I pulled a Guinifer

I did it. I pulled a Guinifer. I've become an official yarn junkie and just dropped a weeks worth of grocery money on yarn I've never seen before. I joined the Project Spectrum Semi Solid Sock Club. (Hubby, if you check this. . . I'm really really sorry. I just couldn't help myself.) Then . . . joined Project Spectrum - which is free and just for fun. Hence the yellow pictures.

Please pass on any sock patterns that would be good for a person who just learned to do the basic sock this spring. I want to try something new . . . but not too tricky. I'm open to suggestions . . . something cable-ish?

I'd better get knitting.

ps. My fondest regards to Guinifer, who keeps me smiling and knitting every day with her funny blog. And Lorraine, who seems never too busy to give me knitterly advice and help during dance lessons.

Springtime shower, out goes the power.

A little treat for my Hufflepuff secret pal. I'll pop it in the mail tomorrow. I can't tell what it is in case she sees this post. Tee hee hee. It's completely unrelated to knitting or socks, but has some yellow in it (Hufflepuff colors: black and yellow).

Well, it's a blustery cool day here in Minnesota. The kids, surprisingly, are out on the tramp with their cars and trucks. The power went out around 1 am and my neighbor/sister-in-law said she'd come up with doughnuts and coffee. SO NICE! Our hubby's are away up at the cabin - Solvik, Ely. ( Solvik means "sunny bay" in Icelandic . . . technically it's not an Icelandic word, but sol is sun and vik is bay so there you go).That's Ruby on the porch at Solvik.
After our 8 year old threw his pizza crust into the weeds (tsk tsk) we found this bear track outside the back door of the cabin!

Here is a pic of my strange little footy I'm making. Cute, but I'm not really a summer-sock-wearing gal. But it's good practice on my circulars.

Kleiner - Icelandic Doughnuts

(picture from here)
As per Lorraine's request:


Icelandic Kleiner (doughnuts)
pronounced "KLAY-ner"

3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter or marg.
2 eggs
1 c. sour milk
1 t. baking soda
2 1/2 c. (or more) flour
2 t. baking powder
1-2 t. ground cardamom or nutmeg
1/2 t. salt

Cream the sugar and butter, beat in eggs. Dissolve baking soda in the sour milk. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Add the milk and dry ingredients alternately to the creamed mixture. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/3 inch thick. Cut into diamond shapes (about 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches). Cut a slit in the dough and pull one end through the hole. Chill for an hour if possible.

Deep fry in oil at 375 degrees.

Here's another recipe.

They are soooo good. Not quite as sweet as American doughnuts.

Bye Bye Little Birds!

This scarf is expensive and just tedious enough that I can't cart it around with me. Also, I'm not sure if I like the colors. They looked good all balled up in the store with the nice lighting. The good news is that the scarf will probably go with just about any coat I wear, and once it's balled up around my neck, it may look really pretty. Hmmm. There is a section in here that looks sort of Rastafarian. Not that anything is wrong with that. It's just that I'm not a Rastafarian. I do hum "Three Little Birds" everytime I visit Little Birds Handmade. (sigh. she's leaving us bloggy pals) This woman is amazingly talented - and takes beautiful pictures of her work. But she is discontinuing her blog.

I pulled out K's (hubby) Choco-socks again. I believe that makes it the fourth time. But this time, I'm taking a deep breath and putting the yarn away until Fall. In the meantime, I'm going to practice my cables (which Lori so graciously took the time to teach me - THANKS!!!) so that when I crack that sock yarn out again, I'm going to whip up some unseemly, gorgeously cabled socks for my beloved.





This is an Icelandic kleiner. It's a bit like a doughnut, but not quite as sweet and has just a pinch of cardamon. A bit better than M & M's for breakfast, I dare say. (compliments of my mother-in-law)


And how about knitting soccer socks for this pinky-punk! Just one more thing to add to my list of things to never get done. But check out the link. . . maybe I'll post the picture. I hope I don't get into trouble. I consider it free marketing for the pattern. I got it from atypically.knit.

Stormy Weather

Finally - some rain will fall and I will finally come inside, continue knitting and update my blog.

Have I been in the garden? Nope. We naively signed up both boys for baseball,


and baby girl for soccer and spend every waking moment either at games or doing laundry for the next game. Phew. But it gets me out of my hermitage and forces me to be social . . . and sometimes to take a shower.

My sock swap socks are on the way. I'm sorry, but black and yellow are just yucky. I thought that some long stockings would be cool . . . you know, like quiddich socks or soccer socks, but this bumble-bee striping is just too much.

If I finish these, maybe I'll look for some cool self-striping sock yarn that has just a wee-bit of yellow and black mixed in - that I could pass of for Hufflepuff socks.

I also need to schedule time to visit the local bead shop in lovely downtown Excelsior and make some stitch holders for my secret pal.

There are frequent bolts of lightening right now and I swear I just felt a tingle in the hand that's using the mouse. I'm off!

ps. I'm currently not discussing the baby pink sweater.

telegram

sunny day

stop

too nice to be inside

stop

write more soon

stop

Geeky knits. . . guilty

I wonder what the geekiest thing ever knit was? (beside socks for a Hogwarts sock swap) No offense, but I hide this one in my bag. Because when people ask what I'm knitting, my face turns red, my upper lip sweats and . . . well . . . I'm just too ashamed to tell them. I mean, I may as well tell them that I'm making Star Trek leggings.

