Knitted Pot Sock

Here is my pattern for a Pot Sock. I use cast iron pans so this is a useful item in my kitchen! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POT SOCK

 

Small amounts of cotton kitchen yarn

With 2 strands held together –

Chain 17,

Sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across – 16 sc, chain 1, turn

Next 14 rows ; sc in each sc across, ch 1, turn, fasten off.

Sc along one narrow edge.

Fold piece in half lengthwise, and working through both thicknesses, sc along side edge, other narrow edge, and other side edge, working 3 sc in corners. Fasten off. I turn the top down as a cuff. If you want a loop to hang it with - 

Chain 14, fasten off. Sew to lower edge for a hanging loop.

 Enjoy!

 

Hello old friends!

Yes, it’s been awhile. Computers! Arg!

Anyhoo, I have pictures to share. Let’s start with the oldest.

Our tea with neighbors.

It was a lovely Blue Willow day.

Next are two of my dollar store finds! I need a bag for every project or they get lost. I found these in several “Bikini Bottom” prints and solids. Now, almost all summer projects have a bag!

I’ll insert a cool flower that bloomed. DD#1 received these flowers from the “best boyfriend in the world” before heading off to India. This one “artichoke” looking thing didn’t open until 2 weeks after she left. Very Star Trek looking.

Now for the Pot Sock I did. I have several cast iron pans and needed a hot pad for the handles. I made these and will post the pattern for it in a day or two. Very quick with double stranded kitchen cotton. 

And lastly, I made a felted wine bag. What a fun project. I think I’ll sell these around town. I used Patons SWS yarn which is wool and soy. One ball. 

Here it is before felting.

And after the washing machine magic!

 

 

I loved the stripes! I blocked it with a 1-liter soda bottle. Boy, felt is fun!

Ok, that’s it for now. I have more tea menus to post as well as some knit patterns. I’ll get to work on those now!

Cheers!

Back to blogging!

Good grief! Time has flown by so quickly! Since last August and my last post, I left my job, spent 5 days at Thanksgiving in the hospital, spent Christmas in Boston with family for the first time, went back into the hospital in January and am now getting ready to perform in a show at Emory University. I’m exhausted just looking at this paragraph.

The show I am in is called Oh What A Lovely War. You will have to click this link to see the promo card. I am unable to engage brain cells to figure out how to put the PDF picture in this spot.

 

owalw_card1

 

I have also been very industrious in knitting. 

Lace socks finished during rehearsals.

Mystery shawl on floor being blocked. You really can’t see the beads, but it really adds to the design!

The lace scarf I made for my friend for her birthday, on the antique lace stretcher.

Enough of knitting. (As if…)

Since I am a huge tea fanatic, I am loving the little 2 cup brown betty’s my DD gave me for my birthday.

Don’t they look like Mother and her little ones?

Now I can offer a selection of tea bags to someone. I much prefer loose tea, but sometimes an individual pot is lovely. I am in the process of making cosies and shawls for each of the little ones.

Well, it’s good to be back to the blogosphere! 

Cheers!

New Project idea!

Sorry to have been so long in connecting! Life gets in the way and then of course there is the knitting! I need to organize my time better. I can sit and knit for 4-5 hours and not notice. Then I have a ton of boring things to do… shopping, cleaning, cooking. When do women have time to blog as well as all of the other stuff? If I could knit, weave, spin and blog at the same time, I would.

I have been toying with the idea of finding and knitting family patterns. You know the ones Grandmother would write out be hand because she made it so often? Or the pamphets or books that were used. The baby “sacs” and afghans, sweaters and tablecloths. I have several of my great aunt and grandmother’s patterns and books. I am asking friends if they have such gems. Either you can scan them and email them to me or send them to me and I’ll do it and return it. Then I want to knit them and post the pictures and directions giving full credit to the woman who knit them originally and passed them on. Kind of anthropology of knitting. What do you think? I’ll do knit and crochet. I feel strongly that “women’s work” involving needlework must not be lost. It is a link with our past to touch something handmade a generation ago.

On to knitting…

I am almost finished with the Mystery Shawl 3. I had two weeks of illness and it put me behind. I am working on the wing and it goes fast. So maybe by next week I’ll be blocking it. I am excited to go to a knit in with other MS3 knitters in September. I may or maynot be finished!

