Sock Love

When I learned to knit as a kid – I think it was as a Pioneer Girl (like Girl Scouts) to earn a badge – my mother passed her knitting equipment to me. I used the heck out of everything she gave me except for a set of five thin metal double-pointed needles; they looked more like  arcane surgical tools than tools to knit a comfy something. For many years, every time I opened my box or bag of knitting stuff, I would see those double-pointed needles clinking about and just shake my head.

Why would anybody go to the bother knitting socks? Socks wear through, socks are hard, and socks are cheap and easy to buy.

But now I know why, because I’ve just finished my first pair. It’s because they FEEL AMAZING ON YOUR FEET. My feet groaned in pleasure when I slipped these socks on. They are a Christmas present for my mother, and they are one of my favorite gifts I’ve made. I love that when she wears them, that my handwork will be keeping her feet warm and cozy. (She’s seen them via skype already!)

But truth be told, I only knit 3/4s of this pair of socks. When I first hit upon the crazy notion of knitting socks as Christmas gifts, I mentioned it to my friend Sierra.

She was all, “Stop! Don’t buy anything! You can have the pair I started four years ago!”

And there you go, I was suddenly in possession of wool, a pattern, needles, and a half-knit sock, and past the hurtle of starting, which can sometimes be the hardest part. I ripped out and reknit more stitches than I have ever ripped out and reknit in a single project before, but now that I’ve started my second pair, I feel that I’ve got the knack. (Meaning, I could teach YOU how to knit socks!)

Thanks Sierra.

Knitting socks is much easier than I expected, despite my initial struggles understanding the directions. Especially if you are already an experienced knitting. You don’t need more than knit and purl and the ability to read directions. But it would be best if somebody showed you in person.

I used a generic pattern for Worsted Sock-Slippers from KnitWitz, and I used about 200 yards of Cascade 220. The directions call for size 5 or 6 needles, but I knit fast and loose and found that size 3 gave me the correct gauge.

I have several other patterns now that I am anxious to try.

The first is CLASSIC SOCKS for the family – which has enough information to make socks in all sizes in fingering, sport and worsted wools. It’s the pattern sold by Yankee Knitter Designs recommended by soulemama. Check her adorable post and pictures of baby socks (on baby feet!) here – if that doesn’t make you want to start knitting socks I can’t be of any further help.

The second is out of the book that the lady who teaches sock knitting at The Yarn Lady uses, which is called Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. I’ve looked through most of it, and yup, it’s good: very thorough and clear explanations for every aspect of sock knitting. It would have helped a lot had I got it before I bumbled my way through that first pair. It’s available through the Orange County public library system.

So, general directions for how to knit worsted slipper socks:

Cast on 52 stitches, and distribute evenly between 3-4 double pointed needles. Join stitches in round, being careful not to twist.

Work 4.5 inches of ribbing in K3 (knit 3) P1 (purl 1) or whatever ribbing and length you prefer.

Heel Flap: the heel flap is just that, a short square where you go back and forth with half of your stitches. The other half hangs out on the other needles, just waiting for you to get back to them.

Divide stitches for the heel as follows:

Row 1 – sl 1 (slip 1 stitch without turning it), K exactly half the stitches (minus the one you slipped) onto one needle

Row 2 – sl 1, P across

Row 3 – *sl 1, K 1, repeat from * across (This is create a reinforced raised ribbing for the heel)

Row 4 – sl 1, P across

Repeat rows 3 and 4 ten more times. (Now you have a knit square attached to your sock ribbing.)

Turning the heel (this is will make the heel turn in an L-shape with strategically placed stitches knit together):

Row 1 – sl 1, K to middle of flap, K2, ssk (slip one stitch as if to knit, slip a second one as if to knit, and then slide the left needle through the front of both and knit them), K 1, turn

Row 2 – sl 1, P 5, P2tog (purl two stitches together), P 1, turn

Row 3 – sl 1, K 6, ssk, K1, turn

Row 4 – sl 1, P7, P2tog, P1, turn

Continue forth in this manner until all heel stitches are worked.

Slip all 26 instep stitches onto same needle (that is, slip all the non-heel stitches onto one needle).

Next row – K across half the heel stitches with one needle. With another needle, K remaining heel stitches, and with that same needle pick up stitches in slipped stitches along side the heel flap. There should be about 10 or so. Be sure to pick an extra stitch at the top of the heel flap to avoid a hole in the gusset.

