One Out of One McDreamies Approve...

Ok, so just within the last couple of months, I have become addicted to Grey's Anatomy. I just finished watching season 2. You see, the cable I have here in Korea is weird. It's not like the cable the others have. My cable comes through the internet and everything (movies and tv shows) seem to be downloaded from DVDs or something. I'm not totally sure how it works, but I can't find any "normal" cable channels like CNN or BBC. Yes, the majority of the tv shows would be Korean, but there are some English ones on. So, as I said, I just finished watching season 2 of Grey's. I think it takes awhile for them to get the shows on because they are putting Korean subtitles at the bottom. I'm now waiting for them to get season 3 of Grey's, season 3 of Stargate SG-1, and season 3 of House.

So, back to the title of the post. McDreamy (hubba hubba) has approved my latest sock - the Fleece Artist one I've been working on. I finished the first sock today and started into the cuff of the second. He's seen the sock, and he definitely approves. Want to see the proof? Ok, look at that pitcture...see that smile? He definitely approves of the sock!



Ok, so Robyn asked about the Claudia socks as to whether or not I ran out of yarn or had to make them smaller. I forgot to mention this crucial info in my last post, and since I bought the yarn from her shop, I should mention it so she'll know and pass on the info to her customers.



I did make the socks about an inch or two shorter than I normally make them (about 7 inches from the bottom of the heel to the top of the cuff normally). I didn't want to run out of yarn, especially since I typically do my socks from the cuff down, so I thought I'd play it safe and make them a little shorter. I had some yarn left over for each sock...about enought I could have made it another inch longer possibly - maybe half an inch, but definitely no more than an inch. I've worn the socks twice already since making them and I love them. They fit pretty good and the yarn feels great on my feet. I will definitely use Claudia Hand Painted yarns again in the future.



I forgot to show you in my last post some yarn I bought at the yarn shop here in Yesan, South Korea. It's called Fiance and I think it's by Nak Yang. It's top dyed wool (75%) & kid mohair (25%), and is 45g/115m. I got four balls of it but I'm not sure what I'll make. I was thinking something like a scarf, mittens or a hat. It reminds me of Noro Kureyon (or however you spell it, lol). Anyone have any ideas and/or patterns I could try with this yarn? Please let me know in the comments. Also, if anyone has tried this yarn let me know what you thought of it as well.

Well, have to go and work on some lesson plans. We have to have stuff to email one of the teachers in charge of the Saturday classes that begin on the 19th, as they are making up a workbook for the kids to use. I'm focusing on the writing aspect this time (there are four of us, and one is taking reading, one writing, one speaking, and one listening), so I need to get some work done as the deadline to email the teacher is Monday. Plus, I have my regular lesson for the week to do up, plus three other lessons for my extra classes. Thankfully I've got a bit of that all done, and still have tomorrow to work on it too. But, I should go and do some more.

Happy Knitting!

A New Pair of Socks

Yep, I have a new pair of socks. I finished them yesterday while watching a couple of movies. I had hoped they would have been done last weekend, but sadly they weren't. Oh well, the important thing is that they are finished now. The picture to the left is a little dark...obviously...since it was taken in front of the window. I got this cool thing at one of the stores here (the kind of store that sells things for the home like dishes, cleaning things, towels, etc.) and you hook it over a rod and it has little "arms" that hang off it (about 6 or 8) with plastic clothes pins on the end. You use it to hang your fine delicates up to dry. I thought it might come in hand to hang the socks up for a picture. I think I'll take it home with me when I go back to Canada in the fall and use it to hang my knitted socks up to dry in the winter. The lighter picture below is with natural light coming in the window with the socks laying on top of my washer. What I hate about doing laundry here is that there are no dryers (very few people have them and I think they are only small anyway). I have a pair of jeans I bought new before I came here and they are big on me now (I've lost about 10 lbs since coming to Korea) and I would love a dryer to dry them in so they'd shrink a little bit. Oh welll, I digress.

Ok, so back to the knitting and yarn. These are the plain knit socks I made with the Claudia Hand Painted. I liked using this yarn and found it to be soft. There was no splitting or knots in the yarn, and I always enjoy that. The only thing I found was one skein (the right sock in the picture of the socks on the washer) was a little darker than the other. It's not a big deal and won't stop me from wearing them. But, I would definitely use this kind of yarn again!

