Saturday Sky and Fourth Grade Pressure

Saturday Sky at 8-ish:

The clouds are now gone, but it was fun to see some variety in our sky. Young Man and I are having a quiet day together. We disected an owl pellet and have a date to go to Target (where we will undoubtedly add to our Lego Bionicle collection).

Young Man is recovering from his first week of fourth grade. He says that Friday went the best of the four days and that there was too much pressure this week. Besides the new classroom and teacher, he was invited to a birthday party, and he has been the target of the PE teacher's interest to get him to join the flag football team. Yes, it was a rough week. It certainly started well!

Work for the parents continues to pile it on. In the knitting world, I have returned to the FLAK now that it is cool enough to stand to hold it on my lap. I'm almost finished with the first sleeve. All that moss stitch filler is starting to get to me!

The Last Trek of Summer (and Tales of Woe and Redemption)

This was going to be a glorious, photo-filled tale of the last treks, but, well, let's start at the beginning.

I finished the first of the Gentlemen's Fancy Socks and had a sneaking suspicion that something was amiss. I weighed the first sock and discovered that it came in at 55g. Unfortunately, this left only 45g for the second sock. We all know that no amount of knitting skill will overcome that gap. The LYS that sold me the first skein had no more in stock. A search on line found a retailer that listed two skeins of Trekking #69 in stock. An order was placed. An email was received. They were, in fact, out of stock, but they quickly cancelled my order.

Knitting continued and another search was made. Lo and behold, WEBS had the yarn and, again, it was listed as in stock. A second order was placed, but hopes for completion by Labor Day were slipping. The second sock had a pleasant trek through Legoland on Wednesday with Young Man. The weather was warm, but the crowds were thin. Young Man and I (and the sock) had a lovely time. Just as the yarn was almost gone, we retrieved the Friday mail and WEBS exceeded all expectations and the new skein arrived (note that I have no affiliation with the store; I'm just a very happy first-time customer)! More knitting continued while Young Man played with Legos (you don't suppose that we made it out of Legoland without Legos, do you?).

On Saturday, the sock made its last trek (pre-finishing). This time, it traveled through the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Rays were petted and the sock was surprised to learn that his colorations were quite similar to Young Man's favorite fish, the Porcupine Fish (a.k.a. Pufferfish). And, yes, we do wear tie-dye in public.

The sock was completed after a brief stop in Little Saigon for yummy sandwiches and iced coffee. So, now you may be wondering why I didn't include pictures of the sock on its adventures. I took them, really, I did. Somehow, the pictures were lost in the ether in the transition from camera to computer.

Ah, but the socks are here and ready for more adventures. So, I completed two pairs of Trekking socks during the Trek Along. Very fun and I discovered a yarn that I really like. I now have enough for three more pairs for me. One may be for Young Man as he has expressed an interest in a pair to match Mr. Engineer's.

Pattern: Gentleman's Fancy Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Trekking XXL in #69
Needles: US1 dpns
Notes: I modified the pattern by eliminating the decreases and going up a size in needles. This accomodated Mr. Engineer's size 11 feet which are slightly larger than the pattern size. Wonderful pattern (again, Nancy rocks), wonderful yarn. Great knit!

Signs of the Apocalypse

Well, maybe not really, but today was a surprising day. I actually entered a Yarn Shop, returned four skeins of yarn, and DID NOT buy more yarn!!!!! Mr. Engineer is completely shocked. I'm rather surprised, but not shocked. I know how large the stash has become.

The return was because I did not need all the yarn I purchased for the Roundabout Leaf Tank from Knitting Nature. I finished the tank in early July, but didn't get around to returning the extra until today. Here are picks of the tank blocking and on me.

Project: Roundabout Leaf Tank from Knitting Nature.
Yarn: Takhi Cotton Classic (5 skeins)
Needles: US 7
Notes: A fun and challenging knit. This went together much more quickly than I expected. I do wish that I had knit a bit more before joining as I think my "tail" hangs too close to center. I modified the pattern by picking up stitches for the straps in the front and in the back and grafting at the back. I think that looks cleaner and more consistent. Okay, so I hate seaming and will do almost anything to avoid it!



Oh, and the sky is blue. It's almost always blue. Bit annoying, if you ask me.

Trekking to the Garden?

Okay, it's lame, but it beats the real story. All my trekking of late has been to work. Since I can't take pictures at work, this is the next best thing. Here is the first sock of my second pair reclining on one of my Anaheim Pepper plants. This is another pair for Mr. Engineer. It has taken three tries to get to this point. Luckily for me, Mr. Engineer's feet are not as long as one would expect for his height. Unluckily, he has a high instep and that makes fitting socks a challenge. The pattern is the Gentleman's Fancy Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. Great pattern and it looks really good in Trekking #69. I'm not sure that I will have enough yarn, so these socks may not be finished by Labor Day.

I did finish my "little something." My sense of humor is also quirky enough to really enjoy that I was blocking my first alpaca shawl during the commercial breaks of the Dirty Jobs episode in which Mike shears an alpaca!

Project: Flower Basket Shawl from Fibertrends

Fiber: Frog Tree 100% Alpaca Wool Fingering Weight

Needles: Addi Turbos in US 6

Notes: Quick knit and beautiful pattern. This was my first experience with alpaca and it won't be the last. It's sooooo soft. The lace blocked well and looks lovely. I hope the recipient enjoys it. The color is actually a bit darker and that shows in the blocking shot.

Saturday, Oh! Saturday!

I completely missed last Saturday. Hmmm, that must have something to do with all the craziness at work. Norma described it as "sprouting horns" and that is an apt description here. It must be all the heat. It's making everyone crazy on the freeway and in the office.

We did get out two Saturdays ago to the county fair:

It was hot, but not as hot as it was the week before. The cloud cover kept things from getting too nasty until they burned off. Today, our skies are back to their normal cloudless blue:

Knitting has been progressing, but also frustrating. I've cast on for two different pairs three times each and one needs yet another ripping. The other pair is going well (which in this case means, if they don't fit the intended recipient, they are being gifted to someone else). I did finally photograph my latest completed socks. These are the first pair that I've knit for Mr. Engineer. He seems impressed, but is waiting until it is cooler to give them a real try.

Pattern: Gentleman's Sock in Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Wildfoote by Brown Sheep Company, Inc., in Gunsmoke (which is more gray in person than the blue shown in the photo)

Needles: US 0 dpns

Notes: Fabulous socks! I will admit to tiring of the pattern by the end of the second sock, but this was my first set of men's socks. I'm just glad that Mr. Engineer's feet aren't longer.