7 Random Things

Vivian tagged me with the 7 random things meme. That was a good thing as it prompted me to post. Here are 7 things you never wanted to know about me.

1. I'm addicted to playing solitaire and Scrabble on my laptop. Too often I play them instead of doing things I really need to do.

2. I used to weave baskets and I've made over a hundred baskets in my life time. I sold most of them in a consignment craft shop. I stopped making them several years ago and have only made one since then.

3. The only things I've ever knit for myself in the 40+ years I have been knitting are two pairs of socks and two scarves.

4. I collect old needlework tools. I have thimbles, tape measures, tatting shuttles, sewing kits, crochet hooks, etc.

5. My mother's ancestors came to the Mohawk Valley around 1709 and helped settle this area.

6. The house I lived in while growing up was haunted.

7. I was very shy and hated giving oral speeches in high school so I would pick an offbeat topic to hold everyone's attention. I gave talks on fortune telling, voodoo, and life after death.

On the knitting front, things have been very disjointed. I am working on things but not finishing things. I have the second ponchette, a back-zip hooded baby sweater, a toddler pullover, and socks on the needles in various stages of completion. And I'm not very enthused about working on any of them. I did knit a pair of baby booties but that's about it. I'm trying to resist casting on for something new to break the boredom.

I hope everyone here in the U.S. has a nice Memorial Day weekend. We're packing up the 5th wheel and camping for the weekend. I can't wait to go!

April Socks

Here are my April socks for the Sock-A-Month 3 KAL (link in sidebar). I made them using this pattern. The yarn is Online Supersocke, Fach 6, Winter Colors in color 880. I used size 2.75mm needles.



For some unknown reason, I decided to make the foot 50 rows long instead of 56 rows. They're a little short for my size 9 foot but fit my daughter's foot perfectly. (I had her try on the finished one when she was home at Easter). I mailed them out to her yesterday.

I cast on for another pair of socks with another skein of Online Supersocke. This one is in shades of green and gray. I'm using size 2.75 mm needles again but I'm using my Yankee Knitter Designs "Classic Socks" pattern. I did 1 inch of K1, P1 ribbing and then went to K2, P2 ribbing for the rest of the leg. I don't have enough done to post a picture yet.

I decided it was time to send out a bunch of charity items that have been patiently waiting in my project basket.

These full term and toddler hats are going to Parkland Hospital in Texas. I'm at work and don't have the names of all the pattern books I used. I'll post what I remember and correct myself later.

Left to right:

Turquoise hat - Itty Bitty Hats using Caron Simply Soft.
Lavendar hat - pattern written by Gail Bable for the Knit Baby Surprise list where I am no longer a member. Knit in Bernat Soft (I think).
Rolled brim hat - Knit Hats for Kids book in Smania from JoAnn's Fabrics.
Blue helmet - Sirdar pattern in Peter Pan by Wendy. I'll have to post the leaflet number after I'm home.



And these sweater/bootie sets are going to Warm Hearts, Warm Babies in Colorado.



The sweater pattern for both is Little Lamb from Leisure Arts "Precious Layettes" book. It's knit from the top down and a great pattern. It can be found at most JoAnn's Fabric stores. The bootie pattern is another Sirdar pattern. The yarns used are Patons Astra (pink) and Patons Look at Me (purple).