I've started another pair of socks with some Fleece Artist (don't know what colourway it is) that I brought with me from Canada. I got this last spring or summer I think...maybe the winter. I have only got the cuff and about 3 or 4 rows of knitting done so far, so not really picture worthy yet. I think these are going to be mindless knitting socks again - just a plain knitted sock. My problem (well one of many, lol) is that I don't have a printer here. There is one the five of us foreign teachers use in the building (we have to share it...and the one who currently has had it for a few months is never around), but it's just such a hassel and I don't know if it will work with my computer since it's from Canada, and the printer is from Korea...I'm not technologically inclined so I have no idea...it might though. Anyway, in order for me to get some sock patterns I'd have to print them out, and the only printer I use mostly is at school...don't think they'd enjoy me printing out the patterns there. Oh welll, I might try it sometime. But for now, with this new sock, it'll just be a mindless knit.

Here's one of my pictures from Egypt. This is Abu Simbel and was built by Ramses II...I think. I totally forget, lol. This temple was closer to Lake Nasser, but in the '60s (I think), it was moved back so that it wasn't so close to the edge of the lake. In the process, the statue 2nd front the left lost it's head - it fell off. That's me in front of the temple, but don't look too close...I'll probably scare you.

Anyway, we had to get up at 3:00 AM to go to this place. It was about a three to three and a half hour drive from where we were in Aswan. One of the reasons they do the tours so early is because it gets rather hot during the afternoon; that and tons of tourists visit it so the earlier in the day you go, the better. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take pictures inside.

For those of you not on Facebook to see my current profile picture, here it is. This is me all bundled up (knee high tights, a pair of my hand knit wool socks, leggins, jeans, 2 tshirts, a sweater, my winter coat, a scarf around my neck (inside my coat), ear muffs, a pashmina/scarf around my head, and a winter scarf around my neck and head...oh, and gloves...and up on the mountain I was wrapped up in a blanket as well) to climb Mount Sinai at 2:30 AM. I went half way up on camel, then the last half you have to actually climb yourself. It is all steps. Uneven, different sized, stone steps. Hard. Unless you are in tip top physical shape (unlike myself), this is a difficult climb. I had to stop 4 or 5 times to catch my breath, but I made it to the top. It was FREEZING up there!

This is turning into a longer post than I had thought, but I will leave you with one last picture from atop Mount Sinai.

Swing Of Things

I guess I am getting back into the swing of things here in Korea. This past week, since I've been back from Egypt, I haven't been doing a whole lot, but I am gradually getting there.



You see, I've been suffering from jet lag quite a bit. It didn't bother me while I was in Egypt (I'm told that usually you are affected by it more so with your return flight), but this past week I have been hard hit. From what the others are saying, they too have been having a hard time dealing with it as well. I just can't sleep at my normal time - even if I feel tired. I usually end up falling asleep anywhere from 3:00 am til 7:00 am. Then, I might get only a few hours of sleep and then be wide awake and have to take a nap some time in the afternoon, and that usually turns into sleeping for a couple of hours at least.

Last night I went to bed around midnight. I felt tired. I managed to get to sleep before 12:30 but I woke up around 1:15 and was wide awake. So, I got up (after tossing and turning awhile) and had a snack of strawberries and crackers because I was feeling hungry. While I ate that, I watched an episode of Stargate SG-1 (man, that Richard Dean Anderson is HOT!) and went back to bed. I think I fell asleep around 3:30 and woke up at 10:30 when my alarm went off.



The thing is, I start back to work tomorrow. I'm worried that I won't be able to sleep tonight and then suffer at work tomorrow. I guess I'll have to make sure I have lots of coffee with me to help keep me awake...



On the knitting front, since I've been back I've been working on the sock I started before I left for my trip. I had to rip out part of the gusset because I wasn't thinking when I did it (I had this done before leaving) and started doing the toe decrease by mistake. I only noticed after I had knit about 10-15 rows. I didn't want to take out the needles and rip back because I figured I wouldn't get the stitches lined up properly and I'd probably end up dropping some stitches as well. So, I sat and tinked back the required number of rows and started knitting it correctly this time. I'm into the foot part already. Karen informed me that the yarn I'm using (Claudia Hand Painted) doesn't have a lot of yardage as other skeins do, so I shouldn't make the sock as long as I would normally do so. I made the leg 1-2 inches shorter than normal, so I hope I'll end up with enough yarn to finish. I think I have about 2 1/2 - 3 inches left before starting the toe decreases...I think.

