Look What Lion Brand Has!

http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/BK4K-0702003.html?noImages=0 Eco-Friendly Expandable Shopping Bag Lion Brand® Lion Organic Cotton GAUGE: 16 stitches by 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) with US #8 (5mm) needles BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE.

BAG With A and smaller needles, cast on 59 stitches. Rows 1-8: Knit Row 9: Knit 1, *bind off one stitch, knit 1. Repeat from * to end of row - 30 stitches. Row 10-34: Change to B and larger needles. Knit. Row 35: Change to A and smaller needles. Knit 1, **yarn over, knit 1. Repeat from ** until end of row -- 59 stitches. Rows 36-44: Knit Row 45: Change to circular needle. Place a marker. Knit to end of row. Cast on 196 stitches. Join, being careful not to twist knitting. Rows 46-50: Knit Row 51: Purl Row 52: Knit Row 53: Purl Row 54-58: Knit Row 59: Knit 59 stitches, bind off until the marker is reached. Row 60-68: Change to straight needle, knit. Row 69: Knit 1, *bind off one stitch, knit 1. Repeat from * to end of row - 30 stitches. Rows 70-94: Change to B and larger needles. Knit. Row 95: Change to A and smaller needles. Knit 1, **yarn over, knit 1. Repeat from ** until end of row -- 59 stitches. Rows 96-104: Knit Bind off all stitches. When the piece is lying flat before assembly, there will be two sides and a continuous loop that is the handle. FINISHING: Thread a large-eyed, blunt needle with about 24 inches [60 cm] of A. Starting at the bottom of the bag, sew sides to handle. Where A is joined to A, one row should join to one stitch. Where the side row of (A) is being joined to (B), the center part of the (B) stitches is positioned every third stitch on the strap. Tie off, weave in ends. During assembly, the two sides are folded up along the loop and sewn so that the continuous loop becomes the handle of the bag

Slow Progress -- Second Pair of Socks

No pictures yet to post of my second set of socks. I've spent more time frogging this adventure than knitting. Sock 1 is past the heel and 1/2 way up the ankle now. FINALLY!

My first socks were knitted top down. I wanted to learn toe up. Carmen recommended her favorite book. Johanna recommended her favorite website. AJ gave me more advice. I visited them all, read them all and it was Greek. I couldn't figure out how to get started.

This is a blow to my ego because I've been knitting close to 40 years now. I should be able to do this. SO -- I took a little from one; a little from the other and just started. I liked the way the toe cast on and decided this would be a pair of socks for Pat. Rip out the white yarn. Start over with black. I'm going to make Pat's socks white with black toe and heel.

First problem: how long do I make the foot of the sock? We were in the process of traveling to Texas for Easter when I was at this point so I kept making Joe and Pat bare their feet and let me measure to see if it was long enough. (Joe's feet are same size as Pat's. He was wearing sandals, so he became the official measuring source. Besides that, Pat was driving.)

When I got back to Kansas and my computer, Johanna told me the trick of measuring the wearer's hand to get the foot size. She said the length of the hand from longest finger to bottom of the heel is same as distance from where the heel ends and rest of sock goes to the toes. GREAT! I started measuring to Pat's hand.

Second problem: The patterns I was reading were doing a heel turn much like I had done on the top down sock. I dropped the white thread and started black for the heel flap, picking up white on the other side. After about six rows I discovered my black wasn't attathed to the white at all. This heel would not work. FROG! I resigned myself to a white heel and maybe some black trim at the top of the sock to balance the black toe.

Keeping track of the peacock stitch and the gussetting of the heel was driving me to distraction. While in Manhattan, Ks. (The Little Apple, as they call themselves) for a library meeting, I visited Wildflower, AJ and Johanna's favorite yarn store. The lady there had a small pamphlet on toe up sock knitting! AND it made sense! Even better, it had a different sort of heel turn that would let me use the black yarn. ( I can't remember what the turn is called, but it doesn't require a gusset.) FROG again. (about the 6th time by now. Had a lot of problems at the beginning.)

OOPS! The heel was turned and I had about an inch of white knitted above it when I tried the sock on Pat. It was too short. It fit me. I still don't know how this happened with all the measuring I was doing, but I can only figure this new heel turn made a shorter turn than the gusseted one. I'm not frogging again! The socks will be for Reyes, now, instead of Pat. Nice to have grandsons...

But now it's Spring and there's yard work and lots of library visits and I'm not getting home until late (or inside the house until late.) I also need to finish the baby gifts for Sandy and Jaime. They are both due in July. Looks like the sock is on the back burner.

One the bright side, we have found a broadband provider and left the dial-up service we had. (YEA!!) I can play my stupid computer game again!! (Runescape.) Steve is working for lvl 99 cooking which requires lots of fish. I'm helping him fish and fishing is one of the most boring activities on Runescape. Irial does it all with very little interaction from me. I just move the mouse once in a while to keep the screen from logging off. SO -- I knit while I fish.

