really enjoyed knitting these toe up socks as the yarn is so soft to work with. It had a tendency to split on the needles but it was easy to sort out so not a problem.

They weren't however without mishap. Firstly in my eagerness to see how soft the yarn was I washed the first sock before the second was finished - BIG mistake. Even now after the second has been washed separately & then both together I can still see a slight difference so I won't do that one again.

Secondly I noticed, after nearly reaching the casting off stage on the second sock, that I'd started the leg patterning on the back of the leg one pattern repeat later than on the first so unfortunately had to rip the whole leg back to the heel

And another one for luck!


Yarn Over Cable socks

I've now got to make a partner for my poor lonely Lacy Scallop sock which can be seen here. After than I can start my February challenge for the Sock-a-month 2007 Challenge.

Canine company

I knew that it would be a doggy weekend in our house this weekend but didn't realise to what extent. My MIL adopted a stray puppy a few weeks before Christmas & this little scrap is staying with us until tomorrow night as MIL is away - meet Molly:


Molly

She's a lovely little thing who had a few issues but is getting over them. Estimated to be around 6 months old she adores people especially children but really didn't like other dogs. I got her over that with lots of non-confrontational (no face to face contact) walks with my own dogs & now adores them & is friendly to new dogs that she meets. DD is enjoying her as she's bouncy & loves to retrieve a ball but DD has already been warned we're NOT getting a 3rd dog!

However as I returned from the supermarket this afternoon I popped in to the local pet shop to pick up some dog food. A few doors away I noticed a heavily pregnant bitch eating scraps out of some takeaway wrappers on the pavement. She was really skinny (despite the huge belly) and very nervous. Armed with a handful of titbits & a lead from the petstore I managed to catch her. She bit my hand as she was terrified but didn't break the skin - more of a warning than anything.

A one way trip to the local police station nearly broke my heart as they didn't have any bedding for her (I went back with some old towels & food) but she's now safely tucked up in rescue kennels. She'll have her pups there & then hopefully will be spayed & rehomed. My gut instinct is that she was thrown out when discovered to be expecting her pups - I really hate people sometimes.

8/1/7 ETA: I'm delighted to report that the little bitch I found on Saturday has been claimed Apparently she was chipped but the police scanner didn't read properly so the rescue centre scanned her & called her owner. I can only imagine she had been on the streets for a while as she was such a mess but I bet she's pleased to be home!

fading sock

I'm back at work now so haven't done very much on my socks since my last post but am nearly ready to turn the heel. Just from trying the first sock on I've decided that I'm a heel flap kinda girl but needed to try them on myself to find that out. I just don't find it as comfortable but I'll reserve proper judgement when I have a wearable pair.

As I was doing some hand washing the other day I gently washed the first sock - big mistake. I know they'd need washing after being worn but the colour has faded a bit



(l to r) washed & unwashed Koigu Kersti Merino

I'm not sure how evident it is from this photo particularly as monitors differ but believe me there is a difference. Focus on the black & bright blue & it's there - the brilliant hue has gone


I will wash the second sock in the same hand washing liquid & after that treat them with kid gloves.

Koigu play

I've been playing with some of the fantastic yarn that I received for Christmas & cast on with the Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe for the Yarn Over Cable socks from Sensational Knitted Socks on Christmas day.


Yarn Over Cable in Koigu Kersti Merino

I have 100g of this DK yarn so chose a toe up pattern to make sure that I got as much sock out of it as possible. I've never done short row toes or heels before so it was an education & a fair bit of tinking took place but I've got the hang of it now.

The first sock was completed in 3 days but I had to put the yarn aside whilst I finally finished my obligations for the Afghan Square swap. The squares are all blocking now & will be sent by airmail tomorrow - apologises for the delay to those who will receive them soon.

So the second sock was cast on this evening & below you can see my progress:


Yarn Over Cable - toe up sock

My arms are protesting at all this knitting but I'm enjoying myself. I go back to work on Wednesday so the pace is sure to slow down soon