What's up? Toe up!

I have been wanting to learn how to knit toe up socks for awhile now. So, when I was at Barnes and Noble the other day, I picked up Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson. Now, I have heard some mixed reviewed from other knitters. But after looking at the book, I decided it looked like a book I like. I think her explainations are clear and I like the more classic socks. Now, I really like Cookie A's socks. But I think her socks in her latest book, Sock Innovation, are a little more complex than I want to knit at this time.

So here is the beginning of my sock.

It is Lace and Cable Sock knit with Smooshy in Go Go Grassy. The color is pretty true. I think of wild grasses when I see this yarn. I love how the cables travel up the side of the sock. I used Judy's Magic Cast on for the initial cast on technique. Here's a link by Cat Bordhi demonstrating this cast on technique. I found this a little challenging at first. I wish I had Cat's YouTube link when I was starting the sock. Not only did I learn toe up socks, I am knitting with 2 circular needles. I really like this technique and I may not use double points again. What did we do before YouTube and the internet?

Great Basin National Park

It's been a week since we got home from Great Basin. Just enough time to edit the pictures and do stuff like work! According to our ranger guide, Great Basin is the least visited park in the US with 80,000 visitors a year. This could be because it is in a remote area of Nevada. It was a 3 and 1/2 hour drive from St. George through some very remote areas. We were camping over my birthday, the 23rd.

We camped at the Baker Creek Campground. It was about 7700 feet with pines and aspens in the campground.

The site was really a tent site with the tent "pad" hidden in an alcove of pines. We parked the trailer on the uneven ground and parked the Jeep sideways off the campground road.

Madison, the wonder poodle, stayed with Britt and Jerid and kids for her puppy vacation because she wasn't allowed on the trails or cave tour. Now, I really couldn't hike because my foot and knee are still rehabing, but we did take the cave tour. Lehman Caves is one of the biggest attractions in Great Basin NP. The link will give you more information than you probably want to know about the caves. The cave was discovered by Absolom S. Lehman, who owned the ranch where the cave is located. In 1881, Absolom ran it as an attraction allowing anyone who could pay the $1 entrance fee to explore the cave by candle light for 24 hours. I took many pictures of the cave but they really don't have the scale needed for such a large cave.


When stalactites and stalagmites meet, they form columns.

Joe and I took the 90 minute Ranger led tour. It was well worth the money and time. I have never been in a cave before and this was quite an experience. This link has some good pictures of the cave.

I was very surprised to find out that Great Basin NP is home to the second highest peak in Nevada, Wheeler's Peak at 13,063-feet. The Wheeler Peak Campground at approx. 10,000-feet is accessible by a narrow winding road. While we were there, it was still going below freezing at night, so there was no running water at the campground.

We were able to hike the Nature Trail at the Wheeler's Peak trail head area. This is a gentle even terrain trail that is wheelchair accessible. But, I have to warn you, it is about 10,000 feet in elevation and there was snow still around in the middle of June.

And this site has some wonderful pictures of the area. Kristi Fillman is a photographer with her site Highdesertwest.com. She has some really gorgeous photos of this little known area. I want to go back to Great Basin next year when my foot is better and we can try some hikes.

Cuddle Blanket

This is my most recent project. It's Morgan's cuddle blanket. Mom, Ariella, requested a blanket knit like a hooded bath towel. She wanted a soft blanket to cuddle with Morgan. So, of course, I had to knit it in a very bright color. I love this color. It is color 1386, Jelly Beanz by Plymouth yarn. I will knit it until it is a 36 inch square. Then I will knit a triangle to go over little Morgan's head.

In a camping note, Joe and I just got home from Great Basin National Park. I will try to post some pictures in the next couple days. For those with sharp eyes, the backgroung for Morgan's cuddle blanket is a flat large rock at our campsite. More later!

Summer Knitty

Have you seen the Summer '09 Knitty? I really love Entomology. I bought a skein on Anne by Schaefer Yarns a few weeks ago on a Ravelry yarn sale site. The yarn is a lovely shade of rose. I think it is Ashes of Roses but there wasn't a tag with the skein. I wanted to try this yarn because I love the colorways dyed by Schaefer. I have knit some socks in Lola and I loved how soft and spongey the socks were. So, I took a dive with this yarn. I think I will knit this little shoulder wrap without the beads. I am excited and would usually just start knitting it tonight. But I have a whopper of a chest cold and am not feeling so great. In fact, I slept 11 hours last night and took today off work. I am currently working on a cuddle blanket for Morgan. Ariella requested a blanket with a little hood like the hooded bath towels. So I am knitting the cuddle blanket in Jelli Beanz in color 1386, a red with flecks of yellow, blue and purple.

