Caffinna’sCreations

Please ignore the messy sofa in the picture.

I found and rescued these beauties from a little thrift/resale store about two blocks from my home. Vintage alliminimum knitting needles, nine pairs of them!, the whole bundle for only $5!!!
In the 14″ length (aprx.) are US sizes: 13, 10.5, 9, 8, 6, & 4. In the 8-9″ length (aprx.) are US sizes: 8, & two 6. Woo hoo!!!

I also “adopted” these lovely little ones from the same thrift store. all four of them are ‘TY’ teddy bears, but only the smallest one on the far left is a ‘ Mini Beanie Baby’ (the ones from McDonald’s), while the remaining three are from ‘The Attic Treasures Collection’. Their names, according to the tags, are: starting from the far left, ‘Osito’, ‘Jangle’, ‘Laurel’, & ‘Cody’. They are the four newest members of my teddy bear family/collection.

Here’s the progress, so far, on my WH’s project.

The “top” part is actually the collar of the cape. I did a version of short rows as if I were attempting to knit a circle. I then bound off all but the last stitch, then picked up stitches along the inside of my near circle.

I stopped the fun fur but continued with the Plush yarn. I periodically increased stitches, increased needle sizes, etc.

Just before the color change in yarn, I started the stitch pattern because I had nearly completed the portion of the cape that would be covered by the collar, and because my eyes were beginning to glaze over at the thought of so much stockinette to go!

I will be using three colors for the cape: the red, the black, the wine color (which there is only one row of and you can’t quite see it in this picture). I will be alternating the colors threout the length of the cape.

Hopefully, Lord willing and the work I have to do on the house etc., I will be able to complete this project by deadline. If not, I will still finish it and have a wonderful cape to wear this fall/winter to wonder the streets (moors) of my hometown (wuthering heights) in!!!

DH is doing well physically. He is still refusing to accept that he came so close to death or that it was necessary for the surgeon to remove as much tissue as he did. Instead he is choosing to believe that the doctor removed far too much tissue, and exagerated the seriousness in an effert to cover his *azz* on the matter. He refuses to accept that he might be type II diabetic and that not eating in combination with having to take a “sugar pill” is what caused his blood sugar to get too low, and insists instead that it was the fault of the doctors not paying attention and almost killing him. He continues to insist that he wants to consult an attorny when he gets out and see about sewing the doctors (and yes I know if he does that this blog could well hurt any such effort of his!).

The plastic surgeon, well I do have a bone to pick with him. He is thinking only of the skin graft wound and not my husband as entire whole person. After two months of being confined to complete bed rest, after the other doctors involved in my husband’s care agreeing (one even wrote orders) that dh could be taken outside in a wheel chair, the plastic surgeon continues to insist that dh remain on total bedrest! This doctor, I was told upon arriving at the hospital monday morning, was due at anytime to look at the graft still had not came by at the time I left the hospital yesturday afternoon! He choose instead to call tuesday morning and complain that I had taken my husband downstairs twice on monday. He may well be the plastic surgeon in town, but his bedside manner is best compaired to acid aggressively aplied with steel wool pads! Oh by the way, the nurses aggree that it does dh good to get outside and that it was about time I had started doing it even if the “crabby” (their words!) doctor disagreed but not to directly quote them on that!

In the morning I am going back up to the hospital to be with dh for 3 days and 2 nights. So in other words, I will be away until wednesday evening. I talked to dh about an hour and a half ago. He’s doing well, getting bored but doing well. It seems like I’ve been away from him forever and it’s only been 9 days. Hopefully he gets to come next week, but I’ll know more after I go back to hospital.

I hate this sweater, rather I hate the way this style of sweater looks on me. So why do I still have it? Three reasons realy. First is that I was wearing it when dh and I got married, so kind of wanna keep it for that. Secondly, I love the soft mint green color. Last, and this will ring well with you die hard knitters (and you know who YOU are!) I would like to recover/recycle the yarn.

So “What’s the question?” you ask….simple realy. I need an input of ideas about what to make when I finally get around to recovering the 100% DK weight (?) cotton yarn. I do have some criteria for the suggestions, so please keep that in mind when you post your suggestions.

#1. I can never ever get any more of this yarn and nothing new will blend well with it. So please, no big bulky things.

#2. I am, how shall I put this, Big Busted, so please no strapless or I cord or tiny strapped things.

#3. It was a wedding sweater, and I’d like something nice, so please no house-frump looking things.

#4. I will have to wear a bra with whatever, so please no overly see-threw (too lacey) things.

Finally, #5. Think Sexy Outerwear not Skanky Bedroomwear.

Your prize? My absolute undying gratitude, along with mention (unless you request otherwise) of thanks on my blog. Deadline? hmmmmmm dunno that yet.

Okay I am assuming that you already know how to knit socks on dbl pts, have done it often enough to already have a favorite way to turn the heal and do the toe closing, know about/how to pick up stitches for the gusset, know about doing gusset and toe decreases, and that you do (or can do) socks from the cuff down. I am also assuming that simple gauge swatches, and general terms are things that make you wanna try a pattern, not something that scares the wits out of you. Sweating yet?