I am almost finished with a pink shetland lace scarf of my own design. Just finishing up the border. I am in the mood to finish up projects so my knitting bag will be empty before fall. Can’t wait for the change in temperature here in Hot’lanta! You don’t want to know what our electric bill is. Let’s just say a 50 year old woman and triple digit heat for a month. ‘Nuf said. (Luckily I have a DH who understands how important it is to keep his wife of ice!)

I planned a beautiful llama shawl on the loom. My first experiment with plaid. It was too fragile and I had to take it off the loom. So much work to dress the loom and then to take it off again! Oh, well, lesson learned. I loved weaving with chennile and also with linen. I’m thinking of cotton for my next project.

DD is back at school and settled in. DH is back at Emory and ready to be back to a normal schedule. DD at home is still on summer break. Ah, the beauty of homeschooling. We won’t start until after Labor Day. Remember when school waited until AFTER summer to begin? Now the neighborhood schools start the second week of August. It’s a shame. And it is way too hot to be having football practice or any other outdoor practice. Not to mention the cost of keeping the schools cool. And some schools in the Atlanta area have no air conditioning this year! That is abuse! (ok, enough of that. We homeschool in order to avoid public school. Can you tell?)

My, I’m full of ranting this morning!

I am looking forward to starting the German lace knitting workshop in September. My German is terrible! Of course the last German class I had was in 1979. And my youngest worked on German 2 years ago so I have the basics, but slang and knitting terms are new. But it will be fun to learn a little more German.

Must go knit!!

Finally!

Here, at last, are pictures of a few things finished. Gee, I forgot a cool scarf I did. Oh, well. I do not want to fight with the camera again today!

First is the coffee cozy. Boy is it a wonderful thing! My coffee keeps piping hot. Yea!

My DD loves cats and so a cat hat was in order. Fast and fun to knit.

And last to be added is the linen sampler I worked as my first piece.

I have taken several pictures of the loom, but I swear my camera is jealous. It has yet to come out! I hate digital cameras!!!!!

I have a lace shawl in my purse, and a denim Argosy scarf in my knitting bag. I am feeling like felting so I think a trip to my LYS for some yummy wool is in order. I am thinking of a bag for my knitting and maybe a purse for my older DD. If she is good….which she is!

I am excited to try cotton or wool on the loom next. I have the table runner still on and have a couple of days work to finish it. I would sit and weave all day if I could.

I’ve spent the several days this week at the hospital with my sister and am ready for some quiet handwork. Although I did a lot of knitting there. Thank goodness for knitting!

New love!

Well, yes it has been a while since I have written. I have been totally smitten with my new loom! I have always wanted to weave and have had a tri-loom. Loved the triangle loom! Had to sell it. Funny how bills take priority over my toys! Oh, well.

However, my sweet friend sent her Baby Wolf to live with me. I have done one linen sampler/table runner. I’ll find the camera and post pictures. I have just today finished dressing it for a linen wrap. I am loving “huck lace” and the linen is beautiful. Difficult, but beautiful. I had problems with thread breaking today as well as finding I had not allowed enough heddles and so I got the opportunity to make 4 heddles out of yarn. I am exhausted! But, tomorrow I’ll begin weaving.

As far as knitting goes, I finished a cozy for my coffee press; a matching hat for DD; triangle scarf in homespun; dishcloth and scrubbie. I am still working on lace wrap for me and started a pink llama triangle lace shawl to carry in my purse. I want to start a pair of “Snakes on a Sock” inspired by the crazy movie “Snakes on a Plane”. Need just the right yarn for that project.

Meanwhile, DH is back to work after his sabatical. DD is home from college and at work everyday (there is a goddess!) I am loving afternoon thunderstorms again and thinking of my fabulas friends – the Diva’s – in my life. Weaving allows me to let my mind wander and I think of all the wonderful women in my life…those I see and those who are too far to visit with. I miss you Diva’s who are out of town (you know who you are!) and those who have left the planet. I am who I am today because of you all! (This sounds like an acceptance speech at the Oscars!) Enough.

Pictures to come! cheers!

