Socks? Never Say Never

I never thought I would ever knit a pair of socks.  I mean, what a waste?  I can buy them cheap and they get holes in them and worn out really fast.  Right?  Well, with the closing of my favorite yarn shop, I bought some pretty sock yarn (Alpaca Sox by Classic Elite).  Then I searched for a free sock pattern on Ravelry and found the Artichoke socks by Megan Humphrey.  I went back and forth between the socks and Rosebud's Zauberball dress

 and finally finished them in 2 weeks. 

These are the softest, warmest socks I have ever worn.  My toes are always cold, even in the summer, but yesterday, wearing these socks, my feet and toes felt as warm as they do burried in warm sand at the beach.  Now, I am not the most consistant person in the world, probably the least, so the thought of handwashing these socks does not really bother me now, but a few weeks from now??? I don't know.  Anyways, I loved them so much that I went back and bought the rest of the Alpaca Sox yarn and purchased a book by Cookie A. .  She is famous for her sock designs, in the knitting world, and I have already begun the first pattern in the book.   

Lots of stuff going on

The retirement scarf is done and being blocked. It is 100% alpaca handspun. The pattern is a K2P2 rib with a 12 stitch cable.
Last fall I purchased these lunchroom tray carts at a school auction with the idea of using them as growing shelves. They are working great, I am very pleased.

Knitting along

The basket weave shawl made from my hand spun merino. It is so soft. My son wants me to wear it everywhere.


A few years ago I tried this pattern and I had a terrible time. I was too inexperienced at reading patterns. Finally, I feel I conquered this style of pattern writing. I am using a commercial yarn that my mother bought me for this sweater.

The hemlock ring blanket is so pretty. I am knitting mine up in some single ply 100% alpaca that I spun. Alpaca is a strong fiber and this particular alpaca had a long staple, so single ply works really well. It has a slightly fuzzy halo. I really like it.

ARG!!! Knitting Lace

I am attempting lace for the first time. I saw the Hemlock Ring Blanket and loved it. Since I like trying new things and I like a challenge I cast on. So far I have ripped it out a dozen times, my husband (I will call him Dear from now on), Dear, has laughed and said, "Finally something you can't do perfect the first time! Ha ha!" He had to go outside so I would not throw something at him. I am now on row 25 and the center looks like cheese cloth. I do not know how everyone got theirs so nice in the middle using 4 double points. I hope someone has a hint on how I can tighten the center without ripping everything out. Pain in the rear, but I am going to finish it and make Dear eat his words.

This photo is from Brooklyn Tweeds.

New Handspun Alpaca

These 100% alpaca yarn singles are available for $16 a skein plus shipping.