52PPIV Progress Update

This is the progress update after the first month of the 52 Pair Plunge IV. I’m going to evaluate myself according to the 4 goals I’d set for myself at the start.

1. Finish the 3 WIPs and 8 pairs of hibernating socks I currently have on the needles. One of those pairs is from April 2009. Really it’s time to finish it.

I’ve finished 2 Hibernating socks…The Power’s Out at Work & Dad’s Fathers Day Thaja socks. Which leaves me with 6 more pairs of hibernating socks. Of the 3 pairs that were WIPs (works-in-progress) at the time I began The Plunge, 2 have gone into hibernation (one because I lost the second skein of yarn so I’m sort of stuck, and the other because I lost interest). The third is the Norwegian Rose colorwork sock I finished yesterday. I can't believe I actually finished these.

2. I currently have give-or- take 90 skeins worth of sock yarn. Enough to make 90 pairs of socks with lots of remnants. I will not stop buying new sock yarn but what if I can only knit the new after I’ve completed a pair with the stash sock yarn. Imagine if I cut the stash down by 26 skeins? That’d be a good part of a yarn bin free.

I’ve started and finished a pair of socks from stash yarn, the Missed in History Socks. I’ve started a second and third pair from stash yarn, but not yet finished them. I have not knit with any “new” yarn, which I consider a success. So far the only “new” yarn is the String Theory yarn I bought a couple weeks ago and that’s displayed too nicely to knit with it.

3. Knit more with DK weight yarn. I’ve never knit a DK weight sock but it couldn’t hurt to make a pair of house socks for The DH, Mum, Dad, & Myself. Those will be quicker than regular socks.

I’ve knit a pair of DK weight child socks, The Etta Mae Baby Socks. They were a quick afternoon knit. Nothing to report on adult socks in DK weight.

4. For every full size pair I knit, knit a pair of kids socks. Not baby socks. Those are so small they’re useless. Kids socks that I can give to Sophie or Simon or put away for some future child.

Definitely not keeping up this end of the deal. So far this month I’ve knit 4 pairs of socks and 1 pair of baby socks. I just don’t have the patience for it. I think it's a two fold problem, there aren't many toe up patterns, and I'm afraid to knit too small a sock and have it be pointless. About a week ago I tried one of Cat Borhdi's toe up kid socks and loved them, so I'm hopeful that there will be more of the Etta Mae's Baby Bootikins in my future.

Wedding

The wedding was everything The Bride and Groom wanted it to be. I was flawless and it will be a memory I cherish for many years to come.

Can you feel that?

Can you feel that? That’s the excitement of a wedding! It is impossible to work knowing that Lauren’s getting married tomorrow. The Boyfriend is with them doing setup and I’m trying not to gush on my coworkers all about this. It’s SO exciting!

Critter Swap

The Critter swap was a success. Meow Meow Head loved her sheep.

And I got the greatest critter possible. The Crazy Future Librarian knit me a Bender! A Bender! From Futurama. I was completely shocked and amazed. The Boyfriend worked hard to contain his envy. So far Bender has sat on the TV and watched us (a little creepy) and sat on The boyfriend while he played video games, and sat next to Isitt on the couch, and sat on me while I knit. Thank you for my Bender!

Sheep

I’d like to introduce you to someone. This is…. Well to be honest I don’t know who she is. This is the swap surprise project I’ve been working on for Meow Meow Head. She is the Simply Knitting Sheep designed by Alan Dart for Simply Knitting Magazine. I made a few minor changes, the most major one being that she’s knit almost completely in the round where the pattern suggests knitting each of the 18 pieces flat and seaming as much as possible. I took the complete opposite approach and only knit the dress straps and eyes flat. That saved a lot of sewing time but I still ended up putting in 40+ hours into this little cutie. I had no idea when I cast on how much work this would take. But thank goodness she’s off to such a good home. I think MMH is the only person who could love her more than me. I’ve left it up to MMH to name her.

