Signs of Spring.

Look, there IS life!

Baby Herbs in Mom's Greenhouse.

Spring means lots of green.

Like Green Gummiebaer Boot Socks.

It also means finished Christmas gifts! Amazing!

I made these boot socks for Gummiebaer out of two skeins of Cascade 220 heather in forest green.

• #6 needles
• Toe up
• Magic cast on
• Short row heel
• 2x2 Rib
• Inc. up the back for calf shaping

I knit until I ran out of yarn. I really enjoyed knitting these and Gummiebaer loves them and wears them all the time.

Win, Win!

Spinning for Socks

I am really enjoying my Spinning! I am currently working on 4oz of superwash merino with some nylon in it, I purchased it on Etsy from mysmallwonders's. I am trying to spin it as fine as I can. I am planing to Navajo ply it. My goal is a three ply sock yarn.Whatever I end up with I will knit into toe up socks for myself. I have small feet so I should have enough even if it is a little thicker than I am hoping for. I am going to Navajo ply to keep the colors together. I am not a fan of barber poling and I think I will end up with stripes. I am amazed by how much yardage I am getting, I have spun less than 1/4 of it so far. I am happy with my first singles! This is fun!

Snowy Day!

This is what the day was like here

We got about 10 inches of snow! Snow is so nice especially when you don't have anywhere to be but at home.

So what better to do than this!?

I spent the day knitting, drinking tea and listening to music. I tell you, it's a rough life! I cast on some socks for Gummibaer with yarn that we got in Germany. (He picked it out) They are going to be very plain socks and I'm thinking of making them kind of tall. I don't have a pattern I'm just starting with a short row toe and taking it from there.

Jaywalkers and Swing Coat #2

I have not been feeling at the top of my game recently. I am a little sick and that always makes me grumpy.

I have been knitting though! I have an FO!

My Jaywalkers are done.

Gummibaer took some glamor shots for me. :)

Yarn: Opal Rodeo

Needles: US#0

Pattern: Toe up jaywalkers with a short row heel and a garter stitch cuff.

I am happy with these socks I will wear them often I'm sure.

I started my second Girlfriend's swing coat, this one for the little sister of the girl the turquoise one is for. I am hoping to have them both done for Christmas. The other one is back in Vermont and just needs the ribbons on the front and this one won't take long to knit up.

I am hoping I have enough yarn. I can get more if need be but keep your fingers crossed!

PS If you are on Ravelry, Look me up! I'm Bluemoonturtle.

We've come a long way baby!

Finally a knitting post.

In honor of Socktoberfest here are my first socks ever.

They took me a total of a year and a half (2004-2005) and they were the first thing I ever knit.

I think I used lion brand wool ease and size 6 needles. I ran out of yarn on the second toe and they don’t fit me or anyone else that I know of. But, when I finally figured out the heel and finished them, I was hooked on knitting!

Yesterday, I finished a pair of Pomatomus socks!

Wow, what a difference!

Pomatomus by Cookie A
Medium weight Socks that Rock in colorway Puck’s mischief
Knit picks #1 (2.25 mm) needles
Two Socks on two circs.
Mods: I shortened the cuff by one repeat and I adjusted the toe a little.


In between these socks two pairs of socks, I became a “Knitter” found blogs, podcasts and the whole on line knitting community. I started knitting when I was still in the Navy and was looking for something to do that would help me de-stress and also reconnect with my identity as an individual. Now kitting is my primary outlet for creativity and an important part of my life. The last few years have been years of transition and change for me. Knitting has been one constant and a way to connect with people no matter where I am. I don’t know what I’d do without it!

Blog Note:

I have been doing a lot of traveling while I'm here in Germany, so this has kind of turned into a travel blog. However, I will still be posting about my knitting and I expect the knitting to return in full force when I get back to the states. Meanwhile, I have some more travel posts coming up as soon as I can get my pictures sorted out!

Knitting mojo, MIA.

My attention span for knitting seems to be getting shorter. I must be bored of my projects. I have some things to cast on but I don't seem to do that either. I think about knitting all the time but I never actually do it! I get excited about things I see on blogs and I plan and scheme about the yarn in my stash back in the states but when I sit down to knit I get distracted in just a few minutes. Where is my mojo??!!