Using another needle, K across the instep stitches (top of the sock).

Using another needle, pick up the  same number of stitches along the other side of the heel flap, and with that same needle, K the first half of the heel stitches.

The beginning of the round is now the middle of the heel stitches. There should be an equal number of sts on needles 1 and 3, and half of what you originally cast on needle 2.

Shape Gusset:

Round 1 – K

Round 2 – One first needle, K to the last 3 sts at the end of needle, k2tog, k1. On second needle, K across. On third needle, K1 , ssk, K to end.

Round 3 – K

Work gusset rounds 2 and 3 until sts on needles 2 and 3 equal the instep sts (so now you have the same number you cast on)

Foot: Knit every round until the sock is 1 1/2 inches less than the desired length (about where your toes start)

Shape Toe:

Round 1 – on first needle, K to last 3 sts at end of needle, k2tog, k1. On second needle, K1, ssk, K to last 3 sts at end of needle, K2tog, K1. On third needle, K1, ssk, K to end of needle.

Round 2 – K

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until there are 16 sts left (4, 8, 4)

Kitchener stitch the end closed or use a 2 needle bind off. Both are easy and easily googled.

Tuck in your ends and you’re DONE!

Whew. There, now I can knit socks where ever I am in the world…

P.S. Gauge: 24 sts and 32 rows per 4″

 

 

Gifties

I went to a lovely baby shower this weekend, and Chad got to spend his first solid two hours alone with the dude walking about old town San Juan Capistrano.

The shower was held at a tea house, called The Tea House on Los Rios. It was just my kind of baby shower, with just two games played (I won a teapot for one!) and good company – fueled of course by lots and lots of black tea and scones with homemade clotted cream and preserves. (Okay, the finger sandwiches weren’t as good as the tea at the Huntington Gardens, but the scones and desserts were great.)

My dilemma was that now that I’ve had a baby shower thrown for me, I’ve experienced first hand how generous people tend to be at these affairs, besides which, I really like the woman for whom the shower was being thrown and I was being fed a pretty nice lunch. I wanted to get her a thoughtful big-ish gift, but our gift budget is, well, pretty much nil at the moment.

So at the risk of appearing like a cheapskate, I made all my gifts by hand.

Luckily I had my s-i-l’s serger at my disposal. I made a receiving blanket (bamboo velour and flannel), two softies (bamboo velour and two kinds of flannel), two wash cloths (bamboo fleece and flannel), and then a knit horse (out of cotton yarn and stuffed with the scraps from the previously named gifts).

They were a hit! I felt especially good about how the horse came out. And Christian got so attached to that horse (in the short time he lived fully constructed in our home – 1/2 hour??), that I realized that I’m going to have to quickly get started on another one.

The directions for the horse came from Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton’s A First Book of Knitting for Children. I recommend you get the book – but I will post general directions for this horse shortly and then I’ll post a link to those directions here.

(If you want to get started, cast on 10 stitches and knit 28 rows. Cut the yarn, leaving a hands length. Leaving the first leg on the needle, repeat for the second leg – when you get to the 28 row, cast on 10 more and then knit across the first leg…)

I think Christian needs at least two.

 

I Dub Thee “Finito”

I actually completed a handwork project yesterday. Okay, so it was after the event it was intended for, but still it’s FINISHED!

I actually gave the horse to my friend at her baby shower with just a partial mane and tail – he is so much cuter with a full mane and bushy tail.

This is the first knit animal I’ve ever completed, which is ironic considering how many people I’ve taught and encouraged to knit animals (pigs and horses so far – we start lions next week – and true to my track record, I’ve never knit a lion myself either…) You can read the directions for how to make him here.

So, this July will be a month of COMPLETION. I will finish up lots and lots of projects (and only start one or two…) It is SO HARD FOR ME TO FINISH A PROJECT. I almost had to hold my breath and just race through the last bits of that horse without thinking, to get him finished.

If I put a project aside even for a minute, it can languish for months or years. No joke.

Projects started in the last year that I intend to finish by July 28:

woolen vest for Christian

two knit pigs

the hair transplant on my niece’s doll

Wallace (a heavy baby doll for Flann- omg ALMOST DONE)

two dozen cloth menstrual pads

one dozen cloth napkins

wet bag and two shoe bags for Corrina (belated Christmas gift!)

and most embarrassingly…

half of my baby announcement cards (which are already addressed and stamped, but now require a updated picture!)

