Purling Oaks

Finished socks and florentine irises

Finished Object(s)! 

The Jaywalkers are finished and I love them.  They are the best fitting socks I've ever made.  Now, I haven't made many pairs of socks but it is quite thrilling to have a pair that really fit.  Here are the details:

Pattern:  Jaywalker by Grumperina (formerly published in MAGknits and now a free Ravelry download.)  I cast on 76 stitches.

Yarn:  Trekking XXL, color 109  Less than one skein.

Needles:  US 1 (five dpns)

Time served:  A long time.  I'm not a fast knitter and these socks were for my travel time. 

I decided I was tired of having these on the needles so I devoted a bit of time to get them off the needles.  Now I am ready for Summer of Socks 2008.  Well, perhaps not as ready yet as Cookie or Deborah, but now I have a clear sock slate.  I love these socks!









Garden news:  My florentine irises are starting to bloom.  I acquired this variety from a grower in Ohio in the late 1990s.  It took me quite a while to find them. However, I had to have them because of the narrative in this book.  The Harrowsmith Illustrated Book of Herbs by Patrick Lima is still one of my very favorite books.  I read this book before bed for many nights.  Yes, I'm a bit odd........but, it really is a lovely book.  Anyway, they (the irises) multiply quite readily and are a delicate white with dove grey accents.  The irises will have to be divided in late summer, so if you are interested in receiving some (please!), just let me know via email or the comments and we'll make mailing arrangements in August or September.

Finished Shawl

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The Spring Enticement Shawl is finished!  Now, Spring can show up, any day now.  *g*  This isn't a fancy lace shawl but it will be fun to wear and the colors definitely make me happy.

Specifics:  Pattern:  Famous Shawl by Fiesta Yarns.
The yarn is La Boheme by Fiesta Yarns (just about 2 skeins), size US 17 circular needle and under a month to complete.   This project was one of the first ones I stashed as an adult knitter.  It feels nice to have it finished.

Finishing

It has been a day of finishing. Finishing wrapping presents, stuffing holiday photo essays into envelopes, making a roadtrip into the Madison Post Office with (thankfully) extended hours to send parcels to far-living family and friends. So all that's left are the parties and the present opening and the food, yes, the food. You know I feel good. The to-do list is empty for the evening and that is a rare event.

It has been foggy the past two days, and as Vicki posted today, the snow and ice have been melting. The temperature was in the upper 30's today. I chopped and shoveled ice for a little while this afternoon to clear part of the driveway. This warmth won't last long. The weather forecast has been changing during the course of the day. The last time I checked we were due to get 4 to 7 inches of snow this evening after some rain and the temperature will really be dropping. We're planning to go to a family party in Milwaukee tomorrow. I hope the roads are okay for driving, I would really like to go to the party.

Speaking of finishing, I finished the Koigu Fingerless Mitts on Thursday during the drive to Milwaukee. I even wove in the ends after cutting them (the ends) with my Swiss Army knife. My dad gave me that knife and I use it all the time---well, whenever I haven't had to go through airport security, that is. Here's the standard bathroom mirror shot. ( I did try a few other photos but the focus wasn't on the mitts.) Kim sent me the yarn and pattern to make the mitts. I love the yarn and the pattern is very clear. The mitts turned out great! One of my favorite finished objects. I love them. Thanks, Kim!!

Historical F.O.

I thought I would take a little trip down memory lane and show you what was probably my first finished object of any size. I don't remember quite when this project was started --- I may have been in middle school or perhaps high school. I may have finished it in high school but I cannot remember. I'll have to check with Mom. The purple yarn came from K-Mart in Oshkosh, probably the white yarn, too. Yes, it is acrylic. I love this blanket. I started crocheting granny squares with the help, appropriately, of my Grandma Nana. I made a number of them but grew tired of the process and wanted something bigger and faster. So, I made the ultra-large granny square you see in the center of the afghan. My mother helped me attach the small squares to my mega square. Then I went to town and bordered everything in white. This is a warm and comforting afghan. It doesn't quite fit the traditional granny square pattern but was approved of by both my mother and her mother as it was a finished object. It washes up great and I can plunk it in the dryer and have a nice warm blanket to snuggle in. Yeah, if you look close you might see some pilling but those are just love knots. *g*

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This is the reverse side.

Finished Object(s) and a first...

...daylily. The first one of the summer for my garden. I really don't know if this is anything other than a regular old roadside variety daylily but it is pretty no matter what the correct botanical name. I divided a huge clump of daylilies last fall in an attempt at economical landscape design. This bloom is only the first of what looks to be many from the divided and repositioned plants.

Here are the *finished* Sunrise Socks.....finally. The wait was worthwhile since I did my first rip-back and re-knit successfully. The yarn is Koigu KPPPM, dye code P14772 (two skeins with left overs). I used bamboo dpns in size 2.75 mm. I started these earlier this year but they often sat on the sidelines, patiently. Lessons learned? In the future, choose a pattern with a stated gauge, even if you are using the same yarn. These will be comfortable socks if not very snug, which I believe is partially due to the sproingy-ness of Koigu. The pattern started with a 72 stitch cast-on. For future reference, my gauge with this yarn and needles is 8 stitches per inch over stockinette.

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I feel as if I've finally caught my breath today. I was able to run into Madison for errands as well as find a birthday present for my soon-to-be two-year-old nephew. We don't get to see him (or any of the nephews and neice) enough. Yes, the lack of seeing is partially our (mine and DH's) fault for not making time. What's the phrase?....time waits for no aunt or uncle? However, we will see three out of five curtain-climbers next weekend and partake of birthday cake, too.

In the meantime, I'll be back in Lincoln, NE, this week. Lincoln is pretty nice. It is big enough to offer a nice selection of hotels, shopping, and restaurants but small enough to be a low-stress place to get around. The people I've met are all very nice and seem to exhibit a Midwest sensibility that makes me quite comfortable.

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I haven't done the roses in yet........

Red Scarf FO

Snow-wise, we probably have about 7 inches of new snow as we were over-achievers and shot past the forecaster's 3 to 5 inch prediction. Now this is Winter!

I finished a red scarf this afternoon for the Red Scarf Project 2007 project. I printed out the nifty corset for the scarf and it is ready to head out in the mail tomorrow.

I did laundry, finished and wrapped the scarf, nursed a plugged ear, watched the Saints-Bear game (too bad for the Saints), and enjoyed the snowy day. Blue enjoyed the day, too. This guy really knows how to relax.