I have made a little slow progress on my socks.

The Pomatomus are almost done.

Maybe I'll find my mojo when I have an FO.

The Jaywalker stripes are making me happy.

I think I am going to do a short row heel on this. I love toe up because I can use up the yarn and I prefer the construction of toe up. I have tried the heel flap heel several times and I just don't really like making it, so we'll see.

Amsterdam

We went to Amsterdam!!!

The Montelbaanstoren.
This may have been a light house at some point. It is a tower standing at the intersection of two large canals.

Just a three hour train ride and we where in the city of bikes. No kidding there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam. The roads are more for bikes than cars. People use them for everything, we saw parents with their kids on their bike, guys with their girlfriend on the back, people with groceries and workers with tool kits and a beer! People rode bikes and talked on their cell phone or rode next to a friend and gossiped. Everywhere people on bikes and still there where thousands locked up on railings, bike racks, and light posts. Gummibaer doesn’t like to ride bikes so we opted to see the sights on foot.

The streets where full of people enjoying the sights. We strolled past beautiful buildings everywhere.
This is the Oude Kerk.
The streets are narrow so it is hard to get a good picture and you won’t get anything without lots of tourists in it so I just took the roofline and the sky.


This is a view of the back of the Rijksmuseum.
There is a beautiful park there, it has fountains and playgrounds and a huge grassy area that would be great for a picnic.

After all that walking we stopped for a rest on a bench by the water.
This is one of the bigger canals in Amsterdam, the Singelgracht. It was lined with old homes and lawns leading to private docks, beautiful!

Amsterdam is all about water so to really experience that we stayed in a small cabin on a boat! It was great! Our hosts where a friendly local man, Hans, and his sweet dog. Breakfast was provided on board in a lovely home-style dinning area. Nothing could be better than good tea, good food, sunshine and a view of the city from the water!

Next, we visited the Van Gough museum, a favorite artist of Gummibaer’s and one I also enjoy. The paintings where beautiful! I definitely recommend seeing his work in person if you ever get the chance.

We stopped at a café for some refreshment.
Local beer, and quite possibly the simplest and most delicious sandwich ever. French Brie and cucumbers!

Naturally, there was also Sock knitting!

I turned the heels of my Pomatomus Socks!

And last but not least, I like to look for ordinary things that a tourist might not normally see.

I saw this on a small side street out of the way and it seemed to me to be a picture of a local’s Amsterdam.

Sock update!

Hi Everyone!

I have been in Germany for a week or so now and I'm loving it!

Unfortunately, the Internet here is on and off, mostly off so I am behind on my knitting updates. I have been doing a lot of Knitting. I have started lots of socks for SOS.

Left to right: Vine lace Stockings in Fearless Fibers, Pomatomus in Socks that rock, and Opal, thinking about becoming Jaywalkers.

I finished the top band and put in the elastics for the vine lace stockings on the plane over here before my knitting needles where all taken away from me in the Dublin airport! Beware, when flying through Dublin, NO knitting needles, they are very dangerous weapons! ;)

I joke now, but at the time I was not a happy camper. Thank goodness I was able to check an extra bag and thus save my options set from doom!

I also had a sock nightmare this week.

Remember these?? My smoke ring socks started in April. I finally had a chance to turn the heel and guess what! I ran out of yarn. I know, I should have known. Koigu skeins are known to be on the small side and Gummibaer's feet are huge, but I thought I would be OK because he likes his socks ankle length. I was wrong, I don't even have enough yarn to finish the heel flap

:(

I guess the only thing to do now is pray to the knitting Gods for forgiveness and some more Koigu in the same colorway. I don't have the ball bands here in Germany so I don't know the colorway number. So the socks are in the back and bottom of my knitting basket hiding from my wrath until such time as they can be dealt with.

In other news, I found a yarn store here in Germany! Stay tuned.

Shoes + Stockings

Summer of Socks!!

I am finally joining the fun and starting some stockings! I am making the Vine lace stockings from Knitpicks in Fearless Fibers antique rose colorway.

They match my new shoes!!!

I am changing the pattern significantly because it has no relation to my reality. It is both too big and too small in different places and I am doing a picot hem on the top with a sewing elastic instead of just an elastic thread in hopes that they will stay up without garters.