Friends and Knitting

I have spent quite a bit of time with friends recently. AND talked to one of the greatest DIVA’S from Boston today! How amazing our girlfriends are and what tremendous energy they give to us in just listening and laughing. Does anyone else feel isolated in the busyness of life? My world revolves around family and home, and yet there is a part of me that sits and waits. I catch glimpses of me in the busyness, but the me that my friends know is just below the surface waiting to come back out full time. A wise man once told me that I could do everything I wanted to do in life, just not at the same time. So, I’m ok with that!

I’ve been knitting like crazy. A cozy for the coffee press and matching hat for DD. A scarf in a fishnet pattern called Mary Poppin’s scarf. Easy and fun. Another pink llama lace scarf is begun as is a set of dishcolths and a cute scrubbie. I am trying to read each day and sit at the harp. But, let’s face it, the knitting is the passion! I must learn to do woven lace in order to relieve my arm, though.

My fantasy is to have a big, sunny studio with a floor loom in one corner by the windows, my spinning wheel and triangle loom in another corner and overstuffed sofas in rose patterns in the middle of the room.Shelves of books and patterns line one wall and a cedar closet holds my yarn. I would retreat to this space to design and work. I would love to do workshops in the space. Ah, one day. Right now, the spinning wheels are in the living room, knitting, books, bags and stash yarn are everywhere and I am “loomless”.

What’s your fantasy?

Flown the coop!

The birds have left the nest! I missed seeing the flight lessons! Now we’ll clean the box out and wait for another bird to nest. Ah, so cute!

I was surprised l developed carpul tunnel in my left arm. Of course I have been a knitting fool as of late. Ok, obsessed is more descriptive. But I love to knit lace!

I spent a lovely day spinning at my DD old elementary school. Civil War Day is an annual event for the fourth graders. I take a car load of stuff and my wheel and I have so much fun!

I talk about fibers that I can spin and ask what animals they can think of to spin. This year was the first to have Koala and Anteater thrown out there! I have animal fibers – sheep, llama, wolf, yak, bunny, camel- and plant – cotton and flax. Then bug- silk! I cover dyes and show colors from plants. Do a little drop spindle work, show the big wheel and then the real fun begins! I hand out “spinning kits” of a cotton ball and Q-Tip. I show them how to spin cotton with these two household items. Boys always spin longer yarn including the male teacher from last year. The record length was 62 inches this year and spun by a guy! I had my DD helping which was fun. Both of us in long dresses of the period.

Luckily no hoops!

What a week!

Last week was DH surgery. So the world revolved around that. He is slowly rebounding.
We are also needing to buy a car this week. Not great for DH who gets exhaused climbing the stairs! But a car we must have.

I also attended a wedding of my dear friend’s son that was so beautiful! Lovely weather, lovely home, wonderful bride and groom and great DJ! What a night! There was a pool…need I say more?

We are preparing for the return of the college DD. Can not believe a year has gone! It will be an interesting summer. I remember the summer between freshman and sophmore year. Hard to go back to “house rules” after a year of coming and going at will. But I had a younger sister at home to consider and so does DD. But it will be fun having her energy around here and I do like her friends. The boyfriend is great so how could it be anything other than good?

I am half way through the second olive lace shawl that is mine. I intend to just knit until I finish the cone of llama lace weight. But I did find inspiration for the other lace wraps I want to knit for the girls. I do think I’ll make the first one in white. And it will be a traditional shetland lace design. That will be my May project. I found a Japanese inspired
design that would be perfect for my youngest DD for future knitting. It is asymetrical and a cherry blossom design. The third one is up in the air for now. I love the planning process!

Back in the Saddle again.

Yes, it has been a while. Our trip to the mountains was quiet and sleepy and I only knitted and ate. Yes, paradise! I did finish the pink llama lace shawl for my friend. I actually made it more than once, but had to unknit one side due to operator error. So I now have that pattern firmly memorized! I also finished my Mists of Avalon lace scarf. Haven’t got a picture of it yet. Here is the pink.

It is 60 inches long with the border on both ends. It is knit in two parts and grafted together. I tried the 3 needle bindoff and it was fine.

Then I finished my tea set of green crochet. I really love it! But I am done with crochet for a while.

I am inspired to knit lace shawls for my girls and an extra for a future daughter-in-law. They can be used at weddings or other events. Just thinking legacy and lace and how I tend to give away everything I ever make! Can’t decide if I should do white for each or soft peach or pink. Also if I should do the same pattern or say roses for one and ivy vines for the other and the third perhaps traditional shetland patterns.