Friday, June 15, 2007

How come it is that when you get 2 inches into that awesome classic 4x2 ribbed sock that your brain goes on holidays and you just can't manage to count to 4 anymore?

Ok like I needed to start a new project, but I have started a knit along with my Mom two days ago. She's making socks for my nephew, I though for a Christmas pressie but I think Mom probably won't be able to wait to give them to him once they are done. Mom loves help to get the sock started and joined so I cast on the first sock for her Tuesday evening. She is using Gedifra Sportivo using no pattern but what I tell her. A classic man's sock in a 4x2 ribbing letting the colour do the work. She knows the basics for heels, gussets, and toes, even though she so totally second guesses herself into non-confidence land. I cast on 66 sts, on her new 2.25 Hiya Hiya 120cm circ and proceeded to join and do the two first rounds. As I was doing this I expressed my opinion that since this yarn comes in 50g balls that she should do two at the same time! Well, Mom's comment was I already mess one up I don't want to do two! LOL. So we stuck with one sock. I gave her the ready to go newly born sock wannabe and said there you go, already for you to do your thing! Mom's panic was starting to permeate to my side of the table with the what do i do now attitude of a pattern knitter with no pattern. Finally Mom said, I can't do this I don't have a pattern. Confident in her longtime knitting skill, and also knowing that it doesn't matter if she has a pattern or not, and I was confident that she will still mess it up plenty for me to fix, I said to her, 'You don't need a pattern! Continue the rib till you get to the heel. Do the heel flap, you know how, then the gussets, you know that too, then the foot and toe. It's easy. You know how to do it!' Ok well EXCUSE ME! for being wrong. One glitch that I didn't take into account... the fact that we are doing a 6stitch repeat for 11 repeats so that 30 sts are on needle one and 36 sts are on needle 2. Ok this is a problem? not really, but in Mom's eyes it's panic time again. I calmly explain how she is going to move a few sts from one needle to the other come heel time and proceed from there but this concept is just beyond desperate Mom's grasp. My next comments are classic. Ok Mom don't worry about it, it will be fine. We will deal with it when the time comes and it will work ok. The look of panic now changes to that slightly scared unsure look of a dear caught in the headlights. This is how the 4x2 Man's Classic Sock Knit along with Mom started.
I am using my new 2.0 mm Hiya Hiya 120cm circ and Gedifra Sportivo in colourway 5768 and to further add interest I decided to do two socks at the same time. I set mine up with two socks on one needle and liked it. I called Mom to ask her to bring her other ball of yarn with her when she came over the next day. I gave her no choice. Simply said I was casting on sock #2, she was to knit it up to the same length as sock #1 then they would go on the needles together. This is both of our first time at 2 socks at once on one circ. I will keep you posted on how it goes.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

interrupting the updating for a special announcement...

May I introduce the Nipissing University Class of 2007
(ok the sixth of seven commencement ceremonies for 2007 there's a lot more grads than pictured here)
Receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree,
Hooded in the appropriate colours for a 4 year science degree
Look a Hoodie!

the Proud Graduate and the Proud Gramma

.... and the Proud Parents too....



Pictures of my daughter's Grad from Nipissing University. She's now a real person and no longer a student (at least for a little while) My husby and I are so very proud of her accomplishments. She plans to continue her education but not until she works for a bit and earns a bit of money to pay for more schooling! LOL!