Projects not yet started, but still must get finished by the end of the month:

wet bag, laundry bag and two shoe bags for my m-i-l’s retirement gift

Bella’s laundry bag, wet bag and two shoe bags

Laundry bag, wet bag and two shoe bags for her friend taking her to NYC

Laundry bag, wet bag and two shoe bags for her friend’s aunt who is taking them.

Laundry bag, wet bag and two shoe bags for ME!

 

BKK, Here We Come

After much handwringing and fussing about, I finally booked tickets to Bangkok this weekend. I couldn’t wait to do it at home in peace and quiet – no, I had to call United and be on hold for twenty minutes at a stretch right in the middle of a family reunion celebrating my mother-in-law’s retirement (Hurray Ann!!).

In any case it was worth it. I watch plane fares compulsively when I know I have a trip coming up, and like a travel agent obsessed, I flinched when fares soared and cheered when I found a $874 LAX-BKK roundtrip on China Airlines. That’s about as cheap an air ticket as I’ve ever found to Thailand. I found the cheapest dates to leave, and return, which was tricky because Bella and I are returning separately.

Then my brother offered to let me us his frequent flyer miles as an early Christmas present.

After lots of phone time with United, my mission was accomplished.

My ticket: $75

Bella’s ticket: $75

Christian’s ticket: $379

Total: pocket change

I’m thinking about the banana pancakes made near the end of Sue’s street, with condensed milk dripped all over it; the steaming hot salty noodle soup at nighttime, the fresh fruit along the soi

and coconut yogurt every morning for breakfast!

 

No Plastic, Please

I find that even though we have weeded most of Christian’s plastic toys from our home, he gets plenty of exposure to mainstream toys: there are brightly colored plastic toys and noise-makers where ever we go. Still, my resolve remains firm to keep his toys simple, natural, and conducive to imaginative play – especially with his first birthday just two weeks away.

Family and friends have been asking what Christian wants or needs, and while he is perfectly happy with what he already has, from past experience I know that people tend to ignore “no presents necessary” clauses on birthday invitations (and then the people who listened to you and didn’t bring a gift feel like boobs) . So, I’ve created a wish list for Christian, in an attempt to productively channel our impulse to shower the dude with presents.

First and foremost, I would love to see Christian get handmade gifts or help towards making any of the Waldorf-type toys that I posted about here. Just the lumber for those two playstands will run at least $50 and will probably require a weekend of focused attention. Blocks made from tree trunk sections of varying widths and lengths would be wonderful and I think that a play kitchen would get years of good use. We already have a wicker laundry basket full of regular wooden blocks.

Since we are trying to set up child-centric spaces in our home, a small wooden table and chairs, like the kind you can find at Ikea would be useful. As would a wooden step stool for the bathroom sink. Hooks (rows of hooks – I saw some that looked likes branches) would be nice, for hanging capes and costumes. Of course, he’s not wearing capes yet, but many of the kids who come over to play are.

We don’t have any non-plastic toys for the tub. Christian loves bath time, so I’m on the lookout for simple wooden boats to float.

He’s at the age where he finds animals and fish fascinating, so a zoo pass to the Santa Ana or San Diego Zoo would be good. Ditto for the Long Beach Aquarium or the Scripps Aquarium at La Jolla. Heck, we would be totally psyched to get an annual pass to the local Laguna Niguel Regional Park (which could be used for all regional parks including the beaches).

In case none of these ideas appeal to you, I also set up a wish list at Nova Natural Toys + Crafts. Keep in mind that many of those pricier items I hope to make, not buy. Also, the list is just a general guide; when there is a car listed, I just picked one on the page when any of the cars or trucks would do. The list is under the name Christian Holden Murdy and his wish list ID is GG3ATN.

And in the end, the best gift would be time. Christian is a social guy and would love to spend a morning or afternoon with you outdoors at the beach or hiking in a local park. He’s happiest outdoors and with people who make him grin.

P.S. While I really wanted a walker for Christian, I think it’s too late; he’s already given up crawling and walking with any aid – he just wants toddle by himself now.

 

Just a Very Small Piece of My Soul

I just put my very first bit of advertising on womantalk.

My brother asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told him I could use another nursing tank top, Mark Bittman’s book How To Cook Everything, or a springform pan. He told me to go ahead and get all three and to let him know how much and he would send a (electronic) check. (How’s that for efficiency?)

