Rick

I set a goal of finishing my rick socks by my birthday, and last night, with hours to spare, I did it.

More later, there is cake to eat.

pajamas

Yes I am still knitting on my rick socks. There is a spot on the foot where the diagonal pattern shifts and goes the other way, and I messed this up (and my lifeline was 6 rows back and I was lazy). Eventually I couldn't stand it and ripped back, so I lost maybe 15 rounds. But I'm back to where I was when I ripped and it looks much better. I can not believe how long it has taken me to get these socks done.

My twin daughters are turning 10 next week. And ten is a funny age. Ten is your first decade and honestly it seems to me a perfect time to look back and see what a different person I have become, what a different family my husband and I have become. I realized in this nostalgic look back that although I technically knew how to knit, I never did (and I had no idea to get started beyond handing yarn and needles to my grandmother). I also never made homemade jam (That came about when we made baby food). I certainly never canned anything.

Basically my children have made me a hippy domestic goddess. or something

One thing I had done before they were born, was sew. I don't do quilts often (I never really did), but I used to make all my own pj pants. I started because at the time you couldn't really find flannel pajamas in stores. In fact the pattern I prefer for me is a homemade one made from an old pair I had that fell apart. Now of course, you can buy flannel PJ pants for very little (I bought I pair I need to hem for $1!! NEW!). But I still like to make them.

My girls at ten are tall, and one is very skinny and the other is a little husky. What this means is that I can not find PJs to fit them beyond nightgowns. If I buy their size they are too big on one and tight on the other. So over presidents day weekend I noticed that JoAnne Fabrics had Simplicity patterns on sale for $1 and I picked up three different pajama patterns. Flannel was on sale as well for $3 a yard and so I did what any rational person would do and I bought some, even though I KNEW I had flannel at home.

And I set to work making pants.

This pair has been worn three nights in a row, and the recipient requested that instead of making the top to match, I should do another pair. I have no picture of the second pair, but they were also well received (In fact she was all--when are you going to finish MINE! and has declared them "comfier than I thought").

I have a feeling there are more PJ pants in my future.

chip

When you don't have a finished object to show off, it can be hard to think of what to knit blog about. Because seriously how many times can one write "still knitting on those socks!" "Got another row done last night!" or "whew turned a heel!"without people abandoning you.

But I am still knitting. It isn't a very portable project so I am going very very slow. Ok and it is lace so there is another reason for slow. And yesterday I ran into a problem where I seem to have an extra stitch. But mostly this has been a problem:

Yes, one of my dpns is cracked! And I sat on the spare that came with this set and broke it so, this is it. And every time I come to it the row takes a major long time because it snags a LOT.

Regardless, I'm turning the heel today--I've saved the only portable part for an outing in which I have to do basically nothing for a half hour.

Old photo: