Old vs new

The little socks are done. Yes, I cheated and made some with the other yarn, too. It was such pretty yarn and I know it will be liked just as much. Who wouldn't want two pair of new socks?

This is the results of the toe-up versus top down contest. The difficulty level is about the same. Maybe the toe-up takes longer to get going than the decrease/grafting would but it was new to me, too, so hard to say. I would definitely use a different cast-on to avoid having the ridge at the toe that this version had. If you look at the full sock photo you can see that the toe-up has a more definite right-angle to the heel. This may give a better fit for little feet but it wouldn't change anything for adult sizes.

The heel method in this toe-up pattern was very quick. Maybe too quick. If you look closely at the yellow/blue sock you can see that the short-row (as instructed in this pattern) produced gaps at every row. This would probably not be noticeable when wearing but I'm not sure of that. I had never done short rows like this and wouldn't again. It's not smooth enough and I like my socks to be seamless. And I definitely don't like the holes it leaves.


The 1x1 ribbing doesn't pull in as much but I usually use a 2x2 rib which I think is better. This is easily fixed so not really a comment for or against. Using a larger size needle to bind off at the top, though, does give a sloppiness that adds nothing to the appearance. I think just making sure the bind-off isn't too tight would do the trick.

So, if I get a big thumbs up on the fit, I'll try again. If not, I'll stick to my own pattern. If the fit is significantly better, I'll look for a different method of making the heel. That was my big complaint. So, not much of a contest, really, is it?

Joy!

This morning I walked outside and there was spring. The garden has rebounded from the ice and snow. I couldn't resist taking some photos of the strong crocuses which force their shoots up through the tough old rhododendron leaves.

And the beautiful snowdrops which don't last very long. Our colony is slowly growing. It's not quite a drift in its space but, definitely,is starting a trend.

I was also very glad to see that our beautiful white clematis survived the winter in its container. There are two nice strong buds growing on otherwise dead-looking branches.

My daughter informed me that a garden with lots of dandelions indicates good soil. Well, we don't have many dandelions and I thought it was because we routed them out quite quickly. (This despite the fact that they are probably my all-time favorite flower.) We do have, even this early, a whole ton of buttercups which prosper in our soil. I wonder what that indicates?

The garden work calls...it's very loud today.

Aha!

The thing with challenges is that they're challenging. However, in the opportunity/threat stand-off, I was given an opportunity.

This past week I was really stuck with how to finish this rug. Faced with the dwindling stock of 'stream' tweed, I could only think of cutting off the top of the design. This would have kept the stepping stone concept but not my whole vision. I procrastinated (my specialty) and pondered and whined on this blog.

Several people made good suggestions but most involved putting in another element which I didn't want to do. The original challenge was to use only the two fabrics. Happily, I was sent a link which sent me to look at some felted art pieces from Andrea Graham. It was meant to show me another use of stones in art but I had such an aha! moment I almost ran to get a pen and re-draw. I had been so focused on the stepping stones that I had completely lost sight of the edge of the stream. And so the beginnings of a shore where I can use more gray tweed and less brown.

Now I'm back at work and I hope to have it ready for binding this week. Thanks, Penny.

Dominoes

So, last Thursday we fell in love with this painting. It's better looking than this - hard to take a photo up on a wall and through the glass. The boats and the colors just seemed right and I could see it hanging on the bedroom wall above the low dresser.

Unfortunately, there were already residents on that wall: 6 framed samplers which had to be taken down. Plus a couple of others nearby which were distracting from the overall design.

Now when you remove pictures from a wall, you then have to patch up the holes. And then you have to repaint. And you have to declutter the dresser top because all that stuff looks bad. While you're moving things out (or just aside), you find the dust bunnies and have to shoo them out, too. Then the rest of the room looks crowded and more things are rearranged.

All that wonderful editing leads to a few boxes of stuff to be stored in the garage. In order to fit that in, you have to wiggle things around in the garage and that leads to more boxes which are moving somewhere else. Thrift shop, maybe, or the kids' houses.

But now it's all done and the painting looks lovely. It's only a print - nothing valuable - but it appeals to us. And since it's just for looks and fun, we won't feel too bad when it's turn comes to head out the door.