See, there's always a way to work in the vices (knitting and Runescape being high on my list.)

Oh yes -- after I make this pair of toe up socks, I'm going to learn knitting two socks at the same time. With 8 more pairs (at least) to make before Christmas, I need to get faster at this.

Kansas Alpaca Farm

I'm looking forward to Saturday. My cousin Marie and I are going north of Ottawa to the holiday Open House at Kansas Alpaca Farm. Bonnie Samuel, one of the farm's owners, is a member of KansasKnits.

She surprised me when Pat and I visited last winter. The first thing you see when you enter the barn/show room is an 8x10 framed print of the KansasKnits logo! Bonnie doesn't chat much on this list, but you can tell she enjoys reading it!

Another reason I'm looking forward to the outing is reconnecting with Marie. She's the oldest of the cousins and I'm the baby. We haven't had much chance to get to know each other until recently. Ten years and lots of physical distance has separated us at other times in our lives. Now we're finding out how much we have in common. Isn't it great to reconnect with family?

Flat Lala

Granddaughter Lala's class read the book Flat Stanley, about a boy who has a bulletin board drop on him and it makes him "flat as a pancake." Other than that, Stanley is quite healthy. He finds his new condition fun -- he can fold himself into an envelope and mail himself on vacations.
The class made Flat Students and has mailed them to family and friends all over the country. They are going to learn math (how far did your Flat Student travel?), geography (where did s/he travel?), reading and language skills as well as social studies from the project.
Flat Lala arrived at our house yesterday. She went to work with me today and helped type library cards, make calls to schedule library visits and she rode in the Camaro with the convertible top down. (Of course she wore her safety belt so she wouldn't fly away.)
Tonight Flat Lala received a hand knit skirt (that can be worn as a poncho) and a crocheted lavender beret. She may be one of the best dressed Flat Students going.
The above picture shows Flat Lala reading her bedtime story.
I'm having fun with this project. I hope real Lala enjoys it as much as Grandma does!
By the way, Flat Lala has her own blog. It's http://FlatLala.blogspot.com

Why I Didn't Finish My Knitting

It was sock #2 of my first pair of socks and I only had the toe left to finish. When I went to get my knitting, I found the basket was full.
Meet Morris, Joe's #1 cat.

Great Sock Challenge 2007

Here's the logo Johanna designed for the Great Sock Challenge. Hm... when I get brave, I may make a pair that looks like this.

I love KansasKnits!

Just short of a year ago, I started a chat group for Kansans and Kansans-at-heart who knit and crochet. I called it KansasKnits. I was afraid no one would join us, but we have about 30 members now.
I've only met a handful of the KansasKnitters in person, but I feel like they are all my good friends. Carmen lives in Kansas City. She loves cats and knitting and enjoys spoiling her niece, but is happy to see the little charmer go back to Mama when the visits over. Oh, do I relate to that one! I do love my grandkids, but I enjoy the quiet when they go home, too.
Johanna recently graduated from K-State and has taken a job in KC. She and Carmen and Cheryl and some of the other KansasKnitters in the area get together at one of the local yarn stores and have knit-nights. What fun! Johanna is the source of our 2007 Sock Challenge. She's Challenged us all to make a pair of socks a month for the year. I may not make my quota, but I'm taking on socks, something I've never been brave enough to try before. Good for you, Johanna!
Bonnie raises alpacas outside Ottawa. Pat and I had a great time visiting her before Christmas. I couldn't make up my mind which yarn I wanted. Pat had fun watching the alpacas and llamas romping outside the barn. I found a kindred spirit in the Great Pyrennes sheepdog dozing in a sunbeam.
Sherry and Cathy V. have knitting groups in their libraries. I want to visit them on knitting days.
Some of the KansasKnitters have been recruited from gals I work with. Cheryl, Lisa, Kathy R., and Katy have all shared patterns and ideas on breaks. Jennie and Becky are family. They get an intense dose of knitting when they are near me.
Some of our knitters are far away -- Elisabeth lives in New Jersey. I've had fun reading one of the mysteries she wrote. Kathy S. lives in Wisconsin and Kathy R. is in Texas. We had a member from the West Coast for a while, but I haven't heard from her lately. I hope she's just lurking. Cheryl started chatting with us when she lived in California. She found our group just before she moved to KC.
Others range across the state. Kathy G. just joined us from the Wichita area. AJ is in Manhattan. Many of us cluster on the eastern side of the state.
The thing we all have in common is a love of knitting and the joy of talking about it. We share problems; ask advice; share the joy of finishing a project and tell each other about good books and great patterns.
It's a wonderful group. Boy, I'm glad I was frustrated when I couldn't find a Kansas group and took the step to start one myself. This is a great bunch of knitters. My life is so much richer for knowing all of them.