Knit & Nosh

zombie.2

Zombie Socks.2 are finished!

Do you love them?  I do.  Lobster Pot Yarns, Lobster Sox, Sea Lettuce. 

The inside out view is just as cool as the "right" way. 

Finished in the nick of time.  I had begun these socks for a Dog Days KAL (RL).  While that KAL runs through September, I was anxious to get the Zombie Socks off the needles so that I could cast on for the Sock Knitters Anonymous (RL) September challenge.

The September challenge includes a Nancy Bush Mystery Sock, that must be knit in yellow, and a Wendy Johnson pattern that can be knit in the color of your choice.  I have ordered yarn for both pairs of socks and am hoping something arrives tomorrow so that I will be able to cast on before I head up to Canada.

September 1^st is the day I will drive Oldest Daughter back to Canada for school.  It is a safe bet that the crossing will be fine heading north.  We will get her cell phone up and running, have lunch, schlep boxes to her house and then head south.  It is the south crossing that is an issue.  I have never spent less than an hour trying to cross.  The max is 3.5 hours.  No matter how you slice it, this crossing is a pain.  If I am able to knit along on a sock?  Not quite so bad.

i'm not the meanest mom after all

I have three teenagers in my house.  This afternoon the two oldest and I were playing cards.  The youngest came upstairs to talk about how crazy some of her peers act and how they hide things from their parents.  Oldest daughter replied, "Not all kids enjoy the kind of relationship with their parents that we have."

Holy crap.  Watch me do my touchdown dance.

the vacation that wasn't

So, we had planned a three night weekend in the San Juan’s.  Because we wanted to be on the island in time for the Saturday Market, we took a VERY early ferry.  We arrived to gorgeous sunshine and the promise of a well needed rest.

When on Lopez, we stay at a small Mom & Pop type place.  The type of place that leaves the key under the mat for you.  When we arrived, the key was not there, but it was early, quite early, so no big deal.  We walked out on to the spit and played on the beach for a while.  On the way down to the beach we passed many pear trees.  The fruit was not ripe, but reminded me that fall is right around the corner.

After that little break we headed over to the market.  So much wonderful stuff.  The artisans are making stuff that you do not normally find at a local market.  There was a ton of homemade food.  The most beautiful organic produce.  There was even wood fired pizza available.  Really, they had an actual clay oven with visible flames.

There was no way I was going to walk past Island Fibers without stopping to pet a few skeins.

The color is so lovely, three distinct colors that meld together and make the yarn glow. 

Oldest Daughter asked what I was going to do with it.  I said “nothing”.  For now it is the best kind of desk ornament.

After the market, we headed over to the” hotel” to unpack and get some groceries into the fridge.  Still no key.   While it was still a little early, we were surprised.  Husband left a message to let them know we had arrived and ask if it was possible to get in now.  Then we went off to another beach.

This was a new beach for us and it was uncrowded and relaxing.  We had a snack and spent the next few hours playing guitar, knitting, drawing, and hitting rocks into the water.  We began to feel a little windswept and decided to head over to our lodging to chill out and plan the evening.

No key.  At this point it was 4PM, there should be a key.  We called.  We emailed.  We walked a little wetland trail and waited.  No response.  It is now 5PM.  We start looking for another room.  No luck.  There was nothing we could do but catch the next ferry home.  So here we are.  Disappointed and still in need of a rest.

jelly time

I have a tree full of plums that need to be dealt with.  In the past I have made them into jam, which is pretty labor intensive.  This year I am thinking jelly. 

As a small child I remember watching my Grandma make Crab Apple jelly.  It seemed so hard.  I carried that "jelly is hard" mentality my whole life.  After a google search it turns out that plum jelly is WAY easier than plum jam.  So jelly it is.  I am off to Costco in the morning to procure large bags of organic sugar for this adventure.

If you want a jar of plum jelly, speak up!  If you have a jar of Crab Apple jelly in your house, I will pay you dearly for it.  If I continue to read this blog, I am going to need more jars.

i heart glass jars

My new favorite blog.

vacation knitting

We are off to the San Juan Islands for the weekend.  Boy I am I ready to relax for a few days. 

For vacation knitting I have decided to bring along the in progress Zombie Socks.

This pattern is so fun that it practically knits itself.  I love the way the open bits looks with this yarn.

I will also be working on a birthday present.  No pictures, the recipient stops by the blog from time to time.

Then, just in case, I threw in a partial ball of fine organic cotton.  My bathroom could use some new hand towels.

damson

Tonight, at the Seattle Knitter's Guild meeting I saw a Damson (rav link, RL) in real life.  It was so sweet!  I totally want to make one, only mine will 3-4 times the size as written.

I am off to Lopez this weekend.  Maybe I will find something at the market that speaks to me?

possible ulmus

What do you think about this for a modified Ulmus?

I have 1200 yards of the sandy color and 800ish of the pink.  I could make a huge Ulmus by knitting until I ran out of pink and then beginning the border.   In addition to the size, the other change will be the border.  While the original pattern is lovely, I do not want a peaked edge border.  Here in the soggy US Pacific Northwest/Canadian Southwest (Hi Kate!) points do not stay blocked.  I have a straight edged border in mind.

 

three things

Yesterday was a wonderful, fibery sort of day.  First I cast on a new sock.

This is Lobster Pot Yarns, Sea Lettuce and it will become a pair of Zombie Socks.  The yarn glows, it is so much fun.

The afternoon was spent spinning.

200 yards of a merino/camel blend from Dragon Fibers.  Originally Oldest Son had asked me to make a scarf with the fiber.  The braid he saw was full of dark, bold jewel tones.  After spinning the colors are much softer and I do not think they will work for him.

Then last night, this

became this.

After a week of growling at the shawl as I walked passed, I decided to rip it out.  I was a good decision.

empty sock needles

Camp is over.  This is the first year, in more years than I can remember, that I have not been the Director.  It felt very strange and alternated between good and bad.  

Friday morning, before camp, I managed to finish a pair of socks.  Sunday Swing Socks.

A fast, easy knit, perfect for social knitting.  Do you love this pink? 

It does not quite glow, but it is close.  The yarn is Lobster Pot Sock, Beach Rose.  A thin fingering that is a bit splitty.  I also have a skein in green that really does glow, I will be working with that skein next.  The green is saying Zombie Socks (rav link) to me.  What do you think?