11.12.08
What a wild ride!
Well, I’ve finally caught my breath after the International Quilt Festival… it ended over a week ago, but it probably won’t surprise any of you who met me there that I both lost my voice (must have been too many demos of Flat Feet and the Swirl Shawl!), and subsequently pulled some tiny, but apparently very important, muscle in my back while packing up at the end of the show. But I’m pretty much back to normal now, and catching up on things again. Whew!
The Quilt Festival was a HUGE event, hundreds of vendors, and thousands of attendees… we stayed busy the entire time, and met many wonderful knitters and quilters. Were you there?? Leave a comment to let us know how you liked the show!
I had wonderful helpers too – MANY thanks to Laura, Danuta, Elisa, Vicki, and Karen, not to mention my DH (who one customer nicknamed “Ruler Man” because he was handing out Great Yarn Company gauge rulers with abandon…), my own Mom, and my mother-in-law. Neither of the Moms knits, so it was especially fun to see both of them jump in and start demo’ing items!! Aren’t they cute?
Here’s my sweet mom (in the pink top) helping at the Flat Feet table: 
And this is my very supportive mother-in-law (on the right), demonstrating Flat Feet yarn!
In knitting, I have made a lot of progress since the last time I posted about my Wrap Me Up Shawl – it’s almost finished, and I’m working on the dragon tooth edging now. I hope to have it fully completed in a few days, just in time for the little bit of cooler weather we get down here in Texas.
And I finally, FINALLY, finished my DH’s “Eternal Socks” – that’s what I nicknamed them because it seems that I’ve been working on them forever. When I gave them to him, he put them on immediately, sighed, and said, “AAhhhhh….!” Okay, maybe I’m a softie, but that made it all worthwhile! I don’t recall the exact yarn, I think maybe it was Trekking… here’s a look at the finished socks:
Tuesday Tips – knitting tips you can USE!
I know, this is Wednesday, but it’s been so long since my last tip that I thought I’d sneak one on in you!
Do you have trouble with “ladders” when you knit socks on either DPNs or circulars? Ladders are little lines of stretched-out stitches running down the length of your sock, right where you change needles, and they are caused by inconsistent tension when you move from one needle to the next.
Many people try to fix this by tugging the yarn tightly when they make the first stitch on the new needle, but that tightens the last stitch on the previous needle, which does not eliminate the ladder. (Don’t believe it? Try it and watch which stitch gets tighter.)
A better solution is to tug the yarn more tightly on the SECOND stitch on the new needle. Just knit (or purl) the first stitch as usual, then after you insert the needle into the SECOND stitch, give the working yarn a good tug, and complete the stitch. See? It snugged up the first stitch on the needle, and there should be no sloppy loose stitch now. This works no matter which method you use for knitting in the round – DNS’s, two circulars, or one long circular.
And a quick note to our GYC Sock Club members: Your Winter Sock kits will be shipping very soon – they’re all put together, just waiting on one last item, and then they’ll be on their way to you! Get ready for some sock-knitting fun!
So glad my voice has returned and that I can MOVE again (ouch!),
Sue
