Crocheting by urn

Getting there on the Sock

2009-08-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

I am getting there with my sock. I have reached the point where the end is in sight!! I have about 6 inches from the back of the heel to the top edge of the sock only about 2 more inches of sock then the ribbing. YIPPEE!! The first sock will be done then I can start on the second sock.

I am including a couple of pictures of the sock so that you can "see" where I am at.

I got two books for my Birthday this year from my wife, one a sock book by Ann Budd called Getting Started Knitting Socks. The other one is From Knitters Magazine called The Great American Aran Afghan with the patterns for a total of 24 twelve inch squares to make an Afghan and four pillows. It will take me a while to do the afghan as the squares are a wide range of techniques some of which I have not done yet!

Update on knitted socks

2009-07-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

I have been working on the socks I am knitting however have not had as much time to update my blog as I would like. (Do we ever have enough time to do the things we would like to?)

Any way I am posting some new pictures of the sock I am working on as I am past the heel, with it's wrap and turn and am now working on the leg of the sock. I have not gotten very far up the leg yet but I would like to get the first one finished and start on the second one.

I had to contact the designer with a question and she was very supportive and attentive to my questions. It is nice to have a designer answer quickly. :)

I have also just joined Knitters Review and Knitters Review forum. Both of which I hope to utilize if I need assistance with a sock or creating a pattern myself if I desire to do that.

Newest Project

2009-03-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the newest project that I am working on. I am trying to learn to knit a pair of socks. It came from a pattern called Big Boss Man Socks. I am working from the toe up as I like toe up socks. The pair of socks I crocheted were toe up and I liked how they work out. I am using the Plymouth Yarn Sockotta for this pair of socks also (as you may have read for the crocheted socks that was the one yarn I used. It works up well and it creates nice patterns.

Right now I have almost finished the first complete repeat of the pattern and it is looking well. Time will tell what happens by the time I get to the heel flap and turning the heel.

Finished one started another

2008-12-14T18:16:00.001-08:00

I have finished the basketweave scarf and have now started working on the first project where I will be doing cableing. I am including pictures of the start of the scarf as it looks sharp if I do say so myself since I am using a self stripping yarn from Encore. It is the Encore Colorspun from Plymouth Yarn in color 7518.

I got the yarn from the LYS located about 45 min from me. It is the Woolgathering shop that I have mentioned before in my posts. Barb the owner is a wonderful lady who has been so helpful in my quest to learn to knit. She and my wife Grace (who has her own blog BTW) have been very helpful in getting me going with knitting.

I must confess that I rather like knitting now that I have a project or two under my belt so to speak.

Any how here are the pictures for you to see.

Latest update

2008-12-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

Well here is an update since I have not posted in a while. I have found a great gaming web site where you can create an Avatar like the one pictured on my site. I also have been working on a scarf as a charity project.

I am including a picture of the scarf part way done. This is not how the scarf looks at this point in time because I am almost done since I am thinking about a 60" scarf and I am at about 52" in length. The yarn is from Caron and is their Simply Soft Shadows yarn in the Pearl Frost color. which is working up wonderfully and will make a nice warm scarf for someone who needs one.

Also here is a closeup of the pattern that shows the "basketweave" style of the scarf. It is done with 40 stitches Cast on and then doing four rows of starting with Knit four and then purl four alternating ending with the opposite stitch I started with. Once the four rows were done I switched and started with purl four then knit four across.

I am amazed that when I am working on the scarf while on break at work people ask "When are you making mine?" Guess I could make some extra money right?? Nah then it would not be "fun" to do anymore. Besides not everyone likes the things I do!!

New Project for Knitting

2008-09-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have a new project for knitting. I was able (with my wife's help) to pick up how to purl stitch. Now I am working on a basic scarf using a knit 4, purl 4 pattern. I am doing it 48 stitches wide. I will post a picture once I get one taken. Many thanks to the owner of Woolgathering for teaching me the basic knit stitch and being kind enough to encourage me along with my wife's encouragement.

First Knitting Project

2008-08-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here is my very first knitting project. I have listened to all the rest of the guys on my Men Who Crochet group. I also have seen the wonderful things my wife has done with knitting. Her site is right here. Where you can see the many projects she has done. I got some basic lessons in casting on and doing the basic knitting stitch from a LYS called Woolgathering located about 40 min from home. Barb the shop owner is just so much fun to talk with. Also very knowledgeable about her products.

Any way here are the pictures and please don't mind the "tension" problem as it took me a while to get a looser tension. I started with a very tight tension and my wife lovingly showed me a better way to hold the yarn and also reminded me that I needed to "loosen" up a little :)

Just a quick update

2008-08-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Thought that I ought to post an update to this blog so that anyone searching would see that I am posting on occasion :)

I am posting a picture of a Flag Afghan that I did from Lion Brand yarn. It can be found on their website at the following page. Americana Afghan is the title of the afghan. I used the recommended colors for the afghan and it turned out very nicely. Lion Brand suggests using short tails when changing colors. I believe I purchased an extra skein of the "Red" and the "White" so that I would have more than enough to do the afghan.

