Not a Pretty Sight. . . . .

Snow on garbage:



NYC street scene:



Dead vine:



My coffeetable:



The ripped back headband:

Poet Laureate

Commenter Sonja and the voices in my head are having a disagreement. The voices still feel that the Wearing O’ the Green Socks should be renamed the Camo Socks.

However, Sonja has provided this link to the golfing greens of the Emerald Isle and wants to call them the Limerick Socks. She even reinforced this belief by writing a limerick to the socks.

There once was a lass who would knit
sock after sock in a snit.
But she's discovered the perks
of TWO socks on FOUR circs
Now only her feet have the fit.

Thank you and congratulations, Sonja! You’ve just become this blog’s official Poet Laureate!

Here’s a photo of the Wearing O’the Green / Camo / Limerick Socks so far:



The Snit O' the Day:

Another icy mix is coming our way. The only icy mix I ever want to see is in my vodka and tonics!

Camo Socks?

I’m not loving the Wearing O’The Green socks. They’re beginning to look like something I’d wear with these.

The yarn is simply wonderful but I’m wishing there was just a wee bit of Kelly Green or Shamrock Green or even Islam or Electric Green in the colorway instead of the tan and khaki. Officially they won’t be called Camo Socks, but that’s what the voices in my head are calling them.

Two Socks on Four Circs

To avoid the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome, many of you know about knitting two socks on two circulars. The truly adventuresome among you may knit the two socks using the Magic Loop. Then there's the crazy extreme knitters who perform the two socks on one set of dpns trick.

But, I prefer the little praised two socks on four circulars method. No two balls of yarn to get tangled with each other. No confusion as to what yarn belongs to which sock. No complicated mechanics that seem to defy logic. No magic tricks of inside/outside involved.

Cast on two circulars. Knit a bit. Take second ball of yarn and cast on second set of two circulars. Knit a bit. Go back to first sock--knit a bit. Tired of that? Work on the second sock a while. Back and forth--easy, peasy.

Here's the Wearing O' the Green sock so far:



Both socks using the two socks on four circulars method:



SNIT for the day:
Down in Tampa, the Yankees took to the field--without Bernie. Who cares what A-Rod and Derek think of each other?! Bring back Bernie!

Wearing O' the Green

With the St. Patrick's Day Parade in mind March 17 I cast on for green socks! No special pattern--just plain stockinette on size 0 needles.



The yarn is from Spirit Trail Fiberworks bought at Rhinebeck in 2004. I snatched this yarn up before Stephanie, The Yarn Harlot did. Those of you familiar with her blog might remember the story of the tent falling on Stephanie at Rhinebeck--this was the tent. I was there to see it happen and grabbed one of the poles when the wind nearly carried it away.

But, getting back to St. Paddy's Day. The day is almost always cold and the parade is always held on the actual day. Since it falls on a Saturday and since we live close to the parade route and if it isn't too cold or snowing or raining, DH and I plan on going. (I've marched in several of them, but those days are long gone.) It's a wonderful photo op--bagpipers, tartans, people with shamrocks painted on their faces. I'll especially keep my eye out for Aran knits.

In going through my stash, I see that I have an awful lot of green yarn--yet, I've never knit anything green. I also have nothing green in my wardrobe. So these socks will serve two purposes: I'll be wearing my Irish on my feet and my toes will stay toasty warm on what will probably be a chilly and long afternoon.

In five months:

In five months, we'll be here:



Let's hope that the snow will be melted.
(Thanks to C and B for the photo!)

Cashmere Thursday

Presenting for the first time on this blog--Finished Objects!



Specifications: clapotis scarf / Jade Sapphire cashmere 6 ply/ black and gray colorway (noir) / size 6 needles
I used 3 increase repeats to make the scarf less wide than the pattern for the shawl. the length is the same.

With the leftover yarn, I made a headband:



This still needs some working since it's not as snug as it should be. I'll be ripping out the extra inch of plain gray worsted--or maybe I won't. Today will be the test since it's feeling like eleventy million below zero out there.

Anti-snit

From time-to-time, there'll be an anti-snit to chase away any negatives that my written snits are stirring up. It's icy out there today and I have a history of falling and breaking my foot--so, karma, please don't bitch-slap me today. Some positives:
I'm very thankful to my friend and former colleague, MJ--a man who certainly has his way with words, for giving me the name of this blog three years ago.
I'm grateful I woke up today to another glorious day and I just love puppies and kittens and sunsets and I think the glass is half-full and that NYC cab drivers are the finest people alive and when Lennys puts unasked for peppers on my sandwiches, they are merely trying to expand my taste-buds and . . . oh, wait. Now I'm crossing the line into delusion.

In memory

Thank you, MB, for the beautiful photo.

Will this ever end?

Finished the headband last night--sort of. It's gonna have to be revisited. I ran out of yarn and added an inch in a gray worsted. Couldn't figure out how to pick up cast on stitches for the 3-needle bind off. Sewed the ends together. Did I say, "sewed?" The seam looks as if I shut my eyes, plunged the needle into the fabric and the voices in my head directed me what to do. Last night, the headband seemed to fit fine. This morning, it really isn't snug enough. Did my head lose weight during the night?
New game plan:
*Somehow undo the sewing
*Frog the gray worsted
*Keep live stitches on a needle or holder
*THEN, go to cast on edge and undo the cast-on. I have no idea if this is even possible, but those voices in my head are telling me to go ahead and do this.
*Put those stitches on a needle
*THEN attempt the 3-needle shuffle
*Thank the voices in my head for all their help, guidance and encouragement.

Snit Fit:
Worked today--so many things to choose from. Picking just one would be impossible and unfair to all the contenders.

Headband saga--part two

After many more trips to the frog pond, I finally found a pattern that I love! It's a 1 by 1 rib. I've always thought that I'd prefer to jam size 0000 dpns into my eyes rather than knit a 1 by 1 rib for 20 inches--but, this rib makes for an attractive, neat and tidy looking headband. And eventhough though I look very ham-handed doing the rib, I'm finding that knitting the 1 by 1 is almost relaxing and meditative. I'm not quite ready to knit a sock or scarf in it, but for 20 inches I can do it.

I'm in a rush to finish this headband because it's gonna get cold again and "significant" snow is on the way. YAY!

Daily snit:
Gum chewing--noisy gum chewing--smacking gum chewing--hearing the spit form in your mouth gum chewing

All the frogs don't live in ponds

Well, welcome to me to the 21st century!

Obligatory knitting content:
All I wanna knit up is a simple headband. Using up the last bit of the Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere that I made a mini-clapotis from. The way I'm carrying on about this, you'd think I'm doing the most complicated project ever invented. So far, I've:
*cast on 20 and worked it in garter stitch on size 7 needles
*decided the needles were too big and garter would stretch too much
*frogged it
*cast on 26 and started a 2 by 2 rib using size 4 needles
*don't like remembering to start a row with purl
*frogged it
*cast on 28 for a 2 by 2 rib
*decided to knit combination style
*had to find Annie Modesitt's book to remember combination style
*knit an inch
*decided that it wasn't tight enough and it was too wide
*frogged it
*put yarn and needles back into ziploc bag.

Obligatory snit content:
Why did Lenny's put peppers on my Jimmy T. sandwich when I asked for NO PEPPERS?! Even when I scrape the peppers off, I still taste 'em. BLECHHHHHH!