Purlewe Knits

It is clear the the fiber fairy hates me. You know the fiber fairy that the one that ensures timely delivery of fiber goodness. Yep, that one, hates me.

I’ve ordered a LOT of fiber lately and for various reasons – some totally understandable, I really am NOT complaining – which I’m really coming to believe all has to do with the magical world of fiber fairies none of it has arrived.

In other news I’m tired, cranky, and need chocolate. Actually that isn’t really news that’s been my state of affairs for a week or so now. It is nearing the end of the school semester and we ALL know what that is like. It is time for school to be OVER.

Paula and I have done a couple of fun activities lately that I want to mention, but that have nothing to do with my crankiness. A week or so ago we took the Sparkly Occasions class at Archivers. Note: sparkly means glitter and LOTS of it. Paula was supposedly at a doctor’s appointment (or two – we did the class in the middle of the day) and she had to back to work wearing LOTS of glitter. Last night we made coasters at Adventure in Art. Very fun! I’m really looking forward to seeing my coaster designs after they are fired and I’ll post pictures of them as soon as I get them back.

I finished one of the Toefutsie socks! Drinks all around!

I would have finished the other, but I got distracted by one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen – Monster’s Ball. It is not worth the rent – absolutely one of the worst one’s Hubby’s picked to date AND because of the movie I had to rip out an almost complete toe – or I’d have two completed socks to blog about. I might still finish the other tonight, depends on how fast I wind down in the next two hours.

The reason its taken me about a week to do a toe (despite all the other commitments I have) is that I have been searching for the perfect toe. Brenda Dayne, from Cast On, turned me on to the Sherman Toe, but I’m really not crazy about the page she links to, I found it really confusing. I like this one, which is by Mary Sherman Lycan. I tried Mary’s technique out yesterday, as the start of a new pair of socks for my mom and I loved it from the start!

I was so happy with the above toe that I knew about half way through that this was THE toe I’d use from here on out (when doing toe up – for sure). After the blue toe I did the first Toefutsie toe. In the Tofutsie toe I made one modification. When working the encroachment Mary has you purl/knit the first stitch after turning. I slipped this stitch and purled/knitted across. It gives a little less bulk to the seam line. I’m incredibly happy with the way the toe knit up – especially when compared to the typical short row technique – lets call it the Priscilla technique, because that’s where I really learned it. The Priscilla short row always left me with holes (as seen here on my Tofutsie heel.

The Sherman toe – no holes!! The Sherman toe is also a heel! I’m really looking forward to giving it a try on a full pair of socks. Which I did a gauge swatch for at breakfast today. I got some Wool of the Woods Twin Twist a while back and pulled it out this weekend. It should make some lovely fall socks.

The other awesome thing about the Sherman method is that it has inspired me to do my own thing as far as sock patterns go. I’ve been to nervous in the past about getting the toe and heel correct to vary from a written pattern. Even though I have a complete understanding of the basics of sock construction from using the two circular method of Cat Brodhi, I’ve been to scared of the heel and toe to play around with constructing my OWN sock. Not now. I did my gauge swatch, I’m going to measure my foot, find the number of stitches I need to make it around my foot, and start knitting!

I’ll do some more comparison pictures of the slip vs. purl/knit encroachment stitch when I’m farther along on the blue socks for mom. The other reason I’m so excited about this Sherman toe/heel is because now I have the confidence to do toe up socks all the time! No more trying to gauge if I’ll have enough yarn for the foot if I do another inch of ribbing on the leg, no more expensive store bought (or valuable handspun) wasted sock yarn because I was too worried about not having enough yarn to finish the sock. It’s toe up for me!
I was attacked by “the Beast” when taking pictures of my finished sock. She came in quietly to inspect the scene, then she circled back being careful to avoid being caught directly on film. Distracted, I got an identifying shot! The Minnie Beast! Knowing she was on film she went in full force there’s nothing she love’s more that feet! She got her foot fill and rolled over so I could complete the offense with a belly rub and then she up and after one of her glamorous smiles she was off . Happy again.

Do you want free stuff? Free yarn and a free book?

The yarn is a lace weight merino in white and the book is Victorian Lace Today – an amazing book! Go to the Heathen Housewife and leave a comment on this post (please mention me if you don’t mind) and you are entered!

Go – comment – win!

In other news I’m apparently having a mid-life crisis. I’m tired of my job and want to do something different. Something totally different. I’m tired of corporate america, I’m tired of 8-5, and I’m tired of cube-land. I want to not be tied to a desk, I want to meet and interact with different people on a daily (or at least a frequent basis) and I want to make a difference. Every day it is a struggle for me to go to work. I don’t think I’m depressed, because it isn’t difficult for me to get out of bed and walk the dog at 5:00 AM, but it is incredibly difficult for me to turn the car into the driveway to work.

What to do? Well I started reading What Color In Your Parachute last night and so far I’ve learned that it is the life-changing career move that I’m looking for. First though I have to figure out what it is I want to be when I grow up.

In knitting news I’m to the toe of the Toefutsie socks!

I didn’t find time to spin this weekend, but I did order some spinning related things!
Now I must go grade papers …

Tonight is a teaching night for me … which means that I ususally get to do nothing fun, but lecture. I do enjoy lecturing, if I have an attentive audience, but sometimes this class … they are getting better though.

Tonight is test night and I have one student left taking the test. At this small community college night classes are 4 HOURS long – which is really horrific. If you added up the time I talk at work, in one week, it wouldn’t equal 4 hours. Because class is a 4 hour block I’m expected to give students tests and then lecture – when all their poor little brains are fried from reguritating all the info I stuck down their throat. Not going to happen – which is why I have one student left – I’m letting them run free for the night to do their hearts desires – and that’s what I’m going to do to.

Tofutsie socks here I come! (I think she is almost done!)

I’m very tired and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m doing too much. I always try and do too much.

I can not work 8-9 hour days, teach 8 hours a week, prep for teaching 10 hours a week, exercise 10-11 hours a week and still time find to knit a spin (and sleep). This 6 hours of sleep I’m going on right now is just not working for me. Oh yeah, and I just started allergy shots, which means I have to spend a bunch of time driving back and forth to the allergist.
So this is not going to be a post about what I’m working on. It is a post about what I’m not working on.

I’m not working on the first installment of Abby’s Batt Club, because I haven’t finished plying my It Takes Two. I did work out my plying issues - mostly - tonight though, so the plying should be done shortly (which on my schedule means next month).

I’m not working on the Tofutsie socks.

I’m not working on the cotton toe up socks I started for my mom.

I’m also not working on MS3. Although I did make Hubby make an emergency trip to the yarn store over the weekend (just in case!) and he was very patient with my as I agonized over the perfect beads and he has dutifully admired the 8 rows I have completed.

I’m also not working on my sampler, the fish thing, from the Sweater Workshop so I can get started on my green sweater.

And I still haven’t blocked my clapotis, although it is complete and waiting patiently for my attention.

I did make an awesome summer squash casserole for dinner tonight, I did clean up the kitchen, I did prepare for teaching tomorrow, I did take some great pictures of our garden, and I did take a handful of cherry tomatoes over to our very nice neighbor.

our first little ear of corn starting, corn tassels, our tomatoes are finally starting to turn, and cute little cherry tomatoes
and my pouty Kory, when he didn’t get his walk Monday AM.