Fall in a Box

Today I got "Fall in a Box" from my MIL.  She knows how much I miss fall and the changing colors in Louisiana and so she sent me some fall from Kansas!  How sweet is that!!

My Clapotis (pronounced clap-o-tee.....I think) is coming right along.  It still needs to be a little longer, but it won't be long.  I'm loving the colors!  It goes with everything I wear so I'm calling it a neutral :)

Thank you for all your comments about the mismatched baby bootees!!  A decision has been made!  I'm sewing the buttons on and giving them to a lady at knit night who has a friend with a newborn baby boy who wouldn't mind the mismatchedness of said bootees.  I'm happy they are going to a good home!

No pictures today, but...

A post without pictures....is it still a post?  Even though there are no pictures I do have some exciting news to share.  Monday night I bought a spinning wheel!  Yep, it will be here before long.  A very nice lady in Michigan was selling her Lendrum DT complete (with bag).  She said she was doing to many crafts and needed to focus on what she liked best, so....now I get a new toy (and an early Christmas present)  Pics will follow as soon as it gets here.  Now I'm working hard on my knitting and Christmas crafting projects so I can play when it is here!

Fall is finally here!

Being a Midwest girl at heart I still have trouble with the weather here in Louisiana!  Yesterday it finally felt like fall (after what seemed like 10 months of summer).  I know the leaves won't change color, but the feeling of cool, crisp air brings a smile to my face. I celebrated by making an apple crisp!  Yumm!

The recipe in case you are interested:

Apple Crisp

4 cups apples (peeled and sliced)

2/3-3/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c flour

1/2 c rolled oats

3/4 t cinnamon

3/4 t nutmeg

1/3 c soft butter

Place apples in greased 8in pan.  Blend remaining ingredients until crumbly.  Spread over apples.  Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes until apples are tender.

So today I am wearing handknit socks (so is DH) and Knox (the cat) is using the cooler weather as an excuse to catch a few extra winks!

Front of the sock

Last week during the tutorials I purposefully hid the front of the sock from you (I went as far as editing one photo to keep it a surprise)  I'm in love with these socks!!!  Maybe I'll have to make a pair for myself someday!!!

They are going very fast with so much plain knitting, but the pattern is just enough to keep me interested!  If you decide to make these and want help with the chart let me know.  Some of the cables have purls in them and I couldn't tell by looking at the chart.  Once working the pattern I figured it out!  Here is a ravelry link to the pattern!

Magic Loop 2-at-a-time Tutorial Part 2--the heel

*** Warning: Picture Heavy post!!***

Here is part 1 of this tutorial!

1.  So at this point you should be ready to turn the heel on your socks.  I'll be showing how to do a heel flap 2 at a time.

2.  Work the heel flap back and forth on the right sock and turn the heel (yes it is important to start with the right one, not the left...I know from personal experience)  The other sock is just left on the cord for now.

3.  Move the heel flap stitches down on the cord freeing up the needle to pick up stitches.

4. Pick up the heel stitches on the left side of the heel flap.

5. Pull the cord through removing the loop (this is the same as one at a time ML knitting)

6.  Move the left sock down on the cord to sit for a while.  Repeat on the left sock (heel flap, turn heel, and pick up stitches on the left side of the flap)

7. Turn your work and work one row on the front stitches of both socks without picking up any more stitches.

8. Turn work and pick on the remaining stitches of the sock you are working with.

9.  Keep knitting the rest of the "heel" stitches, so now all the heel stitches are together on one side and the top of the foot stitches are on the other side (I know there are a lot of stitches on the heel side right now, but they will decrease quickly)

10.  Now pick up the remaining heel flap stitches on the other sock and keep knitting the rest of the heel stitches.

11. Congratulations!  You have turned both your heels and are ready to continue on to finish your socks.

Ask your questions, just make sure that I have a way of contacting you with the answer!

