Rafters

So this is what I saw when I drove up this afternoon. Not a whole lot of change since Friday, but we do have some rafters on the garage and the back wing of the house. The guys were working on the main part of the house this afternoon. I was glad I was not the one up there holding that beam. It looked heavy, and I really don't like heights.

We'll see what it looks like tomorrow.

Knitting!!!!!

Here is a wool soaker I knitted for one of Sarah's friends. The yarn is Cascade 220 Quatro, the pattern is from CurlyPurly.com. Needle sizes were US 3, 5 and 7.

More House Stuff

This a photo through the front door. The entryway goes straight through to the living room and then out to the screened porch. Here is the kitchen. Really looks like a kitchen doesn't it? Oh well, it will when it's done.

This is a shot looking down the back porch. Today was the first time Wally had seen it. He says he may have over done it on the porches, but I think we will enjoy them.

This is me standing in the master shower.

This is the big beam that supports the second story on the garage. It's huge.

Here is a shot of the garage and the stairs going up to the second story.

We did find a couple of things that are not right in the framing today, but they are small things that can be corrected easily. Mostly it just incorrect sizing on a couple of windows. I will talk to the guys on Monday to get it corrected. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather stays nice for a while longer.

House Progress

These first two photos are what the house looked like yesterday, 31 Oct. The foundation forms were gone, and the framers had started framing.

This is what I saw when I went out this afternoon. This shot is from the street.

Here is the garage. The framers are still working on the support for the second story of the garage. The garage will be attached to the house when all is finished.

Here is the front porch. It's hard to tell it's a porch since it does not have the roof on yet.

House Update

These first two photos are of the foundation prep. This a post tension slab, so all the blue cables will be pulled taut 7 to 10 days after the foundation is poured.

Today they poured the foundation. Here is a shot of part of the front porch.

This the machine that pumps the cement from the trucks to the forms. This photo shows the garage.

Here are the showers in the front two bedrooms. Exciting stuff, huh?

Here are the back two bedrooms. It's hard to tell anything right now, but it will all take shape eventually.

More House Stuff

Top photo: Forms for foundation and all the drains put in.

Middle Photo: Digging the footings for the foundation.

More digging of footings.

With the rain we've had lately, things are moving a little slowly. However, this week is supposed to be dry, so we are hoping the footings will be poured this week.

Ravelry!!!

I got my Ravelry invite yesterday. Yea! I can tell already that it is going to be a huge time eater, but it looks like fun.

Knee Socks

These are the latest socks off the needles. They are knee socks for Sarah. The yarn is Madelinetosh 100% superwash merino in the Vintage Apron colorway. These were knit toe up using Judy's Magic cast on for the toes. The rest of the pattern is the On-Your-Toes Socks by Ann Budd from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits magazine. These socks were knit on US size 2 (2.75mm) until I got up to the calf, then I switched to US size 3 (3.25mm).

I love the yarn. I'm not sold on toe up socks, but I may try them again. It was good in the sense that I divided the yarn into two equal balls and was able to use all the yarn. It's good to try new things.

House Update

Here is a post about the house. Yes, we are still building a house although I have not posted about it in a long time. This first picture is how the lot looked when we bought it.

This is after we had all the underbrush removed last year.

This photo is after the trees that were in the way of the house were cleared.

This is how the lot looks right now. That is our contractor's sign out in front. The pad for the foundation has been brought in and all the stakes for the house are in place. See the three trees grouped together in the middle of the photo? The front door will be just a little to the right and in back of those trees.

Here are the stakes for the garage.

Here is the house being built next door to us. It is a spec house, so we don't know who will live there when it is finished. The area to the left in the photo that is a different color dirt is where the pool will be whenever we get around to building it.

So, estimated date of completion is April 2008. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather.

Pay It Forward

In accordance with the rules set out on Piglottie's Parlour blog. I invite you to Pay It Forward. Here are the rules.

It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange. It’s based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on. So here’s how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

So come on people, let's PIF.

Yarn Harlot

Last night I went to hear Stephanie Pearl-McFee aka The Yarn Harlot speak to Houston knitters. What can I say? She is so funny, and she knows knitters. Stephanie spoke for almost an hour and a half, and I think she had us laughing every two to three minutes if not more. If you ever have the opportunity to hear Stephanie speak, go!

How Many Socks?

The other day while I was sitting and knitting at my LYS some one asked me, "How many hand knit socks do you have?" My reply was, "I have no idea." So, I came home and dug out all my socks, counted and photographed. I have nineteen pairs of hand knit socks.

