socks

Pickles and (take a guess) Socks

Posted on by Dan

Virginia, I’m sad to say, is not going to have a finished big project for the month of July. Life, right now, is taking the driver’s seat, and leaving the projects we’d like to be finishing, well, unfinished. But, such is life, with its many ups and downs. We take it all.

However, I wouldn’t just post to the site without leaving you with some actual scratchcrafty goodness. Even though the big projects are on hold, does not mean the smaller projects are not being completed. These two pairs of socks, for instance, were wrapped up in the last week.

Sock #10 (52 Sock Challenge)

Sock #11 (52 Sock Challenge)

This last one is Mountain Colors Bearfoot doubled up. That means twice the squish, and probably twice the warmth.

For my own distraction today, I decided to try my hand at some pickling. I picked up 6 pounds of organic cucumbers, a bunch of dill and some garlic from the farmer’s market today.

Pickles, part 1

After comparing a couple of different recipes from several locations, I decided on a vinegar/water/salt solution, with added dill and dill seeds, peppercorns, and garlic. The solution boiled and then, after pouring it over the stuffed jars, I processed it all in boiling water for 20 minutes. The results:

Pickles, part 2

I think we’ll be ready for a cold, crunchy pickle in a couple of weeks… very exciting.

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Boards, part four (with added sock & spinning goodness)

Posted on by Dan

I’m going gangbusters with all the building. The weather has been so amazingly cooperative that I have to take advantage of it… knowing there is such a limited supply of good weather in Minnesota. The next thing converted from the old deck is this:

Chair made from old deck

We don’t live on the east coast, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what will be our patio (see the dirt behind the chair?) on our new adirondack chair(s). I’m still working on the second, but this one, besides needing some waterproofing, is definitely usable.

Surprisingly, I was even able to finish another 3 oz. of Corriedale top that we dyed up. This is 2-ply and approximately 330 yards.

Handspun - Corriedale

I’ve got two more dyed bundles of this (different colors), that will hopefully be spun around the same weight (if I don’t fall out of practice from all the woodworking I’m doing), so I’ll end up with four yarns of about the same weight and yardage to use together (or separately, if Virginia decides she wants to use one).

Speaking of Virginia; she’s finished another pair of socks knit from some worsted weight wool that she dyed up awhile ago. Knit on size 3US needles, they have a denser fabric to help make them wear longer.

Sock #9 (52 Sock Challenge)

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Boards, part three (with added sock content)

Posted on by Dan

The building continues! I planed down a few more boards and we drew up some plans to make matching benches for the table — actually it was more of a sketch, a working prototype, and a couple of miscut boards, but once we got it down, the remaining three followed pretty easily. The darker color is a result of the waterproofing that we applied to both the table and chairs (and to the deck, of course… which, by the way, Barb, is cedar).

Table made from old deck

I could get into this woodworking stuff, but given that half the year is spent indoors (fighting off the cold of winter), it probably makes sense to continue working with wool. However, the stack of old redwood boards is pretty big, so until the weather turns, I’ll stay focused on recycling the wood… next up, perhaps a couple of adirondack chairs for the patio?

Virgina finished another pair of socks. These are from Nancy Bush’s “Knitting on the Road.” The pattern is Whitby, and she used Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca Fine, which is one of their new yarns.

Sock #8 (52 Sock Challenge)

The doubled-up yarn knit on size 2.5 needles makes for a very soft, but firm, fabric. We’ve got to keep thinking about the cold, even when it’s 90ยบ outside.

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Stepping Carefully

Posted on by Dan

You’ve been seeing a lot of Virginia’s socks recently, and this post is no exception. With a couple of weeks having gone by since the last post, there has been some major accomplishments, both with knitting and household projects.

Sock #4 (52 Sock Challenge)

The above are Lisa Lloyd’s Narragansett Bay Socks, knit using Mountain Colors.

Sock #5 (52 Sock Challenge)

These are knit with Trekking.

Sock #6 (52 Sock Challenge)

And, these are made with Meilenweit.

Sock #7 (52 Sock Challenge)

With a final push to get these done, Virginia finished these just a couple of days ago. They are from a Dale of Norway sock pamphlet (NR-8001), knit using Smart yarn.

Sock #7 (52 Sock Challenge)

You might be noticing the structure that Virginia is carefully balancing on. That is where I come in to the picture. Lest you think I’ve given up on crafty pursuits, I haven’t. Currently, though, my free time has been consumed with replacing our deck.

Deck Framing

I’m happy to say (after taking Thursday off of work, and pretty much working through the entire weekend) we’ll have a brand new, sturdy (that’s the key word) deck for the next photo shoot (in other words, probably by next weekend).

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Back to Normal?

Posted on by Dan

The dust is finally starting to settle on our bathroom project. In fact, with the exception of a couple of tiny items on the to-do list, we’re calling this one done.

Once again, I did not take a “before” picture. But, let me tell you, the “before” was quite a stark contrast to what we ended up with. Imagine yellow/tan linoleum on the floor, walls and ceiling covered with dark cedar paneling, a giant two-sink vanity (complete with an expanse of mirrors, large globe lights a la dressing studio) and shiny gold-plated fixtures for that extra-fancy touch. I wonder why we waited 8 years to do anything about it. Nonetheless, we (with the aid of a very helpful carpenter/plumber/tiler/all-around-handy-man) finished our project, and are enjoying not having to run down to the basement in the middle of the night anymore.

Bathroom Remodel

Not pictured is the bathtub, which we kept and surrounded by white 3″x6″ subway tiles.

Bathroom Remodel

Also not pictured entirely is the new toilet, which now only uses 1.6 gallons per flush, instead of the guzzling 5. Who knew toilet technology would continue to improve so dramatically.

Peonies

With normalcy comes, of course, more knitting. And what is more normal on this blog than seeing another pair of Virginia’s socks. These are knit with leftover Trekking and Elann sock yarns.

Sock #3 (52 Sock Challenge)

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