The Scottish Lamb

Trunk or Treat

Yup... you read it right. Trunk or Treat. Welcome to Halloween on a military post overseas in a country that doesn't do Halloween. We did it tonight because tomorrow night is a school night. We also did it early so we were done while it was still light. Ahhh... perfect planning. Those of us that live off the Army Post caravan into the housing area, decorate around our cars and hand out candy from our trunks while the kids trick or treat in housing. This is actually a new idea and it went very well. We didn't have to feel guilty about our kids taking candy from everyone without us doing our share. In the photo (click on them for a bigger view) of the masquerading group (from left to right - sort of) is the biggest kid of all, Dan the baseball player, Daniel the Thunderbird Pilot, Alex aka Spiderman, Joe the Commando and Caitlyn the Fairy. The baseball pro, pilot and commando are mine. The other two are Joe's best friends. The decorating queen is my neighbor and friend, Michelle, by her van, which was our home for about two hours of candy patrol. I actually enjoyed it. One adorable two or three-year old Spiderman (spiderman was very popular here this year) was especially entertaining...
Me: What do you say?
Spiderman just stared at me...
Me: Trick...
nothing from Spiderman
Me: Or...
still nothin'...
Me: Treat........
Spiderman holding out his bucket: JUST PUT IT IN THERE!!!...
All righty then.....
Nice, safe and friendly way to celebrate Halloween. Now we'll see how it goes tomorrow night when the few German kids that have picked up on the idea of going door to door at the American houses are buzzing our doorbells at 10pm tomorrow since Monday is a holiday for them....

Don't forget! Get an extra hour of sleep tonight!!

As the Heel Turns....

Admit it... you do a little happy dance inside your head when you turn the heel of a sock and it does that perfect little angle. Ahhh... that's the stuff life is made of. I *love* short-row heels. I love how easy they are to keep track of where you are, I love how they fit, I love how they look... The sock is on my nightstand and I've been knitting on it a few minutes each night instead of reading.

On other needles, I finished the top-down jacket but still have to put in the zipper. I think I'm stalling. It's the same thing when I have to cut steeks on a fair isle. I let it sit there and "ripen" while I get up the courage. I want to wear it to Mass on Sunday so I'll put in the zipper (my first on a knitted garment) tonight or tomorrow.



This has been sitting in my knitting basket since April. It's the Hardangervidda from Dale of Norway. I knit the Thunder Bay sweater for Dan about five years ago and he wears it quite a bit, so I figured he's worthy of another Dale. I picked it back up when I finished the jacket and have made quite a bit of progress on it each night while watching TV. I forgot how much I love color knitting. Once you get into the rythym and start seeing the pattern appear, it's very satisfying. I'm just a few rows above where the front placket starts. I'm using Gjestal Ren Ny Ull Superwash Sport that I bought for steal on Elann



I'm not a big fan of Halloween. I don't have anything against it... I just don't like it. It is fun to see the boys dress up though. I lucked out and found $60 worth of cool costumes on sale at the PX for a total of $11. This year it paid off to be last-minute. I couldn't have made anything that cheap.
We'll go on the post to Trick or Treat in the housing area Saturday night since the kids have school on Monday. I always feel guilty doing that, but this year they've got it set up so that those living off-post can park in a parking lot and give candy out from there plus I sent both boys to school with treats for their classmates.
The Germans are just starting to pick up on Halloween (going to the Americans houses to get candy but not giving it out). The last time we were here you saw no signs of Halloween out in the economy. Now it's everywhere. We were really shocked last year to see all the Halloween decorations and even a few costumes (very scary ones only). It's mostly their teenagers that came to our doors last year it wasn't pretty. We didn't have anything for them and they egged quite a few of our cars and houses. We called the Polizei and they just said, "Well, you Americans brought Halloween with you". Swell. Thanks for the help guys. The German kids don't have school Monday because it's a German holiday so I'm sure they'll be buzzing the door bell and waking up the boys late Sunday night. Do ya see why I don't like Halloween?!

