Photo Friday (A Day Late)

Our neighbors just welcomed their first grandchild -- a beautiful little girl!  I set to work on the Candyland Sweater by Robyn Chacula in the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Crochet today!  I used Caron Simply Soft in light green, with white edging.  I'm so excited about how it turn out!

Photo Friday

Remember those socks I started a few weeks ago -- the ones with the cheery colors? 

I was searching through some of my sock patterns and found one that caught my eye. It's from Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks, the Chevron Lace Socks.  The yarn used for the pair in the book is described as space-dyed. Ann states that "in many cases, space-dyed yarns obscure stitch patterns, but here the color changes help to define the peaks and valleys of the chevrons" (pg. 116).

What drew me to the yarn in the first place was the jumble of the greens, blues and yellows. The stockinette pattern above resulted in definite stripes that didn't resemble the yarn while in its skein, and, in my opinion, didn't really bring out the true personality of the yarn.

I tried the Chevron Lace Sock pattern and the result is EXACTLY what I wanted for that type of yarn. Now when I look at the yarn, I see a jumble of greens, blues and yellows, and the yarn can truly strut its stuff.

My Companion

Ahh, the work goes much better when there is someone to help. Peeper is 16 yrs old now and not nearly as spry as she used to be, but she's still a good helper.

What's on the hooks and/or needles?

I always have a pair of socks going . . . this time I'm knitting a pair as well as working on a pair for one of the lovelies. My team is in the MLB playoffs (at least for one more game), and socks are a tradition for a playoff project.

I'm still enthralled with the Tunisian Tapestry crochet technique that I learned at Chain Link 2011 and the ideas keep flowing. I am reminded of that old adage "So many _________, so little time."

Thoughts of holiday and upcoming birthday gifts pop up periodically, but I haven't decided on what to make this year. Every year, poor Randi gets something handmade from me for her birthday. One year I decided to spare her the current year's experiment and buy her something from a store. She seemed disappointed that she didn't get something I designed, so last year I made her something. My skills have grown in the years since I began the tradition. She loved it and so did one of the editors. In the near future, you'll be able to see Randi's Birthday ??? in print!

I'd love to hear what kinds of gifts you make for the holidays.