Busy Fingers

It has been a busy time since January. I have made several shawls or lap robes for our Prayer Shawl Ministry.




 Was also able to complete a blanket for Warren Parker, our newest great grandchild along with a toy to go with the blanket.  Had a lot of fun figuring out the characters for his blanket.

And as always there are socks, socks, socks both for family, Socks For Soldiers and some to save for our church Bazaar.





I even found the time to make a few daisy hot pads for a niece who really wanted to replace some made for her by my mom years ago.

Still working on the forever lace tablecloth but now the garden is calling and the weather is too nice to waste.

Socks began the year.

First knitted project for 2010 is a pair of OD regulation socks team knit with Peggy R. for Socks For Soldiers. I am so pleased that I was able to keep my commitment to send a package each month with two or more pair of socks. This dispite my broken shoulder in March. I think getting back to knitting even while in a sling helped my arm to heal. I have only a little residual damage to the use of my arm. I really think that the constant knitting helped as well as the months of physical therapy.
I was able to complete 126 projects last year with 32 pair of socks for the Socks For Soldiers project. I hope I am able to to as well this year. The team knitter who use antique knitting machines to knit the long, long legs for the regulation socks really helped to enable me to knit so many pair.

Closing the Year

Back to knitting, knitting, knitting with an occasional bout of crochet. Made several daisy hot pads for my sis using mom's old pattern.



Making lots of Prayer Shawls including one for Shelli who recently lost her young husband and for her mother Shar who was down with pneumonia.

The United Methodist Women held their annual Bazaar and as usual I manned the crafts tables. Sold a lot of item including a few socks.

The shoulder is healed and I am going full swing on getting ready for Christmas. Almost everyone will get socks this year. The budget is a bit tight but the needles are busy.

One of my fun projects this month has been the "Campus Field Cap". Made a couple for myself and one for Bob.

Socks For Soliers Map

March through June

It has been a challenging four months. With my shoulder out of commission half way through March slowing my Knitting progress. I did manage to send off one pair of socks, and two leisure socks in March. April had another three pair team and two leisure socks ready to go. By June I was up to steam again and completed two pair OD team Lisa G. socks and one pair of Opal leisure socks along with a special pair for Pastor Steve.

Kim and I had a bit of a go round about the team knitting, so I will be slowing down on those for a while. Kim feels that I should have the socks returned before I request a new pair. That will be how it goes now.

February through May

Socks February through May

February went well with a nice package to send to Kim. The beanies were not a success and from now on it is socks, socks, socks.

March found me with a broken arm and it wasn't until April that I really started knitting again.I sent off a small package early in May and completed five more pair before the end of the month.

I am back in the groove again and thankful I was able to keep up my committment to SFS.

2009 Pledge

Socks For Soldiers 2009



I have pledged to send at least two pair of regulation socks and one pair of leisure socks each month this year. 

I have been able to keep that pledge so far. 

A package in January and I just sent a package today with two pair of team knit OD regulation socks, two pair leisure socks and two beanies.

My first beanie was not too successful as I failed to follow the pattern exactly.

 Hope this pair are better. 

One was an OD made with yarn left over from previous socks. Lisa G, a team knitter, sent the yarn along with the great legs she made on her antique sock knitting machine.

A Tough Week

Another batch of socks ready to send to SFS, two pair leisure socks and one pair BBS. I had a tough week flying out to visit my sister who had been removed from a bad home situation by her angel friend Betty. She is doing fine and I had lots of time to start my first pair of JGS.
I cast on the day I left, knit in the airport, on the plane, in the motel, again in the airport, plane, train and bus and finished the first sock the day I arrived back home.
Then discovered a bit of bright news in the form of an award for the 58 pair of socks I have made since I joined SFS. Gave me a boost and got me up and casting on the second green sock.


Found a lot of sad news of soldiers injured and of Matt Maupin's remains positively identified. My prayers go out to their families and my fingers fly to help those still in service.

February Socks

The push for Socks For Soldiers continues. I am working on some of the Claudia yarn that Kim sent to me and finished a pair of toe up socks from my sock knitting group. I am not crazy about toe up, but they came out nicely. I think it is outside my comfort zone and I have to really pay attention. With the top down socks I can almost do them in my sleep. I really enjoy the Claudia yarn and will be making several more pair in March.

This is a photo of some outgoing socks sent out by Socks For Soldiers to our troops

February Fast and Furious

February continues fast and furious. I am learning a new crochet technique with a shawl that has beads place throughout without stringing them. The fringe will be a learning lesson of stringing the beads before crocheting them into the pattern. Very interesting.

Kathrine from church so admired my hats that I offered to make her one, or rather Bob volunteered me to do so. I tried a single strand combination of Cascade yarns with contrast of Knit Picks Yarn of the Andes. Came out just perfect.

Next I tried a double strand of Cascade and Noro Kureyon. It made a lovely hat but didn't shrink enough to fit Kathrine's needs.

We continue to have lots of wind and very little rain. The almond tree will probably lose most of its lush blossoms with the latest storm.

January closing

Carol, Maria and Karen at Creative Pursuits

Perfect end to a great month was getting to meet Maria Hart at my LYS , ABC of Creative Pursuits. We talked socks, the group and yarn. Heaven.

The year continues full bore. I attended a sock knitting session at ABC Creative Knitting and found a lovely pattern for another shawl. It was quick and turned out nicely.

A friend asked me to knit a pair of socks for her niece and of course I went overboard and have knit two pair with a third pair in progress.

She wanted green with a hint of orange in them. You see what I have come up with!

Prayer Shawl Ministry is going full tilt also with hundreds of shawls, lap robes and blankets knit and crochet. My latest contribution was to put the finishing edge on a lap robe made by another member.

Starting 2008

The year has started well with lots of socks already done and more started. I used the remants of a skein of Lorna's Lace and a small amount of eyelash to make these slip up pattern socks. The heels and toes are done in Knit Picks Essential black left over from some of my Big Black Socks.

The Six Sox Knitalong posted a pattern for socklets "Hidden in my Shoe" for the first project of the year. I had one skein of Knit Picks Simple Stripes that was perfect of this toe up sock.
The next project was a pair of Opal Magic Socks for my dear husband, Bob in his favorite color, blue.





I used a small amount of Claudia Hand Painted Merino combined with Knit Picks Essentials to complete a pair of Chain Link socks to go to Socks For Soldiers in my next shipment.
The January shipment contained one pair BBS (big black socks) and three pair leisure socks . A good start for 2008!

Year Ending

Finally getting my yarn stash organized and find that the perfect shelves found at an estate sale are not enough to hold it all. I have made a promise to avoid buying new yarn (except for Big Black Socks for Socks For Soldiers) until it will all fit on the shelves.

Having completed several prayer shawls, lap robes and infant blankets I am shrinking the pile of yarn that won't fit into my new shelves


I am trying to complete several projects that have lanquished in the corner. The latest is a pair of alpaca gloves I started last winter. There was always something more interesting or needed that kept them put aside.