I mentioned earlier that I wanted a yarn swift. Mr. Aitch didn’t think so but he was reluctant to lend me his arms when I had a hank of yarn that needed to be in a ball.
I scoured the internet and found a site that gave me the basic details to make one for myself. This is an Amish style swift which is horizontal with few moving parts and not the umbrella style that looks like a torture device.
We don’t have all the fancy tools or a woodworking shop so you might be able to make one, too. The total cost was under $11. I can fill you in on all the details just as soon as the skies clear and I can get a decent picture.
This sock recipe landed in my inbox last week. It’s not a complete sock pattern in that the designer (Hanna Leväniemi) assumes you know how to knit one already. Since I do, I wanted to give it a try. Here’s a link to the Broken Seed Stitch recipe.
This ungodly, bright yarn was a dyeing experiment from September 2020 when one of our granddaughters dyed yarn with me. It’s been sitting in my fingering-weight yarn stash for a few years thinking I would overdye it sometime but obviously didn’t.
I really, really, really needed a sock project on my needles so with Mr. Aitch’s help*, I wound it into a ball. I wanted to coordinate it with something that would tame the glaring colors and found some Knit Picks Stroll in Aurora Heather, a deep green with bluish undertones. I’ve used this color twice before and it’s just beautiful.
My typical sock is 64 stitches on US #1.5 (2.5mm) and I knit top-down (from the cuff) to the toe. After 15 rows of k1, p1 ribbing I joined the “contrast” color and followed the 4-row broken seed stitch pattern.
I. Am. Loving. This. Sock.
The Aurora Heather really toned down the bright greens, blues, and yellows so they almost glow.
My only issue is where the colors and pattern change at the end of each row. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong or if that’s just the nature of the stitch. When I knit the second sock, I will knit a half row before I change yarns so the join will be on the opposite side of that sock.
The inside looks cool, too!
So what’s on your needles, or hook, or embroidery hoop?
*I’m seriously thinking about getting a yarn swift so I don’t have to beg Mr. Aitch to hold the yarn on outstretched arms while I slowly wind the it into a ball. Do you have one or can give me any suggestions for one?
Monday of Thanksgiving week (November 26) Mr. Aitch made coffee. Not a rare occurrence but since he retired, he doesn’t make coffee everyday. I’m not much of a coffee drinker but I do like a cup of hot chocolate made with half mike and half coffee. Plus a generous mound of whipped cream drizzled with caramel and chocolate syrups. If you are familiar with Bob Evans Restaurants, I copied this Caramel Mocha recipe from them.
I’m not exactly sure how they make it but my version is just as good. And I can have it any time I want in the comfort of my own home.
I carried my cup of deliciousness to my “knitting chair” and drank more than half of it when I had to get up to do something. Pepper decided to try it. Fortunately she couldn’t her snout down to the mocha part but she did get to lick some of the chocolate syrup on the inside of the cup. The rest of the drink went down the drain.
Gratuitous turkey dinner picture.
All of the side dishes are gone now and only some turkey remains. I froze it in small 2-cup portions for turkey pot pies later in the winter.
I started these socks way back in February, hit some snags of my own doing, but managed to finish these beauties within the year! Click here, here, here, and here for the snags/snafus.
This pattern looks difficult but only one color of yarn is used on each row.
The socks turned out beautifully and even with all my issues, I’d knit another pair The soles are striped and fun!
The Regia 4-ply tweed yarn in charcoal is a workhorse yarn and Knit Picks Chroma Twist in Surf’s Up (discontinued yarn) has a subtle color change that is had to see though one sock has a more greenish tint than the other.
I know I’m late posting about our American Thanksgiving week. What’s new?
First up: I finally finished a puppy sized quilt for our Mini-schnauzer Pepper. I used leftover scraps of fabric in reds, blacks, and whites. I tried to go with an animal theme so I had some paw-prints, cows, and one flamingo fabrics along with flowers, some kites, polka dots, and miscellaneous red, black, and white prints.
I framed it with solid white and charcoal. The back consists of two different pieces of grey flannel that I had to piece together to get the right size. Boring so no picture.
I didn’t bind the edges but simply sewed the front and back together leaving a 4-5 inch open section to turn it right-side out. Then I machine quilted about a 1/4-inch inside each block.
I keep it on the ottoman that Pepper likes to sit/lay/jump on to try to keep it cleaner.
I spent the night with a friend (who lives an hour and a half away) so we could get a jump start on a craft show in her city on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. She used to always bring a plate of homemade cookies or her delicious buckeyes to me whenever she was in the area, so I thought I’d make something edible as a hostess gift for the weekend.
I forgot I had these leaf shaped cookie cutters that must have been a gift with purchase or something similar from Nutella some years ago. (Confession: I am not a huge fan of Nutella, so that means more for you!) Perfect for the season.
I think these turned out pretty nice. I’m still learning how to use Royal Icing and practice makes perfect. I plan on making more cookies this week for our church Christmas Party next Sunday.
Knitting In Flashes 