Christmas in October

Some friends and I have knitted up a bunch of little stockings to fill and send to a helicopter unit in Iraq. It's the unit my friends' husbands are in. I had to come up with a simple and quick pattern. These would make great gifts for teachers, the mailman... whoever you need a little somethin' somethin' for. They are about the right size for a candy bar. Each one takes me about an hour and ten minutes to knit from start to finish. They really are cute in person. I used a deep cranberry red and cream colored yarns. My early Christmas gift to you:
I used a double strand of dk weight yarn on 4.0mm needles (I’m a loose knitter). Mine came out to 3x8”.
Gauge isn’t really important as long as you’re happy with your fabric.
Cast on 24 stitches with white. Divide on double points. I put six stitches each on four needles.
Join in a round and knit seed stitch for eight rows. Cut off white leaving tail to weave in later (about 3 inches)
Measure off a full arm length of red and start knitting from this point with the red yarn (you’ll use this tail later to crochet the hanging cord). Knit 14 rounds. On 15th round, knit first three needles.
Start Heel Flap: Slip 1st stitch on needle 4, Knit across. Knit across needle 1 with same needle (all 12 heel stitches will be on one needle now). Turn. Slip 1st stitch purl across.
Repeat these last two rows back and forth for a total of nine rows. You will have five “loops” going down each side of the heel flap.
Take another needle and pick up five stitches down the side of the heel flap. Slide these stitches you just knit back on to needle with heel stitches. Knit across instep stitches that have been holding on needles 2 and 3. With a new needle, pick up five stitches up other side of heel flap. Using this same needle, knit six stitches from heel needle. You now have 11 stitches on needles 4 and 1 and six stitches on needles 2 and 3.
Gussets: 1st Round: Knit to last three stitches on needle 1. K2tog, K1. Knit across instep needles. On needle 4, K1, SSK, Knit to end of needle.
2nd Round: K Repeat these two rounds until there are 8 stitches on the two heel needles.
Slip one stitch from needles 1 and 4 to needles 2 and 3 so there are seven sts on each needle.
Foot: Knit 8 rounds.
Toe: 1st Round: Needle 1: Knit to last three stitches K2tog, K1. Needle 2: Knit 1, SSK, Knit across Needle 3: Knit to last three stitches, K2tog, K1 Needle 4: Knit 1, SSK, Knit across 2nd Round: Knit
Repeat these two rounds until there are three stitches on each needle. Knit across needle one to bring the tail to the end. Put stitches on needles 1 and 4 on one needle and stitches on needles 2 and 3 on another needle. There are now 6 stitches on two needles. Cut yarn leaving a tail of about eight inches.
Hold the needles so that the tail is on the right and coming from the back needle. Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle.
Grafting set up: Go into the 1st stitch of the back needle as if to knit. Leave on needle. Go into the 1st stitch of the front needle as if to purl. Leave on needle.
Grafting: 1. Go into 1st stitch of back needle as if to purl while sliding it off needle. Go into 2nd stitch as if to knit. Leave on needle.
2. Come to front needle. Go into 1st stitch as if to knit while sliding it off needle. Go into 2nd stitch as if to purl. Leave it on the needle.
Repeat these last two steps until you’ve woven all stitches. Make sure to bring working yarn under knitting needles and not over them and snug the yarn up as you go so the toe closes up nicely.
Weave in tails. Starting from the end that’s attached to the sock, crochet the long cast on tail you left (I did about 18-20 chain sts). Hook the last chain stitch to the first to form a loop and finish off.

Catching up

I gotta tell ya... I've always liked knitting socks, but I don't think I ever knit a pair with toothpicks such thin needles before. Those are 1mm's baby. Mostly I use bamboo double points but I've broken many a fine needle before so I think I might be better off with the steel. This pattern is addictive! It's the Fluted Bannister from the Six Sox KAL. I'm trying to catch up to everyone else. The pattern is an easy one to remember so it makes good TV knitting. I've been alternating between these and the top-down jacket. Generally I like to do toe-up, but I thought I'd play along and follow the pattern exactly. When I do top-down I use the Elastic Cast-On from PGR's Simple Socks - Plain and Fancy. It's a very stretchy one with no binding what-so-ever.

I need one of my friends to get pregnant. Hint, Hint. I want to make a pair of these:

Have you ever seen anything so cute?! They're from the DIY Knitty Gritty show and you can find the free pattern here.

