Glacier Lake Socks

These are the Glacier Lake socks I have been working on for a while. I finally finished them last night. I love the colors in this yarn, and it worked up nicely, too. Down Home sock yarn from Knitivity. Glacier Lake colorway. Needle size US 2 (2.75mm) Basic Sock pattern from Ann Norling.

House Blah, Blah, Blah

Here is the house right now. The sheathing and tyvec are going up. There has been more done on the inside, too. This is the balcony off the back of the garage.

This is the bonus room over the garage.

We now have a bar between the kitchen and the living room. This view is from the breakfast area looking to the kitchen on the right and the living room on the left.

Here is the fireplace.

And, for those who asked, here is what the house next door looks like now.

More Rafters

Here are the latest photos of the house. These were taken yesterday. This is the front of the house, obviously. I was really happy with the way it looks. It's one thing to have an idea and put it on paper, but sometimes what you actually get is not the same. This is pretty much how I envisioned the house to look. Of course, this is just the skeleton, but the over all lines are pretty much what I had imagined. This is the back bay window in the master bedroom.

This is a photo of the back of the garage and the bonus room over the garage. We were able to walk up into the bonus room yesterday evening. It is going to be great. The light was almost gone by that time, so I will have to show pictures of the bonus room later. The balcony will be for Wally's telescope if there are not too many trees in the way.

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.