I am back to the blog after a whirlwind weekend. Ok, it was more like a whirlwind week. My dyeing schedule collided directly with a large-scale visit from Nick’s family. I did keep on my dyeing schedule, and with a modicum of luck, I’ll catch up on the re-skeining, too.
Nick’s family is amazing – he’s the oldest of 7 children, and it’s a kick to have them around. It does make for rather tight quarters, and our kids get cranky from Aunt/Uncle attention overload (Don’t you feel terrible that they get cranky because they get too much attention?), but I’m always so glad they came. The live 10+ hours away (by car) and I’ve always regretted that we don’t live closer. I feel so lucky to be blessed with such a wonderful family.
I am slightly tired today, though. It’s been clammy, humid, cold and rainy for the past three days. There’s something about the dark, fally drizzle that seeps into my bones and makes me feel cold. I wish we had a gas fireplace….right now I think a twinkling, warming fire would do me good. I have a great glider rocker that Nick bought just for me when our twins were babies. It’s sized for me – I’m petite, and the back and height suit me perfectly. I have idyllic visions of sitting in front of a fire in my rocker, knitting in hand, creating perfectly knit, heirloom pieces. They just flow off my needles effortlessly while I rock gently in the heat of the fire watching the leaves fall against the deep grey of the raining sky. Feel free to join me in my day dream at any time you are in need of rest and rejuvenation.
In actual knitting news, I have nearly completed the first Halloween sock. I was a participant in the Halloween Sock Kit Swap and it was amazing. I received a skein of orange and black sock yarn in a box full of other Halloween themed goodies. Lizzie, my partner, really outdid herself. It was a work of art. I’m hoping to be done with both of these before Halloween. They are a version of the Bellatrix pattern, modified to suit my gauge, and with twisted ribbing that expands over the cuff. For some reason the combo of the stitch pattern and thin yarn was making these babies wide. Yes, I could pull them vertically to stretch them into the appropriate shape, but I knew that if I didn’t do a bit of decreasing and hefty ribbing up the cuff they were going to slide and annoy the crap out of me. I couldn’t have that. Halloween socks are completely frivolous and absolutely need to fit well so you can enjoy the sheer frivolousness of them all….so I started with ribbing at the inside and outside of the ankle. But that was bothering me. I already have a couple pairs of socks that I added ribbing to the inner and outer ankle to compensate for the slight looseness of the pattern stitch. So, as I worked my way up the ankle, I simply expanded the 2X2 ribbing out one stitch repeat at random intervals.
The rib expansion is stepped, and expands first along the front, and then along the back a few rows later. Eventually, there’s none of the original stitch pattern left, because the ribbing has taken over. I did even a little bit more decreasing at the top, so that the ribbing lined up right. (There were two extra purl stitches at the front and the back once the ribbing met up…) Now, I just need to bind off and see how the fit is. Another great thing about this pattern is that I got a great idea for another stitch pattern for a future pair of socks. Hopefully, I’ll remember, and you’ll be seeing that dream in reality soon.
Here are pictures of our beautiful children at the State Fair…. Yes, I live in a state that has a State Fair with a capital S. We go every year. I’ve gone every year for as long as I can remember. I’ve travelled abroad, had a good education, like to try cultural food, and yet I’m still grounded by simple things. Things like going to the State Fair with my parents. Remaking that tradition with my children and husband.
So one, last toast to hot, sultry summer weather while the cold, fall rain is falling:
Emma and Mommy having a homemade cookie sundae:
Happy Grace:
Smiling Xavier:
Dyeing to Knit 