I immediately went to glamourmom.com and started sorting through colors and prices. I have two glamourmom tank tops and basically they’re what I wear every day of the week. I wear them by themselves and underneath anything. A third tank top will be useful because I plan to nurse Christian through another summer or two.

I like them because it’s a nursing bra and a tank top in one piece, which means I never have to show my midriff in public. People can gaze at the top of my busom all they want, and actually I don’t even care if they catch sight of a bit of aureole, but my muffin top? That’s private.

In any case, it turned out that if I became a “glamourmom,” I would get 20% of any purchase made with my code. If you click through the glamourmom ad in my right sidebar and make a purchase, it automatically gets credited to me! And that 20% accumulates in a glamourmom account and I can spend it on any products that glamourmom sells. I can even trade the glamourmom bucks in for cash if I want (but I assure I won’t – I love these tanks!)

Of course I didn’t read the fine print first, which says that I can’t earn glamourmom bucks with purchases I make myself or for any products shipped to my house. So now I need to find somebody to order and pay for my tank top from my brother. (Sierra??)

These tank tops make great gifts for any nursing mom in your life. If you’re thinking about buying one, please do it by going through my site here.

Thanks.

 

Happy Birthday Darlene!

One of my dearest friends turns sixty today. When I expressed surprise (I’m forty), she said, Yeah my dad was pretty shocked too – but he’s turning 90!!

Darlene, my thoughts are with you today and I’m thinking of all the wonderful qualities about you that I appreciate and love.

I love how you maintain a positive outlook on life.

I love how curious you are.

I love how deeply you are willing to investigate issues, even uncomfortable ones.

I love how you assimilate information and continue to grow.

I love how you are a role model for unschoolers.

I love how you involve yourself in improving the sense of local community.

I love how generous you are with your home for people to gather.

I love how you support other moms and parents by being a La Leche League leader, Bradley teacher, hosting moms-at-home meetings, speaking at conferences, and in other ways too numerous to mention.

I love that now that your children are grown that you still have a beautiful playroom in your home.

I love that you’ve made a tradition of Martinmas and that you put on a puppet show for the children every year.

I love your singing voice.

I love how you take care of your home – inside and out.

I love how you appreciate and take care of your husband.

I love how you raised your five amazing boys.

I love how you feed and welcome people into your home.

I love how resourceful and practical you can be.

I love how you massage,

And that you and I were dedicated to giving each other full body massages once a week for years!

I love how you take the time to take care of your body, spiritually, physically, and mentally, every day.

I love what a great communicator you are.

I love that we can talk for hours every week about anything under the sun.

I love how open you are to snuggling with girlfriends.

I love how you cultivate and nurture your friendships with women.

I love how I feel after we’ve spent time together.

I love how you give thoughtful and generous gifts. (I remember once you came to my door with a present – on YOUR birthday! Another time you snuck into my house to see what ceramic dishes I already had.)

Darlene, I don’t know if I’ve ever met somebody as committed to being the absolute best possible manifestation of herself as you are (except maybe my dad). You have not only been a loyal and loving friend for fifteen years, but you inspire me to be the best possible me as well.

I love you!

 

Fruit Sling Ti-Ti

Chad was just last night speculating how much Noi naa, my niece, was going to enjoy her cousin Christian this Christmas now that he’s grinning and recognizing people so well.

She loved him when he couldn’t much more than lean against a pillow. First thing in the mornings this summer in Virginia, she would run into our bedroom rhymically chanting “Ti-ti, Ti-ti…” But she didn’t say “Ti-ti” loudly like the name of a Polynesian king, but a softly aspirated “teee-teee.”

I heard too that the morning after we had left Virginia that Noi naa had put apples down the front of her shirt and called them Ti-ti. She was imitating how she had seen me carry Christian in his sling.

Well, apples won’t do!, I thought. And I got right to work on a Ti-Ti doll and sling for Noi naa.

Here’s the Waldorf-style Ti-Ti doll and sling I made for Noi naa’s Christmas gift this year. He is made with all natural fibers: wool stuffing, mohair “hair”, and cotton skin. And talk about saving money – these dolls cost over $100 at natural toy stores. When I make my next doll, I’ll take pictures and post a tutorial. The model is Anna, one of my favorite little girls in my attachment parenting group.