Needed: Yellow/Orange Yarn

I promised someone (ok, Beth the roomy) that I would knit her Pasha for her birthday which is slowly approaching. Does anyone have any yellow or orange yarn I can use. I only need a bit and I'm not sure I want to buy some just for this project. This would be a great way for you to look at all those funny leftover balls from projects you have done in the past.

Do you think I can do the white in cotton yarn? I'm not sure off the top of my head if there is wool white in my stash or just cotton. Would that make poor Pasha look funny?

Shhhh, Don't tell Beth about this yarn hunt. She thinks I forgot her love of penguins.

The math

Well, if all else fails trot out the math and science. We weighed the six inch portion of sock I've already knitted



and the remaining ball of yarn.



Because I couldn't completely remove the two pairs of needles from the knitting, we had to throw in a compensation for the weight of the needle cord dangling off the scale pan. And the answer is....

6 inches of knitting, with the needles = 18 grams
weight of similar section of one needle cord = 1 gram
weight of remaining ball of yarn = 88.5 grams

( 88.5g / ( 18g - 2g) ) * 6 inches = 33.18 inches additional knitting possible

Which means that my original plan to knit a total of 36 inches of sock (2 * (10 inches of foot + 8 inches of leg)) still seems do-able without running out of yarn. At least, I hope so . However that 36 inches doesn't account for the heel section but it allows about 3 inches additional for the two heels.

Thank you to my dad who helped me weigh and did the math for me.

Did you see that truck?

So I was sitting on the T this morning, listening to music and enjoying the sunlight (that part of the train ride is above ground) and knitting away on THE sock which felt a little neglected since I didn't knit on it last night. And then it hit me. I am knitting socks for someone with a long foot. Longer then mine. And I am trying to get 2 socks out of a ball of yarn. Now should I follow that pattern and knit the whole 8 inches before the heel and then 10 inches of the foot making it 36 inches approximately of foot coverage for the whole sock? Should I knit less before the heel making me happy and leaving hopefully enough to cover the foot? Should I just follow the pattern and hope I don't need to go searching for a complimentary hand dyed yarn that goes with a "Potluck" color?

Let me try to channel Grumperina now:
The pattern calls for 3 balls of 164 yards so that is 492 yards! Ravelry informs me (cause the ball band is at home and Ravelry remembers when I import ball band info) that my lovely ball is only 480 yards. So. There is it. Now if I were truly Grumperina I would weigh how much I had done (since I know the weight of 480 yards to be 100 grams) and figure out how much more I could do from this. But this requires one thing that I don't have with me: a scale. And not having a scale with me cuts into my work/T ride knitting since I'm not sure I can continue knitting the leg which is creeping towards 6 inches.

How many inches is 12 yards? 1? 2? 4? Should I take off 1 inch, 2 inches or less then an inch from the foot? Or should I just finish the toes in a different (solid) color green? What about Knitpicks Essentials in Pine? If I do that, should I do the heel in Pine as well or just the toes? Now I am giving myself a headache....

Excuse me I am going to go knit until I find a scale.

A visit from the neighbors and some socks....

This morning at my parent's house the dogs were barking at nothing as always.... But today the nothing was:



15 Wild Turkeys. They have been living in the neighborhood for a few years now. Wandering around, eating bugs, scaring joggers.



I never thought we would see wild turkeys in our yard, especially given how close the house is to Boston and to a busy highway.



They posed with my mother's metal chicken. (She has a few of them hidden around the yarn and the recent additions of the pink flamingos seen in the first picture)



They let me get pretty close to take pictures and then wandered around for some more. They headed towards the highway and got confused about the fence we have there. They stood there for a while and then flew into the neighbor's yard.



I also took some time today to finish my first Crooked Cable Sock.



I love the colors,



and the heel.
Finally, let me introduce THE sock. THE sock is for someone very special who doesn't know that it is for her yet. It is the Uptown Boot Pattern from Favorite Socks knit in Sockitome by Cherry Tree Hill Blue-Green Potluck. I debated for a long time on what color to make it and finally this yarn leaped out at me being green, blue AND teal.



Thats some pretty fancy yarn. I don't often buy that fancy yarn without it being on sale or a special occasion. But THE sock is pretty special. So special that some new needles came just for it:



New Knitpicks Harmony needles. Not sure how I like them but THE sock really likes them.

