Sophie's Universe is rocking my world!

So for Christmas I decided to crochet up a bunch of owl hats for my nieces. I haven't crocheted much in years. Well, the hooker in me went wild. I then decided to make my first crocheted afghan. So I whipped up a bunch of generic granny squares and made my youngest her blanket she's been asking for for years.

But wait!! I didn't stop there! Oh no! Me, being me, I had to go big or go home! So I started Sophie's Universe, which can be found at Look At What I Made. And here's my work so far.

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On a knitting bender

Finally in the mood to knit for the first time in years. Almost 2 years ago I promised to make sock tops to wear on/over the top of boots to go with a kilt for a friend. I hate knitting on demand! I just can't do it. In exchange he sent me a gc to my favorite online store, The Loopy Ewe. I never even looked at the gc because I never really did the project. I started it then promptly set it aside. For almost two years. The knitting bug hit me in the beginning of December. I started a pair of socks out of my Wicked yarn following the On Hold pattern out of my Wendy Johnson book. Unfortunately all the patterns in that book are for bigger feet and even though I tried adjusting to fit my feet better they were still coming out way too wide. So on December 25th I frogged them. How sad.

So then I started over following the Fairy Tale pattern by Armida Joy. I wanted to make knee highs. I ended up NOT using the pattern but came up with my own simple stitch pattern. I just wanted/needed to know what to do for the calf mostly. I got as far as the heels (started toe up 2 at a time of course) and guilt got the best of me. So then I started looking for sock top patterns.

I found John Anderson's kilt hose sock pattern. Even though I'm not actually doing socks, just the fold over top, I am using this pattern to help me figure out what I need to do. I hope they come out right. I'm almost done with the first one. I ended up buying more yarn through a rav fs board because I'm afraid I won't have enough from just one skein. I hope I've at least enough for the fold over part of the second sock top. The rest of the sock top will be tucked down inside his boots so won't be visible.

The previously mentioned pair of socks in a previous post back in 2011, I think it was, are still on the needles. Someday I might finish them. OH the gc I used to buy Tumbleweed Yarn, Aurora Self-Striping Sidewalk Sand. BEAUTIFUL!! I can't wait until it gets here! Of course, then I have to still finish these kilt sock tops and my wicked socks.

Been two long years

Ugh almost 2 years!! Alot has happened. I have half of one sock on the needles since May 2009. Why? I was divorced December 2009. I'm now a single mama of 3. I have a great boyfriend who I've been with 5 months. I adore him and I think he might have me on a pedestal. That's alright with me! After 12 years of marriage that went stale it's nice to feel loved again. I'm back to knitting. I've made the bf a hat, the pretend MIL a pair of socks. Getting ready to make another hat for the bf. I am partaking in a Pay It Forward where I have to make 5 things for people. Good thing I have a year and amigurumi toys are quick and easy! I've reconnected with my old high school best friend. We are in college together. Funny after about 15 years of not speaking. I'm sort of teaching (confusing her more like) to knit. I hope to update this more often again.

More sock needles from KnitPicks.com

Not being able to get gauge on several sock patterns I decided it was time to buy some size 0(2.0 mm). Also needed different size ones. Didn't realize that my hiya hiya's are 2.25 and my knitpicks size one's are 2.50. So I bought some size 0's in various cable lengths and size 1/2.25. I really like knitpicks needles and they are way cheaper than addi's or hiya hiyas.

Yarn Eagle! Birthday Flop.

Happy Birthday to ME! My eagle of yarn yummy from The Loopy Ewe arrived today. Hmm. Perked me right up after stressing over insurance for Levi's MRI. The perfect antidote for stress. Yarn yummy in the mail! I explained to Sheri at the Loopy Ewe about how I rarely buy "new" yarn, that I buy it generally through Rav's classifieds and if I do buy "new" I do my homework. I told her the yarn I bought was cheaper in price and shipping on the original website. She is looking into it because she said they usually cost the same. I told her I was and still am excited to have shopped her site and plan to do so in the future. I just will only buy if I plan on buying more than one skein because priority mail is too expensive for one skein when I live so close that first class mail arrives in the same amount of time. She then invited me to visit lol. Someday!

Levi wasn't impressed with my 2 months plus of blood, sweat and tears (or at least skipped yoga classes and sore wrists) spent on his spiderman blanket. But who could blame him? 5 year old boys want to play with the monster truck not some silly blanket. I still love it and I know when he's older it will mean something to him. Especially if he ever learns to knit and realizes how long it took me!

I finished the tie dye/Roy G. Biv socks. Oh did I butcher them. Ay yi yi! I frogged back so they'd fit my daughter lengthwise since widthwise they were too tight for me. I then did the Fleegle Heel. I had never done this heel. It added too much length so Liv's toes when the heel was in the proper place on her foot came up to the end of the sock right where the toes ended and the body of the foot started. So I finished up the socks, of course I had to redo the bind off. It was too tight the first time. I don't think I've ever cast off the right tension the first time ever. Then I was looking at them and lamenting that they were too long for her. So I cut the contrasting toes off. Oh yes I did. Hmmhmmm. Yup. I shore did. The first one went rather smoothly. I threaded a needle and went through the first row of MC. Then chopped the yellow toe off, unraveled down to the first row and slipped it onto needles, did a couple of rows of decreases then kitchenered the toes. As usual, I did it bass ackwards. So the toes are purls. Looks crappy but I don't care. By this point I just wanted to be DONE. So feeling confident that I butchered and stitched the first sock just fine I started on the second. I don't know what the difference was but the MC stitch pattern was all screwy. It was like when you unravel something the wrong way? I don't know why it was different from the first sock. At least on the second one I did the kitchener graft correctly. So they are done. Fugly but done. She loves them. :) And that folks, is what knitting is all about. (and the yarn.)

