Ty Dy, Sock Blanks, and a Serious Request

The Ty Dy socks are finished, and ready to send to Dee in North Carolina. I love how they came out, though I rather wish that the long streak of dark color at the heel had been livened up a bit with some lime green. This is the first time I've knit with Ty Dy (from Knit One Crochet Too)- it's very soft. I wonder how well it's going to hold up.

Remember back in August when I dyed SAFF class sample yarns and sock blanks with my 8 year old helper? Well, the dyed sock blanks had been hanging over the drying rack in my bathroom ever since (three months, if you're counting). Last night, after finishing the Ty Dys, I decided it was finally time to do something with them.

For those who don't know, Knit Picks Sock Blanks differ from some of the other undyed pre-knit sock yarns in that they're knit with a double strand, which makes dyeing identical pairs as easy as it can be. It also makes knitting two socks at a time a snap. Unfortunately, I don't knit two socks at a time. I'm a confirmed dpn-er, and while I can cast on two socks on separate sets of dpns, it's a pain to work them that way from a single ball of yarn (I'll do it if it's the only way to divide yarn, but otherwise... bleh).

So, I unraveled the blanks, and wound the strands into 2 identical balls. That took a bit of time, but was otherwise not a complicated procedure. Helper had requested that her yarn be knit into a scarf, rather than socks. I'll make her some sort of easy lace scarf, and will have plenty enough left over to knit a pair of fingerless mittens to match. I decided to make Christmas socks for the youngest Honorary Granddaughter with my yarn.

We'd been dyeing yarn for my SAFF class samples, none of which was pre-wet (dry yarn is needed for the that process), when we decided to use up the rest of the dye on the sock blanks. We painted (sprinkled, dabbed, spattered) dye on dry blanks (as opposed to the instructions which clearly state to wet the fabric in advance) so the colors didn't blend and soak through quite as well as they should have. On the other hand, I like heathery, mottled yarns, so I'm loving how my blank is knitting up. I thought I was going to be bothered by the curly yarn, but it's not an issue.

I'm using my generic sock pattern, with the addition of 4 rows of beads (added as I knit, with a little length of 28 gauge wire instead of a crochet hook). I think they're going to be adorable.

And now for something totally serious: Blog Friend and Frequent Poster Teklady27, is dealing with some serious health issues. Please send your prayers, wishes, and strong thoughts her way.

The Field Report, and other stuff

This is what the field looked like last week. But we've had some days with no rain, and nightly frosts, which helps the corn and soybeans to dry out, and the ground to firm up. Dustin hasn't been back to finish harvesting the field, but I suspect he'll get to it soon. In the meantime,

This is what the field looks like now

The combines take the beans and leave the husks and stems behind.

And the trucks leave trails along the roadside, which makes the birds fat and happy.

While watching some of this season's great new shows (V, Flashforward, Parks & Recreation- which, btw, had the funniest episode ever last night, Modern Family, Community), and the great old ones (The Office, 30 Rock, Dirty Jobs, Ghosthunters, Heroes)(yeah, I watch a lot of TV), I finished the first Ty Dy sock, and am past the heel on the mate. I'll probably finish the pair tonight.

I was very suprpised to find that there was a pattern repeat after all. I'm glad- I like matching socks.

And I finished Charlaine Harris's From Dead to Worse, and now have to decide whether to buy the hardback of Dead and Gone, or wait a year for the paperback. I want to know what happens next, so I think I know what my decision will be. And since I'm on a reading jag, I immediately started Grave Sight, from Charlaine's other current series, starring Harper Connelly. Except for having a supernatural power (finding dead bodies), Harper is as different from Sookie as can be, and the tone of these books is much darker and edgier.

 I'm enjoying this series too, and intend to find the other two installments that are currently available in paperback (and just in case anyone thought I was prolific- Charlaine has everyone beat- she writes two novels a year, every year. wow.).

A Normal Tuesday

Or at least, it's starting out that way, and I hope it lasts. I was majorly exposed to H1N1 while in NC, but did not get it (and it's been more than 7 days, so I think I'm home free. At least on this round). However, last week, I did,  suddenly develop PVD, which is annoying, though not dangerous. I can see around/through the new floater, and it's only in one eye (for now), so I'm able to knit, watch TV and read, and it wasn't a retinal tear or detatchment (or a brain tumor- hypochondria is my friend), which is what I feared. So that's good as well, and the Dr. tells me that my brain will eventually learn to ignore it. It's sort of a Welcome to Old Age message from my eyes... gee thanks...

But between not getting sick, and trying not to see the blob in the center of my field of vision, it's a Normal Tuesday. Heroes seems to be back on track (not Season 1 greatness, but a leap forward from The Black Tear Twins), tonight is Dirty Jobs, and I am very intrigued by V, which I will probably record.

And I'm working on the Ty Dy socks:

The color repeats are pretty random (that's a long streak of dark green/blue there at the heel), so these may be fraternal socks. Elizabeth asked about the pin- I use a safety pin to mark the beginning of the round- it's just a reminder.

Mary took my Spiral Self Patterning Dyeing class at SAFF. She chose the Watermelon colorway and wondered if she knit two at a time, from both ends of the ball, if the spirals would go the opposite direction. Here's proof that they don't, though the color order is reversed (something that I don't think you'd notice if it wasn't pointed out). Your socks look great, Mary! Thanks for sharing.

Linda designed a Stone Temple Pilots hat from the We Call Them Pirates pattern, that inspired the We Call Him Spidey Hat, which in turn inspired my We Call Him Spidey Mittens , which is how she came to the pattern in the first place, which you'll admit, is an interesting progression. Linda's hats (for her nephews) turned out beautifully!

And I bought the last two paperbacks in the Sookie Stackhouse series, by Charlaine Harris.

I'm reading All Together Dead, and enjoying it as much as the previous 6 books. One nice thing about coming to a series late in the game, is that I can do a lot of catch up reading before I have to wait a year in between installments.

And I intend to knit, read, work on pattern sizing, and watch TV today. But since it's a normal Tuesday, I need to run first. It's time to say good morning to my friends at the cemetary.