Testing, testing is this thing on?

Sorry for the long silence everyone. I had this great post in my head all planned out last Monday and I planned to take pictures as soon as the migraine I had ended. Well..... its Saturday night and the migraine is almost gone. Thats right, a SIX day migraine. I feel like my life has been on hold, with a ton to do to catch up with in work and studying and just living. I have never slept so much and yet feel so tired. I showered today and that took all of my energy. I managed to knit again today for the first time since almost Monday (I tried knitting last night and managed a row on my socks before I was too tired to continue).
Last night/today was also Yom Kippur and for the first time in my life, I couldn't go to temple for the services. I feel a little guilty. I know I don't believe in the Book of Life and being written in it, but on the other hand, if there is one, I hope G-d understands that I was feeling like crap. My mom wore my tallis both last night and today and I think I got her to wear sneakers today for me. (Traditionally you can't wear leather for Yom Kippur). Don't worry, I didn't fast. I couldn't, I was too sick but officially children, women and those who would become ill can't fast for Yom Kippur. A lot of Jewish laws can be broken for medical reasons, such as if necessary an orthodox Jew would get you to a hospital on Shabbat even if it required driving or riding in an ambulance. It just feels weird to not have Yom Kippur this year, like I missed it and the year just lost it. Maybe that only makes sense in my head.

Eye Candy Friday

As promised:

TA DA! Crooked Cable Socks have made some progress.





I love how these socks are working up. Sadly, I don't have much time between work and GRE super studying to work on knitting.

L'Shana Tovah Tikatavu or "May only good things be written for you this year"

Tonight begins Rosh Hashanah, the first holiday of the Jewish High Holidays. Tonight I will have a quick and traditional meal with my family and then walk part of the way to temple (we also drive part of the way) and sit through services. I always enjoy walking back to the car after services when the stars are all out and seeing the community around me and knowing that around the world, people are walking to temple and prepping for the New Year. When I use to teach the children's services during the day on Rosh Hashanah we would read this book about the birthday of the world, and play an alarm clock to talk about how Rosh Hashanah is about getting your ready for Yom Kippur (The alarm clock is a little like the shofar calling us to worship).
The ten days between those holidays are a time to think about the new year and reflect on the old. The tradition is to cast bread onto a flowing body of water and imagine your sins from the past year is also cast away. This is the time of year to ask for forgiveness and the tradition says that if you ask a person for forgiveness three times from the bottom of your heart and they still can't forgive you, then G-d will forgive you. In the children's service we talk a lot about missing the mark, like if you were shooting at a target with arrows. However, the Talmud states that "Rosh ha-Shanah is the most important judgment-day, on which all the inhabitants of the world pass for judgment before the Creator, as sheep pass for examination before the shepherd."
In this idea of judgment, there is this long poem that is recited on Yom Kippur that is stuck in my head today. I have never particularly enjoyed it, since I personally don't like the idea of G-d deciding on one day who will live and who will die for the whole year. We only read a piece of it in our traditional Reform service (there are other styles of services offered both at my temple and at other temples) and I have included it below (in English):

On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed,
And on Yom Kippur it is sealed.
How many shall pass away and how many shall be born,
Who shall live and who shall die,
Who shall reach the end of his days and who shall not,
Who shall perish by water and who by fire,
Who by sword and who by wild beast,
Who by famine and who by thirst,
Who by earthquake and who by plague,
Who by strangulation and who by stoning,
Who shall have rest and who shall wander,
Who shall be at peace and who shall be pursued,
Who shall be at rest and who shall be tormented,
Who shall be exalted and who shall be brought low,
Who shall become rich and who shall be impoverished.
But repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the severe decree.

However I was surprised to see that there is a next line that is not included in our service "For Your praise is in accordance with Your name. You are difficult to anger and easy to appease. For You do not desire the death of the condemned, but that he turn from his path and live. Until the day of his death You wait for him. Should he turn, You will receive him at once. In truth You are their Creator and You understand their inclination, for they are but flesh and blood. The origin of man is dust, his end is dust." In some way that new piece adds some comfort to me, more along the lines of G-d being a friend and companion who waits for you to find your own way.

Sorry for all the religious talk for those who are here to read about knitting, I just have been pondering that song today. There has been knitting and hopefully tomorrow I will have a nice picture to show you. Until then, eat some apples and honey for a Shana Tova or a sweet year.