I am incredibly proud of this finished piece and definitely rate it among my top 5 knitting accomplishments. This is one where no matter how good the knitting is the assembly really makes the finished object look hand crafted with love verses home-made. While I’m a much better knitter than seamstress, I am pleased to report that my sewing skills are finally up to speed enough so that they do not to detract from the quality of the finished object.

If I had it to do again, would I make another knit toy? Certainly not one this complicated. But the effort is worth the result. Ask me again in a couple years when I’ve forgotten how many hours this little sheep took. In the meantime I hope MMH enjoys her company.

Honest Abe

While noodling around on Audible looking for some sort of Fantasy-Stephen King-Vampire adventure I was distracted by the recommendation for Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. I like Historical Fiction and I like Vampires. I downloaded it. Had I read the first sentence of the write up I would not. Had I looked into the author I would not have downloaded. Had I thought beyond the novelty of making Honest Abe into a vampire hunter I would’ve stopped short realizing that I felt somewhat sacrilegious to use the greatest American President as vampire fodder.

After an hour into the book I realized this book was a car wreck that I couldn’t look away from. Not that the story itself was a page turner or that I was captivated by the character of young Lincoln. I was just too intrigued by the notion that the Civil war was backed on both sides by vampires.

After finishing the book it still feels dirty, distasteful, and somewhat trashy. The Lincoln mythology is too heavily ingrained and too difficult to seperate from the man. Had the main character been anyone other than Abraham Lincoln I would’ve really enjoyed the book. And had the main character been anyone other than Abraham Lincoln I wouldn’t have taken a second look at it, let alone read it. I guess you get what you pay for. I need to quickly get this taste out of my mouth. Next up, Gunslinger (The First in the Dark Tower Series which I’ve read 5 or 6 times already) or the next Stephanie Plum book. Ok not a classic but pleasant brain candy.

Doctor Who Isitt presents the Devon 5

The Who-Monster as we’ve taken to calling Doctor Who Isitt (the white kitten, front left) is the biggest and oldest kitten here. He is a crazy kitten. The other five kittens are sweet little babies compared to him. Arya and Cinders are right next to Who Isitt. Cinder is much younger but just as curious and outgoing as Isitt’s babies. Bella continues to look just like Isitt only a different color. And behind her are Mayberry (the blue eyed cream girl) and Wilberness. Wilburness has the potential to be a mini-Who-Isitt. A smaller younger white male kitten. Only Wilburness is the complete opposite of the confident and spunky Who, he is the sweet shy type. Perfect for kissing and cuddling. And no it’s not your eyes, Devon Rex kittens do in fact have the biggest ears around.

String Theory

The Boyfriend and I had an adventure this morning. We set the alarm and got up at 6am on a Saturday. By 6:45 we were in the car and I was knitting. The driving rain made it more difficult to hear our words between the bursts of thunder. We were as giddy as two kids who had just snuck out of class. We stopped in Berwick for a Dunkin’ breakfast and headed north. At nine we pulled into the Windsor Fair Grounds and the Maine Fiber Frolic. I pulled on my rain coat and he pulled out the hiking maps to do some research.

I quickly found the String Theory booth and then spent an hour selecting the perfect skeins. Caper sock is a close second favorite yarn (Schaefer Nicole is the first). Caper sock is 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% nylon. I selected a sweaters worth of Tavikki –a deep teal color. Skeins of Fusion, Scarlet, Viola, Didgerdoo, and Bimin found their way into my bag.

I raced back to the waiting Boyfriend. We hit the road again heading back home. Still giddy I alternated between sniffs of the new yarn and squeals of glee. The Boyfriend just laughed. If it was closer to my birthday this would’ve been a perfect birthday gift. I tried to convince him that since his birthday is only a month away it should be his. He wasn’t buying it. At noon we returned home to three happy kitties and a bright sunny day.

Apple Pie for Breakfast

Admit it, you're jealous. You want apple pie for breakfast too. Yesterday I was listening to the second Stephanie Plum book and she mentioned apple pie. I had to have some. And about four hours later thanks to a Miss Sara Lee I had a slice.