nonaKnits

Time to Finish Up

For the last 8 days I've successfully fought off the ubiquitous end-of-August urge to buy my fall knitting projects.  This is no small feat, as I've already seen several -- read many -- projects I want to knit and new yarns I want to use.  Why put myself through 8 days of such torture?  The answer is clear, UFOs.  Three to be precise.  Three that are almost finished -- a sleeve here, a vest front there, another sleeve yonder -- three projects that I'm enjoying and want to finish, albeit now !

My strategy is one of divide and conquer.  Work for a while on one, then turn to the other, then put in a few rounds on the third -- repeat until complete.  Once I've finished my Mermaid Jacket, Maude Vest, and Top Down Cardigan I'm dashing out to my LYS for a new fall project!

Left You Hanging

Good gracious my friends, but I left you hanging for way, way too long!  As Jo correctly surmised my Mystery Vacation Spot was the wonderful Capon Springs & Farms in West Virginia.  We've been going every summer for the past 35 years and treasure this annual respite in the place that time forgot.  In the true Capon Spirit, Jo will be receiving some homemade goodies.

Shuffle board is actually an extremely fun -- dare I say -- sport.

Hanging on the porch with one of the nona-sisters!

I'm back home, the boys have been deposited at USC, and nona returns to knitting content tomorrow.  Are you as ready for Fall knitting as I am?

Mystery Vacation: Day 5

Oops, missed a day!  I suppose I'll have to blame the excitement of the evening BINGO game. 

Bingo!

This morning we enjoyed a vicious thunderstorm -- a wild adventure for us West Coasters -- from the 2nd floor porch, giving me ample opportunity to knit my toe up sock.  I'm using Ann Budd's toe up sock pattern from the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits.  Ann's variation uses an Eastern Cast-On -- which I believe is the same as the Turkish Cast-On -- and a short-row heel.  Note to self, I love knitting toe up socks.  I'm also using a new yarn, Regia's Kaffe Fasset sock yarn.  The colors are everything you'd expect from Kaffe.

Mystery Vacation: Day 3

On Tuesday morning at our Mystery Vacation Spot golfers and duffers alike join in harmony to compete in a 9-hole Best Ball tournament. The stakes may be high – a jar of apple butter or a honey bear -- but the sportsmanship and friendship is higher.  Although I often include myself as one of the duffers, today I opted for the cheering section on top of the club house where I watched the golf and worked on the sleeve of my Mermaid Jacket.  After dinner the family gathered for several competitive rounds of croquet.  I’m happy to report that not only did I successfully launch my brother-in-law into the creek, but I also survived the attacks of my siblings and won my round.  Once you throw an excellent apple crisp into the mix it becomes clear that nona had an excellent day.

Coming into the tricky 9th green.

Cut Throat Croquet!

Mystery Vacation: Day 2

The pool at our mystery vacation spot is filled twice a week with fresh mountain spring water, eliminating the need for chlorine and other assorted chemicals.  Refreshing yes, but bone chilling -- I typically walk down the steps, dive under, and high tail it out.  nona-son-the-younger claims this pool is his "go to pool".  After a filling dinner of tomatoes, grilled chicken, pickles, and apple pie I'm off to hang out on the porch, play a little cribbage, and knit a sock from the toe up. 

The chilly mountain spring pool is enjoyed by
the young-at-heart and polar bears.

Cold and Refreshing!

Where is nona?

The extended nona-family -- parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, etc, etc -- are on our annual vacation.  We come to the same spot, the same time every year and have been doing so since 1972.  nona-sister-the-tall-and-skinny was unable to come this year, so I'll be posting daily photos of day-to-day vacation life.  Can anyone guess where we are?  I'll reveal the location at the end of the week.

Bell's ringing, come along to the dining hall.

Sunday night's dessert -- I opted for the cantaloupe.

Sockapalooza 4: Coming In

What a crazy week this one has been -- we all have them, we all know.  Today was the day I could finally sit down for a moment, breath, and savor the unveiling of my Sockapalooza socks.  What a joy it was to open the package and find these beautiful socks inside!  My pal Bonnie hit the nail on the head -- I love the yarn -- Crystal Palace Panda -- the pattern -- Parasol Socks -- and the perfect fit.   Thank you Bonnie for your skill and thoughtfulness and thank you Alison for organizing such a fun exchange.  Now for your enjoyment, the socks...

Love Them!

Love Them!

Love Them!

Sockapalooza 4: Going Out

Many California homes have neither basement nor attic, making the garage the receptacle for all the junk -- from valuable to ridiculous -- looking for a spot to hangout.  Our garage has been in a constant state of "need to organize" since day one.   That is, my orderly friends, until I returned from London and got the cleaning bug.  Clearly a side effect of empty nesting.  I hereby declare our garage to be organized -- O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.E.D -- fully labeled and replete with mop bouquet.

As for knitting, it's all about the Sockapalooza. My pal's socks are finished and mailed.  Overall I'm really happy with these socks and hope my pal enjoys wearing them! 

Modified Mini-Monkeys for my Sockapalooza Pal

Started:	July 21, 2007
Finished:	August 7, 2007
Pattern:	Monkey
Yarn:	Louet's Gems Pearl in Lilac and Baby Lilac.  I really like this yarn and look forward to using it again.
Needles:	US 1
Gauge:	9 stitches and 12 rows in 1 inch.
Modifications:	Lots!  Since I was working at a smaller gauge, I casted on 80 stitches and worked 5 stitch repeats of the Monkey lace pattern.  I felt ankle socks had more of a summer feel, so I only knit 4 row repeats of the pattern followed by about an inch of stockinette stitch before starting the heel flap.  My pal likes a tight gauge since she always wears shoes over her socks.  Because of this I decided to knit the foot of the sock in stockinette stitch for a closer fit.  Also, since her foot is slightly narrower than her ankle I decreased the foot stitches down to 76.

As for my socks, I received my package today but will wait until tomorrow to open it.  One can only have so much paloozing in a single day.