Kiss My Knits!

The weather’s been beautiful the last couple of days, so I’ve seized the opportunity to run. Today I got dressed and walked out the door. It immediately started raining. Sighing, I turned around came back inside and worked more on our current home improvement project, painting the bathroom. My reward for being so industrious? Just as I finished, the rain stopped and the sun came out.

I geared back up and went out to the Greenway. Crossing a bridge, I couldn’t help but notice the stream, swollen from the rain. Little Sugar Creek was in as good a mood as I was. We smiled at each other for a moment, then I went on my way, spirits high for the rest of the day.

Last week I stopped by Panera Bakery. Their breakfast souffles are a guilty pleasure. I wasn’t in a big hurry, so I let someone in front of me in line. She ordered the last souffle. D’oh!

I really wanted that souffle, but I had to laugh about it. Some days, these things just happen. This morning I decided to try again. Yes! Full rack of souffles! I hadn’t even gotten to the register before the cashier, the same one who helped me last time, sent the manager over to pick out my souffle for me. She laughed with me about the experience, and, overhearing, the manager gave me a free cookie. It was barely 8am and that one experience put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Thanks, Panera cafe 1218 on Fairview, your awesome staff won my loyalty and made my day.

Man, it’s cold in the den today. Why is it so cold? I mean, I know this is the coldest room in the house, but this seems colder than usual.

Why? Maybe because someone has parked her carcass directly in front of the heating vent.

Sigh.

The old Impalement Prevention Device vanished, so I made a new one and tied it on with some spare Jayne yarn.

All I want is for that bolt to be noticed. I’d say this is noticeable.

Look, I’ve been waiting and waiting for some snow this winter and it just has not happened. Obviously Mother Nature needs some encouragement. To that end, I present the snowiest comedy this side of The Gold Rush. If you’ve got eighteen and a half minutes to kill, please enjoy the comic genius of W.C. Fields in the freakin’ hilarious classic, The Fatal Glass of Beer.

I don’t know why My Little Pony had to be placed on a block of ice in a cup of water until the ice melted and it drowned.

And you know what? I don’t want to know.

The less I know, the safer I am.

We keep our laundry detergent on the back of the washer, which is in our kitchen. The other day, while the machine was in its spin cycle, the detergent bottle vibrated off of the back of the washer and hit the floor. My husband and I were both in other rooms and didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t the first time that had happened. Unbeknownst to us, the bottle had landed directly on its lid. The bottle was full. A lagoon of detergent was slowly spreading across the kitchen floor.
And then hilarity ensued.

Pattern: Mine
Needles: Size 1 US/2.25mm
Yarn: Opal Rendezvous with something extra for the top. If I remember what, I’ll amend this post.

Notes: The yarn was brought back by my mother-in-law from a trip to Germany. Wasn’t that thoughtful? I thought that knitting something nice for her son would be a perfect use for it. Hence, socks for my husband.

This was quite a challenge, as my husband wears size 15 shoes. He has no arches and he says that he always has trouble finding socks that fit in the heel that don’t force his toes to curl up. He also wanted them to match, which meant that I had to cut the Opal and finish the leg in another yarn, since otherwise the pattern repeats wouldn’t line up. To Opal’s credit, their yardage is generous and I have plenty for patching, should it be necessary.

This week I finished up the last of the Christmas Jayne hats and was free to work on these. I’ve been plugging away intermittently for a year, so all I had was the back of the heel and the leg on the second sock. I stayed up late on the 22nd and 23rd to get almost to the green bit. My daughter, hearing that I wanted to finish Daddy’s Christmas gift, gave me some extra time on the 24th to finish the top and bind off.

The pattern is toe up, with a 3×2 rib on the top of the foot and the leg. I wanted them nice and stretchy. The bit through the arch I refer to as the “megagusset” since I had to make it somewhat larger than usual to accommodate my husband’s lack of arch. The back of the heel is in eye of partridge for greater sturdiness. The foot is 60 stitches around, the leg is 65, coming back in to 55 for the final inch of the cuff.

I’m pleased with how these turned out. My husband had no idea I was anywhere near finishing these, and I think he’d just given up on them. But he didn’t wear socks in to the Christmas tree this morning, and just as he was thinking that his feet were cold, he opened this gift. He was delighted.

I’m thrilled that he’s so happy with these. They fit him well. Even though he has huge feet, he still deserves handmade socks. Everybody does.

Happy holidays. I hope your day is filled with love, wonder, and warmth.