Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Today is my grandmother's 91st birthday. The running joke in my family is that, were there a nuclear war, all that would remain would be the cockroaches and my grandma. This past year has been a tough one for her, including a broken hip and a few hospitalizations, but she's doing just great, now.

Grandma taught me to knit when I was a kid. She learned from her grandfather who literally taught her with string and two long nails. That's right, nails. It gives a whole new meaning to "sticks and string" doesn't it? Grandma doesn't really knit anymore, and knitting was never an "artistic" thing for her to do, but then again, Grandma is a very practical woman - most things she did were to save money and serve a purpose, not just to look pretty. She was always more of a sewer and gardener than a knitter or crocheter, but she knows how to do just about anything. She can sew, cook, can, bake (oh, goodness, can she bake!), knit, crochet, quilt, garden, cane chairs, build furniture, and about a million other things. My grandma actually sold her washing machine to the Jahovah's Witness! Not many other grandmas can make that claim.

So, on this July 20, 2007, I want to wish a very happy 91st birthday to the greatest Grandma a girl could ask for. Although you're across the country, you're in my heart every day. I love you, Grandma!

Ravelry!

AHHHHHHHH!

I just got my Ravelry invite!!!!

AHHHHHH!!!!

SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

Stepmother Socks

The Diamante Socks I'm making are for my father's new wife's December birthday. I figured socks were a good summer project and then I wouldn't have to be stressed about knitting deadlines once school starts again in the fall. I thought I remembered her having size 7.5 feet, so I looked it up online and that translates to about a 9.5 inch foot. I made the sock with that measurement in mind, but the sock (as seen in the last post) fits my size 8.5 foot. I'm not sure how much the difference will matter - it's possible the sock is has to stretch to fit my foot and thus will fit hers well. It's also possible it will be too big and be all bunchy at the toe.

I snuck into her closet the other day when she was out to look at shoe size, and apparently she doesn't know her shoe size, either, because her shoes range from 7 - 8.5...that's four different shoe sizes in the same closet. I'm hoping to find a friend with size 7.5 feet to try on the sock. I'm not very far up the leg (only 1/4 inch or so) so I could rip back if I had to, but I really don't want to. I know, I know...who does want to rip back their knitting, but the heel took a really long time to do and I just don't want to have to do it again.

It also means that I don't really want to keep working on the sock, since if it does need to be ripped back I'd rather rip back less than more.

I should also resume work on the Print o' the Wave stole, which has been sitting around, lonely and forelorn, at only two repeats long, for weeks.

hoo boy

I am officially the worst blogger ever.

It's not that no knitting is being done, it's just that not much progress is being made. I have a lot of projects kind of sitting around while I start new things. I'm in love with everything I'm doing, it's just that new projects always seem more, intriguing, maybe...

I have made progress on the Diamante socks. The stitch pattern is fun and the toe-up has been interesting. I'm not sure I love the toe-up heel flap, but I guess I'm still undecided. The sock, thusfar:



A close-up:



The heel took a long time, and it wasn't nearly as fun as a top-down heel flap. My favorite part of making socks is turning the heel, and it just didn't have the same je ne sais quoi. Oh, well. I think it may be a better looking heel, but I think I'd rather have the fun than the oh-so-slightly better looking heel.

I also got something I've been lusting after for quite some time.





Knitpicks "Memories" in the Redwood Forest colorway. I kind of hugged it when it came. It is even more beautiful than it looks in the pictures. The colors are just SO FREAKING PRETTY! The yarn is on clearance right now, and I'm considering buying, like, 40 skeins of it, even though I really do have an issue with making socks out of non-superwash yarn. I'll be making kneesocks out of non-superwash, but I figure kneesocks won't get the same kind of wear as regular socks, and I'm a college student: I don't have the time or motivation to hand wash SOCKS.

So, you may be wondering what I'm making, if not socks.

Viola!


Ridiculously pretty, isn't it?


A bigger photo, but what is it? Can you tell?


Why, it's a Clapotis, of course!

I am in love with this pattern. I must be the only person ever to not have knit one of these babies, yet, but my god, it's FABULOUS!

The pattern is genius, I tell you, genius!

What? What's that? My thermal?

Ummmm....

Here, look at my yarn bowl instead!!