For those who are interested in what yarns I used(not in any order), there are 2 Koigu, 2 Lorna's Laces, 4 Mountain Colors, 3 Trekking, 3 Cherry Tree Hill, 1 Madelinetosh, 1 Tofusies, 1 Fearless Fibers, 1 Wildfoot and 1 Jojoland Melody.

Another Pair of Socks

The latest pair of finished socks are made from Koigu and Cherry Tree Hill. Why, you ask. Because I ran out of Koigu due to my own lack of forethought. I made other pairs of socks out of Koigu using only two skeins, but I forgot when I bought this yarn that I had changed my basic pattern slightly since then. Therefore, not enough yarn. What to do? Finish the toes with some leftover Cherry Tree Hill that really goes well with the Koigu. Even though the darker toes were not planned, I kind of like them.

Crazy Socks

Here are some crazy colored socks I just finished. Believe it or not, this is two balls of the same color and same dye lot. The intensity of the colors varies a lot within the dye lot. I did not even try to match the color bands since they have such long gradations. They are complimentary socks, not matching, but I like them. They are fun.

Yarn: Jojoland Melody 100% superwash wool, colorway MS08, two balls
Needles: Clover bamboo DPNs US 2 (2.75mm)
Pattern: My usual plain stockinette with slip stitch heel flap

Ocean Waving Lace Socks

Another pair of socks off the needles. I really enjoyed knitting these. Here are the details.

Yarn: Madelinetosh 100% superwash merino wool, Ocean colorway

Needles: Clover bamboo US2 (2.75mm) DPNs

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark from Favorite Socks, 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave

This yarn was a delight to work with. It is very soft and knits up well.

Finished Socks, again!

Here are the latest socks finished. I call these my Beach socks as the colors remind me of the beach. These socks are made from Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in the Water colorway. They are my standard plain stockinette sock knit on US 2 (2.75mm) bamboo DPNs. They were easy and relaxing to knit.

Things have been slow here this summer, or maybe I'm just lazy. Anyway, not a lot has been accomplished knitting wise. I still have lots of works in progress, and lots of stash for ideas floating around in my head, but not a lot of action going on here. Maybe it is the heat. Who knows.

On another note, we have really started moving on the construction of the house. The plan is almost finally tweaked, mortgage applications have been filled out and submitted, etc., etc., etc. It's a little scary to be starting this after living in our present house so long, but change is a good thing. Right?

This is not a knitting post

I don't usually do this, but I feel pretty strongly about this issue. Go read this blog from the Yarn Harlot.

http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2007/07/12/just_keep_your_mouth_shut.html

Another FO

I finished this pair of socks yesterday. They are the Oblique Openwork pattern from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks book. I only did the pattern on the leg as I like a smooth foot. The yarn is Fearless Fibers merino sock yarn in the Midnight Passion colorway. The socks were knit on bamboo DPNs US size 2 (2.75mm). This was my first experience with Fearless Fibers yarn. I would recommend it highly. This yarn was lovely to work with. It knits up very smoothly and has a nice sheen to it. The skeins are large; I had lots of yarn left over, so you could knit long socks easily with this yarn.

At Last...A Finished Object

Finished socks! The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill in the Blues and Purples colorway. This is my standard generic sock with a one inch rib and straight stockinette. They were knit on No. 2 US DPNs. They are very soft and comfortable.

I have not fallen off the face of the earth; I just haven't had anything interesting to show knitting wise. I am still working on the purple Fearless Fibers socks. I am still working on the Cherry Tree Hill socks. I am still working on the Lady Eleanor shawl, the Icarus shawl and the Faroese shawl. I have not been knitting a lot lately. I have been reading and traveling, and I am getting ready to travel some more. So, please bear with me. Knitting will be back. I promise.

Pomatomus Socks aka The Mermaid Socks

Sorry for the long dry spell. There has been knitting going on, but I just have not posted. I will make up for that now. Here are the Pomatomus socks also known as the Mermaid socks at our house. These were made for Sarah, and they fit very well as you will see in the other photo. These socks are made from one skein of J.Knits Superwash Me sock yarn (75% superwash wool and 25% nylon) in the Columbus color way on US size 2 bamboo DPNs. There was quite a bit of yarn left over, so longer socks could be knitted with one skein. It was an interesting pattern to knit. It took a little more concentration than I am used to in knitting socks, but over all it was a good experience.

