Read and Watch the World Grow

I have been doing quite a bit of reading. It's funny, I have been keeping track of the books I have read since 1985. It's interesting to go back and see how many books I have read in a year. Some years it's quite a lot (at one time I worked in a library as a bookkeeper) and other years it's very few or none at all. The most books I ever read in a year was 57 in 1988. Because I haven't been working I have been reading like crazy. I have currently read 45 books this year and I am determined to at least meet or beat the amount of books read in 1988. Since, I only have to read 12 more books, I think I can meet that goal. I would have to read at least one book a week until the end of the year. Let's see how well I do.

I have currently read the following books: I'm a Debbie Macomber fan and I have read A Little Bit Country, Country Bride, 74 Seaside Ave, Caroline's Child, Dr. Texas, and Back on Blossom Street. I love them all. I have continued with Stephen White's series about Alan Gregory and have read The Program, The Best Revenge, Blinded, Missing Persons, and Kill Me. There is only one more book in this series and I will be sad that I have read them all. I am sure he is writing more, but I will just have to wait until he finishes writing them. I also enjoy Mary Higgins Clark and just finished No Place Like Home and I couldn't resist reading Wonderful Tonight by Patti Boyd. She was married to George Harrison and Eric Clapton. They both wrote wonderful songs about her. I see that Eric Clapton has an autobiography coming out. I will have to get that book to read.

What would I do without books and knitting?

More Socks

This past week has not been a good week. Around Tuesday, I started with a sore throat and felt awful the rest of the week. It didn't really feel like a cold so I guess it was allergies. I certainly slept a lot and didn't get much knitting done.

I did finish the Online blue socks and they even fit. I am so excited!

I have been adding more sock yarn to my stash. I ordered from Seaport Yarn. I saw Luna Park in a magazine and fell in love. So I had to get me some and while there I found Colinette Jitterbug. The Luna Park is color 200 and 204 and the Jitterbug yarn is in the Kingfisher color. I've heard some controvery over this yarn, so I will have to see what happens. It looks as if I may need to wash the socks separately, when I first wash them.

Since I finished the online sock, I really wanted to try out the Luna Park. So, I cast on and I've finished the gusset. I am ready to turn the heel. I am using color 200 on size 2 needles with the Basic Patternworks pattern. I really like how the striping is coming.

Stash Enhancement

Well, I have been adding to my stash and there is more to come. Of course, I had to buy yarn at Kraemer's fabulous 50% off sale. I didn't get many different kinds of yarns, but I got quite a bit. I got a skein of Sockotta in color number 6670 and I got 20 skeins of Summit Hill in pearl. Kraemer's name brand yarn was not suppose to be on sale, but they reduced the Summit Hill because they are going to be making hanks instead of balls.

When I went to class that Saturday, I got there about 5 minutes early and had a hard time finding a parking space. Fortunately, I have been there often enough, that I parked in the back of the store. I got in the store, picked out my yarn and got in line. It didn't take me long to get checked out. Thank God. Not too much later you had to wait in line for 45 - 60 minutes to get checked out.

I also added Shi bui sock yarn in color number 51302 and Dream in Color Smooshy in happy forest. I got these skeins from Simply Socks Yarn Company.

From the Loopy Ewe, I got Dream in Color Smooshy in Lipstick Lava, All things Heather in midnight frost, and Shi bui in color 1675 (it's like a pumpkin color).

I just ordered more yarn from the Loopy Ewe today. I wanted some Wollmeise. I had to order fast. I had yarn in my basket and before I knew it, it was gone. I got three different skeins though and just checked a couple of minutes ago and the Wollmeise is all gone. Thank god I got some.

I also was able to snag a skein of Dragons Blood from Hello Yarn. She is having another update tomorrow and I would really like to get some Homespun yarn. Hope she has some.

I guess I better get to knitting me some socks!

Knit One, Purl Two pick up a stitch that's all you do.

Where the heck did I get that title? Somehow it just popped into my mind. I must have learned it somewhere.

I have been knitting away and wanted to post my pictures. Mostly dishcloths and comfortghan squares.

Here is the progress on my sock. One down, one to go. I think it's looking pretty good, plus I got the second sock to start around the same point, so they should be a matched pair. I have to get me some sock blockers.

I have been knitting dishcloths. This one is from the Monthly dishcloth group. It's a Happy Birthday cloth designed by Kim Fortin. I used Sugar and Cream in a hot blue color.

The second one is called the Straight Vines Cloth from my Dishcloths R US Yahoo group. It is designed by Katherine Frazier and I used Sugar and Cream green stripes.

Here are two comfortghan squares I completed out of my goal of 12 for my Dishcloths R US group:

The one on the top is called Little Checks Square by Mary Dixon and the one on the bottom is called Basket Welt Square by Mary Dixon. I used size 8 needles for both and I used TLC Essentials yarn by Red Heart in Fusion.

I am currently working on another Comfortghan square in addition to my second sock. My fingers are flying!