When I am making something, I try to take in all of my surroundings, almost as if I am knitting these memories into the item.  Where I was, what I was thinking, the weather outside… all of this is knit into the piece.  The sweater that I made on our Alabama roadtrip, the scarf that I finished while watching a whole season of Carnivale on DVD, the sweater I finished during the 2006 blizzard… and the pair of socks that traveled with me…

Yarn: Trekking XXL in colorway #108
Pattern: "Heeless Sleeping Socks", Knitting Vintage Socks
Needles: Size US 2 metal DPNs
Started June 25, 2006 / Finished August 21, 2006
Alternate View

I modified these quite a bit - most notably giving them a heel, where the pattern did not call for one.  I followed Ms. Bush's impeccable instructions and added the Dutch/Horseshoe heel to my socks, outlined in the same Knitting Vintage Socks.  The pattern is a broken / spiral rib, perhaps clearer in this alternate view.  The socks were a "three-fer", fitting in with the Trek Along with Me knitalong, the Summer of Socks, and since I started them in June, the blue month, they were also a part of Project Spectrum. I could also consider them part of the Summer of Stash, as they used yarn that has lived in my stash since January… I think that is it. 

I started sock one at the beach back in June.  Like all of my socks, they seemed to take forever to complete on account of my large feet. 

Sock one completed last month, I did not start sock two until last weekend (a little case of "second sock syndrome", no doubt!), and by some stroke of luck, I actually finished it pretty quickly…. but I had some help. 

My help came in the form of an amazing story… I simply could not stop listening to this book, and my hands were not idle. 

I finished the sock in two days.

A truly powerful story, one of the best I have "read" in years. The Kite Runner taught me a great deal about Afghanistan and its culture, before and after the wars. I was so moved by the human drama; my little sock caught more than a few of the tears that rolled down my cheeks while I was listening.

I think I was really captured by this book because of the great storytelling; perhaps it was an even better experience hearing it because of this oral presentation, like true storytelling in days of old.  While the plot is quite heartbreaking, I completely and wholeheartedly recommend the book, it is a truly powerful tale that makes the reader "feel". 

… and a few hours later, my sock was done, just like that.  Every time I put on my lovely new fraternal twin socks, I will remember the beauty of the story I listened to, when I cast on for them at the beach, as well as the great energy of the knitalongs I participated in with them. 

What are some of your knitting memories?

I don't know why it did not occur to me sooner… but the reason socks take me so long to complete? Simply said, I have a very long foot.

TrekkingXXL 108 Sock 1 complete .. it only took me a month!
Alternate View

I started this lovely sock at the beach last month - remember the whole "dropping the needle in the water" incident? I think that the pattern - the Sleeping Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks - is a good fit for this unique yarn. The original pattern does not have a heel, however, so I improvised and added a classic Dutch heel (described in the same book).

Now I just need to outfit that other foot!

These socks were hold overs from June's Project Spectrum blue theme - I started them late in the month, and it took me this long to complete one. Can I hope for a faster second sock? I had a lovely purple sock yarn for this month, but never got to it… so my mind has already shifted to my sock plans for next month - the ones I have been waiting for throughout the whole of Project Spectrum!

Sure, there are four days left in July, and I am still relishing in the purples and violets around my world, but I have to say that I am excited to start on these… the Lace Knee-Highs from Interweave Knits Winter 2004.

So, I didn't waste any time…

Umbrella Swift Action!

Winding Away

All balled up and ready to go!

After many months of beautiful colorful creations, it is hard to believe that we only have one more month left in Project Spectrum! The months have flown by, and I have seen so many beautiful projects (on the blogs, and on the Flickr Project Spectrum group!) I had some response to a Project Spectrum Clean Sweep, and I think it will be a great way to "shift gears" and finish up those lingering color projects from all of the previous months. So, please join us in September with all of your leftover color projects, and we can have an FO Parade!

Lastly, a great big thanks to Amy Singer for featuring Project Spectrum in the Fall issue of Interweave Knits! Although I have not personally seen the column yet (and did not know a thing about it!), I heard from some very reliable sources that Amy mentioned our little color project and the colorful reverberations in the blogosphere!

Update: here it is!  Many thanks to Kimberli for sending this picture! 

Click here to see the whole column

(If you are a subscriber, you will receive your copy soon - otherwise, the magazine will be on newsstands on August 8th!) If you are here as a result of her column, you can learn more about Project Spectrum and its 1200+ participants here - and feel free to join us for our last month! Who knows… maybe Project Spectrum v. 2.0 is right around the corner?

My Trekking sock has been on two urban outings this past week visiting friends in the big city!  What did socky see?