The socks I made are a smallish toddler size, but I’ve tried writting this to make it adaptable for any size sock.

You will need:
fingering weight yarn
dbl pt needles, set of 5(I used US #1’s)
yarn needle
scissors

Do a gauge swatch to determine the tightness of fabric that apeals to you best, and to determine the number of stitches to cast on. You might need to cast on few more/less since the pattern is a multiple of 4.

Cast On: A multiple of 4 (I did 36)

Cuff Ribbing:
K1, p1 ribbing untill it’s desired length (I did 5 rows).

Body of Cuff:
rows 1 &2:
K around.
row 3: K3, p1 around.
row 4:K1, *p1, K3, repeat from *to last 3 stitches, then p1, k2.
Repeat rows 1-4, ending after a row 1, until body of is desired length.

Heal Flap:
I used the stitches on the first two needles (half the number of stitches cast on, in my case that’s 18). Be sure to slip the first stitch of every row.
{row 1: sl1 ,k across, turn. row 2: *sl1, p1, repeat from * across.} work pattern for a total of times to equal half the stitches in heal flap. If you have 36 sts in heal flap, then work for 18 repeats. (I had 18sts in heal flap, so I did a total of 9 repeats.)

Turn Heal.

Pick up stitches for the gusset: pick up the same number of stitches on each side of gusset as the number of repeats done in the heal flap. (18 flap repeats, 18 pickups for gusset; my case was 9 flap repeats so I picked up 9 stitches each side of gusset). Be sure to continue in stitch pattern on top of sock.

Gusset Decreases:
Decrease every other row until you back to your orinal stitch count, being sure to stay in stitch pattern on top of sock.

Foot Body:
Continue in pattern on top of sock, stockinette stitch on bottom of sock until body is desired length and you’re ready to do the toe.

Decrease for toe.

Close the toe in your favorite way.

The reason this is rated Intermediate isn’t the sock, as it is in the way I wrote the pattern. I assumed that you already have a moderate amount of sock knitting experience, and either are or are becoming a sock knitting addict!

Please post your comments.

Saturday morning the local weatherman said there was “virtually no chance of rain anywhere in the state today”. WTF? Apparently his day is only during the sunshine and not 24 hours. Why do I say this? because about 11pm last night it’s poring down rain outside. By 11:03 the electricity flickers but comes right back on. About 11:07 a loud clap of thunder, a flash of lightening off in the distance, then just over two frilling hours were spent in the dark! Can’t have the windows open in the rain, so it got frillin hot in here. Can’t sleep in the humidness, so I lite candles. What did I do by candle lite? Knitted ofcourse!

Here’s what I knitted by candle lite. I can take a better picture, but the problem is that at a higher resolution it won’t load onto blogger! You can’t tell by this pic, but there is a sead stitch heart in the midle of this cloth, with a garter stitch border. It’s cloth #1 from “Love to Knit Dishcloths”, a booklet that I got at Wal-Mart originally priced at $2.74 that I picked up for $0.75!!! Anyway, I made it for C4C, their button is located over in the sidebar, check them out…please.

I was going to post more, but two hours knitting by candle lite, deciding to go ahead and go to bed, getting almost asleep, then being started wide awake by all of the lights suddenly coming back on…well the rest will have to wait.

This is the project I have decided to make for “Wuthering Heights”, this month’s KTC reading selection. I am not going to copy it exactly, but rather do my version of it.z

To the left is a sock that I started from the gifted yarn that Fran gave me. It is for my dgd and is my own original pattern.

To the right is the finished, well the first one, sock. I just love this shade of green it’s soo Summer Elizabeth!

I saw this today pal and I realy want one. If can or can’t get it, well either way it’s okay. Just wanted to let you know.
http://www.feltupdesigns.com/sockblocker_keychains.htm

Okay, due to requests, here’s the pattern for the previously posted Cloths for Crisis washcloth that I made.

I believe in giving credit where credit is due, so you need to know that this pattern is based on the “Ripple Socks” pattern by Sandi Rosner, and located in her book “Not Just More Socks”.

You will need:
US size 5 straight or circular needles, I used circs but either will work.

1 ball of 100% cotton Sugar-n-Cream or Peaches-n-Cream yarn, or the equivelant. (If you use a lighter weight-smaller diameter-yarn just add more stitches in groups of 8 untill you acheive the desired size.

Yarn needle, for weaving in ends (yes I know they aren’t done in this picture yet)

*If you do not like the unmatching ends, and/or prefer a straight edged cloth, knit the first 5 rows, and knit the last 5 rows. I personally like this look so I didn’t.

CO: 49
Row 1: purl.
Row 2: k1, *yo, k2, sk2togp, k2, yo, k1, repeat from *across.
Repeat these two rows until reaches desired length. Bind off in knit

***Personal Note***
I get bored knitting the “Grandma’s Favorite Dish Cloth” pattern, although it does go quickly enough. My favorite patterns for washcloths….well if I like the look of a pattern, enjoy knitting it, then I test it in the appropriate yarn/fiber for a washcloth. If I still like it, then I make a cloth. You should try this too if you like making washcloths.