I am in the throws of wedding cake making and will be heading off to Germany within the week.

Summer plans

You may have noticed a new button in my side bar, Summer of Socks. I saw this KAL on Wendy's blog. It looks just perfect for me! I am excited to share the world of socks with new friends. I even think I may be very brave and write my first pattern! I have tons of socks planed, pomatomus, jaywalkers, lace stockings and more. As for the rest of my summer, it looks busy. I am finally leaving Arkansas and moving back home for the summer. Mein Gummiebaer is off to Germany. He leaves on the first of June and I will be leaving for Vermont a few days before that. Gummiebaer has finished his course work and upon completion of his internship in Germany will complete his degree,Yay! I will be home for the summer helping plan for my sister's wedding and helping my Mom on the farm. The summer promises lots of hard work and sunshine. I will, of course miss Gummiebaer, but I plan to join him in Germany after the wedding. So, in the mean time, work, packing and sock yarn hording!

Smoke Ring Sock Toes!

Smoke Ring Socks

Needles: Addi turbos #1 us, two circulars.
Yarn: Koigu
Style: Toe up

Cast on: Magic for Toe Up Socks
Toe: Fan Toe from Crazy toes and heels

Pattern: Horse Shoe Cable

I plan to make a backwards heel flap like in the Widdershins pattern.
I wanted to use the Widdershins pattern but I find that I always need to redesign socks because I have very small feet and Mein Gummibaer has large feet and I insist on a perfect fit. I don't like changing needle sizes because I think the yarn works best at a specific gauge. I always have a set idea of how I want my socks to be so I end up putting together my own patterns. MG has chosen the yarn for these socks and this cable pattern. I named them smoke ring socks because of their smoky blue/gray color and because I think the cables look kind of like smoke rings. It makes me think of Bilbo Baggins from the Tolkien stories. I imagine he had hand made socks for all of his travels!

Crazy Socks! New projects.

My Crazy Green Socks

Lana Grossa Meilenweit Fantasy #4820

Addi Turbos #0

Two at a time on two circular needles, toe up

Invisible cast on short row toes

Short row heels

Picot hemmed cuff

Practically perfect in every way!

Next: What to cast on?

as per my knitting rules I have to have something for me on the needles and socks on the needles at all times. My crazy socks had been filling both those roles. So now I have not one but two openings. Added to this is the fact that I am currently trying to knit my stash. I don't have a big stash, most of my stash is projects waiting to get on the needles. I keep thinking of new things I want to knit but I have to get through the projects I have yarn for first. (that's why I want to knit my stash so I can think of something and knit it right away while I am really excited about it) I have been doing pretty well with only a few exceptions. I make exceptions for things that only happen once like babies and weddings and stuff. Socks for me are out because the only sock yarn I have for me is for my fair isle socks and I don't want something that complicated because I already have a lace shawl in progress. So the socks have to be for someone else. That leaves something for me.

The projects in stash for me are:

• My stripes pullover (top down raglan my design)
• Lace leaf pullover (the oldest thing in my stash)
• Fair Isle Socks
• Some odd balls with out a project in mind.

I guess it is pretty clear what I have to knit next, the lace leaf pullover.

I am a little worried about this pattern. I am a left handed knitter. I knit across the rows backwards and I knit through the back loops. Normally this is not a problem, my knitting comes out great and all is well. However this pattern has several tricky spots and the bottom and top are grafted together! But it is in bulky! (I am using lambs pride bulky in kiwi) Wish me luck!

In other news,

I am going on a road trip for spring break! I am going to have the chance to visit yarn stores! Yay! I have two stores on my list that are not too far out of the way. They are both in northern Arkansas. Hand held in Fayetteville and Bella Lana in Conway. I have decided to allow myself to buy some Rowan Calmer for some hats I have planned and hand dyed sock yarn because I have been sadly deprived of it for so long. Woo Hoo! Road trip!

