We Interrupt This Program...

In my last post I was enamored by my Tuscany socks.  There was no stopping me...don't change the channel on me...I was going to finish them quickly.  Then this happened.

Leftover fabric and a friend's stash of trims became a 'pillowcase dress'.  (Please forgive the flat-on-the-table shot.)

We are the home church for a missionary who is part of TEAMS for Medical Missions in Jamaica.  She came home from one of her regular trips last year and asked if we would consider making 'pillowcase dresses' for them to take along and give to the girls they see.  Our Stitchin' Sisters group has taken up the task.  Members of our church have been sewing at home and we held a special Saturday event where people could learn how to make them.  For this group, each person started with an actual pillow case and turned it into a dress.

It has been fun to see the same basic pattern recreated by a number of different people into a variety of cute dresses which will serve a need in Jamaica.  Some are using fabric in their stash, others are using pillowcases which are still in good condition.  They have added ruffles, used appliques, add contrasting fabric for the bottom, and trimmed with everything from rick-rack to lace.  Our bin has been filling quickly in time for the next trip to Jamaica in May.

There are plenty of YouTube videos and written tutorials on the internet which you can use if you need guidance.  My one warning would be to make sure the armhole is not too small.

As for my socks, they have been patiently waiting for me to return.  Soon - I hope!

Picking Up Speed

Immediately after finishing my Simplicity Socks (read here and here), I started these:

And promptly didn't knit for a week!  However, things are moving along at a much better pace now. This pair of socks is again from Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes.  The pattern is Tuscany; the yarn is KnitPicks Stroll Tonal in Kindling; and the needles are KnitPicks Options Nickel Plated Size 1 (2.25mm) 40" fixed circulars.

Why are things moving more rapidly?  The needles!!  I was using a different brand with thicker cables on the Simplicity socks.  The KnitPicks cables are thinner and much more flexible.  This means much less time is spent rearranging the stitches and the cables bend when and where you want them to bend.  KnitPicks also offers these in Harmony Wood and Sunstruck Wood.  I enjoy using those as well, depending upon the yarn.

In the next post, I'll share another picture of my progress as well as information about some of the sock yarns I have tried.

P.S.  I have not received any compensation for endorsing KnitPicks products.  Having tried other brands (you should see my needle collection!) they are simply my favorites.

Out of the Tunnel

I did it!  I am out of the tunnel!  The socks were finished this evening about 8:30 pm EDT.  The best part is they fit.  They are also very soft and will get their first wearing tomorrow.  I did have yarn leftover and had thought about making them longer, but I probably would have had to increase to go over my calves and that would have thrown off the pattern.  The length is good as is.

Not sure I have ever been this thankful to finally finish a project.  Now the debate begins...start another pair of socks or finish some of the many UFOs I have.  I confess - I want more socks!

Oh, and I made it through a second tunnel this evening. The tunnel known as ironing my husband's long sleeve shirts.  Any tunnels you are working through?

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

There is light at the end of the tunnel - the tunnel known as my socks.

A while back I had started a pair of socks in my attempt to improve my sock knitting skills, find the perfect fitting sock, and add to my lonely, single pair of handmade socks in my sock drawer.  The pattern I chose was Simplicity socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes from her book "Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks".  And by a while, I mean about a year.  It's been a really long tunnel.

I started them sometime in the first three months of 2012.  The sock pattern had directions for Small or Large; my foot fell somewhere in between.  Attempting to get "the perfect fit" I went with 2.75 mm circulars (one long, magic loop method) and used my own calculations for the foot length.  WRONG thing to do!!  In late June, I was ready to increase for the gusset, so I tried them on.  They were too long.  If I had continued, the heel would have been at my knee.  Not really, but they would have come close to fitting my older son's size 13 feet.  No big deal, I'll run a lifeline through a safe spot closer to the toe, recalculate (using Melissa's directions this time!) and continue on my merry way.   Mistake number two.  I had messed up on the pattern often enough that I couldn't follow a single row to put in the lifeline.  So, I ripped them out and started over.

