a first blanket block

Stephanie Van der Linden has designed some of the most spectacular sock patterns I've ever seen. Last year I knit Esther socks and Komet socks - incredible! And for the last little while I've been eyeing another of her patterns - Grün ist die Hoffnung.

It's very interesting construction. The pattern is worked from the centre out, working the top of the foot first. After looking at the project pages of fellow Ravelers I decided to knit the motif as a blanket block in worsted weight. A couple of reasons for this. Firstly, I'm not convinced that I have enough yarn to complete an entire blanket. I bought every inch of this colourway but that's only 3 skeins or 645 yards. It'd be a very small blanket. Secondly, it seems to me that, as a sock, this pattern wouldn't have a lot of stretch so getting a good fit might be tricky. And thirdly, I'm frankly in the mood for something interesting and fun that knits up quickly in thick yarn on big needles. So a blanket it is.

Now, does anyone have any ideas about how to assemble the blocks into a blanket?

the socks are in the mail

This morning I finished up the last sock of Bentley's three pairs. The khaki green pair is from some really soft superwash merino/nylon sock yarn from the Black Lamb. The blue/grey variegated pair are from Regia sock yarn and the brown is Dye-Version stretch bamboo - the stretch comes from a small amount of lycra. Funny how differently they turn out with different yarns. The bamboo socks are soft and silky; they may turn out to be the most comfortable. But definitely the first ones are my favourites - the khaki ones.

Into a bubble envelope, then into the post; away they all went this morning. By arranging the pairs of socks side by side for a flattish parcel, I was able to take advantage of the oversize letter rate - a full $7 dollars cheaper to mail than if I had piled the socks one on top of the other. Explain that, Canada Post!

the no-trouble Tribble

When I was a kid there was Phentex yarn everywhere; I even had several pairs of slippers made from it. And, thinking back, I'm pretty sure I've seen it at old aunties' houses crocheted into kleenex box and toilet roll covers. For those of you not familiar with it, it's labeled as "Olefine Exelon" which is a form of polypropylene plastic. Yes, the same stuff they make tupperware from - tough and flexible, economical and durable.

Plastic yarn wouldn't be my first choice for most knitting projects, but I thought it'd be a good choice for a pot scrubber like this Tribble when I came across it at Len's Mill last weekend. And when Gavin mentioned that we needed a new scrubber for the kitchen, I cast on. An hour or so later, I cast off and finished it up. We're trying it out over the next few days. Hopefully we like it, because I've got enough leftover Phentex to make dozens more.

my brighter morning

About a month ago we replaced our kitchen track lights with a light/ceiling fan. Yesterday Gavin reinstalled those track lights in the hallway. He'd been waiting for me to decide where I wanted them. Upstairs? Downstairs? After waiting a few weeks he realized I was no closer to a decision, so he decided. The hallway. It's really bright, he warned me; like an interrogation hallway.

But I like it. The shadows created by the railing caught my eye yesterday. But this morning it's as if the sun is streaming into the front of the house.

Reminds me of my Mom singing the chorus from this Oklahoma tune ...

Bentley's first socks

I've always thought highly of my friend Nancy, but recently her greatness was made official. A few weeks ago her nephew and his wife welcomed a baby boy; congratulations Great Aunt Nancy! With a broken ankle limiting her activity, Nancy's been spending a lot of time with baby Bentley. A plaster cast means no walking, no driving, no swimming, not much activity at all, so minding the baby is a welcome distraction.

All this talk of babies got me to thinking about baby socks as a good use for sock yarn leftovers. So I'm trying my hand at these Better Than Booties Baby Socks by Ann Budd. The construction is interesting - a short row heel and then identical short rows to create the toe. The "zigzag" bind off runs across the top of the foot. I considered grafting to bind off instead, but I like the raised ridge created by the zigzag. The otherwise plain foot and toe benefits from the visual interest.

With the first sock done from start to finish in just over an hour, I plan to knit a few pairs and then post them off at the end of the week. Instant gratification knitting. And stash busting too!

a fresh start

That's the first shelf liner done. Three weeks from start to finish. Not bad, considering a couple of pairs of socks were knit through those same three weeks. What it means is that my plan to complete two more of these for the first week of November is completely do-able, from a scheduling point of view.

When I decided to move forward on my idea of knitting shelf liners I was a bit concerned that the knitting would become tedious. I was worried that I'd be dragging my feet through the second and third shelf liners. Not so. The lace pattern is just challenging enough to keep it fresh and interesting all the way through.

With this shelf liner and the last pair of socks off the needles, the beginning of the fall season offers a fresh start. The beginning of the TV season, the first day of the NHL preseason, the start of sweater weather and something new on the needles - it's all good ... until we see how badly the Leafs play.

catching up

Shhh .... I'm supposed to be working. But in actual fact, I just finished the bind off of my second sock; the second sock of my second pair of Take Five socks. It's bad enough that I'm slacking off, but Andrea took the time to model them for me for a picture. And she's supposed to be organizing a big shipment for Fed-Ex this afternoon. Don't feel too bad for the boss who's vacationing in Boston this week - I did start my shift an hour early this morning, and Andrea came in to work on her usual day off. Besides, we're just about caught up anyway.

And that's about how things are on the knitting front as well. About caught up, that is. These socks are done. My shelf liner? Almost. Maybe a half hour or so to knit tonight through the season premiere of Chuck. And then, new things to knit!