In the "dog" days of summer...

Some of us sack out on the nearest horizontal space...

Often while trying to catch a little breeze.

Others, meanwhile...

...must venture forth into the heat to satisfy a little mouse craving -- you know how it goes, right? Just like running out to 7-11 at 10 p.m. when you just have to have ice cream ;-)

(BTW: I stepped out the door with a basket of laundry -- our machines are in an attached shed -- and found myself face to face with Blackie [the aptly-named Black Rat Snake]... So, like any normal person, I apologized for scaring her/him, went back inside, and snapped this picture. I love rural living!)

And me -- on the sultriest of days, I like to...

Well, what did you expect?

In the "dog" days of summer...

Summer Knitting

First things first...Welcome back! Apparently I really DO believe in blogging without obligation, huh?

The top photo is of some cute little guys I made for the Little Critter Swap, sponsored by Meghan over at Stitch It! Podcast. The pattern is from an Amigurumi book. I think it's called "Happy Eggs."

By the way, if you listen to knitting / spinning podcasts, you should give Stitch It! a listen. It's funny, touching, entertaining, and enlightening...Meghan's show is one of my favorite things ;-)

Speaking of spinning, I've been doing a little lately:
I spun this yarn -- which I'm calling Ply Me! for now -- on my Kromski Sonata. I'll give it a real name after I do some bobbin juggling and decide what kind of finished yarn I want. I'm leaning toward two-ply sock-weight. The pretty colors are courtesy of All Things Heather, purchased at KPixie.com

I've also been doing lots of knitting. I have other photos to show you, but for now, I'll just post this one...
They're Mom's "spring socks" (Carolina, Last Queen of Naples, by MonkeyToes). I made these two-at-a-time on one circular needle, using Plymouth Happy Feet yarn.

Unfortunately, I packed them for shipping before taking photos of the finished socks! So I'll have mom model them for me and send a few snaps.

Wow! The Summer Solstice has come and gone -- amazing how time flies! And speaking of come and gone, we've also had visits from my mom, my sister, and my mother- and father-in-law during the past six weeks. Every visit was thoroughly enjoyable, and thoroughly enjoyed.

Summer Knitting

Lazy Days

You just can't argue with the wisdom of a hammock under an apple tree in spring. My neighbor/landlords are the greatest!

Meanwhile, all's going well on the Carolinas (a Socktopia pattern). Just the foot to go now, and then I'll be done. Have I mentioned that I really like knitting two socks on one circ! I think they'll be a Mother's Day gift for my lovely mum, who's arriving today from California :-)

Lazy Days

Crochet? How Did This Happen?!?

Yes, crochet. Over the past year or so I've found myself drawn to certain crocheted objets, like this one, and these...(Go on, click on the links and gaze on the loveliness. You know you want to. I'll still be here when you're done and you've wiped the drool off your face...)

After months of gazing at other people's projects -- and finishing a few of my own! -- I finally gave in to my lifelong obsession with teeny-tiny things. And pulled out the crochet thread. Honestly, these little hooks are the cutest things ever! When I'm done making 34 of these hexagons (the one above is on round 5 of 7), I'll join them together to make the green scarf on the cover of this book:

That was yesterday.

Today, I was listening to a podcast when suddenly I was seized by the need to crochet a large hexagon-shaped bath mat. There, in front of me, was my bag of kitchen cotton yarns, along with two natural-colored cones of the same yarn.

So I reached out and grabbed my 8mm crochet hook and, holding two strands together, cast on for this:


It's the same hexagon pattern I'm using for my "Sexagons" sock-yarn afghan (if you're a Ravelry member, you can see it on my projects page).

Note: I'm enjoying the irony of these projects' extreme natures: from thread crochet with a micro-hook to a chunky big rug. Good for the hands, though! Thread crochet is a finger killer.


Well, there you have it. I'm flirting with two loves right now: knitting and crochet. (Actually, three, if you count spinning, which I definitely do).

I'll post more photos later this week. I've been working on knitting projects, making progress on my Lace Ribbons scarf and on my two-socks-on-one-circular-needle adventure. Plus, I have some knitting (and crochet!) patterns in the works, which should be available soon.

For now, though, take a few moments (or hours) to knit or crochet -- outside, if you can -- and enjoy a little creative quiet time :-)

Crochet? How Did This Happen?!?

One-Circ Sock Fun

A few years ago I got hooked on the Magic Loop method...Kind of sad, because I loved my DPNs and now I hardly ever use them. Still, stuffing a project in my purse when I'm halfway through a row is a lot easier with one circ than with DPNs.

Then I thought I might like knitting two socks on two circs. After all, it's just knitting around, right? But when I did it, I wasn't having fun. Too fiddly and cumbersome. Just not my thing...though I'm glad a gave it a try.

So imagine my surprise when I tried -- and liked -- knitting two socks on ONE circ last weekend! For some reason, it just makes sense to me. And even though I'm using two skeins at once, and doing twice the knitting, my socks are speeding right along!

I decided to knit these in memory of Momma Monkey (Gigi Silva) who, sadly, lost her battle with Lupus in late January. I'll be thinking of her family -- and her extended family -- as I knit, sending warm wishes their way.

Gigi founded Socktopia, and designed some really fabulous sock patterns, which she generously offered for free. This pattern is called Carolina, Last Queen of Naples, from www.Socktopia.net (the site is no longer available). I'm using Plymouth Yarns' Happy Feet, which I picked up for a song.

It's always sad when we lose someone who contributes so much to the fiber arts community. I strongly feel that one of the best ways we can remember her, like all artists, is to continue to enjoy her work and to try to emulate her generosity of spirit.

One-Circ Sock Fun