I am slowly making my way back to reading the blogs I usually frequent. I've got a new laptop, so I will have to go on the one the school lent me, for use while I'm here, and copy down the list of links to the ones I had listed under my "favourites" section so I can add them on here (or rather add them to the list of links on my sidebar). It's great seeing what everyone is working on and the progress they are making. Lots of cute items and gorgeous yarns being used! So, if I haven't been to your blog yet, I'm slowly making my way there and trying to get caught up on the posts I've missed.

As for me, I still have tons of pictures to post up on Face Book and I still haven't added any posts/pictures to my other blog yet. Hopefully soon. I'll let you know when that happens so you can go see them if you want.

Well, off I go to surf the net some more (maybe catch up at Ravelry) and find something to watch and knit to. Happy knitting to you all!

Stash Enhancement

Yes, I did it again. I have enhanced my stash. We all do it at one time or another...some more often than others. C'mon, admit it...you do it too!

First up we have my order from Robyn's Nest. There is a pattern for the Jolene sock by Erin Vaughan and it looks wonderful - another pattern I can't wait to make! The yarn up at the top is the November sock club yarn and it is gorgeous Yarn Oddity by ms. pixie riot. It is bright pink with blues and purples in it and is nice and soft. It think it will knit up into a lovely pair of Jolene socks. There are also matching stitch markers, though you can't see them in the picture so well. This was the November Sock Club kit and I'm so happy I ordered it.

I also ordered 2 skeins of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns in the Pink Cloud colourway. I'm not sure what pattern I will make with this yarn at the moment, but I'm looking for just the right one. Pink cloud contains shades of pinks and greys and I think it will look lovely as a pair of socks. I got a set of 4.0mm DPNs as well as a set of single point 5.0 mm (US 8) bamboo needles which are so cute. You can't see in the picture (if you are interested you can check them out at Robyn's Nest's web site (link above), but on the top of them they have a picture of a cat's face with I heart knitting in front of it....soooooo cute!

If you haven't checked out Robyn's Nest you should. She's got some great stuff and she has excellent service! I highly recommend her online store!

Ok, so next up in the stash enhancing took place this weekend. We had a little trip to Seoul to do some Christmas shopping, and of course one of the places we went to was Insa-Dong. So, since we were there, I HAD to go to the little yarn shop I went to the last time I went to Insa-Dong. This time around, I got the Winter 2007 issue of Interweave Knits and 2 balls of Rowan Tapestry. I'm not sure of the colourway - can't seem to find any name on the ball band but it is shades of blues/purples...more bluey than purple though. I did a little test run with this yarn and like it, though it doesn't seem to be as plied tightly. It's so nice and soft and seems like it will be nice to work with. I was going to attempt to design a scarf but I messed up and had to frog it...so no pics. I'm not sure yet if I'll make a scarf with it or a pair of mittens. I've been browsing the pictures over on Ravelry of all the projects made with this type of yarn, and most seem to be scarves. This is really soft and I think it would be a nice warm pair of mittens - which I'm finding out I need here in Korea because it's gotten a lot colder lately (today was nice though and didn't need mittens). My fingerless gloves that I had made just don't seem to work outside in the cold, so I think I'll make a pair of mittens very, very soon so my hands can keep nice and warm whenever I'm outside. I need to find a pattern for a basic pair of mittens on 4 needles because I don't have any of my patterns here with me.

I haven't been working on my Yukon Leaves socks lately (though I did knit about 4 rows on it today so far...hoping to do more a little later). I don't know what it is, but ever since I came to Korea I haven't been able to knit as much as I used to. I think it might be because I don't have my rocking chair to sit in while I knit - which was my way of relaxing and knitting back home in Canada. I'd really like to get these socks done before 2007 is over so I can add this to my list of FOs on my sidebar. The pattern goes fairly quickly, so all I need to do is sit down and knit.

Well, just a little note to keep the blog updated. I really should head off and work on my knitting while I have a little motivation! Hope you are all getting more knitting done than I am!