Torn Between Two Loves

Ever have a day (or week!) of not being able to do a thing because there are too many choices???

On the one hand are all the things I "should" be doing: dishes, picking up, laundry, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming and dusting........(does this list ever go away????)

On the other hand there are the things I'd LOVE to be doing: knitting or scrapbooking/photography. I've currently got three knitting projects going. One is a second sock (somehow hard to get motivated for!) One is a new child's sized sock using Lorna's Laces leftovers. One is a worsted weight slipper sock for a Christmas gift on US 6 dpns.

I also just received all the print copies of the photos from our early August vacation in the UP of Michigan. I'd love to sit down and begin to lay them out in our vacation scrapbook (I've even got the perfect artwork dreamt up for the title page!!)

Ahhhh! Too many choices! I feel torn between my loves of knitting and photos. (Not to mention the fact that somewhere in the gray middle ground between "should" and "love" lies the fact I feel I should also be out shooting some images for potential sale! We could use the income!!)

Do any of you suffer from this dilema? How do you solve it? I find I can get enslaved to this mentality and end up not accomplishing much for several days in a row. If you've got any words of wisdom to share, don't hesitate to leave a comment!

Simple Socks (&more!)

Well, I finally finished the simple socks I was making out of Lorna's Laces in a purple varigated. I did 2 socks at once on 2 circs. I'm not sure the legs are long enough to be cuffed and still look good. As it turns out, I would have had plenty to make them longer. Live and learn I guess!


I've also managed to finish the first sock that went beyond a "simple" pattern. I followed the pattern for "Eagle's Flight" socks using Socka Fortissima and US size 2 dpns. I feel silly for not diving in and trying something "harder" earlier! I think these socks look great and I'm sure my Christmas recipient will love them!

Road Trip

Just got home from our vacation to
Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula.
We were in the western part, specifically on the Keweenaw Peninsula. This is the view looking south along the shore from our cabin's deck. Serene, beautiful, restful, healing. We shared our bit of the shore with loons, gulls and a family of bald eagles that flew over and went fishing every day we were there.

I surprised myself by not doing as much knitting as I thought I might. Instead, I found many wonderful photo opportunities and took some time to read Karen Armstrong's book The Spiral Staircase. (A very good read by the way!) Now that we're home, I'll be posting the occasional shot from vacation as well as diving back into my knitting projects (Christmas is just around the corner after all!!) Stay tuned for a pair of Lorna's Laces socks in purple that are nearly completed........(doing 2 socks at once on 2 circs.)

Moc Crocs

This being sweet corn season in Iowa,
I couldn't resist trying out this lovely
Sockotta yarn from Plymouth that reminds me of the fields and tables in our area. (Not to mention a little blue skies too!)

This is a new pattern to me--it's "Moc Croc Sock" available on the Knit Picks website in their free section. I used US#2 dpns on this project and the finishes sock will fit a women's size 6-7.

I love the way they turned out really looking and feeling almost reptilian! (Not sure the picture does it justice!)

Just had to share......Happy Knitting!

State Fair

Yeah! I'm soooooo excited! Got a postcard today letting me know that two of the three photos I entered into the State Fair Photography Salon will be put on display. The postcard also had a sticker with the word "Award" attached! Yeah! I can't wait for the fair to open to go see what's what! I'm posting a collage I did of Iowa One-Room Schoolhouses in B&W. The special theme of the Iowa State Fair's photography salon this year is one-room schools. I entered one in black & white, one in color and also a color image of a local county park taken this past winter on one of those magical mornings when you awake to freezing fog. We'll see which are in the exhibit when I get there on Aug. 19!

Iowa Soybeans

Just finished a pair of socks using fiber from Street Legal Designs in Fairfield, IA. (Web Address: http://sldknitting.com/ ) This is Okara Sock yarn and it is 100% Iowa Soybean fiber.

I have to say this yarn was really fun to work with. It felt great in my hands, knit smoothly on my wood needles and makes a thick, soft sock! These will fit a women's size 8 1/2 . I did have a small amount of fiber left over from my one 100g hank.....but not a lot! (Thus the anklet design!)

Who knew that such a great fiber was growing up around me this whole time?! I love being able to buy and use a great renewable resource that supports my home state's economy as well.

Someone's going to get luck at Christmas time, that's for sure!!

PS--I was using US#3 size needles getting 7.5 spi!

Socks! Socks! Socks!

I'm knitting socks for Christmas gifts. (Well, I'm knitting socks because they're fun to do and I'm addicted, but I intend to give them as gifts so DH is more tolerant of my continuing sock yarn purchases!!)

I've finished off my brother's family and these are the results. I did Lynn H's "Mom's Fast Florida Footsies" using Cascade Fixation for my sis-in-law; Cat Bordhi's basic sock pattern on 2 circs for my brother using 100% Icelandic Wool from Tongue River Farms, and put my favorite parts of those patterns to use in making the pair for my 2.5 yr. old niece. I added a touch of fun to the top of the cuff for hers since I figure you can get away with adding frills to socks for kids.

I had a lot of fun doing these and have many more to share. (Didn't want to overload the page all at once!!)

I'm looking forward to some new, shorter dpns arriving to make sock knitting in the car on road trips easier as well as some new colors of Sockotta by Plymouth.

OTN now: a pair of Opal simple socks on US#1 dpns; 2 socks on 2 cirs made from purple hued Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock; some slipper-socks from old acrylic stash; and a pair on my new US#3 shorty dpns of Okara Sock 100% soybean fiber in "Lotus."

What's Blooming

I hit a slump in knitting enthusiasm so I decided to distract myself with a trip to the backyard to photograph what's in bloom. Turns out my day lillies are thriving in the heat and humidity that is Iowa in July. I had fun trying several perspectives on the flowers and found myself getting really inspired by the colors before me.

As it turns out, my stash basket is quite colorful too! And as the temperature and humidty continue to climb day by day the sock knitting seems a LOT more appealing than running around outside. So I'll be hitting the needles again tonight. Funny how one thing can inspire another, isn't it?!

Welcome!

If you're wondering about the title of this blog......it's mainly about knitting (ewe) and photograhy (eye). I'm just getting started in this world of blogging....so come back soon for an update!

Kim