Horcrux Socks from the Six Socks KAL
I’ve finally finished my socks. I think I told you that I was doing the Horcrux socks from the Six Socks KAL. I had my fun with the heels. I hadn’t done an eye of partridge heel in a while, and I’d forgotten the pattern for it. So that involved some searching until I rounded that up, and then it was a matter of keeping my mind on my knitting to get it done. Once on each heel I looked down and realized I’d gotten off on the pattern and was making ribs. So I frogged a little each time and started over. I put a border of garter stitch on each side of the heel, and I somewhat shortened the leg of the socks.
These were made with Socks that Rock yarn in the Blue Moon Stone colorway. I made them toe up. This is the design at the top of the socks.
The Horcrux pattern was not difficult. However, I am finding that knitting socks is harder on my hands than knitting shawls. I like to knit two socks on two circular needles, so that’s how I knitted these. I hadn’t found that especially difficult the last time I knitted socks, but this time around my left thumb really squawked. Maybe I need to practice it more.
I have been trying to decide which shawl I want to do next. There are a lot of new patterns out, and there are plenty of old ones that I’d enjoy doing, but I can’t seem to decide which one to do. I have enough of the ruby Zephyr to do another, but I’m tired of ruby. I have several other yarns in other colors waiting to be wound into balls, so I’ll have to do that and then decide, I guess.
I’d also like to start a new pair of socks, but I’m in a quandry as to what to start there, too. Just as I about make up my mind someone else comes out with a pretty design. The May socks that the German sock list is doing are beautiful, but I don’t have any light colored plain sock yarn right now. Same story for the Lilac socks on the Townsend KAL. I don’t know that one color yarn is mandatory, but I think I’d like them done that way.
April Mid-Month Dishcloth KAL
I also finished the April Mid-Month Dishcloth KAL, the Diamond Drop Dishcloth. I found it fun to do. The purl two together through the back loop was different; I had done it before, but it was a long time ago. I didn’t find it as hard as some people apparently did. I learned long ago that if you have to combine a couple of stitches that it’s wise to insert your right needle into the two stitches together and pull down before you ever try to do the stitch. This creates more room in the stitches for your needle to work. So that’s what I did when this stitch came up. This color of this photo is a little off. This is the sage color, and it’s really quite restful to knit.
Bunny Tag
Peaches brought us a bunny last week. I think it was about the size of your palm. She came in the house that night and dropped the bunny. He immediately scampered off to a “safe” place. We put Peaches in a closed room where she yowled her protests, and we tried to capture the little bunny as he darted all over the place. Armed with a thick towel to put over the bunny to help him calm down–when or if he got close enough–my husband went after the little fellow. I sure couldn’t catch him. He went hop, hop, hopping into the den where Charming was lying. She was so excited; she didn’t even get up to investigate. Lucky was downstairs asleep. The bunny found the empty brick wood box by the fireplace and huddled in a corner of it, trembling. My husband crawled in there while I tried to hold a flashlight on the bunny, carefully picked him up, and took him outside where he hopped into the grass. I don’t think he was hurt. I hope he has sense enough to go somewhere else to nibble grass next time.
Peaches came out of her captivity all mortified. She told us, “Now that lying rabbit will go home and tell all his family how he punched me out and traveled all over the big house. He’ll have stories to tell the rest of his life.” She was fuming for a while, but she’s over it now.
Sometime afterwards, Lucky wandered upstairs, fresh from his nap, wondering what all the racket had been about. I told him the next morning, but I don’t think he understood. “Peaches waaah, wa-wa-wah, wa-wa-wa.” That’s all he got out of it. If Charming understood what happened, she didn’t say.
Books, Books, Books!
I’ve had the most difficult time writing this today! Everytime I want to write something, I want to add an exclamation point! I think it has something to do with reading a Cat Who book! I get chuckles out of Lilian Jackson Braun’s enthusiasm in her little stories. I had thought I would never read another one after the last one I read, but when I saw The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell, I thought I’d go one more. Truth to tell, I’d kind of missed Qwilleran and Koko. It was a quick read, amusing, and full of her usual quirky incidents. The best part of the whole book was an interview Qwilleran conducted over the phone with Lilian. I understand there are two more of these books that I haven’t read. Maybe I’ll get to them eventually.
Of course, I couldn’t have read another Braun book without finishing the Aubrey/Maturin series, and I have. I don’t know that the last book, 21, added a whole lot to what I knew and understood about the characters, but I did read it. I must say, reading anything else after having read O’Brian is a comedown. He does have a way with words. If you get a chance to read his series, do. It is time well spent.
Then too, I read another Debbie Macomber book, A Good Yarn. All the knitters enjoyed it and talked about it so much that I felt like I had to read it. As usual, her stories are light and full of interaction among the characters. I personally get a little tired of the specifics of knitting that she includes. I suppose maybe that’s an attraction to some people, but I could do with less of the details of the knitting and more of the broad picture. If you’re writing for people who are interested in knitting, you can include bits and pieces of knitting in the story without going into detail and still keep them interested.
I read something funny in her newsletter or blog. I’ve forgotten which it was now. She said that she went through a new security clearance program at the Orlando airport. Once she was fingerprinted and cleared, she wouldn’t have to go through those long security checks at airports in this country again. The only catch was that she no longer has “discernable fingerprints” from all her long years of working at computer keyboards and typewriters. So she can’t get a clearance. Made me wonder about my fingerprints. I have been pounding keys for a long time.
I read another light book since I wrote last, but for the life of me I can’t remember the title. I have a couple of books in my stack, so I’ll start one of them tonight. I’m going to miss Aubrey and Maturin.
Hi Glynda. I enjoyed the bunny story. I’m glad it has a happy ending! The socks are pretty.
I opted not to read “21″. I just felt like the series as it stood was fine.
I used to read “The Cat Who…” books, but I haven’t read one in years. But whenever I watch Monk on tv, I think of Qwilleran. The guy that plays the captain on that show is kind how I always pictured Qwill in my mind.
Do you read any fantasy at all? Have you ever read any Terry Pratchett (Discworld books)? I resisted reading them for a while because I thought they’d be dumb (humorous fantasy), but once I got started, I got hooked. They’re my comfort reading/audiobook listening now.
Your Horcrux socks are perfect! The colors really show the pattern off.
Hi, Maria. Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it. I went over to your site, and I noticed your Horcrux socks. That heel is precision itself. The patterning worked out perfectly on it. Glynda