The koigu tweed socks are finished also, but they are too boring to post pictures. I did wash them though, and they came out sooooo soft. I love the koigu yarn.

Socks and Shawl

Here are the photos of projects I promised last week. These are the three pairs of socks I am working on currently. Left to right they are: Pomatomus aka Mermaid socks. They are knit with JKnits sock yarn. Midnight Passion socks made from Fearless Fibers hand dyed sock yarn. This pattern is one of the eight stitch repeats from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. Last but not least, Koigu blue and black tweed socks. They are very plain, but they feel wonderful and will go well with jeans.

Here is the Lady Eleanor shawl. This yarn is Rowan Tapestry in color SH 173. The fiber content is Wool and Soy protein. It is working up very nicely. It's very soft. The top photo was taken with the flash on. The bottom close up was taken with the flash off. Alas, neither photo gets the color just right.

What's New

So, I have been knitting, but not anything really exciting. I currently have three pairs of socks going and three shawls started. I know, I am having trouble sticking with one or even two projects. The socks are one pair of plain Koigu in a blue, black, gray combination; the mermaid socks or should I say pomatomus socks in J. Knits blue and green and an eight stitch repeat lace pattern in the midnight passion (purple) Fearless Fibers sock yarn. All of them are going well, I just have trouble concentrating on just one. The shawls are the burgundy Lorna's Laces Faroese shawl, the cobalt blue Icarus shawl and a new Lady Eleanor entrelac shawl made with Rowan Tapestry in a brown/gold/pink colorway. The Faroese shawl is just too heavy to work on right now. I did dig out the Icarus and work on it tonight. It has been lanquishing in the bottom of my knitting bag for the past month or two. I like it, but I get tired of knitting on it quickly. The entrelac shawl was started last Friday. I have not made up my mind whether to keep on going with it or not. I'm not sure if I like the way the colors are working up. I will try to post some photos later this week so you all can get an idea of how it's going.

Candy!

Here is the latest pair of socks that I have been working on. They remind me of the candy hearts that everyone gives out on Valentine's Day.

These are made of Trekking XXL yarn in color number 133. I used US#2 bamboo needles, and it is the standard top down pattern that I always use. They were lots of fun to do, because of the way the yarn striped. It was also very easy to match the stripes, because they were so defined. All in all, much fun.

Spring

I love spring in Texas. We go from gray to green almost over night. The wild flowers have been especially beautiful this year. The bluebonnets and indian paintbrush are blooming all over the sides of the highways. I have not been able to go take photos of them this year, but you can see some if you go to www.flickr.com and type in "bluebonnets" in the search feature.

I do have one photo of flowers, however. Wally took this about a week ago when our azalea bushes were covered in blooms. Sadly, they are just about gone now. They were beautiful while they lasted.

Art Festival

Today Wally and I went to the Bayou City Art Festival in Memorial Park. We have been before, and we like art a lot. However, I was disappointed this time. It seemed like it was all the same artists and all the same stuff. Nothing new. We did see one of our favorite artists, but even her stuff did not appeal to us this year. It was nice, but not "wow I have to have that", if you know what I mean. And it rained. Not the best ambience for an art festival. It didn't rain constantly, but just enough to keep everyone guessing whether to keep their umbrellas out or not.

Internet Yarn

I had never bought yarn over the internet, because I can't feel it. I am a very tactile person, and I like to know what my yarn feels like before I buy it. However, I had heard wonderful things about Fearless Fibers yarns, and I loved the colors. So...I bought some from the Fearless Fibers site on Etsy. What can I say? The photo does not do the colors justice. They are so much prettier in real life. How do they feel? Wonderful! I love them. These are the sock yarn in Midnight Passion (purple) and Midnight Blue colorways. They are 100% Superwash Merino wool, and there are 550 yards in a skein. (Sorry, I still have not figured out how to put links in my posts.)

Anniversary

Today is our 32nd anniversary. Wally is out of town on business. It was one of those things he could not not do. So, on Saturday he brought home these flowers as an anniversary gift. Yesterday before he left town, Wally also brought me these. He said the roses looked old, and the tulips were prettier.

I have a wonderful husband!

100 Books Meme

In light of no knitting content, I give you a meme.

Look at the list of (100) books below.
Bold the ones you’ve read.
Italicize the ones you want to read.
Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in. Movies don’t count.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)


So, I have read 33 of the 100 books.