I am also posting a couple of pictures of the afghan supervisors :) One of the supervisors has already been posted on this site so you may have seen her before. She modeled the start of one of my socks I crocheted. I have to hunt down a picture of our third cat Simon. The tortoise colored cat is Heidi, aka Heidiner, etc. the white cat is Snowdrop.

2008-05-28T04:49:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update as I prepare for work :) Gotta have the paychecks coming in you know? I am uploading a picture of a Corner Fan Dishcloth that I did in a variegated color scheme. Just click on the link to see where I got the pattern from. Also the thread coasters posted previously came from a Leisure Arts booklet on Thread Coasters printed in 1993. The Leaflet number is 2395. It may still be available somewhere like JoAnn's or Michael's.

New Things done

2008-05-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

I have not updated in a while as I am just going around in circles I think!! I have some new pictures of things I have done recently. Namely some thread coasters for my wife, and some crocheted dishcloths just because. The dishcloths were relatively easy to do and did not take all that much time. Click here to view the pattern for the Log Cabin Dishcloth. The thread coasters however are a little more difficult because I used number 10 thread and a size 8 steel crochet hook. Let me know what you think if you get a chance.

Just some thoughts for the day

2008-03-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Just thought I ought to post something new since I have not posted in a while. Been busy with work and a side job of designing a web site. Which is some thing I LOVE doing. I am almost done with an afghan for a prayer ministry that the church I attend has. It was done from the following site: Woven Ribbon Afghan. I am in the middle of piecing together the sections of the afghan.

January 24, 2008

2008-01-24T16:40:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of photos of my very first pair of socks crocheted with the Plymouth yarn Socketta. They are very warm and I know truly know how to work the heel without any problems !!

It feels good to have finished the first pair an I am working on the second pair from yarn my wife got me for Christmas. I will be posting pictures of them once I get them done.

2008-01-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

Well here is the first sock finished and now I am ready to start the second sock. Once I get this post finished I will be starting the second sock so that I have a pair of socks to wear. The yarn is a cotton, wool, nylon blend so it can be run through the washing machine :)

The pattern is not so bad now that I know what I am doing with it!

2008-01-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Here is the left and right side of the first sock made from the yarn by Plymouth called Socketta. I am hoping to get this one done and the next one started before the weekend! It does not help that I work 40 hours a week and have a wife who, imagine this, would like some of my time. I love her and of course she knows I am trying to get these done.

I finally figured out what I was missing when looking at the directions here is where I found the sock pattern and a big thanks to the person on one of my lists that sent me the link so that I could look the pattern up :) Click here. I figured out that what the pattern was telling me would not work because it put the heel at the side of the sock!! Once I got around that and figured out with the help from a knitting site my wife subscribes to I was right in that I needed to go back and forth over the same area it worked out wonderfully. Now it is just getting both done so I can wear them !

2008-01-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Here is my sock at the point of turning the heel. Now if I can just figure out how I am doing that from the pattern!!

Update for Blog 12/25/2007

2007-12-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

I have started a pair of crocheted socks from a pattern that was posted on one of my lists. Click here for pattern I am using. I am uploading a picture of what I have so far. It is being "modeled" by Snowdrop one of our resident "Supervisors" here at home. Isn't she just adorable with the sock?

I also have the "other side" of the sock pictured just under this one. This pattern is working up very well and it is quite simple so far. Time will tell when I get to the heel of the sock and have to work that in. :)

I purchased the yarn at a wonderful shop about an hour away from our home. The link to their website is as follows: Butler Country Yarn Shop

December 20, 2007 A couple of thoughts and a Christmas wish

2007-12-20T16:14:00.000-08:00

I just thought I should post again as I have not posted in a while. Some wonderful comments have come to me from one of the lists I belong to. I did send for the pattern for the Cathedral Window Afghan and after looking at the directions I realize I have an "Epic" project headed my way as soon as I find the money for the Yarn!

I also have the pattern for Peter Franzi's cluster hooded scarf. I have not done anything with Front Post Stitches and Back Post stitches so this will be a first for me to try.

I hope all have a safe and wonderful Christmas. Merry Christmas to all who read my blog.

2007-12-09T10:41:00.001-08:00

Some other things I have done

2007-12-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

I am uploading some more pictures of things I have done previously. I have done a bit of sewing before I rediscovered the pleasure in crocheting. Included are a couple of quilts and a couple of wall hangings done for others. Let me know what you think.

Some of the things I have already done.

2007-12-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

Let me briefly introduce myself. I have in the last 10 to 15 years picked up sewing, (clothes, quilts and wall hangings), rediscovered a love of crocheting and I most recently have obtained a degree in Information Technology.

I have just uploaded some photos of items I have already done. This does not include some of the things I have done with quilts, and wall hangings. Let me know what you think.