Sock Kick

I finished the Topknot tie about two weeks ago and since then I have been crazy creative in the little knitting time I get on weekends. I whipped up an original hat for a co-worker's birthday, I made another baby hat and started the matching socks both without patterns and this weekend I finally designed a pair of fair isle knee socks for the Rowan 4 ply that has been waiting in my stash for almost a year. I am almost done with my crazy green socks so maybe next weekend I will cast on for my knee socks. I imagine that they will be on the needles for quite a while! Amid all my swatching I some how ended up with a diaper cover on the needles!!? I guess I'm really getting into this baby stuff for my friend Tiffany.
In other news, I just received some lovely lace weight Zephyr in ruby from fiddlesticks. Yummy! They sent me the coolest little lace project kit as a gift! A tiny lace pouch for potpourri. The little bag has a bit of yarn and every thing else you need all wrapped up with a bow! I feel so loved ;)

Extra, Extra!

This just in, Mein Gummibaer's Socks are finished! Woohoo! (doing a little dance)

Socktober!

My Goals for Socktoberfest are:
1) Finnish Mein Gummibaer's socks
2) Find/design a pattern for thigh highs
3) Buy fearless fibers and cast on for said thigh highs

I am a bit behind on Socktoberfest because I just started a new job! Yay! I have been busy with that so not much time to knit. I have however, managed to mess up MG's socks. I got all the way to the toe graft before admitting that the toe decreases were not right. Think uber pointy toe. So I froged back to the beginning of the decreases and started the toe over. That would not be so bad except that it took me HOURS to frog because the stitches are so tiny and next to impossible to pick up. My gauge is 12 sts/inch. I finally got that done and started knitting again and it looks much better.

I must confess I am losing my grip on my knitting sanity. I used to only have one or two projects going or planed at a time then it was three of four and now? I have so many that I stress about finishing them! I have been promising to make Teva Durham's Lace Leaf Pullover for myself for months but I have been side tracked. First by this sweater for my brother then by a shawl for my grandmother and now by a cute little sweater that I want to make for my friend's TWO little darlings. Help!! With Christmas looming I just can't justify "wasting" my precious knitting time by making something for myself and I can't help myself, I keep adding projects for gifts, I'm not even sure I can get them done even if I don't knit for me. I know I should just pick one or two and leave some for next year but they are so pretty and I know the recipients will love them! Oh woe is me! What to do!

Socks, socks and more socks

I have completed my first pair of socks for Sock Wars! Now I just have to wait and see if I get killed by Socks of Doom before I receive socks in progress from my victim, Hmmm.. will I live to kill again? Meanwhile, I am working on Mein Gummibaer's Socks. I have not been completely satisfied with the common wedge toe. I find it too pointy. So I decided to find a new toe for these socks. MG tends to wear a hole in the toes of his socks so something sturdy was in order. I went to my handy dandy sock book stack and found just what I was looking for in Queen Kahuna's Crazy toes and heels. I am going to use the "Cathy's creation" toe which is nice and rounded but still a grafted toe. Gummibaer likes grafted toes better. And I am going to use heel stitch for more durability! Yay! A new technique! I'll let you know how it comes out.

Sock Wars!

The grand Sock War has begun! There were some technical difficulties but we shall push on. I am knitting up a storm, my socks growing by the minuet!
I won't post more for fear of giving up allied information! And now, back to the battlefield and my socks.

Mein Gummibaer's Socks

Although I don't have any pictures to show, I thought I would tell you about Mein Gummibaer's Socks. They are knit two at a time on two circular needles size 0 (us). I am using Austermann Step in color 06. I am loving this yarn! The aloe in the yarn is not particularly noticeable except for the very soft hand. The colorway is nicely striped but not too bright for a guy. I like knitting with selfstriping yarn because I get excited about the color changes, I just can't wait to see what color is next!
I cast these on in March and they are taking forever! I have other projects going but I must say, size 0 needles and size 13 men's feet do not match! I really like the socks so far (I'm halfway down the foot, top down) and they fit their intended target perfectly. I am concentrating on them for now as I gear up for Sock Wars! I am looking forward to my deadly socks! I am glad to be knitting in DK because it will be a nice change from Gummibaer's socks and I really need some socks for myself now that the weather is getting cooler so this is perfect! I make socks for so many different people, I never get around to making any for me. I really like ending up with a different pattern for each person based on their likes and dislikes because I almost always learn a new technique with every pair of socks! Yay Socks!