theraineysisters knitting and so much more

This is a fun and very cute sock pattern.  The yarn is getting prettier as it starts to change color, which it does very gradually.  You get a lot of texture for not a lot of effort with the pattern stitch.  When will I finish these?  Not for a while.  I want to finish up my Summer Tweed cardigan ASAP, and then have a few other things on the burner.

Summer Tweed is progressing: the back and both fronts are complete.  I don’t know if I have enough yarn for long sleeves, but I have decided to give it a try.  I’ll attempt to knit a full length sleeve and if I can’t make it on 2 skeins, I’ll rip it out and start over.  Extra knitting, but I don’t know what else to do.

The other major knitting-related project that is taking my time and energy is preparing for an all day knitting workshop that I will be doing on April 29 at “Yarnover.”  Yarnover is sponsored by the Minnesota Knitters Guild and is held every year.  It is a lot of fun, and this is the first time I have been asked to teach a class.  My class is called “A Few of My Favorite Things from A to Z” and includes knitting tips, stories, techniques, and projects for every letter of the alphabet.  I’ll share more details after the event because some of the attendees read this blog and I do not want to spill the beans. 

Today my 16 year old and I are going to the American Craft Council Expo — it is a juried show of hand crafts of all types, including some knitting/fiber arts.  The glass, wood, and jewelry items are gorgeous.

TV and Knitting — a combination that can’t be beat.  I hate just sitting and watching.  It seems like such a waste of time.  But if you KNIT while watching, that’s another story.  One of my favorite shows is Grey’s Anatomy.  I watch it every week.  I suppose it is a guilty pleasure because it is not PBS, but I really do enjoy it.  Last night was even better than usual.  All they did throughout the whole show was knit.  They were knitting everywhere!  Meredith (main character) was knitting to maintain her celibacy (that’s the reason I knit, by the way — not really, John, just a by product!).  Anyway, I digress.  It was great seeing knitting on the tube.  I have heard, but not seen, that they also knit on Desperate Housewives.  Does that mean we are cool or that the rest of the world has caught up with us? 

Project Update:  I finished the back and 1-1/2 of the fronts on my Summer Tweed Cardigan, rounded the bend on Ballerina and started a pair of socks. 

Speaking of “anatomy,” I continue to wonder about mine — do I have ankles or tree trunks?  The socks are too small so I must start them over.  I am making a pair with the same yarn that Sally used in #10 (see previous entry).  They look very different because my colorway is more monochromatic.  The ragwool effect is much less apparent.  Hers are much cuter.

I have not truly embraced sock knitting.  I made one pair and I’ve started many others.  I like the idea of sock knitting and every knitter seems hellbent on making socks, but I can’t seem to find my rhythm.  So, if I rip these out, they may not make it back onto the needles for a while.