Ah yes, it is that time of the week when I take the time to update my goings on for the past week. It is dark outside, quiet inside (other than dog snores) and I have my cuppa. So let's get going.
I started TAAT socks on Monday evening. It has been years since I have done TAAT socks and longer since I have done toe up. My reasoning behind doing them TAAT toe up is, they needed to be done quickly and I wanted to make sure there would not be second sock syndrome.
The socks need another inch or so and then I will do the heel. These are for my sister-in-law. When I was in TX for my brother's passing, she mentioned how much she liked the bed socks she had inherited from my mom when she passed. She did mention they were just a tad big on her though. I got the hint LOL. I thought it would be nice to get these done and sent to her for a little early Christmas gift. The pattern is Southern Mossy Socks. Even though it is for a 'regular' sock, I figured I would just stop and add a cuff when it was ankle length on me.
Question for all you sock knitters. Do you find your tension is different on magic loop than it is on DPN's? These seem to be a bit bigger than when I work on DPN's. I used the same number of stitches I always use and the same size needle. I'm thinking I could have gone from a 1.5 US (2.5 mm) to a 1 US (2.25 mm) and gotten my DPN results. Anyone else notice this? Did you say swatch? Are you nuts?
Anyway, that is all I have done with fiber this week. My extra time was spent decorating for Christmas. Here a a couple of photos of some of my favorite areas of my home.
The tree is all trimmed. It is so hard to get a perfect shot of this. The tree is a flocked tree and that is the only part of the tree I dislike. When the tree goes up and comes down, we are cleaning up flocking for DAYS! We are seriously thinking of getting a plain Jane tree for next year. Well, a prelit plain Jane that is.
My next favorite area is our fireplace.
We have horrible inversions during the winter here, so seldom are we allowed to have a fire. So, what to do with our beautiful stone fireplace? We use it to showcase different things throughout the year. The cross stitch in the back of the fireplace was done by my mom many years ago. It is so nice to have it as a central point of our decor and reminds me of the talent and patience she had.
Today, hubby and I will be going to a friends house to make our annual copious amount of Chex Party Mix. This tradition has been passed down from my mom to me and we have continued it for several years. Take a look:
This is most of the ingredients for the mix. It will make about 16 gallons of chex party mix and by the time we get done handing out the bags, we will end up with 2 for ourselves. This is my hubby's favorite snack food. It is time consuming and normally takes me 8 hours to make this much. We have a friend who has 3 ovens so it should cut our time down to about 4 hours. I will let you know after we complete it, how long it took.
Now that the house is decorated and ready for the season, we are looking forward to all the people we will be entertaining in the next few weeks. Our Grand Daughter from Texas is coming to stay for a week during Christmas. My husband's sister and a brother will be here for a few days close to the end of the year. We may have one of our nephews and his wife for a day. Our dear friends from Las Vegas will be joining us for a gathering the last weekend of the year. It will be a busy time for us and by the beginning of next year we will be tired by so blessed by the love of family and friends.
I want to leave you with a little look of what I see daily.
He is patiently waiting for me to settle into my 'chair' so he can jump up and cuddle next to me. Look at those eyes. How can I say no to that look. His 'sister' has already taken her spot on the seat next to me (it is a divided love seat). She is not as big a cuddler as he is. She enjoys her loves and pets but likes to sleep cuddled with a blanket instead of a human.
But when the UPS guy or Amazon person comes to the door, this is what you would think.
Yup, they turn into Rambo!
Until Next Time..............................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Marsha :) Your tree is beautiful, I love the ribbons on it! I had to look up flocked, I think that would drive me nuts too, though we always have a live tree and we're sweeping up needles for a month! Your fireplace is so sweet! OMG 16 gallons of Chex Mix, that's awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteAwww...those eyes on your little furry are so HARD to resist! Jack eyes. :) LOL Rambo dogs...mine are NOT...you'd think at least the girls would be menacing to strangers, but they're all just too lazy!
I thought of Jack too when I took that photo. Jack's eyes always get me. They look so soulful and like he needs a friend.
DeleteI don’t really understand what Chex is, or Chex Mix. Sounds intriguing that you make so much. It sounds like you are going to have a lovely busy Christmas being social butterflies. I showed my husband the picture of the Rambo dog...our dog is definitely the same when the postie comes. It is sooooooo interesting this question about DPNs.,.first socks I made were with DPNs size 2mm US size 0, they fit perfectly but the DPNs were painful on my fingertips. Since I’ve used magic loop and my socks are all a bit looser. I thought it must have been the yarn, but now realise it probably is my tension/gauge being looser!
ReplyDeleteOh my, if you were already using 2mm needle then you would need to go down in the number of cast on stitches when you used circulars. I can not imagine using a 2mm. I am dreading using a 2.25mm the next time I do magic loop. I have used a 2.5mm since I first started making socks. The funny thing is, I started out on magic loop with a 2.5mm and they fit fine. Then I switched to DPN's and have done that for many years. Now I am going back to magic loop and they are too loose on the 2.5mm. Go figure!
DeleteI love the fireplace idea - so beautiful. I made a chex mix too that is my mom's recipe - we call it nuts and bolts. I made the first batch on Friday and then gifted it all - so today I will start batch number two. I can't say I notice a difference in my gauge - maybe a little if I do one sock on a 9in circular and the other on dpn's. I will have to pay more attention in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe recipe I use is also from my mom. I have heard it called Nuts and Bolts many times. I have adjusted the recipe a bit from the original to include a bit more 'flavor' to it. My mom's was a bit bland so I just doubled the spice ingredients and now it is bursting with flavor.
DeleteLooks like you and Ella are on the same topic this week (tension with circulars vs DPNs). Have never had a flocked tree, and after reading your post I don't think I'll ever be tempted to consider one. lol Yours is beautiful, though. Flocked trees ARE pretty!
ReplyDeleteNow, that's a lot of Chex Mix! I'm sure it will be enjoyed by your visitors in the coming days/weeks. I would have a tough time not eating it all up in the meantime... Cute little puppy. What big eyes! :)
We put the Chex Mix in a room with the door closed so we do not see or smell it daily. It will start to be distributed this week so there will not be as much temptation to eat it all.
DeleteYour house is so pretty with all your decorations. I had to look up what an "inversion" was! LOL! I'd never heard of it but now I understand. Your socks are turning out so nice. I would love to do 2 at a time but I'm sure I would mess it up...I have a hard enough time cuff down , one at a time! LOL! You are a very talented knitter. I always made chex mix over the holidays for years and years but I don't anymore. I eat differently now and there are several things I loved...Rotel was another that are way too salty for me now...go figure!?!
ReplyDeleteYour holidays sound jam packed with fun times and people!
I find I make less mistakes when doing TAAT socks. It still takes me the same amount of time to do a pair as it does on DPN's though. I read the other day that the Yarn Harlot can make a pair of socks in 8 to 16 hours depending on the size!!!! Golly Gee, in 8 hours I just have the cuffs or toes done! That is crazy fast.
ReplyDeleteLove the tree. It has been so long since I used dpns I can't comment I'm afraid. What is a swatch? ;-) I never swatch!
ReplyDeleteLOL on that doggy gif! Homemade Chex mix is so much betta than the store bought one. I need to figure out which heel I'm going to try for TAAT toe-up.
ReplyDeleteoh that sweet face!! I would love to snuggle with him. I am a diehard dpn knitter that I cannot opine about ML tension. I have yet to start baking, that will be next week with the holiday music blasting.
ReplyDelete