Magic Loop 2-at-a-time Tutorial Part 1

***Warning: Picture heavy post!***

My goal in this tutorial is to show how to do two socks at a time using Magic Loop!  I assume that you are familiar with knitting socks and regular magic loop knitting (if not see my previous tutorials for some help).

Magic Loop Tutorial (part 1)

Magic Loop Tutorial (part 2--the heel)

1. To start with you you need one long circular needle (mine are a 60 inch Addi's....I wish it were a little bit shorter)  You also need your yarn separated into two balls (one for each sock)

2.  Cast on half your stitches for the first sock.  Slide them down the cord.

3. Then (using the other ball of yarn) cast on all your stitches for the 2nd sock.

4.  Find the middle of your stitches on the second sock and pull the cord through to make your "loop."  (You have half of the first sock cast on and all of the second)

5.  Now you are ready to cast on the remaining stitches for the first sock.  Take the yarn and bring the needle close to where you left off to cast on the stitches across from the ones you already did.

(bring the yarn and needle into position to cast on other half)

(casting on other half)

6.  Now you are ready to join your first sock for knitting in the round.  This is just like normal magic loop knitting.

(bring the stitches to the ends of the needles, pull the back needle which has the working yarn on it out and around to knit the next stitch that should be knit)

7.  Then you need to join the second sock.  Adjust your needles so you have enough room to work and so that the stitches to be knit are on the needle.  Then join as usual and knit.

8. Now you should be ready to turn your work, adjust your needles and knit the other side.  Remember to switch balls of yarn as you switch socks.

You should be good to go until the heel now.  I would mark the spot where you have made a complete round (of both socks)  Normally I don't do this because it is obvious, but I get confused with 2  at a time if I don't)  I think this method is a little fiddly at first, but once you have an inch or so it settles down.  Questions? Please ask (make sure to leave a way for me to contact you with an answer)

Part 2-the heel-coming tomorrow!

Opinions needed

When my mom was here recently we worked on baby bootees. (Her's looked super) Here is the pair I made.  Unfortunately I used some self striping sock yarn and the bootees don't match at all.  I had forgot that the widths of the stripes varied so greatly.

The bottoms match fairly well!

So what should I do:

1. They look fine to me (I would be happy to receive them as a gift) Sew those buttons on them and be finished.
2. Donate them to a charity (I hate donating things that don't look nice)
3. They look weird/ugly, don't waste the buttons!
4. Try making one more bootee and see if it matches one or the other.

Note:  If the verdict is #3, I'm not going to bother frogging them for the little bit of yarn.

Thanks for your help!!!

Prize!

I really couldn't believe it.  I mean who ever really thinks they are going to win a contest?  Especially on a popular blog?  I mean seriously!  Somehow my comment was # 8000 on Tiennie's blog!  How awesome is that.  She has such a lovely blog and the pictures are always so inspiring!  Look at the lovely yarn she sent me as a prize!

It is Plymouth's Happy Feet in a gorgeous green/brown.  Very soft to the touch.  I can't wait to try it out (have you used this yarn before? what do you think?)  I'm thinking a pair of Embossed Leaves socks for me!! (but that will have to wait until after Christmas knitting is complete)

Last week I also got tagged by Stacy to give you more info about myself than you really care to know!

The rules:
- Link to the person who tagged you
- Mention the rules
- Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular or random details about yourself
- Tag six other bloggers by linking to them
- Go to each person's blog and leave a comment that lets them know they've been tagged

Fun facts about me:

1. I have a twin brother.  Growing up we were highly competitive.  It got to the point that my parents hid our grade cards from each other.  Now we are super friends.
2. When alone I eat the icing on a piece of cake last. (Unfortunately I think it is rude to do this around others, but I really like to eat all the cake, then all the icing)
3. My first car was a 1986 Honda Accord Hatchback.  My favorite thing about it was that the headlights "hid" in the car.  It always felt extra fun to watch them come out of the car.
4. I never dreamed of being a mathematician.  I just wanted to teach Junior High math.
5. I played the piano for 10 years and dreamed of playing like George Winston!!!  (my dad promised me a grand piano if I did)
6. I love Christmas!  I still get so excited that I have a really hard time sleeping on Christmas Eve. (I know I'm adult and shouldn't be like that, but.....)