This blog always makes me chuckle. Beware: it's mean-spirited . . . but still funny.

I'm just grumpy that my pink sweater has to be ripped out.

Heather - I use 40 inch circulars. More later!!

Knitting Saga

My m&m's were siphoned off by my 4 year old. So much for my breakfast.

OK! Socks are much more fun than sweaters. Look at this goop! It happened while trying to decrease. I did a ssk and look what I did. But this is the least of my worries. Look at this! And this is not a weird camera angle. The front panels are different sizes!! AUGH!! I thought I was measuring so carefully! I am so frickin' mad!
Also, I found on someone's blog (and I'd link it, but I can't remember where/when I found it) that they hated Rowan's Summer Tweed because the texture was so coarse - while I found that it was soft. Well - here's the answer. It depends on the color. My brown Summer Tweed is rough and yuck to the touch, but the pink is wonderfully cuddley.
I've been putting off my Hufflepuff socks due to lack of needles. (I only have one pair of #1 magic loop) but today, I vow to begin. My mom will be picking up more Magic Loops for me, so there will be no excuse.

Here is 8-year-old E's sock. The second is on stitch holders (again - shortage of knitting needles). And yes. I am modeling his sock on my foot. He is large for his age, which is what happens when you introduce Viking/Nordic genes into the mix. (I'm not bragging when I say he was 10 pounds 2 oz. at birth - just letting you feel my pain).
And yes . . . I'll start using my self tanner.

And the cotton stripey socks I started for myself with the Panda Yarn will probably be footies to wear around the house, since they're 'summer' socks and I don't forsee myself wearing these bright things in public with my shorts and sandals. (Oh the geekiness). (Renee) I thought the cotton would fall apart and come unraveled, but it's actually quite nice.

One more frivilous picture.

The ice is finally out on our cabin lake!!! Why is this significant? We're 'water-access' only. So here is a shot from a resort near us of the OPEN WATER!! Cabin - here we come.

PS. My dream would be to have a knitting weekend with all my knitting friends up in Ely (but few of my friends knit. sigh. And the ones who do, aren't keen on outhouses. That would be a lonely weekend).

UPS

Got a visit from the UPS truck today. Thought it was my yarn. But instead, it was a little Finnish mug I ordered after seeing it here. I love the Moomin's and thought I'd treat myself to something completely frivolous. I'm saving up for this one next.

But to relate it to knitting, here is a picture of 6 year old L's Snake Scarf - a kit from Morehouse Farm. I never actually posted the finished product.

And completely unrelated is a picture of my breakfast this morning.

Happy Sunday!

My mom and I finished our first knitting class (basic socks on the Magic Loop at Knit Wits). I think I'll knit all my socks this way.
Also, got a timely package of sock yarn from Carodan Farm I ordered this yummy cotton yarn to make these

and it looked big on my computer screen

but the skeins are teeny tiny. 50 grams per skein. oops. Will this be enough for two socks? I won't be able to make them as long.

And this funny bumble-bee yarn is self-striping HOGWARTS HOUSE YARN!!! YEAH! I'm using it to make socks for my Hogwarts Sock Swap. My secret Hogwart pal is in Hufflepuff.

My Life With Needles

Honestly, I don't know how I keep it all together. By ALL, I mean ALL. My life. See this box of knitting needles? Thit is a fine metaphor of my life. It's kind of all there, together, but kind of not quite as efficient as it should be. I am Type-B. A Type-A's nightmare.

Here is my sad sad tale.

I have been asked to chair several committees at school, over the years. I know myself well, and have protested these requests. But being a push-over, I found myself - chairing - I missed the first two meetings . . . just forgot all about them. The second time I chaired, I thought I was co-chair and things got ugly. Finally, this year, I was cajoled, yet again, to chair - this time - the Art Fair.

THIS time would be different. I would be responsible. I would check my calendar every morning. I would be a type-A chair person. I even went so far as to e-mail the art teacher in November to inform her that I would be her chair.

That was November.

Now it's April. I went to conferences the other night at the school and walked into . . . guess what - The Art Fair. It had somehow gone off without me even knowing it was happening.

gulp

One good friend reassured me after I called her in hysterics, "Hey, look at it this way. At least you showed up to your own event."

Yeah. By accident.

Another helpful comment: "Well, now. Maybe they will finally stop asking."

Hmph.

Oh well. I've got my loves to keep me warm:

To My Blog Friends

I want to say thanks to my readers (all two of you) for your kind, wonderful AND HELPFUL comments. I really enjoy reading your blogs and seeing your knitting and families grow. I'm still new to this, but have really enjoyed it. Thanks ladies. Truly truly!

Also, I have been knitting. Here is some proof of my works - as they lay. No fixed up poses for these piles of yarn.

Noro-Scarf-I-Swore-I'd-Never-Knit-Again Scarf:













Ocean socks for my big 8 year old:













Nell's Baby Sweater:













My hubby's Choco-socks (third try):
I have my last sock-knitting class tonight with my ma. I'll finish the ocean sock and start the second. Have a great day, my bloggy friends!!!