Emptyknitster

About a month ago I bought a stash of yarn from Knit Picks for a screaming deal. When choosing sock yarn you can buy it just because you love the color or colorway name - it's only one skein - and that's exactly what I did.  I chose all the yarn because of it's splash of color or splashy name. Just out of production is the first pair of socks "Hollywood" and like a Hollywood production, "stay tuned" there are some more beautiful socks just waiting for their premiere. Pattern: Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted, and Cascade Heritage Sock Colorway: Hollywood, and Black Needle Size: US Size 1 (5" double points!)

I had some outstanding friends when I was Ramona Quimby's age. Often I was invited to tag along to a concert, a play, or spend a weekend at the family cabin with a friend. I'm sure there was much coaching by Mom on how to be a worthy guest and it paid off with many varied things to do and see. Many times I did things with my friend Lori Peterson and her mom. Usually the outings were great fun but not always. Once Lori's mother took us to see Bambi just after it was released in a downtown Seattle theater. I remember arriving home and Mrs. Peterson apologizing to my mom for possibly scaring me for life. (In the movie when Bambi's mom died in the fire I totally lost it and cried the entire movie.) But surprisingly that misadventure didn't stop Lori or her mother from inviting me on other excursions. One such trip was to the public library. We went to the West Seattle Public Library and listened to an author read from one of her recently published books. As I remembe...

Although I have a pair of "traditional" socks on double pointed needles, (Yes, I'm giving those tiny chopsticks a try) my traveling purse socks continue to be the Frankensocks. I finished a pair while in North Dakota and even started a third pair! Pattern: Vanilla Socks with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Oh My, Everything Colorway: Just take a look Needle Size: US Size 1

Spring in Montana means the weather can change dramatically from day to day and so I watched the weather forecast all week before making the the decision on Thursday that I could make the 8 hour drive to celebrate the NorDak Purl Gurl's birthday! I arrived Friday evening, after work and school for the NorDak Family. There was an added bonus, on Saturday Sadie played in a volleyball tournament.  I was so impressed how the program is run. If the girls aren't playing they are line judging or keeping score. This is a great way for the girls to stay on task during a day long tournament as well as learn the finer points of the game. The girls can out play any of the middle school teams I've seen play here in Montana. We dyed yarn using Easter Egg dyes and now I have four beautiful skeins of yarn for socks. Mine, Sarah's, Sadie Lou's, and Troy's Saturday night we watched March Madness Semi-finals. Before the month long tournament started Troy brought home...

At Christmas I knit The NorDak Purl Gurl a scarf. She loved it and said she's like more so I knit her a cowl for her birthday. I've had this Crazy Zauberball for quite a while, in fact, earlier I'd knit it into a Hitchhiker which I later frogged. It's a bright red and purple non repeating colorway but in this pattern, I think it's great. Pattern: Father Time Cowl by Steven Fergert Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball Colorway: Indischrosa Needle Size: US Size 6

The blanket continues to be coming along quite nicely. This month I knit 47 squares for a total of 684.  I've added the final big black square on the right hand side and am slowly making my way across the top of the blanket. I didn't complete all the i-chord on the top edge but can quickly be knit next month when there is more i-chord to knit.  I'm not sure how many squares are left to do - my estimate is 30.  I will still have about four gallon sacks of sock yarn remnants leftover from this project so I'm very glad I discovered the "Frankensocks" pattern.

Recently, while watching a podcast the hosts began talking about "Frankensocks". These are socks made of leftover sock yarn with no regard for color! Sue, the podcaster, said she loved the socks BUT working in all the ends was for the birds. Silently, I agreed. Then, about a week ago, it came to me... Russian Joins!! I joined the bits and pieces of sock yarn - all 80% wool and 20% nylon - with a Russian join to form a ball. Making the ball before I started allowed me to knit without interruption. (As I knit the sock if I thought one yarn color section was to long, I ‘d cut part of the length of yarn and join it to the next color. But don’t throw it out! Start another ball with the short length!) What a fun knit, I am sending them to my sock loving brother to wear on April Fool’s Day and I know he’ll get a chuckle out of them.  Pattern: Vanilla Socks with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Oh My, Everything! Colorway: Just take a look Needle Size: US Size 1 I pref...