Here are the completed River Run Socks.

River Run Socks 072407

The voting was close between River Run and Waterfall as the name for this pattern. As of this posting, they are just about neck and neck in the polls. But since a commenter pointed out that there is another sock pattern for sale out there that is called “Waterfall Socks,” I decided that River Run should be the chosen name.

River Run Socks Closeup 072407

Thanks to all of you who suggested names and to everyone who voted.

To recap, the socks are knit from Dream in Color Smooshy Sock Yarn in the “Deep Sea Flower” colorway on 2mm needles.

This is a very stretchy pattern, I have discovered. It would be great for someone with feet and ankles that swell during the day, as the sock can expand to accommodate changes.

So I started a new sock, just barely.

Fiesta Sock 072407

I broke out some of my Fiesta Boomerang.

Fiesta 072407

This in the “Mochachino” colorway, and using a 2.75mm needle I’m getting 6.5 stitches to the inch. It’s a very interesting yarn — nice and springy, and very very soft. I’m very interested to see how it will look knitted into socks.

Fiesta Closeup 072407

Again, Thanks

Thanks again for all the kind comments on the state of my health. I don’t want to turn this into a medical issues blog, so I really want to keep this type of discussion to a minimum. I’ve mentioned the issues I’m having to explain why I am not available to answer questions via email, and why at times my blog entries will be short. My issues have been diagnosed and I’m working to get some resolution. Nothing life-threatening, just extremely painful. Resolution is a long and arduous procedure due to the bizarre way my doctor’s office works. Or rather, does not work. It seems as though while the doctors and nurses there are often responsive and compassionate in their work, they simply haven’t figured out how to communicate with each other so that simple things that they are supposed to be doing get done within a reasonable time period. So I have to keep calling and calling and calling and leaving messages.

Maybe ten years from now I’ll look back on this and laugh. But I doubt it.

Lucy doesn’t think so either.

Lucy 072407

Thanks for all your fun suggestions for naming my new sock pattern! I took a few of my favorites from among your suggestions and I’ve put together a poll.

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In the meantime, I’m chugging along on the second sock.

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And I’ve discovered that this sock yarn must be magic. It knits up so very, very quickly, even though I am knitting it at my normal fingering gauge. Go figure.

Double Eyelet Rib Socks

Remember when I told you that my Double Eyelet Rib Socks pattern would be a freebie? Well, it’s now available for download. But not from this site.

It’s posted on The Loopy Ewe’s new Free Patterns Page. Go! Download! Enjoy!

The free patterns page is linked to from Sheri’s blog — check her sidebar under “Pages.”

Stash Enhancement

Several of you requested a peek at what I purchased from The Loopy Ewe last week. Here you go.

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From top to bottom, that’s Misty Mountain Farm in “Evergreen,” Chewy Spaghetti fingering in “Succulent” and “Lyrical,” Wollmeise in “Spice Market,” Fiesta Boomerang in “Adirondack,” and Cider Moon fingering in “Giddy.”

Nurse Lucy

Lucy has been a good little nurse to me. She makes a point of sitting on my lap or lying on me whenever possible. Here’s a photo the KOARC took last Saturday.

Lucy 072307

For some reason, I am the only person she allows to hold her like that — flipped over on her back. As much as she adores her Daddy (and believe me, when I’m not ill, she will always choose to sit on his lap rather than mine when we are both available), she won’t let him flip her over.

But for some reason, I’m extended this privilege. She will lie like that for ages, completely relaxed and purring. And she prefers it if I’m talking baby talk to her while holding her.

But you probably did not need to know that.

I did not go to work on Friday — my doc upped one of my meds to three-fold strength and I spent the day in a bit of a loopy haze, reclining on the couch, a la Camille in her last throes of consumption.

Here is my view as I lay on the couch.

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She’s pretty comfy.

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Lucy has a tough job.
I thought I was going to get tons of knitting done, but not so much, as it turned out.

But I did finish the Lacy Rib socks on Thursday night.

Lacy Rib socks 072207

Done in Classic Elite Alpaca Sox yarn (yarn will be available for sale next month) in the “Fruit Salad” colorway in my own pattern, on 2mm needles.

I broke out a skein of Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn in the Deep Sea Flower colorway for my next sock and got started.

Smooshy 072207

I purchased my Smooshy sock yarn at The Loopy Ewe. As of this posting, there’s a nice selection of colors available there.

Here is Teddy modeling the sock-in-progress, with his usual flair and panache.

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And I worked on the sock for most of the weekend. And finished the first sock.