Tomorrow is Make a Difference Day here in our American community in Germany. Pretty much everyone in the community will be gathering somewhere on post or in the housing areas to spruce up the place we call home. Dan, the boys and I will be in the Chapel cleaning and painting one of the women's bathrooms for our part. I'll get the fun part of cleaning and go in early so I can just have my painters come in and do their part without any yuckiness involved. Should be interesting to see the boys making the walls look "prettier". Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hot Dog!

I know Bailey girl doesn't look very happy. I think that's because I recruited her to join me in my workout routine of walking for an hour every morning starting this past Tuesday. She's done in. I only have to move two legs and I'm beat. I can only imagine how she feels with four! How cute is she though? We rescued her from the pound in Clarksville, TN about 4 1/2 years ago and she's been a great addition to the family. Her only flaw is that she doesn't get along with other dogs. It's like Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde. I think it's Napoleon complex. She's much worse with dogs that are bigger than her. I guess it's too much to ask for looks and brains too. I love the colors of this yarn. It's Lamb's Pride Superwash that I bought in white to dye. It actually has a blip of brown all through it. I hadn't heated it enough (afraid I'd turn it into plastic - gotta be careful with superwash) and couldn't get it to stop bleeding. Finally wrapped it up in saran wrap and stuck it in to steam with an autumn colors batch that was dyeing. Oops. Didn't seal it well enough. You can't even tell though. I alternated the four skeins all the way through and can't even find the brown now. She's gonna need a thicker one. This isn't going to get her through the winter here come another month or so. That means I'll have to buy some more yarn. I have a responsibility to take good care of her, right?



In my depression over missing the fun at Rhinebeck I swung by my local yarn shop today and bought this for the Bannister socks for Six Socks. It's about time I cast on since everyone else seems like they are about done. Always a day late and a dollar short.

Awe... Rhinebeck Schmineck!

In doing my daily blog reads this morning I read nothing but bragging... I got this at Rhinebeck, I got to meet so-and-so at Rhinebeck.... Rhinebeck this... Rhinebeck that... blah. blah. blah. Oh... and all the talk about the foliage! Like I don't miss New England enough already! Thanks... thanks loads everyone. Very thoughtful of you. Geesh! Okay already! I got it! It was THE place to be this weekend and I was an ocean and a few countries away from it. Yea... well just wait... If the Army Gods that make our assignments are good to us, I'll be at Rhinebeck in 2006 because it'll only be a four-hour drive from our new duty station, Fort Drum, by Watertown NY. So THERE!! Let me add that gives me two... count 'em... two years to have a little BIG Rhinebeck savings account going. Yea... paybacks, Baby!!
I hope you all know I'm kidding. I couldn't wait to start reading this morning knowing that's what everyone would be writing about. You bet your sweet bippy that if plane tickets weren't over $1000 to get to the States I'd have been there with bells on. So I'll have to live through everyone else's journey and dream about 2006. Look on the bright side! There's only 726 days to go!
I finished the dog sweater last night but I forgot the camera this morning when Bailey and I headed out on our walk in the woods. She wore her sweater proudly even though it's a smidge too big. Can't even felt it down because it's superwash. I'll take a picture tomorrow when we're on our little jaunt. Oh well...

Digressions

Okay... I know I'm supposed to be working on the KP&S top-down jacket... and I did... honest. But... I got sidetracked on Saturday while looking through the Holiday 2003 issue of Family Circle Easy Knitting. I saw the mosaic blanket on page 39 and wondered why I'd never tried mosaic knitting... I'd thought about it many times. Well, no time like the present. Pulled out my Barbara Walker's Charted Knitting Designs and got to it. What a blast! I can see how it'd be very addictive. Pay no attention to my messy desk. Creative minds are never neat.... at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. There's two different patterns on the sample. The little sheep was a gift from my friend, LeeAnn, from her trip to Italy a few weeks ago.

So I was thinking this would be a great idea to put into a dog sweater for Bailey. Yea.... I don't have that much time before winter sets in. She'll have to do with a quickie sweater made with some Lambspun superwash that I dyed. I started on it yesterday and should be able to finish it today. I love instant gratification! It's a good thing. That's Joe, the ham. He felt you'd get a better view of the dog sweater if he was in the photo.

And I just had to share my most remarkable discovery of late. What I thought was a hummingbird in my flowers this summer was a.... MOTH! I know.... it's not a wool eating moth... but it's a M-O-T-H!!! I feel like I betrayed my stash of wool! There are no hummingbirds in Germany. In person they are the cutest little things because they buzz around so fast you can't really see them. Up close and personal in a still photo... UGH!!