Last Wednesday, I met up with my best friend Becca.  She is amazing.  We ate some yummy food, caught up on all sorts of stories, and knit it up.  Unfortunately, Becca gets very little time to knit as a full-time PhD student, so she continues to work on the Hourglass sweater that she started nearly a year ago… but it is still lovely!  I worked on socks, but I also cast on for Kris's sweater - the Durrow pattern from Magknits.  (Many thanks for all of your suggestions in the last post!  It really was a variety of knit philosophies!  I am planning to make this sweater for Kris "first" but will start on my Sesame cardigan very soon…)

Durrow's front and back are straight ribbing - and I am working through the back pretty quickly.  I can't wait to start on the sleeves with all of the cable action!  The chart is a little mind-numbing at first glance, but I think I will be able to figure it out. *fingers crossed*  I am falling in love with the Dalegarn Sisik all over again.  I made another garment out of it last year (the Balmoral cardigan) using the Aubergine colorway.  Unfortunately, Dale of Norway discontinued this wool/mohair/rayon blend.  However, I got "wind" of this pretty early and stocked up - buying two more sweaters' worth as a birthday present to myself last fall.  You may recall that the red Sisik is slated to be the Vienna V-neck pullover.  The charcoal color does not have a pattern in mind yet… but I have several contenders! 

My sock and Durrow were also present at my other meetup in the city this week - my Saturday with Suzanne and Jenna!

All of us brought our socks along! Suzanne is working on the 2nd sock of her first pair ever. They are perfect - so much better than my first socks! Jenna is working with a lovely lace pattern on some KoolAid-dyed yarn for Project Spectrum!  and you recognize my Trekking sock… growing slightly longer since its previous apperance.

We stayed at the café for five hours - having three different servers in the course of brunch and dessert! - we had an absolutely wonderful time.  It's been said many times before - but it is worth saying again!  Knitters (and knitters that blog!) are the greatest people on earth.  Hands down!

Durrow in my lap - it grew several inches of the course of our long stay at the café!

…More DC sights…

Stay tuned… tomorrow is a very special day

PS–I just heard that Project Runway is running on NBC tomorrow night (Monday), so if you don't have Bravo on your cable lineup, check this out in primetime basic!  The first two shows were quite eventful and it looks like it is going to be another great season. 

It's 100 degrees outside.  Hot and humid and nasty and gross.  Who can deny global warming when it feels like this?  Considering the weather is so hellacious, why in the world am I dreaming about fall and winter knitting? Warm woolly feet and hand coverings? Am I a cold-blooded knitter?  It could have something to do with my recent purchases…

It's going to be a very folksy fall.

The Folk Socks book has on my list for a long time - and after seeing Terhi's socks (and Eunny's and Eilene's in progress) I knew I needed some… I think I actually had a dream about wearing these Norwegian Stockings, so that is a sign that I need them, right?  They are a work of art, and after I become well-versed in the art of colorwork (and attain thinner calves), they will be mine. That could be awhile…

And I am totally crushing on the kilt hose too…

Nancy Bush is quite brilliant, you know.  The book has history, vintage patterns, and my favorite part… wait for it… details on heels!  Nothing gets me excited quite like handknit heels.  Toes are cool too, but the turning of the heel is where the magic happens! 

And for warming hands, Folk Mittens, is definitely the way to go.  There are a lot of great mitten books out there, no doubt, but this one has some great history too!  I have made a few pairs of mittens in my time, nothing very special or technical.  However, I wear mittens quite often in the winter, and I love the portability of the project - just like socks. 

Mittens from all over the world, living in peace and harmony!

Now that Mimi's knit is complete, I turned back to the socks I started over the beach vacation a few weeks ago. I am using Trekking XXL in colorway 108.  I am adapting a pattern from another favorite book, Knitting Vintage Socks, also by Nancy Bush.

The book matches my socks!

I am using the Heeless Sleeping Socks pattern, a simple broken rib/spiral on the cuff.  Instead of a heeless sock, however, I added a Dutch heel (outlined in the book) to make the sock more durable and wearable.  So far so good!  I am working through the instep gusset right now, and continuing the broken rib pattern on the front of the sock.

The skein looks overwhelmingly blue from the outside, but like all Trekking XXL skeins, there are surprises inside - like this large red stripe on the gusset!  It all adds to the character of the sock, in my opinion. When this heat spell breaks, I will take my sock on a trek!

The warm and woolly does not stop there… Each month when we pass the middle mark, I begin to think about next month's color project.  The August project has been on my mind since the beginning of Project Spectrum, although the yarn changed.  I simply cannot wait to cast on for these gorgeous socks. 

Lace Knee Highs
Interweave Knits Winter 2004

I bought some Rowanspun back in February for these socks, but after I posted my purchase, I got several comments and emails warning about the yarn, saying it split - even broke in some cases! - and became threadbare with wear.  Not the right fiber for socks… so I have several skeins of the Rowanspun 4ply in the stash with no idea what to do. (Ideas?) In the meantime, I searched for a better yarn to use.  Maryland Sheep and Wool was the perfect opportunity to find the right yarn.  Three Waters Farm was the place!

I adore this colorway - so completely perfect for autumn!