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The heel close-up:

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This is extremely nice sock yarn. It is very . . . well . . . smooshy. And on my 2mm needles it knits up very firmly to my usual fingering gauge of 8 stitches and 12 rows to the inch. The pattern is once again my own. I’m having a lot of fun coming up with sock patterns during this Summer of Socks.

So . . . does anyone have an idea what to name this newest sock design? My brain is all spongy and incapable of such creative tasks like naming sock patterns. Leave your suggestions in the comments and I’ll post a poll so you can vote on some of my favorites.

A Reminder

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I’m going through some health issues and am on some pretty strong meds and am in varying amounts of pain all the time. I can only stand to be at the computer for very short periods of time, and therefore I am by necessity limiting my online time to blog-writing, and a bit of blog-reading. I don’t have time or energy to do pattern searches in response to email requests, explain how to execute particular knitting stitches (I suggest you google for online knitting help sites for this), or refigure someone else’s sock pattern because you want to knit it in a different gauge, or troubleshoot someone else’s pattern (I suggest you contact the pattern author in both those cases). I realize that not everyone who emails me saw my blog post about this a couple of weeks ago, so I’m mentioning it again here. ‘Nkay???

Book Giveaway

I had 621 emails for the book giveaway this week. The random number generator chose Madeline K. to receive the copy of The Celtic Collection. Madeline, I’ve emailed you.

Tune in tomorrow when I will hopefully be more coherent. But I wouldn’t count on it.

We are almost a month into the Summer of Socks and I’m pleased to report that I am still happy knitting just socks. Who knew?

There is something extraordinarily satisfying about socks. You can make them as plain or as fancy as you like. You can knit ‘em at 10 sts/inch, you can knit ‘em at 4 sts/inch. You can make anklets, you can make knee-highs. And even the most complicated of socks can be completed pretty quickly!

At the start of the Summer of Socks, I planned to knit on two different socks at a time — one easy for commuting, and one hard, for at-home. That lasted for the first two pair, and since then I’ve been knitting them one at a time. I find that I’m much happier with just a single sock on the needles.

I’m closing in on the second of the Lacy Rib socks. It’ll be done tonight.

Lacy Rib Socks 071907

There was a question in the comments a while back about how long you make the leg of a sock. This is, of course, very subjective, but as a rule of thumb, I make mine so that when you fold the sock at the heel, the leg is as long as the foot. Of course I alter this depending on who the sock is for. Some of my sock recipients prefer certain lengths and I try to be an accommodating knitter.

Even More Bohus

There have been a number of comments and emails wondering what the Wild Apple Bohus looks like. Clearly, I have mad google skillz because I had no problem finding several photos of it on the ‘net. Here’s a blog post with a photo and links to other blogs with entries about the Wild Apple.

There was also a question in the comments about whether my acquisition of the Wild Apple kit was a violation of my “Knit From Your Stash” project. It is not — it was an extraordinarily generous gift, sent to me out of the blue. And was I ever gobsmacked to get it.

Sock Yarn Does Not Count as Stash

Several of you asked me if I acquired anything in The Loopy Ewe shop update yesterday morning. My response?

“What happens at the Loopy Ewe stays at the Loopy Ewe.”

Book Giveaway!

Yes! It’s the return of the book giveaway.

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This is a copy of The Celtic Collection, by Alice Starmore, kindly donated by Joanne F.

Want it? Send an email to blogcontestATcomcastDOTnet before noon Eastern time on Sunday July 22, 2007. The random number generator will choose the recipient on Sunday afternoon.

Lucy Sez

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“If only I had opposable thumbs, I’d enter the contest.”

No, not really.

But I was trying for a clever title to segue into showing you this:

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My brand-new Plano 3650 fishing tackle box. Ooooh!

Of course, it is not being used to store fishing tackle. But you already knew that, right?

It’s got several plastic cases that are divided into sections.

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Perfect for stitch markers and other knitting paraphernalia.

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More on Bohus

The Wild Apple kit does indeed include an English translation to the pattern, so if you are “svenska-challenged’ fear not. The translation was done by Susanna Hansson, so I have no doubt that it is as perfect as the rest of her translations.

For the past two years I’ve knitted a Bohus sweater in December. But having the Wild Apple in my hot little hands as I do, I don’t think I’ll be waiting until December to start. I’ll wait until summer is over, because wool/angora sweaters and high heat and humidity do not mix. They don’t in my world, anyhow.

For those of you who do not know what the Bohus Wild Apple is (and you are to be pitied), read Susanna’s brief history of Bohus here.

You can also read a post I made in December 2005.

Back to Socks

I’ve turned the heel on my second Lacy Rib sock. Excitement abounds!

Lacy Rib Sock 071807

Lucy, on the other hand, is happy to just chill.

Lucy 071807