Making Monday

Four heels! I wanted to see if I could math my way from a 40 stitch Cast-on to a 60 stitch Cast-on. Wahoo! It worked!

The heels are the brown cotton blend.  I have not been a fan of the acrylic (the blueish white) or the cotton. The fibers are not as soft and they separate. Ugh! Oh, these are with the  HiyaHiya Fliers needles.

Double Pointed needles (Knitters’Pride Dreamz) the Cascadi superwashed yarns are very soft. I have the needles pointed to the heels. These four, tinks included, took me all day. But I feel accomplished on this first day of spring.

By the way, this day started out like this:

Progress has been made on other socks over the weekend.

Softer yarn but thinner and the ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars are a US size 1. But almost to the heels! Yay!

Caron is the softest yarn and I love these colors. ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars US size 8. Easiest on my hands.

Made It Monday

Yay, despite the weirdness of life knitting happens.

Knitters’Pride Royale Circular Needles, Caron Jumbo, (can’t find the label for colorway). I shared the videos I followed a couple days ago. Learning the Fleegle heel and a stretchy bind-off I really found easy.

On the other hand… I found Knitters’Pride Royale Circular Needles a pain to work with. This happened a lot:

The cables curled up and got in the way a lot. In my personal contest, ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars wins.

Here’s a nearly finished pair of cotton socks on ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars. The cables stay out of the way.

Meanwhile, here’s the ‘atmospheric river.’ Pretty, but I feel it is too little and too much too late.

By the way, is there anyone in the country that likes Daylight Savings Time?

Finished Friday

Yay! Son and SO made it to my house! Finished his socks!

Here is the YouTube I followed loosely.

She makes it easy!

I used Knitters’Pride Royale Circular Needles 40″ size 6 (I think–I’m not in the same room as the needles right now.) The yarn was a bulky superwash wool. I think these turned out too big. But I think they’ll shrink. They will be warm slippers.

Oh, and I discovered a cool bind-off.

Just a quick personal note. Knitters’Pride Royale Circular Needles are harder for me to work with than ChiaoGoo red-lace circular needles.

Thus Thursday

I’m doing my best to be my usual positive self despite the mully grubs of reality.

Snow. Lots. Just not all at once. It gets to this level, melts and reflakes.

We’ve got a couple more hours then it will be windy.

Meanwhile, my therapy of knitting keeps my hands moving while I process life, pets, and loved ones no longer with us.

My son and his girlfriend are traveling up. Snow or no snow. These socks are for them.

Nearly all the yarn for both pairs has been used up. I hope I’m done by tomorrow evening when they get here.

The reason for their scary mission is a memorial for my first dear sister in love. That’ll be Saturday in Portland. For my son it will be a 12 hour or more drive in much worse conditions than we have here. That’s how beloved Barb was/is for us.

I wanted to go. But my body is telling me that’s too long to be in a car. I used to handle long drives. But, especially being emotionally distraught from the losses of my furry friends, it seems far too much.

My older son is being picked up by the younger couple on the mission. I must admit to being very worried for all of them. As much as I would love to see my nieces and nephews, and sharing my condolences, I just can’t. I think I’ll write a letter or record my thoughts for them.

All of this plays on the huge housecleaning we need from our poor sickly Kali. We’ve done some but we are exhausted and can’t do as much as our younger selves could have accomplished.

One thing at a time. Doing what we can with what we’ve got. Sending and accepting love. Healthy mind and body.

Finishing Friday

This pair of slipper socks is as done as I can get them. I’m waiting for the yarn I’ll use for the heel and cuff. The four cakes of yarn I have, won’t be enough for the four socks I’m making. I looked for more and no one seems to have that color anywhere. These are Two At A Time Toe-up on ChiaoGoo red-lace circular needles.

The sock on the left is ready for the heel. The sock on the right has about 3″ before the heel. Luckily the new brown cotton should be here Tuesday. These are done on Flexee fine-gauge looms. I prefer the circular needles. And I’m getting good at trading off continental and traditional knitting.

The sock on the left hasn’t progressed. The one on the right needed to be tinked back about 15 rows. But I am finally back where I came from. This is thin yarn on skinny HiyaHiya Fliers so it is still painful to work with. That dark blue yarn, Denim makes my fingers blue. So these don’t call my hands to work much.

These are tiny yarn and thin ChiaoGoo red-lace circular needles so it is still hard for my hands. This yarn feels better than the light blueish yarn above.

I’ve tinked a few times as I am still learning how to make heels on Two At A Time Toe-up Socks. These are Knitters’Pride Royale Circular Needles. I miss this yarn. Not the curling cords on the needles. I can’t wait till I understand the heel, wrap and turn, decrease, and even more so the undoing the wrap and turns increases.

Just waiting to understand heels. See above. Not the same yarn. This is super washed wool. Same needles.

I found this chart for socks and am trying to save it everywhere.

Alas, my Ancheer treadmill from Ebay but the dust. I’m back to cold weather walking. By the way, we did buy insurance on the treadmill so hopefully it will be fixed or replaced. Today’s walk:

Not a lot but cold! I’ll try to get better.

Finishing Friday

He’s done. Need to straighten, seal, frame and send to a friend. I do love him! All-knowing dragon.

