Emptyknitster

 Aloha! We were able to spend an extra week on the island this year. Loved it!   Appears it was the year of the animals! Enjoy.... After thirty years and three tries we finally found Green Sand Beach - the southern most point of the United States. We found a new beach at the northern most point of the Big Island. Next trip we'll have to go when it's not raining!   Sadly, as with every vacation, our trip came to an end and we came back to record cold and snowfall - over 100 inches!

I wanted to challenge myself during the "Ravelenic" Olympic Competition by doing Intasrsia. The Knitabull tutorials were very helpful while knitting the Stitch Surfer Sock. SO HAPPY TO HAVE FINISHED. SURPRISED HOW HARD IT WAS TO FINISH WHILE BODY SURFING AT THE SAME TIME! Pattern: Stitch Surfer Socks Yarn: Cascade Heritage Sock, Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted Colorway: Red, County Fair Amount: 2 skeins Needle Size: US Size 0 Enjoyed these socks and will knit them again with my hand-painted yarns!

After finishing the Lucky Boy Birthday Socks I found this pattern. Pattern: Rainbow Socks Yarn: Patons Kroy Striped Yarn Colorway: Mean Green Amount: 2 skeins Needle Size: US size 1 needles The Birthday Boy will be given a choice: A pair of Pin Striped socks: A pair of Rainbow socks: One sock of each and call them Half Drunk Irishmen:   These socks are great for our Irish family. My plan is to give them to this month's Birthday Boy and he can choose the combination he wants. Not very secretly I'm hoping he will choose one of each - I love the Half Drunk Irishmen! Whatever is decided the remaining two socks will go to my youngest brother for St. Patrick’s Day.

This month I'm making birthday socks for my oldest Brother, Big Daddy. Even though my grandfather didn't talk about his heritage, our surname indicates we're Irish and we like to think we are 100% Irish. However, mathematically large percentages of German and English heritage are in our blood. Big Daddy is going to love these! Starting these socks at the toe, I was careful to start at just the right spot in the yarn variation but...  GRRR!!! Just about to the ribbing of the last sock and see, SEE the knot??? It threw off the whole color sequence. (Knitters know that yarn is considered a "good" skein of yarn if there are two or less knots in a skein BUT really that close to the finish line?) Well, I put my big gurl panties on and started a third skein of yarn at just the right spot to finish a matched pair. Pattern: Pin Striped Socks by Julia Swart , with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Patons Kroy Striped Yarn Colorway: Mean Green Amount 2 skeins Nee...

Realized that the California Boy was having a birthday soon and I needed to get the sticks out and start a pair of socks! SadieRuin of the Yarnivore Podcast mentioned this pattern and how nice it was when knitting with striped yarn. Pattern: Jeck by Regina Satta Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks Ragg Shades Colorway: Gray/Brown/Red Amount: 2 skeins Needle Size: US Size 1 Note: I altered the pattern sequence. (The pattern says to cast on 64 stitches and I needed 68) K3, P1, Slip1, P1, K5, P1, Slip1, P1, K6, P1, Slip1, P1, K5, P1, Slip1, P1, K3 K 1 round

During the holidays the NorDakPurlGurl asked me about my hand knit socks and how they wore. I was quite indignant and said I had yet to have even one pair wear out, they were “as strong as iron.” Not a week later as I was folding the clean laundry I discovered a hole in not one but two pairs of socks! A week later while  doing another load of clean laundry I found yet another hole in a pair of socks I knit years earlier. A few years ago, in anticipation of this event, I bought a darning egg. And have been waiting to use it ever since. Now, the time has come and looking at the four socks – one pair has holes in both socks of the pair – even though they are hand knit I'm not sure they are worthy of repair. I have never darned socks. Although very frugal Mom never darned socks. It wasn’t because she didn’t know how, in fact she darned Dad’s socks for several years after they were married until the day Dad walked in the room while she was darning and said it really wasn’t...

At Christmas, The Chick brought me some sock yarn she bought a few years ago. At the time she only knew how to crochet and wanted some new socks. This was at a time when we thought if there was a crocheted sock pattern then it was possible…What a disaster!! A poorly written pattern, no give in the socks…WORTHLESS! She brought me the yarn thinking I could use it for the Rabbit Hole Mitered Square Blanket. What a thoughtful daughter! (I may NEVER have enough yarn to finish it!!) But alas, this yarn is 60% cotton, 20% wool, 20% nylon and I'm using 80% wool and 20% nylon... So I began a new pair of socks, now that I’ve found the Fish Lips Heel Pattern designing socks is a breeze! This is a very simple spiraled slip stitch that occurs every color change in the sock.   Pattern: Fish Lips Kiss Heel Pattern Yarn: 60% cotton, 20% nylon 20% wool Colorway: Pastel stripes Amount: One skein Needle Size: US Size 0