Mom's Knitting Room: 7/1/07

Welcome To Mom's Knitting Room

Welcome to my blog page. My site will update from time to time. You may on occasion see items rearranged or removed. So don't think you're going "crazy". I am still learning to navigate within the blog world.

My knitting experiences have been very slight. I have only been knitting about four years. Learning the "ropes" and "ins and outs" of knitting from my mom who has been knitting for over 50 years. I have had the privilege of having many talented women and men teach me their "tricks of the trade". They have been generous and patient with me as I learn this craft.

You might wonder why its taken so long for me to catch the "bug" of knitting, but until recently it occurred to me that this long lived art would die with my mom as she is the only one of three siblings who can knit and crochet. So in order to keep the tradition alive and hopefully pass this on to future generations in our family, I ventured out on this new journey and chapter in my life.

There are many knitters out there so willing to help "newbies" along this expedition of knitting. Along the way, I have been able to impart some new techniques, skills and information to my 80 year old mom. I've been able to introduce her to fabulous fibers as well. . . . .

Who said "you can't teach an old dog new tricks?!"

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Working with Panda Cotton Yarn

Working with this yarn was lovely. It has a nice elasticity and cool feeling. My socks came out with a nice drape and 'heavy' or substantial feel to it different than the first pair of socks made in Opal superwash wool. The colors are bright. I used one 50 oz. skein to virtually complete the pair. I only had to use a little yardage from the second skein. So now I can make another pair, maybe shorter in the same material. The only feature I didn't like about this yarn was the splitting of the plies. I found that I had to be careful not to split the plies and when I had to rip back a few stitches I found that the yarn would separate its plies. Other than that the yarn was terrific and the end result was quite satisfactory.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Panda Cotton - Socks Finished

My Panda Cotton socks are finally finished!!! These socks feel so comfy and drapey. The fabric is luscious! Panda Cotton by Crystal Palace Yarns and knitted on US #2 needles.

Cats and Dogs

I am quite blessed to have a husband who indulges me to no end. Our dog rescued a tabby cat with three kittens, all grown at this point. There were three females and one male, but the male cat ran away. The others have stayed. We have been successful in domesticating one of the three kittens, pictured below named Scratcher, plus the mother cat. We managed to spay all three female cats (Mommy Cat, Scratcher Face and White Face) and care for them daily. Two live with us while the third one (White Face) refuses to be housebroken. Doesn't matter to us, we still care for her and look for her daily to be sure she is safe and sound. We have a doghouse outside under our balconey so she is sheltered from the snow, rain and sleet. During the winter months we use a heating bowl for her water and put lots of blankies in her doghouse so she stays warm and dry.