One finished, one still on the Flexee fine-gauge loom. White ribbing cuff to go. Probably finishing on the weekend.

Child’s hat nearly finished on ChiaoGoo red-lace circular needles. Another to be finished this weekend. This Fair Isle yarn is so soft.

I couldn’t resist working with the rest of the bamboo yarn. I’m hoping to have enough for a pair of socks. Toe-up Two At A Time on ChiaoGoo red-lace circular needles. 40 inch cable. 1 or 2 sized needles. It’s been a while since I looked at the package. I like the ChiaoGoo cords better than Knitters’Pride. As you can see, 2 toes started

These smaller socks on HiyaHiya Fliers. The one on the right has the beginning of a heel. 20 more rows until the heel on the left sock.

These big socks are still waiting for my learning to German short row wrap and turn. After so many times I feel confident in the decrease part but still shaky about the increase part.

These socks have been tinked so many times I finally laid a safety line. That’s the white yarn. As soon as I get quiet enough I’ll try the heel again. Same as the brownish socks. By the way, these last two are on Knitters’Pride Royale Circular Needles size 5, 47″ cord. I like the wood needle for different, but the cord is twisty and awkward.

Just Jot It January, Phantom

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 20th 2023, is “phantom.” Use the word “phantom” any way you’d like. Have fun!

By the way, the prompt is brought to us by Tuba. Thank you, Tuba! Please be sure to visit Tuba’s blog to read her posts and say hello

Since starting the Jotting for January a few of my own regular features seem to have become phantoms. I can feel them calling me like a phantom limb. Besides a couple reviews behind, I feel I need to catch us up on things I’m working on. Yes, I said ‘us.’ That is how I keep myself aware of what I’ve been up to lately. It helps me realize I’m not sitting and navel gazing. Things are getting done!

I’ve shared my two pairs of circular needle socks. But there are other projects getting attention. Just not as much.

A child’s hat, ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars.

⁰

These are nearly finished. CinDWood sock looms. The part I like least, ribbed cuff

A pair of child’s socks heel started on left sock. Cuff complete on the right. These are using HiyaHiya Fliers and short small ChiaoGoo Circular Needles to help out.

Nearly finished on Flexee fine-gauge loom. Again, cuff ribbing is my least favorite part.

I shared my method of keeping the cable uncurled with friends today. And I can share the progress since my full frog of yesterday.

With the help of my toes, the toes of the socks are finished. These are Knitters’Pride Royale Circular Needles. Good thing I can still sit half lotus while knitting.

Lastly, Diamond Painting continues. Nearly finished with the dragon.

I love him! So all-knowing, don’t you think?

I’ll try to get my reviews done sometime this weekend.

Just Jot It January, Complaint

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 19th 2023, is “complaint.” Use the word “complaint” any way you’d like. Have fun!

The prompt is brought to us by John. Thank you, John! Please be sure to visit John’s blog .

I have a few complaints. I’m still working on Christmas gifts. There has been so many mistakes, tinking back or like today, total frogging due to the learning curve. I’m trying to learn to knit Toe-up, Two At A Time socks on long cable needles. Here’s what I had finished up to before the frog. Nearly to the heel.

But the increase stitches went too far making the socks too large across.

Hey boyfriend’s socks

On their fourth attempt, are looking comfy. No complaints here, except it feels it is taking forever.

Valentine’s day may be the new Christmas. By the way, I have 4 other pairs of socks in progress. Maybe I’ll share them tomorrow.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, JusJoJan, Once Upon A Time

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 14th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “once upon a time.” Start your post with “Once upon a time,” then write whatever comes to you, whether it be fact or fiction. Have fun!

So, here we go…

Once upon a time, when people were kind, there was a bully. But kindness and blah, blah, blah.

What my stream is taking me to my knitting. I didn’t get to do my Finishing Friday. And my knitting is calling loudly, almost like a bully.

So

No, this is not a bra. Unless, as my hubby called it, a foot bra. Right. Toes for a pair of socks. Frogged a few times. I will probably need to frog again as the ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars are too short. So I bought a longer cable but there were no ChiaoGoos. If I can figure out how to load the project on my new Knitters’ Pride Royale Circular Needles. Size 8 like what the toes are on. But the new cable is 45″.

These toe-bras were made on size 1 40″ ChiaoGoo Circular Needles. Too small for the worsted weight Caron Jumbo. It was killing my hands to work this tight. So frogged, again. Learning to make Toe-up, 2 At a Time socks is complicated. Finding a proper pattern amid all the YouTube tutorials is tough. So I’m learning as I go with many frogs.

My newest try (just frogged again within the hour). These on my second set of Knitters’ Pride Royale Circular Needles, size 8, 45″ cord. I found my cast-on too long at 20. So I’ll start the next pair with Judy’s Magic Cast-on. Let’s try 16. Then the toe won’t look so boxy.

Just a quick review of the Knitters’Pride cords. They are so tightly coiled they are hard to work with. After research, I learned to steam or heat the cords. That helped the coiling, but they are not nearly as flexible as the ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars. But maybe with a little practice I’ll get used to them.

Other knitting and loom knitting projects are coming along. They just aren’t the extreme challenge as the Tu2AAT socks.

And the dragon is coming along.

I’m loving him!

Okay, back to the tiny bras!

And they lived happily ever after.