More destruction and rebuilding

While I was appreciating the carpet removal, the remodeling gods were planning new challenges.

The carpet was hardly picked up off the curb, when DD started removing pine paneling next to the basement stairs. She was so quick at wood removal that the contractor decided to take out the steps that day. End of the day, we had no access to the basement, where the computers are, as well as part of my rabbit pattern. DD wrote a blog post with photos. I was at work!

The next day was devoted to building a new set of stairs. I worked all morning, deadlines to meet on Friday. She has a blog post about this day too! "How to replace stairs in three easy steps." She now has a few new skills and has decided that her basement stairs don't need replacing right now. The new stairs are much more sturdy than the originals, which lasted 90 years.

This week's knitting challenge is the guild toy competition. Did I say that I'm knitting a rabbit?
I got to the point where I needed the pattern for the inner ears and the pattern was still out of reach. I had scheduled overalls knitting for Saturday and assembly for Sunday. The straps for the overalls were not finished until Sunday afternoon, but assembly went quickly. All I needed was a quick trip to work for the two buttons on the straps.

I won first prize in the guild competition in the completely knitted toy category. We also had categories for bought toy, knitted clothes and a new category for other charity knitting. Usually I end up with an honorable mention. This is the first time I have won.

Next deadline is Saturday of this week, when I need a pair of socks for someone turning 50. I hope DSIL likes black socks. That's the color for Solid socks this month. I've designed these, but kept the pattern simple, black is hard to work in pattern. At this point, one sock is finished and work progresses on the leg of the second.

DGS William is also celebrating his birthday this weekend, but there is no way I'll be able to get his gift done. Discussion with his Mom resulted in a two family get together after the sweater is done. I have a pattern for a cardigan with trucks on it. I've put together the yarn kit, and read and reread the pattern. I might start the ribbing tonight. We watch tv in the bedroom before bed, and the light is not as good up there for patterned sock knitting in black yarn.

What happened to our front yard?

Part I
This is a really bad picture of what the landscaping looked like in 2000. The big bushes were Rhododendrons, and were not the same color. They died and needed to go. A landscaper was working next door and agreed to do the job.

Oh, by the way, I can clean out this... and this...and this... We agreed and ended up with... a naked yard!

I went shopping at the garden center and came home with a car full of plants, discovered that the bushes I bought will never grow up to be very big, but I love them. Back to the garden center for more bushes that will be bigger.

Yes, the dog on the porch is cute. She's 35# of Australian Cattle Dog. Dog walks are my daily exercise and thinking time.

Part II
The bushes were planted and 2 day lily plants on the tree lawn. We used to have loads of big orange day lilies, but it was too much really. The rest of the plants went into our garage because of frost warnings.

This plant is one of a pair. It will have yellow flowers and stay fairly small. We will move 2 clumps of the big orange type of day lily from our back yard to the front. I may get more day lilies of different colors if I can find them. This is where the yard stands at the moment. More things should be planted later today, with luck.

Guild Toy
Every spring, our knitting guild has a toy competition. The toys are then donated for distribution to children in need. This year's toy is from Fiona McTague's Knitted Toys book. The yarns used are a combination of Caron simply Soft and Lion Brand Wool Ease, all from stash.

More socks
The socks I call Secret Sparkles are finished. This was a Knitty pattern by Cookie A. called Clandestine. The yarn is Dream in Color Starry, because it has silver sparkles in it. The pattern is very dense and the chart needs to be consulted for every row. There are 3 repeats of the pattern on the leg. The foot pattern is mirrored.

One of the Ram club selections, Intersector Socks, is next up in the pipeline. The yarn is from the Unique Sheep and is 4 variations of a gradient color, getting gradually darker down the sock. There was a problem with the pattern as it switched from rib to cable pattern. I figured it out and contacted the designer. She has fixed it in the latest version of the pattern. I'm going to make another change in the pattern, because I see that there are no decreases from the heavy cables to the heel or the toe. The sock looks too big in the pattern photo. DH has big feet, but needs a foot narrower than this pattern.

Sock Knitter Anonymous has a 2 part challenge as usual. Cabled socks, see above, and a mystery sock by Cookie A, We have 2 clues now, but I've 0nly done one so far. I did it twice, but that doesn't count. The first try was too small. My yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy.

Spring socks and more

Green scarf
This was started in mid January. The pattern is called Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf. There are no knitting fairies to knit it when I'm not looking, so I'm still working on ball #1 of 2. The yarn is Noro Matsuri, a cotton/wool blend. The needles are glass, obtained at a TKGA convention.

Skew socks
Patons Kroy yarn works all right for these socks, but I like the striped ones I've seen better. The pattern is easy to work, but requires concentration in certain parts. It's very detailed, which is good. I heard that the socks ran a little tight, so I upped my needle size from US #1/2.25mm to 2.5mm needles. They fit nicely.

Secret Sparkles Sccks
The pattern is Cookie A's Clandestine Socks from Knitty.com. Yarn is Dream in Color Starry in Midnight Derby color. The needles are 5" square needles from Kollage. The 7" needles would have fit my hands better, but I like them. They're not slippery, but more like bamboo or Knit Picks Harmony. The pattern is fiddley, but not hard. It does require constant chart consultation. There are twisted stitches, lace, changing stitch counts, wrapped stitches, and the left sock is a mirror image of the right sock. Definitely not boring! I'm working the first heel/gusset.

The red sweater is finished and the machine knitting pattern is finished. I really need some replacement needles for my mid-gauge machine, so i can knit one for myself. I have contacted a dealer and ordered lots of needles. Now I won't mess up any more (Murphy's Law in reverse). I told her they were for insurance.

Guild Toy time
Every May our knitting guild has a toy competition, with the toys being donated. Knitters have a choice of dressing a ready made toy, or knitting a toy. I'm knitting a turtle from Knitted Toys by Fiona McTague.