…and those are just the accessories I am planning for fall - sweaters are on my mind too! Next time…

We rarely went to the beach when I was a young girl; we lived in land-locked western states like Wyoming and New Mexico, and the beach was several days away. I remember only one vacation where we traveled to the beach - our 1990 trip to Florida. Perhaps this land-locked childhood is the reason that I so look forward to the beach vacation every year!

We don’t even have to leave the state of Maryland to get to the Atlantic Ocean! (Although we do cross into Delaware to take advantage of the tax-free shopping, and the quaint seashores!)

Arriving on Friday afternoon, we did not waste any time - Kris was looking forward to trying out his new crab cage, and I had some trekking to do. So we trekked down to the docks on the bayside, and enjoyed ourselves!

Kris caught quite a few crabs, only to play with them for a few minutes and send them back on their way in the bay.

I had to reuse the picture I took last year - this year’s crabs were too quick to photograph! We walked up and down the docks, and luckily I had my Trekking sock with me for a photoshoot.

Trekking by the docks of the bay, wasting time…

I am using Trekking XXL colorway #108, and matching it with Nancy Bush’s Sleeping Socks pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. I am planning to add a heel, unlike the book pattern - I am looking at the Dutch/Horseshoe Heel, as it will probably be the best fit for this pattern.

Unfortunately, in a moment of clumbsiness, I dropped my fourth double-pointed needle right into the water… and the extra needle was at home! It was metal, and I began to wonder if a bamboo needle would have floated. So, we planned a trip to the yarn shop to pick up a spare set. A minor setback in my Trekking sock progress, but I had other projects to keep me busy.

We greeted Kris’s family later in the day, and made plans to head out to Assateague Island the next day. Kris, his father, and his brother have enjoyed clamming off the shores of Assateague for many years, and I was looking for any excuse to get out and ride my bike… so we were off to the “Wild Pony Island”.

Now you hear stories, but you just never know how bad it is till you actually get there… There are tales about the mosquitoes of Assateague Island, and let me tell you, they are all true. Within 3 minutes of getting out of the car and unloading my bike from the bike rack, I had approximately 200 bites all over my body - they even bit through my clothes! They were absolutely vampiric! Once I got on the bike and got some wind around me, they could not “latch” on. Because of this, I was not able to take many pictures of Assateague. I couldn’t subject myself to more bites by being a standing target! I did manage a few however…

I did not see as many wild ponies on the island this year (Last year, I saw several!). This was the only group I came across on my ride: three ponies eating marsh grasses. The ponies that live on Assateague (and the neighboring southern tip of the island, called Chincoteague) are of unknown origin. The two main theories are that the ponies are descendents of the horses kept by the colonial settlers (in the 17th century), or horses that survived a Spanish shipwreck and swam ashore, adapting to the climate and the brackish water and marsh plants for food. Both theories are very plausible, but regardless of their origins, the ponies are a fascinating part of the beautiful island.

There are paved bike trails all over the National Seashore, and the adjacent State Park. I enjoyed my ride all over the island - about 14 miles on the particular trails I chose - and arrived back at the bayside just in time to see Kris and his dad bringing in their fresh clams. (They prepared a clam feast that evening - and I heard it was very good. I don’t eat seafood, so I will take their word for it!)

Although I became quite immersed in my current book, Alias Grace, and took many long walks on the beach with Kris, I managed to get in some knitting! While at the beach, I knew I had to get to Sea Needles, the great shop I discovered last year in Bethany Beach, Delaware, to get a replacement set of DPNs for my Trekking sock. On the way there, I worked on my Blueberry Waffle knee socks - just perfect for the Socks on Vacation contest for the Summer of Socks!

I have a few more inches to go before the heel turn. I hope it is smooth sailing from there - these socks are taking forever!

Although I was tempted by their new shipment of sock yarns (so many beautiful colors!), I went to the shop with a list - and I stuck to it. I stayed true to the Summer of Stash rule! I bought some replacement needles for the socks, and some other needles for a one of next month’s purple projects. I went to see the new books and pattern pamphlets and I was impressed by some of the new Berroco patterns - Norah Gaughan is a good influence! - and I left with the Keltic and the Memoirs Collection books.

… and I discovered a new yarn shop - just off Coastal Highway on Fenwick Island! It is called The Spinning Wheel. They carry a full line of Patons yarns, some sock yarns, and some goodies not seen in other shops - handmade buttons, kits, etc. They have a large pattern and book collection, as well as a wall full of needlepoint and embroidery kits. I was very tempted to try one of the Kristin Nicholas stitch kits - they are so cute! I just may have to track one down in my area. However, I walked out with two books: one is a gift for momma, the other is the Patons’ Indigo Days Collection, the book I have admired many times online, and finally saw in the store.

I really could go on and on… but I don’t want this to turn into a boring vacation slideshow! For those of you that are interested, you can see more photographs of my trip on my Flickr page - don’t miss my adorable husband, my naughty picture, and another trek on the beach … and one more -

I am the one with the skirt, and without all of the hair on my legs