A visit to the frog pond

The Drunken Bees met with a frog along the way and took a trip to the frog pond..... Can we have a moment of silence for the Drunken Bees? Don't worry, I plan on doing this pattern with another yarn, one more solid.

The pretty yarn got turned into some Crooked Cable socks and having knit a bunch today I am now past the ripping part of the yarn. YAY progress!



However knitting the day away (ok with working at a library and a trip to a yarn store and another library in there) made me kinda silly and Izzy just happened to be sitting next to me.



Yeah, she doesn't look thrilled either. She actually sat pretty still and only tried to attack the needles, not the yarn. If Zack is left alone with yarn he will bite through it in a second.

Does the colors look different in each of the pictures. Yeah, the first one wasn't true to the yarn colors, this one is a little more accurate but now it makes my stitch markers look all washed out.



I am really happy with the yarn and this pattern. I have been doing the cables without a cable needle and even though it is a little difficult I am finally getting the hang of it. Now I no longer need to try to tie my cable needle to myself to avoid losing it. I hear the Clessidra socks calling to me to come cable on them next. They might have to fight the rest of the socks and WIP in line. Now that is a scary thought: all of my works-in-progress fighting it out.

Finally - a note for a occasional reader: The chinchillas are wandering towards you. Keep an eye out for the trouble makers, they will try to hide from you, as they hid from me for a while. Trouble makers.

Knitpicks = evil master plan?

Knitpicks always draws me in with something really exciting. Today is yummy wooden knitting needles (Blogger got rid of my handy link thing so I have to remember the html for adding a link to a word. I miss my handy link). Then they had the Vogue Knitting Sock Book there (which I have been waiting for) and finally I got the yarn for the Tilted Duster .

I got the needles in a Real size 2 (not a 2.5) so I can knit some more socks. I like the colored laminated wood. I have wonderful hairsticks in pretty colors that are so strong and wonderful. I don't like that you can't choose the needle wood very but I can't wait to try it. I think they should still be grabby and hold the yarn nicely but still very sharp.

I had a bad migraine for two days so the knitting has been really slow. The yarn for the drunken bee socks is very fun but it doesn't show the pattern very well. I can't decide if I should keep going and then redo the pattern in solid colors (make two pairs of socks) or frog this whole thing and save the yarn for something else. What do you think?

30 years and promised pictures

Happy 30th Anniversary to my parents! At my dad's request I have included two pictures:



A close up of Stella



Leo being a out doors dog. I think my dad thought this blog was not pet filled enough as it was.
And now for the knitting:



The First Birthday Coriolis Sock!



Its hard to photograph the spiral. And even harder to photograph my progress on the Drunken Bees socks.



Large unclear colored blob anyone?

Are you talking to your yarn?

Last night, later then it should have been, I was rummaging around under my bed. I was searching for yarn. As I neared the end of the first Birthday Master Coriolis sock, I felt the urge to cast on for something new. (This is also my new way to avoid the hatred of the second sock. Knit one of another sock pair and come back to the first pair later. This worked with the Sockapalooza sock since I found I liked it much better when I returned to it.) My search for the proper pattern had lead me in a hunt all day. I needed something (ok, another sock) that used US # 1/1.5 needles (my 2s and 3s are filled with something else). It couldn't be too difficult so I would fight with it, like another sock that is currently still in time out. I would prefer it not to have crazy cables like another sock in the works (Clessidra - who I love and adore but it takes forever to do a row on her) so I could finish it before I feel the call of another sock too badly. Oh, and it had to be made with yarn already wound up or in a ball since I wasn't about to be near a ball winder over the next few hours.
I finally decided on Drunken Bees Socks which I watched grow slowly and I loved the pattern then. The comment by the designer was that the pattern would look better with semi-solid or solid yarn, which explains what I was doing in my under the bed bins. New Beth, the new addition to the apartment just happened to walk by when I was talking to the yarn. She however didn't look as scared as she possibly could have been and actually stayed to help make a decision between 3 balls so she has potential.

My plan is to later today post again with pictures. My camera took a small vacation and now that we are rejoined, you can see all the knitting I have been up too. The only question is can I manage to make it home? The potential train lines I could take home all have had issues today: The B line is filled with new college students for the first day of classes (Plus I have to ride that one forever), The C line had an accident earlier and the D line is still under construction and/or potentially busing.