In the Mood for a Quickie?

Quickie project and quickie post. Just wanted to show you what I did last night. While cruising around on different sites yesterday afternoon, I saw these mittenettes on Midnight Knitter's blog. I’ve had some Merino/Mohair that I spun up. My good friend, Jessica, sent the roving as a gift from Stitches a few years ago. It was from a company called Widdershin Woolworks. I've searched all over the web and can't find it so I guess they are no longer in business. Too bad because I love the stuff. Finally… a project to knit with it! They took one hour each.

I wish the camera could pick up the beauty of this yarn. It's very lustrous and has bits of oceany colors all through it (in fact, it’s called Seascape). And it’s really to bad you can’t reach through the screen and feel it because it’s like butta I tell ya. SO soft. These will be perfect for the cold winter mornings at the bus stop waiting to shoo the boys off to school. It took about 50 grams knitted on 3mm needles. It’s spun at about worsted weight. I have 50-55 grams left (my scale keeps switching) so it should be enough for Jessica to knit a pair. I even did an extra round of ribbing at the top. Still working on the KPS top-down jacket. Should finish the body this weekend.

Who's gonna get RAOK'd?

Hmmmm?? Who's it gonna be? Here's a photo of the contents of one of the two RAOK boxes going out today. The other one is different but I forgot to take a photo before I packaged it up. Kinda fun to send out a package and they don't know it's coming. Will it be you? Today I'll be busy having a surprise luncheon bday party for hubby at the office. All his guys are in on it and he has no clue... unless he reads my blog which I doubt. Yep... he's turning 40 on Sunday. Finally. I'm so tired of being ribbed (ha! there's your knitting for the day!) about how I'm over 40 for the last year and a half. Ohhh.... are you gonna get it now Danny boy! We're having all his faves. Texas brisket that baked all day yesterday, frijoles barrachos and mexican rice using his Aunt Patsy's recipe. Nummy! On the knitting front I'm about 1/4 of the way down the bodice (after the underarms) on the Knitting Pure & Simple neck-down jacket. I highly recommend this pattern for mindless TV knitting.

Wednesdays Are For Spinning

Yarn Harlot says Tuesdays are for Spinning. I like that idea but I have to pick another day. I have to make my Tuesdays for housecleaning. If I make housecleaning day on Monday then everything gets all thrown out of whack when there's a three-day weekend. So Wednesdays are for spinning for me. That way nothing can interfere with my spinning day....except this Wednesday. I just had too much to catch up on. I'm still not finished and Wednesday is almost over here in Germany. I did get a lot done though and, as you'll see, I was rewarded handsomely when the German post arrived. We don't often get mail in our German mail box other than the weekly sale fliers every Friday. We pick up our American mail at the mail room on the Army Post

Besides a trip to the commissary and the usual daily stuff, here's what I accomplished today:
I had to do some machine embroidery today.

I needed to put a new baby's name and birthdate on a blanket. He was born August 21st. That shows you how long this has been festering in the back of my mind. Now... it is done. While the machine was out I also had to do a military flag for a retirement gift for the Sergeant Major in Dan's unit. Now that's done too. Man does that feel good to say.

Speaking of done... the Vittadini is done! Can you give me an AMEN! That's another baby that's been festering in the undone pile for months. It's done in some German cotton yarn that I bought here at the local yarn shop. I swear it looks like suede up close. It's the richest deep purple. I love it.

My friend, Mariana, and I are having our own little knit-a-long with the Knitting Pure and Simple Neck-down Jacket. Mariana cast hers on about a month ago. I promised to finish the Vittadini before I could cast mine on. I'm happy to report that last night I cast it on with Berroco Uxbridge Tweed that I bought from Elann about six weeks ago.

And now for the Grand Finale for today: Just to show you that no good deed goes unnoticed (in the knitting world anyway) I received a terrific thank you from Yvette in France:

Can you see them? No? How about now.?

Besides the four stich markers was a wonderful scented bar of L'Occitane Shea Butter soap and a thank you card. All that because I sent her a tiny box of wool roving for some thrummed mittens. Thank You, Yvette!! Just holler whenever you need anything!!