Now, eight months later, I can see the light at the end of this tunnel.  The only thing left to knit is the 2x2 ribbing at the cuffs.  Maybe, just maybe, I will get them finished in time to wear them before it is sandals weather.

The bright side is there have been some really valuable lessons learned in this tunnel: 

Lesson #1 - Trust Melissa Morgan-Oakes - she really knows her stuff.  Use her calculations!

Lesson #2 - I have learned to read the knitting!  This is very freeing.  The pattern has a two row repeat.  I knew which row I was on by looking at the wrong side of the sock.  No more need to be keeping track of which row I was on by marking it down on a piece of paper which is what I was doing when I made all the mistakes!

Lesson #3 - It would have taken a lot less time if I didn't do a billion multiple projects for others which stopped the sock knitting for weeks at at time.  (Let's see if I remember this lesson!)

Time to put the pedal to the metal and get out of this tunnel!  Stay tuned for pics of the finished socks, on my feet, in the not-too-distance future - I hope.

Catching Up #2

I have been looking back over my knitting projects and have come to the realization I am not very good at remembering to document them.  And when I do remember, it almost always appears as if I just took the photo to get it over with; no thought to presentation or aesthetic.

Case in point: great niece's scarf and hat set which I made for her Christmas gift.  Here is the hat, made from Bernat Pipsqueak in the Candy Girl colorway using no written pattern, just cast on and knit, knit, knit until I decreased for the crown.

The hat is just plopped, I'm not sure where, and I didn't even stuff it to make it look like it would on a head. Where is the scarf you ask?  I forgot!!!  And my kitchen creations fare no better.

Guess I have two new goals: better document my creations with pictures, no matter what sticks and string I use, and display them in a more attractive way.  Tips welcomed!

Baking and Chemistry

I love to bake. Cookies, cakes, pies, breads, muffins - it doesn't matter - I'll make them.  Part of my enjoyment comes from family legacy: my sister enjoys baking, my grandmothers were great bakers, and my great-grandmother baked pies well into her 80s.  But the other enticement?  It's chemistry.  All baking relies on a chemical reaction between the ingredients.  It is fascinating watching it happen.

Today I made Shoo Fly Cake, a sweet molasses cake that is a staple in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where I lived almost half of my life.  This cake is truly a testimony to the marvelous reactions that occur when certain ingredients make contact.  Here is the chemistry in action.

Dry ingredients: 4 cups flour, 2 cups light brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, 3/4 cup shortening.  Mix to make crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture for later.

Next, some of the wet ingredients + the magic dry ingredient: 1 cup Grandma's Molasses (yellow label), 1 egg, 1 tablespoon baking soda.

Now for the catalyst: 2 cups boiling water. 

And reaction!  Love the foamy bubbles!

Add the dry ingredients to this mixture and pour into 9x13 pan, sprayed with cooking spray.

Top with the reserved dry mixture.

To complete the chemical reaction add heat!  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This cake is delicious served warm or cold.  In fact, this is the cake my husband has requested I make for him to take to work on his birthday.  One catch - I'll need to make two of them!

So today my Sticks and String were a wooden spoon and my apron.  Hope you enjoy!

Catching Up #1

So...what have I been working on in these long breaks from blogging??  Well, I have a great niece who is part fashionista, part tomboy, part princess.  She is fascinated by my knitting and has made some attempts at doing it herself, but usually can't sit still long enough for more than 5 stitches.  Last fall I promised her a knitted scarf, so I found some pink and purple chunky yarn and made her this:

If you look closely, you will see some very sparkly beads at the top of each strand of fringe.  After all, a princess needs here bling!  My husband helped me find these wonderful baubles that picked up on the colors in the scarf.  We had one very happy great niece!

Stay tuned for more catching up!