Tagging:  If you want to be it, then you are!!!

Socks are done!

My knit night socks are done!  (okay...I did work on them outside of knit night)  These are a simple pair of socks but were lovely on my feet this weekend!

Details:  Plain vanilla sock.  Cast on 68, did 2x2 ribbing and a round toe!

Yarn: Online Cotton Beach Color

Needles: US 1.5 using magic loop!

**these are my October socks for the Pair-A-Month challenge!!

The cotton blend is lovely!  Not too warm for those of us who live in the south!

I was happy the stripes matched up so well...I couldn't have dreamed they would match like this!

I had a lovely weekend knitting a lot!!!  Nothing exciting, but blissfully wonderful!  I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the week (I think)

What super friends!

Six months ago I only knew 2 people who knit/crochet/spin in Baton Rouge.  Since then I have met this awesome group of ladies who are so much fun, who share so many of my passions!  They are spinners, knitters, crocheters, encouragers, enablers, and givers!

Tuesday night, one lady GAVE me these:

A whole bunch of spinning magazines!!!  She decided spinning isn't for her right now and thought I would like them.  (They aren't helping me be patient to find the perfect wheel!)  There are so many great projects made with handspun yarn. 

Doesn't this scarf show off the yarn great?  Plus the magazine shows 10 others scarfs (all the same pattern) made with different handspun!  (Oh where is my wheel....must spin faster)

and look at these socks!  I don't feel ready to make sock yarn yet, but the pattern looks nice and I know it won't be long.

Then fellow grad student and knitter (she also attends knit night) thought I would like to borrow this book of hers.

Very cool!  My personal favorite are the pillows showing different braid equivalences.  Yep!  real topology in this book (that is what I study in case you were wondering, not braids, but topology)

Now that my reading list is set for a while, I need to figure out how to knit and read at the same time!

Magic Loop Tutorial Part 2--the heel

****Warning: Picture heavy post!****

I'm finally ready to finish the magic loop tutorial....the heel!  In the next month or so I will post how to do magic loop two at a time.   

1.  Part 1 of the tutorial can be found here!  Also there have been some requests for a video (and blogger wouldn't let me email those commenters), so here are some video links for getting started!

Knitting in the Round--Part 3

Advanced Knitting Techniques

Magic Loop

(if you have others that you love, please leave a link in the comments!)

2.  So you are ready to turn the heel on your sock.

Knit the heel flap back and forth turning your work as needed, leaving half the stitch on the cord unworked.

Another view of heel flap.

3.  Turn the heel, working short rows (any heel method would work and could be adapted, I'm just showing you my favorite)

4.  Now you are ready to pick up the stitches along the heel flap.  First move the heel stitches back on the cord, so you are able to use the needle comfortably.

Use the same needle (the one closest to the heel stitches) to pick up the heel stitches.

(In the end, we will have all the heel stitches on one needle and the top of the foot stitches on the other)  Pull the needle so there is no "loop" between the picked up stitches and the bottom of the heel stitches. 

5.  Then work the stitches along the top of the foot.  (you will need to turn your work to do this)

6.  Now we need to pick up stitches on the other side of the heel flap.  Move the top of the foot stitches down onto the cord so you can use the needle to pick up the stitches.

7.  After picking up the desired stitches, keep knitting all the "heel" stitches.  The "loops" should be positioned on either side of the top of the foot. 

8.  Work your gusset decreases as normal.  I know right now there are a lot of stitches on one needle, but quickly they will decrease.

Now you should be good to finish your sock.  Good Luck!! and as always ask me questions if something is unclear!