Tomorrow is Levi's MRI and I hope to cast on a pair of socks for him while waiting. I'm going to try http://k2knits.blogspot.com/2007/03/my-favorite-toe-magic-loop-turkish-toe.html and her widdershin hybrid. I've never done this heel but it sounds promising.

Must get all this printed out and ready for tomorrow. Good night. Please say a prayer for my son.

That will teach me to not do my homework

I had bad day yesterday. Dh came home, took over cooking dinner and just all around made my evening much better than my day. We were sitting on the couch and he told me "You don't have enough yarn. You should buy some." So I immediately ran to my...I mean, clicked, my way to my wishlist at The Loopy Ewe. I had not shopped there yet and was very excited to do so. So I browsed, drooled, browsed, consulted my MIL, consulted my husband and finally chose a skein from Monkeypal's stash. If I'd done my homework I would have found Monkeypal on etsy.com and just possibly paid $5 less. The Loopy Ewe charges priority which is almost $6 plus the yarn is $2 less at etsy. I know the Loopy Ewe needs to charge a little more to make a commission but the least they could do is allow first class shipping. /rant

It's a froggy night

Sad news fellow knitters. I had to frog back some on my tye dye socks. I knew they were probably going to be too snug but I forged on to the heel. I did the first heel. Short row, in case you were wondering. And I couldn't get it over my ankle/heel afterwards. Decided to frog back about an inch and a half and finish them up for my oldest. I had her try it on and told her they'd be her socks and she smiled real big. She's such a sweetie. As much as I HATE to frog and am bummed that I don't have another pair of socks to slip on soon I wasn't really liking the colorway. To me "tye dye" should be pooling like a tye dye shirt looks but they weren't pooling at all. They look like regular ole Roy G. Biv or LGB pride socks. So she's happy and I get to start another pair for me. Oh, I'm also doing the Fleegle Heel on these now. It's a new heel for me!

I still haven't decided what to work with next. I think I'm going to save the Fearless Fibers colorway til I feel up to doing thigh highs. I think thigh highs would make the hubby happy. :) But I want QUICK projects. Levi's spiderman blanket about did me in and it only took about 7 or 8 weeks. Oh gasp I haven't updated my rav project page for it yet either. Shame on me! Ok it's updated. Granted I could only work on it when Levi wasn't around and Lucy would cooperate but still. I don't have that type of patience!

I would really like to knit into that brilliant orange Piazza I got from Etsy.com but after doing the Roy G. Biv socks I'd really like a calmer color. I might just start on the Cosmopolitan from Yarntini after all.

Here's today's knitviews.





I should go to bed. We had a busy day and, of course, since it's a holiday we all have a touch of a tummy bug. Just like Thanksgiving. And Christmas (ooh that was REALLY bad) which led into NYE. I think we were healthy for our anniversary/Vday in February! WOOHOO!

Livie sock yarn arrived! & 3 Irish Girls

Livie and I ran to the PO today to pick up her package. Pulled out the first yarn, red heart and sole tequila sunrise, and she was like "Eh, not so much." Ok she didn't verbally say that but her face did. So then I pulled out the Bernat Sox Multi crazy hot and she got a little more animated. Then I realized there should be ONE more yarn cake or skein. Dug around and pulled out the Confetti and she literally shrieked with delight. It has a lot of lime green. I will turn her into a yarn ho/fiber snob! LOL The confetti was the only indie dyed yarn. The other two were manufactured for walmart type stores. So she will be getting a pair of socks in the confetti, Levi will be getting a pair in the Bernat Sox multi and someday I'll get another pair made for me.

Levi's blanket is literally a row and 1/4 away from being done and that's counting the bind off row. I have to crochet vertical lines like spokes and it's DONE!! It takes about 30 minutes per row! Yikes. I'm up to 42 or 44 stitches per section so 44x14 is um....616 around. That's a few stitches! It's actually up to 46 so 644 around. Took me about an hour and 20 minutes to bind off using p1, *slip back to left needle p2tog, slip back to left needle, p2tog*.

Oh today's discovery...naughty me....was 3 Irish Girls. Just going to their homepage makes me want to cry. Click the linky. You know you want to! Someday I am going to join a sock yarn club. I have looked at the 3 Irish Girls and Socks that Rock. ~drool~ Thanks be to God that I do have a little bit of will power. I am forcing myself to wait til the end of the year due to the economy. Dh still has a job and all that and we're luckier than most in that aspect but I don't want to jinx us. So I'm sticking to my "no buy more yarn til I use up most of what I have." Unfortunately I ordered a bunch of 100purewool for next winter's/Christmas knitting so I might not run out for awhile. :( And some of it's sock yarn too. But Mother's Day is coming so maybe I'll send my hubby a linky to my wishlist on the Loopy Ewe.

Miracle Diapers Donation program needs donations!

Lisa Johnston posted an announcement to the cause MiracleDiapers.org.

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Hi everyone!

Just a reminder that Miracle Diapers is closed until May due to lack of diapers.

At this moment, we do not have any medium diapers or covers at all, and we're in the process of trying to replenish our inventory.

If you or someone you know would like to donate:
Items we are in need of:
Medium Covers
Medium Diapers
Large Covers
Infant and Premium Prefolds
Inserts/Doublers
Non-Microfiber Inserts

Donations can be sent to the address in my signature line, and we do provide receipts for tax purposes!

Thank you for your patience. Please spread the word to all of your groups that we will "tentatively" be reopening on May 1.

Thank you so much!!

Lisa Johnston
Operations Manager
Miracle Diapers
www.miraclediapers.org
23945 Franz Rd., Ste E, #126
Katy, Texas 77493