Emptyknitster

Socks: 26 pairs Sweaters:4 Clogs: 5 pairs Mittens: 1 pair Fingerless Mitts: 2 pair Hats: 8 Baby Items: 3 Scarves/Shawls/Cowls: 4 Dishrags: 6 Project bags: 12 (Mitered Square Sock Blanket: 186 squares) Grand total of knit items for 2013: 53 plus (186 squares) and a dozen project bags Favorite Item: Beautiful yarn given to me by Yarn Lovin' Lizzy creator of Vice Yarns Craziest thing knit this year: Socks for my brothers Spider Socks Old/New Griz Socks Favorite photo prop for knitted item: Daisies Favorite hand dyed item: Socks in the Poolside Bitch Colorway

A first: The California Dreamin' Gal has been singing the praises of Kombucha for quite some time. It is an acquired taste and on the last visit it finally happened! I like the fizziness and when it is a batch that has been brewed for a short period of time there is less vinegar flavor - delicious! SO this Christmas I received everything needed to start brewing my own Kombucha: The "mother" arrived. I let it brew for three weeks, mostly because I knew the bottles were wrapped and under the tree! Yesterday was the bottling day! Sterilized bottles: There's now a new batch of tea with mother and baby safely inside: Just a sip or two for tasting, a little tart for my taste - but three weeks in the brewing! My first Kombucha off to the refrigerator! Another six bottles next week! And a last: Usually when I start a project I stick with it until it's done. This one was rather frustrating, I envisioned the finished project differen...

Sadly, this year I didn't follow my own favorite advice to Grammas - I didn't have the kiddos decorate the Christmas Tree the night before they left after Thanksgiving. So, instead, the night the kiddos arrived for Christmas holiday the decorations went up! Now, it's time for the family to leave and it just doesn't seem right to take the tree down after such a short amount of time. BUT next year it's back to Gramma's Favorite Piece of Christmas Advice!

Earlier in the fall the NorDak PurlGurl and I had a great sewing session making these sock project bags for the gals in my knitting classes:   I appreciate the help that DD gave me and it made me realize just how much I needed a new sewing machine!

Just loving doing my own hand dyeing! The colorway is "Poolside Bitch" because at our retreat last June I took a skein that was all tangled. I was just going to cake it later but Darlene and Jo spent 3 hours one evening getting it done. By the time they were through words were flying and the name just stuck! From this:  To this: This pattern is with the Fish Lips Template but I used my new stitch pattern book and found a pattern I liked, WHAT FUN! Yarn:Knit Picks Bare - Superwash Wool, Nylon Fingering Weight Colorway: Hand dyed by Emptyknitster in Poolside Bitch Colorway Amount: 1 skein Needle size: US Size 0

Over a year ago The Chick bought some yarn to knit herself a pair of clogs. She'd worn out the original pair I'd knit her and truthfully there isn't a slipper out there that is any warmer.  The pattern is a little difficult and the Chick never did get very far on them. When I began singing the praises of the pattern Easier Clogs for Men and Women she asked if I'd knit a pair for her.  They're now done and keeping her feet toasty!

That's 20 degrees below zero folks! Looks like a long cold winter!

While the NorDak Family was home I made templates of their feet as suggested by The Sock Therapist of Fish Lip Heel Fame. It became apparent that the pair I'd thought would fit The Tiger would be sadly to small and so it became necessary to knit another pair quickly before Christmas.   Pattern: Fish Lips Heel Sock Pattern Yarn: Patons North America Kroy Socks Stripes Colorway: 55520 Rusty Stripes Amount: 2 skiens Needle Size: US 0 I've finally moved down to a size 0 and like the tight fabric it produces. After Christmas note: The boy loved his new socks and wore them 4 days straight! Everyone commented on the great fit of their socks, smaller needles AND the great template really helped me to knit socks that fit!

This year marked our family's First Annual Virtual Turkey Trot . All family members were invited to partake. Each family's time would be averaged for the 5k to find the winning team. (We were estatic to hear of The California Dreamin' Guy's sore back - it gave all the rest of us a chance!) The winners of this year's race are the members of the NorDak Family! Go Team! A big thanks goes to The Chick for all the encouragement given, the kiddos couldn't have done it without you! PS: To my knowledge the Oregonian Family are still out there on the track!

Recently the Oregon Family sent me a Trader Joe's care package. It was filled with wonderful things that only Trader Joe can produce. Coffee, chocolate covered almonds with a hint of salt, natural licorice, Himalayan salt. But the package also had cookies and while most items couldn't be replicated the Trader Joe's Kona Coffee Shortbread Cookies were worth a try.     Pirated Trader Joe's Kona Coffee Shortbread Cookies Ingredients:      1c butter, softened     1/2c brown sugar     2c flour     2T coarsely ground coffee beans     1c white chocolate chips or white candy melts Instructions:     Preheat oven to 300 degrees.     Cream butter and sugar. Gradually stir in the flour and coffee until combined. Knead 3 minutes.     Roll into a 1/3-in. thick rectangle measuring 11 -in. x 8 in. Cut into 2-in. x 1-in. strips. P...

Recently, I found a new clog pattern and have now opened a clog knitting factory! One Christmas I knit 17 pairs of clogs. They were a more difficult pattern but this new pattern is quick and easy! Pattern: Easier Clogs for Men and Women by Kris Basta Yarn: Cascade 220 WOOL Colorway: Stash=buster Amount: Less than three skeins a pair Needle Size: US Size 11 Are you running out of time for those much in demand handknit Christmas gifts? Then this is  the perfect pattern for you!

For the last few of visits Sadie has been talking about learning to knit. I thought she might also like to dye her own yarn. So one afternoon during our Thanksgiving visit we did just that.  Sadie dyed a skein of 4ply and I dyed some more sock yarn - because if you are knitting a mitered square sock yarn afghan you can NEVER have enough sock yarn!     In the end, the dyeing of the yarn was the easy part- knitting, well it's evidently not as easy as Mom.Auntie and Gramma make it appear!