Round 2

The first of the RSC 2009 kits has been completed. I can't even tell you how much I love the colour. My Blue Heaven. As I was knitting, I was thinking "Oooo, I think this colour is my favourite" then it would change and "Oh, maybe this one", then "No, I think it's this one". Turquoise, cobalt, teal, all of them so so pretty. The pattern is Queen of Beads, by Sivia Harding



I had some minor challenges starting these socks. You see, they begin with stringing approximately 140 beads onto the yarn. I read that dental floss threaders were the way to go, but couldn't find any. But I had a dentist appointment 2 weeks after the package arrived and asked the hygenist for some. But then of course, I had to explain why I needed them. Needless to say, she was amused. So I attempted to string the beads with the threader on the end of the yarn. No go, the beads wouldn't fit over the doubled up bit of yarn at the end and I kept breaking the end of the eye of the threader. Then, I tied a length of dental floss to the end of the yarn and put that through the eye of the threader. Better, but still difficult to get the bead from the floss to the yarn. Then I tried a length of sewing thread instead of dental floss. Bingo! There was the occasional bead that would not go on, but I'd just put that one aside and use another. I had the beads strung in no time after that.



The knitting went quickly. It's a fun pattern that is really, really pretty. With or without beads. I put beads only on the leg, but I should have done the first repeat of the instep as well, to line up with the heel flap beads. Oh well, no one will really know, will they? And I did the extra repeat in the leg, can't have a short sock!



I finished these socks a couple of weeks ago, I'm very behind in my blogging, there are a couple of other things to show you too. My next RSC kit arrived today, it too is awesome. Very girly which isn't so much me, but I love it. I've worn my Queen of Beads once, so far, and the fit is great. I lengthened the heel flap a little from what I have been doing because my socks are feeling tight around the instep and some of the are harder to get on, this worked.

Fabulous sock, pretty pretty colour. On to the next finished project!

Thanks Mr. F

Well, my small boy is getting yet ANOTHER new teacher, his 4th in two years of school and his third one this year. Not ideal for the kindergartener.

Last year, the teacher he had all year was replaced by the one that was on maternity leave, with 5 weeks left in the year. Because she was pregnant again. She was back in his class in the fall and left in November to have her baby. That's when Mr. F came to teach. Now, in March he has found a full-time permanent position at another school teaching grade 3, so the kids are getting yet another teacher. I can't be mad at Mr. F though, he is doing the right thing, it just sucks for the kids. He has done great things in that classroom, and the kids love him. J is pretty bummed, but Mr. F also happens to be J's best friends Dad.

If Mr.F had stayed until June, he would have received some hand-knit socks, but since I only had a couple weeks notice of his departure, he got a hat instead. I decided on the Turn-a-square hat by Jared Flood. So off I went to The Needle Emporium for some Cascade and some Silk Garden.





I started knitting and had a really hard time putting it down, so I didn't. It was knitting up really quickly and I was loving the striping of the Noro. My first Noro. Not my last Silk Garden for sure (seeing as I already have some ready for a Noro Striped Scarf).





I'm really happy with this hat, I hope he likes it. He didn't open his gifts at school and now it's March Break. Hopefully his lovely wife (who is one of my friends) will let me know.



I'm still working on Gytha. I'm still in love with Gytha. I should finish the second sleeve today and then it's time for the hood and then it's done. It's awesome. I'm in a quandry about what will be next. I'm going to make Jer a seamless hybrid, so I should measure and swatch and do the math for that.

CPH should be blogged soon. I might have found some buttons. Maybe.

Ratty slippers

My ratty old slippers needed replacing. The big boy outgrew his slippers and now the small boy is wearing them. So that meant I needed to make some more slippers.

I pulled out the bin of leftover Patons Classic Merino (known around here as slipper yarn) and had the boy pick out what colours he wanted. He picked out a varigated blue/brown that was used in his fathers slippers and the navy I used at Christmas for his cousins. I knew there would be enough of the varigated, but there was no chance there would be enough of the solid navy. Fortunately, with the double sole construction of the beloved felted clog you can pretty much use whatever colours you want on the inner sole without affecting the final look of the slippers. So, for the first one, I used one strand of varigated and one of the solid for the inner sole, 2 varigated for the body of the slipper and 2 solid for the cuff and the outer sole. Hrmmm. Not much of the navy left. So, the second slipper got a strand of the varigated and a strand of a different blue (more denim in colour) for the inner sole, 2 varigated for the body of the slipper and 2 solid for the cuff. Hrmmm. I don't think there is enough to do the outer sole. So, I do the first three rows of the outer sole with 2 strands of the denim, and the next 3 rows with 2 strands of the navy, and attach with the navy. No way no how would there have been enough to do the whole thing, I barely had enough this way. So, did you follow all that? They turned out great, and aside from a bunch of questions about why there is a patch of lighter blue on the bottom of one slipper, he's pretty happy and all three of my monkeys are now happily 'skating' around the house in there felted slippers.





Mine. I bought some slipper wool for new slippers awhile ago, when it was on sale at Michaels. I guess at the time I was planning on a green sole/cuff and purple body, but when it was actually time to knit them...not so much. So I switched it, knowing full well that one ball of Classic Wool is not enough for soles and cuffs. So back into the bin I went and found the leftovers from Jen's slippers (the night we felted them, that's the night she became a knitter, even though she didn't actually knit yet). And I used that for the second strand for the inner soles. Every thing went very smoothly. Until. Until the last row of the outer sole of the second slipper. Ran out of purple. Crap. So now my slippers don't match. They have a little line of a varigated (although with coordinating colours) where the second sole is joined to the slipper. I'm over it. I'm just happy to not be leaving little bits of my slippers all over the house as they disintegrate into nothingness.





So there you go. More than you ever wanted to know about my felted clog journey.

I'm STILL looking for buttons for my CPH. I'm completely in love with Gytha.



I'm also in love with the January RSC colourway, My Blue Heaven. I may need more.