And the Winner is.......

And the winner is....... Sara. I've notified Sara and I hope to get the bracelet out this week.

I have been having some stressful times since coming home from NJ. It involves work personnel issues but not me. Let's just say, I've been stressed and a little sad. It is hard for me to blog when I'm not feeling really up. I have been knitting a little but now I have a cold. I'm sure I set myself up with the stress! Oh, well. It's time to relax, drink some tea and nap.

Graduation for Jenny

I feel like a slacker. I have not blogged since we went to NJ for the very big event....Jenny's graduation from The University of the Arts, in Philadelphia. It was a busy 12 days filled with a graduation party, moving Jenny out of her apartment, the graduation ceremony and an ear infection for little Morgan.

Here's our proud graduate, Jenny. This is the first picture of Jenny we have since freshman year in high school. She doesn't like to have her picture taken and refused to have a senior portrait! Some kids!

This is Joe, Jenny and I.

And finally, Lindsay, Jenny and Ariella. I really like this picture of the 3 girls.

Now, this little miss was enjoying her wading pool. We took very few pictures of Morgan this trip because she was feeling so poorly with her ear infection. 103 temps and not eating well. I'm surprised her enjoyed the wading pool.

While we were in NJ, I did get a little knitting done. This is the left front of the Smock Coat by Debbie Bliss. I have the back and this front finished. I started the right front. It is a lot of seed stitch.

There are 2 more days left in my contest. Just drop me a comment and you are in the drawing.

Crazy Lake Days

The summer season is officially here in Southern Utah. Joe and I and Madison the wonder poodle went to Lake Powell for the weekend. Temperatures were in the 80s with very few people at the lake. I didn't take knitting to the lake. We ride to the houseboat in a small boat and I have gotten my knitting wet in previous years. Plus, my good friend, Joan, is a beader. So, I have been taking beads and beading projects.

Now, Joan and I are two different kind of beaders. Joan strings semi-precious beads and pearls. She has a torch and is a metalsmith with silver. She makes amazing necklaces with semi-precious cabochons and crystals. She is also very good at finishing necklaces with the findings. I have not taken classes in finishing. So, I am learning some good techniques from Joan.



This necklace is a pale peachy-pink potato pearl necklace I made. These are 5 mm pearls with 3 mm brass spacer beads. I saw a necklace similar to this in the Smithsonian Store that cost about $100. I actually like my necklace better.



Here's a closer look at the necklace. I have had these pearls for several years and just didn't know what I wanted to make with them.



These vintage coral beads have been in my collection for many years. I bought them on ebay and they were just strung on a temporary string. They are strung with 3 mm turquoise beads and pearls. This is not the best picture of them. I love the combination of turquoise and coral.

I am a bead weaver. I love the repetitive motion of hand bead weaving. I have beaded for about 4-5 years. I think I have begun to be a beader again.



This bracelet is a petite project from the Embroiderer's Guild of America. When I was a member of the Monmouth Chapter EGA, I signed up for almost every class offered. I wanted to support the chapter and the teachers. I never beaded this kit until this weekend. This petite project has the uninspired title of "Even count Peyote Bracelet" by Candy Jepsen. I call this bracelet "Crazy Lake Days". This bracelet was inspired by crazy quilts. It is beaded with Delica beads. Delica beads are cylinder shaped and very even. They have a large hole for weaving thread through several times. The colors of the bracelet are medium to medium dark and most of the beads have a iris rainbow finish. I have decided to have a contest for this bracelet. To be the winner of this bracelet, all you need to do is leave me a comment and link this posting to your blog. Because I'm not the most organized blogger, I will continue this contest until May 25.

For all you knitter, I photographed the beadwork on my Stonington Shawl. I didn't understand the light weight quality of the DK yarn used by Elizabeth Zimmermann. And I knit my shawl with a worsted weight alpaca. It is now a throw for the sofa.

So, leave me a comment and good luck.