I'm So Far Behind I Can See My Tail End

Well, that was quite the tour description yesterday, huh? Today it’s starting to sink in that, yes, I’m back and no, I’ll never catch up. There are still piles of stuff to be read, recordings to be watched, podcasts to listen to, projects to finish, purchases to be sorted, a garden to get ready for the coming rains, and a house that nobody but the cats has lived in for 3 weeks (but is somehow dirty anyway) to be cleaned. The one thing I’ve actually finished is the laundry. For the moment of course. As we all know, laundry is never ever completely done because you’re dirtying more clothes as you wash. Plus I have to teach a new class of wannabe spinners tonight. How will I bring my brain back to earth long enough to get through the two hours of mayhem that is always Lesson One? If I somehow manage that feat, I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.

Right now, we have Finished Objects to present:

Darling Daughter’s Birthday Socks

Begun: August 8, 2006
Completed: September 6, 2006 (in a Farewell Bend, Oregon, campsite!)
Yarn: Sisu white, dyed by the recipient in my dye studio, 80% superwash wool/20% polyamide, 160 m=50 g.
Needles: Clover Takumi bamboo, 2mm dpns

Pattern: My standard plain socks with a 72 st cuff, 7 1/2” total before heel flap, 7 3/4” foot before toe decreases, to 24 st grafted toe.

There was some trouble with the dye bleeding when I washed them to block. Perhaps the yarn didn’t get set quite enough when it was dyed. They don’t seem to have changed colour much at all, but will need careful washing the first few times to prevent the still-running excess dye from colouring anything it shouldn’t. I got too tired of filling the bucket at the tap in the campsite to get it totally clear!

T’s Trekking Socks


(Shown here on the recipient’s feet. I never got time to even block them or anything!)

Begun: September 6, 2006
Completed: September 16, 2006 (at Salt Point State Park, California)
Yarn: Trekking XXL, col 114, 75% superwash/25% nylon, purchased in The Yarn Garden, Portland, OR
Needles: Clover Takumi bamboo, 2mm dpns

Pattern: My standard plain socks with a 68 st cuff, 8 1/2” total before heel flap, 8 1/4” foot before toe decreases, to 24 st grafted toe.

Yes, our daughter (now 34 — yikes!) has wider feet than her dad. But his are longer. That’s the nice thing about knitting socks — you can make them fit the recipient perfectly, just the way they like ‘em. Currently on my trusty bamboos are yet another pair of socks for T-Man, in plain dark grey marl Sisu just like the ones I made for DD’s fiancé for his birthday. T liked them so much that he gets a pair too. Then he’ll have 5 pairs of my hand knit socks and of course he still wants more. Of course. The next pair is almost down to the toe decreases already.

I'm looking at this picture of our little old van and getting all misty-eyed with nostalgia. Ahhh!!! Can you imagine living in a space this small with your beloved for 3 weeks? I'll tell you that even after 35 years of marriage (or maybe because of 35 years of marriage) it was actually a lot of fun. I mean — check out the view! That's Washington State over there across the Columbia from us in Oregon at Memaloose State Park on Day Two. And that's my behind there reaching in for something. However you can't tell that it's about a zillion degrees hot and super windy, can you? Just use your imagination...